An Engineers Continous, Infinite Suffering.

[X] Leave It Be.

Probably best not to program the engineer to attack a bunch of people when they're already mentally conflicted. We may need to take more drastic action next turn though.
 
They're durable and have a train to run with, I'm leery of pushing them too hard when it's already stated they don't have the preferred mental profile for this situation. Besides that, they adapted well last time without intervention.
 
[X] Leave It Be.

Over conditioning on human psyche often leads to catastrophic failure, with often explosives results. This, obviously, should be avoided. Humans are social creatures at their core even if we have, for the most part, alleviated the Engineer of their required interaction. Perhaps he can find a solution through social actions, however if not then at the end of the day he should be more than capable of scaring away these primitives.

A series of observations and notes on the Wrench and Adversary Scout, along with a few suggestions for future Engineer development:
-The Scout was tall and in possession of two arms and legs, though of unknown height and proportions, that it uses to propel itself with an awkward 'loping' motion. For an unknown amount of time it can propel itself with additional force in an attempt to bowl over the Engineer, though current showings have thankfully been unsuccessful. Despite the relative lightness of it's mass compared to durability, as to be sent skipping upon being struck with a heavy blow without being shattered or bashed, it's hands are fully capable of rending steel. While possible this capability is some form of metaphysical effect(s) coming from Adversary there is a possibility of this merely being a design quirk in the scouts creation, ie more developed hydraulic/tension systems alongside durability or simple lack of care for Scouts long-term survivals. Analysis will have to be ongoing, avoidance of those hands recommended regardless.
-The Adversaries scouts have been directly observed to be capable of modifying their vocalizations into spoken language to directly reply to the Engineer. While the notion of the Adversary being intelligent in its actions should be no surprise this does suggest a perhaps more understandable intellect than thought. Interesting, though currently not something to capitalize on.
-The Engineers Wrench proved an adequate weapon, if insufficient to the task of terminating the scout. Based on observations of current Scout durability to mass ratio the Wrench, while not useless, is perhaps as of yet the wrong weapon, atleast while using it as a blunt instrument. Suggestion, future upgrades of wrench to render it an effective multi-tool. For example, an arc welder between the prongs.
-Anti-Scout Weaponry will become more and more of a priority as threats becomes more common and our desire to hide the extent of the Engineers progress becomes greater. While blunt force seems relatively ineffective due to targets low mass allowing it to be knocked along with the blow theoretically it's defenses should still be able to be overcome with simple force. Slashing and piercing weapons should be tested. Perhaps simple traps? Blades or spikes designed to launch out with force calibrated to rough weight tolerance that should be expected of the Engineers. As he currently has no allies or additions that should be a primitive but workable targeted trap system.
-Future suggestions: Condense. Great machines of staggering size and complexity are beautiful, however the Engineer is struggling with feelings of inefficiency. A condensed limit of building space is both easier to defend but should force him to innovate smaller, more robust, and more efficient designs.
 
Turn 4
Continue mere observation.
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The people swarm my equipment as a fractal shape in the distance draws my eye, crudely morphed into a shape similar to that thing I fought or as best as hand tools can manage anyway. They're shouting in a language I can understand, "Destroy the works of the Great Enemy! Save this land-soul!"

They break more of my things. I can't-what do I do? I can't-I don't want to-I can't hurt them-I don-. I can't let them, I-I-I-

"There! The beast!" Someone shouts. They rush me. Surprisingly small as they come close, maybe up to my chest. Stabbing with spears, I react, jolting my hands forwards and sending five men flying off the ground, trails of blood around them.

The rest of the fighters back away as the number which took the hit doesn't move after they land. I shout, "Run!" At them, rumbling the ground and making dust rise. The enemy..band I guess, breaks. They bolt back to their effigy as I stare at the people dying.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit! What the fuck do I do, oh go-.

Solution developed. Physical injury in biological lifeforms spotted. Anti-haemorraghics, bandaging, sutures, surgical intervention, antibiotics, antivirals.

I'm upon them, harvesting clothing to reduce fibres down to their basic components, bandages forming. Internal bleeding is severe, the site is insufficient, no time-no time, work work work. My hands move with precision beyond their size. The people are sliced open by flash-forged scalpels, bone damage observed directly and set with precision bolts screwed in manually.

Antibiotic regimen after this will have to be severe but the bleeding wounds are plugged with bandages, then further fibre is used to suture injuries, moving from one to the other. The fifth man, shorter than the rest, with darker hair and a few more scars isn't revivable by the time I get to them, exsanguination being complete and no source of donor blood available.

They need a place to recover… food, water. I work, collecting steel and stone, constructing a secure place, big enough so each of them can have space.
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The Engineer takes to the task of construction with gusto, a great building rising from the desert. It seems to have considered the issue at hand and begins the punishing process of rising a colossally long wall all around their territory, a metre thick and four tall.

The injured recover slowly, water is fed to them via an aquifer drain and food is rationed between their personal supplies. The Engineer observes his surroundings carefully, discovering native herbivorous life and dragging them back to the individuals who are provided a steam heat plate for them to process the meat into digestible formats.

The injured are fully motile at sixty days, whilst the wall is just now complete. The Engineer reawakens to individual activity.
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I hang around the house, staring at the people healing and hoping they aren't worshipping like a god or something stupid. They're very small, maybe half as tall and way slighter in terms of like, weight.

They freeze whenever I come into the stone place I built for them, the doors as light as I could make it and not have it break when I push on it too hard. It's been forever since I've seen a person.

Moving into the place again I stare at them and wait, hoping they don't fall over dead. Would they? Physically speaking they're fine- well, lifelong disability in any sort of sane society, I….hurt them pretty badly, bones heal slowly and I didn't perfectly set them as they were too small. I think some of them are getting a little sick, but antibiotics are complicated. Where would I even get bread!

Meat products might be able to, but I don't have the equipment for the equipment for the equipment! Biotechnology is complex, and I'm not gonna just rub rotting animal into wounds! That'll cause so much more damage than it could ever fix.

"Great beast! Please! Allow us to return to our kin!" One of the people says, they seem terrified of talking to me.

"Sure, where are they?" I ask. Wonder if I can run a rail over there, would make it easier to get them back, and any other folks that are injured. They don't seem to appreciate me asking that, fear spiking through their bodies at the mention.

Ooooooh, they think I wanna like, do something.

"Don't worry, your people don't have any value." I console them. Their faces paling tells me it works, reduced blood flow means less panic. "Release us, please! We can make our own way!" The first one begs, I stare. "With your injuries and lack of knowledge, you'd kill yourself sleeping wrong or just tripping. Bones take months and months to heal at best."

"Don't be stupid, tell me where to put you!" It comes out a little harsher than I intended, dust flaring off the walls and settling down on them from the volume. The people hold their ears, pained, trying to minimize their size. "We meant no offence, Great Beast! Please!"

"Why are you calling me that?" I follow my curiosity away from the previous topic, slotting it in as a data point to circle back to. Their eyes stare into where, I guess, mine would be past the suit. "That's your name-" One of the people speaks before the leader, I think, smacks them and says, "We apologise, great one, we knew not it was an insult." The leader bows his head.

"Now, tell me where to put you, or I'll have to start guessing." It is a truth, I will have to start just guessing where to put them. Their faces pale again, is their blood pressure fine? Some of them start to open their mouths, but others silence them.

Okay, time to explore I guess.
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The Engineer heads out of the captive holding facility, churning sand as they consider how to best explore the area around them. Several ideas percolate in their mind and are put into testing, from exploratory rail layers to crude, tracked vehicles crawling at slow speed with burning boilers, manually directed and thus judged useless.

Attempts at primitive flight end in explosive disaster as lift is not particularly possible with engine weights involved. Scouting seems to be an innately manual method. The Engineer does not consider the obvious solution of conscripting the locals.

After much work, the Engineer arrives at the conclusion that track layers going every cardinal direction until they run out of fuel will do just fine. A dual-engined train is run behind them to refuel them every seven days, an odd but workable choice of cycle and requiring more of the Engineers attention.

Days and nights pass as the track layers move at their own pace. Captives continue to improve in health, though dietary expansion is soon needed. The Engineer boards the refuel trains and observes their findings along the way, not stumbling across the village of people once during this period.
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Surge of opposing energy detected. The Adversary has chosen to intervene.

Counter-response is possible, but energetic debt could also be kept for a later time.

Engineer may be at risk. This level of interference is unprecedented. A new era of the ACCORD unfolds.

[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One. Current Debt covers two without additional energetic debt.

Internal Combustion. (Oil and its energetic uses. Record trouble with energy density.)

Energy Storage, (Lithium-Ion capacitors. Record trouble with long-range energy transfer.)

Self-Defence Technology, (Production of explosives and their usage in basic self-defense means. Recorded self defense scenario.)

Basic Computerization, (Usage of Vacuum Tubing and other durable computing technology, as well as advanced familiarity with using said technology. Record trouble with automation.)

[X] Let It Be.
Maintain the energetic debt, it may be useful later.

[X] Make Contact.
Open the floodgates, speak to the Engineer. Unthinkable, unknown, terrifying. Each voice in the MULTIPLICITY of advisement opened to the mind of the creature.

Whilst the current debt is insufficient, the ADVERSARY will not be colossally strengthened by this, though still empowered.
 
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[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One.
-[x] Internal Combustion. (Oil and its energetic uses. Record trouble with energy density.)
-[x] Self-Defence Technology, (Production of explosives and their usage in basic self-defense means. Recorded self defense scenario.)

Oil means not only better fuel, but once we figure out oil cracking it will open the gate to many improtant techs, like synthetic materials or... flamethrowers.

And Self-Defense cause enemy decided to intervene, which means nothing good for us. Also we can use explosives to change local geography a little or by a lot.

"Destroy the works of the Great Enemy! Save this land-soul!"

Goddamnit, enemy controls some sort of hippie cult. Oh well, they should stop being a problem once we figure out automatic defenses and afterwards the side-effects of growing factory will take care of them.
 
[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One.
-[x] Internal Combustion. (Oil and its energetic uses. Record trouble with energy density.)
-[x] Self-Defence Technology, (Production of explosives and their usage in basic self-defense means. Recorded self defense scenario.)

They don't seem entirely unreasonable thankfully, though we'll probably have to start doing at least some basic environmental management (like not having a solid block of factories shoulder to shoulder for ten miles) if we don't want to totally displace them or kill their culture.
 
[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One.
-[x] Internal Combustion. (Oil and its energetic uses. Record trouble with energy density.)
-[x] Self-Defence Technology, (Production of explosives and their usage in basic self-defense means. Recorded self defense scenario.)
 
[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One. Current Debt covers two without additional energetic debt.
-[X] Basic Computerization, (Usage of Vacuum Tubing and other durable computing technology, as well as advanced familiarity with using said technology. Record trouble with automation.)

Basic computation means circuits. That means the engineer can wire the factory up to know its own needs and adjust outputs accordingly. That means less manual allocation and frees up the engineer to explore and build new factory sections. And sure it might just be vacuum tubes, but that's only a trade off in space. And the engineer has lots of space to work in.

I'm only doing one imprint however so the other one is saved for later. Since none of the others seem too critical.

Also in regards to the people. I personally want to integrate them with the factory. Even the narration hinted that using local scouts would help. The engineer just hasn't thought of it.
 
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[] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One.
-[] Self-Defence Technology, (Production of explosives and their usage in basic self-defense means. Recorded self defense scenario.)


The engineer must be made semi-autonomous: as such, I believe only what they might direly need should be provided.
And if the Adversary is taking direct action, I believe this is neccesary.
Not Internal Combustion yet: not yet anyway.
The engineer already seems on the cusp of Internal Combustion anyways due to their extensive use of locomotives and other vehicles: so attaining the Internal Combustion imprint by force would be possibly detrimental in terms of time and "intervention" energy spent.
EDIT:
Received two arguments to the contrary that have convinced me to change my vote.
[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One. Current Debt covers two without additional energetic debt.
-[X] Basic Computerization, (Usage of Vacuum Tubing and other durable computing technology, as well as advanced familiarity with using said technology. Record trouble with automation.)
 
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Is it just me who thinks the self defense technology is actively worse than just weaponising what he already has access to?
 
Is it just me who thinks the self defense technology is actively worse than just weaponising what he already has access to?
The Engineer doesn't yet realize that there's a war happening.
And the Adversary is gearing up.
A cities walls are useless if the gate is open and unguarded.
 
The Engineer doesn't yet realize that there's a war happening.
And the Adversary is gearing up.
A cities walls are useless if the gate is open and unguarded.
The argument would then be made, that isn't the tools of war that they must recieve but one of a message to alert them of what is happening instead.

For we the Villain will try to triumph over the Guardian spirit.
 
We don't need to give the Engineer a message. Because right now the Guardian and the Enemy are still following their own directives. We'll know when the Adversary has decided to go full out because our own floodgates will open.

Also the Engineer's strength is and always will be the Factory. So I'd prefer techs that boost our output over weapons. If nothing else the engineer can always make a ramming train.
 
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[X] Technological Imprint-Can Select More Than One. Current Debt covers two without additional energetic debt.
-[X] Basic Computerization, (Usage of Vacuum Tubing and other durable computing technology, as well as advanced familiarity with using said technology. Record trouble with automation.)

I think that going for this Will help, i mean an early type of computers do also mean at least some kind of 101 standards for the engineer as with more computerization we gain more Control of our own production of resources, lets not forget that our boy is having to calculate everthing with his Head, and well with this Basic computer we can do some more advance math and well use ratios for How much any of our machines uses of resources, so just this one tech will be Very much a gigantic advantage and it will take some time for all of the effects be seen but even this Basic form is super good for him
 
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