Iron Stars - mylo-and-franklin

(I know you're some days away from re-joining us Hailey, but channel is ready when you're ready)

11

(Hell yeah! Thanks! Doing the sheet later today or tomorrow. I can't wait and just finished up the last final today)

4

(Good! Keep crushing it!)

Mylonite stands near the entryway near home, where the Geon camp they call their own is encamped. Mehani has been a world with long but beautiful winters, and intense springs. Moreover, it has been quiet, this whole time, as years went by until months ago, when a new group of sentients appeared from the stars, began felling trees, and used whatever they could consume to begin setting up some kind of settlement. Every day, Geon scouts watched the camp grow, and reported their findings onto an ever growing list of observations. Everyone has taken a turn, and today, this duty falls to you, and two others (edited)

As she’s summoned, Mylonite quickly files away the notes she’s been making on a colony of insects and slips the datapad into a side bag. Mylo fumbles with her glasses as she checks the time. “Gah! I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late!” She haphazardly gathers the rest of her stuff up in her arms and drops it in a bin before rushing to the scout’s outpost, leaving the little shack behind for now. (edited)

Two scouts have a small wooden lean to, camouflaged with fallen pine fronds, 5km from the human settlement. It is close enough to easily walk there, but far enough away to prevent easy discovery by the human settlement here.

14:55

Two other Geon scouts are there right now , talking over a low fire. The sound of distant hammers and shouting carries into the still and pristine frost covered woods

Mylonite slips into the lean to as she gets there. She takes her time setting her stuff down out of awkwardness over whether to sit down and join them or something else. Hoping they’ll make the first move, Mylo looks out towards the settlement instead, (edited)

20:33

. She knocks a pair of binoculars off the table as she reaches to grab one. Quickly picking them back up and dusting them off, she holds them up. It’s a struggle to get them to align right, as anyone trying to look through binoculars with their glasses on would know. Mylo peers across the landscape at the settlement. (edited)

A group of three humans are outside the settlement smoking pipes and looking into the forest, though you know they cannot see you from this great distance. "They sit around a lot" one of the scouts says, looking up as though noticing you for the first time. "But so do we. This cold , I'd rather be back near the hearth with the rest of the clan"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Me too. What do they even think they'll see just looking into the forest? Have they ever even shown any sign of seeing this spot?" Mylo sets down the binoculars and sits with the other two. (edited)

"Not yet, but they wander in further every day. We have made eye contact with them a few times. I think one was surprised, but no one has come looking. We want to get really close today, if you're ready for it"

Mylonite can’t imagine how weird making random eye contact with them would be, especially considering she’s not good with that in even normal conversation. “That’s, weird.” Her eyes light up as they bring up getting closer. The idea of making contact with literal extraterrestrials a dream for someone like her. ”yes- I mean absolutely. What’s the plan?”

"Your friend Franklin, he can communicate with you?"

She turns around and sees his nose sticking out of her bag. He must’ve slipped in when she wasn’t looking. “R a t!! I told you to wait at home.” Seeing what the others are implying, Mylo continues, “well if you’re here you might as well help.” Turning to the other two she adds, “yeah I can.” (edited)

20:01

“It’s a, uh,” she sneers sightly, “‘special’ bond.”

"Well, maybe the humans would not question some animals getting very close to the settlement, and they dont seem to enjoy eating the other animals that look like him

20:03

"and then if it looks safe, we can go ourselves"

“Oh I’m not surprised. Their species’ has a chemical in their blood called elenoxoid for short that helps them resist even colder temperatures and types of frostbite. It’s not particularly poisonous, but it would be at best disgusting to ingest. They’d be much better off— Sorry. That’s not the point. We can do that. And Franklin is smart enough, or cowardly enough, to get out of there is there is a clear danger.”

Franklin sneezes, a shower of frost flies kicked up from his fur, before scattering into the surroundings. The creature sniffs the air, and begins happily waddling toward the human settlement, down the forest paths and through the undergrowth where it cannot be easily observed

12

20:37

when Franklin gets close to the settlement, he can see two different humans near its small wooden gate and palisade wall busy smoking pipes and talking. One of them mentions some government minister of theirs who has come to visit from home, and apparently she can see the future.

(What a good dog)

Mylonite maintains a level of psychic influence over Franklin as he heads out towards the camp, only having to urge him more strongly a few times as he gets distracted chasing insects. As he gets close to the settlement, she backs off a bit, letting him do his dorky, friendly thing a bit more. Instead, Mylo shifts her focus to peering through his eyes, scanning the camp. She looks in particular for anything of possible danger.

Several of the men walking around the outside of the walls, or near the gate have long solid shot rifles on their backs, or held loosely in hands. One seems to have some kind of powered suit, that shakes the ground with his steps, though he is not much bigger than a regular human. He carries a mutlibarreled cannon that spins slowly, and he occasionally looks out into the forest. Several loggers from the east come in close to evening, escorted by a few more of the armed humans

14:56

It seems it is getting close to the hours of the day where the humans choose to hunker down in their homes for the night

(Oop didn’t get the notif) After some sniffing around while Mylo watching the security team, she gets Franklin back on track. He shuffles over past the guards, hoping to pick up on how trigger happy they are. His tongue hanging out, he shakes his butt while looking up to a couple of them. Franklin’s probably only looking for pets but kills two birds with one stone regardless.

One of them laughs at the display, falling backwards into the snow and struggling to catch his breath. The other fishes for a compad, trying to take a photo, or video of the creature, likewise amused by the dancing rat

1

Satisfied with the answer, inferring the squad probably isn't exactly trigger happy enough to shoot anything that moves, Mylo lets Franklin play for a bit longer. Once they all have their videos of him and he's sure to become a viral sensation, she calls him back to the scouting outpost and informs the others of anything they didn't pick up on from this point of view.

“We might have to get closer ourselves. They’re not shooting. What do you think? Should we risk it?”

“I think it’s a safe move. Though I do think we should go through the forest, that way they can’t tell exactly where we can’t from. Worst case scenario it protects this hideout.”

The other two scouts seem to agree with this. They gather their gear and secure the shelter for their return. “Alright. Do we take the same route as Franklin did? Seemed to be fairly safe”

"Um, yeah. I think he passed through some dense enough trees there." Grabbing Franklin under her arm like a big football, Mylo and the other two scouts start to trace the same path.

Picking your way through the woods you come upon a small trash mound where the humans have been dumping their refuse from the colony. Wrappers and empty containers sit with a thin layer of frost covering all of it. A human with a wheelbarrow is walking the opposite way down the path, away from you heading back to the settlement

21:29

He is whistling a sad tune

Mylo's face twists at the pile of trash, disgusted by it and the humans. If she were much braver she'd walk right up to that guy and tell him off. But, now's not the time to loose one's temper. She can't see how screaming at this random guy all of a sudden would help the situation. And who's kidding, she probably wouldn't have that kind of nerve regardless. Stowing her sadness at the sight for now, Mylo resolves to solve the problem later, and plow forth for now.

Finally, the three of you come to the edge of the settlement, 20m from the southern gate where Franklin was putting on his little show just an hour before. There are different guards here now, two of them, and they seem in high spirits.

Recalling that it was the other two's plan to make contact, Mylo slips to the back, letting them take lead wordlessly. Probably better for them to do the words anyways.

There is a shout of alarm from the gate, as one of the guards falls backwards. his weapon mis-fires into the air, as he falls down. There is some laughter, and although you cannot hear what the Geon scouts are saying, it looks like things are at least going peacefully,y before one of the scouts waves you over.

Mylo hurries over to join them, Franklin under her arm still. She waves awkwardly as she gets close.

THe guards react with delight when another creature comes out of the woods, in this case you. "Yuri, run into town, get the mayor and the off world rep"

19:42

The remaining guard sits in a stood, and looks at all of you "So, how long have you been out there watching us?" he laughs. "I can't believe you were under our own feet this whole time"

Mylo speaks up. “More or less since you got here. You can’t imagine what it’s like for literal aliens to show up at your doorstep and make camp. Well, I guess technically now you do.” Mylo sets Franklin down as he squirms to get free. “Speaking of which, where is this little colony of yours from?”

"We're from the planet of Pelsagon, which is not that long of a trip from here. It's a dirty world , not clean and beautiful like this one"

"That's a shame," Mylo comments sadly. "What lead to your planet becoming this way?"

"War, and then another war, and another war after that. By time everyone started becoming tired of war, the planet had no resources left. Everyone is going hungry, no one can build new homes. " He looks down at the ground sadly. " I came here so that my family back home might get some of what they need for a new life"

"That's a selfless reason. And unfortunately that is often the effects of war. Getting stuck in a metaphorical hole is often the result of that." (Good to skip ahead til the people they went to fetch show up)

About ten minutes later, a portly looking mayor and @Sage arrive at the gate, having run all the way from his house across town. Both are slightly out of breath , but none the less this is a historic moment the first incidence of human /geon contact

Following the lead of the other two scouts, Mylo introduces herself and offers a hand to shake. "I'm Mylonite, a natural researcher in our colony."

There is some reverence and stunned silence for a moment as the new arrivals process the fact that they're actually meeting an alien. "I...Its nice to meet you...I ..You've been living here this whole time then? We didnt bulldoze your homes, did we?" (edited)

“Thankfully no. We wouldn’t be so keen on a peaceful relationship if you had. But you’re people seem good. They look out for each other and the creatures around them, which my people and myself especially respect. That said, I must comment on the trash you seem to leave. I won’t jump to accusation or anger or anything because I don’t know the circumstances, but it needs to be taken care of.” Mylo becomes more confident and assertive as she talks about something she’s passionate about and knows well. (edited)

"Oh in the woods? Burning it seemed harmful. How do you think we should dispose of it?"

"That may not be the best solution for most of it, but the care to at least properly put it in a hold would be better than nothing. Though passing by, it looked like a lot of it could be broken down and reused."

"I think we might have taken having resources here a bit too lightly. Please, come into the village, I think agent Pelorat here and I nee to speak with you about how we can send what we need back home, without stripping your planet"

14:54

"I suppose, our planet, now"

“I will gladly join the the discussions and negotiations if they allow both our tribes to thrive and prosper.”

The mayor and agent lead you and the two geon scouts accompanying you through town to a two story wooden building with a peaked roof and shingles made from the same local wood. Puffs of smoke gently rise out of a stone chimney into the night air.

01:41

“Please. Come inside and we can figure out this trash and territory situation”

Mylo heads inside along with the two scouts, Franklin under her arm once again. "Your hospitality is appreciated." (edited)

Franklin sneezes again and the ice fleas scatter as you all enter the home. “I just want to be clear I have power over the township here and the people working in it but only until we get orders from our home planet. That said as long as we are able to send resources home and things here go smoothly I should be able to ensure whatever we decide on here to keep the peace gets enacted upon”

"I think I fairly speak for our colony in saying that peace is certainly a great victory. An alliance could be greatly beneficial. As of now, our colony is limited to the planet. But traveling beyond, possibly to your home planet as well, would allow us to thrive even more. Personally, I would love to see the ecosystems of foreign planets for myself. If you are the leader of this place for the time being and do not have to communicate with a higher power, the talks should go smoothly. Myself and the others with me have enough authority to speak for our people."

He nods, satisfied with this. “We have one issue I believe will test this relationship and that is resource collection. Simply put our capital world is dying. There isn’t enough of anything to keep our people supplied. We thought Mehani was empty, and clear cutting and mining the world would hurt nothing. Now we find out that this is your home and surely if things continue on their course we will not have a peaceful accord for long”

"Its an understandable conclusion. You wanted to support your people, and there is no shame in that Chief Mayor. However, we've only just met your people, and hope you can understand a fear that our world would be hurt as yours was by your use of it. Let's begin our negotiation here, with a base proposal open to discussion: "For starters, you are permitted to continue using the small area of land you already have been using as you wish. Consider it a gift and a show of good will that it is freely yours so long as you do not reach further in your use of resources without our approval. Our relationship strengthens and we come to know each other better, the terms can be discussed as needed. "In addition to this, as you work alongside us to protect Mehina's nature, we will work alongside you in an attempt to restore Pelsagon. I am a lead researcher in my colony studying ecology and I will personally head this operation."

"I have no problems with any of these conditions in theory, but I fear we will have a falling out over the practice of them. How do you suggest we apportion which areas of the planet may be gathered? Surely you must know that the process of material extraction is destructive. "

"I am not sure I understand your fear Mayor. Could you clarify?"

“I worry that without setting up some kind of zone or zones where we can cut trees or mine for ores; we will likely stray into sites you consider valuable to yourselves “ (Basically theyre going to cut trees and dig up the ground. They don’t want to do it haphazardly but whatever they do is going to hurt the environment in some way. He wants to know if there’s any land that can be set aside )

(I said "you may small area of land you already have been using as you wish" as a way of sort of saying 'stick to the area you're in so far and we'll be ok for now, but I see what you mean and can elaborate.) "If you will allow it, I will designate one of my peers to your mining team and one to your tree felling team. With the diversity of Mehina's nature, its hard to make a general decision. They can help make decisions on a case by case basis. Additionally, they will be able to point out spots for you to avoid, as well as spots you should work for wealthy results without causing too much harm. If you're willing to trade us a few ships and show us how to make them, you will allot you some additional space to what you've already been using. We hope you will welcome us on your home planet once we're able to travel through outer space freely."

“I can send you to Pelsagon if you wish. Or at least get clearance for you to go. You May have better luck for yourselves and for us here by asking the general assembly for membership and for ships. And you could also see our home. Maybe you can help”

"That would be appreciated. If you think we would have better luck in ship access by goes to the general assembly, I will approach them and ask directly. I will do some research to see if I can help as well."

"There's a ship in orbit right now, it brought the lovely Agent Pelorat here to visit us. Maybe the two of you, or at least you, would go back together? You could speak with the assembly, make yourself known, and work out a better deal than you could get here. I will of course agree to everything we have talked about tonight"

“I appreciate your time Mayor. I am sure that if my people are able to get ships, your people’s freedom on Mehani will grow, and your need for it will shrink.”

He nods, and thinks for a moment. "I will have a small craft land at the edge of the village tomorrow morning , and you can continue on from there. Is that enough time to get your affairs in order?"

15:39

(3xp, 5000 credits as well)

"Plenty, thank you." Mylonite wishes them farewell as she and the other two scouts head back to their village. She loads up most of her belongings, but leaves the research she's done on the wildlife here in her workspace. She puts Franklin's food and bed and favorite chew toy in a separate bag and heads to bed to prepare for the next day.

The following morning true to promise, a boxy looking vehicle is parked at the edge of the village, steam and snow streaming off its sides as the hot engines melt the icy flakes in the air. A few humans mill around a ramp that has been lowered in the front, and some boxes are being taken out

(My internet’s been down for a couple days but I’m here now. Catching up on the council threads and then I’ll hit this up)

Mylo takes a deep breath looking at the thing. It’s smaller than she expected, and more rickety. Exhaling, she starts towards it, Franklin trailing behind her with his nose to the ground. She gets herself boarded and situated with a little help from the crew. As fun as it would be to explore the vehicle, her nerves are going too hard.

The ramp retracts with a creak and ratte before the shipboard lights come on in place of the sunlight outside. Someone whistles in the hallway outside and there is the gentle scrap of a broom passing over uneven floorplates. He sings a sad song under his breath, something about missing home and comrades gone

Mylo overhears him while waiting for liftoff and turns to him. “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but what do you sing about, comrade?”

"A song from home, my mother sang it to me when I was a boy. Just stuck with me ever since. wow, a real living rock creature, aboard our ship. Something else I would never have believed when I was a boy"

"Fascinating. Thank you for sharing." "Oh, yes. I am a geon. You're people built their settlement near our colony. Sorry, you probably already know that."

“Only rumors. It’s nice to hear it from the geon...himself? Herself?”

01:11

“Forgive me. I’m not sure what you are”

“Oh, uh, herself. It is ok I get it. It is understandably hard to tell, especially since I am big for a geon and from what I have seen the males in your species tend to be bigger.” (edited)

He nods. “Thank you for understanding. So this is your first time aboard a ship I bet”

“You bet correctly, comrade. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of?”

"just follow our lead. Generally day to day life in the CBSS is ruled by common sense. Be careful what you say about the government if you're outside, but other than that it is not as bad as people say. We have no rich men or poor men, but everyone gets something. And you don't get shot for telling a joke, no matter what the propaganda says" (edited)

"Alright then. Those are ideas I can follow easily enough. Common sense is a good thing to follow in day to day life anyways. I look forward to seeing this place for myself. Thank you for your help comrade."

(and we have one day of downtime on our very short spike jump_

(Mylo will probably just marvel at space and enjoy it)

The drill ends a day later at Pelsagon, the pollution and resource starved capital of the CBSS. Several warships sit in orbit, along with another ship being constructed by a skeletal looking shipyard. There is a tri tone alert as the drill comes to an end, and a passenger craft is set aside for you to make planetfall

Mylo rushes to the window as they reach orbit, and is greatly saddened by what she sees. The dull brown and gray planet looks sad and dying, and she feels an urge to help it. As the craft docks for them to drop to the planet, she pulls herself away to board it and drop down.

The drop craft brings you to the edge of the capital city of Pelsagon where hundreds of thousands of people live, work the factories , drive the trucks and trains, and try to coax life out of the fields around the city. The People’s Office, Party Headquarters and Precognitive Conclave are located in the city as well and are it’s main features. There is also a host of new construction as the capital begins expanding

Mylo hops off the ship as it lands and looks around the city for a while, Franklin under her arm. It makes her sad but she already starts thinking about what she could do to help. After making sure she’s ok to return later, Mylonite leaves her things on the ship and heads out to find a planetary government or something where she can greet their new allies on behalf of her people, extend friendship, and propose teamwork.

The People's Office is where most of the common folk tend to go to get permits and handle small matters relating to their personal lives, whereas the Party Headquarters houses the wheels that move the entire CBSS. High level ministers and the current party Chairman himself occupies that building, along with CBSS intelligence and special services

As much as she'd like to march right into the Party Headquarters, that's too big of a fish at the moment in Mylo's head. She makes for the People's Office, thinking that's a good place to find herself a place to stay and hopefully get a meeting up at the Party Headquarters.

There is a small line going in and out, people emerge with permits and smiles, or nothing and looks of sadness on their face. A handful of soldiers keep the queues running smoothly, and there are more plain clothed ministers walking through the lines, trying to keep everyone organized

Mylo is more or less completely unfamiliar with these sorts of long lines and permits and all. She has trouble telling if she's even in the right place. Regardless, she follows what everyone else is doing and falls into line. She tries to keep a low profile, though that's hard to do as a Geon in a line full of Squishies.

One of the ministers comes over after a few minutes. "Hello there! Havent' seen anything like you before! Are you lost? Do you need some help?

"Oh, um, I do not believe I am lost, but I do require help, if its not too much of a problem. I am from the neighboring planet Mehani and have recently traveled here. I'm looking for a place to stay. I hope to establish myself here."

"Ah I see, a diplomat from offworld, we had been told to be on the lookout. We have a place for you to set yourself up. Why are you in this line? Are you trying to get permission from the local government for something?

“No, no. Well...I...I was just trying to find out what you have just told me, and assumed this is where I should go.” Mylo pauses a moment, a bit flustered, to think. “Although, is there also a lab of sorts I could work in temporarily should I be interested in doing research?”

"Research? well, if you're looking for space to look into something, we have plenty of room. what kind of work are you looking into?"

“I research creatures and their environments back home. Mehani is a lush and beautiful planet, and I’d like to research to see if I can help this one.”

23:08

(Also Robert and I were talking about doing the jungle mission with Oinki. Robert might not be doing it, but I’m interested once I’m settled) (edited)

(Jungle mission with oinki?)

00:51

(We didn’t have anything set up, at least not that I was looped in on)

00:51

(But I’m happy to put something together if I can get some details from someone)

(It’s not really the right spot for mission posts but it’s in #cbss-chairmans-council . It’s his thing he’s planned iirc)

(okay, i had no idea. sO i know we originally came here to talk about the Mehani settlement, the trash and getting some access to things for the Geon, did we still want to do that now, or did you want to move into something first?)

(Based on the fact you had no idea, I assume he hasn’t gotten there and it won’t happen for a while. I’ll finish up getting myself settled, then I’ll focus on the trash, and then getting access to things like ships for Geon)

(Thats great. Let’s do that. )

00:01

“I’m sure we can find you some labs space and even some funding”

“Thank you for your help Pelsagonian.” Mylo progressed to the place for her to set up as she’s directed to it, a high floor but small apartment. It’s above average, as a welcomed diplomats place would be, but small, and the height feels unusual to Mylo, as she’s used to living below ground on Mehani. Once her stuff is dropped off her, she heads to check out the place where she’s been notified she can use lab space, carrying Franklin with her in a backpack. (Let me know if I’m jumping too far ahead here. Just wanna see what kinda lab I’m dealing with then Mylo’ll head out to address the trash pile in the morning)

(No you’re good )

03:25

The lab is a stark space with actual blackboard on most of the walls in the labs themselves. The building was once a university and is now the people’s research department. Most of the work right now seems to be centered around the germination of crops and splicing something hardy from the local plants that exist here already

“Well, it’s a little low tech, but it will do. We don’t need anything too complex anyways, so we Franklin?” Franklin only sneezes snowflakes into the air in response. Mylo sets herself up in her corner of the space. Seeing what most of the research is being done on at the moment, she goes over to take a look at their crop splicing work, taking a look through documents and anything left out.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

03:05

(we got pretty far and did a bunch of RP with no xp yet)

(Awesome!)

09:07

(Just a heads up my cell phone is kaput so I'm not gonna get notifs and will generally just be slow for at a couple days probably until its fixed or I've got a new one)

(no worries! be safe until then

)

(Can I get a brief idea of how things are going with the crop splicing work from Mylo's examination of what's around? Knowing how that's going would be good for me)

Their work is sloppy and reflects a level of skill they simply do not have. The products are ill made and do not propagate easily. Many look to take on unhelpful secondary characteristics that make continued planting nearly impossible

(Great thank you!) The following morning, Mylonite heads back to the offices, however this time to the Party/government head building, in hopes of addressing the trash on Mehani, and any further, similar details to be worked out.

A doorman in a green greatcoat stands at the gate of the complex hosting the party offices and senior government departments "Good morning" he says, more pleasantly than you'd expected. "I can help direct your visit, if you'd share the details of it with me"

Mylo is a bit thrown off by the sudden friendliness. "Right, yes. Thank you. I'm from Mehani, a planet newly allied with your brotherhood. We worked to come to an agreement with the people there that they could stay so long as the resources they used were limited. For some time they were there, they were dumping trash in the forest and I'd like to have it properly taken care of off planet, so it does not harm Mehani's environment."

"Ah, you should want to speak with the Chairman directly then. You are a guest from off-world, he will make time for you, please"

17:23

He beats the butt end of his rifle against the door twice, and two more guards open it, gesturing for you to fall in step with them to be taken in for a meeting

17:25

You're led through the building's corridors that wind and twist, come are carpeted, some are made of wood or tile, and all are very artful rather than the stockade like conditions in the rest of the city Chairman Oktobreskya is sitting behind a desk, attended to by Charles Trivedi, former head of Trivedi Tech. The two must have been involved in an intense discussion, and the pit of a singular peach lies on the desk, in the middle of a silk pillow like napkin. "Mr. Trivedi was just leaving" the chairman smiles, and he motions with his good arm for you to take a seat. Even as you are looking at the chairman, the patchwork of scars across his face, neck, and visible parts of his body are healing, an signs of advanced age actively receding

Mylo struggles to keep up with the long-strided, fast paced movement of the guards, having to run through the halls at some points to keep up. As she enters the room, she does not recognize either of the two and is only able to gather who they are from the last bits of their conversation. Her eyes are drawn towards the peach pit, fascinated. She's able to discern a general idea of the type of plant just from the pit. Just from what she's seen of this planet, Mylo takes it that it likely wasn't grown here. "Of course. No rush." She awkwardly smiles at Mr. Trivedi. She meets the chairman's eye and tries not to stare while she takes a seat. The healing and receding age she sees are clearly not natural, even to Mylo's limited knowledge of healing abilities. She cannot recall any psychic power she's d studied that can do that. "...Sorry if this is a strange introduction of myself...Mr. chairman," she quickly adds, "but the fruit that pit came was not grown here, was it? Forgive me if I'm out of turn but I happen to have an interest in the topic."

“It was not. It was a gift from my friend Mr. Trivedi, something to symbolize the new friendship between us. But you’ve come to talk of other things. We had some loose reports of your people but reports don’t mean anything compared to having the real thing in front of you

“Yes of course. Sorry I got distracted. The short of the matter is that my people and the Pelsagonians on Miram have come to an agreement on how they may use the planet. I’m here to finalize the matter but before that can happen we’d like trash dumped into the forest to be cleaned up or taken care of first.”

“The colonists on Mehani are dumping trash on land that’s important to your tribe. I understand. I’d be happy to ensure that the matter is handled, and make it a condition of the deal we will work out. Is this your tribes only condition for use of the land?” (edited)

“Not quite. We’d also like access to space travel. If not full ships of our own, access to them so we may travel between Mehani and Pelsagon. As time passes and our people work together longer, you will be able to use more of the land on Mehani. I hope this does not sound too conditional. For what it’s worth, with us spending time on Pelsagon, many of us, myself especially, will be interested in helping look out for your planet as well.”

"The CBSS is about equality and fair use for all, and your agreement embodies our vision exactly. So we clean the trash first, and we get some land to use, then we can look into trading technology for some of your knowledge in fixing our planet"

20:28

"does this sound fair?"

Mylo breathes a sigh of relief that this went well. “Yes, very. It makes me sad to see your planet in this state. Not to be accusative or blame your people or something like that of course,” she quickly adds, fearing that may be taken as aggressive.

"our planet has seen many conflicts. You have seen it from space, she is dying, but we are doing everything we can to save her"

“You’re people are strong and resilient to endure. I consider myself lucky to work among you. Thank you for your acceptance and brotherhood.”

(3xp, 5000 credits)

05:42

"You have my authority to deal with the garbage situation on Mehani in the way you see fit. I will be sending another ship, and some soldiers to ensure that the colonists are responsive, and that the situation is handled properly"

(Sorry taking a long time to decide on the level up so I’ll get back to you soon)

(You’re fine)

(Taking xp for "Travel to Pelsagon" because for the 'get a lab' one it probably shouldn't just be a borrowed one)

21:18

(Pushed up to lvl 4 now)

(Makes sense to me. Take the travel xp)

(Leveled up Gaia and took Metaflora. Gonna go join Oinki for that jungle exploration mission on Vadhat now because that sounds up Mylonite's alley.)

21:30

Needing money to save up for a proper lab and equipment and such, Mylo takes to looking for a job post. Upon seeing one from a Mr. Oinki, regarding a jungle exploration that sounds quite fascinating to Mylo, she quickly signs up to join the team.

(well, 3xp and 5000 credits for what we did already)

20:46

(you should walk away with something at least)

(I’m gonna update goals when I can get to my computer because I’d like to add some for this mission)

(Sounds good. I guess with oinki now a stone man mylo is splitting off to do his own thing)

(Hi sorry I've been busy with a new job I'll get back to this hopefully tomorrow)

(Sounds good!)

Mylo heads away from the tower and where Oinki was turned to stone, giving the space where the stag was plenty of room, just in case it’s still lingering around. Recalling the map from earlier, she heads in the direction of the mentioned ruins, curious about them. (I’m not entirely sure what’s all here in the jungle but just going off things I recall him mentioning)

The ruins were once a small mine along with out buildings where the miners once lived. There is a curtain wall around the mine and buildings but a lot of it has been tumbled down

02:54

There is clear evidence that squatters have moved in and that they are bandits in nature. Several human skulls adorn sticks around the walls

(Is the "its was taken over" part a piece of the 'ruins', or is it clearly still taken over now?)

(It’s clearly taken over still. )

Mylo avoids the base, and signals for Franklin to do the same, even though it seems he wants to say hi. Trying to stick to the trees and avoid the place all together, she tries to quickly keep moving past it. It's not a problem for her to handle. (Obviously there's a quest hook here and i feel bad for just walking past it but its not at all fit for Mylo as far as I can tell)

(i get it, just because its presented doesnt mean you need to rush in)

22:13

The crew at the farm is likewise now leaderless, and they have amassed a sizeable collection of materials, though Mylo may not decide keeping them in their current use is practical. if soil experimentation and planet revival is a priority, the ready made farming and replenishment equipment here is one such way to jump start the process

Mylo is interested in this prospect, and makes her way to the farm and facilities here, wanting to get a better feel for what's going on. It could be a great help to her planned experiments and aim to help Pelsagon. If there's no leader and no new plan for the place, it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste, especially out here in this nice environment. Then again, they may not be too keen on a new person just walking in and taking over.

If anything, the group seems relieved, especially now that the antlerbeast has fled the area, and the previous leadership that was routinely putting them in danger has left

02:45

there is some murmuring about posts on CBSS net against the party, and no one will be surprised when officials show up

Mylo thinks about calling a facility wide meeting. It would be a good idea to get everyone together so she could explain what's going on, as well as the new goals. Then she considers the fact that that would require speaking in person in front of a large group of strangers and decides to just send out a written message through its communication system instead. (edited)

To all it may concern,

Hello, My name is Mylonite. I do not have a last name but my equivalent of one would be 'Beastwatcher'. Firstly, I am deeply sorry about what's happened to Mr. Oinki. I do not know in what regard he was hold here, but a loss of a life is a loss of a life in my eyes. I'm sure most of the word of what happened, including the Antlerbeast's flee, has been spread here by now.

Secondly, I will be taking charge of this place hence forth, with a new agenda and new goals. If my goals do not align with why you are here, you are more than welcome to leave. That said, I'd hate to leave this place, and all of you, abandoned.

Our new goals are similar. We still aim to grow new crops, though a bit more experimentation will be required. It will fully align with CBSS policy, for those of you who may be curious. As we work here, our goal will be to restore the ecosystem of Pelsagon by use of improved soil, crops, and plant life which we look into here. I hope you are all as excited as I am. I will need scientists and farmers and the like, so your skills are very valuable, perhaps more than ever.

From here on out, may this place be renamed the Socialist Ecology and Edaphology Department Laboratories, or [SEED Labs] for short. 

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to our future,
Mylo

(edited)

The group stays to a man and woman, all of them much relieved that things are on a more stable path. Construction operations move down from the trees to actual greenhouses on the ground, where the plants can interact with the actual soil, and the crew is eager to begin experimenting. Foraging has never occurred in these woods, and no one is sure what might be out there

Mylo searches around to find a lab on the new facility. If it’s nicer and more complete than the one she had on Pelsagon, then she’ll move her stuff from that lab to this one.

There is a lab space here, though it is empty of furnishings. The scientific pursuits originally intended for the lab space here were divergent from what you plan to do. Your equipment can be transported at no cost, though party officials may be accompanying it since it is an excuse to visit the remote location.

03:15

(though you werent involved or around when all the anti-party posts were being made, so you clearly werent involved)

Mylo makes it clear that the party officials are welcome to visit, and that they will be seen to upon their visit. (Gotta decide where I wanna go from here.*

A few days later a small message comes in stating the supplies and lab gear are waiting at the local spaceport supply dock, for your signature and inspection. Two party officials are also there, trying to get passage to make their way out to the compound

(Going to take the 3xp for "Get a lab off planet")

(yes pplease)

As happy as Mylo is here and excited to begin work, she still have other things to finish up. She makes her way to the dock to meet the officials, figuring its her place to greet them, as she's now the new leader here. This will be a tricky situation to explain.

The officials are waiting outside the container with your equipment in it. both are bundled in heavy clothing with fur liners, and one has a small slimline briefcase, where the top doubles as a hard writing surface. They stop their own private discussion and hold up a hand in greeting as your approach is seen

Mylonite remembers to have the equipment brought up to the facility later. Feeling like she's interrupting, she slows her pace a bit upon approach and waves back with an awkward geon smile. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding on your discussion, I don't mean to be rude. Welcome."

“Thank you for meeting with us. You understand why we have come?” The first of them asks. He has a clipboard handy and begins making a few cursory notes

"I can't say I am fully certain, sir. I'm not one eager to jump to conclusions."

“Ah well we have seen several posts coming from the previous owner of the establishment against the CBSS government , and against the party itself. This isn’t like old earth where we shoot someone for telling a joke, but er can’t allow an anti regime splinter group to take root within our own borders either”

(If Mylo had more of a sense of humor, I'd say "Don't worry, I wouldn't joke. I take my anti regime splinter group very seriously" but alas) "Oh, no, yes. Of course. The previous head of our facility made those posts. However, the facility is both under new ownership and leadership, that being myself, which does not retain the same values, or sense of humor. If it is a tour you'd like, I would be happy to provide one."

"We would like to see the operation, just so we can report the full picture to the home office and ensure you have no further trouble" There is an unspoken sense of "and to cover our own asses, if there is indeed a problem here someday" but everyone is too polite to say it

"Of course. I will gladly do what I can to fill your report and assure you that there is no intended trouble here."

"Would you mind giving us a tour of the facilities, and show us how you plan to use the settlement going forward?'

"Yes, sorry. Yes of course. Right this way." Over the next however long, Mylonite spends her time leader the group around the SEED Labs facility. She explains some of their goals here, the primary one being to help restore the planet Pelsagon, and make it more habitable. They also plan to experiment with crops and observe wildlife. This will, of course, all be done proudly under the communist banner. Though there is not much to show yet, Mylo explains that should they revisit in the future, they can get a look at that.

(3xp, 5000 credits) the hope of restoring the homeworld, not just for the party but for all the people that live there, is a lofty goal and already in line with party ideals without you needing to say much more. It is a long day of touring and inspection, but both ministers are pleased, and are prepared to write home about it at once. They also recover the body of Oinki from the jungle, and will be donating the statue to the Galeta all polity museum, to show that even in cultural matters, the CBSS is capable of contribution

With that taken care of, Mylo begins to prepare for a trip back home to Mehani. Before she can sink her rocky teeth too deep into work here on Vadhat, she has a bit of work on her home planet to take care of. The upcoming construction of a psychic academy base, and the remaining need to assure the trash has been taken care of, it is an important trip.

(3 days of downtime for the way back traveling, passing through Pelasgon on the way)

(Don't really have too much to do) Mylo spends her time practicing chess, a new game she's learned about since leaving Mehani, and brushing up on Gaiapsionics, its basics, and some more advanced skills she wants to learn. She'll have to be on top of her game if she wants to help teach at the academy being built.

The colony at Mehani has not expanded as more resource zones have not yet been identified. the trash is likewise still there, though there is another vessel in orbit now, a small free merchant, and it looks to be making a planetside run

As Mylo comes in, she'll try to identify what the free merchant is for, what it's role is to the colony.

There is no information about another mission and nothing on the official tactical register

22:25

No one is sure why it is making a landing or what it might be doing

Mylo goes directly to the CBSS colony town hall to talk there. If they don't know what's going on either, she wants to help handle the situation, now focused on the new objective and distracted from the previous one.

The group is not aware of another ship coming down, as there is not great orbital imagery

She asks how long it’s been up there, and if they have any idea what type of ship it is.

(nobody knew about it until you saw it, so they dont have that information, but you saw it was a Free Merchant on the way down)

(Ok so seems like unless I just wanna wait around I can't really find anything out, yeah?)

(Not about the other ship no, not as things stand, but we can still work on the trash issue)

Once Mylo has arranged a team to help clear the trash, the first thing they'll set on is separating it out. Anything that can be used for compost will be packed up to be send to the new SEED Labs facility for fertilizer. Following, anything that can be recycled on Pelsagon will be separated as well, to be saved up and sent back there.

The sprawl is enormous and people have been indiscriminate in what they have thrown away. Organic trash is mixed with rusting machine components and the plastic, glass, and paper of many household products. Everything is wet due to the snow, though it’s also kept the smell of the rotting food away because it has not had time

Mylo is disappointed by the sprawl, and makes a point to try and say something to the colony later about that. For now though, taking care of the pile will have to do. Once the bits salvageable for compost have been separated to bring to the labs, she’ll try to have the things that can be recycled on Pelsagon also separated, like machine parts and paper. Anything else will have to be proper buried.

The work takes an entire day and a half even when you pull bodies from the colony to help with the efforts.

14:38

It is rumored now that some more colonists from Al-Thynnian are on the way, political prisoners and others from the defeated capitalists there, spared execution to serve the CBSS in other ways. The sprawl and true change will need to happen here before the others arrive and the situation gets worse. The mayor makes several inquiries about how he can help you

Mylo communicates that if those rumors are concerned, she is sure a greater scale of resources will be needed. A proper recycling plant of some degree may be valuable, so that the colonies can get more use out of a smaller amount of resources. Also, trash needs to be better taken care of.

Eager to get some of his people to work, the mayor begins drafting plans for a recycling plant where some of this scrap can be turned into something like reclaimed basic ingots. It will take about 1,000 people to work, which the colony has in abundance. He floats the idea that if some metals are found in the wilderness, those ores can also be used by the plant when recycling efforts yield less usable materials than needed - just to keep the plant running

Mylo agrees on behalf of Mehani. Between building the plant and working it, agreeing to separate and dispose of trash properly, and the possible soon increase in people, it is apparent that the colony is making efforts to avoid excess trash and conserve resources. Thus, they’ve met the conditions for more natural resource access. (edited)

Franklin bounds through the last of the trash here, happily eating discarded fruit rinds, licking the contents of foil packages clean, and otherwise indulging in his animal nature amid the shrinking pile of junk. CBSS prospectors are ready to move out on your orders, as it seems that youve become the negotiating voice for the Geon of this world, and none from your tribe have protested that state of affairs much

Digging through, Franklin finds an old tennis ball, stained and ripped and happily picks it up to take it home. With the recycling and compost packaged, to be sent to Pelsagon and SEED Labs respectively, the job is taken care of. The trash will be buried here.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

(when you're back from being mad busy, if you didnt have a direction ive got a few things)

(I don’t have anything super specific in mind so I’d love things)

The materials taken back to SEED labs show promise, and combined with your lab work on Vadhat, it seems you might have a test crop to plan in the wastelands of Pelasgon- in the hopes some life can be brought back to the soil. Your small team is eager to get to work, as they've been forced to skirt party lines and do nothing but go on a dubious quest for drugs before you took over. There is relief in the lab, and everyone is ready to work under you. Franklin is mostly ready to eat whatever produce comes out of this

(Oh and we also can go exploring other worlds too, which is fair)

(Oh okay this is kinda perfect along the lines of something I wanted to get to. First though I do wanna follow up about that strange ship over Mehani.) Once tasks are done, Mylo and Franklin head back to their home on Mehani. Mylo looks through old things to bring back to what will soon probably be her new home at SEED Labs, since she’ll be spending so much more time there. Franklin mostly just naps and run around outside, happy to be home. All the while, they keep an eye on news about the ship over Mehani that was seen earlier. Maybe it’s premature or just her being worrisome, but Mylo is fairly concerned about it possibly posing a threat. (edited)

The ship was not detected by any sort of long range scan, and out of everytihng you were able to find both from official records and your own personal contacts and colleagues, it seems you had the best if not one of the only looks as the vessel coming down to the planet. Mehani is on a level of alert that makes sense, given the need for caution but lack of actionable information. If it takes off again, they'll find it

16:01

In the meantime, its hidden in the deep forests of Mehani somewhere, along with its occupants

16:02

And the way it was descending to the planet, it is clear it was coming in for landing, not a victim of some space disaster seeking shelter on the closest ball of rock

Mylo figures that there is nothing that she and Franklin can do regarding this at the moment. She requests that she be updated on the situation. With that done, Mylo and Franklin head back to the ship to take off back for Al-Thynniyan to check out the test crop that was produced. If it's solid, they can start looking to set up a lab on Pelsagon for tests.

The seed crop is beginning to sprout, and there are Corporate labs on this planet that the CBSS has also not been able to plunder now that the planet has surrendered and the corporations have been dismantled.

(Hey it’s my girlfriend’s birthday today which is why is been quiet since prep for that has been keeping me busy. Just thought I’d let you know) (edited)

(Appreciated! I know you've had a lot going on. Hope it all goes well and you enjoy yourselves)

(Thanks!)

(“This planet” being Al-Thynniyan right? Also I’m not im seeing how the corporate labs can help me)

(Yeah)

(Oh wait no I see how. I could probably go quest through them and find some resources/reward stuff to help yeah? Didn’t get any sleep last night because of a gas leak scare so my brain is fuzzy lol)

(yeppers, can check their labs, they were feeding a ton of people, can also probably get some better equipment that they might have had that you dont, ect)

20:26

(all kinds of things we can do if we are both inventive enough

(Alright sounds good. I think I’ll go to check up on progress at SEED in person and then go check those Corp labs out)

SEED labs is ready for work. The first group of the plants are growing, but it will be some time before the completed crop can be finalized. Everyone is happy to be working on feeding people rather than getting them high. That may come later, once there is enough food and the basic necessities of life to go around

(Do you mind if I narrate what the plant is like, or should I leave that to your powers?)

(Oh you do it up. It’s your thing)

If nothing else, maybe some of the ‘crops’ grown for getting high can be put to use as celebration of this new crop is a success. The crop is a tree sapling that should grow to bear fruits. Fruits aren’t the best option as a planet feeding crop, but the lab decided focusing on making the planet more habitable to crops and people first, hence a tree.

The tree is beautiful and they’re excited to have more planted as soon as the tests on them are completed. It’s a great step on a new direction and all it needs is a name

Recalling an old geon myth about a life giving force allowing her people to exist, Mylo names the fruit a Fuyumun. I he other lab workers seem to like the name, and Franklin seems to like how tasty it sounds.

The former corporate labs were responsible for making crops that fed people even on a frozen world , meaning their products grew well inside without constant care.

12:38

One such site has been secured from the outside for you by CBSS soldiers but none have gone in

(Sorry for taking forever to update my sheet. I'll do that now hahah.)

(You’re good)

Done at the SEED Labs facility for now, Mylonite and Franklin head over to the corp-lab site mentioned. Upon arriving, she looks around for the CBSS solders securing it, hoping to get an overview or some information before heading in.

Two of them are standing near the open lab doors, smoking and surveying the street, occasionally shooing away passerbys when theyget to close, but more respect is paid to you, a rising face among the CBSS. "We were told to expect an expert, assuming that's you"

“Yes, I think so. I’m Mylonite, head researcher at SEED Labs. I trust you can help me here?”

"wE're keeping the overly curious away, and we're making sure no one carries off anything until you've had a chance to look the lab over. Primary security is disabled, and we cut the power to a few of the rooms where we couldn't figure out what the macines were doing. We can turn it back on if you end up needing it"

"Oh, alright then. I will contact you if that is needed, and of course I will thoroughly analyze anything before I request power for it. I know you are only acting as security here, so I will not bother asking information about the research done here, but do you possibly have a map or the sort of this place? I would rather not wander aimlessly."

(Coming in at center left room)

13:48

“Ah of course comrade. Please. This is what we were able to map inside “

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

"Thank you comrades, this will be very useful. We will be in contact." With that, Mylo leads the way inside the corp-labs with Franklin at her heels.

(would numbering this be helpful?)

(Its a bit of a winding map so yeah I think so.)

17:14

(Your command is my wish) Heading down the stairs into 1, you see the entry area where coats, hats, and rain slickers could be kept free from the rest of the lab confines. Across the hall, in 2, a large infinity pool has fish and algae growing in separate but interlinked habitats.

(Thanks for the patience it’s been a real rough week of planned stuff not working out) Mylo takes a toy from Franklin in 1 and sets it on the coat rack, telling him he can have it back afterwards. Moving into 2, she takes her time walking around the infinity pool. As a scientist, she naturally looks to see if she recognizes the fish or algae or even the habit method, but is more taking her time to appreciate the aesthetic of the place.

A golden fountainhead on the wall keeps air circulating, and the gas levels within the water good enough to allow the plants to keep processing. The fish are a similar species to some caught beneath the ice above ground on Mehani where the rest of the tribe lives though these ones aren’t as fat

The smaller fish make sense to Mylo, it’s a smaller habitat after all. She has to keep Franklin back from diving in to chase after them. Taking her time Mylo pokes her rocky head in to look at 3, before doubling back to take the long way through 2A.

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

2A is a long winding hallway with plant samples in the walls behind glass. They seem artificial, though a steady mist comes down from emitters in the glass above, separated from the rest of the hallway. (so like a museum, walking by, theyre behind glass and being sprinkled on)

Mylo is fascinated by the layout, and takes time to examine. If they’re artificial, why the mist? And if they aren’t, why do they look like that. She scours for an answer, short of just breaking open a display. ‘Just for show’ seems to be the best bet, based on what she’s seen of the lab’s aesthetic.

3 is a large room with a massive garden in the middle, and in the corners all showing radial patterns. Large moisture and soil probes have been placed around different parts of the bed- which communicate wirelessly with machinery deeper within. You can see indentations in the bed where different lots and sample batches have been placed and kept separated from one another. There is a sickly sweet smell in the air that makes you a bit dizzy if you take too deep a breath. Franklin, who normally would make a deep dive into rich foliage like this, even keeps back, skirting your heels warily

Mylo holds a piece of cloth up to her face, trying to lessen the effect. Not one for taking risks, Mylo decides to let this area be until it can be properly tested for anything harmful. Pulling Franklin back, they backtrack out quickly, shutting a door to the area for now if that’s possible. Leaving the building for a moment, she informs the soldiers of the situation, before re-entering and moving out the opposite end of 2.

(Yes 3 can be sealed off

15:07

(So we could be heading into the branch where north is 6 and east is 5)

(That's the plan)

(Right. , which one are you going into )

(I'll go towards 6, with the intention of eventually going through to 7)

6 is a control room, where status reports of the now-sealed garden are gradually printing out. All the life-forms in those beds are dangerous, either poisonous or carnivorous, and you were right to pull yourself back fromm the room in time

"Ok, that's a step. Didn't have to see this to know those were dangerous. But let's see if we can find a reason now," Mylo says to herself. "sKWAep!" Franklin adds. Mylo spends a few minutes looking around the control room, looking for something to indicate the reason for the plants' testing.

The plants have several chemicals they give off. Some are relaxants, while others could be used for a new generation of life extending medicine, but they are all dangerous in plant form, and the chemicals products need to be synthesized in a certain way to make them safe and it is not something the scientists here ever were able to complete before the CBSS invasion ended their work.

"Life extending? Interesting... I'm not sure the CBSS would love to hear that. Still, that could be a breakthrough of a discovery." Mylo decides to leave it here for now. Heading out the far hallway, she makes her way for 7, her mind mulling over the concept of life extension as she paces down the long hallway.

7 is closed off by a large blast door- there is a keypad on the wall, alng with a call box

Mylo is lost in her thoughts and bumps into the blast door. Franklin steps up to it shortly after her, sniffing around the edges. "Franklin, come here." Reaching down to pick him up, Mylo holds Franklin up to the keypad. "Smell anything?" she asks as he stops squirming. His nose might be able to pick up on which keys are pressed more often, giving them a clue as to the code. (Feel free to say no to that, or maybe just a notice roll or something)

(no that's a great idea) Franklin finds 3 keys that are commonly pressed, the 2, 5, and 8, but there's no way to tell the order

Trying the three possibilities could be problematic if there’s some kind of shutdown system, Mylo thinks to herself. She checks out the door and keypad, trying to determine if the wrong code might set off an alarm or lockdown protocol.

It doesn’t look like the wrong code will make things worse but only the right one will make things better

"Might as well try then. Here you go buddy," Mylo sets the squirming Franklin back on the ground, and proceeds to try numbers. 258, 285, 528, 582, 825, 852...

825 has the door buckle twice, before hissing. It opens and you’re let into the master control room for the facility

(On no didn’t send) Mylo takes her time looking through the room, trying to get a full idea of what’s controlled from here.

Everything about the grow process from soil conditions, to moisture, to lighting, and any other environmental variable can be added, removed, or manipulated from there. this laboratory is perfect for SEED, and could advance its soil and plant studies immeasurably. There is even space for sub levels, or above ground levels when funding is available

Mylo is thrilled to see all this. Once this lab is cleaned out, they’ll have to take over the place as soon as possible if the CBSS allows them to. Certain she’ll be spending lots more time in this room in the future, she moves on to explore the last bits, heading for 5 first.

Room5 consists of four large tanks where breeding different species of fish was once done. The tanks are empty now aside from the filtered water. Tanks on the wall allow them to be salinated, purified, and have any of the environmental conditions adjusted.

These might end up being repurposed, since at least for now, they don't fit what SEED Labs does. Still, this is a nice hall that could be used for aesthetic purposes. Franklin would certainly like the watch the fish. Mylo keeps moving ahead to the last spot, 4.

Grow chambers exist here In 4. The pods are arranged three along each wall, and are controlled from the master control room. Climates on other worlds can be simulated in each, and plants can be tested by control groups here. In essence. One could take a plant and see how it would grow on conditions native to six other worlds here

Thinking about the purpose, Mylo thinks that this will be put to best use in the future when they've done what they can for Pelsagon and need to move on to other things in other sectors, since this probably won't be useful for Pelsagon relatively nearby. Having checked out the corporation's lab in full, Mylo and Franklin make their way back out of the facility.

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

20:01

The soldiers on the street are happy to see you safe "We didnt hear any weapons going off inside. Everything is okay then?"

"It went well. The room with toxic gasses was the only real issue. Everything else went fine. I'd like SEED Labs to be able to take this lab, if the CBSS will allow it."

One of the soldiers shows you his pad, where the transfer of the property has already been assigned to SEED for your own use, almost as soon as the building has been cleared.

She clears up anything left with the transfer then heads back to her personal office as the SEED Labs HQ. Its a clean, charcoal colored space. One hall is made of old stone bricks from some of the jungle's ruins, and has moss vines and a fountain of water trickling down its surface. Her desk is unpolished wood, its not like she can get splinters. Lastly, a wall coved in book shelves stands opposite the stone one. As she enters to sit down at her desk, she pulls up a holoscreen in the center of the office to relax and scroll though news. Seeing the Galeta update, she reads up on the CBSS news looking to find out more about the organized crime and how its resolution might affect Pelsagon.

Those responsible for the crime have been arrested, which knowing the chairman is a short stay in prison before being told to “turn and face the wall” The chairman is going to be devoting his office to going through the convoluted records and manifests to see where sources of supply have gone , or what could be done to devote what was being diverted to areas in need.

SEED Labs is working smoothly and they’ll have a new lab soon too. Mylo figured it’d be a good idea to head back to Pelsagon and see if there’s anything she can do to assist with the cleanup of this matter that would fit her skill set.

17:16

(Also I’ll get the list thing to you in the next couple days. Got distracted this week) (edited)

(All good. Irl first my dude)

(and 1 day of downtime back, which i should have said the ther day)

(oh no worries. Mylo'll just spend the time looking over documents and research and Franklin will spend it trying to distract her)

St.Vincent the mining town is in an especially bad state with its mineral stocks diverted and unaccounted for thanks to the clever shuffling of arrested officials. They won’t talk about where the ore has gone

13:24

Finding it would make mining efforts on Mehani less important, saving more of the environment of your homeworld

The likelihood of this helping Mehani is the biggest appeal to Mylonite. She reroutes to head there, and in the mean time checks as many documents as she can find concerning the issue, always one to do thorough research before jumping into a problem. Upon arrival, she’ll make herself known as a representative of Mehani!

The locals are a quiet bunch as your ship comes in to land. The town is in upheaval, with no government intervention to restore order, and a power vacuum left by the sudden arrest of the former strongmen. Lawlessness is barley contained by neighborhood watches, now armed and patrolling their own barricaded streets. the main focal point of the settlement is the mine, set into the mountains St. Vincent is built around

“This place is in bad need of some kind of governor, wouldn’t you say Franklin?” Franklin eats a bug in response. “Cmon Rat, let’s go see if there’s anyone administrating at the mine we can talk to. I don’t wanna step on toes if someone’s already looking into this.”

02:03

Mylo and Franklin head to the mines, looking to do some detective work and figure this out.

The mines are quiet today despite dozens of workers standing around. Cbss soldiers are also here. Two squads at least and the@vehicles that brought them here, along with a tank. The miners are being questioned and you can see five of them have been knelt against one of the admin trailers here and placed in handcuffs

Mylo tries to find a soldier to talk to, hoping to get a bit more information. She tires to find someone who isn’t exactly the chief, and therefore less intimidating to talk to. “Hi, uh, hi. Excuse me, um, I’m Mylonite. I was hoping you could help me out a bit, if it’s not too much trouble. I’m looking into the rerouting of ores that occurred here, maybe track it down...”

“Our goals are the same. We were sent by the home office to do just that. The miners have killed the last few inspectors that arrived. One escaped and warned us. We found six bodies at the bottom of a mineshaft. We will be here to ensure your safety while you investigate. Surely one of the miners or their foreman knows something”

“Oh!” Mylo exclaims as he describes the previously killed investigators. “Great, great, that’s lovely. Thanks for your help...” Mylo feels incredibly unnerved. Maybe I should just go back they’ll be fine they’ll figure it out. I’m sure they can find someone more qualified to investigate this anyways, yeah I’ll just head back. “If you could direct me to one of the foreman that would be greatly appreciated.” Wait, no, stop, why’d you say that, stupid stupid. Can’t handle the awkwardness of leaving after that.

12:32

With the help from the official, Mylo makes her way over to one of the foreman to try and get this over with.

The foreman is being held in a work trailer under guard. One of the soldiers opens the door for you, and looks grimly ahead. “Call if you need us. We didn’t rough him up too much” The foreman is handcuffed by one arm to a desk, and has a few choice bruises on his face and some other patches of exploded skin. He sighs heavily when the door opens and winces away from the light

"Oh you're just-!...Okay." Mylo says shocked as they leave her in here alone. She slowly turns to the foreman handcuffed to a desk. "Hi, um, I'm a researcher here from Mehani," she says to the foreman, reaching out to shake his hand before remembering its cuffed up and awkwardly pulling it back. "You look like you took quite a beating."

4

He nods once, slowly. "We weren't...." he makes a motion like swinging a pick "To your brothers and sisters, were we?"

6

15:10

"Never seen one of you before"

"What? I'm a geon. I-" Mylo has to think for a second before getting it and busting out laughing, a rare occurrence. "No, haha, no. Some days I wish though hahah. Sorry, I'm here about the missing ore and stuff. I'm sorry if you're getting bored of hearing about that at this point."

18:14

Mylo looks the guy over from her distance, looking at this bruises and patches of torn skin, the healer in her trying to spot anything that could get infected or won't heal right. (Psychic succor and all that)

(You’re applying that to him?)

(If it’s needed cuz of possible infection or too badly hurt or something yeah)

(It would make him a lot more comfortable. I’d say it’s needed)

(Then yeah, I'll use it. 13 for the hp recovery roll and can do it from a distance) Noticing some bad bruises on the guy and a particularly bad cut that looks in danger of infection, Mylo quickly comments "hold still" in a professional manner and waves her fingers to heal up the spots.

He tenses for a moment as the wounds begins to heal and his skin is showing signs of recovery. He sighs heavily. Coughing, he wipes a bit of blood from the side of his mouth with his free hand, and sits back in his chair.

“Sorry,” Mylo quickly says. “I should’ve asked first. I guess I’m not very good at interrogation stuff. Look, if you can help get me a lead on how to track down the missing ore, I’ll see to it that you and your men are treated justly and aren’t abused. It seems like some of the soldiers may have...taken some liberties with their power.”

“The resource officer sets the quotas and handles the shipment. We don’t know where he is and the soldiers think we did something or know more than we do”

17:19

“I’ve already tried to help the last politicos officers that came here”

17:19

“But no one will listen”

"Oh, I see. That's...sad. Someone said something about six bodies at the bottom of a mineshaft? What's with that? Do you have any sort of lead you could give me on the resource officers, anything at all? It sounds like tracking them down could be the fastest way to handle this."

“Former inspectors and a couple precious foremen who wouldn’t agree with the local resource officer “

(Not sure I understand that)

(Some of the miners were paid by the local resource officer to kill party inspectors, and previous foremen who wouldnt agree to ship the ore to places it didnt belong)

(Ok, so the plan then is to talk to the paid miners, try and figure out if they know anything about what the resource officer is doing/who they are etc, and then track down the officer. Does that check out?)

( great!

"Would you maybe know who some of the paid off miner's are? I think I'd like to talk to them."

"Three of them in the next trailer. Had to give them up already, but they're not talking to anyone. Maybe you can help"

“I’ll see what I can do. Thank you for your help. Any advice?”

"They've already been pinched for this, anything you could to to lessen the punishment or get them out of in in exchange for the information will probably go a ling way:

"Thanks. I appreciate your help. Good luck." Mylo heads back out of the trailer. She nods to the soldiers to signal everything's fine, and tries to track down some of the paid off miners to talk to.

They are being kept in the next trailer over as promised and you’re let inside this one too as the three men inside have likewise had some liberties taken with their condition

"Hi, I'm not with the soldiers or anything, but trying to solve this whole 'redirected ores' thing for my own reason. That said, I do have some sway. If you can give me information on the resource officer that will allow me to track them down, I can heal the three of you and see what I can do to lessen whatever punishment you're getting."

Each of them has likewise been beaten to a pulp. Moving or saying anything before you work your abilities is going to be a tremendous level of effort for them.

“Or, uh, or I can just heal now.” Mylo extends a hand to heal the three of them, seeing that they’re too banged up to be of much help as is. (at work rn but if you need me to roll I can do that when I get home)

(No need. Even one health is a lot for 1hd creatures )

(Ok, no till then) In one blast of light, Mylo does what she can to heal up all three.

1

With their conditions somewhat improved, they’re ready to speak. “Missing ore? Local resource officer has a warehouse in town. Didnt show up there since it’s missing. Got to be somewhere. We guessed at it once. There’s a disused former mine not far from here. Veins there dried up. Could have stored it in one of the old mother lode craters

04:22

“Also could have some kinda warehouse or barn out in the countryside”

"A warehouse in the countryside? What makes you think that? I could see the abandoned mine being a strategic spot."

"Idle talk. Overheard something from the supervisors trailer wheni was having a smoke"\

"Fair enough. Thanks for your help. I'll be following those leads. I'm sure if they work out the soldiers'll be a lot nicer." Mylo heads back out to meet with the soldiers. She doesn't give them exact details, but enough of an idea to indicate that they gave her a lead. She looks for a ride out to the ware house first. It sounds easier and closer.

The helicopter that brought you here could be used to look for this warehouse, but you'll need to be wary of defenses around it if it exists

Mylo appreciates the warning and instructs the pilot to not get too close, and just put down once its in good view. Anti-air defenses could prove fatal.

(notice/wis)

(9)

A small red light, in a beam passes along the fuselage of the aircraft. It is quick, and goes away almost as soon as you see it, but you're able to trace it to a mountain cliff side where two men with a rocket tube are working on a firing solution.

1

“Drop the helicopter, they’re aiming at us!” Mylo shouts to the pilot. “I hate flying” she mourners to herself.

(Also Merry Christmas Neko!)

(Same to you!!) The pilot is able to send the helicopter into a corkscrewing dive as the rocket flies overhead, colliding with the peak behind you rather than with the soft body of the helicopter.

04:56

A second rocket narrowly missed the running skid during your diving course , and the helicopter quickly moves out of their range by luck rather than exceptional skill

Mylo tries to peer over the pilots shoulder and get a better look at where the rockets are coming from. “There’s no way we can take a hit from one of those!”

"We're safe now, they dont have the range to hit us moving this fast, but they came from the cliffs. Wherever we're going, they know we're coming now, be ready for things to get dangerous once we land"

“Copy that. I’ll keep on my toes. I guess this is our place.” (Heads up Mylo will absolutely want to check out the CBSS L-Gate)

(Let’s get a convo going in the polity chat and get a mission team

04:04

(We can have our first actual lore Cbss group mission)

(Is it gonna be out of time?)

04:04

(I’ll drop an opener)

(Yeah I think we will have to, it’s otherwise impossible to get this many people on the same time)

(Ok copy that)

The warehouse is set into a clearing and as the shuttle comes down you can already see a trio of guards 20m from you- though they fall as the crew chief cuts them down with a short blast from the door mounted machine gun

16:42

“Looks like theyre angry. Be careful my geon friend”

"Thank you, we will. Our goal is investigation, not attack. That will be left to the professionals."

The craft rises again to provide you air cover as you make your way out of the cleared circle of burned grass from it lifting off

Mylo, with Franklin at her side, hurriedly tries to make her way closer while the helicopter still has the majority of the attention.

rushing forward to the barn you can see the wooden doors are easy to open, and upon bursting through you can see dozens of ore hoppers, packed to the brim.

“Well, these ore are. I mean, they’re are, I mean ore-... we found the ore. Let’s make sure this is from the mine we came from though.” Mylo and Franklin look around to confirm this is in fact this missing ore, and not just random ones from somewhere else.

The stamp on the carts and manifests certifying the weight of the hoppers come from the mine in question. You can hear the machine gun firing outside again as the shuttle circles the facility providing air cover

"It looks like we might have to get our hands dirty here Franklin. I do not want to risk the shuttle going down, so if we can...'disable' some of their guns, we should be safer." Franklin drools happily. Decided, Mylonite starts to move around a bit more, looking to disable some of the guns, or gunmen even.

The tracers from the shuttle seem to be concentrated on a small ore silo 30m from you, hidden by an intervening warehouse. Occasional pops of weapons fire head skyward from there but either miss the shuttle or spark off its armor.

Trying to be quick and as stealthy as a Geon can, she moves towards the silo on guard, ready to defend herself.

You can see two men, 20m from you, trying to crank a quad barreled anti-air gun around from its perch on the back of a pickup truck. It's a home-job, for certain, but if they do get an accurate burst off the shuttle may very well come apart

"Oh, shit." Mylo fumbles with the pistol she carries for a moment, trying to get her finger on the trigger but just dropping it. "Oh for the love of-"

06:12

Instead she runs up with an arm forward towards them. Blasting out onto the ground she uses her metaflora abilities and bends the area around them to her will. Sharp vines rush up from the ground, lashing at the two men. In addition, a bundle of them snag at the gun, like tentacles reaching out to grab it and tangle it up.

06:13

(Looking to restrain them and not deal damage)

The area becomes a mass of writhing vines and biting thorns, keeping the men restrained and the gun inoperable. Franklin busies himself eating the flowers that are blooming along those vines, eager to help in the ways he thinks he can

3

14:49

The gun out of commission, the shuttle banks left and begins landing

Mylo looks around, quickly trying to spot any other threats to the shuttle before returning back to it.

It seems that the area is now calm, and home army units can be called to finish securing the scene

17:02

(6xp, 5000 credits)

(Moving back to campus so I probably won’t be responding for another few days) (edited)

(No problem, be safe!)

Mylo stays to observe and make sure things go smoothly. She wants to assure that the ore is brought back properly, and that no one is held responsible unjustly.

Three prisoners are captured, brought into the shuttle with hoods over their head. It lifts off again, informing authorities of the cache's find, and makes for the capital city so the prisoners can be processed

(Trying to figure out what I wanna do next now. Get back to my goals or focus on a more polity wide issue)

(If you need a nudge let me know)

(I can pursue my mail goals but not feeling like its time for those yet so yeah I think I'd appreciate a nudge)

(did you want to join Misha exploring a bit on Mehani?)

(Oh yeah good idea. Lemme catch up on their thread. Also I’ll try and get the faction turn done soon)

17:20

(I’ll message them to see I they’re good with it then hop in at a good moment)

(sounds good to me)

(Forgot about this before)

 Mylo and Franklin  🌿🥼🐀 
--Mylonite--
Level Up Tracker: 6 -> 7
HP: 25 -> 36
AB: 3 -> 3
Notice 1 -> 2 (3 non-psychic SP spent)
Focus: Specialist (Program), Psychic Training (Biopsionics), Healer
New Pick: Psychic Training (Biopsionics) - Lvl Up
      Grants 6 Retroactive Points to the Skill
      Using 4/6 to Lvl Up skill (3 -> 4), 2 leftover for later
      Accelerated Succor

--Franklin--
HP: 23 -> 26
AB: AB 3 -> 3
Save v 9

1

(Was a little behind before, but caught up with that last one, and now the 3 from Misha's thread pushed me over to 8)

03:53

 Mylo and Franklin  🌿 🥼 🐀  
--Mylonite--
Level Up Tracker: 7 -> 8
HP: 36 -> 39
AB: 3 -> 4
     (0 non-psychic SP spent)
Focus: Specialist (Program), Psychic Training 2 (Biopsionics), Healer
     No New Pick
Gaiapsionic 2->3 (4 psychic SP sent)
     Psionic Berries

--Franklin--
HP: 26 -> 29
AB: AB 4 -> 4
Save v 8
- Now has AC +2

(edited)

(if you want to handle the survey with misha we can, but i know hailey is getting going to go waffle stomp Donjon too, so we can let mylo chill if thats easier. I know you're also running the maze and doing school)

(I put a message in the maze announcements saying I’m gonna take a break from it this month. That’ll free me up so I can definitely keep both going if it’s okay. Plus the Greystar people are still going so it’ll give them time to finish up before IA comes in)

(Alright. We can free roam here then since misha is putting this down for a bit)

(Sounds good. I've been busy with a couple projects for the pokemon server. I think I'll scout the area around here a bit more before following the river south)

(no worries)

17:56

(I'll get something together)

The scrapyard is bordered by another woodland to the west and north, the river east, and a flat expanse of land to the south that is probably where spaceships were coming in to dump this wealth of materials from.

(Sorry for this slow response. Wanted to respond in the council chat to see if anyone was interested in that but doesn't look like it, so I might hit that up a bit down the road.)

09:08

The north, south, and east are more limited spaces. With what seems to be the main river continuing south, as well as a vast expanse of land and further mountains, Mylo decides its the best direction to journey.

(Survive/wis)

(3

)

This is far from the tribal lands. You're on an entirely different continent, and some of the hazards may be different,. Strange howls in the woods , and darkness coming an hour sooner than it comes on the other side of the world has thrown off your sense of navigation. Franklin shivers, more from anxiety than the cold, his thick fat and fur is more than enough to keep him safe in all but the worst conditions.

"I fear nature will be of no help to us here Franklin," Mylo comments to her companion as he presses against her foot. She reaches down to pick him up and holds him under her arm like a football. "Let's just start walking. This is not the first time we've faced a situation such as this one. We will not wander too far." She just starts walking, feeling they'll find their way and manage as they go.

There is a game path here through the woods. It’s been passed through by many creatures some of them very big. Branches are snapped and most of the pine cones have been snapped under foot

Mylo puts Franklin down, hoping he'll help her follow the path. Franklin hops around at the base of this path, sniffing around and looking to follow it. But, he steps on a fallen branch, cracks it, and scares himself, darting behind Mylo's leg again. "You have once again proven yourself useless my little friend. Lets just see where this takes us. Perhaps if they have a reason to travel this way, so should we."

There is a flickering light ahead, seen through the trees and enhanced by the darkness. It remains stationary , and distant, a single bright starpoint of light on the ground.

(How far away is it?)

You estimate the light is about half a kilometer away

"Come here Franklin" Mylo calls, motioning for the creature to jump up into her arms. He happily does so and she holds him tight. Waving a hand around and directly below them, a massive tree starts to grow at an angle, with them on top of it. It lifts them up into the air and above the others that surround them until they can see over the tops, and get a better view of what's in the distance.

Some sort of capsule is buried in the snow, cone up toward the sky. There is a light on within and you can hear the faint sounds of music drifting out over the snowy woods as you get closer.

14:12

A humanoid figure is backlit by the light, allowing you to see his shadow and shape , but no features

'Oh thank goodness, someone else,' Mylonite thinks. Descending back down from the tree, Mylo hurries in the direction, still carrying Franklin like a football. "Hello, hello! I cannot say I was expecting to find someone else out here, but I am happy to have all the same."

The guitar music stops and the figure gets up, emerging into the firelight. He is human, on the declining side of middle aged and his body looks like he has fought for every single one of the years he has been living. "Hello Geon. I am surprised to see someone else this far away from settlements. Are you lost?"

"No I am not, though it feels as if I am. My name is Mylonite, I'm one of the geons that live on this planet." She extends an arm and lightly slugs him on the shoulder. She's seen human CBSS soldiers outside their colony here do this and it seems to be a friendly greeting. "What about yourself?"

"Jericho. Only name I have. I was an explorer once, but not so much anymore, not since losing my ship a few years ago. Been making a quiet life for myself here since then"

"It's good to meet you Jericho. You are an explorer and lives in the area. Tell me, what do you know of this area, and of the planet in general? Perhaps we can help one another."

“Only what’s in the immediate area. I did not know anyone lived here. I have been all on my own for years now”

"I am sorry to hear that. Us geons are a very close knit people. We live on one of the other continents, a city below the ground and away from the cold."

“Humans can be that way too at times. The city sounds very lovely , but you said it’s far away from here. A shame. “

02:27

He seems to be struggling. He’s been alone for some time

(Off finals now so I should be able to be more consistent) "It is rather far. This is my first time out on this continent, in fact. Off course, transport can be arranged and all so it is not too far in the grand scheme of things but..." she trails off and shakes her head. "Sorry. I am wasting your time. You do not wan to hear about what brings me out here I am sure." "How have you survived out here for so long on your own?" she asks. "I spend much time out in the wild myself, but never more than a couple of months." Franklin pokes around as Mylo talks, sniffing at his stuff and wandering around. As he does so, she keeps an eye on him by switching her senses between her own and his. (edited)

He has been foraging in the woods, hunting , and occasionally just forced to make do with nothing when his efforts st trapping we’re not successful

“I see, well, if there is not anything I can do for you my friend, I suppose I must be on my way.” Mylo comments, not entirely sure how to respond to this strange man.

“I do miss home. Hot showers and meals I don’t have to skin first. If you head home, can you send someone out for me?0

"Ah, yes, gladly. There is a CBSS colony nearby that may be better suited for you. Ours is best suited for, well, geons. I biology is vastly different from most other species."

"I can see that" he laughs. "Well, connect me with someone who's biology isnt so different. I;m ready to go home

"Of course. As soon as I get back in contact it will be done. I cannot blame you for wishing to return to a home after so long." As soon as she has the opportunity, Mylonite will make arrangements for him to be escorted to the CBSS settlement and have a place to stay.

(I think hes about out of useful things to say, unless you were also ready to return. I know you mentioned possibly picking up Hailey again at some point)

(Yeah, I think I would like to do that. I'm going to take a week before I do that though. Next week is going to be a bit hectic for me and I'd like to figure out the Soul Cage thing with Reg before I get back to her anyways)

(Sounds good to me)