In reply to The Watcher (msg # 709):
Team Topside
Roger, Xander, and anyone else with mechanical knowhow get to work solving the Joss's various labor-intensive problems with a mechanical system powdered by steam, which is a technology they already use and accept for brewing. They decide to build the parts from natural materials to avoid any further scrutiny over "burning metal" and to make it easier to teach the Joss how to use and maintain the system in the future.
Team Chaser
Billy and Rebecca notice a small group of Talpid gathered near the outskirts of the underground glowcap mushroom fields, but do not bother to notify the Joss about it.
Instead, they manage to surreptitiously make a tentative contact with the mole-like creatures. The Talpid are somewhat suspicious of your actions, and keep a sharp lookout for the Joss lumbering around obliviously around the fields during your conversation. As such, they unwilling to speak at length before they scatter, but you do learn the following:
- They have no obvious weapons, but they do carry little sacks, so they are aware of tools
- They are aware of humans and have seen your kind before
- They, too, have a fear of and respect for "burning metal"
- They contest the Joss's claim of ownership over these caverns and their bounty, and thus do not view their gathering expeditions as raids/theft
- The ownership dispute also means they are currently unwilling to trade for the mushrooms
Nothing further of note happens in the caverns after the Talpid scatter, and you return topside having successfully prevented mushroom thefts for the day. A longer-term solution will still be needed, but it's certainly a promising start.
~~ END OF CHAPTER 13 ~~
Global Karma Breakdown
These affected everyone's totals equally. Individuals will gain bonuses and penalties beyond these, which will not be publicized. NOTE: Due to the hiatus, I will not be awarding individual karma this time around.
Baseline: +1000
- PLOT BONUSES (+500)
-- Cleared the Leireblomst facility
--- Endured Hitch's taunting videos
--- Gained passkey to Ceto's planetary cannon geofence system
-- Learned planetary history
--- Talpid and Joss are not native to Ceto, but imported labor races
-- Negotiated contract between StarBlazers and the Leireblomst Commandant droid, as below:
quote:
You propose a contract with the following parameters:
1) The passkey for power restoration
2) Delivery of to-be-itemized supplies at regular intervals and a to-be-negotiated price
3) Mutual technological development and culture exchange between the entity Starblazers and the entity Leireblomst, to be negotiated through intermediaries or in person
4) Blueprints and material requirements to create a facility such as this one, for a to-be-negotiated price
5) Full technical restoration of this and similar facilities, with help from Starblazer assets, for a to-be-negotiated price
The Leireblomst does not recognize, and is not beholden to, Consortium law.
StarBlazers INC does not represent any Consortium members. It is an ongoing endeavor to achieve Consortium recognition for the human race, but the Liereblomst are the first extraplanetary society we've encountered that do not claim affiliation with the Consortium. As part of our culture exchange, how and why they are outside of its influence would be of significant interest.
-- Learned about the Lords and Ladies of Leireblomst, as below:
quote:
"The Lords and Ladies came long ago," the Commandant begins. The image of the planet zooms out a bit further and begins to take on the qualities of a holographic video rather than a still frame. "The world was wild then, but the Liereblomst saw it for what it was: potential."
A trio of blocky starships enter the frame, breaking formation as they advance toward the planet and enter its orbit.
"Initial scans confirmed the lack of intelligent life despite the environment being capable of supporting it, and so the Liereblomst settled in to begin the process of observing and cataloging this world's native flora and fauna."
The starships adjust their orbit such that one orbits the equator in a wobbling band that takes it across diagonal latitudes to eventually pass over the entire planet. The other ships orbit at the poles.
"When the Liereblomst failed to find a suitable candidate to nurture toward sentience, as sometimes happens, the Lords and Ladies decided to resettle one of the many nomadic races that lack a homeworld of their own."
A flurry of alien headshots materialize and vanish, until it finally settles on an alien you've seen a few times throughout this facility's artwork and exhibits.
"Of these, the Liereblomst determined the climate and galactic neighborhood best suited a race called the Joss. They facilitated their relocation and created the building blocks needed for colonization."
Various Liereblomst ships can be seen coming and going, and many different settlements crop up on the planet's surface.
"But the Joss rejected the teachings of the Lords and Ladies. They withdrew from their cities, eschewed industrial activities, and consolidated their presence to a single vulnerable outpost."
The map zooms into a large mesa dotted with primitive buildings and cooking fires.
"The Lords and Ladies considered taking no further action, but worried that any extinction-level event would doom the race and the planet alike. And so they decided to bring in a second sentient species looking for a new homeworld—an industrious race that would not compete directly with the Joss for resources."
The alien headshots flurry around again, until they settle on another semi-familiar face.
"The Talpids. A subterranean race far more aggressive and energetic than the docile Joss. The Lords and Ladies built refineries, mines, and quarries to get them started, many of which were supervised by observers like the Adjutant. The Lords and Ladies were confident that both races would be the better for their cohabitation."
The overview of the planet is stripped away to show a variety of tunnels and underground cities.
"It was a rousing success, and the planet thrived. The Liereblomst invited other races to come work in the factories and mines and quarries, and see for themselves the richness of the world and the utility of its hardy inhabitants."
"When their presence was no longer needed, the Lords and Ladies took their leave, as they always do. Their ships return at regular intervals, during which they graciously receive a measure of the planet's production from its populace."
The holographic video ends with the Lierblomst logo and a lot of lens flare.
"This facility helps protect their investment from outside influence...or, it is meant to do so. The presence of the new colonizers—of your people—is not what they would have intended. Or desired."
"Each represents a homeless race, or did at the time the hologram was made. And they come once every 10 years," the Commandant says. It glances down at its chest cavity. "I do not seem to remember the last time they were here. My local archive has been...misplaced. I am not even certain of the current date."
-- Learned about Invictus (CoS/AoS) Personnel, as below:
quote:
The video opens in a sprawling area that looks more like a luxury hotel lobby than a dingy wing of a ramshackle ship. Arced staircases curve downward from the current floor to the one below, which consists of a wide open space filled with coffee tables, lounge chairs, pool tables, hologames, and more.
Wide double doors open to reveal a smattering of circular 8-top tables arranged such that most seats have a good view of a podium and viewscreen prominently placed on the wall opposite the doorway. There are a good hundred people in this room, some of whom are talking animatedly to each other and others who are idly tapping away at their personal tablets.
Soon enough a man approaches the podium and clears his throat. He's wearing a patch AND a uniform, and his voice carries with what you might consider supernatural volume.
"Settle, settle. Your attention, please!"
The din subsides, and he nods his approval.
"Jolly good. Now then, as you've no doubt surmised, this room contains the vast majority of Nadir's known augers -- those not currently on the security team or officers, that is. So take a good, long look around."
He waits, and it becomes clear he actually expects people to do this. The crowd complies half-heartedly, glancing around and rolling their eyes or trading high fives with friends.
"There are a few things I want you to be thinking about as you consider this room and the people within it. First, that each and every one of you has a special, irreplaceable role to play in the colonization process. And second, that no matter how special or irreplaceable your role might be, you are not peerless. So don't let the brand go to your heads."
The projection screen blazes to life, and shows a color-coded pie chart of some sort.
"There are 180 confirmed augers among the greater population. 180 out of 10,000. Your strength is humanity's strength, and your power, humanity's power. In the days and weeks to come, you will be instrumental in transforming this world into a home for us. And in the decades to come, your children, whether sired from 2 auger parents or merely the 1, will carry the genetic spark forward to the next generation. And to the one after that. Onward toward infinity."
"You will wear your Brand on your left sleeve at all times. You will also wear your team's badge on your right sleeve. Your lead will provide this for you. The leads will have different colored patches than their subordinates to further distinguish them."
The video advances to a pudgy man whose thinning hair looks odd on his cherubic features.
"For our team patch. We'll each submit a design and vote on our favorite. But!"
He holds up a finger.
"Before you dip your styluses into digital ink, we should go ahead and snuff out the burning curiosity. The question on everyone's lips: what, exactly, would you say you do here?"
He grins.
"It doesn't have to be your life story, though. We don't have all day. I'll begin. Like I said before, I'm Treve. Used to work in the engine room. And that's because..."
An arc of what appears to be liquid electricity courses from one arm to the other, leaping between his palms to form an exclamation point.
"...et voila! I can make, shape, and repel electricity. And I can sense it, too. Even biological electricity, like the sparks that make your brain work. Don't worry, though! I can't control THOSE."
***
"I'm Marcy. Marcy Adams. I'm a nurse," says a middle-aged woman with sharp green eyes and dull red hair. "I project warmth and heat. Sometimes, I can project light, too. Or set things on fire. But only sometimes."
She glances downward.
"It's really hard to do."
***
"Wren. I was a personal trainer and fitness instructor for the security force," says a women with small build and light brown hair died with frosted tips, worn at shoulder length with short bangs over her forehead. "I never get cold, and energy weapons bounce off my skin. I'm pretty good at shikake-waza kendo techniques, too."
***
"I can move mountains," says a dark-skinned man with long limbs and longer dreadlocks, as he flexes an arm in exaggeration fashion. "Well, maybe. I don't know, it's been years since I saw one! But rocks and stones tend to do what I ask them to do. They're very polite that way. I worked in the warehouse, and I'm SO GLAD to be outta there. My name is Gustaf."
The video ends.
"Treve's dead. Rock guy and medic are at Invictus. Oz and Wren are camped out with the Joss -- they're the ones who want off planet the most. Marcy's not the most adventurous person but she does get courageous when it counts. Gustaf's mind might still be mush. Been a minute since we caught up."
-- Collected biological and technological samples, as below:
quote:
Any biological waste products she can find
Food precursor materials (green goop)
Any samples of fuel for the facility
Books from the library, particularly reference materials, atlases, dictionaries, maps, etc... she would use one of the robots to help her distinguish which is which.
Bunch of Wasper Carcasses
The spider carcass
-- Learned of Roger's brush with the "spirit of Ceto"
--Learned more about ECEA, as below:
quote:
Per Ambassador Fu-Chi:
"During our first conference, Mr. Lasseur-Fische asked me about a U.N. program that lost its funding 30 years ago called the Extraterrestrial Colonization and Expansion Agency—the E.C.E.A.," Ambassador Fu-Chi says, steepling his fingers and looking in Xander's direction. "And now, you inquire about an international headache from around the same period? Curious."
He smiles tightly.
"It seems if we are to look to the future, we must first explore the past in more detail. Please make yourselves comfortable."
"As I told Mr. Lasseur-Fische previously, E.C.E.A. was the successor of the ancient SETI program. The charter for these initiatives has been passed from agency to agency in various forms, and it now rests with StarBlazers. You are the latest link of a chain of curiosity and exploration that goes back centuries."
The ambassador purses his lips slightly.
"The ECEA was dissolved after an embarrassing accident that claimed the lives of many during a routine personnel swap on Luna. Braeburn purchased the lion's share of the salvage, including what we later learned to be proprietary technological discoveries and advancements. The trouble with keeping so many secrets, you see, is having to remember where you put them before you assign salvage rights..."
Fu-Chi inclines his shoulders.
"Braeburn filed many patents not long afterward for components that would ultimately end up powering their iconic battlesuits. It would not be impossible to suppose they found alien technology in some crater beneath the Luna research station and incorporated it into their designs."
"All of this is information I have shared before. But, Mr. Lasseur-Fische, you may recall that after our last meeting I pledged to do some digging through records from that contemporary time period. Many were incomplete or redacted, but the word 'GOLIATH' is certainly present among those that survive. It was quite the scandal when it broke."
"You see, the Goliath Program combined experimental battlesuit technology with brand-new advancements to cryonics. In the early 2100s, a test pilot named Calvin Higgins volunteered to be shot to the moon and back again in a small pod that would keep him frozen until he arrived on the moon, thaw him out, wait for him to do a quick spacewalk, then freeze him again and bring him back home. It was to be a trial run for more important missions."
The ambassador presses a button, and a smattering of digital news stories and headlines are projected into the room.
"As you can see, everything that could go wrong...did. The media started calling him Hitch in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the bad luck that seemed to follow him around. He ended up stranded on the dark side of the moon for about a week. When he finally did came back, he brought something with him: some interesting bits of metal and electronics he says he found up there."
"The ECEA ran some tests and found that these components were very efficient at providing and storing power. It had the makings of being the best battery on Earth at the time. It could have revolutionized hundreds of industries and given our space program a jolt into the future."
"I say 'could have' because we haven't reached the scandalous part yet. Hitch convinced his superiors not to hand his find over to the research labs or the tech giants, insisting that E.C.E.A. help him build an exosuit around the thing and rigged cryonics around the chassis, too."
Fu-Chi pushes another button, and the headlines change to outrage.
"Eventually, Hitch stole the thing and vanished. His supervisors mentioned the man had been acting increasingly erratic in the days leading up to the theft. He'd talk about Goliath as if it had a mind of its own, and make jokes about going to find his friends."
"Officially, the ECEA's conclusion was that Hitch and Goliath were both destroyed shortly after attempting to leave Earth's orbit. It was never designed for that kind of travel, after all. Unofficially, however..."
Fu-Chi pushes yet another button, and a heavily redacted set of military orders is projected.
"The ECEA sent an agent named Oz on a retrieval mission to salvage what they could of the Goliath Project, as it was referred to internally. But when the scandal shuttered the agency, the UN lost track of both the pursuer and the prey."
The ambassador looks at Xander again.
"But what does all of this have to do with your recent journeys?"
Yardbird, due to his association with Oz, knows more pieces of the story than Fu-Chi does, as below:
quote:
"Hitch called the thing Goliath, but when he booted it up for the first time, he found that the battery system still had its old OS loaded up. The OS called itself Dike (pronounced as the Greek, "vhe-keh"), and Hitch swore it had a mind of its own. Artificial intelligence, even, maybe. But that was science fiction."
"Well, Hitch and I were the only ones who knew about it, aside from E.C.E.A's top brass, of course. And we kept it that way for a while. But then Hitch started acting a bit weird. Had the look of a man who'd seen things he shouldn't have seen. Kept saying that he needed to find Logos and Sophia, whoever they were. Said that Dike wouldn't stop talking about them. Said he wanted permission to take the cryonic system and Goliath and go look for them."
Oz shakes his head.
"Well, we ran that up and down the flagpole and were told to take Goliath apart so we could get that battery studied in a proper laboratory setting. Hitch took the news better than I expected -- he looked almost relieved, I thought -- and I figured that was that."
"The next morning I learned that Hitch, Goliath, and Dike were gone -- and so was the latest cryonics unit. The brass were furious. Told me they'd put a tracker on the mech overnight, pointed me to a shuttle, and told me to go bring 'em back without delay."
Oz sighs.
"If I'd have known that was the last time I'd be on Earth, I might have taken the time to tie up a few loose ends. Call my folks, arrange for someone to look after my dogs. But you know what they say about hindsight."
He clears his throat.
"Anyway, my ship wasn't faster than Goliath but I had way more supplies. I figured I'd catch him sooner or later, especially since Hitch seemed to be heading toward the inner solar system rather than the outer limits. There's only so close you can get to the sun before, y'know...problem solved."
"You can imagine my surprise when, somewhere between Venus and Mercury, his signal went totally dark. I ran the tracer program a hundred times, with the same results: a surge of energy, and then nothing. Solar flare, maybe? I relayed this back to the brass, but they wanted me to collected the wreckage and bring it back. So on I went. Only when I got to the spot where he vanished...I did, too."
Oz describes the jump ring procedure exactly as Roger remembers it himself.
"Once I was on the other side, the tracker picked back up. I started to wonder if maybe Hitch knew what he was talking about after all. Eventually I worked up the nerve to call him, and we've traveled together ever since."
His eyes narrow.
"Or we did, until Hitch locked me in this shithole fortress and absconded with my ship!"
-- Collected information about Project Goliath, as below:
quote:
Rebecca's actions put the dossier of information you've collected on Hitch, Goliath, Project Avatar, and Project Archon on display for all to read:
Hitch and Goliath are a human/mech pair associated with Braeburn's off-books ARCHON and AVATAR projects. You only know what they look like from distorted holograms.
Hitch appears to be a clean-shaven, dark skinned man with an athletic build.
Goliath appears to be a large mech with a bulky limbs and a sleek torso.
Relevant Archive & Crucible Entries
Regarding PROJECT AVATAR and PROJECT ARCHON, there were ultimately three versions of the experiments that met with any modicum of success.
The initial experiment placed one of the most stable AIs (Sophia) with the most fully-developed prototype of the Archon-class battlemechs (Abraxas), piloted by one of Braeburn's most talented pilots (Xander), whose service records indicate an almost preternatural ability to intuitively control machines on an almost subconscious level.
A follow-up experiment took place after Xander went AWOL, this one involving three names: Mithra, Logos, and Aletheia. Likely, these are the names of an AI, mech, and pilot. The Crucible lists their current status as DEPLOYED, with no further information available.
Further scouring reveals a third experiment, dated years prior to Xander's own. The names involved follow a different nomenclature and pattern entirely, and consist of just two identities: Calvin and Goliath. Their current status is listed as MIA.
Additional Crucible Entries
PROJECT AVATAR was a program that was meant to transfer consciousness from humans to machines and back again, even if the "back again" was to a different human, thus creating a measure of immortality.
An initial pool of volunteers was selected, each of whom had what were deemed to be exceptional minds locked within damaged bodies (terminal illness, advanced age, paralysis, etc.).
The "send it back" part did not work, and drove participants stark raving mad. The program was shut down as a result, but there was disagreement about what to do with the remaining minds that were mid-transfer when the program was terminated. Unable to return the minds to their host bodies without driving them mad, the decision was made to keep the minds in inorganic housing, essentially making them the most advanced "AI" at humanity's disposal.
When the initial attempts to restore minds to host bodies failed, that part of the project was put on hold indefinitely. Minds that had already been separated were kept apart from their bodies, leaving the latter in stasis. The files aren't clear on whether the ruined bodies were preserved for any particular reason.
The project was later revisited from a different angle, with the intent to meld the human consciousness with the processing power of an advanced AI. The idea was to create AI of unprecedented utility by marrying the creative thinking of the human mind with the logical framework and raw processing power of cutting edge artificial cognition.
This part of the project was overwhelmingly successful, with several candidates functioning far beyond all expected parameters. It is unclear how many human minds have been converted to AIs.
Project Archon, Phase I
Braeburn's top secret next-gen battlemech development program. Utilizing mysterious technology found at (redacted), hypothesized to be an example of (redacted), Braeburn's top scientists set about to create a brand new, highly experimental line of battlemechs with capabilities far outstripping anything before developed.
While successful, results were highly unpredictable, with prototypes displaying a range of behaviors and quirks that stymied engineer teams. Development reports are rife with instances of prototypes acting of their own volition, despite lockdown commands, as well as manifestation of abilities entirely unimplemented on their chassis.
Due to this instability, the battlemechs were deemed unsuitable for full-scale deployment, though development continued, in large part to continue testing the unexpected and un-directed adaptability of the chassis. If only they could find a means of controlling them...
Project Archon, Phase II
To that end, one of Braeburn's top executives had the idea to apply one of the successfully developed and currently idle advanced AIs produced from the defunct Project Avatar to attempt to control the Project Archon battlesuits.
The initial experiment placed one of the most stable AIs (Sophia) with the most fully-developed prototype of the Archon-class battlemechs (Abraxas), piloted by one of Braeburn's most talented pilots (Xander), whose service records indicate an almost preternatural ability to intuitively control machines on an almost subconscious level.
Though Xander turned traitor and absconded with Abraxas and Sophia, development presumably continues to this day.
-- Learned about Roger's experience with the local species:
quote:
"Right, aliens!"
"Uh the uh, Joss. They're uh - big! Real big. One leg. Let's see, they were maybe birds at one point, maybe. Or at least more birdlike than they are now. Primitive technology, they live off in a mesa-plateau kinda setup with levers and pulleys to get up and down. Super egalitarian society. Rotating responsibilities. They like things as they are. Didn't really find much of a groove with them, but they're cool dudes. Little traditional for my tastes, but then again I like the ability to change stuff on the fly, so there's that. They do kick you out if you don't believe what they believe, though."
"Now Talpids, those are your mole people. Heavy digging claws, a hearty appetite for glowcaps -- those are a kind of bioluminescent mushroom -- and the ability to puke in self-defense. I'm not making this up. Anyway, they live in a deep underground society, different burrows. Highly stratified. There's a whole layers of dirt analogy I could go into but... Anyway, Talpids in the slums revolted against the ones in the palace. I quelled it with a really strong water gun and help from a few friends. The leader, the Great Down Dweller, got voted out then replaced and exiled by an asshat named Ponce, but that's democracy for you. At least nobody had to die."
He takes a deep breath.
"And I should mention that the planet is sentient. I don't know if you want to count Ceto as a separate alien or the sum of all aliens. That's probably a question for a zoologist."
-- Met the Joss
-- Met the Joss leaders, the Architects, as below:
quote:
The Architects mumbles and chat with each other for a good while after this, until finally they quiet down.
"We propose a test," one of the Architects says. "The least desirable jobs are Mixer, who must convert waste into fertilizer; Cranker, who must operate the lift systems throughout the village; Chaser, who must clear the depths of pests; and Fuller, who must process and cleanse the textiles we use for other purposes."
"If you can devise a way for these tasks to become more pleasant, without the introduction of burning metal, without beholding us to your expertise for maintenance, and without allowing the populace to become too idle from lack of replacement tasks, we would be willing to reimburse you with such supplies as are deemed adequate."
The corded Joss bows toward the Architects and turns toward you.
"If we are agreed, we will work out the details together and leave the Architects to speak with the next petitioner...are we agreed?"
-- Met the Talpids
-- Found detailed Leireblomst map of the planet Ceto
-- Dispatched Kayla and lots of NPC ships to collect your flagship and bring it to Ceto
- PLOT PENALTIES
-- Due to the hiatus, there will be no penalties
---- TOTAL PENALTIES 0
Adjusted Baseline: 1500
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:58, Fri 30 Sept 2022.
