rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8

The ninth month has come. The Mobile Fabricator Base has been completed, and is ready (with its intrepid crew of Loyalists and citizens of Dreamwood) to set down to mine and construct whatever you wish. The Frigate, Lance of Hretmar, should be completely certified in the next week or so, and is fully crewed as well, with pilots for its small craft and a relatively light (28) complement of marines. It has been assumed by all that you would like to be on the bridge during first launch, and your command chair (now comfortable enough to charm a demon, courtesy of Primary) is ready and waiting.

A joint research arrangement is being hammered into being between Dreamwood and the government's Institutions, primarily focused around aircraft. The political situation (the Institutions being mostly Patrician) has filled the proceedings with paranoia, but the prospect of an exchange of knowledge is too much for anyone on the 'other side' to pass up. Back at home, the plans to incorporate your willing allies into the County are surging ahead, with your capable diplomatic and legal teams working to ensure that each ally's unique situation is dealt with in the best manner possible.

Patrician resistance to Dreamwood's maneuvering is increasing, restrained in part by the total disinterest of the high nobles, who have been strangely quiet for the past months. The surveillance devices implanted in the gifts you gave them have performed well, capturing brief moments of discussion and the fringes of grand conspiracy, but your targets have been much more careful than you'd hoped. At least they appear to remain in the dark about some topics, such as the steady rotation of all of your trusted militia members through the Fleet Bases for 'encounter training'.

rolled 4, 5, 5 = 14

Dreamwood's government is now working more closely with the Loyalists to sway those on the fence back over to the Lord's side. Canderous, working with Loyalist mages to establish a tactical plan for dealing with the Frost Demon and its stolen city, has identified numerous holes in your defenses. In particular, there is the complete lack of anti-air cover not provided by your own fleet elements or ground emplacements in Perin. Seeing as you have no idea where Main will show up on deadline, a less-centralized defensive arrangement would be desirable.

Your current location, the near-center of the Wildlands, is unchanged. You have fired off inquiries to druids in your employ, gathering their opinions on this massive area of overgrown vegetation. What you've seen so far is that the Wildlands are a place of reverence to most; a representative of the will of nature. Few suspect that the place is unnatural in origin, despite the prevailing theory that it resulted from a failed terraforming attempt, much like the successful one that produced the flat, heavily forested land occupied by Perin. Samples of the life here are being collected for study, to combine with those from the fringes that flow back with the materials used by your printing industry.

Headlines: “Military Buildup Continues, Forusian Pacification Ensured,” “Region to Unite: Allies Convene For Conference,” “Victory Over Ignorance: Minister Says Education Top Priority,” “Engine Prototypes Examined by Experts and Buyers,” “Peacekeepers Adopt Lantern Motif, Stricter Internal Codes.”

FROST GIANTESS QUEST, YEAH

It looks like this shitty fetish quest has finally worn out its welcome.

>>11872763
Prepare the Star Trek series for distribution, either as a series of serials, or as quick plays.
Also put together a workgroup of engineers, technicians, and mages that will specialize in special effects for our productions. We will call this group "Industrial Science and Sorcery".
One of the goals should be to be able to put on an opera of Star Trek 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvR2Fr0ImE
Also, to give Star Wars the proper scale, such as the opening scene with the blockade runner and then the Imperial Star Destroyer coming in, showing the sheer scale of the SD's. Then we could have the Empire Strikes Back scene introducing the Super Star Destroyer have the true impact that it needs. Of how until that moment, the Star Destroyer was viewed as this immense vessel, dwarfing anything in the Rebel Fleet. To see an entire group of them..but wait...what's that shadow..? Then BAM! The Super Star Destroyer, Executor!
Not to mention some good lightsaber duels.

>>11872888
That brings up something: With our magic, can we make lightsabers? Or some close-combat knives? Can we go all CQC with a knife and pistol, like Snake? And our eyepatch could be a magical image enhancement and HUD thing.

As much as I wish to capture K11 and K25, I believe we need to consider consolidating our power for now. Perin is barreling toward civil war, and spending our time away from Dreamwood may be detrimental to our political and social position when the civil war hits.
Can anyone think of a Kharok Facility that could hold a technology we can use against the Frost Demon that can be applied within a month and a half? That's about how much time we have left. All of the installations contain valuable knowledge and technology that could all be used eventually to our advantage, but we must consider that we are under a very tight schedule, and we most likely do not have the time to weaponize the research; it must already be a weapon.

>>11872872
Oh you.

>>11872899
>>fa/tg/uy transformed into a female giant
>>said fa/tg/uy marries a man
>>not fetish fuel

Oh you, yourself.

>>11872763
You used my silly Lantern corp idea?
Thanks!

>>11872763
>Your current location, the near-center of the Wildlands, is unchanged.
Make sure that we make detailed records and photographs, if possible, of the Automated Terraformer, and then seal the records and keep them close so that it doesn't leak to the Patricians.
Once we give the scientists about a week here, let's head back to Dreamwood.
We can then strike up a secure conversation with the reasonable druid that we know, and ask for advice on how the information concerning the true nature of the Wildlands should be handled.

>>11872914
I wish we had married Kel already, but, unfortunately it hasn't happened.

Yet.

>>11872763
>Seeing as you have no idea where Main will show up on deadline, a less-centralized defensive arrangement would be desirable.
Do the Fleet Commands have designs for light, fast, mobile anti-air battery vehicles? If so, we should review them for possible deployment.

>>11872898
K23 was working on advanced golem designs and non-AI computing. This may be useful in the creation of heavy assault golems for infantry support use. Especially if they can be designed with non-integrated communication systems, and are smarter than regular golems. My fear is that if we send in any golem support units before we've been able to successfully suborn Main, then they may be compromised.
With non-integrated communications, an AI cannot hack a golem without having physical access. Also having heavy assault support golems would be useful for when the civil war erupts.

rolled 6, 4, 1 = 11

>>11872888
Prepared. Like Star Wars, it is becoming a franchise in itself, though it is obviously not to the level it was on Earth.

Workgroup formed and tasked. The availability of magic makes their job quite a bit easier than it would be on your own world. Since films cannot yet be made, the next best thing would be theater productions 'enhanced' by real-time special effects, which I assume is what you're suggesting.

>>11872893
Yes, a lightsaber or something similar can be made. Certain artifacts that resemble them already exist, such as the ice sword-generating grip you acquired a while back. You can do whatever you want as far as your own equipment and fighting style is concerned, but adopting an eyepatch would be odd, no matter what its function.

>>11872931
I try to use most suggestions when possible.

>>11872755
>It has been assumed by all that you would like to be on the bridge during first launch
K23 is located close by to FB3. Let's schedule a week to go out there 2 weeks after we get back to Dreamwood, take the 'Lance' out on a shakedown cruise, and then secure K23.
Standard Heavy Incursion Protocol for K23. Considering that it was working on advanced golem designs, there's a good chance that we'll have another K14 on our hands.

>>11873008
>next best thing would be theater productions 'enhanced' by real-time special effects, which I assume is what you're suggesting
Yes, that is correct.

I believe a lightsaber or similar weapon should be considered for use against the Frost Demon.

rolled 2, 1, 5 = 8

>>11872932
Confirmed.

You could depart on your own transport and leave your escort or the dropships to ferry the team, if you'd like to leave sooner.

>>11872963
Yes, plenty. Since energy weapons are often quite massive and magnetic launch technology is not very advanced, lighter, faster vehicles are restricted to missiles and standard ballistic weapons if they want anything approaching respectable firepower. The Ivron-Class Mobile Missile Launcher, the Fierus-Class Anti-Aircraft Mobile Gun, or the Acrize-Class Anti-Aircraft Artillery Vehicle would all fit the profile, and are faster than the Mobile Gun design you're currently building. If you would like specifics, or to design your own unique vehicle, it can be arranged.

>>11873051
what's up with K23 ?

>>11873066
ask the FB if they got any flame/heat based portable weapon

how is the difference engine going btw.

>>11873099
>what's up with K23
See >>11872990
Possible Terminators.

>>11873115
>how is the difference engine going btw.
Since we asked Primary for a complete schematic of it's version of a mechanical computer, we could build one in 2 weeks.
Last thread we decided to delay completion by 2 months in order to prevent undue suspicion that we've been extracting technology from the KF's without authorization.

>>11873098
>The Ivron-Class Mobile Missile Launcher, the Fierus-Class Anti-Aircraft Mobile Gun, or the Acrize-Class Anti-Aircraft Artillery Vehicle would all fit the profile
Can we build 30 of each type, in addition to our current order of 30 Mobile Guns?
Also include transport shuttles that can move these vehicles into position very quickly.

rolled 1, 4, 4 = 9

>>11873051
Scheduled. EMP and anti-magic devices will be made available.

>>11873066
Such a weapon could be fitted to either your own personal Close-Combat Armor, the Welltall-2, or both, if you'd like, as well as for actual personal use. Be aware that the implement will be vulnerable to anti-magic fields.

>>11873115
Yes, they have plenty of those. From genuine flamethrowers to incendiary grenades to something like a microwave gun. All with warnings all over their schematics, due to the vulnerability of Frost Giants to fire. They're less developed than weapons using cold or ice, for obvious reasons.

The difference engine's timetable has been slowed to avoid suspicion. It will be complete within two months.

>>11873152
>something like a microwave gun
"Canderous, could you and the mages run a tactical simulation of using this microwave weapon against the Frost Demon? There's not much data to work with, I know, but I need to know if any mundane weaponry will even slow down the fucker, let alone burst him into..a million shards...
Hey, do you have any sonic weapons that could resonate at the frequency to shatter ice?"

inb4 the frost demon gets instapwned by all our weaponry

inb4 the frost demon comes in peace

>>11873184
First of all, it wasn't even fazed by being in the goddamn mantle of the planet.
Second, it killed us, and didn't particularly seem to be bothered by it.

>>11873196
I say we should make him eat nukes
lots of nukes

>>11873217
make him eat nukes as if they were corn flakes and plasma lances were milk and it was breakfast

>>11873152
>Such a weapon could be fitted to either your own personal Close-Combat Armor, the Welltall-2, or both, if you'd like, as well as for actual personal use.
Have a set built for both the Assault Suit, and for Welltall-2. Also a third set built for us, for personal use. A lightsaber, and two close-combat beam knives.

>>11873217
>>11873228
The security locks preventing the Fleet Bases from constructing nukes are held by Kharok Main.
Also, the only nuke that we can build right now is a primitive gun-type uranium device, which we haven't even tested yet.
It took us quite some effort to get enough uranium to build this one test device.

rolled 4, 3, 4 = 11

>>11873149
Possibly. The Fleet Bases are shifting over to the construction of autonomous decoys and 'waves upon waves of drones' that you ordered as their other projects are completed. Fitting those guns into the production schedule will be difficult to accomplish without affecting everything else. As always, the bottleneck is in the fabricators, and complex circuitry taxes them.

>>11873182
"Oh, sure, let me just pull some numbers out of my massive electronic ass. You want to cook something really, really well, this'll do it, but demons don't follow all the rules. Primary hasn't got a whole hell of a lot on this, but his data's much more complete than anything I can seem to find in this fucking mess. Still, crap shoot at best. Might work, might not. In general, heat's a good weapon against ice creatures. Big surprise there, eh? But I can't know for sure what kind of defenses the target's likely to put up. 'Less you want to catch me a nice, pissed-off magical frost bird to test things on."

"Ha! I can shatter a glacier at 300 klicks to the tune of a mouse squeak. Hell yes we've got sonics. Problems are focusing and power consumption, not to mention wear on the projectors. Make it a one-shot unless you can set up a resonance through multiple arrays. Fancy way of saying hit the bastard at a dozen angles and wait for him to shake into bits. Think you could use it?"

>>11873278
"Worth a try"

We should go to K9 and ask some FG if they'd like to help us fighting the frost demon and equip them with giant powersuits

rolled 2, 3, 6 = 11

>>11873246
As ordered.

>>11873295
"You got it. I'll load some of this ridiculous equipment onto a bunch of drones and work out a test or two. Bonus: You can use it to rock. Or make head-burstingly loud speeches if that's your thing. Way these Pats strut around like they own my corridors, I think I could stand to see them scream a little."

>>11873278
>Make it a one-shot unless you can set up a resonance through multiple arrays. Fancy way of saying hit the bastard at a dozen angles and wait for him to shake into bits. Think you could use it?
"Oh Hell yeah! Even if it's not enough to take out the Frost Demon, I'm sure I can think of some uses for it.
"So, a one-shot sonic grenade to find the resonance frequency we need, and a whole mess of projectors for an array. Maybe even mount'em on some small flight-capable drones or tracked vehicles. Can you make some human-portable ones, too?"

As for the production of the anti-air assets, construct them and scale back fighter drone production if necessary. The fighter drones were going to do aerial supremacy work anyway, and the AA guns can take up the slack.

>>11873319
I am against this. We don't know the loyalties of these Frost Giants, and we don't want to rush giving them access or experience with advanced magitechnology.

>>11873331
Let's collect up the detailed information on the Terraformer and get back to Dreamwood to talk with our druid friend.
I vote to stay here for the week before going back, because we should be here in case the druids find the terraformer on their own, and due to a crisis of faith, attempt to damage it.

>>11873348
well then some humans
we should get some of the BEST and TRUSTED fighters we can get our hands on and ask them what manner of giant robotic suit would be most suited to their fighting style

>>11873399
But we're ALREADY doing that!
What did you think the Marines were?
Troops loyal to the High Lord and the Prince, as well as some of our militia, have been training in Giant powered armor for the past several months.
Their express purpose is to fight the Frost Demon and its army.

rolled 3, 2, 4 = 9

>>11873335
"I'll get it moving, then. You don't need a grenade, but I like your style. Vehicle mounts are the best, and after that, battle armor. No offense to your men, but they're too weak to manage this stuff on their own. Call it a couple of guys lugging around a light projector, 4, maybe 5, maybe less if they trained with heavy weapons. Now, if you put em' on golems, or fixed em' to hover platforms, that might work better. Anything man-portable is going to be like a slingshot compared to the power the real deal throws around."

Confirmed. Anti-air vehicle production will take up what's spared from fighter construction.

>>11873386
You'll stay for a week unless anyone objects.

>>11873399
You are already doing this, except for the part about specially-tailored armor. All suits are standard, though of course most of their weapons and equipment can be swapped out.

>>11873480
> Now, if you put em' on golems, or fixed em' to hover platforms, that might work better.
Oh god, Noise Golems!

"Yeah, that sounds good. Gimme two squads of the Noise Golems, and a three platoons of Sonic Hover Drones.
"Ten golems and 12 drones in all, unless you get some spare fabricator time to make some more."

rolled 2, 5, 6 = 13

For a solid week you maintain position, sticking with the team as they work, supplemented by the intelligences and their link to the terraforming machine. In a short time, a small excavation reveals the supports sunk into the ground, like metallic roots stretching out from the central 'trunk', just below the surface. They emit a faint magical energy, nothing compared to that emanating from the terraformer itself, but prominent nonetheless. A more intensive probe finds the large capacitors buried within the stone pillars, storing and releasing energy in a cycle that has continued unabated for centuries.

By the end of the week, you've thoroughly examined the terraformer and its associated equipment, finding the scattered, buried remnants of a metal casing, degraded hover engines, and what look to be booster rockets. From the schematics reconstructed by the intelligences, it appears that this machine is meant to be dropped from the air, and is shaped specifically to embed itself in the ground. Where the capacitors come from is anyone's guess, but it's a safe bet they were added after drop. Primary, working feverishly, creates a load of control programs to replace what's currently running inside the terraformer, but taking those out would have unknown consequences.

The ride back to Dreamwood is, once again, uneventful. Your scheduled meeting with the 'reasonable' druid goes ahead as planned, and you carefully seek his opinion on the Wildlands and whatever its source may be. He thinks that it holds no more significance than a particularly large tree; whether it is natural or was tampered with at some point is irrelevant, it simply is, that's all. Anyone seeing it as holy speaks baloney. He knows holy sites and has seen them, visited them, communed with the spirits there. The Wildlands are no more spiritually active than the patch of grass outside your Manor. It's just a big jungle, nothing more.

>>11873480
Once we get back to Dreamwood, let's set up a meeting with the reasonable druid that we know, and set in motion preparations to secure K23. Schedule a week to be out there, so we can secure the facility and test-fly the Lance of Hretmar. It'll probably also make the lives of our schedulers easier, by actually telling them for how long to black out dates on our schedule.

rolled 3, 6, 1 = 10

>>11873534
Enqueued.

"If that's all you want, it'll barely be a blip on my manifest. Personally, I'd go with maybe three times that, just for a couple of tests. It's your show, though."

>>11873683
Already scheduled. As you approach the deadline, it would be a good idea to switch to using the stealth shuttles for primary transport; Zeppelins are quite slow.

>>11873670
I would suggest releasing the information concerning the secret of the Wildlands to this druid, then. Make sure to let him know to be careful on how he releases the information, if he decides to at all.
"Religious matters, and articles of faith, are always touchy subjects. At least you here have the advantage of actually speaking with your gods and spirits to check on matters of propriety and conduct; my homeland had no such advantage. Tens of thousands have perished over the centuries, wars fought over what some would consider minute differences in faith.
"I can only urge caution in this matter."

Then prepare to go to K23.

>>11873714
>it'll barely be a blip on my manifest. Personally, I'd go with maybe three times that
"If you've got the fabricator time and the yard space, quadruple the order.
"Better to have an overkill factor of ten, than not enough ordinance to do the job."

>>11873754
>enough ordinance to do the job
Woops, should have been "ordnance".
We're talking explosives, not laws.

rolled 1, 6, 5 = 12

>>11873735
You tell the druid of the terraforming machine you found, and roughly what it's supposed to do. It's been assumed that it's the reason for the Wildlands being what they are, and the druid is willing to accept that. He decides quickly that telling any but your inner circle about this is a bad idea. The druids, as a group, are not all that prominent or numerous, and they often escape notice because they tend to live in their own little communities or are just such a common part of the population, like priests or blacksmiths, that everyone expects to see them. In fact, due to their kinship with spirits and skill with certain magic (most are not casters, or even attuned, but they don't need to be), they can be incredibly dangerous foes. An internal conflict, especially one motivated by faith and during a time of political crisis, would be disastrous.

“This advantage has not prevented us from killing each other. In some ways, our own world is worse off in this respect. If I understand correctly, your world has no interfering deities. Here, a god can not only command his followers to torture and kill, he can do so himself, and aid his priests with terrible and powerful magic. Not to mention that the planet itself has a will of its own, and power far greater than any god I know. We are no strangers to war.”

“I will urge caution right back. This is not the time to be revealing such dangerous secrets.”

Preparations complete. You may leave at any time. A shuttle can link up with you in the wasteland, if needed.

rolled 6, 4, 5 = 15

>>11873754
"Done, done, and done. Better you have it and not need it, right? I thought so."

>>11873855
>Preparations complete. You may leave at any time. A shuttle can link up with you in the wasteland, if needed.
Alright, let's make sure that there's no pressing social business right now, and get on the zeppelins. Have a stealth shuttle meet us at K23 so that we can go immediately from there to FB3 to be on the Lance's bridge when it takes off.
If we have time, we can secure another facility on the way back, such as K20 for its advanced sensors and power supplies.

Keep the secrets of the Wildlands classified.

Let's lift off within 2 days.

rolled 2, 4, 2 = 8

>>11873929
Very well then. Proceeding to departure.

>>11873855
>He decides quickly that telling any but your inner circle about this is a bad idea.

Oh good. What do we tell the Nobles, that it was a just a simple destress beacon or something? We did ask if we could take some security drones with us to check out the area.


>K4 studied fission, fusion, and radioactive materials.
Did we ever check out K4? Because Fusion tech could seriously bump up the power of some of out rech.

>>11874036
We didn't tell the High Nobles about the distress beacon. This was, on the outside, purely a scientific expedition to find out why the flora here grows so quickly for possible industrial applications.

As for F4, Matmer has a fucking huge metropolis built on top of it. That's one of the reasons why we gave it up to the High Nobles so easily.

rolled 5, 1, 2 = 8

Over the next few hours you assess the status of Dreamwood, sign a few papers, log a few orders, and generally catch up on some of those administrative duties you've been avoiding. Your druid acquaintance is all too happy to provide you with his thoughts on current events, always from the most neutral perspective he can manage. His own opinion is that this entire crisis can be resolved with a simple compromise, but neither side is actually willing to give anything up. And thus you get the impending war. You doubt that the Lord and, especially, the Prince, would risk a civil war if they could prevent it, but you have no reservations about the high nobles' motives.

On the flight to Kharok 23 you find yourself brimming with anticipation. The Frigate's been under construction for long enough that launch day always seemed like it would never come. But it has, and its first flight will mark something incredibly important. It will be the moment that you truly commit yourself.

A veritable army of drones awaits your arrival as the Zeppelin touches down at the ruins above K23. Routine sets in and a shaft is opened, leaving the heavy golems to go in first, with FC keeping watch over all. Within, they see a damaged console, missing its command cylinder, and the three common hallways, all with their doors ripped away or blasted through. To the left and right, maintenance and storage areas lie dark, grimy and completely without power. Inside the installation proper, there is no light beyond that provided by the golems, and no sign that there is anything other than dirt and damaged machinery in the immediate area. Moreover, there are no signals, and the only power readings indicate plants on standby.

Orders?

>>11874036
>We did ask if we could take some security drones with us to check out the area.
We asked for that because we didn't know if there were any dangerous predators or mega-fauna we would have to deal with. The security golems would have been drawn from K5 and K9.

>>11874094
Put the command cylinder back into the console to see if we can get a map to Central Command, in case the layout is different from other KF's.
If not, begin sending squads of golems and militia to Geothermal and the power plants to secure them while we make our way to Central Command to sit in the interface chair.

rolled 2, 5, 3 = 10

>>11874126
Seeing no cylinders around, you use one of the anti-viral models provided by FC, inscribing the usual symbols on it. Once you close the panel, the console's circuitry lights up, but the display only flickers. A moment later, the machine dies completely.

Squads begin moving in, lights blazing, following the standard maps to the power centers. Just as always, you head toward the center of the installation, finding the journey much longer than you're used to, since the transit systems don't have power. When you're halfway to Central Command, you receive a message from the team sent to secure the fifth powerplant. Blast doors have sealed every entrance; the commander's asking for permission to cut his way in.

>>11874196
>Blast doors have sealed every entrance; the commander's asking for permission to cut his way in.
"Request granted. Be careful, though. This was a golem research lab; some of them might still be active and hostile."

Have we seen any disabled golems or drones along the way?

rolled 1, 2, 1 = 4

>>11874249
"Yes, Ma'am. We'll be careful." The sound of a cutting torch igniting accompanies the sign-off noise on the portable comm.

You have seen no sign of golems or drones beyond the rooms and alcoves where they are stored. There are notably less of them there than there should be, and most are damaged in some way. Outside of those areas, there is nothing but the odd bit of machinery or a discarded part, sometimes buried in the rubble of a collapsed ceiling, or something similar. This installation is in very poor repair.

>>11874285
Send two squads from the zeppelin to try to find where the golems have gone to.
If any more of our Heavy Security golems are still top side, have one of the FC's bring them in and start exploring the facility.

We will continue to go to Central Command and the squads are to secure the powerplants and Geothermal.

>>11874285
go to centcom

rolled 3, 4, 4 = 11

Heading on, you pass numerous examples of what can go wrong when there's nothing around to perform repairs. FC notes that the immediate area sports seismic instabilities, which is one reason why so much of the installation is collapsing, caving in, or has small streams of seeping water running through it. At least, from the sound of things, the power systems are better off. To an extent, they are built to take some punishment, so you aren't that surprised. With FC's all-too-welcome assistance, the various teams get plants two, three, and five back up and running quickly enough. The lights in the sections you're moving through come up sometime later as the intelligence helpfully re-routes damaged systems.

The two squads you ordered in search unsuccessfully for the remainder of this installation's complement of golems, finding only empty space and corroded parts. A sergeant helpfully suggests that they were fed to the fabricators or just destroyed in battle, but that leaves the question of what they were fighting. So far, you have seen no bones and barely any blood at all, but the installation's collapsing walls could possibly have let certain creatures in that would explain that lack. Still, they would leave some evidence themselves. It's a conundrum.

Central Command has not escaped decay. Its looming circuit pillar leans slightly to one side, and frayed power conduits dangle from the ceiling. Below you, Guardian isn't any better off. Upwards of 90% of its command cylinders are missing, and there's no immediate way to replace them. Fortunately, Central has power, so the interface chair, undamaged as it is, sits ready.

Proceeding on the assumption you'll use it.

>>11874453
Sit in the chair.

rolled 3, 1, 5 = 9

That well-expected little jolt runs up your spine as you take your seat, and the consoles around you begin their boot routine, pausing every couple of seconds to display error messages. In the end, they complete it, and the only working holoprojector you can see starts up, flashing a flickering, angry red fault marker in the air. Moments later, the core starts to light up, its circuits activating in sequence. On either side of you, two small, rectangular casings emerge from recessed housings in the floor. Within their clear plastic surface, you see rows upon rows of golden disks just beginning to spin.

The display directly in front of you wipes, replacing its menu with a system message in odd-looking text.

“Anti-magic field detonation confirmed: 00-80 Block 7. System damaged. Backups engaged. Command not available. Guardian not available. Recovery initiated.”

FC's voice filters through your comm. “Communications just went up. I've got golem activations. At least six of them, only here and in Guardian's chamber. Nothing else, I guess. You want me to search the system?”

>>11874591
"yeah quickly look up for any programmed anti magical warheads that might blow up and disable them"

>>11874591
"Yeah, search the system. See if you can't get control of those golems; I don't want them uncontrolled.
"Also, what's the prognosis on recovery? Can the self-repair system get Command and Guardian back online?"

>>11874616
>>11874627
Agreed with these.

>much like the successful one that produced the flat, heavily forested land occupied by Perin.
I've been meaning to ask about that. What was the timeline for Perin's terraforming? And was there a known cause? I vaguely remember something about it from towards the beginning of the quest when we were just getting into local history books.
>>11874077
>As for F4, Matmer has a fucking huge metropolis built on top of it. That's one of the reasons why we gave it up to the High Nobles so easily.
Right, watch they're sitting on top of a breeder reactor. Were there any other K sites that might have fusion tech?

Also on our Internal Combustion engines, are they spark ignition or compression ignition? (Gas or diesel)

rolled 5, 4, 5 = 14

>>11874616
"I don't see anything like that anywhere. But now that you mention it... Yeah, here in Block 7. All these circuits are out of commission. A spherical range about three hundred feet in diameter. Some signs of surges through the cables leading from there, all the way over to here. Blast damage, too. Pretty consistent with a detonation, just like this thing says."

>>11874627
"Searching. Boy, this is odd. I think I'll have to see what Primary thinks of it. It's not like any architecture I remember; almost totally non-magical. Anyway, the golems I can control just fine. They're fairly standard, with a little more shielding than usual. Can't get a real good read on the internals. As for self-repair, hang on-"

The first console beeps, and the display changes, showing another system message and a schematic you don't recognize.

"Unauthorized access 00-00 Central Command. Ejection commencing."

FC's voice returns. "Whoa! I'm getting security responses all across the comm line. There's stuff in here I've never seen before. Cyberwarfare programs coming into it. The system's trying to force me out, but I'm holding communications open. Getting a bit difficult. How does it even have this much power-"

The portable suddenly stops transmitting. The console's message changes.

"Ejection complete: Central Command. Unauthorized access 00-01 Central Communications. Removing infiltrators."

>>11874794
Fuck!
Is there any kind of menu command that we can manipulate?
Does it respond to any vocal commands?

"Everyone, get ready! Internal security is online and hostile! Repeat, internal security is hostile!"

>>11874794
God damn it, here we go again. Warn the other teams to expect incoming hostiles, shoot anything moving that's not us.

Try to establish communications with this computer system. We've got to regain control.

>>11874794
fffffuuuuu
put antiviral
radio the teams to blow up the radio masts
DO SOMETHING

>>11874794
TELL IT TO ACCEPT ANY INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM CENTRAL COMMAND FFS

>>11874840
>put antiviral
What the Hell? It's not a virus, it's an overeager security subroutine.
>radio the teams to blow up the radio masts
What the fuck?! We need the radio communications so that FC can get back into the system in order to get us control!

Stop panicking and acting like a fuckwit!

rolled 3, 6, 2 = 11

>>11874762
The history of it is disputed. A few sources say it took place over about a year, directed by a cabal of mages and supported by a coalition of gods. That would be about 14-1500 years ago. Others say it was instantaneous, requiring a burst of power from literally every mage in what is now Perin at the same time, and the gods were mostly uninvolved. 800 years ago, or, according to one source, 2100 years ago. The more you dig, the less you know for certain. It all seems shrouded in myth and legend, just like Perin's founding itself.

K12, with particle acceleration, might have seen fission or fusion research. Other than that, and the unknowns, nothing promising.

Either, but spark ignition is by far more common. Compression designs are still being refined, but a few do work.

>>11874854
We aren't even registered in the system, what good is that going to do?

We need to get control of this system first! We need to find out how we can get it to initiate emergency protocols and accept us as Administrator.

>>11874840
No not the radio masts. The other AI's should be able to push back into the system if they team up and brute force it, we just need to buy some time.

rolled 5, 1, 3 = 9

>>11874833
Yes, there are menus on the consoles not taken up by system messages. Security is the rather obvious selection, bringing up a cascade of some kind of computer code and a command prompt. The help function does nothing of the sort.

It does indeed respond to vocal command, in a monotone, artificial-sounding voice.

"Non-intelligent backup engaged following damage to primary system. Command authority not recognized."

To your radio message, your teams respond with confusion. They see no sign of hostility and no golems in any of their areas have become active. They are going on alert and readying to defend their positions.

>>11874836
Done.

You have established communications. The backup system does not recognize your authority and refuses to take your orders. Its favorite response is 'negative'. One of your escorts suggests that these nice arrangements of disks to your sides look important. And, more importantly, vulnerable to bullets.

>>11874840
Where would you like to put antiviral?

Consensus required for demolition order.

>>11874854
"Negative."

>>11874980
Are none of our ECCM golems or cyberware transceiver drones able to break through the interference being put up? Can the personal comms get through to FC, and can he take control of some golems in order to effect some repairs on Command?

>>11874980
>To your radio message, your teams respond with confusion. They see no sign of hostility and no golems in any of their areas have become active. They are going on alert and readying to defend their positions.
Well that's a nice change of pace, gives us time to patiently work the problem.

>The backup system does not recognize your authority and refuses to take your orders.
Can we ask who it would take orders from?
Start trying different possible ways of requesting acess to low security items or just anything that might not be protected.

>One of your escorts suggests that these nice arrangements of disks to your sides look important. And, more importantly, vulnerable to bullets.
As a last resort we could break the case and remove the hard drives then analyse what's on them later seperately.

rolled 4, 3, 1 = 8

>>11874881
This system appears to be the equivalent of emergency protocols. Given this installation's purpose, with non-AI computing as a primary focus, it stands to reason that this unit, using non-magical hardware, is designed to survive an anti-magic field.

>>11875018
The cyberwarfare drones are being targeted by the system. Their attempts to access communications are being met with security responses that block them. ECCM is of little use, since the issue is not radio interference, but software. After a bit of fiddling, you manage to get the portable comm to contact FC, though there is a lot of static.

"It's latched onto the comm. The inside's swimming with all these horrible little viral things and I might not have a lot of time. It's activated a couple of golems and they're moving in with repair orders. If Primary's right, once Command is running again the backup will shut off. So, just wait, I guess. Me and the others are writing some counters on-the-fly, so it may take a while-"

Communications cease again. A couple of repair golems, off a different design than most you've seen, stalk past you and start scanning the intelligence core, which is half-lit. Below, two more are reported to be scanning Guardian's own core.

>>11874980
"Computer, list emergency protocols relating to complete facility evacuation for later retrieval. Specify protocol; in the event of damage to primary systems and the activation of non-Intelligence backups, required procedures to recover facility."

>>11874980
"AI, why is accepting orders from central command a bad thing ? And what about negating me administrator one privileges, why is it wrong for you?"

>>11875114
Transmit to all militia squads:
"Internal security is hostile for now, but as soon as the self-repair systems get Command back up, we should be okay. Don't damage the repair golems. Do not fire first, understand?"

Wait in the command chair for the golems to begin repairing Command.

>>11875114
well I suppose let's just wait then, tell our troops to relax but keep a watchful eye on things

rolled 6, 4, 6 = 16

>>11875075
The system says it takes orders from the Administrator, or, failing that, a subordinate. Without internal sensors it can only authenticate by passcode. Unfortunately, you have no idea what the Administrator or anyone else would have used as a password.

You request access to steadily more mundane systems and finally get the infernal thing to let you see the help files. Those classify the thing as an experimental non-intelligent backup undergoing testing. The list of common errors linked to it is long and disconcerting.

>>11875118
"Reclamation requires command authority. Installation command may be confirmed by Administrator or subordinate through use of passcode."

>>11875127
"Command authority not recognized. Verification impossible."

>>11875217
>The list of common errors linked to it is long and disconcerting.
Do a quick search through the error log and see if the system will have any problems repairing Command or Guardian.
As soon as one of those is back online, they can disable this thing and get the repairs running properly.

>>11875143
Seconded.
>>11875240
Search through the error log while we're waiting.

>expect talubie
Well it's not 'expect trouble' so it cant be that bad.

rolled 6, 6, 1 = 13

>>11875143
"Understood, Countess. Defense only."

>>11875143
>>11875146
It takes a few minutes for the golems to finish their scans and begin actually working. Throughout the wait, they remain alone, with no others activating to help them. FC fades in and out before the portable comm finally shuts off, advising you to sit tight and be ready to evacuate.

>>11875240
In tests, the system tended to refuse to recognize commands until its objective, repair, was completed. In the one test where it couldn't repair either Command or Guardian, it experienced a fault and shut itself off, having to be reset by the testing crew. In every case where it could repair either core (which it had no trouble doing), everything was fine, and it handed over control as it was supposed to. Of course, that was under fairly ideal conditions compared to this.

After about twenty minutes of pulling apart core components and connecting the remains with cables, the golems suddenly stop working and stand at attention. About 75% of the core flickers and lights with a steady glow.

"Guardian unrecoverable," states the backup matter-of-factly, "Command repaired. Transferring."

A burst of data flows over the consoles, and FC's voice comes over the internal speakers.

"Great to be back! Hope you didn't get bored. Shoving the briefing package into the core now."

This version of Command speaks after a moment or two to process the new information. "Administrator One recognized. How may I be of service?"

I'm assuming you'd like all the standard bits, like purpose, project data, and logs.

>>11875323
yeah yeah all the standard stuff

do you have a messenger subproc ?

>>11875323
>I'm assuming you'd like all the standard bits, like purpose, project data, and logs.
Sure. Also let the team know that everything is well in hand now and commence repairs.

>>11875323
>I'm assuming you'd like all the standard bits, like purpose, project data, and logs.
Pretty much.
"Excellent, K23-Command. I was quite rather hoping to not have to write you off as a loss. A shame about Guardian, though. Talk with Primary of K19, see if you can't find some kind of workaround.
"As for your repair queue, here are your primary objectives:
1. Secure facility integrity.
2. Secure all computer systems.
3. Secure all power systems.
4. Implement Order 66-compatible internal defense systems."

>>11875323
>>11875360
>Also let the team know that everything is well in hand
Ah, right.
"Alright boys, stand down. This facility is secured. Bring in the research teams.
"Standard sweep throughout the facility, but watch out for unstable areas."

rolled 1, 2, 2 = 5

>>11875344
Yes, but I very rarely have time to use it. I haven't been on in a good long while.

>>11875360
Done. Resuming repairs.

>>11875361
"Order received. My core is heavily damaged and requires further repairs. Working."

Securing everything will take a while, due to the damage, but the presence of all those Fleet Base drones makes things a lot simpler. The defensive system will be built during repairs.

timeskip to recovery, tell us what do we find

>>11875399
So let's get a quick briefing on what this facility has to offer.
Then board a stealth shuttle to go to FB3 to be on the bridge for the Lance's maiden flight.
Then we need to test out the Assault Suit and Weltall-2 to get a little familiar with the controls, say about a day.

rolled 1, 2, 5 = 8

This installation was researching Non-AI computing, golems, and memory storage, which you already know. It was the source of many of the common system designs, like consoles, fabricator controls, and the like, that aren't intelligent as such. Its golems, though they don't look like much, are top-notch, at least on the inside. Individually, they are far more capable than others of the same class, with their own limited self-repair systems, courtesy of nanoscale engineering and cybernetics from K28 and K2, as well as much 'smarter' brains. Many designs not seen anywhere else were developed and tested here, like the tracked, sensor-laden submersible heavy scout. Schematics downloaded, where possible.

As far as memory storage, the installation is far ahead of the curve. Triple redundancies in the databases are the only reason its information is intact, and its data circuits show as much as a doubling in capacity for only a 20% increase in size. The vast majority of the installation's data is backed up by non-magical systems, plenty of which are no longer functional, but did, at least, survive the anti-magic field that disabled the intelligences and shut down the power plants.

From what you can tell, the facility was successfully evacuated, with about half the golems being removed and taken with the retreating personnel. They blasted their way out of several entrances after the power failure; they didn't have time to restore anything.

Primary has found a couple of computer concepts he didn't think of, and is looking at how this will affect research. In central bays are golems fit for immediate use, some of a security variety, others hovering scouts, and still others sporting hardware like miniature medical scanners or hullcutters. FC thinks the memory systems, in conjunction with what Primary's got, could be useful as auxiliaries on your ships and vehicles.

rolled 6, 5, 2 = 13

>>11875454
Proceeding, unless there are objections. The shuttle will take you straight in. Please tell me if you'd like to inform the high nobles about this installation.

>>11875508
Alright, let's hop on that stealth shuttle to FB3.

As for upgrading the systems, look into it. If it won't negatively affect our production schedule, upgrade the data circuits on our vehicles, vessels, drones, and golems.
Look at bringing along some of the golems, especially the ones with medical scanners to be used as medic golems for our front line forces, and the hullcutter ones for boarding operations against any ships that the Frost Demon might have constructed.

>>11875527
We need to string them along as much as we can for as long as possible. We tell them about the place but that it's self repair could take awhile.
We should copy all of this data over to ther sites or fleet bases so that it cant be destroyed if the Nobles try anything later with the lack of security golems present.

>>11875527
We will file a (doctored) report once we arrive back in Dreamwood. That should hopefully give K23 enough time to be well into the Order 66 upgrades.

rolled 1, 5, 6 = 12

The shuttle drops straight into the yard containing the Lance, its immense doors excavated after being long-buried beneath many tons of rock and snow, partially open to grant access to small craft. The ship looks very different from the first time you saw it, with its enormous beam weapon taking up the whole front end and the broadside missile tubes moved from the bow. Its paint is still fresh and its crew, despite all of the simulations and drills, lacking even the slightest bit of real flying experience. At FC's invitation, your shuttle docks with the brand-new warship and you disembark.

A jumpsuited crewman greets you at the lock, saluting as you come aboard, greatly outmassing the human in the giant-sized corridor. You take notice of the controls and displays, all resized for human use, as he leads you to the bridge, buried in the center of the ship, where command posts always seem to be. As the door opens, you relive all of your sci-fi daydreams, stepping into the ship's heart, crammed with terminals, holoprojectors, circuitry and all-too-comfortable chairs. The Captain, a highly competent militia commander from Dreamwood, salutes.

“Welcome aboard the Lance, Countess,” she says formally, gesturing to the largest chair in the room, “If you'll take a seat, we're about ready to get underway.”

So, anyone got any momentous things to say when the Lance lifts off?
And please, no badly-written pseudo-mystical crap.

rolled 5, 1, 5 = 11

>>11875759
You nod, taking your chair, with a direct view of the huge wall-screen showing the interior of the yard. The butterflies in your stomach refuse to calm down. This is the moment.

It begins. “Engineering,” the Captain calls, “The Countess is aboard. Start primary engines.”

“Aye, Captain,” comes the response, “Starting primary engines.”

A muffled shudder gravitates through the bridge as the enormous twin engines at the stern light up, filling the yard with a familiar blue glow. The bridge comes alive with orders and acknowledgments, and the main doors start to retract.

“Auxiliary engines online. All green.”

“Hover control reports ready. Cycle all lifts to level and prepare for ascent.”

“Aye, Ma'am, all lifts to level. Ready for ascent.”

“Clearance received from Fleet Command. We're ready.”

rolled 4, 4, 2 = 10

>>11875768
I'll hold for this if anyone has something they'd like to say.

rolled 4, 2, 6 = 12

>>11875571
Very well. Transports will be sent for the golems, and they will be taken to the Fleet Bases. Upgrades might not be possible for all units, but the priorities are obvious.

>>11875583
Data is being copied. Some of the databases will need to be repaired, but it shouldn't take very long.

>>11875591
As ordered. Would you like to change the installation's apparent purpose or leave it as-is?

>>11875770
>>11875759
"Take us out."


>buried in the center of the ship, where command posts always seem to be on ships designed for combat.
Fixed that for you. lol

>>11875768
Oh well... uh, ignore mine and wait until something better comes up?

>>11875824
>Would you like to change the installation's apparent purpose or leave it as-is?
I say leave as-is, but play up the structural integrity problems and the damage done to the c

>>11875778
"Take us up, captain; let's make history."

rolled 1, 6, 6 = 13

>>11875831
>>11875897
You steel yourself. “Take us out, Captain. Let's make history.”

The Captain takes a deep breath.

“Begin ascent.”

The Lance of Hretmar is suddenly free of gravity, floating ever-so-slowly upward as its helmsman gradually increases power to the engines. In a brief moment you sail clear of the yard, and the screen-space on the ceiling blinks back from the black of silence to reveal the clear blue of the Northern sky. A mere minute later, you're climbing steadily, and the holographic plot shows the escort Corvettes, fighters, bombers, and drones falling into position around you. Everything is flawless. Everything is perfect.

What are your orders?

>>11875939
Do a short trip to the north and back. Test acceleration and cruising speed. Once we're far enough into the north, I want a weapons test done for all ships.
Have Tac-Com linked in an perform some combat drills.

>>11875939
A short shakedown cruise. Is one of the bays open at FB4? Because if it was we could swing out north a bit and then dock there. It'd be faster to get to from Dreamwood if we needed to scramble there in a hurry.

>>11875939
A short shakedown cruise and testing of weapon systems. Make sure that everything is working, and have Tac-Com do some drills. Have the combat pilots actually fly their fighters.

Wait, are the corvettes and frigate equipped with anti-scrying charms? If not, then we should only do our test flight far to the north.

rolled 1, 1, 1 = 3

>>11875990
>>11875997
>>11876088
You pass a quick order to Canderous to have one of his yards opened, just so the Lance can be based a bit closer to Dreamwood, and to Kharok. Then, you tell the Captain to put the ship through its paces. You can feel her grinning even with her back turned.

“Helm, plot a course for Nav Seven. Maximum safe speed.”

“Aye, Ma'am. Maximum safe speed.” A mechanical clacking accompanies the helmsman's manipulation of the throttle. Something familiar taken from the Zeppelins. You barely feel the acceleration as the Lance surges ahead, cruising at just over 100MPH. Perhaps it isn't all that impressive compared to fighter speed, but for a 50,000 ton airship bigger than a naval supercarrier, you make exceptions.

Your escorts follow in a constant swarm, easily keeping up as the big ship flits between Nav points, testing its powerful maneuvering engines as it circles, bringing the bow around to bear on imagined targets.

“Begin combat trials.”

rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12

>>11876209
What follows is a mock battle directed by Tac-Com against a simulated floating city with overwhelming fighter cover, (sparingly) using live ammunition. Fighters launch from the Frigate's internal bays and link up with the escort squadrons, moving in with torpedo bombers just behind and Corvettes taking the flanks. The Lance pivots, targeting the city with its massive forward cannon and firing, unleashing a staggeringly bright blue beam that burns away an unassuming little cloud before losing itself in the atmosphere. Tac-Com registers a solid shield hit and the escorts make their runs.

It goes well from there. After a couple of battles against the false city, the real forces are divided up and assigned to teams which change composition after every attack. Every ship tests its weapons, finding few faults, and the Frigate works through its shakedown cruise, revealing all the quirks and problems that never seem to crop up until there's some actual stress on the frame. The pilots and crews are all too green, but they learn quickly, and the intuitive control schemes don't work against them. They do you proud, and the Frigate gets a step closer to earning its name.

Further orders?

rolled 6, 4, 5 = 15

>>11876102
Yes, as standard. And the test flight does indeed take place far to the North, past the Fleet Bases.

>>11876224
I believe that this is all good for now. Once the Lance and its escorts have docked, we will take a stealth shuttle back to K23. They will leave behind the standard research team, with a transport zeppelin group readied to ferry supplies and personnel to K23 for further securing.

I think we can go back to Dreamwood and timeskip for the rest of the month, unless people want to secure another Kharok Facility.

rolled 1, 2, 5 = 8

>>11876275
A standard research team is already present at K23. Supply and transport Zeppelins are on their way.

>>11876275
We should get K12 since it's physics database could prove helpful with more powerful energy systems. Some people also wanted to look into K sites related to the terraforming tech.

Timeskip or not There's a project I'd like to get started in Dreamwood ASAP. I'd like to begin construction of an airship that will mount ICE's and be capable of making a flight around the world. Make this very public and begin recruiting for crew members. This should help serve as a distraction in the run up to the Event hopefully diverting some attention. Not nearly as much as we'll need but every little bit helps.
Crew should include Linguists, repair technicians, mages and alchemists. There should be cross training of all crew members with at least 2 people capable of doing any particular job in the event of casulties. This should serve as an example for recruitment for future space missions.
Spare parts, fabric and anything else necessary to repair the ship should be brought. It should also have a defensive armarment and small arms for the crew. If they crash on the other side of the planet for some reason it'll be a long time before help can reach them so they should have the people to let them build replacement parts themselves. Really an alchemist should be able to handle that with enough time.

>>11876395
K12 is located in Matmer, near the Matmer-Lokar border. This would present significant problems, as we won't be able to station any personnel there.
Assuming that there are no people living near it, we could take a stealth shuttle and secure it, but if the Matmer government ever finds out about it, it would lead to an international crisis.

rolled 5, 4, 3 = 12

>>11876395
Would you like this to be a single ship, or more, and how large would you like it/them to be? With the size of the crew you're talking about, a 10-ton vessel might be a bit strained on an uninterrupted circumnavigation. Something a bit bigger, such as 15 or 18 tons, or something followed by tenders or sister ships, would be more likely to return intact. There is also the matter of communications. Any of the Fleet Command units could certainly maintain contact with a vessel all the way on the other side of the planet, with enough relay drones, especially if they were near the outer atmosphere or actually in space. Barring any genuine conversations, if you'd appreciate more secrecy, they could only keep track of position.

I'm okay with the Around-the-World project, but I don't know if we should go after K12. I'd like to secure it, but I don't know if we can handle the political fallout.

>>11876464
I think a small squadron would be better. An 18-ton flagship with 10 to 12-ton escort ships. The FG communications gear would only be there as an emergency, in case something happens to the squadron.

>>11876460
*Looks up map*
God dammit, how does Matmer have everything related to power systems! They are litteral power mongers!

>>11876464
I was thinking either a single ship or very limited production run. It should be one of the larger airships we've built. Mainly I was thinking of Graf Zeppelin's round the world flight. If you think a couple of smaller support ships would be good to have then sure. Since this would be intended as an open project contact with any of the Frost Giant sites would have to be limited since we may end up recruiting people who arn't in on the secret that the government still seems to want to keep.

rolled 2, 3, 4 = 9

>>11876460
>>11876481
As far as surveys go, K12 has been determined to lie about three miles from a smallish town, in a mountainous and lightly wooded area. It would be a simple task to drop a stealth drone into that area and have it scan for the installation, or even excavate an entrance and search the interior or remain there as a relay for FC. It would be much easier to conceal the existence of a single drone, particularly since self-destruct systems are so thorough as to leave very little debris. That is, when they work correctly.

>>11876498
>>11876568
A large flagship with well-supplied escorts would be the better way to go. Fleet Base recon drones could track the little fleet's position without much trouble, and if you don't want any Iralan hardware aboard these ships, contact can always be established by radio, if the drones get close enough.

Graf Zeppelin was an Earth ship, built in a world reasonably-well explored and lacking anything like this one's magic. Considering what a single mage can do to an airship, and how little information you have on the planet proper, the two voyages are not comparable.

>>11876568
So, want to try a stealth acquisition? We could go in fast with three stealth shuttles (one for us and a squad, the other two with golems and militia), secure the facility under cover of night, then get out before Matmer knows we're even there. Of course, this assumes they haven't ALSO built a city on top of it.

>>11876615
Let's send a stealth drone in first to reconnoiter the area and attempt to establish a communication channel to the computer systems there. If successful, we don't need to go there.
If we do need to go there, let's do a covert op to secure the facility without anyone knowing we're there.

"Those who dare, win!"

rolled 2, 4, 4 = 10

>>11876656
As ordered, unless there are objections. A stealth drone will depart from Fleet Base 2 and arrive shortly.

If we have a consensus on the around-the-world project, an 18-ton flagship with two 10-ton tenders will be constructed. Total production time ranges into a month and a half. This will give Vasian an opportunity to test the first true flying wing configuration; with your permission, the flagship will be of this design. I'd suggest the name Magellan, but that's a bit obvious.

>>11876615
>>11876656
>>11876625
Stealth Drone it is looks like.

>>11876615
Could we build them all in time to launch before the event?

>>11876744
>This will give Vasian an opportunity to test the first true flying wing configuration; with your permission, the flagship will be of this design. I'd suggest the name Magellan, but that's a bit obvious.
Kick ass.

Were there any great explorers in Perinese History we could name it after?

>>11876744
Flagship - Magellan
Tender 1 - Amerigo
Tender 2 - Drake

Other exploration ships can be named after others, such as Raleigh and Polo.

rolled 6, 1, 1 = 8

>>11876769
Assuming an immediate start, they would be completed around the beginning of the eleventh month, which is the deadline. It should be noted that you don't know if whatever is supposed to happen will happen at the beginning, the end, or in the middle of the month.

rolled 3, 4, 1 = 8

>>11876792
Plenty. The most appropriate would probably be Jolian Swiftwind, who rode an air elemental made solid, charting a route to the ocean that is still used by Cyreth, though not by Perin. According to legend, anyway.

Let's get the project started, and use the scale of it's ambition to hide some of our troop and resource movements.
After securing K12, I think we can safely skip forward to the deadline.

>>11876838
Change name request:
The two tenders named after Perin explorers. Though is it too obvious that it's a Terran explorer that is the flagship, and Perin adventurers are just his sidekicks?

>>11876615
Its more of a publicity stunt anyway, but yes a small fleet of at least 3 large vessels plus a supply line to follow them halfway so we get messages back a least that far.
They don't need to be as well built as our battle ships but they should be sturdy and include redundancies. Try to see if we can pitch this to the nobles as well as this is something that we could easily file under "Glory of Perrin" and get a few political rivals shipped to the other side of the world with.

And if thats not tactical genius I dunno what is

>>11876860
Perhaps we should do it the other way around? Name the tenders after Earth explorers and the flagship after the Perinese?
>>11876838
>Jolian Swiftwind
Well that's got my vote right there.

Can we plot out the course of the exploring vessel across K12? I love it when our plans have layers upon layers of intrigue.

>>11876927
Okay, let the Perinese have their global circumnavigation.
The rockets that take Erivrus, humans, and Frost Giants back into space and onto the moon will be named "Yuri Gagarin" and "Louis Armstrong".

rolled 5, 6, 2 = 13

>>11876845
Acknowledged. You'll forgive me if I'd prefer to save the deadline for a new session, since I've only got an hour or so left in me.

>>11876860
You have used Terran names for all of your vessels so far, at least the ones you named personally. Most should appreciate the sentiment. Of course, Perin's situation being as it is, the Patricians will probably use whatever decision you make against you.

>>11876889
The high nobles do not seem particularly interested, but you can feel their restrained glee even from here. After all, it isn't every day that one gets the chance to put a man around the world. Some minutes after your contact asks for a moment to discuss things, you have tentative approval. They inquire about the possibility of including their own team on the flagship, 3-5 men. You can make all the security checks you want, of course.

Would you like any of these ships or their crews to be armed?

>>11876972
That's a stupid idea.
There's going to be a lot of military interest over where ever this squadron flies, making infiltration difficult.
And the zeppelins won't even be finished before the deadline.

rolled 3, 2, 1 = 6

>>11876972
Definitely. But a stealth drone has already been dispatched.

>>11876979
If this is the consensus, then the flagship will be called the Jolian Swiftwind, and the tenders Amerigo and Drake. The project itself will be called Magellan, unless there are objections or counter-offers.

>>11876985
I think being armed is prudent. Make sure that they have machine guns, light field artillery, semi-automatic rifles, and lots of ammo.

>You'll forgive me if I'd prefer to save the deadline for a new session, since I've only got an hour or so left in me
Can we at least get K12 resolved and get back to Dreamwood?

rolled 6, 1, 6 = 13

The view from the stealth drone changes rapidly as it descends, cloaked from all but radar and human sight, a tiny speck against the vast blue above. Taking its hover engines to full power, it decelerates, coming to a stop nearly 20 feet above the exact center of the presumed installation K12, engaging its scanners and moving swiftly over ground. A cursory examination reveals few ruins, most sunken into the mountain rock, with one half-destroyed building being of particular interest. From the paint, the shrine, and the fire pit, it appears to be a place of some significance to the locals. Fortunately, the drone detects no-one in the vicinity.

After another minute or two, the drone locates a promising cave, probing it with sonar and finding it to angle steeply downward, nearly all the way to the depth of the main part of the installation, if the geological scan was correct. Heedless of any danger, it squeezes through the opening, lighting up the interior and proceeding in. It records several wall paintings and a few piles of bones, all relatively near the entrance, with nothing more of interest as the ground becomes treacherous. When it reaches the bottom of the cave's passageway, it swivels its lights forward.

There is a door here. Hewn out of rough rock, with unknown symbols cut into its face. To either side are holders for torches, currently empty. What looks like some kind of magical array is carved into the door posts.

Orders?

rolled 4, 6, 3 = 13

>>11877043
As you wish.

I will do my best to resolve it and get you home.

>>11877052
Can the drone create an alternate tunnel from the surface? If possible, I don't want to reveal that we've been tampering with anything here.
Otherwise, I think we should attempt to tunnel around the magical array.

>>11876985
They should have enough weapons to defend themselves. Mostly rifles, a couple of machine guns on each ship, and some light weight rocket launchers in secure storage that wont take down the ship if they blow up.

Also make sure they if they want to include some people they should be held to the same rigorous standards as everyone else that'll be going. So they should send a few extra for the training just to be sure enough make the cut.

>>11877008
sigh
Oh well, back to the old threefold Xanatos gambit,
Wait, is there anywhere in particular we want to draw their attention ?
Is there anyone we can spy on?
Come on, I´m feeling up for a conspiracy here!

rolled 1, 3, 2 = 6

>>11877086
Not from the surface, no, at least not without making a lot of noise over a long period of time. Its drill can certainly chew through the rock here at the bottom, though, and it is unlikely anyone would notice topside. More to the point, scans place a maze of corridors leading directly to that door, with what look like stairways leading down into several entrances to the installation. The drone can tunnel around the door and into the corridor system in three minutes. However, it can't put the rock back where it was. It doesn't have the alchemy or earth manipulation hardware for that.

>>11877116
Acknowledged. Defensive weapons, with the more explosive munitions stored in secure, armored lockers. A baffle design and some careful placement should ensure that any explosion occurring in the locker will be vented outward, away from the ship.

rolled 4, 4, 2 = 10

>>11877116
Ah, and, yes, standards will be upheld. The nobles don't seem to think that will be a problem.

>>11877142
You could swing the course over K4 instead. It's unlikely that a pass by the Magellan group will tell you much more than drones could, but that is where the city that seems to supply a lot of radioactive materials is.

>>11877162
Let's make this quick. Drill down straight into the facility. See if there's any com traffic or if the computer systems are up.

>>11877162
>>11877052
Well this is a Fine howdy do.

I suggest that we recall the drone back to high altitude and study the movements of anyone that comes to this area. After that we can have an agent sent to whichever town near the area the locals come from and try to get information about the shrine.

>>11877282
Do we really want to potentially tip off anyone that we're looking around?

Matmer has the K4 facility. They obviously couldn't crack the security codes to gain control of it, but they must know that there are other ruins like that one.
Matmer Intelligence will most likely have agents in the town on the lookout for strangers coming in an asking about the shrine and the ruins.

Hmm could we stage a crash landing in order to have a legitimate reason to be somewhere? Unlikely that 'd avoid attention but if we didn't need to stay for long, say... if we decided to blow something up.
>>11877282
I'd rather this, seems like things could get ugly fast

rolled 3, 2, 5 = 10

>>11877202
>>11877282
I do hope to resolve this quickly, but I need a consensus. In the interest of time, I'd lean toward moving in.

>>11877340
sorry dude, we're all in sneaky mode thanks to some dozen sessions of ploting,
I don't mind waiting for next time though.

>>11877340
Ok, if the drone can breach the door we have it go back a bit to the part of the tunnel that looks the most dangerous and cause that to collapse. Not right away mind you but as a slightly longer term thing to keep people from figuing out we broke the door.

What, exactly, is sending an agent in to ask about the shrine actually going to accomplish? What vital piece of information would the local have, that we need? What advantage, if any, would further observation give us?

I am still pushing for a fast entry to attempt to secure the facility and begin its self-repair.

rolled 5, 5, 3 = 13

>>11877392
I wouldn't either, except for my aversion to cliffhangers.

>>11877421
Considering the symbols and the array, FC doesn't think touching the door would be a good idea. It's the obvious way in, but it's also the most obvious place for a trap. In any case, the drone can collapse the cavern ceiling a ways back with minimal effort.

>>11877461
Don't attempt to drill through the door.
Instead, drill an independent tunnel that bypasses the door and gets us to the facility.

rolled 1, 3, 1 = 5

The drone unfolds one of its heavier compartments and extracts a sizable rock drill, spinning it up with a shrill whine. It contacts the cavern floor, plunging forward with an angled force field to break up the rock before shredding it completely. The seconds tick by quickly as the drone descends, the drill's output filling the small tunnel behind it. In no time it breaks through, dropping into a well-worn corridor and stowing the drill. One quick scan later, and its position is assured with 100% confidence. Moreover, the lower levels of the installation resolve as the pulse feeds data back to FC. There's a ring down there, a particle accelerator a full 18 miles in diameter.

Following its internal map, the drone travels at breakneck speed down toward the center of the facility, passing numerous murals, paintings, and various decorations in the same style as those in the cave above. A mile in, it reaches a lit corridor, and makes contact with internal sensors. From the brief communication that follows, it appears to FC that Command and Guardian are both in standby mode, running but effectively blind. That would explain why people from above could enter the installation without triggering any security responses. A little further in, the drone finds an active line and links in, becoming a conduit for FC to drop in his overrides and look around a bit.

“Well, it's not in bad shape at all. Blast doors close off a lot of crucial areas, like the power systems or the golem bays, and everything seems to be operating fairly smoothly, for its age. According to internal sensors, there are only shrines and things in a couple of Blocks. No one's disturbed the blast doors.”

“Anyway, I pretty much have complete control right now. I can activate Command and Guardian, give them the run-down, and have all of this suborned in a couple minutes. I don't know what you want to do about the... um... residents, though.”

>>11877440
It'd give us insight on what the locals use it for and their views of it. If it's become something of major religious significance then it's something we should be aware of. Us suddenly turning on the outpost (if it's off) could have an incredibly damaging effect on their society.
What if there are Mountain Giants?

Admittedly I've grown up hearing about the Prime Directive so I'm slightly biased about the whole sort of thing, and there's still the chance of an international incident.

>>11877538
>I don't know what you want to do about the... um... residents, though.
"Residents? Is there someone currently occupying the facility?
"Anyway, bring Command and Guardian online, and brief them. Begin implementing internal defenses.
"As for the residents, is there anyone currently in the facility? If not, seal it off for now."

>>11877553
Mountain Giants are in Lokar, not Matmer.
Also, unless it can negatively affect our preparations for the Frost Demon's return, I frankly don't give a fuck to somebody's incorrect religious beliefs.
I won't say anything about the faiths that have gods or spirits backing them, because they have real entities behind them. But if they're worshiping a research facility like a god, then they should be disabused of that illusion.

>>11877538
You know... If we could reseal the section we drilled through using the local repair golems and then collapse the tunnel outside the door on top of it the locals will never know that we ever drilled our way in. It'll just look like damage from the cave in. The blocks they're living in are sealed off from teh rest of the outpost so we just keep them that way.
We can have FC and command figure out where best to put a support tunnel that opens onto the surface somewhere farther from here and camoflage it so that nobody notices it.

rolled 1, 2, 4 = 7

>>11877587
"Well, not the whole facility. There are signs of encampments in some larger areas near that cave, and, if I'm reading the sensors right, there's a pretty big group of thermals up in one of the rooms connected to the corridor system. That's not part of the installation, you know. I'd guess they're human."

"Okay then, Command and Guardian coming online. Handing off the briefing package. No problems. Internal defenses going as part of repair process. No problems with that either."

"Nope, not in the installation itself. Blast doors closing. I guess the drone can stay there for now. I'll need it as a relay until the comm system's back up, anyhow."

Can we NOT tell the nobles about every new facility we come across? I see no reason to seeing as we are using so much stealth.
That and its going to be quite annoying when we have to purge them from all the facilities.

rolled 2, 1, 2 = 5

>>11877643
You could certainly do this, but, as far as the scans go, it looks like that door is the only access to the corridor maze where those heat sources are. If you collapse the cavern, they will be trapped.

The best idea would be to connect the lower part of the installation to one of the cave systems extending West. With minimal work, a tunnel could be secured leading directly from K12 to a few miles out, where the opening would be.

>>11877743
Just collapse the tunnels leading from their area to the facility proper. Also collapse the tunnel created by the drone.

>>11877714
We are only telling them about facilities that we secured while using zeppelins to transport security personnel. This is because they would have seen the zeppelins leaving, and would have been watching us.
We aren't going to tell them about K12, because there's no need to.

>>11877714
>its going to be quite annoying when we have to purge them from all the facilities.
This is why we implemented internal security measures and Order 66.

>>11877743
>it looks like that door is the only access to the corridor maze where those heat sources are.

Any way we can do something like this? Seal it a bit and drop a little bit of rubble on it?

rolled 6, 5, 5 = 16

>>11877807
Done, and done skillfully. It sounded very much like the effect of a tremor, and looks exactly as it should. The heat sources are moving now, but they won't reach any of the collapse sites for at least a few minutes. The blast doors sealed those sections off anyway.

>>11877857
Yes. In fact, that is extraordinarily simple. A repair golem will be along to seal the tunnel completely, assuming that's what you want. Nice filename.

rolled 5, 4, 6 = 15

>>11877925
Seal the end of the tunnel, that is.

Is there anything else pressing?

>>11877925
"Now that that's out of the way; FC, give me a status report on the particle accelerator that K12 has, as well as how the facility as a whole is doing.
"Also, highlight for me any technologies in its databases that may be useful in our upcoming fight against the Frost Demon.
"Also, send a dump of the advanced physics data to Primary to chew over. Especially if anything pertains to quantum mechanics or physics."

>>11877954
Nothing pressing here, I think everything went well.
Good game.

Wondering what ever happened to that detective or mercenary we were going to hire to track down what happened to that missing convoy forever and a half ago.

rolled 4, 5, 2 = 11

>>11877992
"The accelerator's not in the best condition. It's usable, but a lot of the capacitors are out, not to mention shaky containment. Needs work. As for the whole installation, it's pretty good. Hasn't been repaired since the intelligences went to standby, at least not regularly. The mountain's insulated it pretty well, all things considered. Databases are intact too."

"Well, on the chem side, we have these real cool malleable explosives. Completely stable until they get the det-signal, only stick to things when exposed to this other agent. You could fire globs of it out of a cannon and it wouldn't do anything until given the command to blow. In the physics section, there's a lot of theoretical work on shield harmonics, beam focusing, stuff like that. Across-the-board upgrades, far as I can see. Then there's the accelerator itself. I think they were working up to it before the fall, but according to the project data, it might be able to feed a lance. Not the piddly anti-air back at the other place, no. This one would core a battleship in orbit. Plus there's the part where they talk about making antimatter."

"Sent. I don't know anything about this quantum stuff, but there's probability and photons and a whole bunch of calculations I don't understand."

rolled 4, 5, 5 = 14

>>11878026
Barely anything was found except some remains. The prevailing theory is that the convoy was ambushed and taken by goblins or trolls. The forest is getting a lot safer as time wears on, but back then, in the rural areas, raids weren't all that uncommon. As you know, from your little adventure near Grennet.

>>11878109
Make sure that proper compensation is provided to the next of kin.
As for the mercenaries and investigators, they are to continue their efforts to track down the ambushers. Time limit is 8 months; if they don't have anything by then, their balance will be paid and the contract considered complete. A substantial early completion bonus, and another bonus for eliminating the ambushers, are to be offered.
>>11878091
"FC, is there any project data on magnetic rail accelerators or rail gun research?
"Implement the beam and shield harmonic upgrades, and continue limited weapons testing to make sure that the kinks are ironed out before we use them in combat."

>real cool malleable explosives. Completely stable until they get the det-signal
Sounds like plastic explosives and C-4.
We should have detpacks made of this stuff manufactured.

rolled 3, 4, 3 = 10

>>11878187
All confirmed.

"Not a lot. Nothing that could help much in the time we have, anyway. I mean, I suppose the accelerator really isn't far removed from a coilgun, but I need time we don't have to look into this. For that matter, turning the accelerator into a lance would present some interesting difficulties. For one thing, it'd be fairly fixed in aim. Lensing a beam that powerful isn't easy."

"I'm on it. I'll get all the physics stuff codified and used for upgrades where it can help."

>>11878239
A simple matter. The formulas have been transferred.

Now, is there anything further?

Once the Frost Demon is taken care of, we may want to consider some kind of declaration concerning the Kharok Facilities.
We will have to claim them all somehow.

>>11878265
I'm done for this session.
Thanks Subproc; FG Quest is one of the highlights of my week. I'll see you Friday.

rolled 3, 5, 1 = 9

>>11878293
Thanks for being here. See you Friday.

I'd like a check-in on a couple of our earlier projects:

How goes the development of the typewriter, the electric guitar, and audio-recording stuff?

Have we sent a stealth drone to the moon and if not can we?
It would be cool to know if there is anything up there like an orbital death ray or survivor outpost.