Year 5 (Phase II)
"MY-PRINCE! It is I! Your Mado Scientiste!" Kenshin Jaegar cries as he sweeps into the room.
Nunnally, by your side, is wearing... you're not sure what the look is, actually. Still, you can best summarize it as 'just having been exposed to Kenshin Jaegar for the first time.' You heave a deep sigh as the man sweeps into a pose, complete with fluttering cape/lab-coat.
...some day.
"Brother, there is a lunatic in the room with us." Nunnally states in a deadpan whisper.
"I'm well aware, believe me." You nod to her before turning back to your mad scientist even as Madison Hashima's rapid footfalls herald her gasping arrival as she leans against the doorframe.
"Your-gasp-Highness!" The labcoat-wearing redhead states breathlessly. "I'm terribly sorry, I looked away for a moment and he'd locked me in the lab."
"It's fine." You assure her. "As long as he doesn't leave the grounds of the base I don't have any desire to curtain his freedom of movement further." You turn to the man himself, who is looking slightly put-out. "Kenshin, you wanted to see me, I take it?"
On anyone else, you'd call the grin 'dashing,' but you can't quite manage it for Kenshin. Too many teeth showing. "Yes, sire! I wished to personally convey the documentation for upcoming potential projects! As I have never benefited from royal patronage~before, I thought it best that, if you wished to get the greatest feel for my work, to spend time this year correlating research options and the necessary technologies I would have to construct to move to the next stage!"
You blink, then extend a hand to take the offered packet of information.
"Thank you, Dr. Jeagar, that was... oddly coherent of you." You state.
To which, predictably, the man gives a deep, booming laugh that has Nunnally reaching for her firearm and Madison sighing with a facepalm. Taking out his cellphone, the man spins to begin a conversations which is redundantly pointless given that the island hasn't been wired for local cell service yet.
"Thank you for humoring him, your highness...es." Madison steps up, bowing deeply as Nunnally smiles awkwardly. "He really is competent within his area of expertise, moreso than almost anyone I've ever met. It's just..."
"As soon as he's no longer focused, he goes back to being completely crazy." Nunnally surmises, looking over at the man huddled in a corner and casting furtive glances about himself.
"Not to contradict your highness, but Kenshin's mental state is indelibly linked to his scientific and engineering talent. It isn't that his brief bursts of coherency contradict his madness, they are instead a perfect alignment of his affliction."
"Indeed. Well, thank you for the information, Dr. Hashima. I'll review it and get back to you and Kenshin tomorrow with my decisions. In the meantime, Kenshin is-" You wave a hand in warning.
Madison's eyes widen and she curses as she turns to follow the sprinting man off to wherever his fancy takes him.
You and Nunnally sit in silence for a long moment, the turning of pages in the dossier you've been handed the only sound in the room.
"Big Brother..." Nunnally states.
"Rest assured, he hasn't proved dangerous to any individual not inclined to offer violence to him first and he is very good at his job." You answer, not needing to hear the question in full.
Nunnally sighs. "Very well Lelouch, if you're sure."
Current Annual Income: 3100 Britannian Royal Notes
Current Banked Income: 1350 BRN
Current Annual Upkeep: 1900 BRN
Intrigue: CHOOSE TWO
[ ] I Spy Pirates: Send your squad of agents out to have a look-see into these pirates and determine the major factions you'll be up against, at the very least. More optimistically, you might be able to get an idea of force composition or any notable individuals to watch out for. Cost: 200; Upkeep: 0; DC: 30; Rewards: Dossiers on Pirate Organizations in the Indian & South Pacific Oceans, Potential information on Pirate Hero Units. (OCCUPIES SPY UNIT FOR THIS TURN, WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY OTHER INTRIGUE OPTION)
[ ] The Organization: You have...
very little to go on here. All you truly know is that a group of people have decided to target Kenshin Jaegar and his childhood friend/assistant and paid off a large group of pirates in order to make sure the message stuck. However, a move like that must leave
some traces. Cost: 400; Upkeep: 0; Time: Two Years; DC: 80; Rewards: Gain leads on what The Organization is and what its goals and MO are. (OCCUPIES SPY UNIT FOR THIS TURN, WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY OTHER INTRIGUE OPTION)
[ ] Thieves in the Night: In modern nations, much of the abstract concept of 'wealth' is a digital consideration. That said, there are more than a few areas of the world which still rely on physical transfers of money, resources, and other valuables. Send your team of spies to 'liberate' some of that for your own purposes. Cost: 200; Upkeep: 0; DC: 50; Rewards: Vary by roll results, one-turn increase in wealth. (OCCUPIES SPY UNIT FOR TTHIS TURN, WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY OTHER INTRIGUE OPTION)
[ ] Many Hands, Light Work: Your spies proved very useful last year with the Stadtfeld Incident. Perhaps it would be a good idea if you pick up a few more in case you need multiple missions performed at once. Cost: 400; Upkeep: 200; DC: 40; Rewards: Hire more undercover agents to accomplish more clandestine objectives per yeat.
[ ] Island Observation: While you haven't had the time to formally contact your fellow nobles on the nearby islands, you easily have enough equipment and personnel to simply set up listening posts and observation spots to see what they're doing and if you need to be concerned about anything. Additionally, it will probably make talking to them easier, should you ever get around to it. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 50; DC: 40; Rewards: Information on nobles occupying the Loyalty Islands.
Learning: CHOOSE TWO
[ ] Hashima's Theory: Apparently, Madison Hashima has a number of ideas regarding propulsion which could be used to enhance the power of aircraft. However, they are just ideas at this stage. Give her some money and time and see what she comes up with. Cost: 300; Upkeep: 0; DC: 60/90/120; Rewards: Learning options increase, acquire a rough blueprint of what Madison Hashima can do for you in the near future.
[ ] Relic Hunting: Specifically, hunting for the origin of your mysterious orb. All you have are the fleeting memories of its builder and a few scant details. You'll study the manifests of the estate which you purchased it from and try to make a determination from where it originated. Cost: 100; DC: 30; Upkeep: 0; Rewards: Possible location of an ancient settlement, valuable artifacts, more?
[ ] Personal Computers: While setting up your base, you were rather forced to purchase off-the-shelf computers for your mainframe. They are, of course, the most secure models available primarily to military buyers, but between Jaegar and Hashima, they can probably do better. Cost: 200; DC: 40; Upkeep: 50; Rewards: Enhance digital security, boost computational capacity for SCIENCE!
[ ] Madman's Thesis: Jaegar has
ideas and
theories, but admittedly, he's never been in a position with the requisite funding to actually try them out. Now, he is. Granted, you'll be funding him this year merely to lay the groundwork for an entirely new field of science which is a miracle in and of itself, so don't expect too much beyond that. Cost: 300; DC: 40/80/120; Upkeep: 0; Rewards: Create a rough blueprint of technologies and timeframes you can expect for Jeagar to possibly develop in the near future, Learning options increase.
[ ] Ruin Explorers: It seems that during his travels, Jaegar learned about a number of possible sites which could be excavated for both academic and scientific gain. Apparently, he seems to believe that, in ancient times, a number of psionic secrets were known which are now lost. You... managed to keep a straight face during that discussion. Cost: 500; Upkeep: 200; DC: 40; Rewards: Hire a team of archaeologists you can send to study various sites and retrieve anything of value, Learning options increase.
Piety: CHOOSE ONE
[ ] Self-Study: Quite honestly, you have no idea what these 'powers' of yours can actually do. Perhaps it's time to chance that? Taking a bit of time out of your year is easy enough to sit and think and experiment regarding what is possible and what isn't. Cost: 0; Upkeep: 0; DC:???; Rewards: Develop new, possibly useful techniques that could prove of vital aid... or just give you a headache/Open other options.
[ ] The Cystaline Orb: You, quite frankly, have no idea where this came from or what it is, it's time you changed that. You'll spend time studying the artifact that you happened upon last year to see what you can find. Cost: 50; Upkeep: 0; DC: 30/60/90/120; Rewards: Make progress in unraveling the secrets of an object older than any modern civilization.
[LOCKED FOR ONE TURN] Remember: What you stumbled into once, you will now knowingly approach with the full understanding of what you are doing. You will exercise all due caution, but there are limits to what you can achieve without risk. Cost: 0; Upkeep: 0; DC: ???; Rewards: Progress on trait reveal, knowledge of an ancient event increased, ???
[ ] Artifacts: Few and far between, held in great esteem, and jealously guarded... these breathtakingly few pieces of history are items crafted with the aid of mental power and extreme will. Objects out of time and untouched by the passage of it, they can be extremely useful, one way or another. Cost: 500; Upkeep: 0; DC: 60/???; Rewards: Gain a psionic artifact of unknown age and usefulness.
[ ] Chasing Shadows: The EU simply loves to extol the conspiracy theory that there is a...
cabal of influential mind-readers and the like working from behind the scenes puppetting events and leaders such that no event is random and free will a myth. This is, obviously, a fiction. Still, there are a few groups here and there who like to gather together and play with the powers of the mind. Pay them a visit why don't you? Cost: 200; Upkeep: 50; DC: 50; Rewards: Contact with a group of parapsychological researchers, hobbyists, or outright kooks.
A/N: Please Use Plan Voting. ONE HOUR MORATORIUM! DO NOT VOTE FOR ONE HOUR!
