Iron Stars - kolbeckite

Kolbeckite and his bondsman, Pyrophanite , take in the wide concourse of the Chairman's compound on Pelasgon. A priority assignment reached their office just moments ago with a urgent dispatch to Al-Thynninan. A geon tribe has just emerged from the massive cave network in Frostford, close to the center of the planet;s surface. Although so far the Geon have not displayed any hostile intent, the language barrier is not something any of the locals has managed to overcome and it is feared that if someone does not come negotiate soon they might become frustrated and retreat back into the tunnels where they cannot be found again. A CBSS explored named Lubya on the world has spent the better part of the last few months looking for any trace of them and until recently thought his efforts were fruitless. Shuttle service is prepared to bring you whenever you are ready to depart.

Kolbeckite and Pyrophanite listen to the briefing in contemplative silence, then give a farewell to the Chairman before leaving the compound to head to the spaceport. On the way they ruminate on what the potential stance and TL of the Geon in Frostford could be, and discuss plans for approach. (I haven't bought anything with the 700 credits my civilian package gave me, shall I spend some now before we leave?)

(I was about to ask if you wanted to yeah, TL 4 Pharms arent available in the Iron Stars but otherwise anything TL4 and lower is available for purchase on Pelasgon. We've found it easiest to just post a list and i can tell you if something isn't available. Assume book prices for goods)

(Lazarus Patch x 2, Medkit x2, Backpack, Rations x 10, Survival Kit. By my calculations they come to 375 assuming book prices. I don't think anything else will be of use)

(Lazarus patches are TL4 pharms and cannot be purchased or found anywhere)

02:34

(Everything else is available)

(oh, they were in the tools and medical menu, not pharmaceuticals, just like medkits, unless its a houserule?)

(yes, we use the frontier medicine in the equipment guide in #rules-and-books )

02:39

(medkits work fine since those are conventional non-pre tech medicines. Like bandages and stuff)

(ok that works, I'll buy the rest then and tomorrow I will remove the cost from my credits when I'm on PC)

02:47

The two briefly head to the CBSS provisioner and buy a slew of supplies that they shove in a backpack they also buy, carried by Kolbeckite, leaving Pyrophanite light and flexible in case he needs to fight. They then head to the star port and board the shuttle to their destination with a pregnant silence between them.

02:47

(do I have to stat up Pyro too? And manage his equipment?)

(He will follow a martial humanoid stat since he is a warrior, and that stat line is what martial NPC's generally use. He wouldn't really increase in power, but his equipment should be something we keep track of- though he probably doesn't need more than armor, a weapon , and one or two extra things you might want him to carry. Alternatively, we have rules for a companion character on our rules document, in that case if you decide to make him one he would need a full sheet and i can make one for you. Let me know what you want to do)

(I think let's keep him simple. I don't know what the martial humanoid is best at, strength or Dex, so let's give Pyro a large melee weapon if its strength and a rifle - sized ranged weapon if its Dex)

(it can be either, depends how you want him to fight)

(I guess ranged, if he'd be as good at both, stat wise)

(dex is 14 then)

03:20

"So, we're going to translate for more piles of rocks like us. What do you think they're going to want for the price of CBSS entry?"

03:20

Pyro has enough of the pregnant silence and decides to ask as you collect your belongings

Kolbeckite considers this. A long time. "Hopefully I can appeal to their sense of community and then it will not be the CBSS entering, but rather, a pair of Geon, like them. If all else fails, we play the middle man between the communists and them and come to an agreement." A pause. "I don't have to tell you this, but be measured, yet ready. They are brothers and children of the Stone, like us, but there's no accounting for how their culture reacts to perceived threats." "To the matter at hand. Our first objective is to make contact with whoever is in charge on the CBSS side once we land and ask what they hope to achieve when they make contact with the Geon. We go from there."

It’s sensible advice and your companion is satisfied. Hefting your bags you make your way outside to where a small shuttle is waiting for you. Two pilots and a crew chief make up the complement assigned to the ship for this journey. Even with all of you aboard it should still be some what spacious. You’re fitted for vac suits and your equipment is stored in your personal cabins. Pre flight checks are completed and the shuttle begins heading for the troubled world of Al-Thynnian. (Near the top of the roll20 we have a handout for what you can do during downtime while traveling. This is a quick jump so we have just a day of downtime if you want to start something )

On the way to the ice world, Kolbeckite familiarises himself with the medkits he purchased, going through the stuff in the pack and reading the brief instructions (studying Heal)

(do I now start posting in Lyuba's channel?)

(I thought it would be better to do the negotiation there since you can see what’s happened already)

(Any idea what you’d want to do now that you’re split off? Did you want to tackle the@other half of the investigation or do something entirely new )

(I think yea, I want to support the investigation separately and support Lyuba remotely)

(I’m not sure what you mean by that)

01:17

(Theres the matter of going to Vadhat to get artem’s body and to sift information from his implants /compad which might further the investigation. Lubya is going into that mine so there’s not really a way to help him unless you’re also going to be on that mission, which you said you didn’t want to do)

( I just meant work the case from different angles, basically going to Vadhat)

(Alright. We have two days of downtime on the way as we travel via shuttle )

(awesome, I will add progress to my heal skill training)

14:23

(I presume Kolbeckite has returned the flop rifle?)

(If you want to keep it you can keep it)

15:25

(You'll probably find it handly since this isn't over yet)

(okay sounds good)

Your ship enters Vadhat space after two days in transit, and approaches the space station recently lifted from lockdowns. Agent Pasha managed to defeat the shapeshifting yama king known as Artem- a man designed by metaspace and the party to become a powerful agent of infiltration. It seems Artem decided to use these gifts for his own self interest, and ended up paying the ultimate price after a killing spree on the station. Your courier is welcomed into a small auxiliary shuttlebay where the liaison who assisted Pasha on the investigation is waiting. (edited)

15:36

(Pasha is on a break, and i dont want to NPC him since he's technically active, so ill get you the details through this guy instead) (edited)

(Gonna have Pyro on standby until I need him for violence so I dont have to emote two people all the time) Pyrophanite busies himself around the station while Kolbeckite approaches the liaison. "Greetings friend. I am Kolbeckite of the CBSS. I am working on a case related to the one you worked recently with Agent Pasha. May we talk?" Kolbeckite assumes as casual a posture as his Geon body allows.

"Of course, I am here to assist you with whatever questions you have about the investigation. I read the orders, you're also here to try to collect information from his belongings and cybernetic implants"

"Ah, you've been briefed. Then this will be easier. What do we have to go on other than his belongings and implants? Any contacts in the Crimson Claws?"

"The implants will need to be removed from the body. We were told to wait for investigators to arrive. We believe Artem became radicalized after a long term spent investigating various party matters on the street, falling in too close of personal association with gangs and freedom fighters. We have several of them incarcerated on the planet below"

"Very well, we may as well get started. Let's see the body."

You are taken through the medbay to the back of the station, where the morgue and cold storage is located. A four number combination is punched into a keypad and you are admitted. Artem's body, along with the bodies of the eight people he killed while on station are all here, laid out, inventoried, and are awaiting funeral arrangements to be made by the families in other parts of the CBSS

Kolbeckite, despite trying to keep his steps light, stomps into the morgue. "He's been busy" he attempts at human humour, looking at the bodies. He approaches Artem and examines the condition of his body.

"Indeed he has" The body has been banged up from its fight with Pasha, shot twice in the side, and cut deeply with a blade down his chest. It was a headshot to the side of the head after that ultimately killed him.

"Is the coroner around? Or has he already removed the implants?"

"He is on his way.We were told to leave the body as is until other CBSS agents arrived- but now you are here. We also do have his compad, if you would like to review it before they get here

"Mm, yes, that would be wise." Kolbeckite nods

The compad is passed over to you, and information begins appearing all over the device. (I think rather than giant info dumps, if you have questions we can ask them to the device and ill give you the info)

(What do I find if I look around the logs, who he contacted last and some time before and what about etc)

Artem was in contact with Zhu regularly. He was charged with staring resistance movements on as many worlds as he could, especially with their main center of power on Vari destroyed now. Artem was charged with assassinating the governor of Vadhat, who had taken refuge on the space station due to unrest on the surface, but was unable to complete the mission before Agent Pasha stopped him. His next assignment was going to be selling off the mining equipment stashed on Pelasgon to private interests, and those funds would then be used to purchase weapons for an uprising on Mehani, where the local population is much smaller

Kolbeckite studies the logs and after that will wait for the coroner to arrive to discuss implants.

There is a hiss of the hydraulic doors as a wizened looking doctor enters the room in scrubs. He is placing a surgical mask over his mouth and nose, and begins assessing the room. "Hello, I see the party has sent an agent then. We have the body prepared but have not tried lifting any of the implants out. I believe he has an implanted argus web, and panspectral optics with an additional recording function. This is going to be grisly work, but you should be able to scoop everything he saw and sensed over the past several days"

"That would be of great help. I place the future of this case on your capable hands." Kolbeckite speaks softly, then would not distract the coroner from his work unless addressed

The digging into the body goes on for some moments, before an access cable from the argus web is cut free and spliced into something that can be connected to your datapad. "I know it's grisly but if you want to see what his implants recorded, this is the only way"

Kolbeckite seems unconcerned. He attempts to play the recordings on his pad.

Artem personally murdered eight people in this space station. He also has first hand views of the interior and security protocols of the crimson claws headquarters , hidden in the asteroid field around Maintaine. The garrison seems strong, a highly advanced and well crewed outpost with modern weapons and defenses. They looked to be preparing for an attack and had hoped it’s agents would sow enough chaos to keep the Cbss busy and looking elsewhere

Though he doesn't show it, Kolbeckite is alarmed at what he sees. (Does Kolbeckite have someone to report his findings to, like a handler, or would he have to find someone to report to, as someone not in law enforcement?)

(Would be directly to the chairman/party in this case and together there would be assignment of agencies and personnel )

(How long would it take for Kolbeckite to travel to report to the party in person? If he thought it would take too long he'd try to contact them remotely as time is of the essence)

(This is a bit age of sail as far as travel times here. Transmitted Messages travel a hex per day, but so does a spike ship , so in this case I think it’s faster/better to just go in person since we won’t need to wait for a reply message )

(ok, then I believe Kolbeckite has everything he needs from here. He wants to travel back and report his findings to the party, mainly about the enemy base in the asteroid field and that Mehani has resistance support that might need stomping out)

(two more days back to Pelasgon. We're ahead in time from Lubya right now, so I think any task we send you out on once you make your report will need to be solo )

(cool, noted, will study Heal again)

Word of your ship's return spreads long before your ship makes it into the shipyard over Pelasgon. A message from the Chairman inviting you to his compound on the surface scrolls across your terminal

22:24

He understands you have been working up your investigation, and is curious to see what you have obtained. A cargo lighter modified to carry passengers is waiting at the shipyard to bring you down to the surface, crewed by the party's personal revolutionary guard unit

The two Geon board the shuttle with urgency, making sure to greet the guards properly however

The crew is quiet and begins the process of heading down to the surface (if you didnt want to talk to them we'll just move along)

"All this, just for us? We appreciate the care, but I am sure you guys are better placed anywhere else than watching over two nobodies like us" Kolbeckite attempts at his understanding of human manners

'The chairman has wanted to ensure nothing happens to you before you have a chance to deliver your report. You are carrying vital information to an ongoing party investigation and if he knows, someone else may as well who does not have the best interests of the party in mind"

15:45

"You're safe and in good handsw ith us"

"well then, your service and the care of the chairman and the party is appreciated" he nods (we can fast forward if you like)

Upon reaching the ground the door of the cargo lighter opens, and the guards emerge first, signaling it is safe for you to come forward, and for the chairman to come out of the impressive hunting lodge once they think it is safe. Snow is falling gently this high in the mountains north of Pelasgon's capital city. Evidence of a successful hunt is strung on a tree nearby, being attended by a few of the chairman;s guards

The Geon salute the chairman and Pyro goes off to secure the perimeter, despite guards already having done that, preferring to rely on his own instincts. Kolbeckite comes forth. The cold and snow seem not to bother him. "Greetings Chairman. I am Kolbeckite. I have been looking into Artem's case, following the successful detainment of one Lobinsky, an agent of the Crimson Claw, who followed orders from someone called Zhu, an associate of Artem. Artem managed to attack and murder eight people on Vadhat station. Agent Pasha was also working Artem's case when I had the chance to review the bodies and implant footage. Chairman, the news is distressing. There is a resistance movement on Mehani that is preparing for an uprising. Artem was going to sell them guns to fuel the riots. Perhaps more alarmingly, the footage showed a Crimson Claws base in the asteroid field just off Maintaine. They are well armed and well equipped Chairman. They prepare to strike."

"this will need to be handled with all speed. We return to the capital, now. Agent Kolbeckite, I think you are long overdue for a promotion. We will discuss on the way. "

21:48

Soldiers begin preparing to get all of you back into the lander, and the Chairman cannot tear his eyes from the compad with the implant recordings on them- his steely eyes looking over every detail. During the revolution he was regarded as brilliant when it came to matters of strategy. Though never respected for his statecraft, he attained enough of a reputation by saving as many of his soldiers lives as possible, and when the time came for the CBSS party nominations he was a front runner by a long margin. You see some of that analytical thinking now as he looks over every detail of the recording, looking for the best way to solve this twin crisis

"Yes Chairman." Kolbeckite watches the man's mind work. He awaits for the chairman to share his thoughts with him, staying quiet otherwise.

The lighter passes over the woods, and finally the city below before the Chairman speaks again, just as the craft makes a small divert from its course to a mountain north of the capital. A hidden set of doors opens, revealing a metal tunnel and industrial lighting within before the ship lands in a hangar. Mechanics and laborers begin to move forward to refuel and handle other functions necessary for flight.

14:50

"Alright, well, I have something for you. I think you have an opportunity here to end a serious threat before it starts. As an individual agent you are far more nimble than our conventional military forces. We're deployed across several worlds right now- and this group may be monitoring our troop movements. If they see much of a change they will know we are coming. That said, you and your companion are uniquely suited to handle one of these two leads- either handling the resistance movement, or striking at the Crimson Claw base itself. "

14:51

"Which do you tihnk you'd have the greater chance of success doing?"

Kolbeckite rumbles in thought. "It is my belief that as an independent unit of two, we do not have much to offer in an assault. However, I may be able to talk to the resistance, get a grip on what they take issue with and try to salvage the situation. Will there be a briefing, Chairman, or should I pose questions now?"

"This is going to be more of a collaborative briefing" he says, gesturing for you to follow him down a long access hallway toward the crashing machine sounds of what sounds like a factory. "So if you have questions, lets get them addressed"

Kolbeckite nods and walks next to the man down the hallway. "Is this a covert op, or official party business? Just so I know how to address the resistance members"

"Tryingto head off a resistance movement should be as open as possible, We want the people to know the party has become aware of their complaints and we're prepared to stand behind them to address conditions there. People do not rebel for no reason. We have done something to turn these people against us, and if it is not against our ideals to correct we should. Mehani is about to get a million new inhabitants this month as we prepare to shelter some of the Noctuan refugees from the galactic west. That planet is not going to be just a small colony on the edge of CBSS space anymore, but could turn into a vital part of our workers movement. We need to head this off before it gets worse, or before the rebel ranks swell with impressionable newcomers"

"Yes Chairman. I presume we expect these negotiations to last some time, as we go back and forth between what their demands are and what we can provide, and try to find a middle ground? If it is something I should wrap up then and there, I'd like to know what I can promise and what is off-limits so to speak. Just so I don't overpromise or underdeliver."

"Conditions on that world are going to improve, namely to support the new colonists. We can promise them new holdings in space to support industry- without hurting the local Geon tribes interest in the environment. The Party is also prepared to send an infusion of luxury goods and money to assist with any local economic problems if you think it will be a useful bargaining chip. this is a carrot. If they do not take it, trhere will be military action and they'll be forced to respect the stick"

"Sir? The locals are Geon? I might be able to use that to our advantage then, and it'd be easier to negotiate."

"There is a tribe of geon who are the planet's natives, intermixed with human colonists from the CBSS who moved there to settle the planet. We believed it was entirely empty when the colony was established, and have been trying to ensure we don't challenge the locals too much as we grow and expand. They are very protective of the natural environment there and have raised issue with the establishment of most ground based factories."

17:24

"Both groups are CBSS citizens and we expect you'll find members of both races among those thinking about joining the Crimson Claws- though their reasons may not be the same both would want the CBSS to pack up and leave them be"

"I believe I am the right person for this job, Chairman. As it happens, it is similar to my first assignment. Leave it with me Sir."

"Well to that end I have something that may help ensure you have a safe time on the ground" The Chairman's walk has ended you both up in some sort of small hangar, where a geon sized mech suit is being prepared for use. "To that end, we can fit it as an expert suit, or a shock suit. It's your decision"

Kolbeckite stares at the suit in disbelief. "Chairman, what...this is a great expense to take on the behalf of someone such as myself."

"You have succeeded where so many other operatives have failed, or failed to turn up results. Thanks to you we know of two major problems that threaten the entire polity well in advance of their ability to inflict harm. Hard work begets great reward, such is the workers dream we all fight for every day"

21:52

(shock is for combat, so has a mass/power distribution more able to handle combat fittings. There are a few mech weapons that can be fitted to suits but you're also capable of just using whatever your normal guns are too when it is a suit mech. The specialist suits have a mass and power distribution that allows more support fittings like tools, comm equipment, scanners, ect

(is the specialist suit still capable of combat but just less than the shock one, or not at all)

(It’s just a difference of mass and power. )

23:39

(We have a mech builder on the Omni builder in #rules-and-books , and however you want to design your suit is what this one will be)

(hm, so I found the spreadsheet, but I am not making much sense of it? Also the only thing on it seems to be a Shock Suit hull)

(You have to go to file> make a copy )

(Ah) (edited)

(It locks the drop downs if you’re looking at the master copy so no one can accidently edit the database )

(so I made a copy but only the hull dropdown is populated, the rest just expect me to type in them when I press the arrow)

(Alright I’ll have to look into that)

(btw, I am dealing with an NPC chairman right? I thought I would end up talking to a chairman player since we have a council channel, not that I mind, just making sure I understand)

(The chairman is an NPC. Parsnips does the OOC faction management for me, but no player is gonig to get the in game leadership position because i dont think there needs to be an irl power dynamic here)

00:16

(I just dont see anything good coming out of that)

(that is fair)

00:17

(I misunderstood then, I thought everyone in the chairman council channel is a chairman)

00:18

(which I just remembered is the top leadership position, so there couldn't be multiple chairmen. Then I haven't undestood what that channel is haha)

(thats where we coordinate business and the decisions for what we do are made by the actual players) (edited)

(ah ok. is that done by all members of cbss or only the ones with such authority?)

(its how you have personal and player agency over the things happening within your faction. All CBSS players can talk in #cbss-chairmans-council . the #cbss-polity-channel down near the bottom is for parsnips to report the faction turn based on the player discussion, and for me to post any rewards or things the polity needs to know about)

(ah right ok, we never really went through that and other than Lyuba, through the shared mission, no other member has talked to me haha)

(I suppose the mech we can fit later on before we jump into the mission, we can just wrap this up for now) "It will carry you home and keep you safe on the ground. You seem tough, but now we do not need to worry about an errant pitchfork ending your career before it really gets going"

"Thank you for placing your faith in me Chairman, I will leave immediately." Kolbeckite nods his head

(if you didn't want to do anything else here on Pelasgon while we're here, we can get right into the mission)

(If you make a New copy of the builder it should work now)

( I just saw, I'll do that now)

(oh boy, I was gonna put the most shitty melee weapon on the mech and it turns out to be the most power intensive weapon

)

11:27

(is there any way to put the power output up other than hull?)

(no there aren't any fittings that do it. The mass/power difference is based on the hull and theres no way to change the distribution via fittings)

(cool, might go for shock then, just to have more fittings on it)

14:41

(oh wait, then with Shock I don't have enough Mass D: )

14:43

(hm, I can get more fittings with the specialist, it just means I can't have any weapons on it) (edited)

14:48

(all done)

The next few hours are getting used to how the suit moves. Most of the micro-movements are handled by powerful onboard computers, but getting used to the extra weight behind your steps takes a bit of time to overcome. A crash course in how to use the electronics systems and how to read the gauges follows. You can see they've done the courtesy of scraping the Mandate Common lettering off most of them and re-naming them their Geon equivalents to save you time during hectic operations. The rust resistant coating, and camo paint is applied, and with the Chairman's blessing it is loaded onto a shuttle, meant to bring you to Mehani

16:33

(and that is just 1 day of downtime as Mehani is just a hex away)

(lovely. I'll stick with studying Heal until I've completed it)

There is only one settlement on Mehani where the CBSS maintains a presence and upon entering the system your six hour journey at sublight speed has you making atmospheric entry and landing just at its outskirts. Techs look over the Pathfinder on the way in, and they are happy with the results- systems are reporting active and you are cleared to walk. 500m from the settlement you can see a crowd slowly forming at its outskirts. They are mostly human, but there are a few from the local geon tribe intermixed with the onlookers as well.

Kolbeckite enables the suit's active camo and tests it out, looking at the suits' limbs if he can. If he is satisfied with the results he will make his way towards the gathering, slowing down when he gets in earshot so they don't hear the mech and won't get so close as to be definitely heard. If he can hear what goes on in the gathering he will eavesdrop, otherwise will leave the mech in active camo and get out to approach on foot

The fittings all work , but the group is paying attention to the ship coming down and the vanishing mech that came out of it. They cannot see you now but where you went and what is happening is all everyone is talking about

Kolbeckite retreats to a distance so as not to decloak in their line of sight. He disables the camo and walks up to the crowd trying to make his approach look natural. If the group says nothing to him, he will greet them. (Is Pyrophanite with me or not?)

(He doesn’t have a mech but I figured he would be around since he is your henchmen)

23:47

The crowd is paying attention to your movements and you greet them. Arriving in a mech, from a CBSS transport and looking like a party official they’re assuming you’ve come to say something about who you are, the situation here, what you plan to do, or any of those things

Kolbeckite, seeing as the crowd is agreeable and non hostile, explains the situation and why he's there and asks the crowd if they know how he can get in touch with the crimson claws

(Not having actually said anything I can’t really riff off how you’re approaching this) None of the crowd seems to be willing to come forward and just openly give up their neighbor when they have no guarantees about much of anything you’ll do.

"The chairman himself has sent me here to parlay with the Crimson Claws. He is personally interested in resolving this situation peacefully. The chairman and the party's interest is in keeping you, the people of Mehani, happy. So please, be not afraid, I simply want to talk to the people, figure out what they are unhappy with, and try to provide solutions."

It seems that since you're taking complaints, a queue begins to form where at least a fraction of the locals feel brave enough giving you their honest opinion- these are likely the ones who still feel the party is capable of accomplishing their interests more than the Claws or any other group here. A lack of diversions and luxuries, a lack of jobs, a small settlement , and not knowing much of what lies beyond the settlement limits are all issues that come up several times. There is also the matter of the other continent across the sea where perhaps the locals could live without the stifling environmental regulations the Geon have imposed, but those tensions will come to a head at some day in the future regardless

"The CBSS will soon have an influx of new, brave, hard working brothers and sisters. It has been designated that they will make their new homes here. As such, there will be ongoing projects to house these people and to make sure that no one is left unheard or uncatered to, including you." At this point Kolbeckite lowers his volume, having hopefully gotten their attention, to promote a more quiet, civil discussion. "Many of the projects that will start will have you as their focus, your families, jobs and neighbourhoods. Now, I have taken note of all of your complaints, and please let me know if there is more. I will personally see to the fruitful start and continuation of these projects." He lowers his volume further, to a casual conversation level. "Now with all that in mind, we still cannot do the best we want to for this planet and all the people on it without also talking with the Crimson Claws to take stock of what we can do for them. If there is anyone here that knows how I can reach them, please, let me know. If you don't want to come forth now with this information, meet me back here in an hour. I will be here waiting."

The public gathering empties out. No one wants to be seen as untrustworthy with secrets in such a tight knit settlement, but a half hour later a woman returns to the spot wearing sunglasses and a bandanna over her nose and mouth to avoid anyone casually seeing her features. "CBSS Representative, do you have a moment to talk, somewhere private? I have information you might think is useful"

"Of course madam, lead the way. Thank you for coming forward" Pyro meanwhile will follow from a distance to make sure Kolbeckite is safe

Finding a small alleyway, she looks around to ensure no one is coming and then takes a deep breath. "You asked to speak to the Crimson Claws, so here I am. Understand if something happens to me the members of my cell in this settlement will do everything in their power to burn it to the ground. I am here speaking to you under a flag of truce so we can both get something we want out of this meeting"

"I assure you I am here with the best of intentions, and that reflects the way the party wants to handle the situation. I understand you are distressed and not at all warm towards the party. Let's talk: What can I do to alleviate that?"

"the party is a blundgeon, a cover for oligarchs and we have seen that clearly here. The mayor is a party member and grow fat from our labor. He lives in the largest house in town, takes a cut of everything we make, and bows down to the naturalist Geons here too readily. We're living in a state of poverty, all because of him"

"I will relay the situation to the party. As I said before when I first arrived, the chairman is personally interested in resolving this situation peacefully, and by the sounds of it the way this mayor runs this place is a decision he made that the party are not privy to let alone agree to. As for my people, that will need more delicate handling, but I will dedicate my time and energy to it to ensure the best possible solution is found. I presume your comrades feel the same way? Is there anything else you would like for me to relay to the party?"

"Nothing more than that. I've been out too long as it is. Do what you can to resolve this, and do it quickly if you can. We'll be waiting"

03:30

she looks around again to see if anyone has come out, and satisfied they have not, she begins leaving the alley. (edited)

"Wait. How do I contact you again?"

"this spot, tomorrow, same time. Come alone- no party members, no soldiers, no bodyguard. Just you. We'll talk again regardless of the situation"

Kolbeckite enters the settlement and asks around about where the local Geon are that are causing issues with industry

The naturalist Geon live in the forest to the west and north of the settlement. They are permitted to enter and leave as they will, as they've agreed to become CBSS citizens but have not wanted to leave their home

Kolbeckite takes the mech and heads to the Geon settlement, spending some time looking for it

(Survive/wis, as we haven’t been in these woods or the region before) (edited)

(5)

The geon settlement is well hidden even with the scanning equipment of your mech. The CBSS colonists being surprised they weren’t alone makes. A bit more sense now. Three geon scouts find you wandering the woods close to dark. Their arms and armor are simple and meant for mobility rather than just survivability. You’re not sure what they make of the suit you are in. “Lost in the woods outsider?” One asks. His rifle is over his shoulder, not close to any kind of firing position

Kolbeckite exits the mech in order to converse with them easier, and smiles "In a way I was until now. Well met friends. I seek shelter for the night and I would be delighted to spend it among my own kind. Would you happen to have somewhere for me to lodge?"

"You with the CBSS? Saw a ship come down this morning, lots of Geon back home are nervous by all the attention lately"

"I am indeed. I am Kolbeckite of Sanjaru. I have been working with the party for a short time, travelling around to smooth out relationships between it and new communities that come in contact. I was sent here to work out the kinks in negotiations between our people, the local settlement and a group of dissatisfied individuals whose voices have gone unheard too long. The chairman is personally interested in a peaceful resolution that puts an end to the understandable dissatisfaction people here have. I was hoping to spend some time with you and talk about these issues."

“We will allow you into the settlement under. A banner of truce. Can you agree to that?”

"My intentions are exclusively peaceful. Of course I will agree to that." Kolbeckite bows his head

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

Stagmeer

15:58

( a bit about their settlement)

(ah, I remember reading this! nice) (edited)

The settlement is modest and is well hidden in the woods. You're not sure you could find it again if you needed to but you are welcomed within by the Geon here. Many of them look at the mech suit- seeing how it was made for you and that Geon are capable of such things. The tribal elders, five in total, make their way over to you to converse- no doubt the meandering walk you are about to go on will lead to the town square where all can hear.

Kolbeckite follows the Geon patrol as they lead him in the settlement and he takes it all in with no shortage of amazement and slight homesickness. (I would like for him to gain a personal goal "personally oversee the negotiations and development of Mehani". So obviously he is already there to smooth relations over, but what he now wants is to keep coming back here to ensure that the ongoing projects work out well and that the people are all given a voice and that he does his best to help them get along together, as opposed to this being just another assignment for him that he does, wraps up and moves on from. Would you say that is a medium or long term goal?)

(I would say long term since we're talking about this being a lot of projectS)

(awesome, I'm ok with that)

22:09

(are the elders still walking to me, or here already?)

(We can talk to them. Close enough)

"Hail brothers. I am Kolbeckite, here all the way from Mehani, at the behest of the CBSS. I have been working with the party for a short while and I have been travelling around to help solve disputes, and was sent here by the chairman who has a personal interest in seeing the planet flourish. I have only spent a short time here and yet I share his sentiments, I believe that we can come together and smooth things over."

“We hope you are right. The humans cut and burn. They litter, they poison the ground we live on and work with. “

13:22

“They refuse to be contained or controlled”

"They live differently to us, brothers. I do not condone their way of life when it destroys the planet either. However they, like you, are part of the planet. A solution must be found together, not apart. I have not had the chance to visit their industries yet, but I know their leader does not represent them. He or she exploits them and keeps resources for themselves. It is something I will also have to address, but for now, I would like to suggest this: Would you be agreeable if they had to replant what they cut and burn, and process their litter?"

"It would be a start in the right direction. it is something we even proposed before but they would not listen or agree to follow our recommendations "

"Did you by any chance deal with the mayor and his men on that negotiation?"

"They were theCBSS representatives on planet. They were all we had to go on"

"No, I understand that, it's not your fault. It just explains the situation. Let me tell you now that the mayor is selfish and does not represent the CBSS' values, even if he represents the CBSS in an official capacity. I expect that will change, however. Would you like to talk to me about anything else before I go and try to deal with the problems in the settlement?"

They seem to think this is the crux of their issue and if this is solved some good will and trust will be fostered between the existing colony and the naturalist geon here.

If they are willing and able, Kolbeckite would like to stay the night here and lodge somewhere with the Geon and set off in the morning

13:44

He wants to get to know the community a little more

There is usually a large community fire built at night when the cave and city are at its coldest. Many Geon crowd around it and this seems like the opportunity you have been waiting for.

Pyrophanite goes off to mingle as Kolbeckite joins the Geon around the fire and mingles as well. He asks about their customs, what their life is like, and shows them the mech if they would be interested in it

(this tribe was one a PC made up, let me check in with them to make sure im not stepping on toes and whatnot)

17:24

(i didnt really have anything unique planned myself)

(I didnt really expect to get in depth with them, it's just something Kolbeckite would do but I expected we fade to black until the morning)

You can see that the Geon here have harnessed metaspace for simple things like small settlement lights, crystal tools, and some other trappings where magic replaces industry. Nothing here is going to entirely out-pace the CBSS mechanical advantages but you can see the Geon here have adapted to modern life in a creative and novel way. Something to be studied for another time perhaps when the CBSS is once again able to sustain colonies

As much as he can, Kolbeckite will try to learn about their way of doing things, hoping it will mean that he can transfer the knowledge to the people of the other settlement in hopes they replace the more environmentally unfriendly solutions.

12:46

(He is ready to set off apart from that)

(I think really getting a study here would be more than just a night of talking and passive observation, but yes we can move on) Morning comes and you’re brought back to the entry of the cave city and are wished well. The mechs joints begin cycling up for your walk back to the settlement.

(ok, I can come back to learn things I can actually use, and spend more time then)

15:09

Kolbeckite wants to use any contacts he might have in the CBSS to learn a little more about how he can catch the corrupt mayor on legal grounds that would get him fired. So he would be telling people he trusts about the mayor and asking "do you know of any laws he has broken, having done those things, that if exposed would get him fired"

He has broken laws but on a frontier world like this where he is the last word in justice no one seems willing to come forward and openly accuse him of anything. The party moves slowly and those people and their families would be targets until the plodding investigation catches up- but no one believes he would be found innocent once it happens

(Would it be realistic to spend some weeks or months building up a case against him, or is it better to try to set a trap for him to catch him red handed, if it succeeded, or is it better to try another more direct approach?) (edited)

(Is this out of character or are you addressing someone?)

(ooc, sorry, I put quotation marks for in character dialogue but can make sure I always do parentheses for ooc)

(It helps me keep things straight. I’d prefer that if we can. I think it’s probably the best especially for the amount of material I can make up to move for the faster option

(Hrm, I am honestly at a loss here. I don't want to go for violence, and any option that involves firing him for breaking the law would be too slow)

(Or some kind of trap, a recording of him admitting wrongdoing, something more direct than having people go through an elaborate paper trail)

(hrm good idea)

(let me know if you need further prompting)

(ok, this was real hard for me but I think I finally have an idea)