Iron Stars - horatio

Horatio sits on his cot, the gentle him of the asteroid colony underneath his feet. 2,000 other adults, and twice that number of communally raised children exist in the Teucer system, home to an NMC colony, and the ruins of a dead alien empire. The shapers passed by this area off into the wider galaxy, kept away by either the lack of biomass, or something about the dis-settling ringworld around the sun. Everything is a numbers game here on Teucer. Oxygen and Water in, recycled Co2 and Piss out, and then cleansed and back around again, thousands of times into infinity. The hatch on the system shuttle outside was the Rec room door once. It might be again someday, with time.

01:23

Leadership hasnt been made any easier with the shortages of food and water , and the attacks by worm like creatures living inside the rock this colony is perched on.

Horatio stands from his cot and instantly regrets it, smashing his head off the lowered bit of ceiling just next to his coat as he has almost every time Horatio has left his cot in the few years he's been here. "Shite, every time?! By the Void!" He exclaims, touching the little lump on his head. As he moves to wipes his face with a cloth by the sink. At the same time he flicks open his compad from the lock screen, checking to see if there is some new fresh hell that might end the colony today.

1

The same shortages haven’t been changed at all over night. The morning meal is soon and you can expect the water and food levels to reach critical just after. Something needs to be done

Horatio looks up into the burnished steel that serves as a mirror he smiles and twirls his moustache. He begins cultivating ideas as he walks out of the small room. (who's in charge on the colony and how would I find them?)

(I thought you were)

(oh lmao! No worries!) Horatio walks to the quartermasters to guage the supplies and spitball ideas and how to potentially solve the issue at hand.

The system fleet is a bare bones cargo runner and a pair of shuttles. The idea of going down to the alien ring world has been a terrifying thought for many, but the world has a biosphere , and there could be food there

Seeing there is little choice, Horatio gathers his gear and gets a survey and exploration team ready. Calling some skilled hands to accompany him down to one of the ring Worlds aboard a shuttle first. Not wanting to risk the cargo runner on a fools errand if this should be one.

The shuttle can carry nine others okie yourself, a mix of experts and a few security , though none of them will be much good in a fight if you meet anything serious on the “planet “

Horatio enters the shuttle and gives a slight chuckle with the team on board. "Morning ladies and gents, how are we all feeling?" *He asks the crewmembers. (edited)

No one is that enthused, but everyone knows its either this, or we spend the next several weeks starving to death, and leaving ugly corpses behind for NMC reconquest teams to find. There is no joy in going out that way , miserable as life curerntly is

(ffs I just edited my last message instead of sending a new one

)

23:22

Horatio looks around the cabin with a solemn smile understanding. "Aye, that's how I feel too, could be worse I suppose. At least there's more than walls to see. Let's get this done." he nods to the pilots and sits down next to an old timer. "Dan! How's the wife doing?" He asks cheerfully to the old gent. (edited)

23:25

(there we go, kind of fixed it)

(so did you want me to respond to the edited one of this one then, i am lost)

(nah sorry the reply I posted, so the message straight above. I fucked up the post of it originally was all)

"Hungry, and nagging. Guess either way I'm gonna hear the end of it..." He leaves off the fact that dying on the ringworld still gets him out of his predicament.

"I almost brought her along, thought if we find anything down there, I could just wind her up and let her shout it to death." He playfully nudges the old timer and as the shuttle decouple and gets underway he turns back. "Most likely we'll find bugger all down there apart from natural resources. If in doubt stick with the group." He says loud enough for the rest of the team to hear then settles in for the journey.

Its a six hour trip to the ringworld, constructed entirely around the sun in a narrow band- that is still a hundred or so kilometers thick. Varying hot to temperate climates exist on the ring- built by precursors even to the Slyth, but there are no actual notes about what might be down there, and when things were better, the risk of losing a transport wasn't an easy thing for the colony to swallow.

21:13

You're going in, almost literally blind

Horatio closes his eyes and says a quick prayer for his people and himself in the trials ahead, as he has done for months in the cold darkness of the new existence. Hoping that on this ring will lay answers and not more death. He opens them again and says some words as they gain nearer their destination. Trusting the pilots to find a good landing ground. "Alright people listen in, we all know what is at stake so I needn't remind ye. I want your heads screwed on tight for this one. See anything, hear anything out of the ordinary you tell me like your lives depend on it. They might well." He drops the seriousness for a second once he knows the message has sunk in. "Apart from that try to enjoy yourselves. We are probably the first people in centuries if not the first humans to ever set foot here. We pathe the way here. Let's get this done and then we are home for more bad cooking!"

(D100 for the landing zone. There’s an incredible amount of surface area here so a map is something I’m trying to figure out how to scale)

(no worries mate, I'm happy doing theatre of the mind as long as you need to if you want, I'll roll that 100)

03:59

(16)

A forest has been identified as the shuttle passes through the atmosphere here, that should contain good sources of forage, clean water, and hopefully game docile enough to hunt. Even the hides and bones might be useful in something now with how desperate for supply the colony is. Settling down into a clearing, the onboard climate computer announces the atmosphere in this region is breathable without assistance.

Seeing the dense woodland through the cabin views teen Horatio unbuckles his swords from his belt leaving his pistols and pucks up his laslock, opting for the long barrel over the close quarters, better fornhunting. He stands and nods to have the ramp drop and he walks out weapon at the low ready position as he scans to make sure it is clear of hostiles.

The fresh air, pine like trees, and quiet of the forest is not out to kill you, right now. You hear an enormous hiss from the shuttle oxygen systems, as they vent the continually scrubbed air. Recycling it with fresh intake here will take about half an hour, but the trip back will be far more pleasant.

"By the Void..." Horatio whispers as he takes his first steps on breathable solid ground in years. He takes a knee and puts his hand in the grass and into the earth below feeling its texture. After looking at his hand for a few seconds he looks back to the shuttle. "Okay people, create a small perimeter and begin sampling soil and plant life locally. Once that is done we'll go looking for water and potential food sources. Need to know if this ground is good for growing."

(Survive/wis)

(10)

02:48

(better start than last time already

)

You're able to get some samples, and find some water 100m into the trees. The little pool is dirty, but runs southward, heading north could lead to a source

"Okay, I'm going to go north, see if I can find the source of the water. Three of you are going to come with me while the rest create a small camp here for our needs and the duration of the expedition. Any volunteers?" Horatio asks cradling the laslock as he takes out his navcomp to begin plotting the theoretical course best he can.

You're forced to pick three yourself, and none of them are eager to trapse off into the unknown wilderness of an alien ringworld, but your mission is important

Horatio sighs and picks the three he thinks best for exploration. Before slinging his back on his back and moving off into the wilderness laslock in hand. He makes his way steadily if he can, taking his time to ensure everyone is as safe as possible and hopefully not disturbing the local wildlife if there is any. He listens to hear if he can hear birds or other such woodland animals often in the background in these environments.

You do hear smaller animals around you , signaling hopefully that bigger ones are keeping their distance. The forest is dense, and rich. You feel like every breath is cleaning out some of the crud from your lungs and replacing it with clean air. Coughing is something most of the party is doing at irregular intervals as they get used to the conditions here.

"The forest being this rich and dark is a good sign. It could well mean this land is fertile enough to grow crops." Horatio says in a hushed turn as they make their way further north following the stream as best they can. In this next stretch Horatio attempts to look for signs of bigger game, like trails made by animals, tracks and left over dung.

You find a large pile with flakes of bone in it. You also find antlers, with chunks of skull tissue still attached at the base. Limbs have been snapped from nearby trees

1

(given the size of the dung, the height of the limbs snapped and the chunks missing can I figure out how big the predator is? Like am I dealing with wolf sized or grizzly?)

1

(grizzly)

(oh fuck) Horatio makes no sound when he realises the size of the beast but signals eyes on as he looks where the tracks lead hoping the animal might be avoided for the time being.

The tracks amble east, perpendicular to your current path of travel, though large animals will stick to water both for their own hydration needs and to trap smaller game that will use the same water sources. This path is likely a detour for the creature. They're somewhat fresh as far as you can tell- though its at best an educated guess on this bizarre ringworld.

Horatio signals every to gather around. "Okay we're going after it, otherwise whatever this is might well come to ambush us as we get further to the water source. This way we can get the upper hand. Everyone be quiet as possible and wait for my signals and we might get through this." Horatio tries to comm the rest of the team to update them if he can before heading down the trail as quietly as possible.

(what kind of terrain would yhou be looking for to plan your ambush, or i guess knowing the bits we know, how would you want to do this ideally)

(hmm good question, I suppose given that we have ranged weapons id like to find a clearing that we can set up in the tree line and then lure it with the carcass of the dead animal to the open then open up, the idea of taking on a big predator in cqb isn't something I relish.)

The first order of business is to try to find a smaller animal to either wound or kill to lure in this predator, and you see smaller tracks running all over the woods. These are about the size of lopes though that somewhat ubiquitous creature might not have its own variant here- even so- whatever is out there is equivalent in size

Horatio signals the group to follow quietly as he begins moving down one of the trails of the lope sized animals. He takes lead and is about 20m ahead of the rest laslock at the low ready position as he does his best to track the animals movements.

(this would be another surivive/wis, since we're doing something different, and still an unknown creature)

(of course!)

20:01

(8)

You’re able to find a deerling, 50m from you in the midst of a clearing where it is feeding on some of the long grass

Horatio creeps along to the base of the tree with clear sight of the animal and raises his laslock aiming to kill the beast while its unaware of him.

2

02:49

The beast is unaware its about to be shot, and continues doing grazing beast things

Horatio almost pauses to state in awe at the beast however goes to his task. Firing a shot towards the animal where he stopped the heart to be. (what roll would you like?)

(We'd need an execution attack if you're trying to drop it like that)

(yeah, that might be the best intent)

05:15

(8 on dex/shoot) (edited)

The shot is clean, blowing out the creatures heart and dropping it on the spot. The shot cauterizes the blood and it keeps the beast from making an enormous mess

Horatio wastes no time and bounds through the underbrush to his kill, making sure the secure it. He takes some small samples for the field kit and later testing before having the group set up at one end of the clearing. (whichever end of the clearing was furthest from the last known direction of the large predator tracks.) Horatio takes his bayonet and the opens the dead animal open, thereby spreading the scent of the kill and hopefully laying his trap. He moves to settle in at the treeline with the others, reloading and attempting to hide in the treeline with clear picture of the carcass.

(Where’s the other three in this )

03:09

(How far from you. Ect )

(I think we'd all be in the treeline, making an adhoc firing line if they have laslocks too, I assumed they had sorry)

(Just trying to figure out ranges)

16:48

You hear a howl on the wind as the smell of the blood begins spreading. Trees gently sway as something heavy and ponderous makes its way over

Horatio looks to his left and right, praying silently that the team with him, though inexperienced in the ways of conflict and scared of this new place keeps their heads. He takes steady deep breaths as he sights in on the sounds waiting for a clear shot. "On my shot, not before..." He whispers to the others.

The creature approaches on its forelimbs, hunched down and sniffing, 40m from your position- coming down the game trail

(fucking hell)

19:22

Horatio's adrenaline spikes dangerously as he sees the beast in its full visage. The grotesque form and clear lethality of the being making him hesitate. His mind works to fight the urge to run. Better to fight it now than have it ambush you But have you seen it? It's fucking terrifying. Get it done lad. He process and looks to his compatriots as the beast makes its way into the open ground of the clearing, he aims then fires. Prompting the others to hopefully follow suit.

(you guys would get a surprise round)

17:15

(and then we'll do initiative)

(Sweet! I'll roll, do you want me to roll for the peeps with me?)

(you can, d20+3 for them)

(18/12 for me. Group: 6/9, 22/7, 14/12)

21:17

(cheeky volley fire)

Two of the shots hit. Your own and one of the crew with you as the beast roars, wounded but far from out of the fight. (Initiative)

(8 for me, I rolled a flat 1d8 for the others and got 2)

(2 for bear, so you, bear, soldiers)

(solid) Thoughts of doubt vanish as the small line fires its volley. Horatio's training kicks in, his hands work fast to reload the laslock. His breathing calms a little making sure not to go off half cocked. "Indepedant fire! Scatter if you have to but keep laying it on!" He bellows as if on a battlefield, bringing his laslock to his shoulder in a fluid motion, but snags it on a branch in the treeline as he fires. (miss) "Ah ballocks!"

The bear surges forward and will be on the group of you in another few seconds (double move, next turn he can engage)

(yikes)

20:04

A step behind Horatio are the survey team, they shakily reload their laslocks and fire as the bear charges closer.

20:06

(10,10,14, don't think they hit)

(they do not) the men with you panic, firing too soon, or too late. Their shots kill plants and trees quite expertly, but not your actual target

04:15

(Horatio up

Horatio sees nothing to do but carry on his attack as the failed volley comes in hoping to distract the animal with his own shot rather than his less experienced Comrades. By the Void I could use some marines... He puts the stock to his shoulder and fires toward the animals front legs hoping to turn the beast by taking its momentum. (21/11) (edited)

It skids as the shot hits its leg, plowing a few meter long furrow in the ground before it turns to face you, and lunges in. (18/5 for claw swipe, and back to you) (edited)

Horatio is flung backwards into a small tree by the claw, the tracks of the razors having cut through his armour, now trailing blood he calls out to his small contingent. "Stop pissing about and fucking kill it!" They load and fire at rate they're not used to. (2 miss, only one that might hit is 19/10) As the crack of laslock fire distracts the beast Horatio loads his own laslock and fires at nearly point blank (20/7)

Two shots punch through the bear like creature as it toppled over onto its side. Fur giving off thin smoke

Horatio stumbles back gasping as the bear topples, hyperventilating caused by adrenaline and injury he turns back to the group. His eyes a little manic and wild as he paws at his chest. "He was a hard bastard to put down, good job all of you" He says in between heavy gasps. Before thinking about something and plunging the bayonet of his laslock into the dead or dying bear. Just to be sure.

It doesn’t seem especially more dead but it makes everyone feel good to be sure of the matter

(do we have comms with the unit left at the landing site?)

(Yes)

(Sweet!) Horatio takes a seat next to a tree as the adrenaline leaves his system. "Alright team, let's take some samples of this beast and the dead deer thing, the scientists will cream themselves to know there's new life on the ring. I think I'd settle for it not trying to eat me anymore." As the team works with taking chunks of the dead animals he comms the group at the landing site. "Holding unit, this is Expedition unit. Do you read me?" He asks, his speech a little slurred and slow as the pain dulls his ability to process at its normal rate and his lungs struggle to recover after the hyperventilation.

They read you, but cant offer much in the way of productive conversation until they hear more

"We've made contact with local wildlife, predators in the form of a fucking terrifying bear crossbred with some kind of hell beast. We dealt with it. Taking samples and then moving to the source of the water."

They acknowledge your message and wait for another once you’ve done what you set out to do

Horatio takes few moments as the other collect samples and then sets out once more. Heading back to follow the stream to the source. No longer in fear if a psycho bear.

You’re able to find the head of the stream, a beautiful reflecting pool with smooth stones where the clean water bubbles up from the ground. There’s some leaves and general muck near the edges but nothing that can’t be cleaned later.

21:41

Everyone with you eagerly drinks deeply from it despite the risk of foreign organisms. Nothing is sweeter than the taste of water that hasn’t been reclaimed and reconstituted from hundreds of people before now

Horatio sinks to his knees near the waters edge and takes a handful of water smelling it before tasting it hesitantly.

The water smells fine, rather it lacks one entirely as water should. It tastes crisp and cold. You’re unsure of any humans who could taste microorganisms , but lack the means to screen for them here

"Okay, we've all had a taste. Don't go overboard, just in case, wouldn't want us all to get three arms and two heads." Horatio then turns on his comm, relaying that they have found the water source and are currently mapping it. However, that it needs to be tested before being used en masse.

With three samples it seems best to leave, especially with darkness approaching.

Horatio signals the group to follow as they begin to tab back through the woodland following the stream back to the shuttle area, comming ahead to make sure they don't get lit up but laslock fire.

Everyone’s standing down and eager to pull out, the wealth of resources and stories will be worth hearing back home. No doubt a council will also be called

15:00

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Horatio sits down heavily in the back of the shuttle, one of the team treating the wound over his chest given by the bear. "Great job team, we may have just saved everyone's life in the colony by finding a new source of water. One to be proud of no doubt."

Six hours pass as the craft sets down and is brought into the hangar bay. Ground crew begins swarming it to get the supplies offloaded

23:44

A net gain even on something like oxygen is a momentous occasion

Horatio steps down the ramp and greets the small crowd, smiling as the old man Dan is hugged by his wife and their children. He heads to the med bay to make sure his wound is tended to, whilst there he sends out a message to the department heads to meet and discuss further use and exploration of the ring

The department heads gather in the med wing so you and the chief of surgery don’t need to travel. The obvious goals of resource collection are sure to be talked about, as is a final solution to the large burrowing worms that make this super large asteroid their homes too. They’ll have to be dealt with

Horatio winces a little as he sits up in bed, his new stitches already inconvenient. "Alright, quartermaster, do we have the resources to begin resource collection and farming sites on the ring? I believe it would be best to set up an outpost down there and begin in depth searches and clearances in general to build a stable food supply."

"As things stand, no. The oxygen you brought back is the first influx of anything new we've had since the Shaper War cut us off. We do have a larger vessel we could fit out for some ringside runs, but we're going to need resources probably from the ring itself to complete it. There's also the matter of some dead ships out in the southeast of the sector. We might be able to pull some parts from there as well"

Horatio nods, noting this down. "How much time do we have, with the oxygen and water we've pulled on that last run?"

"The colony has a few weeks before we need to start truly worrying, but the sooner we plan, the better"

"Way I see it, and from what you've said there are a number of things needing to be done. With the time frame we have, I think our best efforts are placed taking out those damned worms first. Then perhaps focus on looking for more transport so that our operations on the rim are more fluid. Thoughts?"

"Worms, then fleet scavenge? "

"Aye, then return to the rim, begin a larger scale exploration and resource acquisition operation."

They seem to have no issues with the plan as it stands

"Alright then, I need a breakdown of all we know about these worms." He says looking at the defacto head of science

There really isn’t information aside from they tunnel in the rock and can be found on the surface sometimes at a large sinkhole about a kilometer south of the colony

(how big are they?)

(Think beetle juice rather than dune)

(gotcha) Horatio drinks a little water as nods to the group. Thinking to himself whether he can recall any good hunters among the colonists that might be able to help lay a trap for the beasts

(What did you have in mind so I can try to figure this out)

(creating some kind of vibration, going off what tunneling beasts usually are drawn to. Thereby drawing them out and perhaps setting up some kind of kill zone, if these things have natural armour it might help to have some kind of heavy weapons)

(Nobody has tried to really handle them before which is half the problem.

(have we got some kind of drilling tool?)

(Nothing that would be running right now)

13:48

(It being broken and us not doing projects to fix it was something we left during the game )

(hmmm, do we have a demo charge around?)

(yes)

(so my thought is to go scout this sinkhole to see if I can hunt one, if I have to lure on out I might use a demo charge to see if I can set up some kind of trap but I don't think I can plan anymore without groundwork so if you're happy with that we can move on to that once Horatio recovers from his recent injuries. Oh I need to level too, I'll do thst later then we can move on if that's okay?)

)yeah level then we will move on

(magic, I'll crack on with that after these lectures)

(sounds good)

Level up:
Level: 2
Focus: Close Combatant - Level One - 3sp to any combat (Taking Shoot from 0-1, 1 sp banked toward the next level)
Old HP: 8
HP Roll: 14
New HP: 14
New Skills: 2sp and then 1sp banked from Foci to boost shoot from 1-2, 1sp used to boost connect from -1 to 0
Current AB: 1-2 from warrior

22:23

((sorry it took me so long, been a busy few days))

22:23

((Does my hp go straight to 14 even if I was injured?))

(It does not)

17:24

(Still your character level of HP regained per Day of rest

(gotcha so I'll have to rest for 3 days to get up to full from the attack on the bear)

You spend a few days resting and planning what you're going to do about the creatures to the south on the asteroid. Demolition charge prepared, and your other equipment, you're ready to head into the rock wastes to find one.

Horatio moves out after spending those days resting and looking after some of the communal children, finding solace in the simple side of life for a few days. (is it close enough to walk or am I gonna need transport?)

(You’d be able to walk. A couple kilometers I think is pretty achievable )

(smashing stuff!) Horatio says his goodbyes before gearing up and beginning his hike to the sinkhole, doing so alone this time. Seemingly in need of some time to think and clear his head and seeing the hunt as a good opportunity to do so. He has his laslock in hand and his brace of pistols across his chest rig.

(Make sure theyre readied / and stowed where necessary )

Heading out into the wastes, you see ice crystals in a gentle coating across the otherwise barren rock. The ground gently shakes, the passage of worms deep below you

Horatio looks if there are any crystals loose on the floor that he may pocket for later inspection and general keepage

You are able to pry one out that seems loose enough. The cold lack of air should keep it from melting

(oooo so if I took it into atmo it'd mealt? Very interesting)

Horatio having pocketed the small piece carries on, he takes the time to think a little, turning off his comms he speaks to the Void and God. How the fuck did I get here? Responsiblity for so many, given to a commoner, a failed officer. Who's plan is that adhering to? I do not have the luxury of making mistakes for it would cost the lives of so many. Perhaps we are all thats left of the NMC, of humanity in this corner of war torn galaxy. I am resolved Lord, to bring my people out of this, build something here for them, they deserve that much, they have been through many a trial to simply continue existence. By the Void I shall watch those children grow and become a new generation. One step at a time I suppose is the how of it. First these worms, then the ring. Then answers to who build all this. One step at a time O' Lord. He carries on his slog laslock in hand as he scouts the horizon of the rock, watching for movement.

(I'm assuming bringing it into the colony would make it room temperature at least, so the ice would melt)

(ah yeah I missed that it was ice

)

You maintain this prayer for an indeterminate amount of steps, until the ground begins to rumble below your feet

Horatio takes a knee, putting a hand to the floor as the rumbles come closer. Arming the demo charge he lays in on the floor arming it before retreating to a safe distance (what is the safe distance so I'm out of the blast range of a demo charge?)

(Within 20m you don’t get a save. 20-40m you get an evasion for half. Beyond 40 you’re safe)

02:27

(You had that shaker pole you made too didn’t you)

(safe, thanks) Horatio retreats to 40m away, taking out his two thermal pistols having slung his laslock on his back. As the rumbling comes closer he detonated the demo charge.

(just need a damage result when you can )

(26)

There is an explosion that sends rock spinning away in all directions , along with clouds of viscera and teeth The worm is still alive despite half its face being blasted away, roaring ,40m from you. It towers over you after a few moments despite its wounds

(do you want initiative?)

(if we're sticking it out to resolve this we should roll it, i didnt want to just throw you into combat)

(no worries!) (6) Horatio watches the beast as his eyes narrow, steeling himself for what is to come as his hands grip around his dual thermal pistols. "Alright you bastard, time to die. By the Void it shall be so."

(3, so you’re up. It’s still 40m away since we havent begun combat yet so it hasn’t moved ) (edited)

(can I hold attacks?)

(As long as you do whatever you’re doing before the round ends)

13:27

(Using a skill instead though is also a main action so the creature is going to go first if you’re holding your turn)

(yeah it's a range thing with the pistols) Horatio advances muttering a curse raising the thermal pistols in each hand as they begin to hum with energy waiting for the worm to move into his effective range to face the thunder.

(40m is out of range?, the book has 50m for your max range) (edited)

(thermal pistol is 25/50, so I'd be at 30 with the move then wait for it to get into range and blast it instead of firing at the - 2)

(Evaison save)

(fail)

(7 damage) A row of the creature's needle sharp teeth is fired from its snout, and you're unable to get out of the way in time, as the Wurm thrashes into the ground half out of its burrow

(did it advance at all?)

(no, it only took the move i said it took)

(

) Horatio reels back momentarily as he is hit by hail of flying projectiles, blood seaps from a now ripped right ear. Bearing his teeth in pain and anger he advances 5 feet and fires at the beast with both thermal pistols

17:38

(16/10, 12/9)

One of the shots is able to punch a hole in its natural armor, and it begins rushing forward, firing another gout toward you. It's already severely wounded.

(another save?)

(yes you typed it before i could)

(sorry

)

17:39

(yikes another fail)

(1 damage this time)

17:40

The protrusions mostly miss, as the creature seems to be blind in one eye

Grazed slightly Horatio leaps to the side as the wurm fires, firing his own pistols in reply toward the half blind beast (24/9, 8/11)

There's a spray of gore, and this time your first shot manages to deliver the killing blow- as a burning magnetically shaped ball of super-hot laser energy punches through its snout and into its brain

Horatio stumbles to the side slightly as he dodges the slumping body of the wurm. He takes a few moments before he puts a hand tentatively to his ear and winces feeling it pierced and ripped by the wurm's razor teeth. "Fuck...that smarts..." He walks over and nudges the beast with his foot now seeking to take a closer look at the beast to see if there is anything glaringly exotic about the animal.

It is dead, not just playing dead. It looks like a normal wurm and has the adaptions nature requires for allowing it to burrow through rock

(how big are it's teeth?)

(not big enough for a weapon or anything, at least not a worthwhile one. Think lamprey like)

(gotcha) Horatio kicks the animal once more for good measure and vent some pain from his ear and then begins walking back, comming the colony to convey his success on the hunt.

With the requested samples on you, you know once you arrive the science team there will hopefully be able to begin working on some kind of lasting solution to eliminate these invasive pests without destroying the asteroid you also share with them

20:21

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Horatio hands over all the samples and has his ear tended to, though a hole and slight ragged shape will remain. Perhaps adding to his now rustic bastard look. Whilst recovering (need 4 days for my recovery) Horatio brings up what they know about the dead ships so he can prepare his next exhibition. While scientists look into what constitutes a gravel eating wurm.

All that is know is that they’re present in the system and most are of alien design that predates the slyth even. The scale is roughly humanoid but no one has risked boarding one

(ooooo) (how far away are they? Is it going to take me hours to get there or days)

(It’s six hours at cruising speed to move between regions in a solar system is how we usually do it )

03:08

(48 hours is like a planetary invasion scenario where it’s a slow crawl inwards

(gotcha)

03:11

(I'm gonna do my level then we can move on)

(lmao nvm I didn't level my mistake, Sheet updated tho so whenever you're ready I'm good to carry on)

(alright, wanted to wait to see if we needed it.)

14:43

4 days have passed, and in that time the shuttle is once again loaded. A small team that is technical in nature, 4 others aside from the ships crew itself, are prepared to head over with you.

Horatio walks onto the shuttle in full gear, his helmet under his arm. He looks every inch a Marine officer albeit slightly bedraggled. His waist boasts two sabers one on either side, the bandolier of pistols across his chest. "Alright, are we ready to go to work?" He asks casually as he puts a duffle bag down on the deck turning to see the faces of his people and assess their readiness.

Over-encumbered as you are, it takes a moment to get all of your bags onto the ship. Everyone else has traveled a bit lighter, focusing more on tools and a single firearm and hand weapon rather than taking arsenals. Ships are cramped places, especially damaged ones, and there's the added complication of alien architecture inside to further muddy the endeavor.

Horatio relies on the others to be technical, seeking to keep them safe above all. Not knowing what dangers might lurk he finds it easier to adapt when having more options. You can always take of a sword you have but never find one when you don't. "Right pilot if you would let's get underway."

(your move is 7m, since you're 5/4 readied and 8/8 stowed. Your armor wasn't listed as readied or stowed, I assumed you wanted to be wearing it)

(oh shit hadn't realised I'll fix it)

15:17

(Thanks for pointing that out, I'll leave the swords then for now, considering im more proficient in shoot)

(even if you leave one behind you're 4/4 and 8/8, which is normal speed, if you wanna do that)

(I'll leave both I've got close combatent so if I do have to take on a nasty in close quarters it isn't gonna change my roll with the gats as it were)

The shuttle is loaded, and everyone is prepared to go, its about six hours to the site and everyone is lounging, ready to react on a moments notice

20:10

(program/int)

(7)

The twisting ruins of the alien wreck field are ahead, and the closest ship is breached and rusting, looking like a leviathan with its jaws poised to devour whatever is in front of it.

15:18

Power and gravity are off inside, there are no signs of power, and command areas , gun turrets, and a small cityscape cluster across its back like barnacles

(thsts killer art, vacc suits needed I assume?)

(Yes)

(is there one on the ship? Cause I don't have one

)

(the ship has a locker/armory)

(nice, are they normal vaccs or armoured)

(normal)

Vac suit donned, you feelthe mechanical thump of the ship's spotlights coming on to try to find a passage within the wreck, or a place where an airlock contact can be made to allow you aboard

(sorry, been busy with uni work the passed few days) Horatio moves to the cockpit looking out of the view port. "It looks like a beast of a wreck, keep the scanners on just in case there's beasties hiding in here."

"Not doing to do anything through all that hull plating. Might want to grab a bioscanner from the locker"

"Good call, I'll grab one on the way out. You got anything on a airlock? Or are we gonna have to go in through that fucking ominous mouth?"

"No airlock, but you could EVA over to that city-scape on its back and try to find some engineering crawl-way into its guts"

19:57

"If they used things like that"

"Looks like it's constructed in a similar, albeit sinister manner to our craft. That sounds like a good idea. Take us over it and we'll hop out the back and go for a wander."

Heading to an area that looks like it was a liquid storage area once, the ship attaches grav mooring lines and shudders gently as it aligns with the wreck

Horatio closes his helmet and walks through the cabin as the team check their gear. "Comm check. Sound off, systems green?"

Everything seems like it’s working normally. Void carbines have been passed out to everyone as they didn’t have their own weapons , and with that said everyone’s prepared to board after you

Horatio presses the door release once everything is ready, opening the airlock to the Void. Hit with the usual fears of the expanse and massive sensory overload and deprivation at the same time, he takes a micro moment to adjust to his training in zero G and moves down (relative to the ship) using the mooring cables as guides. "On me if you would be so kind!" He calls jovially across the comm

You emerge down onto what constitutes a "street" in this barnacled city scape. A low building ahead looks to lead into the ship itself. A large industrial door leads into some sort of power distribution area where the cityscape would have once been powered

Horatio hits the 'street' and clamps the magnets on his vacc boots locking him to the deck until the rest of the team are accounted for, taking out his pistols. Moving forward toward the building until they get to the door he looks to one of the techs. "Can you get it open or are we gonna need to pop it?"

“No power. Going to have to work for my supper today”

15:52

(Fix/int at +2)

"Aye let's get to it and crack this bitch" Horatio chuckles as he begins helping the tech with his work. (8)

19:49

(We're in that giant empty area on the bottom deck, as we enter the ship)

After popping the door with the techs Horatio breaches into the large room, moving forward tentatively searching the room.

This particular entry chamber is empty aside from power distribution coils in the walls that would have led to lights and point defenses outside. To the East an airlock leads into the ship interior and access to other decks

Horatio signals the group forward keeping an eye on the surroundings as they move toward the airlock in the Eastern section of the room. "Let's hope we don't have to crack every lock in this place."

This one seems like it can just be simply opened or closed now that you're actually inside the ship. It leads to the defensive station, and a ladder heading up into the main deck. The gunnery stations are unpowered, and several of them have been blown out due to damage and the later drifting. There was a fire in here once, two other terminals are entirely fused lumps of metal and carbon.

Horatio moves in, clicking on his helmets torches as he scans the room. "Search it and see if there's anything you techies find out of the ordinary." He says nodding to the room and commencing to do much the same, looking to see if the things that inhabited this ship left anything of themselves behind or even if they resemble humans or other humanoid races.

There’s nothing in here resembling the former inhabitants. The fire looked substantial , and either burned everything up or those who were still ambulatory left to safer areas.

02:32

It’s going to take the techs some time to dive into the exact details here as this is the very first time possibly any human has looked upon these controls

"Alright let's secure the rest before we start investigating shite. Crack on." Horatio hollars as he begins hauling himself up the ladder to the upper decks in search of more answers.

(Notice /wis)

(3)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

16:47

The deck plating at the top of the ladder sparks to life with a single shot jolt of electricity (2 damage) , before the battery connected to the aging trap fries itself. You emerge through the hatch at the nose of the main deck, at the neck of the transit hallway between the various crew spaces of the vessel. It is dark and there is no gravity on this level, and the large clamshell style bulkheads are closed outside each room.

16:47

they're made of a reflective black/green metal, veined with microcircuitry

Horatio exclaims a string of expletives with the jolt of the shock. He stops on the ladder panting for a few seconds. "By the void! That stunk more than a trip to a Jagrati whore house! Watch where your putting yourselves, seems theres a few live wires about" He calls down the ladder after a minute or so. Then carries on to the top.

17:11

"No power, no grav, looks like it's locked down too." He says coolly as he clears the immediate space like a true marine, the tac lights on his helmet lighting up a small tunnel in the darkness. He waits for the techs to move up with him and then begins to formulate a plan. "Alright lads and lasses, way I see it, we should look at getting to both the bridge and the engine room, or what passes for both on this big bastard, that way we can establish tactical and technical dominance on the vessel, then maybe reestablish power or failing the we can systematically search the vessel more thoroughly after.. How do you lot feel about that idea?"

There isn’t a reason for them to object since the idea makes sense. They await determining who is going where, and what group you’ll be dealing with

"Well, considering we have no counters with that one, we'll split the teams once we find the next crossroads. I'll take half of you to the bridge and you." He points to the more senior of the techs "Will take the rest to the engine room, being that you're a helluva lot better with machines than I am. But first lets move down this corridor to see if we cant find the next hatch." Horatio proceeds, going first both pistols out and scanning around, though confident they are alone, perhaps all those ghost stories he'd heard as a kid about these situations has made him a little... cautious.

(Down as in left or down as in right?)

(left I think)

The bulkhead leading aft has wrenched in a sealed position from damage and disrepair. Several pushes on the hatch fail to dislodge anything and it looks like serious cutting tools will be needed to get through

"Alright then! Do we have anything that'll crack this one?"

One of the engineers has a tool kit but will need help working through the door (fix/int +2)

(6)

The cutting takes half an hour. You’re able to punch through the door and into the main drag of the ship. A map terminal gives you the layout of the ship as it’s displayed on the wall. Several bulkheads and sections are blacked out

Horatio sweats profusely in his suit as the last of the door slides away in eerie silence. "Fucking hell, that took some time. Everyone, suit check, air and punctures just in case. There's been a lot of labour on this trip and I don't want anyone leaking out on me." once reaching the terminal he splits the groups, one group going making their way to the engine room and his looking for the lift shaft to the bridge as marked on the map.

There is a pop like seals being broken- and a hatch above the ladder you used to climb from the underbelly to the main deck opens- allowing you access to the bridge. Dead alien spacers- akin to slugs with elongated faces and eye stalks are heavily burned and are largely otherwise unrecognizable. Their flight suits are torn and destroyed, lacerated by shrapnel or fused by burns

15:22

it does not match any known species either now, or in any pre-scream records that might remain

(are the corpses on the bridge?)

(Yes that’s where you are now)

(just making sure)

18:00

"Well that settles that, this craft is most certainly not human." Horatio comments as he pokes one of the dead slug things with his mag boot. He looks to one of the techs. "Take samples from the corpse if you can, never know it might give the boffins back home something to talk about." Moving off he attempts to find the Captains office or quarters, hoping he may find some answers as to what happened to the ship in its final moments, though he's beginning to get an idea.

“Should we do anything about the bridge computers?” One of the techs asks

"If they have power, aye, but we may have to wait for the engine team to restore some power before we can access them."

They'll do what they can while you head deeper into the ship. The captain's quarters is directly attached to the back of the bridge, a trapezoidal room with support beams making up its walls. The bulkhead door is broken open and you hear the gentle hiss of slowly escaping air from inside. It must have been leaking like this for years

Horatio squeezes through the doorway as the techs work away. He takes a second to gain his bearings in the oddly shaped room before he begins searching the room.

(what kinds of things would you be looking for? so i dont drown you in needless detail)

(hmmm well if the captain slug is here I'd like to search them, and other than that any potential weapons or if there are any terminals)

The captain is out in what remains of his pod like seat outside. There isn’t much of him left. There is an intact terminal in this room , but it doesn’t seem like any weapons were kept in here

(not thst my character is a clepto, but is there anything that looks valuable? Like personal items of the slug boi?)

The room appears fairly Spartan and does not have much in the way of trappings aside from the most utilitarian

06:00

(Can’t really come up with an alien thing off the top of my head right now)

(do these slug things have beds? Just interested

) Horatio perches on something resembling a desk and checks in with the techs going to the engine room

There is something like the remains of a silken hammock in the room but it’s fallen from one of the pegs and most of the once silvery membrane is now rotted black and stained with time

Horatio satisfied that not much else can be seen he moves back into the bridge proper. "How are we progressing?" He asks as he surveys the damage to the bridge trying to see what might have caused it

"She'll move enough to be towed somewhere for scrap. Ships' never going to fly much beyond that though. Rough shape. Think there's some kind of battle damage. "

"Aye that'd track with all the cooked slugs I'd say. Reckon that with all the debris around were in the middle of a battle site. Anyone got any guesses as to how long ago? I assume these slugs don't have skeletons and considering half of the ship is in vacuum then decomp isn't something we can really gauge."

No one wants to seem to venture a guess but it can safely be said the debris ended up here at some point after the shapers passed by. It might have been dragged in their spike wake

"Considering their is still biomass I almost don't want to credit the shapers with this one. Almost, but best to be cautious. Have we got a ship that can tow this wreck?"

“Ours could bring it back to the colony. We would have to get some work pods and cut it apart though”

"Good to know, lets get that underway once we've searched the place further. So far are you seeing anything from the tech that stands out as unusual, more or less advanced?"

"We've only been at this for about ten minutes. We don't really have any new information for you"

"If course, forgive my lack of knowledge on tech matters, ain't my specialty you understand. I'm going to have a wander see if I can't find the armory on this ship or any other artefacts that might allow us to study these aliens more." Horatio says as he stalks out of the bridge, using the map of the ship seen earlier to try and find the armoury using the size of the rooms as a guide. He calls on his marines experience to attempt to locate where it may be on the ship to be of maximum impact in the case of a boarding action.

Near the bridge seems a likely location, because the rest of the ship can be taken but it wouldn't be under control if the bridge is not taken. Near the reactor and drive system is also another likely location to engineering crews can ward off would be saboteurs

being nearest the bridge he begins to search the rooms closets and work his way out from there if needs be.

The team on the main deck reports finding it (room 16) after about a half hour of searching that doesn’t turn up anything immediately helpful

14:39

The door is reinforced and only halfway down, someone could roll under to get inside

After moving his way through the ship to the correct room Horatio crouches to peer into it before rolling underneath in an attempt to gain entry.

There might have been armed guards or automated security but neither are doing anything now. Most of the weapons are scraps of unrecognizable metal and crystal floating in low G. There is one that looks like it mounts to a wrist. It’s ring shaped and thick like a chunky costume bracelet that used to be in fashion when you were part of the larger NMC

Horatio raises a brow picking up the bracelet like device carefully and turning it over. "Very fine... Very fine indeed."

It has a pair of clamps that can resize it and you can fashion it around your wrist. There doesn’t seem to be anything signposting danger about the item

Horatio humms to himself as he takes the item and puts it in his pouch for later study a braod grin on his face. "Very nice by jove." He then has as many artefacts pulled off the ship before its deconstruction begins. Hoping that one day they may adorn some kind of museum if they're lucky enough to survive. (basically just anything that's not nailed down, I don't really want to do anything special with them atm but it might make some nice exhibition later on in time if things work out here. Sorry my archaeologist is showing

)

(What did we want to do with the ship, ultimately. We would be able to get one spike drive from it so you can join the larger game but otherwise there’s plenty we can do)

(I think take the spike drive and the rest will be used for creating some kind start up settlement on the ring, building materials, comms and electronics if possible)

There is enough power restored where the ponderous wreck can be turned back to the asteroid and slowed down again so it can be salvaged. A call sent ahead will reach them a few hours before you're set to arrive- and hopefully by then everyone will have prepared as much as they can.

Horatio stands on the bridge hands behind his back as the wreck begins to slow near the station. Almost pretending to be a captain on a battleship.

(The drive can be installed in one of the little merchant runners you have. I think everything else they’d handle

(smashing! Where do you want to pick up?)

(maybe just issuing any standing orders before departing?)

(gotcha)

Once back aboard the station as the merchant runner undergoes the final stages of its refurbishment to accommodate the alien spike drive Horatio calls together the council of department heads to talk about what is to come. "Alright, so as far as I see it we have a few options ahead of us, but our best chance for survival and eventually thriving in this place lies with attempting to reach the NMC core, if it still exists after the shaper threat. I understand this is a gamble, but it's the best chance we have of getting a return on this investment of blood, sweat and other bodily fluids we've all put into this project." He pauses taking a sip of water. "I propose therefore that I make a journey in the merchant runner and try and get to Jagrati, in hopes it still stands, to attempt to gather aid from the Crown or whomever might be in charge. In the meantime, I think it best we carry on as we'd planned last we met. The alien ship, now driveless will be scrapped after it has been emptied of anything that ain't nailed down. That scrap will be divided and sent down to the ring. Where by it will be used to start an outpost, hopefully from their we will be able to start a farming operation and begin sustaining ourselves, foraging and learning from the ring as we do. As far as the worms go, the use of seismic charges seems to work and I propose that in my absence we send out hunting parties of those of us with experience in void combat, limited though we may be, to systematically cull the worm population. That should sort out our critter issues." He pauses looking at them." Are there any other issues glaring or otherwise that I have not taken into account?"

You've covered the main issues facing the colony right now, and once they complete you'll hopefully return to find a better place than you started. They'll be able to figure out a team and rotation among themselves and there are a few system ships they'll be able to use to easily get around

Horatio nods and looks at the assembled council. "My friends, I best get ready for the journey. I'd just like you all to know that it's been a pleasure serving with you, I hopefully will be back in short order. But the outside sectors are currently unknown. If by some turn of bad luck I do not make it back I wish you all the best. But know I will try my utmost to make sure I come back with support of some sort or another." He toasts the group with his water before shaking hands and making pleasantries and leaving for his cramped cabin that has been his home for so long. Once there he goes over the roster for the merchant ship. (what size crew does it have)

(it can hold up to 10, we need at least 3 to keep it operating at minimal capacity)

(I'll take a full crew, 5 able crewmen: a pilot and some general engineers and then 4 more combat oriented crew, perhaps ex marines if I can find some. Horatio not knowing what to expect would prefer to be safe rather than sorry.)

(A ship needs at least 2 pilots and a comms officer to be able to fly)

20:25

(so 1 pilot and 9 marines isnt going to get us anywhere without a ton of checks)

(nah I meant like 5 Ship crew so everything is all gucci ship wise, so 2 pilots, 1 nav, 2 engineers, a med tech and then 4 marines)

(gotcha, alright)

20:28

The crew is selected and everyone and their belongings packs in for a flight of indeterminate length. The star charts are still the same- all that remains is to pick a destination and hope the drive was fitted correctly and can get you there (counts as a spike 3)

"Pilot, if you would be so kind as to get us underway, set course for Jagrati." Horatio says sitting on the small and austere command chair on the bridge.

(5 days in spike space, we'd be passing through Lianos, Viggis, and Tavgularis before hitting Jagrati, all civilized worlds with defense fleets. Some thought into how we want to handle that is i think worth putting in)

"Do we have NMC codes and digital ensigns?" Horatio asks the comm officer suddenly remembering something.

"They're generally coded into the spike drive signatures themselves- which...I'm not sure if this thing even uses that type of system. "

"Ballocks... Right well, if we come across NMC ships we'll have to hail them and hope they don't just hit us with plasma." Horatio gives a rye chuckle and claps his hands together. Bringing up the specs of the merchant runner on his console. (is this thing armed?

)

(Pretty much just a livable box around a spike drive and comms system) (edited)

(thought as much, best to check) Horatio nods solemnly. "Best hope we don't meet shapers and thst the NMC has survived, we won't last minutes in a void battle. Bonus is that they'll scan us and see no threat if they're human... Hopefully."

(1 day of downtime to Lianos)

(during the downtime I'll train the perform skill. Then refuel at lianos and carry on toward Jagrati)

(3 days to Jagrati)

14:46

(WA is really slow loading, stick with me a minute and ill post the system info)

14:47

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/jagrati-article?preview=true

Jagrati

(for the 3 days I'll do the same, train perform, how many days is it out of when training a skill? I can never remember)

(90 to take a skill from -1 to 0, 30 days for a language)

(sweet so 4/90) Horatio spends his down time on board playing an old decrepit fiddle from the colony. Badly at that. Most likely to take his mind off the over stimulus of information found over the past few days. Not to mention the personal questions. I wonder what has become to the companions of my youth. Many I know were in the academy like myself, naval officers. Most likely dead. Damn shame if you ask me, damn shame. What of Father? The old firebrand wouldn't have gone without a fight, aye the Governor was a man of fire and brimstone that's the truth. Ah and mother not much better either, though she was sweet in her way... What of her? Aye, what of Elise. A socialite to be sure, most likely not in the fight, I wonder if she remembers my bluderous attempts at courtship. God I hope not, ahhh and the duel fiasco, aye very embarrassing Horatio. Clearly didn't think that one through.

20:03

All these thoughts race through his head as the siren sounds on the ship signalling translation from spike to real space into system. Horatio stands from his bunk, smashing the top of his head off the bulkhead. "By the Void! You'd have thought I'd learn!"

As you enter the system information and the map of the planet begin filling the sensor station with data. The local defense fleet also powers up, coming in to screen your vessel, as its a new and unregistered arrival.

Horatio slips into his old uniform, somewhat faded and definitely a little moth eaten. Best to look the part for this one. He strides onto the bridge seemingly cool and collected as his mind races. "Broadcast to the defence fleet if you would my friend!" He calls to the comm officer. "My name is Horatio Percival, formerly of the NMC Marines. Returning after being cut off from friendly space in the Teucer system. This ship, The Greyhound, is unarmed, jury rigged with an alien drive. We submit to boarding and mean no harm. I will now transmit the last NMC security codes we had before going dark, that may expedite the veracity of my claims." Horatio nods to the comm officer to close the wide band broadcast and send the codes. Then he sits and waits, his fingers steepled as he watches the tactical screen of defence Ships, dotted on the map. (edited)

One of the system runners continues on an intercept course, but the rest seem to be backing off, or coming about to other headings. There is a crackling attempt at trying to get a message through, but the comms system has not been working right since your discussion with Dr. Newman. The officer responsible thinks that the wider band on the science ship allowed them to communicate with you, but the military ships here are probably on a set of more restricted frequencies that can hear, but not broadcast back to you

"Let them know we aren't receiving them clearly if you would, I'd rather we don't get any holes put in us out of ignorance." Turning to one of the two pilots he adds. "Slow us down and prepare for their boarding us." Horatio lastly comms his small retinue of marines to stand to and have their uniforms in order as best as possible. So that they can give the boarders a nice welcome and be prepared just in case. Caution being the better part of valour.

The incoming craft passes between the sun and the ship, briefly casting you into shadow. There is a gentle bump and a hiss of air pressure as the air locks come together and form the strongest integrity seal they’re able to manage.

Horatio stands on the bridge hands behind his back as his chest swells slightly maintaining the pose of an officer in parade rest as he waits for the boarding party to reach them.

Level up:
Level: 3
Focus: N/A 
Old HP: 14
HP Roll: 16
New HP: 16
New Skills: 1sp to Pilot, Sneak and Stab (all -1 to 0)
Current AB: 2-3 from warrior

(edited)

13:59

(just rembered my goals, completed breaking through to the NMC, and that xp is cumulative

)

(did you delete that goal after taking the XP or something? I don't see it on your sheet) (edited)

(Yeah just got rid of it, it's was to break through to the NMC and see if it still stands, you valued it at 3xp)

The flywheel spins, and a pair of NMC marines in power armor enter first, guns raised, before the uniforms and the faces of the human crewmen convince them its safe to stand down. "CLEAR!" one shouts, and there is some commotion as an officer makes his way through other stacked up marines, to cross over into your ship

As the officer makes his way through the boarding team Horatio, flanked by two of his better looking uniformed marines, clocks his rank and snaps a respectful salute before returning to his parade rest. "Good day Sir! A pleasure to see you, you are as it were the first NMC personnel we've seen in person since we came back to friendly space! A damn fine thing to see you are still standing. Feel free to search our ship, the manifests such as they are, are open to you and my ship is at your service."

"At ease, and that's all fine, but who the fuck are you soldier?"

Horatio let's out a laugh as he stands easy, he fiddles with his moustache a little before beginning to introduce himself. "Horatio Percival, formerly Captain of Marines of the NMC. Currently de facto chief of Teucer colony Station, Teucer system. We've been stuck in the black ever since we were cut off ahead of the Shaper invasion fleet. Ever since we've been living fairly rough as you might be able to see. We didn't have any spike capable ships, but thanks to the efforts of our engineers we managed to jury rig an alien drive to one of our inter system merchantman. Thus you see the Greyhound." He gestures to the ship around him. "My details should still be in the NMC records but I understand you haven't had a good time of it either, we ran into an NMC research vessel on the way... Dr Newman I believe."

"How long ago was that? We can check the logs. Communications are slow, as you can imagine. It's not uncommon for ships to arrive before their messages get sorted and passed on in some situations"

"week or so, had to refuel I believe they were at... Lianos"

“Well, he left out your rank Mr. Percival, and our pre scream records are something of a mess. You made it here safely though and there’s something to be said for that. The cooperative will allow you surface passage, and we will dock the ship.

"Thank you, it's been some time since I set foot on a world with oxygen. I'll be glad it's Jagrati."

05:39

Horatio pauses and then clears his throat looking slightly nervous. "Tell me what's the odds of me getting an audience with His Highness?"

"In your case, I think he would want to hear about Teucer, and what you've been doing. A session of the new council is currently being held, and he is attending, it may be best for you to address them directly"

22:45

(we can do so in the NMC council thread, rather than duplicate the same questions twice. )

"I'll get landed and head over. It'll have been a long time since my crew were in breathable atmo and civilisation."

“You mentioned it. You’ll have to do it from a decontamination ward for a few days given your time@on the frontier. We can’t afford a contagion”

"As you say, best to get it done!" Horatio gives a nod and follows the Officers suggestions and directions so that he and his crew can proceed.

(We can use the NMC council thread for the actual stuff you want to discuss. )

03:30

(They’re at a lull in the conversation)

(sweet)

Horatio walks out of the council rooms, bumping into the aide on the way out he smiles and asks "My friend, you couldn't tell me where one may find the armourers? I need to outfit myself with some new equipment."

(If you want to make me a list of what you need I’ll let you know if anything’s not available )

(sure I'll have a gander and put it on later)

(Sounds good)

 Equipment:
Storm Armour - 20,000
Force Pavis - 10,000
Type B Power Cell x2 - 200

(Not enough face for Storm armor just yet, everything else is available)

(Gotcha - are the force pavis still like the dune shield belts?)

(yes)

(Magic! And secondly do I have the face for assault armour?)

(assault armor yes)

(okay, I'll grab that instead of the storm armour then, thank you!) After having sorted himself out at the armoury, Horatio attempts to find the local library of records, as complete as they are, and such through the records for his father and mother. To see if they survived the war. After hours of searching through names of the fallen, eventually finding their names listed with the tag K.I.A. Horatio sighs sitting back in the chair for a few moments before seemingly coming to terms with the closure of the matter. Being that he and his family were never particularly close. He stands and opens his comm to look through his old contacts, beginning to send out messages to his old academy school friends. Hoping to find one that will answer, that's not gone.

(what are you hoping to do or get out of this)

(perhaps make some contacts on Jagrati for later use setting the groundwork for a second in command. I'm working on my personal goal of reconnecting with my old Comrades)

(connect/int , ill try to figure something out)

(8)

You're able to locate several members of your class. Most were not in active service at the time of the shaper war, and are just beginning to fill the vacancies of those who had perished during the conflict now.

Horatio finds one of his class friends that he remembers as a more studious academic, more suited to administration rather than the usual soldiering. He sets up a dinner reservation at a fairly good restaurant for the two of them where he plans to convince him to join his team. (idk if you want to name them or if you'd prefer I did

)

(You can if you'd like to. You don't have henchkeeper, so unless you mean for this one to become a companion, they'd just be a background character that doesnt come to missions)

(just background but I'd like to work toward companion at some point perhaps) (name I came up with was Quinten Hargreaves)

Quinten is available for dinner and this is at your request so he awaits the where , when, and how.

Horatio chooses a fairly expensive middle class restaurant in the evening, one that has a nice adjoining bar often frequented by the naval officers and people of worth as it were.

The “people of worth” for the most part are in jail or facing execution due to Operation Noble Sweep. The trials are all over the news as you complete quarantine and walk down the various streets to the restaurant. The place you choose is fairly empty. Many steer clear because they don’t want to be associated with places the old nobility used to frequent. You can tell Quinten is a bit nervous about meeting you here but has shown up anyway reasoning it’s probably just a place you remember from before you were cut off

Horatio walks in, wearing a new coat and tunic. Waving a hand at Quinten as he strides over to the table taking the man's hand and shaking firmly. Seemingly oblivious of the quiet interior. "Quinten you old dog, how are you my friend?" He asks excitedly as he sits, parting his tailcoat as he does.

“I’m surprised to see you alive. I can tell you’ve been out of touch for a while. You’re brave to come here especially wearing that”

"my thanks, I suppose. I heard things have changed for the better, but the way I speak and wear clothes does not reflect my love of the past. Simply treating myself after a long period of wearing shite clothes. Surprised to see you not clapped in irons like half the class, hah! Always was a canny bastard mind."

“Where’s this going Percival? I’m happy to see you alive but I’m not sure why you want to talk to me. Or anyone from the old days. Everyone’s moved on”

"I'm here to make you an offer, as it were. I've just come back from Teucer, by the sounds of what the council and Crown want I'll be back out there again soon, leading an expedition to start some kind of research border base on an alien rimworld. You're right the old days have moved on, and I see a lot of my former class mates filling menial posts in defence fleets and such. I'd like to give you an opportunity at something fresh and new. Plenty to go around in this new world, this system is in development and I want you with me to see it grow. As I recall you had a head for cunning and numbers, I'd like to make use of that."

“So you’re looking for what, a quartermaster? Going to stick me behind a desk in the ass end of nowhere ?”

"I'm looking for a second, that's good at the things I'm not. Aye, it'll start as a colony outpost, but the potential there is so much more. Then its a border post, trade, free space mining, shipping we play this right, it'll be a bloody space hub in a few years. Plenty of opportunities to help further the NMC and do well for ourselves at the same time. Everyone wins, aye and if its excitement you want I can always find something along those lines to throw you in."

“If I come out there and it doesn’t suit me, is there going to be a way for me to come back to Cooperative space?”

"Eventually I imagine there will be, if you'd be willing to sign up for let's say 6 months. Taking into account travel and such you'll be looking at more like 4-5, that'll give you time enough to figure if it's for you, then if you don't I'll send you back with the next ship out. How's that sound?" Horatio asks stapling his fingers thinking.

"That's as fair a deal as I'm willing to get. Last question I guess. My role in terms of the other colonists. How have you been running things there and what kinds of authority do I have?"

"Well, how I've been running things doesn't matter too much seen as the NMC is going to take over the station. But if it works out the way I'd like it, I'm going to be running forward missions onto the ringworld and you're going to be part of the administration staff sent by the NMC on the station. You'll have authority over supplies, admin and such. Think of it as a political role. I'd warn you not to go ordering people about when there's no need though. Status doesn't matter that much in the deep.l black. But if we can make this work, then it might just be our second chance at something very successful."

"And I suppose my last question for real this time, What will you need to see t hope this project is successful?"

"Successful colony development on the ring, sustainable. I hope we can do that with six months at least. To a point we're growth is beginning from there it's development into a more complex state of living. No longer just about survival but thriving, that my friend is where we begin to make returns for all involved. I was stuck on that station for a long time, a long time to think, I have a vision of a trading hub, busy with ships. A ringworld with fresh open air with bustling towns developing, but it's years until we get there. For now we look at the things we can help along."

"I'm in for the trial period then. Whatever it takes:

"you're a star Quin, it'll be good to have you along. I'll let you know when we're stepping off, I believe it's going to be a week or more before we're fit to sail. Now let's eat, tell me what it's been like while I've been away." Horatio calls for the waiter and gives their orders for first, second and third courses paired with good wine and all the essentials. While he regaled by Quinten of the events while he's been away.

The staff is nervous especially at the display of wealth. After the third course and the same number of bottles of wine, quin begins looking around. “Did you notice all the staff seems to be on break at the same time or something?@

15:22

Outside, you can dimly hear the sound of screeching tires on pavement and the slams of doors

"Ah... Seems we've overstayed our welcome Quin ol' boy, time to beat retreat." Horatio says as he stands, gesturing toward the kitchen door to Quin while taking out his twin thermal pistols from under his coat. "Best be to it sharpish!"

(not that we have to instantly resort to violence but i think for fairness and ease of the flow of the scene, lets hop into initiative so there's a bit of structure to what happens when)

(sounds good!)

15:44

(7)

(5) The front doors of the restaurant burst open, as three masked men carrying submachine guns push their way inside. "Nobilist Scum! How come you weren't rounded up with the rest?!" the man at the front of the small crowd shouts

17:55

"Wealth on display and everything. No thoughts given to the rest of us, eh? Or can you not even see us as you're too busy looking down your nose"

Horatio puts himself between the gang and Quinten as he stops on the way to the restaurant kitchen and hopefully the exit. He keeps his pistols low under his coat to avoid seeming over aggressive. "Good people, I'm no noble, simply a man that wishes to have a good meal and good wine. I'd rather this not come to violence. I apologise for any insult you feel I've done to you and yours but it is not my intention nor my want. Wealth is not a signifier of hate toward the poor. Though I have felt your plight. Now, if you'd allow us we can pay the bill and leave... It is your choice if you resort to violence then you only serve to make a mess of this place." He says cooly in hopes that they will see sense. His body language is calm and loose, almost relaxed. His eyes are not harsh but a little saddened.

“Not a noble but connected with them enough to come here, and eating with the son of one” he says, pointing at Quinten.

"Last time I checked, you cannot choose who you are born to. Nor was it a crime to want to taste the best lope steaks in town. Aye if we were beating up the local homeless then I'd be all for you shooting us but we aren't. Simply enjoying a good meal with my back wages from the navy. Tell me my friend will you not sit a while and drink some good wine? The more the merrier." (edited)

(talk/cha)

(9)

One of the men throws some sort of smoking canister into the middle of the room. It doesn't explode, but they're gone when the smoke finally clears aside from a scorched spot on the carpet.

"How very mysterious... Well I guess we rather literally dodged a bullet or two on that one. Got any idea who they are?"

"Parlamentarians. You've got to worry, but only if you're a blue blood. They seem to have enough sense to leave the common people and the infrastructure alone"

Horatio raises a brow to Quinten as he holsters his pistols and touches his compad to the bill paying it after adding 4 bottles of wine to his tab. He moves behind the bar and takes the bottles holding one out to Quinten another he leaves on the table. Horatio begins writing a note as he looks up to Quinten. "Disorder leads to disorder... I assume the police are in favour of them? Or rather they aren't doing much to stop them?" He asks before scribbling a note Thank you for a lovely meal, it was just as I remembered, I'd recommend not calling death squads on your other patrons, it tends to dampen the mood of an evening. All the best to you and yours. - H

"They're not doing much to stop them. The attacks are against those who victimized or used the police as extensions of their own personal will anyway- most of the people who stayed behind are doing it because of duty, and their love of the People's NMC. Like I said, they're only attacking people the public wants to see pay for the past. Anyone connected with the nobles who wasn't rounded up during Noble Sweep. That's why I kept telling you to tone it down- and why this happened when you didn't"

Horatio let's out a little chuckle. "Well now I know, best for them to know I'm about anyways saves awkward confrontations in the future. If you get into any trouble let me know and I'll come drag you out. It'll settle eventually, most people just want to live. It's been good seeing you Quin, truly, savour thst bottle there's a good chance you won't get much where we're going." He gives him a good firm handshake before slipping out the front door, two of the bottles in hand, his not left and the meeting a resounding success, now inbound for his lodgings. Once there he gives the two remaining bottles to his crewmates so they may make merry the night!

(anything else we wanted to do before leaving ?)

(what's unemployment like on Jagrati?)

(I would have to total up our holdings but we have several that need a million people so not bad at a glance)

(I suppose finding experts can come later when things are more explored come to think of it. Yeah I think we're good to step off)

(Yeah we also don’t have henchkeeprr either )

(I meant more generally but yeah, I'm working on it)

(It’s not more generally. If you intend for them to have some kind of mechanical effect on the character we need to have it. The impression I had was trying to fill out a crew or something )

(I meant like to outfit the colony in the coming development not to give me +s, more like farmers or survival experts. To make it more self sustaining)

(Ah Gotcha. Inthink theyd probably want somewhere to be immediately useful and Teucer isn’t a prohibitive distance away, for now I think we have done what we can without getting something established on the ring

(yeah sounds great! Let's kick this off)

(5 days of downtime back)

(all into perform again)

Returning to Teucer, you see the requisition and approval for the Sanctum built onto the ring as an outpost, and an order for an ATV to allow you to quickly explore. Things otherwise seem to be running normally from the outside looking in.

Horatio claps his hands together. Looking over to Quinten. "Welcome to Teucer, odd sight ain't it. Now we're going to Dock at the station for a few hours I'm gonna get you settled in there. There you can start work on who's going to be evacuated and such. You should be left with a crew of mostly research boffins. Easy enough to handle and I'll try get up if anything goes massively wrong." (edited)

The greyhound lands outside the station and a short spacwalk across the surface of the asteroid has tou at the main doors and within the building after just a handful of minutes. Everyone is eager to see what news you have of the wider world and is curious about your guest

Horatio steps into the station, back wearing his fatigues. Blending into the drab surroundings. He shakes hands and greets his people with a broad smile. Assembling the council of dept heads he relays the details following his departure up to the council meeting with the Crown Parliament. "My friends the NMC stands as well you know from what I've told you and seemingly in different stance. The arbitrary rule of nobility is ended, and it seems that leadership has passed to those of merit and not birth. A fine change if you ask me and one that we had emulated here in our solitude. In return for our repatriation the command of the stations wider use has passed to the Crown and council. However for the time being we are still in operational command as it were. They wish to lighten the load on the station. As such a troop ship will be coming soon enough to move many non essential personnel to nearby friendly worlds until such a time that they can be brought back, once a sustainable and stable colony can be made on the ring. Leave somewhat of a skeleton crew of researchers and expeditionaries split between here and the ring. I shall be leading the scouting and exploration of the ring. My friend here Quinten shall be helping you liase and manage the station goings on, with the transition back to NMC control and all the logistical and bureaucratic workings."

"And our obligations to the crown, for our rescue?" one asks, clearly trying to see any hidden strings

Horatio thinks for a moment. "Their control over who commands the station, other than that I imagine once the colony becomes viable and stable they'll want taxes and a governer of their choice. My focus I admit was making sure the inhabitants of this station were cared for and that we survive."

The system scanner begins pinging , the Conqueror having entered the system - the troop carrier is running with a full compliment of medical personnel and some engineering staff aboard with parts for both the station here and the sanctum to be built on the ring. Despite all that, there’s more than enough space inside for everyone to be tended to and given a comfortable ride back to Jagrati.

17:17

They request specific instructions for six hours from now when they dock

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

"Alright Quin, time to earn your keep. If you could start coordinating with the dept heads, I'd like a list of people that are going back, jobs and such. We'll get the medical personnel to see to everyone in orderly fashion once they Dock with the station. Then we'll ferry engineering staff and a few of the medics down to the ring to begin the finishing touches on the sanctum once I've gone down and secured the sight with my folks. Have security staff in stand by just in case we have any incidents, hopefully we won't but making this more orderly won't hurt. Sound good?"

17:53

(that ring is sick)

(I've got to crunch some numbers, seen, and will update once its accurate)

The ship docks and the greeting party enters the station. The troop ship is massive , only able to enter here because of the fact the station remains hanging in the void built into the meat of the asteroid. A NMC captain and ten soldiers come aboard first and when not met with hostile intent, a medical team queue up behind them, along with an administrator from the crown

14:45

“I require access to station wide communications, please “ he asks, his task more urgent than the normal meeting and greeting.

Horatio welcomes them with a curt nod getting right to work with Quinten handling the nighty gritty and Horatio taking the administrative personnel to the comms room as requested.

The public address system crackles to life.

17:10

“All individuals are requested to leave the station. Report to the airlock by first letter of first name, starting with A for medical care , registration and settlement aboard our troop ship. There is enough space for everyone. We will be returning everyone to Jagrati where jobs, medical care, food, and comfortable lodging awaits everyone. Your credentials will reflect that you were hardy pioneers in a land inhospitable to you got some time. We hope to get you all shipside by tonight. Please bring everything that you own. There is enough cargo space for everyone” (edited)

17:11

As for continuing operations here , the ten man team will be helping you explore the ring, and once a thorough survey is conducted outside the site of the forward operating base that will be built there, the NMC will look at founding a proper colony. The asteroid station will be repaired and refurbished for a handful of researchers and communications personnel staying behind to ensure a strong link with the rest of the Cooperative

17:12

Horacio himself will of course be given privileges to continue exploring the ring alongside the security team

Horatio looks at the station cams to see the reaction of the people, instructing the security team to help in any way they can.

There is relief. For most. The nightmare is over. They’ll be returning back to a familiar land with the trappings they have missed for several years now and they’d thought they’d Neber see them again

Horatio let's out a low sigh of relief that his people have finally made it through the most of their ordeal and that he did them right. He moves back his departure so that he can help see people off and help where he can with their passage moving amongst the people he had spent the last hard years.

01:11

to those that are saddened to abandon the station or research possibilities he reassures that once everything is made safe they might return and take up post in a more stable environment.

almost no one seems to be missing the place. There is an almost festival like atmosphere in the air as their deliverance has arrived

Horatio joins in the moments of brevity and high spirits as he helps move the people to the troop transport, once the bulk have boarded he looks at getting his team outfitted for the scouting of the ring for the best place for the forward base.

(they've got CFU's and combat rifles as it is, not sure if you were looking at something different)

(nah it was more filler than anything is there any prominent landscape features on the ring?)

(Let’s get 4 d 100 for a quick initial landing zone and we can put something together)

(7, 13, 22,13)

The landing zone is a large lake, bordered by grassy hills along the north and south. A thick aspen forest occupies the western bank, where the east is a relatively flat grassland with spiky blue/green grass.

Horatio suits up and stows his gear with the crew on the way down to the landing site, Horatio directs the shuttle towards the east bank of the lake where it begins hit the blue/green grassland

The ground is warm, and the sun seems to be bright at this hour. Another pass by one of the many solar shades should not be for another six hours or so based on the limited observations you were able to make from the long years on the station. Birds and bugs make the air come alive, but otherwise the area seems quiet

(only just remembered about the explorer could we fit it on the shuttle or can I retro it being a ship big enough to carry it?)

(The explorer would fit)

Horatio signals the explorer to back out of the shuttle once the ship lands "Roll it out" (edited)

20:28

(can you pin this for ease just in case it comes up?)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

20:39

The explorer is modified to keep the team cramped but comfortable for extended exploration on the ground, and the lifter will remain close by in system, if this area does not yield itself to be a favorable site for establishment of a sanctum

Horatio climbs aboard beside the driver in his assault armour helmet detached and on the dashboard. "Okay, we're gonna move of toward the north, I'd like the sanctum on high ground if we can but it requires securing first. Let's get this on the roll!"

20:46

Horatio looks back to one of the team "Dan mind hoping on that gun platform and taking a look around for a bit as we drive. If you spot anything of worth give me a shout, wildlife and such. Just want to know what's about." (edited)

his heavy boots climb the short ladder to the gun compartment at the top of the explorer, and you hear the sounds of the turret ring swiveling gently as he begins looking around. Everyone else is doing another gear check or settling into the living quarters.

Horatio settles in for a long haul drive... Later as they begin driving something comes to mind which puzzles and perhaps frightens him a little. "Ey!" He exclaims "Does anyone know if it rains on the rings?... It must do for there is life about us, am I being thick here lads?"

The rings revolution speed allows it to have a trapped atmosphere. This world experiences most mundane weather events you could think of

as they rumble through the grasslands Horatio comments. "It'd make good ground to farm I don't doubt."

There isnt any wildlife of note on the grasslands right now, and you spend most of the morning getting into position near the peaks, where the grav explorer can make it up the winding lower peaks, but you might need to dismount and climb if you plan to actually go to the top

(is this like mountainous terrain? rocky and the like?)

(It’s starting to transition from the grasslands to that, yes)

(how far along in the day is it after the travel? ) (edited)

(Mid morning )

(sweet plenty of time) Horatio directs the explorer into the low hills. "Way I see it, these low hills command the ground around them, close enough so that once we expand into a farming operation we can use the grasslands and ideally there'll be a good source of fresh spring water in these hills. Best of both worlds and then to think tactically too. But I'd like to climb up the higher peaks to take a look and see which is best, and why not we're here after all. So, we'll drive until it becomes too steep and then I'll take a small team up into the hills for a close recce. While the lower team looks for the nearest source of clean water. Sound good?" Horatio lays out his plan the nearer they get to the steeper hills.

It's the plan they would have come up with themselves, and nobody has anything disagreeable to say about it. Midday arrives by time the trees become thin, and the ground becomes too rocky to traverse forward anymore, even with grav assistance,.

"Alright let's dismount and crack on lads!" Horatio calls into the cabin as the explorer rolls to a stop, taking his feathered helmet of dash he hops out of the vehicle. Seperating into two groups Horatio leads another two of his squad whilst the another three man squad moves off to search for an abumdent water source, two staying behind to look after the explorer and coordinate comms. with his fire team in tow Horatio begins to make their way up the rocky hillsides toward the higher peaks packs on their backs. In search of the summit they go. (edited)

(Survive /wis)

(7)

The mountainside is treacherous and handholds aren’t easy to find. It takes close to three hours just to climb 100m. It’s exhausting and the grade is incredibly sharp.

Horatio stops on a ledge and takes a knee waiting for the squad to reach him. Panting he takes of his helmet. "This is shaping up to be a proper day's work lads, take five." Horatio comms the explorer "I say lads how fares the day down there? Anything back from the second team?"

The comms have been silent. Everyone is making slow progress and is too focused for more than the required status reports to let everyone know they’re alive

To: Horatio
From: Noel Hallewell
Subject: Recon-Ringworld taskforce
Greetings,
The new recruits for the Recon job have arrived, myself included. We were ordered to rendezvous with you. May I have your coordinates or a suitable location?

(sorry its taken so long to get back to this, been run offy feet irl)

22:40

Horatio sighs as he stands. "Alright lads, let's crack on and mount this mare. Aye?" He calls as he rotates his shoulders in his assault suit and continues the climb.

The shuttle with Noel lands on the cliff isle , setting her down as your team begins preparing for the other part of the climb.

A brown Haired, Slightly-below average height Hazel eyed woman looks back at the shuttle that dropped her off, then at Horatio and his team. "It was advised we stick together given the dangers of the area."

Horatio is a tall individual before the added height given by his assault suit. Even in this environment he is well groomed with a perfect moustache, seemingly never out of place. He fairly skips down the short path between the two with something close to cat like grace. He let's out a cavalier laugh at the mention of the dangers. Turning his head slightly you see that half of one of his ears has been ripped away, though the wound is not fresh it still bears the tell tale redness of new scars. "Well Noel, I assume that you are she, it's a pleasure to have you with us. Tell me, are you any good with heights?" He asks extending his right hand, his left cradling a ploomed helmet.

04:25

04:26

(his current attire)

She reaches out and shakes his hand, looking around. "It's not something I exactly was expecting, admittedly."

"Oh? Pray tell, what are your expectations?" He asks giving a short shake not wanting to squeeze and let the servos break her hand by accident

She sighs slightly... and looks at the ground. "I was... expecting a bit more time to learn things... Now I have to learn them on my own." She then nods.

"Ha! Oh you'll learn, but you won't do it alone. Not today anyway, we're starting something completely new here, this ring is unique as far as we know, roughly one hundred times the size of any one planet in the NMC. Plenty to see, but first we've got to find a place to make the base." Horatio turns walking up the short pathway to where his team are readying to begin climbing again as he carries on. "To give you a catch up brief. We've located this area as one of the potential sites, by that I mean generally, not on this mountainside of course. I believe my working theory is to have the base located in the foothills, access to large open grasslands, the lake and woodland to the west. But I'm a military man by nature, I'd rather have eyes on the top of this mountain just in case some dragon lives up here, Ha! Foolish you may say but you've yet to see a razor bear, trust me this ring has wildlife, and it is mythical in visage. Besides the view up here will be lovely! I suppose the added bonus is that at some point we'll likely have a comm beacon up here to cut through the static and relay down." He turns a boyish grin on his youthful face, despite the years of hardship. "We on the same page still?"

She nods. "Sounds about right, honestly. I don't know if I have any runes to counter Dragons, but if a Bullet can kill it, then It's at least going to have a very bad day."

He let's out another chuckle and actually slaps his thigh with an armoured gauntlet with a sharp ring. "We are going to get on well. I can tell you know! Ha! Bad day indeed, what was this talk of runes? You one of them mages I've been hearing all about since I got back on the net. Not going to smite me are you?" He asks looking to her hands and then back a slightly quizzical look in his cocked brow.

"I dunno what kinda mage Smites folks, I'm the kind that shoots things though." She taps the Plasma pistol on her belt. "...Admittedly, only have some anti-vehicle, Some Anti-Personnel, and some..." Noel pauses for a second, trying to decipher how to describe the other shot... "...Other ones that make things forget what they're doing for a moment."

Horatio pauses for a long moment and then grins. "Aye rounds to the forehead tend to make people forget what they're doing, well, I can appreciate a good gunslinger. Barring the special shots I do rather love toting hand cannons myself! Ha! Very good! Very good indeed!" He nods agreeing with himself "Have you got climbing gear?"

"No, Sadly. I have a Survival Kit, and Combat equipment... basically."

(There’s enough extras around) (edited)

"Right well we've got a bag of extras let's gear and go! Pick a buddy and go through your safety checks!" Horatio moves to one of team after grabbing a harness for himself and begins running through the procedures

14:07

(just a psa I'm gonna be slow today, shit got wild my end irl but I'll try my best)

Noel finds someone who appears reliable and has them walk her through the precautions.

(Exert/str for both and we will get to the summit somehow)

[YEEHAW, 11. Doble Sixes. lol.]

(that'd be a 4, with a climbing harness that's 5, still terrible

)

02:09

(oh no I hope a don't faaaall

)

Noel after a few moments becomes comfortable with the harness, and is able to jump from handhold to handhold firmly supported by the elaborate rope rigging. The assault suit on the other hand is far too heavy, and the rope snaps as Horatio leaps for the next handhold up, leaving him dangling over a sharp precipice

"OH Crap! are you okay?" Noel looks over to where Horatio is, trying to quickly guesstimate how to get over to him and help. (edited)

"Ohhhhhh!" Horatio clings onto the rock as his feet find nothing but air. "Err... I seem to be in a tight one I'm not going to lie." He tries to look at the situation and see what he might be able to do to get himself out of this.

From the breaking harness, only one of the safety ropes remains. Its barely out of Noel's reach, but if Horatio gathers some momentum, and gently swings, while Noel finds a way to grab it, she and the others near her can haul Horatio back to the cliff face

"Alright Noel, I know we've only just met and this may seem a little forward but can you grab the rope if I swing?" Horatio chuckles a little as he dangles trying not to move too much

"Alright, Lemme get into position..." Clearly distressed, The Gun-Mage will attempt to squirrel over into a position where she can best reach the rope and also still rely on the team of gents behind and above her. "Alright, let's all work this together and it'll be easier on all of us..."

(Exert/str Noel)

(With or without the climbing Harness bonus?)

20:59

(4 Without, 5 With.)

(with, and then with the natural str bonus from his armor we're good) Noel is able to grab hold tightly as Horatio powers through the glide wth his heavy armor's assisted strength. Several short micro-adjustments has you both panting heavily on an overhang, the frayed ropes from Horatio's set dropping away into the chasm below. (edited)

Horatio lays there panting for a few moments then begins to laugh with what starts as nervous energy and forms into a full rich laugh. "That... Was bloody close don't you think?! Oh! Almost shat in my suit I'm not afraid to say! Ha! They say variety is the spice of life! Damn good work thank you all!"

"Ugh... Most of my training... Book work...." Noel wheezes

"Book work... " He exhales as he sits up, the servos creaking a little "Not like the field is it?"

She shakes her head. "Gotta learn... Somehow though."

"No better way! Could have been worse." Horatio says looking down and brushing some rock dust of the gold Gryphon emblazoned on his armour. He looks out onto the land from the cliffs edge. "Beautiful isn't it. I've spent years looking at this ring from orbit. It's a whole other type of beauty from here."

"It's almost Surreal, but we should focus on setting up the base before we have to deal with something troublesome..."

"Oh the base won't be up here. We're up here to see if their ain't anything strategic nearby we've missed. The base will be in the foothills, where the explorer is parked. Speaking of, it's been a few hours." Horatio comms the explorer to ask for a status update on the second team.

The lower mountain team has found a small spring. It’s enough for canteens and to keep the explorers freshwater tanks and reactor taken care of but putting a settlement here to feed on it would not be sustainable.

"Well, that throws a spanner in the works. Need to find another water source a big one nearby if we want the settlement to be in these foothills. Got any thoughts Noel?"

"We could finish scaling the Mountain and see if there's anything visible... And also I have a survival guide, we could probably upscale some of the things within it to accommodate."

"Perfect! Have you got your breathe back?" He asks jumping up, dusting himself off and looking at the remaining ascent judging how much there is left till the summit.

"Mostly." She stares for a second as if pondering something. "I should be fine to continue."

There are 200m left to continue the ascent, and your XO once again, is unsure about the wisdom of scaling a peak in power armor

"Perhaps you're right, how about this. You and the lads stay here. We'll climb this one from here. If I fall you can have the armour!" He says with a little chuckle as he begins getting out of the armour. The seals hiss until he's stood in dark green fatigues.

"I mean, I feel like having a team is best..." She looks down the mountain dubiously.

"We'll try to keep contact with the other team, they're going to follow the creek a bt more and see if something develops"

"Aye let me know!" Horatio says dipping down to get some rock dust on his hands to help the grip. "Come on bookworm, it's time to get that hands on experience."

She sighs the sigh of someone just now realizing they may have made a mistake. "...Right." Then hesitantly imitates Horatio.

The remainder of the climb goes easier as you're no longer encumbered by heavy plating. Your arms are numb, and your palms are cut, but you both haul yourselves to the summit and are able to take in the landscape. The mountain range extends further north, there are two other peaks slightly smaller than this one before the land gives way into a more arid savannah, as that land is downwind and cannot collect the moist air needed for rainfall as easily. The grassland and forest to the south where you came from seems to solidly butt up against the mountain range for the observable distance by eye, this set of peaks forming a formidable natural barrier

Horatio gingerly sits down at the summit a broad beaming smile on his face as he surveys the land around. "Perfect...just perfect. Its all I would have hoped for. These mountains create natural defensible terrain for the foothills, if we can manage to find a source of water that will sustain a larger footprint then we've found our foothold."

Noel, while listening to and nodding to what Horatio is saying, pulls out her survival guide, and then her binoculars, and flips through looking for tips on finding water, then starts using her Binoculars to try and spot any.

There is a freshwater lake you've seen already from the landing zone, and indeed landed near it. There is little available freshwater here in the highlands

"The closest is the lake near the Landing zone..." She states... "Hmm."

"Build next to lake, backs to the mountain planes to the east for farming and hunting! Perfect! Very cozy!" (edited)

"The forest also provides lumber, and the mountains might have something to be mined out, possibly."

"Indeed! Nearer the lake gives us greater access to the region! Perfect. Ha! By the Void this view is cracking! Okay let's call it, we'll get back down to the squad then rest up. Back down to the explorer in the morning and call in the settlement materials"

"Right." She continues looking through the binoculars for a second before thinking to offer them to Horatio.

"Cheers!" Horatio calls as he takes then scoping out the shoreline looking for a sutaible opening to begin a settlement.

Noel sits and waits, letting her meager muscles recover.

You’re a good distance away, and this survey will be easier up close when you can see the fine details of the land. There will undoubtedly be some place to set a settlement down on its shores

"Alright then Noel, you ready to head back down? I think we're going to have to recce it up close, Ha! But plenty of time to think on the way back, aye" Horatio nods content as he offers her back the binoculars.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

(tidy)

The way down is easier to navigate, and free of the dangers you found through experience on the way up. The ATV is able to recover you both handily, and get you brought into its armored bay for a smooth ride back to your initial landing zone down at the lake.

She retrieves the binocs with a small smile and nods, enjoying the ride back down to the lake when they get there.

It is late afternoon by time you make it down and the second team didn’t find any place where the water cooperated and opened into a larger system. You’re seeing many fine details like mats of thick sub surface grass and other terrain details more clearly now, as you’re not trying to survey the site from kilometers away

Noel takes notes on her Compad, and checks the Survival guide, as she does so she asks "Do we have a decent amount of Surveying equipment? It could help."

"The explorer should have anything you need, sample cases as well. We'll have to field test the water make sure its all cricket!"

"Right, let's hop to it then. The quicker we get the base set up the quicker we can begin unraveling the mysteries here." She begins checking over the Survey equipment and handing it out to members of the team who know how to use them. (edited)

The late afternoon sky is orange and pink as one of the immense solar shades around the sun begins moving to interpose itself and provide a night cycle to this ring

05:45

Survey gear is handed out and the troop plans to get the samples taken before they lose the light

Horatio grabs a couple of sample cases and takes off toward the lake a bounce in his step. Once there he takes the field sample kit and fills the vial of Lake water, as he waits for the results to see if its safe he takes time to watch the water. Looking for movement to suggest aquatic life.

(If the ATV doesn't have a lab, whatever we collect would have to be flown to the asteroid base)

(sadly it doesn't, what it does have is advanced sensors but I'm not sure what they'd give us here)

(They wouldn’t be helpful in this case)

"Ah, looks like this is going to be a fiddly process. I'm gonna call down a helping hand to take these off then all we've got to do is wait for the results and get it built."

(We have some lakewater, did yuou guys want to gather anything else?)

"We should get some soil samples, and some vegetation as well. It'd be best to know if there's anything troubling ending up in the food."

The team begins handing out equipment and Noel has some clippers and some sample jars pressed into her hands. The smell of the cool air is pleasant coming off the lake and you have plenty of samples to choose from based on where you’re standing now

Noel's modus operandi is to Gather a wide array of samples from just about every sort of plant she can find, preferring to get as much Variety as possible... She seems to quite enjoy the undertaking, directing the team on why she's doing what she's doing, namely to give the science teams that come after a solid ground to start from.

(Shoot me a survive/wis for variety of species but otherwise that’ll do it)

[8.]

The sample collection stretches into the twilight hours , and as darkness begins to fall on the ring everyone is prepared to fall back to the safety of the asteroid station while samples are run

(I'm really sorry both of you for being so inactive, having some major issues irl along with uni stuff and moving and I've had to focus on that. Not my intention to leave this undone or anything)

14:15

Horatio would have helped take samples, letting Noel take the lead quietly as he seems to be in deep thought while they wait for the shuttle to come down he turns to Noel. "Do you know much of weaponry, noel?"

"I know of how to Ward against them, and I know the way of the Gun, somewhat. I only recently was taught how to properly shoot, however..." She admits.

"Care to have a look at some alien tech? I picked this up on an alien ship in this sector. I've got no idea what it is but I found it in the armoury. Ha! Slug weapons! I suppose we have time now though if you had a care?" Horatio takes a bracelet looking device out of his backpack and holds it up to the light of the explorer

it is bigger than a human wrist, and thick. It is inlaid with circuitry and looks to be needing a special, flattened power cell.

"May I hold it for a moment?" Noel asks, clearly intrigued and overcome with her own curiosity.

"Of course! Here!" Horatio hands her the alien bracelet, a braod grin on his face at seeing her enthusiasm.

She almost immediately begins fussing with it, wetting her lips and exploring the weapon with more enthusiasm than she showed even the plants on the ring world. Trying to think of comparable items and weaponry she has seen before in the past.

Horatio chuckles and sits back taking a small hip flask from his chest pocket taking a sip. "Current thoughts were either some kind of shield device or, energy weapon. Considering the advanced nature of the aliens and the power supply, leads me to believe it'd need a fair amount of energy."

The flat power cell is a critical missing piece. There are two holes on the top of the bracelet pointing away from the wearer as the only clues to the device's function

She hums slightly, pondering... "...We should keep an eye for the flat power cells... Were there any other clues where you found it?"

"Errr, they may have been but we scrapped the ship for parts, nothing else that I could see. If this alien race also made the ring the liklihood is there's ruins dotted around and we could find one in them. As for clues, it was in the ships armoury from what I could tell, hence my belief its some kind of protection equipment"

She nods thinking about this. "Alright... I don't think it has any magical application, currently... but I can't give anything definitive until it's powered on... Whatever it does, it directs it away from the user through a...uhm... Well, the two holes here. I am... I would like to figure this thing out."

(Also RE: The Delays. IRL first, captain. You gotta take care of yourself first as stuff like this is just entertainment~)

2

"How about this, you can have it! Ha! No doubt we'll find the batteries at some point and figure it out, what about that!" Horatio chuckles and takes another swig of the flask before offering it to Noel. "Best Jagrati brandy."

The hesitation of someone who is not used to alcohol is fairly clear, but she eventually reaches for it, giving it a try. The Flinch also reveals just how little experience with booze she's had.

Horatio gives a little chuckle "Aye its got bite! Ha! Damn good though, warms the soul."

She coughs. "I suppose... it's a little too warm... for me at the moment. Thank you... though."

"Of course! Now let's check on that shuttle, you keep hold of thst tech, let me know if you figure anything out about it."

She tucks it away after a moment. "I absolutely will."

THe shuttle puffs its retros as it comes in for landing, ramp already lowering to take the ATV aboard, while the side hatch pops to allow you inside along with the rest of the explorers.

Noel will enter the side hatch with the others.

Horatio walks in last making sure everyone is on first with true dad energy. He takes a look at the ring world before closing the hatch behind him. "Alright! Let's spin up and we can be home for tea and medals! Ha!"

"Alright, and then tomorrow we can lay the ground work for the Base?"

"Aye we'll get the Hound to bring the supplies down with the engineers and they'll start setting up, if you want we can try use the better sensors on the greyhound to find some landmark to have a gander at."

"That'd be good, Do we have any idea of what sort of things to expect down there aside from Large Animals? If I know what weapons I'm about to have to fight I can ward myself against them..."

"apart from lope like creatures and the bone bear I haven't come across anything, the ruins are a different matter. I'd have no idea what we'd face in there. Most likely defences if anything. Automated and energy I'd guess if anything."

"I can't do much against animals, the Wards I was taught don't work on them... Hopefully the Ruins have standardized defenses."

(we can keep RP'ing but we'll pause another mission here since we're signed up for various stages of the SL fight)

(sounds good to me!) Horatio nods "well I have no wards but I do bring firepower and if it kicks off you can always stand behind me, I have no doubt that we'll be able to defeat anything we come across. Ha! After your quick actions in saving me from that ledge I can tell you've got balls of brass, and thst makes up for much!"

(Goal completetion check, I'm a little backdated from it: Re-connect with one of my old Comrades (Quinten), Gain support from the King for the colony (this second one I'm not sure about because its more a research station than a colony atm)

(we didnt really do anything to make this a colony)

(yeah I thought as much, just checking. It's more of a process that's to come once it's more fleshed out)

Level Up: 4
Focus: N/A
Old HP: 16
New HP: 21
New Skills: 1sp boost dex first time 17-18, 1sp to both Survival and Notice both 0-1
Current AB: 3-4 from warrior

14:58

(That's from the 3xp from the last mission on the mountain)

14:58

(And then extra three from the Quiten goal?)

(i awarded some on the mountain last, nothing for the bit of RP we have done since then. I thought you had claimed the Q one already after the almost restaurant shootout scene but if you didn't then i guess take it) (edited)

(Nah I didn't, that level came from the mountain xp, and then an extra 3 for the quiten stuff as i didnt have my laptop with me at the time, just catching up on it all, but now we're all square.)

"I suppose. If we take things patiently, I'm sure nobody will have to stand behind anyone except in the most belligerent of cases."

"Thats the hope, ain't it just. You ever been in that kind of situation before?"

"Not really. Before this I was still in training and had someone who handled most of the dicey stuff."

"Aye, good job is we aren't really going to be facing sentients here. Often the first time you're in combat with someone that's well... A person it's hard to grasp for a lot. Not impossible, just hard. I threw up after my first operation, ha! I still remember it well." Horatio kicks his legs up on the seat across from him. "I was about two months out of the military academy on Jagrati. My frigate was on trade protection, we were on the trail of some pirate band who'd spaced a couple of ships. We hit them in their engine and closed to board..." He trails off a little trying to find the right words. "Sometimes the Void can change people, long time out in the black warps people a little, sometimes a lot. These lot were feral to say the least. Meat cleavers and the like. We had to put them down, it was not pretty but it gets easier every time I suppose."

"...I mean, I've... Seen the aftermath of a fair few altercations..." She shudders. "Was taught that you don't teach someone to be used to the violence, you teach them how to stand up and keep walking after it's done."

"Aye that's about the right of it. Its all a game of humanity Noel. Keep what makes you, you intact. No doubt if you keep going down this path you'll find yourself in a scrap, I've seen how you handle yourself in high stress if not combat, and you're grand. Ha! Aye, grand." He pats her on the shoulder. "so, what brought you here out of all places?"

"Well, I'm looking for the fellow that trained me. I don't feel like my training is complete based on what he told me it would be like and demonstrated, and I ended up running out of the money I was left. Figured I needed a job and so I chose the one that he'd likely choose."

Level Up: 5
Focus: Hench keeper 1 (3sp to lead 0-1, 1 banked) 
Old HP: 21
New HP: 26
New Skills: 1sp to talk -1-0, 2sp to sneak 0-1.
Current AB: 4-5 from warrior

"How intriguing, a quest some may say! Ha! What is this fellows name? So that if I come across him in my travels I can help you in your search."

(I think Noel is going to be looking into that ring bracelet thing and pursue some other goals, so we're best moving on to something else ourselves)

(all gucci, I think I'm gonna work on my personal goal of looking for a new material/plant or luxury good on the ring world. Do you have any ideas about how we go about that?)

)provably would coincide with continuing to explore. We never did officially decide on a base location either

(let's solve that first then) Once Horatio returns he brings up a map with Quinten overlooking the area he and Noel had explored. "We had issues finding a water source capable of sustaining a large amount of people in the foothills and so I believe our best option is the plains to the east where we first landed on the border with the mountainous region and as close to the lake as possible." He marks with an X where the land meets water and where the last remnants of flat land are before hitting the mountains.

01:47

"Do we have an eta on when it will be operational once they begin building or is it too early to say?"

"I wouldn't expect to be living or operating out of it for at least a month, possibly more if you decide to set down something extravagant"

"For now liveable is enough, once we've explored enough to warrant parliament signing off on a colony effort then we can think extravagant. Now we need to find proof of resources. I'm thinking minerals, potentially hunt able animals and so on. We have water, but now we need food. I want to see how far the plains stretch to the east. Never know Quin might find a ruin if I'm lucky. Ha!"

(d10)

(4)

(we should probably also establish who/what is going out again with you before we sail off into the wilderness)

(I'll be taking the explorer and a team of 4 along with me)

The team piles in, preparing to head out into the wilderness. The rolling meadow moves east, largely made of the same long fronds of grass that hid dangers as you and Noel approached the mountain base. Inside the explorer, you are safe from most of them. An hour of skimming in a grid pattern reveals little more than the endless ocean of plains grass, and the occasional lone tree where birds nest, and bugs also make their homes.

Horatio stops at one point, stepping out of the explorer in his armour to take earth samples as well as samples of the grass, never knowing whether or not it may hold some nutritional value, it can't hurt to take some in any case. Once that is done if without incident he marks the area as a potential farming zone, pending the results of the earth.

The shuttle, in keeping with tradition, will arrive tonight to take aboard any samples you've managed to collect.

That done Horatio awaits the shuttle as the team rests from the days journey. After loading the samples he makes the decision to load up the explorer. "Right team, until we have the base sorted there ain't much we can do from here, we've done a striling job so far finding a place to set up and a steady source of water for both base and station. Get some rest. We've all earnt it." (edited)

Once back on the station Horatio meets with Quin. "Right my friend, I think I'm going to take some time away from the system to gain renown and funds for our little project here. You've got a choice, either you could stay here and continue administration of the station and base on the ring or you can come with me, I'll warn you though, my plan is to go headfirst into some dangers and ply the trade I'm best at. The choice is yours." Horatio lights a charoot as he speaks and now takes a long drag blowing out the sweet smelling smoke. "I'll let you into my plan for this place now we're settled and you're invested. My plan is to develop this place into a habitable world well... Ring, thing... But I'm not suited to governorship, nor do I want it really. My quests will always take me into danger and such, but you have always had a nack for paperwork and administration. My plan was, when we finally bring this system into NMC space and begin a colony effort to put you forward as governor. Not as my pawn, if thsts what you're thinking. You are your own man and more than that we are friends, or at least I'd like to think so, you'll never progress in Jagrati because of your blood but out here blood doesn't mean a great deal, effort does." He stops watching in genuine curiosity as he takes another drag letting him digest the offers.

"I thought I was meant to be out here to run the colony, and that was the only reason the King's office agreed to empower me to do it. I can't accept anything else you're offering me, its not within something I can take. I don't think its within something you can give me, either?

"it isn't yet, but at some point they're gonna want someone to be the face. What I'm saying is I'd like to help you to be that person, it's not something that's going to happen straight away, but it will at some point."

(I both as neko and Ic don't know how to respond to this, because you've told him you're going to make him great but also that you're fucking off to another system for a while within the same breath)

(I mean my intention is to come back, I'm more saying thst as I rise so does he. Sorry if it didn't come across properly I'm tired af.)

"How are you going to help me be that person while you're off going into danger and "glory" and I am here swimming in paperwork? You're not even going to be staying in the system, and as you said, our paths are opposite. I appreciate you thinking of me and getting me this posting. I am going to serve here as best I can, in the hopes I can come back to Jagrati with some honor, and with a good name behind me someday. I can thank you for getting me in the door, and I have several times, but I don't think this needs to be a longer lasting arrangement than as of right now. You almost got me killed on Jagrati because you thought more highly of yourself and your imagined reputation than the very real dangers we faced on the street. Those gunmen came to that restaurant not because of me, but because of you. You'll have a friendly port here when you return, and if you end up scouting more of the ringworld I will support you and your men to the best of my ability, but we aren't friends, and I don't need to rise with you. I can do it all without you"

Horatio for a moment seems hurt, then he smiles, it reaches his eyes, it's clear its real. His former school mate has indeed become his own man it seems and his pushing back gives Horatio something, it's not pride it's just... Change as though some part of him almost wanted this outcome for whatever reason. He takes a long drag then exhales. "Aye... You're right Quinten. We are different. You'll do well here, and back on Jagrati no doubt. I shall wish you good luck. Now I've got to go do more reckless heroics. Faint hearts never won fair ladies as they say." He stands up and winks at him then leaves to his ship, he takes with him a crew. One pilot, two marines, and two engineers. (Horatio is the second pilot)

Taking the helm of the Greyhound, Horatio pulls her out of Dock away from Teucer, setting a course for Polychromia a new chapter opens as the last closes. He thinks about sending a message to a woman he once loved once they hit spike. What are you doing Harry? Why are you trying hard to be something you are not. You thrill not for the quiet life, not for a love you may have once had but lost. You never did. You're a killer, a damn good one and you love it. You want fame, glory and power. So take it. Bury the past. He closes the interface, not sending that message. Instead he opens the bounty file on the Stained Liberation Front. Reading any information there is on the bounty contract.

(We would need an actual route too just so I know what’s on the way, or did you not want to stop anywhere

(let me gander at the map and I'll get back to you - also we never clarified what this ship actually has and I don't think it's on any directory cause it was a jury rig, probably as good a time as ever to figure that out so we know for future reference. I know it's a freemerchant (idk if it's been converted to a mk2 or not) and I know it's got spike-3)

(We should fit it out and whatnot as well. It’s not on a registry bexause it was a plot device to get you to the wider game)

(Okie doke, I'll get into the calculator, is it a standard fm Hull or the updated ones?)

(in fact it may be a good idea for me to visit Jagrati first, outfit the ship, because I'd like to make some 'specialist' fittings and outfit my crew too now I have Hench keeper, whilst I'm there I can also try and find a martial arts teacher for my sword fighting. That way I can have the hill. Updated to a mk.2. It makes things easier from a storytelling perspective and logistically so we don't have to blur anything. Is that alright? Then after thats sorted we'll go polychromia fresh and ready)

(It will fix automatically if you use the Omni builder. We should visit Jagrati first and I’ll need to have a plan submitted for the ship)

(done!)

06:58

(route of travel will be Teucer - Viggis - Jagrati stopping to refuel when nessecary)

The battered Greyhound, barely a vessel by the time you get to Jagrati limps into port, and has to be pushed in the last 1/3rd of the way by fleet tenders. The crew seems exhausted, the terror of every spike jump possibly breaking the ship to pieces has them nervous about continuing to use it until its many problems are addressed

Horatio mops his sweating brow, the stirring system having failed, having to use a wrench instead of the usual wheel. As they pull into the dock Horatio and the crew disembark all looking worse for wear. He tiredly looks back at ship then to the Dockmaster. "I think it's best we get that refitted and repaired, anything the NMC won't cover I will, just send me the bill. I'll need lodgings too and for my crew. By the Void I need a shower! Ha!"

"Submit your plans, i will see what we can do for you. Please feel free to use the courtesy rooms here for the duration of your stay on Jagrati"

"Thank you, I'll have those plans submitted to your office tonight." Horatio leaves to the lodgings and makes sure he cleans, orders food and eats then rests in an actual bed for the first time in months. (does the king have a bodyguard? Like a kingsguard or something similar? I know obviously he has the huscarls but I'm looking for an NPC that may be known as a great swordsman)

(He does not. He dissolved all royal offices upon taking the throne far before our story takes place , because the palace court was too packed with noble house spies )

(Gotcha) Horatio asks around his military contacts, some old but mostly new, perhaps some officers that he met and grew a little close to during the short but effective Rana campaign to see if they might know of a sword master on Jagrati, knowing from his youth here that there were many a young Bravo, though that time is done he hopes to find someone that may still have those skills in teaching people the noble art of fencing.

(connect/cha)

(5

)

You’re unable to find anyone that would match the description. The last person to hold the title died in the shaper war

Horatio shakes his head "Perhaps I'll have to widen my search, or find them on another planet. Damn it nothing worth having is ever easy." He grumbles to himself. Horatio pulls up the personnel files for his team. Beginning to think for the first time about the people he has with him as he begins to set out on his own.

09:38

(I'm gonna slap some names down and equip them in a bit once I get a generator up)

(Theo - Security (marine) Matt - Security (marine) Silas - Technician Rosa - Engineer Claire - Pilot) (Could you pin this for future reference) (edited)

12:16

(A couple of questions before I outfit them, do I have the face for Storm armour and to outfit my two marines assault suits?)

(No and no)

(sound then they'll just be outfitted with CFU's would they come with the locker or is that something I'll have to pay for separately?)

(CFU is part of the locker)

(Magic, I don't think there's any need for me to buy anything extra for them then!) Horatio spends the day attempting to find a jeweler that can work with an armour to craft a stingstick in the shape of a golden signet ring, bearing his family sigil of a Gryphon. (looking at the weapons description it can be made in the shape of a substantial ring) (edited)

They refuse to work for nobility or to create any more symbols of the Noble class. He explains this work will take days. Someone will see it and draw the wrong ideas. He’s worked hard for this shop and has put his life savings into it, and if turning down a job keeps him safe, he will not be accepting the commission or your money

18:59

(This isn’t untrodden ground for us either. The noble stuff is stuff the players have expressly stamped out and you’re sort of kicking dirt all over that. I’m not trying to block the things you’re doing but this is going in a very cyrus like direction)

Horatio is understanding and doesn't push him. After that he contacts the office on Jagrati to see if there's anything he can help with while he's on world for repairs.

There are many sites across the planet that could use a friendly face , and the ruins especially haven’t been surveyed in some time

Horatio brings any information up about the ruins of old Jagrati, seeing what there might be to explore there.

There was a large city there once but it’s a virtual ghost town now. When The Scream hit, hundreds of thousands of people there simply disappeared in both body and spirit. The place has a haunted reputation now and no one is willing to try to make a home there anymore

"Huh, spooky. Let's go have a look then!" Horatio hires or comendeers a grav flyer and sets course for the old ruins, armed and armoured just in case.

Youd hire one for 50 credits and the pilot will remain in the area just in case, but he won’t put the plane or his own life at risk. The ruins remain empty as the early hours of daylight paint the dusty streets yellow bronze

Horatio steps off the flyer helmet sealing shut with a hiss of air seals. The first thing Horatio does is scan the nearby area for thermal signatures. Horatio takes out one of his two pistols casually just for protection's sake.

You see the normal places where the sunlight pools, and some small birds and vermin. There’s nothing person sized in the immediate area

Horatio turns off the thermal vision and begins moving forward into the ruined city proper, he moves methodically. Deserted and ruined, is this what awaits all that we build in the end? It cannot be, it must not be. How many lost all here, so many memories...the air here feels heavy. Horatio tries to bring up the pre scream map of the city, if there is one on record, to look for old buildings that may be of value to search.

(I'll post a city map, ill try to find one with labels that are setting consistent)

1

A map of the immediate city blocks projects. The map is old, even when The Scream occured, and some of the names on the zoning map might be out of date

21:57

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

(Nice! Am I coming at this from the South?)

(I guess from above first since we scanned the place coming in and you can let me know where abouts you want to land and explore from. The black lines would be streets)

(okay, so I'd like to hit the art dealer/gallery first so probably land just outside that on the main road, if that sounds good?)

(By main road, you mean the one running along the south side of the building?)

(yeah)

The streets are quiet except for stray animals when the ship comes in to land. You disturb dust that has not been bothered in several years as the engines shut down and quiet begins to return to the streets

Horatio dismounts and nods to the pilot as he begins moving toward what is listed as the an art gallery, hoping to find old art for his personal collection.

The building has a secure metal door, with a grate pulled down over the front. The vanishing happened early in the morning, so it makes sense they were not open for business. No one has tried getting in through the windows, or robbing the place- unwilling to risk the dark reputaiton

(this didn't highlight for me for some reason, gotta love discord) Horatio tries to think back to when the flyer flew over the building to remember whether or not the building has an entrance on the roof or not as he looks up, trying see if there are any windows. Not wanting to try force his way into a locked down building if he can help it.

There is a skylight on the roof, it is angled and the glass is broken now afte being untended for so long

"Time to climb I think..." Horatio mutters to himself as he looks for a route up

(The way to do it will sort of depend on what you're doing, if you're in storm armor you could just hop to the roof, if you're not, but are in powered armor, climbing will probably have what you're sticking to coming off the building as you're very heavy (edited)

(I don't have storm armour, I was thinking off getting out of my armour to do it.)

There is a network of gutters, windowsills and window bars you could climb if suitably light enough

There is a hiss of seals and whir of servos as the back of Horatio's armour opens allowing him to step free of it with some strategic jiggling. Once out he gets to work beginning to climb. Using the makeshift handholds

(exert/dex)

(12!

)

You’re able to get to the top of the building with your climbing abilities. The skylight has been broken and you can see that the floors inside and some of the display cases have seen far better days after taking the elements for several years now

Horatio takes from his pack a rope and ties it to the somewhere sturdy on the skylight or more preferably the roof then moves to the skylight, kicking out any glass shards that may cut him. After that is done he repels in.

Landing amid the ochre ooze, your feet sink in with a sickening puff of air. It seems to bubble as your footprints displace liquid underneath the murk, but it doesnt rise over the toe of your boot. Most of the art in this immediate room is beyond any kind of restoration, as it has been freely taking the elements, and feeding this massive algae colony for several years now

Horatio holds his breath as the fold air tingles his nose momentarily as he begins to make his way through the room, looking now for other rooms wherein the art may be saved from the algae. "By the Void, such a damned waste."

A wing of paintings is to the north, and sculptures is to the south from here. It seems the natural history exhibit in this room is entirely beyond saving

Horatio moves first to the north looking for any paintings that may have survived he takes his time, being somewhat of a superstitious man he takes time to listen to hear if there might be any movement, not wanting to upset any wraiths of those that used to be here.

(notice/wis)

(6)

There doesnt seem to be anything here but you, from what you can tell right now

Horatio carries on looking at the walls for paintings that are either untouched by the decay or restorable with some work. He walks quietly almost reverently through the halls. In times past he would have liked to walk these halls in his spare time, perhaps with his Mother, on the few brief occasions she was planetside.

Examples of art pass by

02:30

02:31

The expressionist movement was alive and well on Jagrati, right before The Scream

Horatio takes time to admire the art, it makes for an odd moment and scene as a man in dark military fatigues stands in a battered and decaying building admiring art seemingly from a time past. He closes his eyes imagining the halls packed with admirers and children on school trips. I must save these, for later generations to appreciate, they cannot be allowed to die or disappear into decay as this place has. Horatio nods resolving to take them with him, for now however he leaves them be after a good half an hour or so of quiet contemplation he moves south to the sculpture gallery, looking out for another means of egress from the gallery, perhaps a fire door or some such exit that can be opened easily enough from the inside for when he leaves the place.

The doors have locks on them from the inside that you would need a key to disengage. The sculptors gallery is in slightly better condition but not by much. (I’ll post some images tomorrow)

14:07

14:08

Many more variations of these with different swirls of color exist in the gallery

1

Horatio seems somewhat in awe at the swirling patterns of the sculptures. Seemingly figuring out whether or not such pieces would be safe aboard the flyer. Perhaps I will have to hire a salvage team to come in and get these. Best to do that rather than risk their breaking.

(just realised I didn't finish my thought process on this one and it's left this in an odd place for you to reply) Horatio nods to himself then moves to find some kind of office, wherever the keys or their spares for the doors may be found inside.

the door to the curators office is locked, with an alarm system no doubt hooked up to it. You havent seen anything that suggests power might be running, but have not seen much of the city either

(do I need anything tool wise to be able to pick the lock?)

(You don't need a tool, but having them is a help)

(gotcha, let me check whether or not I've got a meta tool)

18:21

Horatio takes off his pack and retrieves his metatool, changing its settings to help pick locks and gets to work taking a knee before the door

(fix/int, +2 for the metatool)

(8)

The door lock snaps, and you feel the handle release upwards, allowing you to open it

Horatio stands slowly and opens the door, slipping the meta tool back into his belt as he walks through the door. He scours the office, for keys and documents that might or might not prove useful in finding more art either within the city or elsewhere.

There is a set of keys to allow you to open the doors. The curator wouldn't have anything that belonged to another facility

Horatio hums a tune as he takes the keys casually. From there he opens one of the side doors rather than the front. (is the flyer parked up or circling?)

(I thought you said your ship was to be landed on the main road)

13:54

(so that is what I had it do)

(oh yeah, sorry mind fog on that one. My bad)

13:55

Horatio opens the door and begins ferrying out the art pieces that have survived into the ship's cargo hold.

Looting the museum takes a few hours. Taking art from a public institution for your own private collection could not be called anything else, but the crew seems to be keeping quiet about things. Midday makes its presence known with a high overhead sun by time everything worth carrying off is safely packed aboard.

After the art is safely stowed Horatio makes his way across the street to the data storage facility. Hoping to gain any kind of data on the city that can be given to the NMC.

The facility is walled from the street by high cement walls, topped with looped wire- cut as razors. An iron gate is heavily padlocked, and leads to the actual data storage building itself, which also has a heavy duty door on its front. There are no windows on it, and the place was designed with security in mind. The air hums with electricity

(would a Ships armoury have a demo charge?)

(It might have a couple, explosives aren't fantastic things to be using in normal ship defense, so lots of heavy weapons/explosives are generally not available)

1

Horatio jogs back to the ship and collects one of the limited demo charges. Moving back to the facility he first uses the trust meta tool to take off the padlock on the gate. If that takes no particular effort he then moves forward to the heavy door first surveying it for potential weak points and how it swings. Then according begins placing the demo charge for maximum effect but hopefully without blowing the facility up.

The lock is electrified, and when metatool touches the internal mechanism, you are given a powerful electrical shock (6 damage)

14:44

You're unable to approach the main door to the building, as you're as yet unable to get through the gate

Horatio swears as he's zapped, flying backward. "Fuck!" He takes a good few moments to ground himself. "That's how we're playing this, Ey door? Ha!" Horatio moves forward to the gate again, this time not touching it but laying the demo charge next to it. Taking a good few steps back he arms the demo charge through his comm link to it. "Controlled detonation! Ha!" Clack! Clack! Clack! Goes the detonator.

(Its a VERY powerful explosion that has a 40m radius, so i am assuming you're moving outside of that?) (edited)

(yeah! Let's not get caught in that radius)

The explosion is loud , it shatters all the glass on the street, for several blocks in each direction. Rocks from the curtain wall fly in all directions. One of them leaves a massive impact dent on the side of the Greyhound before breaking apart into rock dust. Another one almost hits the crew sheltering behind the ramp, short just a meter. The gate is gone, so is the front of the data center, and whatever might have been inside the front rooms of the building. Sparking cables hang down from the ceiling, and you can hear the sounds of the building settling

"By the Void, sorry ladies and gents, wasn't expecting that much umph! Drinks on me when we get back. Definitely opened things up a little though!" Horatio walks forward gingerly as things seemed to have settled. He attempts to avoid any sparking cables as he makes his way into the building.

The stairwell is gone. Some other way will need to be found upstairs. THe data-controller room is also gone, but it looks like one of the server farms on the ground floor has at least three racks of computers that are intact

(is the power still on?)

(yes)

Horatio moves to the surviving databank, he tries to find a port to connect his compad to the bank to he can assess the information stored on it.

(program/int)

(5)

Youre not able to discern most of it. A lot of it looks like contextless joss and broken links now since most of the building was approached with military grade heavy weapons. Someone somewhere can hopefully make sense of what you've managed to drain

Horatio transfers the data and then goes back to the old staircase or what remains of it looking to find another way up, or a place to anchor a rope on the second floor.

You can leap from the broken sections of stair. Having shed your power armor, there shouldn't be any danger of it collapsing under your weight

Horatio springs forward relying on his cat like dexterity to run and jump from the broken staircase bouncing off the wall to leap and grab the remnants of the higher staircase.

You’re barley able to catch yourself. The railing creaks and pulls from the wall slightly , before you’re able to fight yourself. The office in front of you seems intact but the data center to the left has been destroyed by the use of anti tank explosives against a simple padlock

(in my defence it was a rather shocky padlock, admittedly I see now it may have been a little of an over reaction but we live and learn.) Horatio grunts with exertion before heading into the office looking for anything of use. (edited)

The door has been blown off the hinges and is almost entirely fallen by time you get in. The desk has had its papers scattered and the ego box on the desk has been jostled by the shockwave. It’s not booting up anymore and getting inside the case will take time

(what's an ego box?)

(Used to copy information from systems)

(interesting) Horatio takes the papers as well as the box, believing to have retrieved what he can from the building he proceeds to make his way out. Dropping the contents back at the ship. After that has been done he makes his way westward toward the religious building and pharmacy.

The sun is in its mid afternoon stage by time you download the information you scraped to the ship computers. (Which of those two are we doing then so I know what to write)

(religious building first please)

The building was once an Anglican Church , the stained glass is dirty but mostly intact. The wooden doors have been carved with religious scenes but a colony of moss is rapidly growing across the porous surface. This one doesn’t seem locked

Horatio pushes open the large wooden doors to enter the holy place. He enters reverently and walks through the center aisle, his footfalls though soft echo in the large empty space as he paces toward the alter surveying the scenes in the stained glass as best he can.

The show scenes from the life of various saints. You don’t know the tales well enough to identify them more than knowing they aren’t related. The altar has a simple white cloth over it but is otherwise empty

As he reaches the alter Horatio bows his head taking a knee before it and placing his right hand upon it. He closes his eyes and says a short prayer, beginning in his head and ending with him reciting the Lords prayer. Afterward he stands slowly and begins to search for the Reverend's quarters or office.

There is a small rectory built into the back of the church, where the Reverend would have both lived and worked

Horatio tries the door, if finding it open he walks in and surveys the rooms

Some books have been piled up on the desk, along with an electro-quill and a new coil for its tip. The charge well is fried, the power cell left in too long. A simple bed, a small gold cross on the wall, and moth eaten vestments hang on simple wooden pegs round out the other fixtures of this room

Horatio feels a little off about invading such a space even with the good intentions he harbours and takes a few moments to order his thoughts. Lord, know what I do, I do in your name, so that your word does not die in this desolate place. Forgive me for any trespass that has and will occur in this place, your temple. After saying his piece in his head, a silent prayer he takes the books and quill, thinking he will have to replace the coil. Lastly he takes the cross carefully from the wall. He then moves back to the alter, wrapping the golden cross in the alter cloth and leaving to the ship. Once back at the ship he takes control of the wheel departing from the ruin. Once underway he comms Jagrati. "Horatio to Jagrati, I've taken some time to search some of the ruins in the Old city. I have rescued a number of art pieces and some data, I shall transfer the data to you know. Do you know if there is a museum or art center that I could redonate this art to?"

Jagrati is looking to build a new place where these things can be shown to the public. They'd be joyed to show the public what you have been able to recover- as they represent a better time in the history of the universe. (edited)

Horatio confirms and stops off briefly in Jagrati to unload the art pieces. Admittedly it's hard for him to give up some pieces but reassures himself that the greater pleasure is making sure all can enjoy these. He also transfers what little data he has to the official servers to be decrypt. He keeps the religious findings in his quarters for the time being as he wishes to study them a little more before finding them a home. After this is done he once again pulls out of the spaceport, setting course for polychromia. (Jagrati - benavides - Maryam - Hrefna - Helga - Phegeus - Thorgerd - Polychroniou) (Gonna train Perform again is it one day per jump when Calculating downtime?)

(One day per hex you are passing through)

(gotcha ill calculate it now)

18:26

(I've got it as 20, big time traveling, that might be the furthest I've ever travelled at one time in my time in the Iron Stars)

18:30

(now at 39/90 for perform) (is there any information on the SLF given in the bounty dossier?)

(SFF? No, even the approach to the planet is pretty tightly controlled, so you'll find out what you need when you get there, if they can be convinced to let you in, since Cayne and Ife are already working on this)

(gotcha shall we drop back in with the approach to the system?)

The Greyhound emerges at the edge of the system, where a pair of system patrol craft are conducting a sweep. The comms station of your vessel chimes almost right as soon as the antenna is up, with a waiting message

Horatio opens the message, sat in the command chair of the Greyhound, well rested and looking fine. He twirls his moustache as he do types on his console and the message plays.

Unidentified vessel, this is Polychromeolu System Security, state your name and business in the system. Comply at once.

20:59

The ships are using tightbeams, rather than FTL comms, and are older paterns

Horatio raises a brow at the transmission. "Someone's a bit tetchy! Ha!" He chortles before sending back his own transmission

This is Horatio Percival aboard the Greyhound, here answering the call of bounty against the Stained Liberation Front. I'm here to render aid if possible, if you wish to see my references I can send across my resume.

Two other groups are already following up this bounty. What can you offer that the others cannot? Your comms officer notes tightbeam transmissions relayed back to the planet, as well. It seems messages are being passed along to the platform in orbit, and then to ground stations on the planet itself

Horatio sighs realising he's late to the hunt.

I'm an experienced military leader and veteran, I'm a good hand in a fight, an avid hunter and a damn fine tactical mind. Above that and perhaps better in this circumstance I'm fairly skilled in subterfuge, urban surveillance and combat.

(idk if I can do it through text but I do have the focus authority, I'd like to play on the fact I'm a leader and military veteran in this case to basically say I'm very capable of hunting down and taking out this movement.) (edited)

(We would need to roll the check to see if it works, but we can roll it)

(Okay! Was seeing if it's applicable before I went ahead and rolled, I'll roll now)

21:34

(8)

(14)

The Winter Wolves, and a special operative from The Elysium Protectorate have already been given authorization to follow this problem, and have as impressive qualifications as yours. The Glass Tower has denied request for bounty work. Corporate has another matter for you unless this contract was your only reason for coming

I came a long way for work, it would be a shame to go back empty handed so to speak, what contract do you have for us?

Proceed directly to Amana Lin Starport, do not proceed directly to the surface. You will be met on the starport landing deck

Acknowledged. Proceeding. Horatio sits back in the command chair "Ooooh someone's got their panties in a twist! Right people, set course to Amana Lin Starport, for God's sake don't stray outside of the prescribed route. They might shoot us down their more than a little uptight it seems."

The starport is in orbit, and you enter a military looking landing bay where a corporate official and security bearing the Lucid Industries company logo are standing by, waiting to meet you and anyone else who might be getting off your ship.

Horatio walks off wearing plain dark military fatigues, armed with two mag pistols, one on his hip the other in a shoulder rig "Good afternoon, Horatio Percival, at your service."

They don't answer right away, but they are wearing an Icharus Industries embroidered suit, and you're passed a data pad. It explains that a hacker outfit on the planet below has been setting up something called a Joss Farm, and that this temporary money is playing havoc with trying to pin down the finances of the criminal elements of the planet below.

15:53

There is a small info-dump about Joss so you can understand the local terminology a bit better

15:53

Hackers can plunder electronic bank accounts or alter ownership
records on valuable financial instruments. Unfortunately, there’s
always a time limit associated with these alterations, as the financial
system’s backups and integrity checkers will invariably correct the
loss sooner or later. Once that happens, the stolen money disappears
from whatever account it currently occupies. This temporary cash
is known as “joss paper” or “joss” after the ritual money burnt by
certain local faiths at funerals.


Passing joss requires speed and discretion. As individual credit
transactions are tagged to a buyer, and as those credits will soon
disappear from the recipient’s account, it is generally a very poor
idea to spend joss through a real identity. Private citizens and small
merchants can do little more than file a complaint about theft, but
corps that receive joss from a buyer will often flag that identity for
security attention. Most joss is used to buy valuable commodities
from a small business or private
seller

Horatio skims over the information then looks up. "I see, so if this Joss is tagged, but is quickly gone. How do you propose to find them? Or is it a case that once you have flagged them you want me to take them out quickly?"

"Joss farms like this require a lot of power to use. You're going to be more nimble than Lucid Industries security, and you'll have some idea if one is operating in the area. Power flickers, momentary blackouts, things not functioning just right. Courier drones going into standby. Could always ask around too. You said you were an avid hunter and to quote "A damn fine tactical mind" . He sighs. "Prove it. We're asking you to hunt. "

Horatio grins his moustache dances on his top lip. "A fine idea. Consider me on the trail." (how big is the city? And do they have some idea in the info I've been given as to a general area at all?)

(I haven't changed anything from what is in the polychrome book, so the pertinent information is there and on the world anvil

19:32

(this mission is mostly an investigation, not just drop down there and kill everyone)

19:33

"I would also like to stress that you are a foreign native. We have tasked you with a job, but you are not exempt from the law. Killing civilians will result in terminal consequences"

"Understood, Civilian casualties are something I like to avoid at all costs. Once I find this farm, do you want me to handle them? And if so would you prefer them to breathing or not?" He asks rather matter of factly, not stressing a preferable, almost like one would ask if you'd like fries with that when getting a meal at a fast food joint.

"Criminals and civilians are not the same. You're free to eliminate them if there is no way to contain them for arrest:

Horatio nods. He flicks through the city district breakdowns. "Alright. I'll get on it then. I'll contact you when I've found them and moving on them so you can come in with a containment team. Good day." Horatio nods as he walks back onto the ship for the moment. "Alright folks we've got a job, Silas, connect to their net. I need to find anyone talking about regular outages and faulty electrics on a decent scale. We're looking for hackers using a lot of energy, tends to mess with the local grid, hopefully people are talking about it on their net. There's always a nosey neighbour. It should give us a place to start. Check especially in places like slims, maybe this 'Lucid Gardens' area." He instructs the comm officer as he sits down to help him narrow things down.

The ship will be locked down here. A lander will bring you to the surface hangar, where you can then access the underground city. The Stain is in massive concentrations on the surface, and conventional seals have proven entirely ineffective at keeping it out.

14:40

Once you're below ground, the ship will have a difficult time reaching you.

(is there a way to access the net from up here or is the connection too unstable?)

(You wouldn't be able to get any information until you're down on the surface due to them being underground and the ECM that all TL4 cities use)

18:56

(its a very deliberate part of how this city is designed)

(gotcha) Horatio has Silas and his two marines, Theo and Matt get ready, strapped with side arms and undersuits. Heavy assault weaponry (void carbines if the ship has them in the armoury) and CFU's packed in duffle bags to take down to the surface in preparation, leaving two crewmembers on the Greyhound to oversee whst they can and look after the ship. Once that is done Horatio moves with his three comrades to the lighter and from there to the surface.

the transport is a fast ride down to the surface. Ocher clouds of The Stain - a Zadak Bioweapon loosed on the world in a time before now- are thick, and rolling like looking at a thunderhead from above. It destroys every organic thing it touches and no seals have found ways to truly keep it at bay. Trace amounts of it leak into the city of Polychrome , and the SFF sometimes will even intentionally engineer a breach in areas of the city to get corporate attention to shift. The Proteus Implant is the only thing truly capable of preventing genetic damage due to Stain exposure, but they;re prohibitively expensive, and only the top levels of any of the eight corporations here can even hope to afford one of the almost hand crafted devices. They are entirely out of reach for a commoner, and beyond the needs of a visitor with no permanent attachments to the planet. Accepted into a small hangar on the surface, a large lift descends into the belly of the underground city.

As the lift descends into the bowls of the city Horatio turns to the team, checking his new mag pistols over one last time before holstering them. "Okay people, so limited reports of this place that I could see say that it can get fairly cut throat out here, imagine Jagrati spaceport on a Saturday night during shore leave. So eyes open, hopefully no one will come looking for a fight considering it looks like we might give them one." He chuckles looking over the team, seeing the telltale signs of 'dangerous' people, their almost matching dark street clothes and noticeable bulk of hidden weaponry to those that look hard enough. "First job we've got is to find somewhere to set up for Silas to tap into the local net. From there we can begin to narrow down where these outages are and then do some good ole fashioned recon."

They have no problem with the plan and wait for you to give some direction on how to go about finding somewhere to make a base camp

Horatio connects to the local net as the descend looking for hotels located in the lower class areas, but not directly in slums. (if that makes sense)

You find dozens of them all within a reasonable walk. There does not seem to be much difference between them to an outsider

Horatio finds one and the team walk to it. He hires one of the large rooms if he can so that the team can stay together rather than split up and leave them vulnerable. Just in case.

There is no problem with your money here, and for 50 credits the large but run down room is yours for the week

Horatio pays and the team moves in. "Okay, Silas. Get hooked into the net. Matt, Theo have a gander around the hotel, just do a quick risk assessment in case we've got to get out of here quick." (Horatio will help Silas with whatever check he needs to make to look into complaints and accounts of outages and borrow down the district where they might be happening most frequently)

Things seem okay, not the most ideal security situation but your team can find no glaring flaws that would mean moving and trying to find somewhere else. Horatio finds himself out of his element with a complete lack of computer and programming knowledge, but after about a night of searching Silas has found a small market called "Bluedowns" where they have been having many issues with power. Almost three times as many complaints with Lucid Industries have been lodged here as opposed to other housing projects they own.

Horatio claps Silas on the back jovially. "Great work! Okay Bluedowns, what's its reputation? Any intelligence of gang activity would be helpful as well."

They do not have that kind of information. Silas was instantly flagged as a non-local and has been removed from Lucid Industries nets as he began to probe their security reports.

"Ah Ballocks, well that could've been expected but you've narrowed it down. Great job Silas. Get some rest. Theo strap up you an me around going for a look around. Matt stay here and keep things on lock. If anything wierd happens let me know." Horatio puts on a dark tench coat sliding both his mag pistols in shoulder rigs hidden by the large coat. He and Theo walk down to the front desk where Horatio asks where he could hire a car.

The front desk can hire one for you for 25 credits an hour. For 35 an hour it will have a ghost driver as opposed to a human operator.

Horatio will hire out the Ghost driver vehicle, that way he will not have to navigate the streets himself. Once it arrives he and Theo get in the back. Horatio then directs the vehicle to go to Bluedowns.

(d10)

(oh god I'm scared, 5)

You pass a recent warehouse fire in the area. Soldiers in pearl white armor who are also from offworld are controlling the scene, and don't seem to be taking kindly to people to linger too long here. The car is unable to stop anyway, as it moves off to its destination. the smell of curry, lavender, and industrial greases all compete for attention in your nostrils once you step out of the car at the edge of the district. An "outdoor" market is the first thing you notice before you, and it seems like most of the proprietors and customers both are suffering from at least some minimal level of Stain exposure

(omg that smell is so good tho) Horatio steps out of the vehicle with Theo and directs it to go park somewhere close by. "You hungry, Theo? I'm feeling a little peckish." He asks casually as they step into the market looking for a decent enough street vendor. (you know one where I don't think the curry is registering on a radioactive level

)

The only thing radioactive from the first stand you find is the spice level. It promises to make you cry.

(this should be fun) Horatio buys the curry and begins making conversation with the vendor, seemingly casual and innocent. Once the conversation is off to a start he drops in a complaint about the power cuts. Attempting to get the vendor to open up and get them off guard to talk about what they might know or any information as to gang activity in the area without seeming, unnatural.

"I'm surprised someone from off world has been here long enough to need to deal with power cuts. I'm sure you're taken care of in those capsule hotels. They've all got backups. You'll be just fine:

"I guess you can smell the off world on me, hmm?" He asks dipping some naan bread into the practically volcanic curry.

“The accent doesn’t help. Neither does your complexion”. Almost everyone down here who is light skinned is almost milky white. This city exists entirely below ground and they’ll never see the sun of their worlds surface

"Ah, of course. By the Void this thing is hot!" Horatio takes is a breath only making the pain worse as it piggybacks on the air down his throat. The curry sweats begins after as his face reddens and he attempts to stay under control as he carrys on. "So, see many of us offworlders here?"

"More lately than there ever used to be. Someone from the Protectorate has been poking around, and the Winter Wolves have been trying to contain the Stained Freedom Front. It will work itself out in time. It's good to see the council of corporations at least trying to do something about it"

"Aye, we saw some of the wolves on the way over I think. Looks like they're working hard. Can't say I'm here to do anything so big yet. But we're here working all the same. How about this I'll let you in and try and make it worth your while if you can give me a hand?"

he shrugs, unable to do or say much until he hears what exactly you want

"So, I'm here to crash someone's Joss farm. I don't know the area, being off worlder and all. The hope is that once I do ruin someone's day that the power cuts will stop, better for business around here. I'm willing to make it worth your while if you have any information on who might be running it, surely if there's a gang power around here whoever has the farm must have their protection."

"The Chem-Bulls are in the neighborhood. Not sure if they're working with the Freedom Front or not. Hard to miss them with the metal breathing masks on though"

"Magic, so if anyone knows it will be them. Thank you, I'd say the curry was great but I can't taste a thing anymore." He let's out a little chuckle and drains the soda he bought with the meal before sliding over 50 credits to the vendor. "Have a good day neighbour."

He says good day and goes about stirring the pot of spicy food

Horatio moves of with Theo into the market, taking his time walking around and looking at stalls, keeping an eye out for high concentrations of gangers.

(notice.wis)

(9)

You can see two of the people who match their description entering an alley at the edge of the marketplace. You almost missed them. It's also clear they're armed and may be cybernetically enhanced

Horatio gives it a two count then moves after them nodding at Theo to give him a some room but watch his back.

You move on them with theo watching your back. (not really sure how exactly you're intending to approach this so i dont want to throw you into something)

(I think I'd like to try tail them)

(right, but sneakily? or are you going to try to get their attention, ect.. Just so i know if i need to roll something or what)

(ah gotcha yeah sneakily)

(sneak/dex, so i can oppose their passive notice)

(11)

They don’t see you following them to 10m as they duck into an alley and into a side door built into a building halfway down the alley. You can hear a thin hook being slotted into place on the other side

Horatio looks about at the building looking for heavy duty power cables or anything that might give away the purpose of the place.

There are ones in the normal place the buildings seem to have their power hookups at, but nothing that seems modified or immediately out of place

Horatio nods to Theo to collapse in him as they move to the door. Unsure of how to proceed Horatio believes taking on the gangers inside and hopefully talking to their superior may yield more results, and besides his employers are not going to mind less gang members. He takes a position by the door, both pistols clearing leather as he knocks on the door with the but of one.

They don't answer. You can hear the sounds of people moving about the space inside. It is occupied.

Horatio looks up frowning before nodding to Theo and moves to kick the door.

A hail of gunfire answers as you boot the door in, as the ten gangers inside defend their holdings, instantly killing you and Theo

17:04

17:07

(They're in their hideout, with security in mind as Lucid Holdings is all over the place, and other gangs. You did no investigative work, parley, or took no other mitigating factors to try to not walk into a death trap. Then we did swat team of 2 against a giant nest of unknowns. I don't know how this works any other way)

(yeah thats on me I didn't think I was taking on the hideout more just a random place they were going, should've taken them in the alley. I thought if I'd have knock on the door and hollered we'd get a similar outcome. Ah well.)

(That's a lot of assumption, none of which I feel comfortable commenting on)

17:17

(Its always going to boil down to feeling like an ex post facto)

(nah its all valid I'm not disputing anything just bad move on my part and me misreading the situation. Is what it is gonna take some time to think about what's next)

(sounds good, let me know)