Iron Stars - natalia

Natalia awakens to a message on her data-pad that her prospecting skills are needed. It has taken months to get to this point. Endless certifications, endless physical therapy, and endless hours on the simulator as your strength returned. Greystar does not have any mining ships specifically and have been fortunate to bring generally verdant and habited worlds into their union. The planet of Jahnavi is a relatively new addition to the Confederacy, home of the legendary Red Sangha warriors. They are now proud members of Greystar, but their world is largely undeveloped, and unexplored. It is hoped your skills in finding resources or things of value can help them make their world flourish again

Natalia didn't bother getting up, fumbling about blindly for her datapad. Probably just another reminder about the next dreaded visit to some doctor or something. Snagging it from its place on the floor, she unfolded the unit and read over the message. Then read it one more time, just to make sure it was real and not some blissful little fever dream. It was happening. It... was actually happening. She was being asked to do something. She, specifically. Not some company that had her on a leash delegating it? She practically rocketed out of bed, cradling the pad in her arms as she stumbled to mostly-steady feet. Wanted to laugh, or maybe cry just reading it. It wasn't over. She wasn't done, wasn't broken. Not the job she dreamed of, but... it was something! A start! After taking a few moments to collect herself and beat down the urge to cry over a job offer of all things, Natalia started going through the regimen of her morning exercises – a series of stretches and small bodyweight routines the PTs had told her would help with getting back to 100%. Whatever 100% really meant, anymore. As she did them, she read over the document in more detail. How was she supposed to get there? Was she supposed to be working via her own equipment? Would be a problem if so – didn't own any drones or shuttlecraft, that had all been company property.

(Though come to think... where am I now? Planet-wise.)

(Above Acasutus, in their starhab)

Well. Needed to at least look into transit. Had places to be now. At least needed to look into how much it costed. Hopefully, hopefully her travel would be financed, but otherwise... might need to sell a couple odds and ends. Hopefully not. With one hand busy tapping away at the pad to search up whether or not she was paying her own way there and teasing out the other details of the trip to come, Natalia got to packing.

The trip and expenses related to it is covered by Greystar. This is official business and the natives are aware that Greystar is coming to explore and survey their planet. Almost nothing is known about Jahnavi aside from a rough map of its surface, and the scattered history the Sangha warriors have provided through spoken word to Eisheru Tidecaller and Svenka Vilhnova. Their findings were reported

Oh. Oh thank God. Okay, wasn't going to need to sell anything to make the trip. Good sign. Didn't really have much to sell, as the quick packing reminded her. Life fit into two little bags, one for each arm. Shame she couldn't take her plants with her, but it was a small sacrifice to make. After one last review of the document to soak up all the little details and remind herself it was real, it was time to get going. A quick peek outside her door to make sure the hall was empty, and she set off. Natalia stuck her usual routes, avoiding all the main passageways and trying to keep in mind what would be empty at this time of day. Didn't want to see more people than she could help. Regardless, she made her way towards whichever place she needed to be to board her transit to Jahnavi. (edited)

(Any intermediary stuff I'm missing on this, or are we good to just get down to transit?)

(Havent updates bexause im irl busy (edited)

(Oh no, sorry, not trying to rush. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't skipping over something important)

The hangar of the starhab above Acastus is busy. Dozens of deck ratings, ship crew, engineering staff and security officers race and walk about to designated positions. A corvette has been landed inside one of the starhabs massive frigate bays. A full crew compliment has been assigned to the job , with a heavier emphasis on ship security. Two civic officers wait near the ramp to count heads and ensure everyone embarks

Natalia followed the instructions on her pad for boarding. Eyes down, quiet. Just going through the motions and pretending she's not in a crowd. It didn't work very well. Just being in the same room as another person was unnerving, but this? These tides of people? Something out of a nightmare. Trying to preempt a conversation, she just had her boarding pass up as she went by the civic officers. This one accounted for. No need to say hello. Knew she looked as terrified as she felt, but Natalia tried to push through that. Into the funnel of people onto the ramps, up the ramps into the ship. Just had to get situated and ride this trip out in as much peace as she could manage. (edited)

Your cabin is closer to the rear of the vessel near engineering and the spike drive. None of the crew or other passengers are saying much of anything to you or one another. The bridge crew is aware of the mission you’ll be undertaking and a small itinerary has been set aside so they can meet you, and plans for arriving in the designated system can be reviewed

Natalia made her way to the cabin, thankful for the relative silence on the part of the crew, even more for the hum of the engines. Comforting white noise, familiar. She settled herself down, head in her hands, and took a few deep breaths as the fear and adrenaline emptied out of her. Okay. Step 1 done. Made it aboard. Just needed to say her hellos, get her kit, and... hopefully be left alone to do her job once she arrived. Fat chance, but still. Once she was calm enough, Natalia grabbed the itinerary and plans, giving them a thorough read. Once all was understood, she'd just... get to work on it. Go see whoever it was she was supposed to see first. Get it over with. (edited)

The captain and chief engineer are waiting when you emerge on to the functional and disciplined bridge. A few extra security personnel are on hand, watching access ways and walking patrols of the deck. They wave for you to come join them at the small table near the back of the bridge where evidently the informal command decisions are discussed

15:12

“Ah this is our special passenger. Something of a whiz at resource finding and she’s the reason we are going to Jahnavi. I understand you’re something of a space miracle. I read your survival story “

A familiar sense of dread took its place in Natalia's chest, holding her hands together behind her back to keep them from shaking as she made her way to join them. The extra security was a little disconcerting to see. Were they expecting something to happen here? Or... was this for her? She was apparently a 'special passenger,' so... "H-hello." A slight pause, not really sure what to... right, right. "You.... you did? Didn't know it was, ah... all that noteworthy." (edited)

“I try to read up on anyone coming aboard my ship. There have been a few problems onboard ships lately but intelligence is working on it. Still, we wanted to discuss the coming mission with you” Outside, the ship begins moving out of the bay and into open space, the pilot able to handle things on her own for now

Problems? Okay. Okay Natalia could just... deal with that if it came up. Maybe security issues or leaks or mutineers or something. Not a big deal. Not right now at least. Mission. Focus on the mission. A nervous little smile spread over her face, hands together in her lap. "Oh, a-alright. What did, ah, what'd you want to discuss about it?" (edited)

“When we arrive there we wanted to know what’s involved with your job. How do you usually prospect these Kinds of things? I want to make sure I assign you the support you need, knowing how you’ll tackle this on the ground would help”

"Oh, okay." Had been worried this was going to be some kind of personal twenty-questions deal. An irrational, stupid worry, sure, but most of Natalia's worries were like that. She took a small breath, and just dove into it. Straight to facts, trying not to think about it. Her eyes were on the table in front of her, trying to ease the nerves by keeping the people out of frame. "I'll... I'll typically be using a small craft, often a little shuttle but anything that can reach low orbit is fine. S-spend a few days in polar orbit for imaging, make a m-map of... of the surface. Look at the geography, work out what's... what's likely to be g-geologically active. Bigger variety of minerals there. Mountain belts, volcanic areas... t-that kind of thing." A small pause, another breath. "Then head down into a-atmo if there is one, run flybys in a grid with some drones. Ones that have, ah, that have Expert Systems work best, since I can set a few going at the same t-time. I don't know if we have any of those, but... ah... anyway. Get all the data together from lidar, ground-penetrating radar, radiation detectors, and a-all of that, then touch down in the most likely resource sites -- p-places with a lot of something anomalous from the surrounding t-terrain. Gather data manually, or sometimes with drones if I can't get to it on foot. If I'm looking at a g-good place to collect from, I'll mark it off on the grid and set up a beacon so other crews know where to look." Another pause. "Typically just... do that for a month or so until I've c-covered everything worth covering. Goes faster with more drones, smarter drones, or... or with more surveyors. Only so much ground I can cover myself." (edited)

“I see. This is why I wanted to bring you into this meeting. We are going to be looking as a smaller slice of the planet then, given what we have on board. Maybe a 1,000 kilometer by 1000 kilometer grid.

15:25

Do you think this is a process that can be abbreviated into something of a few days?”

She took a moment to think about it, rolling the workflow around in her head. Hopefully she hadn't just set herself up as a failure for them, or hurt their expectations. "I... yes, I think so. Is there... can I ask what the s-slice we're looking at is?" (edited)

“We’re going to look at the slice around the only remaining settlement on Jahnavi. It’s a blighted world , and we want to see if there’s anything close by so they can develop it and get it up to their platform for trade without too much manpower”

"A-alright, that makes sense. It's a... that's a good cause." Was a load off her mind, really. Meant a lot less sitting there doing nothing while maps rendered, more of the part of this job she liked. "I can probably do a thousand-by-thousand grid in... four days? Maybe... maybe three?" She shifted in her seat, a little uncomfortable. Wasn't really sure if there was more to be said. Wanted to go hide in her room and wait out the trip if she could. (edited)

“That’s helpful. I can see this has been a lot for you. You will have free reign once we get to the planet. We will need to dock with their platform first, Lower Heaven , but after we clear security youll largely be left alone”

A little shot of shame ran through Natalia's gut, a bit of red entering her face. Knew she was an awkward wreck, but it still hurt a little to see it called out for what it was. "Alright. Sorry about the... all this." She looked up, a nervous smile on her face. "Promise I survey better than I talk." The nerves were starting to get to be a little much, the fidgeting more insistent. "Um. Do you mind if I go back to, ah, the cabin? Or... is there more? Sorry." (edited)

(how long is the trip to Jahnavi supposed to take, by the way?)

(4 days in total. There is a brief stop at Leda since it’s between here and there)

03:14

“No. That’s all. We will see you when we reach the destination, then”

"Alright. Thank you." Natalia got up, trying not to hurry and failing horribly, and retreated back to the relative peace of her cabin. Just her and the hum of the engines, no faces, no voices. She all but collapsed into the bunk once inside, face buried in the pillow and burning with shame. Made a fool of herself. Looked pathetic. How was she supposed to get anywhere if she couldn't even hold a face-to-face conversation?! A while and a few deep breaths later, she had it back together well enough. Exhausted, ashamed, but back in control. No crying. Time to turn her mind to better things. She resolved to spend the duration of the trip in her cabin as much as possible, brushing up on her computer skills.

03:18

(I'm vaguely aware downtime training is a thing, no idea how it works. Hoping to start training Program to 0.)

(The handout on roll20 explains it well , if you’re still lost please let me know or ask in help)

03:20

(But it would be 4/90 days for training it by time we get there)

(thanks)

(Not sure if I'm supposed to like "officially" OOC declare that's what I'm doing with the downtime, but it is -- putting 4/90 days into Program-0)

(it helps so you can keep track of it and so we can double check if we need to)

The emergence at Leda is quick stopping only for fuel above the world turned nature preserve. Less than 50,000 people live there, and those that do all do so on one large commune, as to not disturb the natives. Actual hard survey efforts into their jungles have been declined by the natives. As the ship enters spike for the second leg of the trip, you're once again left to your cabin. Arriving at Jahnavi, their platform greets the ship via long range comms almost right away, and you are summoned back to the bridge. The Red Sangha will want to know who exactly intends to land on their planet

Natalia had, at least, been prepared for this. Laid out good clothes ahead of time, did the breathing exercises she'd been told time and time again would help, had a small swig of liquid courage (though not quite enough to come across in her breath, for obvious reasons). All in all, hopefully enough to keep her together on the bridge. As long as she focused on the conversation with the Red Sangha and not the fact that there were others in the room with her... she figured she'd be okay. The summons to the bridge were answered promptly, and Natalia entered with an air of nervousness, but this time a controlled nervousness. (edited)

The captain and a different officer, the crew chief of the expedition deck by the looks of it, is waiting for you, along with a figure of a bald headed monkish looking man on the viewscreen. "Abbot Barbarata, this is Natalia, our survey expert. I wanted you to have a moment to acquaint yourselves. I know even though we're partners now, Red Sangha still wants to control who lands on their planet. she and my chief here will both be transferring to the Lower Heaven before making planetfall on one of your craft. "

Natalia's mental blinders were on as firmly as possible, eyes locked to the viewscreen with only a small acknowledgement of the captain and other officer, a slight nervous apology behind her eyes as she went through the usual formalities. Then, attention back to the screen, reminding herself to do all the little things she needed to. Smile politely, stand up straight, hands behind her back. A perfect picture of friendly discipline, as best a Jesuit school could teach her to fake. Just talking to a screen. Not a person. A screen. No pressure here. Ignore the buzzing on the back of her neck from the other two in the room. "A pleasure to meet you, Abbot," she said in a clear, clean, friendly tone.

"And you. We like to see everyone coming through and making a landing. I am sure you understand. I know our reputation is a bit checkered but you have nothing to fear here. We are proud to be confederation members and your safety while on the surface is our sole priority"

...There was a checkered reputation? News to Natalia. Maybe that thing about forced enlightenment? She tried not to think about that. Didn't want to add to the hair-raising prickle of almost-buried nerves. "I appreciate that very much. With any luck, I'll be able to repay the hospitality with my work here." Hopefully didn't sound egotistical. Did that sound... no, don't think about it.

"We'll be seeing you aboard the Lower Heaven in an hour. Come ready to work" He smiles pleasantly, as the line closes.

The instant the line was shut, Natalia let out a slow, near-silent, shuddering breath. Screen or no screen, there'd been more pressure there than she was expecting. And she'd have to see him in person soon. And make a fool of herself, no doubt. Unsure of what to do next, she gave the captain and expedition chief a nervous glance. "A-anything I should know before... coming down there? Like... like customs and such?" Last thing she wanted was to accidentally give some mortal offense by waving with her left hand instead of the right, or something.

"Aside from going to their station first, nothing specific. The Sangha don't anger easily. THey don't feel much of anything easy. Who knows, maybe they can help."

Help? Help with what? With her? Were they... Wait. No. Probably talking about the surveying thing. Natalia kicked herself internally. Too jumpy, too sensitive. "Alright... alright, good. I should, ah, should get my things together." Once excused from the bridge, Natalia would make her way back down to her room and get her things together, ready for the transfer to Lower Heaven.

(What kind of equipment am I looking at to aid in the surveying? Should I just make a list of what I think I need?)

(the ship has a locker fitting, tl4 supplies are available, if you want to make a list i can tell you if something is not available or out of stock)

(Aside from the misc survival kit needed to eat/drink and have someplace safe to sleep in the field, there's just a few things I want to check for: - some form of transit: a grav flyer would be best (I get this might come from the Sangha and not the ship, this is just a general check) - one or two Stalker drones with relevant fittings to perform surveys, plus Expert System and/or Environmental Power if possible) (edited)

Drones are not something that can be requisitioned aboard, but the flyer and drones are available for loan from the Sangha. The flyer in this case is a helicopter, a surplus gunship with its weapons removed, too old for military service, but fine for civilian use.

Reading over the replies to her few small inquiries to the Sangha and commissary officer on her pad as she packed, Natalia's heart sank a little. A helicopter? As in rotor and blades, punching the air down to go up? “Oh damnit,” she mumbled to herself, idly stuffing a shirt back into a duffel bag. This would put some holes in her original plan. Grav flyers could cover plenty of distance before a refuel, but a helicopter? Lots of extra fuel to bring aboard, just in case. Would have to rewrite the timeline of the survey in her head as she went. Still doable in the time she'd given, just... a much busier 3-4 days. Drones would likely be just as primitive, come to think. Well, can't be helped. Packed and set and ready with a small pit of growing nervousness in her gut, Natalia awaited the transfer down to Lower Heaven. Just had to get down there, get her things, get to work. It'd be fine.

4

20:56

A map is loaded into your terminal as a small cargo lighter brings you over to the Sangha's Peerless class platform, Lower Heaven. As it comes in to land, the Abbot is waiting there, along with two bodyguards in enclosed armor and helmets.

Natalia, for reasons she couldn't quite put together, didn't mind the armored men so much. Maybe the lack of a face, let her pretend it might be something other than a person beneath. Wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, regardless. "H-hello, Abbot," she said with the closest thing Natalia could manage to confidence as she stepped off the cargo mover, bags over her shoulders and holding the straps in a white-knuckle grip. "Thank you for, ah, for allowing me to come here."

"Thank you for coming" he smiles warmly. "You're doing us a great service by being here . I hope your search is able to find something for us down under all that wasteland soil. Your equipment is standing by in the settlement below, we got as close to what was requested as we could"

Natalia smiled back, clearly nervous but pushing her way through. "Appreciated. I'll, ah, I should have preliminary r-results in the next few days. The planet looks pretty... g-geologically active so... high hopes." A small pause, shifting her weight slightly, avoiding eye contact. "I... should probably get to it."

He nods, and a compartment aboard a surface transit lighter is opened for you. There is mercifully no one inside, and looks to be flown by an expert system.

Oh, so there was some mercy in the world. Thank God. With a quick, respectful nod to the Abbot, she stepped into the lighter and got settled. During the trip down, she pulled up the map on her datapad, studying it and marking off areas within the search grid that looked like likely candidates for a resource deposit. Anything mountainous, volcanic was even better. As long as subsurface strata were getting ejected from their resting places and forced to approach the surface, it would merit a look. Once on the surface, it'd be off to the gear. Off to get started, bury the nerves in work and get her hands on a real set of controls for the first time in too, too long. (edited)

The lighter sets you down outside the town, of rice paper buildings and towering pagodas. Several small temples dot the city, where the Red Sangha soldiers and civilians go to pray several times during the morning and evening. A plot of farmland has its first chutes of green poking above the soil. A helicopter with its engines off, and drones stowed, waits for you outside the southern city gates. there is mercifully no one around it

This place... didn't really look so bad. A blighted wasteland in many ways, sure, but home had been the same. And there seemed to be a sense of... Natalia couldn't quite put her finger on it. There was something that hung around the place that sparked up a low flame of envy in her chest. Arriving at the old gunship, Natalia paced her way around the outside of it, taking in all the little details. Didn't look so bad, really. Nor did the drones. This would work. She made a mental note to thank the Red Sangha for being so accommodating. Digging through one of the two duffels she brought along, Natalia pulled out a small paper package. Within were a handful of small magnetic tags, each of which had a name printed on them in block letters. Never owned her own kit, but in spirit, the drones and flyer would carry on a little legacy through their names, for as long as she had them. And so the helicopter became Walburga's Pride, the drones Barbara, Erasmus, and so on until there was nothing left to name. Even as impious as she'd always been, Natalia never could help a soft spot for the saints, at least as naming conventions went. A heavy tan dust cloak came out of the bags next, pinned around her shoulders alongside the simple dust mask that hung around her neck. Atmosphere was breathable, but enough debris got kicked up in the course of her work that they often proved necessary. Her holster was clipped into place on her belt, and into it went the laspistol she'd never needed to fire, with the knife she'd never drawn in anger in the sheath next to it. Sliding open the cockpit to the helicopter, Natalia dropped her bags behind the seat before settling in, laying her hands on the controls with a small shiver of anticipation. Settling a bulky headset over her ears, she got the helicopter started. A quick run through pre-flight checks, and she guided the hulk off the ground, navigating towards where she'd decided to start the survey pattern. Time to get to it. (edited)

(lets get a program/int, at +2 for the drones)

[9]

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

19:51

There is a mountain range south of Sangha city, just at the edge of the 'green zone' where a strong metallic contact is returned by your systems. It is broad, from this altitude, and it is impossible to pinpoint which of the looming mountain peaks is giving the strongest return

Alright, off to a good start. Nice to see her luck with eyeballing these things hadn't gotten as rusty as the rest of her. Still felt the little edges of soreness where they shouldn't be, sitting here and steering about. Not bad enough to get in the way, at least. She set the helicopter into a hover near one of the central mountain peaks, and pulled out her drone controller. No way in hell she was hiking this whole range with a scanner on foot. The Erasmus was fired up and detached from its mag lock, dropping a few meters before the engines kicked in and it got rolling under its own power. Figured she would have it do the close-up work of zeroing in on the magnetic disturbances, try and isolate some hotspots by making low-altitude passes. (edited)

The scanners ping, and wane, and ping, and wane, favoring the peak to the westernmost side of the mountain range, and the machinery begins to recalibrate as you move along to the next best contact

After spending some time zeroing in and refining the scanner contact, Natalia started circling, looking for a place with enough space to touch the chopper down nearby to it. Finding a big magnetic disturbance was one thing, but she needed to figure out what it actually was.

There is a cliff, 200m above where the contact is strongest that looks broad enough, supported enough, and level enough to get the helicopter down without something terrible happening. THere is a dense pine forest below, that you would be roping into, but the trees are thin enough to let you in, if approached properly.

This looked tricky. And vaguely foreboding. But, well, not like this was the first time Natalia had to deal with one or both of those. Gently as she could, she set the chopper down atop the cliff, spinning it down in the name of saving fuel. After taking a moment to pull up her dust mask for the cloud of debris the rotors had kicked up, she slid the cockpit open and hopped out. Now, just time to go through the normal procedure. First, a little radio beacon set up by the chopper so she had a way to orient herself and work back towards it. Next, she detached Barbara from the back of the helicopter, spinning her up and setting her to tail behind Natalia. Nothing like a little engine-noise to spook off pesky wildlife. And lastly.... descent. She uncoiled a generous length of rope, secured one end to the chopper's landing gear, and lowered the rest over the side. After clipping into a harness and getting the safety gear sorted out in case she slipped, it was time to head down.

The rope goes taunt as you begin winching your way down into the pine clearing. The scanner return gets more and more intense, not making a noise anymore but switched to a vibration setting. The ground rises up to meet your feet, and you stand in a pine forest where the carpet is dried pine cones and needles long browned and discarded from their parent trees.

15:01

Birds caw in the trees and small animals scurry underfoot. One or two stare, in rapt silence, before moving on their mysterious animal errands

There was a brief moment, during the slow descent to meet the forest floor, when Natalia just took a moment. Stopped winchcing, feet against the cliffside. She looked out over the expanse of forest in the afternoon sun ahead, and a little smile crept over her face behind the dust mask. This job wasn't so bad, sometimes. Once on solid ground and detached from the cable, Natalia shrugged the bag off of her shoulder to pull free a miniature pick. Can't beat the classics sometimes. From the base of the cliff, she broke off a small fragment of rock with a couple short swings, and fed it into her Survey Scanner for analysis. (edited)

(Just to confirm - I'm pretty much standing right on top of where the deposit ought to be, yeah?)

(yeah exactly)

19:25

(d10 when you have a moment)

[6]

(and finally, favorite color)

19:50

(totally not generating a new mineral or anything)

(Mine or hers?

) (Let's go with... deep green.)

20:14

The hunk of green stone in your hand does not entirely match any sort of mineral on register in the current all-sector database, and the scanner then reverts to its secondary passive mode, where it simply lists the most apparent characteristics

20:17

It is very lightweight and polishes easily. It seems to fracture in very even planes and the scanner identifies a few places where a chisel could slice this like bread.

"Well aren't you something special..." Natalia muttered to herself, turning the stone over in her hands. "Pretty, too." She frowned slightly. Talking to rocks. That was the low she'd sunk to? A small sigh, and she slipped the sample into a bag, clipping it to the bottom of the drone hovering behind her. Could think of... maybe some use this had, but it would take more dedicated analysis. Maybe for mirrors and the like. Jewelry at worst - pretty, shiny, easy to work. She wedged a beacon into the dirt by the site for future reference, and started back up her rope towards the helicopter. Just needed to do this again and again for... maybe the next three days? However long it took to cover everything worth covering. But first: figuring out whatever the heck this thing was. (edited)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

(any chance this just satisfied "find something nobody's seen before?" :P)

(it has)

20:25

(you can name it if you like, just so i can get a stub handout up)

(Toivonite)

1

(and we can build it out once you experiment with it)

(as for the 3xp from that goal...)

Advancement to Level 2:
New HP: 9
4 SP: +1 Wisdom (1SP), Program-0 (1SP), Survive-0 (1SP), Shoot-0(1SP)
Focus: Specialist(Know)

(that look good to you?)

(usually do the level up after the mission, but mechanically looks correct)

(alas)

(the mechanics of it are right, you can change the sheet now, but any new benefits won't apply until after the mission entire)

(Gotcha) (edited)

20:30

(Do we want to cover every landing site in detail, or is the rest kinda a blur of "go find rock, go find next rock?")

(Well, with us finding this, we can change things up getting into an actual analysis of it back aboard the ship, if you like)

20:31

(just so you can report back to Red Sangha what you even found)

(Sounds good to me!)

20:34

(Edited the last post to reflect the new intentions)

The Lower Heaven has taken the liberty of moving science equipment down from the orbiting Greystar ship for you and a small tent, with hardened sides and a pair of stoic Red Sangha guards is set aside for you, allowing you to work in peace. As your helicopter lands, and cycles down, they are polite, saying just a brief greeting. Their voices have a numbness to them, as though they are both there, and not there

Natalia slipped into the tent with a nervously mumbled greeting in reply, sample case tucked under one arm. Again, she couldn't help that little pang of something she didn't know how to put a name to in seeing them, hearing them. Knew they were likely among the Liberated, emotionally dead. It just... didn't seem so bad as it sounded, looking at them. A steep cost to be at peace but, well, peace all the same. She shook the thought from her head. Not a distraction she had the time or will to entertain. Instead: work. Work always cleared the mind. Natalia took off the heavy dust cloak, laying it over the back of a chair as she got the samples out and equipment together. She chiseled off a half-dozen thin slices from the lump of rock she'd taken, settled down in a seat, and slipped a pair of battered headphones on. Set an ambient track playing - the low thrumming tone of a ship's engine reverberating through its hull. Always helped her focus, brought a little peace. Just had to run this through the usual battery of mineralogical tests, figure out exactly what it might be good for. Time to get to work. (edited)

(I'm assuming this equipment brought down for me isn't an application of a "real" lab module the ship has?)

(you still get a +2, but I'm reading up on a few things so i can figure out next steps)

16:35

(okay, know/int then, at +2, and I will give you what you learn)

[9]

16:41

[If it's low enough to count as an outright failure - still got the Expert reroll kicking around.]

(its middle of the road, if that helps, you'll get a couple pieces of information)

(I'll give the reroll a shot then, just to see. One sec.)

19:32

[reroll to 13 :)]

The material reflects heat and radiation extremely efficiently, and is easy to work with. Precise slices of alloy can be made without trouble, though it is very tough to dent or break through when attempting to cut it away from the shear plane is attempted. In short, the material is resistant to blunt forces, but a precise cut is capable of cutting through it. It would be used as a space-ship alloy.

Test after test went by as a few hours passed. Chemical analysis, shearing along and against cleavage points. Drilling, hardness tests. The whole battery. As each and every one of the little analyses went by, a wider and wider smile spread over Natalia's face. This was promising. Incredibly promising. Would likely need to mention it at the next agent meeting - Greystar itself would benefit from cheap and easy access to this as well as the Sangha would. In speaking of which, a report would need to be made. She slipped the headphones off, working her jaw to help alleviate the stiffness brought on by the most smiling she'd managed in... maybe a couple years, now. And over a rock, of all things? Natalia suppressed the urge to sigh. Didn't want to let it kill the good mood. Pulling her datapad from a shirt pocket and unfolding it, she cranked out a full report on the geologic properties of Toivonite, its apparent industrial applications, and the details of the site's size, position, and accessibility for the Red Sangha. Once completed and checked twice for errors, she sent it out.

(for Far trade purposes, it would be considered a Rare ingot, though there are some in the Greystar community who might be interested in this for other reasons)

(Gotcha. Legally speaking, who "owns" that mineral deposit, anyway? I'm assuming the Sangha?) (edited)

(The Red Sangha own it, since the Greystar charter allows them to regulate trade on their own world, but they have literally almost nothing in the way of supplies, so if they have something they can trade for those things, they're not going to horde it)

(Gotcha. Just wanted to be clear on it. Am I still under contract to search around for more stuff here until the whole grid's done, or was it "just find us something useful?")

(I think for now the focus is on them probably getting up here to do a more in depth construction survey, and then working to get a mine set up, this was really to get your feet wet, if you have a direction of your own id rather change to that, as opposed to dragging you through my own thing0

(I have a plan, actually! Big fat bounty on mineral surveys at Acastus that's been sitting around for a while, seemed an ideal thing to shoot for)

20:51

(So once my work's done here and I've got my pay, that's the goal)

Once the message was sent off, Natalia slumped back in her seat with a soft sigh. She held up one of the samples in front of her face, watching the little veins of green catch the light of the lamp. Toivonite. Maybe a little early to blow the geologist's one shot at a namesake mineral, in hindsight. But who could say: maybe she'd be dead tomorrow? Better to die the discoverer of Toivonite than to die the footnote behind a more humble name. So why not? A little slice of immortality, a small block for the base of the ziggurat. Her little smile faded to a look of quiet frustration. Still so far to go. Would die of old age before seeing it done, at this rate. As long as she was waiting on a response from the Sangha, Natalia resolved to keep her hands busy. Chiseling a small, paper thin slice of Toivonite from the original sample block, she spent a few minutes working its edges with the laser cutter down to a smooth, even disk. In the top-center, she bored a small hole. After a few minutes of working it to a gleaming polish, she was left with a coin-sized pendant, slightly transparent with veins of deeper jade greens throughout. Unclipping the black cord from around her neck, she slipped it on beside the jagged fragment of deck plating and silver cross that already dangled from it. Necklace back in place, there was nothing left to do but wait. Had to see what else the Sangha expected from her on this contract. Hopefully this was enough. Could get her pay and get moving, climb the next step. (edited)

)you’d get that xp and credits from earlier now since the scene/mission is over, but I’ve got one more thing before we go(

(You never gave me any XP/Creds to begin with? Aside from clearing that one goal)

As your lab equipment is packed up, a message comes in from the Abbot. (That’s right. It was the bonus. Okay so 3xp and 5,000 credits. We did the level up and we said don’t apply the benefits until the mission is over

02:33

He would like to meet. It is optional but he would like to if you have the time

(oh hah, guess I'm ending this gig at lv. 3 then. :D) Natalia stared at that message for a while. Felt... well, she wasn't sure how to feel about it. A step up. An opportunity, maybe. Or possibly just thanks. But it meant... well, it meant seeing him. A small knot of guilt caught in her stomach, her disappointment turned inward, at her own cowardice. Have to do it. Can't let it own her. Easy as it would be. Hated this, felt practically crippled. All the drive in the world, and it got caught on the tip of her tongue the instant another person was in the room. But then, the Abbot wasn't so bad. Not so bad as most. Few of the Red Sangha were, really. That detachment, that there-and-not-there, made them feel a little less like a presence in the room. Separated. For whatever reason. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and sent a reply agreeing to meet. As soon as she had the location and time, Natalia got going before she could change her mind. (edited)

02:42

Advancement to Level 2:
New HP: 9 (rolled that first time 'round)
4 SP: +1 Wisdom, Program-0, Shoot-0, 1 banked
Focus: Specialist(Know)

Advancement to Level 3:
New HP: 12
4SP + 1 banked: Know-2, Program-1

Abbot Daniel Balavarata has set aside a meeting room in the back of the largest prayer temple in the city. The room is warmed by a small charcoal fire and incense has been sprinkled on top of it making the room smell invitingly like cedar

Natalia entered as unobtrusively as she could, freshly changed into clothes not covered with the dust of travel and rock-breaking. As soon as her feet were across the threshold of the temple, the weight of leaden respectful silence so carefully drilled into her from hundreds of Masses came roaring back. Eyes down, moving with quick, quiet steps, she came to the meeting room. "H-hello again, Abbot Balavarata," she said as confidently as she could (not very), trying to focus on the scent and the atmosphere rather than the fact that there was another person sharing it with her.

“Good evening. Please sit down. There is no reason to be nervous. We are not here to harm you. Quite the opposite actually “

Didn't help as much as she wished it would to hear, really. But nothing to be done. Just had to keep breathing, keep focusing elsewhere. Remember they're not quite here, a little further than it seems. "Sorry," she quietly said as she slipped into the seat. Hands knitted together in her lap, eyes slightly downcast.

(anyone else in here or just him? Need to work out how hard I should be freaking out. :P)

(Just you two)

(Gotcha) Her eyes flicked around the room a moment, taking some small relief in that it was just the two of them. "D-don't mean to offend. I'm just... just like this, is all."

“You’ve done a service for the Sangha with what you have found. We would like to do one for you. Tell me Ms. Toivonen, are you a spiritual person by any means?”

"S-somewhat." Wasn't sure whether she ought to be smiling or frowning, thinking back about it. The little cross weighed heavy around her neck, more collar than comfort. "Not sure how, ah, how familiar you are with Buey. But hard n-not to be, growing up there."

"I have heard of Buey. It sounds like they are finding their way to a better place. I am pleased to see that. Ms. Toivonen, I understand like your homeworld you have undergone something of a personal tragedy yourself. Personal tragedy is nothing new to the Red Sangha, though being liberated as I am, and as our security forces are, makes reality an easier pill to swallow. We would like to offer you this same gift.

23:55

At the end of the process, should you voluntarily decide to undertake it, you will be permanently locked into a state of calm serenity, capable of modest pleasures, gentle happiness, and measured concerns. Rage, panic, lust, dread- all these old, savage emotions and attachments would be severed permanently. The only emotion that the Liberated could feel strongly was a deep and abiding love for those people, places, and ideas that earned their devotion. You will still feel love for the personal relationships you've formed, but you'll no longer be tormented by the specters of your past" (Tradeoff here is you're likely to die of brain cancer within 40 years from the date of accepting this, and there will be I think a big RP change for you, In return, you'll be chemically indoctrinated with Red Sangha skills, adding +1 level of shoot +1 level of Lead +1 level of Know you can forgo one, two, or all of these bonuses for a rank equivalent in their martial art called Upaya if you wish as well)

Natalia's eyes went wide. Free of it? Completely? No more of the... everything? What would even be left, without the envy and the numbness? Nothing. There were no ties to hold onto love for. And... the ambition would be gone. That's all she had left. Was that worth it? Just an absolute nothing? “I...” She trailed off, staring down into her lap. “Can I... do I have to decide now?” (edited)

“You do not have to decide now. It is not something we offer to everyone but you have done us a service. We must do the same in reply”

"I appreciate it. I... I really do." Another pause, a small breath, and she set her jaw. The ambition needed to stay. Until it was satisfied. Until the dream came true. Until she was done. Natalia knew that much. Without that drive, she was nothing. "Someday, maybe. But not today. Thank you."

He nods and sets a cup of tea down on the desk in front of himself. “Of course. It’s an open offer and we thank you for finding that resource in the mountains. So where are you off to now?”

"A-Acastus, probably." She shifted slightly in her seat. "More surveys. Looking in, ah, the volcanic areas." Probably just for rocks. That was life: staring at rocks. Still had that fanciful little dream of finding some pretech miracle in a forgotten valley or isolated mountain top, but that was just that: a fancy. (edited)

“Very good. Well you are welcome back to do additional work anytime you’re needing work

That was something. Reliable work from people who respected her. Not the pay she dreamed of, nor the freedom, but being acknowledged as someone doing something of value felt good. "I appreciate it," she replied with a small, brief note of warmth under the nervousness. After a small pause, she added, "S-similar to that, but... on the maps, I saw a lot of, ah, of ruins on the coastlines. Anything you can tell me if you... you don't mind about them?"

“There was a war here when this crisis with the false enlightenment began. Sadly most villages and cities became war zones and abandoning them was the only move that made sense”

"Ah. I see." A small pause, trying to work out the phrasing in her head. "If... would you or your people mind if I, ah, explored them? I... don't know if there was anything lost o-or like that besides lives to the war, but... if there would be anything... maybe it could be returned? T-technology, cultural artifacts?"

“I can’t spare anyone to accompany you right now. There is too much to do here. If you’re willing to assume the risks, you have our permission to explore them”

"O-of course. I understand." Not like she wasn't used to assuming the risks of that sort of thing. Good to confirm, though, that there were indeed risks. Old warbots, perhaps. Mine fields. Natalia wasn't quite sure what the height of the Red Sangha war machine looked like, but... well whatever remained would probably be there. Best saved for later, maybe. When she was better prepared. "Just... one last thing. It is Greystar's i-intention to, ah, to secure some form of reparation from UNW for their... their actions against you. Either paying what was owed, or... possibly in providing the equipment you, uh, you need for starting mining operations here, even if that c-cost is more than the original debt." She took a small breath. "How would you prefer to be repaid?" (edited)

"The equipment would be something we would have to trade for anyway. If we can advance this project through that critical step handling now, the Sangha would consider the matter settled "

A small nod, and a brief smile. "We'll s-see to it you receive what you're owed." Called it. "I, ah, should probably start making arrangements for travel if there's... nothing more."

"Nothing else, aside from our thanks. Go in peace"

"Thank you, Abbot." Only just then realizing she still had her hands clenched in her lap, Natalia forced herself to relax them as she stood back up. This... hadn't been so bad. Kept it together pretty well. Progress, she supposed. "I h-hope to see you again soon." And for once, Natalia meant it. With that, she was off to go work out travel plans to Acastus. Needed to start making inquiries about equipment too, while she was at it. (edited)

He nods, and the door opens for you. Your guards say nothing and bring you to the small encampment at the edge of the city where you have been working. From there, you are free to return to the ship, or do further exploration here.

As much as those ruins were calling to her, Natalia had other things to take care of first. Needed to be better prepared, if the Abbot's warning was to be taken as seriously as she thought. Needed money to be prepared. And there was money in Acastus. She'd seen the notice come out back on the starhab some time ago, after another day in the blurred march of simulators and physical therapy. A hundred thousand for a confirmed site, for each site. Too good to pass up. The leg up she'd need. So after a quick report back to Greystar as to the Abbot's position on his people's repayment, she started making arrangements to be taken back to Acastus, making her way back onto the ship.

(4 days of downtime, as we sail back home. I don't tihnk the crew would have much to say and it doesnt sound like Natalia would seek them out on her own)

(hahahaha no way in hell she would) Natalia went back to the programming exercises she'd started up on during the flight out here, only to find they... honestly were pretty simplistic. Not really necessary at all. She'd shaken more of the rust off out in the field than she ever would with this. Left her with a bit of a problem: what to do? Didn't want to trick out equipment she was going to pick up replacements for in a moment, didn't have any real need to study up on a new language, so... what? After a bit of thinking, she settled on going through the index of (mostly unread) wilderness survival manuals sitting on her pad. More reference material she'd never had time or inclination to use. May as well. Not like she could grind in Dabloonscape mid-spike or anything. (4/90 on Survive-0) (edited)

(so we have 4 days on program, and 4 on survive now)

14:59

Arriving back in Acastus space the ship is brought into the shipyard quickly, and swept by engineering and security before anyone is allowed off. After a couple hours sitting in dock, much to the growing annoyance of the crew, the all clear is given and everyone is free to leave

Once all was clear and she was free to get off, Natalia was back in her old room on the starhab before anything else. Unchanged, save the plants in the corner having finally died of neglect. Took a few moments to breathe, to calm herself down. "Okay," she mumbled to herself. "You did it. Just need to... do it more." A weary sigh, and she grabbed her datapad. Time to start requisitioning survey equipment for Acastus. Drones, transit, all that. (edited)

(and just 4 days on Survive. Raised my program from the level up, so it makes training it in downtime not an option anymore)

(gotcha)

19:43

(When you know what you're buying just make me a list, and we'll be good)

(Looking for access to: 2x Stalker Drones with an Observation suite on each 1x Helicopter Misc survival gear - the stuff a ship's locker would have Whatever relevant hazard gear I can get for working around volcanoes, if any And doing as much as I can on Greystar's dime, of course :)) (edited)

(There's really not heat resistant personal gear, the drones and helicopter would be loaned. We're on acastus, and not in a ship, so the misc survival gear would need to be paid for your own way)

(no freeloaders here!)

(Buying: Grapnel Launcher - 200 Climbing Harness - 50 Glowbug x20 - 100 Atmofilter - 100 Low-Light Goggles - 200 Telescoping Pole - 10 Thermal Flare x5 - 25 Navcomp - 500 Rope 100 meters - 40 For a total of: 1225)

(All that stuff is available, perfect)

Once all the purchases had been made and around a fifth of Natalia's first real paycheck in years had been eaten up by the expenses necessary to try and get her second one, she went through the paperwork to get ahold of her transit. Once there was a helicopter ready and a pair of drones charged up and mounted in their locks on the back, she'd be off. The focus, for today, would be on the volcanic mountain ranges that run along Ash City. Starting close by for the obvious economic reasons, but she'd make time to go take a look at the massive peak to the northwest - it was just too interesting to leave alone.

(For clarity's sake, this is the loop she's hoping to run high-alt scans for deposits or signs of structures from)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

Advanced to Level 4

New HP roll: 19 (new max: 19)
4 Skill Points:
+1 Constitution (2 SP)
Notice-0 (1SP)
Banking 1 SP

New max HP after Constitution increase: 23

Advanced to Level 5

New HP roll: 20 (new max: 24)
4SP +1 Banked to spend: Fix-2 (3SP), Notice-1(2SP)
New Focus: Tinker, level 2

(edited)

Once the Wings had docked back at Acastus Starhab and the particulars of debrief and sending the mountains of scrap from Musheera on their way to be used at Buey were handled, Natalia was left with one overriding concern. She had just received a million credits. And she had a looooooooooooooooong shopping list. A few implants, a small mountain of drones, and a few other odds and ends. And so she started calling around and browsing catalogues and other online stores, trying to scrape together everything she needed through either purchase or requisition. (Sorry about the big dump of stuff, but it's time to gear up! Not sure what does/doesn't need face I might not have or how much I can get ahold of at once, so just posting the wishlist and hoping for the best.) Implants: - Drone Controller - 20,000, 1 strain - Gecko Anchor - 15,000, 1 strain - Polyspectral Vision - 15,000, 1 strain - Ghost Talker - 15,000, 1 strain - Direct Interface (level 1) - 3,000, 0 strain total from cyberware: 68,000 credits and 4 perm. system strain Drones: - Three of... -- Frame: Sleeper - 2500 --- Observation suite - 250 --- Weapon Mount x2 - 2000 --- Ammo Unit - 250 --- Armed with: Shear Rifle - 600 total of 5600 each, 16,800 for three Weapons/Armor: - Shear Rifle - 600 - Thermal Pistol - 300 - CFU with Icarus Harness - 9000 total from weapons/armor: 9900 Misc: - Black Slab - 10,000 (gonna guess this one takes face I might not have) Grand Total: 104,700 credits (I'm guessing the sheer amount of surgery to implant all of that is going to put me out of commission for a few days?) (edited)

(Yes to being out of commission for a few days , if the cyberware is all core book and tl4 it’s allowed aside from the direct interface since we know those are special and available. You have enough face for the slab)

(Yep, it's all core and TL 4. If there's nothing stopping me, then, I'll go ahead and deduct the money and be out for... however many days it is.)

00:57

(Got one little thing to do during that recovery period - but it's just an RP thing Nat wants to bug Svenka about, if it's alright. I'm assuming she's conscious (just hospitalized) in that period?) (edited)

(Mind is awake body just hurts but all good otherwise )

(Cool, got it)

The first day or so after being put into recovery was mostly spent in a blend of agony and a painkiller-induced haze, sleeping when she could and almost drunkenly messing with the new ware when possible. Nothing strenuous – as the nurses had to remind her a few times – but at least flicking through viewing modes on the eyes, surfing through the usual forums hands-free. An attempt, or at least the start of an attempt, at getting used to what life would be like with all this. And so far? Life looked like it'd be pretty darn good. Could see why the Ashen Ones took to Augmented Reality like they did. Put up a filter, a barrier between her and the outside. Cozy, safe, distant. More than that, it was a useful sort of filter – more information, more she could see, more she could do. Win-win. It was somewhere around early on the second day of recovery, when the pain had receded just enough to let her think straight but not enough to stand up and walk around, that she realized there was something of a time crunch. Didn't know how long it would be until Svenka shipped out, and had one or two last little things she wanted to talk about. Besides, despite the years spent in and out of hospital beds, Natalia never had visitors before. Might as well change that. Networking herself into the new compad that sat on the table beside her, she sent out a little message for @Svenka [Tig/M’Ranni].

Hey Svenka,

Sorry to bug you so soon after parting, but there were a few things I wanted to ask about before you shipped off to wherever you're going next. If you've got the time, mind stopping by? I'd go to you but the docs won't let me walk yet.

I'm in the medical wing. Recovery ward, room #107, if you decide to stop by. Any time is fine. No pressure – I get if you're too busy.

- Natalia

Svenka drops in with a box of fungo-chocs and a trashy magazine about lost civilizations and their scandalous eating habits. “Oooh, went for some new implants. I am jealous - keep meaning to go in for some myself.”

If Natalia's eyes could light up, they would have when Svenka walked in. The lensed orbs stayed static, but the rest of her face picked up the slack with a smile. Along with the pale blue lensed eyes, a flat, wide plate over one temple and a pair of black disks on the backs of the hands along with artificial nails in matching hue marked the visible work. "Oh hey, you showed up! Ah. Wait. Uh, that sounds a little rude. What I mean is good to see you." She tried to sit up a bit further in the bed, but the pain in her arms made her reconsider. "And oh yeah. More than some. Docs looked surprised when I handed them the list," she added with a little laugh.

“Some people go on a bender with their first paycheck, this girl buys implants. Fair.” She smiles and sets the gifts down. “Feeling ok?”

"I like to think of it as reinvesting. Implants keep me alive long enough to make back the cost." A little smile back. Natalia gave sitting up another shot, this time a little more dogged. Her hands were screaming at her and her head didn't want to move, but she managed. "But considering how much metal got shoved in me? Feeling pretty good. Thanks for the gifts - you really didn't have to, though." (edited)

“That’s kind of the point of gifts. Always found that human saying very odd. There are a number of things that you state like that that seem terribly obvious.”

"Humility thing, I guess. Trying to say it's too much or not deserved. I don't pretend to understand it; just know I'm supposed to say it." Natalia shrugged.

Svenka matched the shrug. “So what now then? New job, enough money for a ship. Open space laid out in front of you.”

"And back in a hospital bed already. Guess some things never change." She chuckled to herself, then sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Honestly? Spent long enough worrying about how I'd get this far that I didn't think much about what to do once I got there. Got a ship design... nearly done. Still need to iron out details. After that? Few places I've always wanted to look at, assuming Greystar and Aiya business doesn't keep me too busy." (edited)

“Thing is, they will if you let them. There’s always going to be a lot you can do for Aiya and for Greystar. You are in a unique position to say no. And to forge your own path. I mean there will always be expectations, but you can decide what to do with them.”

"At least for the next little while, suppose I'll be laying here or waiting on the shipyard. Though..." She looked back down at Svenka, oddly there and not-there. An image on a screen as much as she was a person before Natalia's eyes. Factually right in front of her, but felt further away. Comforting, almost. A small smile spread over her face. "If you're not sick of having me around yet and aren't already bound for elsewhere... I recall someone wanting an excuse to explore."

She looked at her sideways, smiled. “You’re just using me for my ship.”

"And the winning personality, let's not forget." A pause. "Interested?"

“Yep.”

"Hey now, no need to get too excited." A friendly roll of lensed eyes, and Natalia nodded at the datapad on the table next to her. New by the look of it, secured in a case just short of armored. The screen lit up as she unlocked it with her interface, scrolling through a few menus until a map of the sector appeared onscreen, centered on the eastern border of the UNW. "Would hand you the pad, but hands don't want to work just yet. Sorry." (edited)

“Where are you thinking? Bourgani before we mess with it with the terraformer?” She looked over at the pad “Nice model.”

"Oh, thanks! Internals aren't quite stock, but mostly unchanged." Oh, the joys of being a Greystar Agent. Just a teensy bit of extralegal wiggle room when it came to owning intrusion software and line tapping tools. "But, well, probably should be going to Bourgani. But I've had this on my mind lately." Natalia panned the map a little, zooming in on the trio of Eriphyle, Aslief, and Polychrome. "So I've spent... a lot, maybe too much, time staring at these maps. And this place has always been a little strange. Right next to the UNW border, very well-explored area. We've got Galatea, Shahriar, Aslief, Eriphyle, Rawhani all nearby. This isn't exactly a backwater corner of space." She zoomed in further, focused on Polychrome. "But this place? Nothing. Not even a scout report. Total blank spot, like everyone went out of their way to ignore it. Doesn't that seem a bit strange to you?" (edited)

“More than a bit... why would they avoid it? Is there any intel?” Svenka bent over to get a closer look, clearly interested in where this was going.

"None. Not even a footnote. Not even a warning to stay away - so doubt it's just that hazardous. Best guess? It's either an oversight... or there's something there worth hiding."

“... I mean, Bourgani can definitely wait for a unexplored void on the border of the UNW - If nothing else we can give it a proper scan and then get out... but we could do more than that as well.” She grinned like an idiot at the prospect.

"Oh, I'm betting it'll deserve more than that." Natalia didn't quite return the grin, but the excitement in her voice was plain. A little too sore and tired for big energetic expressions to be on the table. "They're gonna keep me a few more days, probably, but after? Just need to get some kit in order, finish sending off some alterations on a ship plan to the yards, and I'll be set. Sound good to you?"

“Oh, you have a ship being built do you? Nice. It is... very nice to have that kind of freedom.” She pulls back. “I’ll get the Wings prepped.”

"Yeah, thanks to the offer in that last meeting. Sent the superstructure plans ahead of us pretty much the instant the terms were clear. Been working off-and-on on this thing for... a long while. Few years. Will be good to see it realized. Wasn't expecting to have bits of Slyth scrap to slip into the design, and the original plan didn't have a teleporter, so a lot of last-minute adjustments." Natalia smiled, slightly sheepish. "See you soon, then? I'd... try to hug you goodbye, but can't really lift my arms." (edited)

She puts her hand on her shoulder and gives a gentle squeeze “Soon. Rest up you crazy bitch.”

Natalia expected to flinch. Somehow didn't. Surprised her as much as it would anyone else. Felt a little less-real, comfortably distant. Enough to enjoy it, not be scared of it. "Aw, you really do care," she replied with a smile. Her pad lit up again as the narrow, twin-engine outline of what would soon be the Vesikko came up on screen. Still needed to get the drive's mass trimmed just a little bit lower. "See you around. Oh, and, uh... thanks for coming by. Means a lot." (edited)

She nodded and excused herself with a wave. “Wanted to make sure you were ok.”

Natalia watched her go, then rested her head back down on the bed. The gentle beats of her work playlist kicked in through eardrum speakers, and she got back to work. In the space in front of her, the AR-projected blueprint whirled and zoomed in as she went back to trimming at the design, running and re-running the numbers. Sharpening a dream to a razor edge, for transition to reality. Look at you, Nat. Seven figure account. Ship in the works. A friend. A good job. What more could you want? Soon enough, maybe, she'd get that last piece of the puzzle. A legacy worth leaving. Then she could be done. Days went by and Natalia rested, waiting for her discharge. Had something concrete to look forward to, this time. (So, how long is the recovery period before I'm good to get back in action?)

(1 day per strain applied)

(Alright, just gonna chill through that time until all's set on Svenka's end for us to head out toward Polychrome. If it winds up being more than four days on her end for whatever reason, mind if I put that extra time into modding gear?) (edited)

(We'll see how things come together then, as I'm not sure what she plans to do in the meantime)

(Gotcha. Oh, and before I forget to post it:)

Advanced to Level 6

New HP roll: 32 (new max: 32)
4 SP to spend: Program-2 (3 SP), Sneak-0 (1 SP)

(edited)

(Oh, when this does get underway - just both piling into one of our threads, or does it get an official "group mission" thingy?)

(probably just picking a thread since its not as official)

(Gotcha, since Nat's the last one to be ready by the look of it - one day of refits on Svenka's end vs 4 days of recovery on mine, going to go ahead and post this:) Once she'd finally gotten her discharge from the medical wing of Acastus Starhab and the pain was dulled well enough by time and medicine to let her more-or-less do her job, Natalia made a stop back at her little quarters to get her things together and put more water in the automatic feeders that kept her few ferns alive. Made for a big pile of kit, all things considered. Drones, guns, a suit of armor packed away in an airtight case. As much military equipment as it was an explorer's. Funny how the line between those two blurred. Just one last thing to do before she got things set up and made her way over to the Wings to get going. Natalia went by a few vendors and stammered her way through picking up some parts. Hopefully she'd get a chance to put them to use en route, otherwise they'd be waiting when she returned. (Spending 5,500 credits for the necessary parts to apply Customized (Fix-1, 500 credits), Flexible (Fix-2, 2500 credits), and Polymorphic Blending (Fix-2, 2500 credits) to my CFU) Once that was handled, she fired off a message to Svenka, simply stating: All set here. Ready when you are.

07:17

(Meta - not sure whether I should be waiting for a flag to go hop in her thread or what)

(we can move into hers, so the parts are bought to make the mod, but they're going to be installed during travel downtime if you choose to use it for that)

(gotcha)

(Making one last-minute buy before we ship out, sorry :P)

Drone:
- Frame (Ghostwalker) - 3000
-- Sensor Transparency (included w/ Frame) - 0
-- Observation Suite - 250
-- Grav Muffles - 2000

Total: 5250 credits

Advanced to Level 7

Focus: Henchkeeper, Level 1
 - 3SP towards Lead: Lead -1 -> Lead 1

New HP roll: 26 (total: 32 -> 33)

4 SP to spend:
 - Shoot-0 -> Shoot-1 (2SP)
 - Trade-0 -> Trade-1 (2SP)

(edited)

1

(Oh, and as long as I'm thinking on the track of XP and related things: can I consider "Find out What the Heck is on Polychrome (3XP)" and maybe "Find a Reliable Assistant (3XP)" completed? Not sure if it's too early to call that second one or not)

(they're both complete)

(Cool, thanks. Added a couple new goals too, when you've got the time.)

(as promised, big fat blocks of narrative incoming) Stepping off the Wings was a strange sensation. Had spent so much time on that ship that it was starting to feel more homey than the Starhab ever did. Even if it did have that silly bubble at the front and kinda looked like a flying beetle, there was a charm and a comfort to that craft that Natalia knew she'd miss. But then it was back into the crowds and hallways of the bustling spaceport. Surprised Natalia to find it didn't feel so bad anymore. Sure, it was unnerving – crowds sucked – but it was manageable. Space made everyone small, when you got down to it. But the crushing sense of being lost in the masses was gone, she knew better what she was and what she wasn't. Even if she didn't much like the thing she was – an awkward mess, a murderer, and something of a coward – there was certainty in it, and certainty helped. Once she'd set Lan up with a map of the starhab, a couple recommendations on places to check out, and an upfront bonus to help her buy whatever she wanted to pack for when they shipped out, Natalia headed down through the corridors to the storage hangar she'd had the old warbot moved to. Lights flicked on, the rack of tools she'd requisitioned for the job tucked away in one corner. Wasn't about to do the whole project here, nor do it herself, but the prepwork was going to be hers. “Shame we never got to talk to you,” she mumbled to herself as she got the cutters fired up. “Bet you were probably intelligent, weren't ya? A killing machine, sure, but a smart one.” Natalia set the cutter against an exposed joint, and pulled a mask down over her face. “Well. Let's see if you can't do something better in death than you did in life, hm? Swords to plowshares.”