Turn 2--Results
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Turn 2 Results
Military: You saved some money and looked into something...which turned out to lead to a gang war.
What's With Research?
Rolled: 72
In the end, the base was taken, and the information with it. A lot of it was only useful for tracking down the drug trade, but there was some interesting information on medical uses for several things, and more options in that regard, though for the moment it will take some work to sort through them. More importantly, the Xvorzit involved are arrested and tried along with all of the rest, and for the moment the military no longer has a Research budget, that 50 Wealth folded back in. It costs some money to shut it all down, but it's more than made up for in other gains.
It's a mess, but at least it's done with, for the moment.
Reward: 50 Wealth a turn, Learning Options next turn.
Tanks for Nothing
Needed: 30. Rolled: 39
Until one of them popped up, it had looked like a stunning success. Vorzhan had followed up with a thorough investigation, and dozens were caught up in it, mostly at the lower levels. They might not have gotten everything, but they got most of them, and in the process checked out the rest of the tanks. They were being used properly, and Vorzhan got an invite and accepted it--when she finally had time--to a race involving two hovertanks. It was rather dirty, and being amid a crowd of ten-thousand screaming Xvorzit cheering on the two teams, named by color was interesting, but they had fun.
A lot of fun, honestly. And it allowed you to connect to some rather interesting figures. Including one Bazrith, a tall and spindly Xvorzit who apparently knew a lot about the history of tanks, and as a gift gave you a data-sheet of his book. More pressingly and important--it was reasonably well written but a bit long-winded--it included information and inferences on current tank designs, which at least gives a few ideas.
Reward: 250 Wealth, 500 Wealth a turn, new options to research tanks, because I know how much you all love more options.
(Hazitean) With the Fleets
Rolled: 60, enough for a bonus action because of 'event bonus.'
Hazitean didn't have a lot of time, what with rehabilitation and doctor's visits, and the like, but she did manage to drop something off rather late in the year. Apparently her contact with the fleet, while it hadn't exactly...impressed that many, gave her the chance to check up on them, and the story was...mixed at best. Loyalty was reasonably high, and they were all doing their job. And compared to the rest of the military their budget was rather reasonable. If anything it could have been increased against the rest of the military budget.
Except the hold administration had feared rebellion, war, criminals: things that couldn't really be helped from space, and the fact that they weren't even doing pirate patrols makes the situation worse.
Reward: Info, as below. Options open up.
Units:
2 Battleships, both extremely outdated, the Gazinitah and the Prince Hazanit (Upkeep: 150 per ship (per turn), 300 total.)
8 Heavy Cruisers (five are more than thirty years out of date, three have gone about thirty years since last refit. Upkeep is 50 per old Heavy Cruiser, 40 per new, for a total of 370.)
18 Light Cruisers (4 old, 14 new, tends to be in somewhat better shape than the Battleships. Upkeep 10 per new LC, 14 per old)
24 Destroyers (4 old, 20 new. Upkeep: 4 per new, 5 per old)
30 Frigates (3 old, 27 new. Upkeep is 3 across the board. Old ones cost marginally more, so if you turned the three old into three new by magic you might save...one upkeep a turn, so it basically costs the same for purposes.
40 Corvettes (All old because it's an old design. Upkeep is 2 Wealth per turn.)
Organization:
There is no one Admiral, instead being a matter of prestige and relative position and seniority, as well as just general agreement. In theory they are organized into non-mixed groups that are deployed in battle. In reality there are a number of ad-hoc patrol fleets in which ships of all classes are organized for the purpose of missions.
Budget:
1800 (Upkeep plus marines, training, supplies, etc)
Diplomacy: The word of they day is 'Communication.' Can you say communication, kids?
Fair, Balanced and Well Funded
Needed: 30, Rolled: 50+10 (Synergy)=60
Ultimately, what it took was some money and some retooling of the brand. Or so Vorzhan was told. New people were hired, it became more professional, and in the aftermath of the 'Gang War', tons of more interest popped up. New sites, new info-feeds, new shows, and the programming rode the wave of that, being the official government voice on the ongoing trials, which would take more than a little time to wind their way through the courts. On the back of that, along with the cultural programs, there is a sizable enough audience that it can stand on its own.
Reward: Lose 400 Wealth, Lose 50 Wealth a turn to pay for it, improved ability to affect the popular mood, options in certain scenarios.
Talk to Sol
Rolled: 63, no major problems with having the meeting.
The meeting is set up with very little in the way of complications. It's all done through back channels, but it'll take place on a station orbiting Earth itself, hopefully avoiding some of the prying eyes involved.
Reward: Diplomacy Turn.
Stewardship: There's much to do here, and very little time. The economy needs all the help it can get, and this year you focused on trying to reform the laws and listen to the people's will.
Colonial Holdings
Need: 40, Rolled: 64
It's not as bad as Vorzhan feared. Only a significant fraction of the companies and individuals are owned by Stendarian or Iashec interests. Not even close to all of them. And the colonies seem to appreciate the attention and the money given towards their recovery, and the higher standards for food certainly don't hurt. All in all, it's rather easy to manage it all, even if the Iashec compounds of course still refuse to pay more than small fees, nothing at all like taxes.
More importantly, the colonies seem rather diversified, in addition to being trading posts, and there's a lot to work with, including some basic hab-doming and terraforming that is going on to a limited extent. Either way, there's a lot of trading that winds up happening, especially now that Gazinitah isn't as much of a pariah in the eyes of the other Xvorzit Hives, though some of the traders complain that Vorzhan hasn't talked to them much yet.
Reward: -150 Wealth, +200 Wealth, starting next turn 250 Wealth a turn in tax and other income/contribution to the intergalactic economy.
Study the Workers Plight
Need: 25, Rolled: 96, huh
Vorzhan needed to know more, needed to see it the way a hungry Xvorzit in a desert might turn over a rock and hope the bugs under it weren't too inedible. Well, it could have been worse, certainly. But the workers were beaten for noncompliance in some cases--a very few as a statistic, but it leapt out to him--and were docked pay for any activity that wasn't productive. Despite that they were paid too low and quit too often to be that productive in many cases, and the hours were simply dreadful even by Xvorzit standards, for whom a 60 hour work-week is considered normal or even low. It was a mess, and a lot of laws would have to be crafted.
And then there was the breaking up of worker-associations, the horrible conditions in some of the mines, which had been…
Here the story got so horrific Vorzhan had had to hold themselves back, remind themselves to be patient. Because the mines and several other industries were make-work. Machines existed to halve or even quarter the number of workers and give them great conditions and reasonable wages. Instead, the poor and those deemed problems--but not big enough ones to be sent to the prison world--were shipped off to work in the mines and in the fields to teach them work-ethic, and get them out of the way, with death rates that are...just terrible.
The rapes get to Vorzhan as well. Rapes, plural. Again, the laws exist on the books, but it's hard to prove since sex doesn't lead to children the way it does for many other species, and genetic evidence can often be scrubbed for. But there is a rash of it occurring in many areas where any one Xvorzit has power over another in the realm of business by being their employer.
Then there's the 'child helpers' who aren't technically children being put to work--poor children, always--but only by the barest of technicalities.
But in all honesty, the worst part was when Vorzhan had told Hazitean this, as she sat in her room at the mental-health-clinic. "I know. Didn't you?"
Vorzhan had known bits and pieces, but now they realized just how bad it all was, and it created a damning picture.
Reward: Vorzhan's actually sorta pissed off (he's Just, after all), -500 Wealth. Veekie, guess what? A lot of options unlocked, like 4-5!
(Hive) Bad Worms, Bad Company
Need: 40, Rolled: 42
They counter-sue. And then counter-counter sue. And then they attack Vorzhan as going too far, which as it turns out is rather bad public relations, and the stories start to well up from the underhive, from the depths of the planet. Thousands have been harmed by them, millions and millions in ways big and small have been harmed by the lack of standards, and the push to make laws to prevent this is strong, as is something far basic. Something that Vorzhan is starting to understand and predict.
Vengeance. Not bloody, not cruel, but the company needs to pay and the people want it done, simple as that. They hadn't fully known it before, hadn't been made aware of just how much this company was screwing them over, but once unleashed, things escalate fast. Huge numbers of employees quit and protest, the markets all but shut them out, and within a few months the entire company is on its last legs, vulnerable and trying to figure a way out of this.
At the mercy of the state, as the new rules begin to be enacted, albeit slowly. There are protests from companies, but at the moment there is little they can do.
Reward: -100 Wealth, worker opinion increased. Will of the Hive now 1 (+5 to all (Hive) rolls, +10 to economy and opinion rolls for the People, -5 to all Intrigue rolls against Vorzhan on the planet.) New options opened.
Sweep The Laws
Need: 30, Rolled: 68
The enforcement of consumer protections is not the only thing that Vorzhan is able to set in motion. They begin talking to judges, making their opinion very, very clear. It's a lot of talking, but that's what the job involves, and after a lot of talking, especially with lawyers, Vorzhan goes on their channel after some pre-talk entertainment by a famous musician in a more synthetic form than Barizitan song-poetry, describes what will be the situation from now on.
"All laws that serve as nothing more than the oppression of anyone the defense forces want dead are gone. Now and forever. The people's will shall be heard, has been heard, and will always be heard! I swear to you that I will use the law as it is meant to be used: towards the good of the entire Hive and all of its members. There are good laws and bad laws. The laws against those who would destroy lives for their profit: they are the good."
The camera panned back to show that Vorzhan was seated at a middling cafe, a plate of Jasiphus worms cooked in a nice brown sauce laying out in front of them. It reminded the people of the things they had done: good PR, they'd been told. Plus he hadn't eaten all day, too busy dealing with certain diplomatic problems. There was an audible cheer as people began to chitter and gather outside of the cafe, and as he spoke, each phrase harsh and certain, hopeful and blunt, cheers whistled out all across the planet, impromptu parades and games and rallies taking place. And the police watch, uncertain what to do. No order ever goes to disperse them, of course none comes.
Reward: -100 Wealth, new options unlocked, workers opinion increased, police are a bit...leery?
Intrigue: You instigate the Gang War, you go after Zaeswin, and you try to get a grips on just what sort of tiger you're riding!
Grubs in the Muck
Rolled: 88
Trials are held, and assets are seized, and though there are plenty who criticize the decision to open fire, in the face of the evidence of a vast and shadowy criminal conspiracy funded by all sorts of revanchist groups and with ties and connections that might prove to be awkward--more than a few of the Ruler Caste members, the lower ones, seem to have met at least once with some of the higher ups, and it's all a tangle there. In the face of all of that, the criticism fades. And a lot of assets are seized. Those gangs that remain have to keep their head down, allowing them to be managed much easier.
Reward: Options, +10 for rolls involving crimes or internal security for the next turn or two while the underworld figures out how to adapt to the 'post-winnowing' state of things, which they will no doubt do. 300 Wealth. -150 Wealth.
Casino Royale
Rolled: 97+5=102, well.
Two things are accomplished in a very, very short time. First, an identity is made, with a huge amount of details. Vorzhan looks up population statistics, demographics, modes of speech, types of expression and so on before crafting Yizitari, a Merchant-Caste female from the famous 'Barsa Confederacy Hive World' Amarin. Vorzhan knew the cultural rituals and so on, and believed they could fake the right sort of person. Their head-wings would be hidden behind a plate, and cover stories were constructed.
Additionally, there was news on the mad monster and the Royal Casino. Zaeswin was seen in a single blurry bit of video that was carefully gathered at great risk, sitting at a table with a set of cards, playing some sort of game that analysis later determined to be the human game 'Solitaire.' So, he was definitely there.
Vorzhan was coming for him!
Reward: Intrigue Turn, bonuses to said turn from good rolls.
The Infernal Archive
Needed: 60, Rolled: 31+5=36, failure.
Amid all of the work, Vorzhan almost forgets to do this, and assigns several people to it. They don't get around to it, despite prodding, and what they do find is contradictory and more along the lines of 'pulling information out of the muck.' Rather than, well, cleaning it up. Vorzhan sighs and has a long conversation with them and ultimately reassigns them, leaving it to be dealt with later.
Reward: Failure, can be taken again next year.
Learning: We don't need no education! +??? + no dark sarcasm in the classrooms!=Something? Plus, Giant-spider Elmo.
Cultural Programming
Need: 30, Rolled: 54
Kikkizit dives into it, personally writing some of the theme-tunes and appearing in several wacky videos designed to teach kids about the poetical arts, and there's a cartoon involving a version of the first Poem, and then a documentary series that winds up being popular...there are rough spots, and in direct competition with some of the other stations out there it loses, but Kikkizit seems to be enjoying themselves, and is in fact a bug of many talents, running the whole station well within budget and with the help of friends, able to pull in top talent in order to keep it going.
And there are a number of cartoon mascots that get thrown around for the children's programs, including several that become quite popular.
The ratings are up, and this only gives them even more ideas of what to do with this new medium. In fact, he comes into the room whistling a tune and doing some sort of skipping dance, talking about how they could open up custom blocks and interactive parts and movies and tie-ins and...well, he does pause and rub his feelers and admit that this would all cost money. A lot of money.
There are numbers, and Vorzhan says, "Well...it's certainly something to consider."
Reward: -75 Wealth a turn. Cultural program! More options! Bonuses for opinion rolls and the like for the people. Some other advantages.
We Don't Need No Education
Need: 15 Rolled: 71+10=81, significant success
It took some talking, but Vorzhan had some time to at least start up some panels. Their knowledge on education left something to be desired in some areas, but Kikkizit had studied the topic, and it was started with several groups getting together, and releasing recommendations, including new websites and activities, as well as new cyber-books, and a total rehauling of dozens of things. Hundreds of things in fact. It's a huge list, and even doing half of them is a lot to do in the middle of education, which is year-round, so it'll always be in the middle of something. So Vorzhan decides that it should just be done and starts giving orders and making suggestions, and things change, faster than one could believe if they hadn't also seen the rising of the revolution from even less impetus.
The panels are kept around, of course, and continue to hash out suggestions and ideas, though it will take some time.
Reward: Reforms started, will take a bit to implement them all. Options will open up in a few turns from the panels. Lose three-hundred wealth. Locked in for now.
No Dark Sarcasm In the Classroom
Need: 40 Rolled: 62+10=72
Some teachers protest these new laws. Others spit at you passing in the street, and one half-assaults you waving a banner that says 'Let Teachers teach' before they are escaped. It's all part of being the leader of a Hive, they decide when they have a moment to reflect on it. But others don't see it that way, and the crackdown is rather thorough, thousands and thousands of teachers let go, many other censured, and teachers put in their place. There are many in the Hive who would love such a vital job as teaching, with its opportunities for interaction, play, and thoughtfulness. At least that's what Vorzhan was told.
And certainly, while some parents Labor-Groups protested, all in all it seems to have worked out exactly as they said. The bad ones had been booted out, albeit with pensions, and student activity has increased, for all that they are still escorted from room to room and monitored in their every action and word within the school. But there are clubs being opened up, and other such groups, including pre-workers-associations, as well as other groups. Now that the teachers no longer have as much power to, well, ruin the lives of their students because one of them turns out to be a spy for the government, a lot has changed, and people are noticing it already.
Younger children are coming back to their dens with stories of teachers playing with them, or of other helpful activities, and of what they learned each day, and while it's too early to tell and some fear negative outcomes, such as rebellious youth, at the moment it's viewed overwhelmingly positively.
Reward: -150 Gold (this is mostly to remind me), options might open up in a while, improved teachers, improved teacher opinion.
Personal
Activating Cybernetics
Rolled: 75
The cybernetics are done with, the modifications have been gained, and now Vorzhan is able to link up into communications as well as more fully sense those around him. All in all it was a notable success, and hopefully will help, although the doctors are highly reluctant to do any more than what they have done.
Reward: It's already on your character sheet! Check it out on the front page.
You Need Help Friend
Needed: 30/70/100+ Rolled: 111
Hazitean is checked into a clinic. In fact, she's checked into several clinics and booked for all sorts of tests, though for the moment she refuses to go for a general checkup. But other than that, Vorzhan is able to get their way, and she's off of drugs, at least for the moment. The withdraw was hard, but she managed, cursing Vorzhan the whole time, but the psychological baggage of that remains, and patient confidentiality means that there is little Vorzhan can know.
In theory. In reality there are channels and ways, and they know that Hazitean has been resistant to talking about the past or the present, but has at least been going to the sessions. Similarly, she's at least taking a few preliminary medications, and the whole thing really does seem balanced on an edge, but she's been surprisingly...compliant for the moment, and that's all that Vorzhan can think to ask for.
Reward: +20% chance for that 'Crazy...and Brilliant' option, +5 to all Personal Options next turn involving Hazitean. Increased chance that she'll stick to the 'no drugs' thing next turn. And yes, new options.
****
Budget and Money Stuff
Turn 2 Starting Wealth: 4640
Expenditures: 700 Wealth a turn (previous turn's stuff)+450 Wealth (Education costs)+75 Wealth (A turn) for Cultural Programming+450 Wealth (Intrigue Options)+20 Wealth (Martial Costs)+400 Wealth (Fair, Balanced, Etc)+50 (Talk to Sol)+150 Wealth (Colonial)+700 (Stewardship Options)=3020 Wealth
Income: 500 (Budgetary)+50 (Military Research is Gone)+200 (Trade)+200 (Colonial first bounty)+300 Wealth (Grubs in the Muck) +250 Wealth (Selling tanks) +30d100 (rolled 1469)+100 (Increased Taxes)=3079
Final Balance: 4694 Wealth
Rolling over Wealth Cost per turn after this turn: 700+75+50 (Fair, Balanced)+50 (Colonial)+50 (Debt Servicing)=925
Pre-fixed Income Per Turn, after this turn: Next turn you get 500 for not having as many tanks, 500 Budgetary, 50 Military Research, 200 (Trade), 250 a turn next turn in Colonial Output+50 (Educator donations)+100 (Increased tax income)+30d100=1650+(Average of 1500)
Debts to be Serviced
((Happens at the end of every second turn of a year)
1000 Wealth was added to the debt sheet, which means the cost of Debt Servicing increases by 50. That'll have to be paid from something, since the Debt Servicing budget is for 1700, not 1750. So, next turn you'll have to pay 50 more. And etc, etc until you are no longer borrowing.
*****
A/N: And so that's done with! Gonna start working on the Kansas City Shuffle update finally! The first thing, the Diplomatic Turn, will be coming after that, and while you are all waiting, lk has another Infodump, this time on naval stuff, and he's also available for questions.
Military: You saved some money and looked into something...which turned out to lead to a gang war.
What's With Research?
Rolled: 72
In the end, the base was taken, and the information with it. A lot of it was only useful for tracking down the drug trade, but there was some interesting information on medical uses for several things, and more options in that regard, though for the moment it will take some work to sort through them. More importantly, the Xvorzit involved are arrested and tried along with all of the rest, and for the moment the military no longer has a Research budget, that 50 Wealth folded back in. It costs some money to shut it all down, but it's more than made up for in other gains.
It's a mess, but at least it's done with, for the moment.
Reward: 50 Wealth a turn, Learning Options next turn.
Tanks for Nothing
Needed: 30. Rolled: 39
Until one of them popped up, it had looked like a stunning success. Vorzhan had followed up with a thorough investigation, and dozens were caught up in it, mostly at the lower levels. They might not have gotten everything, but they got most of them, and in the process checked out the rest of the tanks. They were being used properly, and Vorzhan got an invite and accepted it--when she finally had time--to a race involving two hovertanks. It was rather dirty, and being amid a crowd of ten-thousand screaming Xvorzit cheering on the two teams, named by color was interesting, but they had fun.
A lot of fun, honestly. And it allowed you to connect to some rather interesting figures. Including one Bazrith, a tall and spindly Xvorzit who apparently knew a lot about the history of tanks, and as a gift gave you a data-sheet of his book. More pressingly and important--it was reasonably well written but a bit long-winded--it included information and inferences on current tank designs, which at least gives a few ideas.
Reward: 250 Wealth, 500 Wealth a turn, new options to research tanks, because I know how much you all love more options.
(Hazitean) With the Fleets
Rolled: 60, enough for a bonus action because of 'event bonus.'
Hazitean didn't have a lot of time, what with rehabilitation and doctor's visits, and the like, but she did manage to drop something off rather late in the year. Apparently her contact with the fleet, while it hadn't exactly...impressed that many, gave her the chance to check up on them, and the story was...mixed at best. Loyalty was reasonably high, and they were all doing their job. And compared to the rest of the military their budget was rather reasonable. If anything it could have been increased against the rest of the military budget.
Except the hold administration had feared rebellion, war, criminals: things that couldn't really be helped from space, and the fact that they weren't even doing pirate patrols makes the situation worse.
Reward: Info, as below. Options open up.
Units:
2 Battleships, both extremely outdated, the Gazinitah and the Prince Hazanit (Upkeep: 150 per ship (per turn), 300 total.)
8 Heavy Cruisers (five are more than thirty years out of date, three have gone about thirty years since last refit. Upkeep is 50 per old Heavy Cruiser, 40 per new, for a total of 370.)
18 Light Cruisers (4 old, 14 new, tends to be in somewhat better shape than the Battleships. Upkeep 10 per new LC, 14 per old)
24 Destroyers (4 old, 20 new. Upkeep: 4 per new, 5 per old)
30 Frigates (3 old, 27 new. Upkeep is 3 across the board. Old ones cost marginally more, so if you turned the three old into three new by magic you might save...one upkeep a turn, so it basically costs the same for purposes.
40 Corvettes (All old because it's an old design. Upkeep is 2 Wealth per turn.)
Organization:
There is no one Admiral, instead being a matter of prestige and relative position and seniority, as well as just general agreement. In theory they are organized into non-mixed groups that are deployed in battle. In reality there are a number of ad-hoc patrol fleets in which ships of all classes are organized for the purpose of missions.
Budget:
1800 (Upkeep plus marines, training, supplies, etc)
Diplomacy: The word of they day is 'Communication.' Can you say communication, kids?
Fair, Balanced and Well Funded
Needed: 30, Rolled: 50+10 (Synergy)=60
Ultimately, what it took was some money and some retooling of the brand. Or so Vorzhan was told. New people were hired, it became more professional, and in the aftermath of the 'Gang War', tons of more interest popped up. New sites, new info-feeds, new shows, and the programming rode the wave of that, being the official government voice on the ongoing trials, which would take more than a little time to wind their way through the courts. On the back of that, along with the cultural programs, there is a sizable enough audience that it can stand on its own.
Reward: Lose 400 Wealth, Lose 50 Wealth a turn to pay for it, improved ability to affect the popular mood, options in certain scenarios.
Talk to Sol
Rolled: 63, no major problems with having the meeting.
The meeting is set up with very little in the way of complications. It's all done through back channels, but it'll take place on a station orbiting Earth itself, hopefully avoiding some of the prying eyes involved.
Reward: Diplomacy Turn.
Stewardship: There's much to do here, and very little time. The economy needs all the help it can get, and this year you focused on trying to reform the laws and listen to the people's will.
Colonial Holdings
Need: 40, Rolled: 64
It's not as bad as Vorzhan feared. Only a significant fraction of the companies and individuals are owned by Stendarian or Iashec interests. Not even close to all of them. And the colonies seem to appreciate the attention and the money given towards their recovery, and the higher standards for food certainly don't hurt. All in all, it's rather easy to manage it all, even if the Iashec compounds of course still refuse to pay more than small fees, nothing at all like taxes.
More importantly, the colonies seem rather diversified, in addition to being trading posts, and there's a lot to work with, including some basic hab-doming and terraforming that is going on to a limited extent. Either way, there's a lot of trading that winds up happening, especially now that Gazinitah isn't as much of a pariah in the eyes of the other Xvorzit Hives, though some of the traders complain that Vorzhan hasn't talked to them much yet.
Reward: -150 Wealth, +200 Wealth, starting next turn 250 Wealth a turn in tax and other income/contribution to the intergalactic economy.
Study the Workers Plight
Need: 25, Rolled: 96, huh
Vorzhan needed to know more, needed to see it the way a hungry Xvorzit in a desert might turn over a rock and hope the bugs under it weren't too inedible. Well, it could have been worse, certainly. But the workers were beaten for noncompliance in some cases--a very few as a statistic, but it leapt out to him--and were docked pay for any activity that wasn't productive. Despite that they were paid too low and quit too often to be that productive in many cases, and the hours were simply dreadful even by Xvorzit standards, for whom a 60 hour work-week is considered normal or even low. It was a mess, and a lot of laws would have to be crafted.
And then there was the breaking up of worker-associations, the horrible conditions in some of the mines, which had been…
Here the story got so horrific Vorzhan had had to hold themselves back, remind themselves to be patient. Because the mines and several other industries were make-work. Machines existed to halve or even quarter the number of workers and give them great conditions and reasonable wages. Instead, the poor and those deemed problems--but not big enough ones to be sent to the prison world--were shipped off to work in the mines and in the fields to teach them work-ethic, and get them out of the way, with death rates that are...just terrible.
The rapes get to Vorzhan as well. Rapes, plural. Again, the laws exist on the books, but it's hard to prove since sex doesn't lead to children the way it does for many other species, and genetic evidence can often be scrubbed for. But there is a rash of it occurring in many areas where any one Xvorzit has power over another in the realm of business by being their employer.
Then there's the 'child helpers' who aren't technically children being put to work--poor children, always--but only by the barest of technicalities.
But in all honesty, the worst part was when Vorzhan had told Hazitean this, as she sat in her room at the mental-health-clinic. "I know. Didn't you?"
Vorzhan had known bits and pieces, but now they realized just how bad it all was, and it created a damning picture.
Reward: Vorzhan's actually sorta pissed off (he's Just, after all), -500 Wealth. Veekie, guess what? A lot of options unlocked, like 4-5!
(Hive) Bad Worms, Bad Company
Need: 40, Rolled: 42
They counter-sue. And then counter-counter sue. And then they attack Vorzhan as going too far, which as it turns out is rather bad public relations, and the stories start to well up from the underhive, from the depths of the planet. Thousands have been harmed by them, millions and millions in ways big and small have been harmed by the lack of standards, and the push to make laws to prevent this is strong, as is something far basic. Something that Vorzhan is starting to understand and predict.
Vengeance. Not bloody, not cruel, but the company needs to pay and the people want it done, simple as that. They hadn't fully known it before, hadn't been made aware of just how much this company was screwing them over, but once unleashed, things escalate fast. Huge numbers of employees quit and protest, the markets all but shut them out, and within a few months the entire company is on its last legs, vulnerable and trying to figure a way out of this.
At the mercy of the state, as the new rules begin to be enacted, albeit slowly. There are protests from companies, but at the moment there is little they can do.
Reward: -100 Wealth, worker opinion increased. Will of the Hive now 1 (+5 to all (Hive) rolls, +10 to economy and opinion rolls for the People, -5 to all Intrigue rolls against Vorzhan on the planet.) New options opened.
Sweep The Laws
Need: 30, Rolled: 68
The enforcement of consumer protections is not the only thing that Vorzhan is able to set in motion. They begin talking to judges, making their opinion very, very clear. It's a lot of talking, but that's what the job involves, and after a lot of talking, especially with lawyers, Vorzhan goes on their channel after some pre-talk entertainment by a famous musician in a more synthetic form than Barizitan song-poetry, describes what will be the situation from now on.
"All laws that serve as nothing more than the oppression of anyone the defense forces want dead are gone. Now and forever. The people's will shall be heard, has been heard, and will always be heard! I swear to you that I will use the law as it is meant to be used: towards the good of the entire Hive and all of its members. There are good laws and bad laws. The laws against those who would destroy lives for their profit: they are the good."
The camera panned back to show that Vorzhan was seated at a middling cafe, a plate of Jasiphus worms cooked in a nice brown sauce laying out in front of them. It reminded the people of the things they had done: good PR, they'd been told. Plus he hadn't eaten all day, too busy dealing with certain diplomatic problems. There was an audible cheer as people began to chitter and gather outside of the cafe, and as he spoke, each phrase harsh and certain, hopeful and blunt, cheers whistled out all across the planet, impromptu parades and games and rallies taking place. And the police watch, uncertain what to do. No order ever goes to disperse them, of course none comes.
Reward: -100 Wealth, new options unlocked, workers opinion increased, police are a bit...leery?
Intrigue: You instigate the Gang War, you go after Zaeswin, and you try to get a grips on just what sort of tiger you're riding!
Grubs in the Muck
Rolled: 88
Trials are held, and assets are seized, and though there are plenty who criticize the decision to open fire, in the face of the evidence of a vast and shadowy criminal conspiracy funded by all sorts of revanchist groups and with ties and connections that might prove to be awkward--more than a few of the Ruler Caste members, the lower ones, seem to have met at least once with some of the higher ups, and it's all a tangle there. In the face of all of that, the criticism fades. And a lot of assets are seized. Those gangs that remain have to keep their head down, allowing them to be managed much easier.
Reward: Options, +10 for rolls involving crimes or internal security for the next turn or two while the underworld figures out how to adapt to the 'post-winnowing' state of things, which they will no doubt do. 300 Wealth. -150 Wealth.
Casino Royale
Rolled: 97+5=102, well.
Two things are accomplished in a very, very short time. First, an identity is made, with a huge amount of details. Vorzhan looks up population statistics, demographics, modes of speech, types of expression and so on before crafting Yizitari, a Merchant-Caste female from the famous 'Barsa Confederacy Hive World' Amarin. Vorzhan knew the cultural rituals and so on, and believed they could fake the right sort of person. Their head-wings would be hidden behind a plate, and cover stories were constructed.
Additionally, there was news on the mad monster and the Royal Casino. Zaeswin was seen in a single blurry bit of video that was carefully gathered at great risk, sitting at a table with a set of cards, playing some sort of game that analysis later determined to be the human game 'Solitaire.' So, he was definitely there.
Vorzhan was coming for him!
Reward: Intrigue Turn, bonuses to said turn from good rolls.
The Infernal Archive
Needed: 60, Rolled: 31+5=36, failure.
Amid all of the work, Vorzhan almost forgets to do this, and assigns several people to it. They don't get around to it, despite prodding, and what they do find is contradictory and more along the lines of 'pulling information out of the muck.' Rather than, well, cleaning it up. Vorzhan sighs and has a long conversation with them and ultimately reassigns them, leaving it to be dealt with later.
Reward: Failure, can be taken again next year.
Learning: We don't need no education! +??? + no dark sarcasm in the classrooms!=Something? Plus, Giant-spider Elmo.
Cultural Programming
Need: 30, Rolled: 54
Kikkizit dives into it, personally writing some of the theme-tunes and appearing in several wacky videos designed to teach kids about the poetical arts, and there's a cartoon involving a version of the first Poem, and then a documentary series that winds up being popular...there are rough spots, and in direct competition with some of the other stations out there it loses, but Kikkizit seems to be enjoying themselves, and is in fact a bug of many talents, running the whole station well within budget and with the help of friends, able to pull in top talent in order to keep it going.
And there are a number of cartoon mascots that get thrown around for the children's programs, including several that become quite popular.
The ratings are up, and this only gives them even more ideas of what to do with this new medium. In fact, he comes into the room whistling a tune and doing some sort of skipping dance, talking about how they could open up custom blocks and interactive parts and movies and tie-ins and...well, he does pause and rub his feelers and admit that this would all cost money. A lot of money.
There are numbers, and Vorzhan says, "Well...it's certainly something to consider."
Reward: -75 Wealth a turn. Cultural program! More options! Bonuses for opinion rolls and the like for the people. Some other advantages.
We Don't Need No Education
Need: 15 Rolled: 71+10=81, significant success
It took some talking, but Vorzhan had some time to at least start up some panels. Their knowledge on education left something to be desired in some areas, but Kikkizit had studied the topic, and it was started with several groups getting together, and releasing recommendations, including new websites and activities, as well as new cyber-books, and a total rehauling of dozens of things. Hundreds of things in fact. It's a huge list, and even doing half of them is a lot to do in the middle of education, which is year-round, so it'll always be in the middle of something. So Vorzhan decides that it should just be done and starts giving orders and making suggestions, and things change, faster than one could believe if they hadn't also seen the rising of the revolution from even less impetus.
The panels are kept around, of course, and continue to hash out suggestions and ideas, though it will take some time.
Reward: Reforms started, will take a bit to implement them all. Options will open up in a few turns from the panels. Lose three-hundred wealth. Locked in for now.
No Dark Sarcasm In the Classroom
Need: 40 Rolled: 62+10=72
Some teachers protest these new laws. Others spit at you passing in the street, and one half-assaults you waving a banner that says 'Let Teachers teach' before they are escaped. It's all part of being the leader of a Hive, they decide when they have a moment to reflect on it. But others don't see it that way, and the crackdown is rather thorough, thousands and thousands of teachers let go, many other censured, and teachers put in their place. There are many in the Hive who would love such a vital job as teaching, with its opportunities for interaction, play, and thoughtfulness. At least that's what Vorzhan was told.
And certainly, while some parents Labor-Groups protested, all in all it seems to have worked out exactly as they said. The bad ones had been booted out, albeit with pensions, and student activity has increased, for all that they are still escorted from room to room and monitored in their every action and word within the school. But there are clubs being opened up, and other such groups, including pre-workers-associations, as well as other groups. Now that the teachers no longer have as much power to, well, ruin the lives of their students because one of them turns out to be a spy for the government, a lot has changed, and people are noticing it already.
Younger children are coming back to their dens with stories of teachers playing with them, or of other helpful activities, and of what they learned each day, and while it's too early to tell and some fear negative outcomes, such as rebellious youth, at the moment it's viewed overwhelmingly positively.
Reward: -150 Gold (this is mostly to remind me), options might open up in a while, improved teachers, improved teacher opinion.
Personal
Activating Cybernetics
Rolled: 75
The cybernetics are done with, the modifications have been gained, and now Vorzhan is able to link up into communications as well as more fully sense those around him. All in all it was a notable success, and hopefully will help, although the doctors are highly reluctant to do any more than what they have done.
Reward: It's already on your character sheet! Check it out on the front page.
You Need Help Friend
Needed: 30/70/100+ Rolled: 111
Hazitean is checked into a clinic. In fact, she's checked into several clinics and booked for all sorts of tests, though for the moment she refuses to go for a general checkup. But other than that, Vorzhan is able to get their way, and she's off of drugs, at least for the moment. The withdraw was hard, but she managed, cursing Vorzhan the whole time, but the psychological baggage of that remains, and patient confidentiality means that there is little Vorzhan can know.
In theory. In reality there are channels and ways, and they know that Hazitean has been resistant to talking about the past or the present, but has at least been going to the sessions. Similarly, she's at least taking a few preliminary medications, and the whole thing really does seem balanced on an edge, but she's been surprisingly...compliant for the moment, and that's all that Vorzhan can think to ask for.
Reward: +20% chance for that 'Crazy...and Brilliant' option, +5 to all Personal Options next turn involving Hazitean. Increased chance that she'll stick to the 'no drugs' thing next turn. And yes, new options.
****
Budget and Money Stuff
Turn 2 Starting Wealth: 4640
Expenditures: 700 Wealth a turn (previous turn's stuff)+450 Wealth (Education costs)+75 Wealth (A turn) for Cultural Programming+450 Wealth (Intrigue Options)+20 Wealth (Martial Costs)+400 Wealth (Fair, Balanced, Etc)+50 (Talk to Sol)+150 Wealth (Colonial)+700 (Stewardship Options)=3020 Wealth
Income: 500 (Budgetary)+50 (Military Research is Gone)+200 (Trade)+200 (Colonial first bounty)+300 Wealth (Grubs in the Muck) +250 Wealth (Selling tanks) +30d100 (rolled 1469)+100 (Increased Taxes)=3079
Final Balance: 4694 Wealth
Rolling over Wealth Cost per turn after this turn: 700+75+50 (Fair, Balanced)+50 (Colonial)+50 (Debt Servicing)=925
Pre-fixed Income Per Turn, after this turn: Next turn you get 500 for not having as many tanks, 500 Budgetary, 50 Military Research, 200 (Trade), 250 a turn next turn in Colonial Output+50 (Educator donations)+100 (Increased tax income)+30d100=1650+(Average of 1500)
Debts to be Serviced
((Happens at the end of every second turn of a year)
1000 Wealth was added to the debt sheet, which means the cost of Debt Servicing increases by 50. That'll have to be paid from something, since the Debt Servicing budget is for 1700, not 1750. So, next turn you'll have to pay 50 more. And etc, etc until you are no longer borrowing.
*****
A/N: And so that's done with! Gonna start working on the Kansas City Shuffle update finally! The first thing, the Diplomatic Turn, will be coming after that, and while you are all waiting, lk has another Infodump, this time on naval stuff, and he's also available for questions.
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