Turn 6 Results:
Martial
Hazitean: 1d100=29, nope
Bleed: 1d100+4 (Bleed amount)+4 (Bleed time)=45, meh.
Tankers: 1d100+30=115, well holy shit.
(Free) Gun it!
Need: 25, Rolled: 89+5=94
There were demonstrations, tests, and a thousand questionnaires and surveys filled out on how much more effective the new guns were than the old Farshas. But the most effective demonstration was of why Hazitean was not an armchair general. Armed with a single one of the new guns, she mowed through squads of troops equipped with the old equipment, and then reversed it, equipped them all with it and herself with the old one, and while she still cut a swath, this time they managed to finally gun her down (well, it did fake damage that registered as enough to kill her, though Vorzhan wasn't sure whether she'd die even then).
Then she'd insulted people's brood-creators, and generally made a bit of a jerk of herself...but the overall message got through, and now the army is armed with, as their basic armament, better guns, though Hazitean is now thinking about how to improve or add things like grenade launchers and specialist weapons.
Reward: Improved army overall, a few other options.
War, what is it good for? Diplomacy. Ass-covering. Many things.
Need: 15, Rolled: 74+10=84
The guns are very useful, as soon after a large portion of two groups of the army are sent out. First, the most experienced, and second the least, in order to get them some 'blood.' Sol had agreed to accept the help after only a little negotiation, which Tezthen had overseen on her way back from the Holy Free State. A victory after a defeat. How well it would go remain to be seen, and Hazitean had decided that she'd go back and forth between the two locations every so often to check in, though she would have to delegate, something she didn't look forward to.
Reward: Options, other things, Solarian opinion improved.
War Bonds
Need: 25, Rolled: 26+10=36
With the growth of the bonds, this provides quite a lot of money, and can be easily justified as part of the pacification efforts. There are a few small protests, but for the most part, cutting through and finding some money to siphon off from the wildly popular bonds program wasn't hard at all.
Reward: +170 Wealth to the military budget
Security or Liberty?
Need: 35, Rolled: 54+10=64
This time, the police were separated from the army, at least mostly. There was a lot of overlap. Too much, honestly, especially among the special respondents and, oddly enough, the support staff. The whole divide at the moment seems artificial, and many complain about it, but the average person has noticed that, combined with the reforms to the laws in general, it is having a positive effect. Certainly, money is starting to be saved by the process, only partially done.
Reward: Options, opinion boost, +250 Wealth to the military budget
Admiral Bizentara?
Need: 10, Rolled: 40
This was one of the easier things to get solved, but Bizentara was very grateful, though Vorzhan sensed a little annoyance in the stream of notes that were sent the next day on plans they had, especially since for them it was all a little beyond their knowledge. Either way, it all looked pretty good, as did the plans for immediate expansion.
Reward: Options, naval category, new mechanic.
Naval Organization. It starts out as 1/10, and each turn it increases by one. At 10/10 it resets to 0/50, and the number of options increases from 0 to 1. The one option that Gazinitah has at all is due to Bizentara's skill. It increases by 1 each turn, but it also increases and decreases based on options taken. Building up to date ships, improving officer training, expanding the navy significantly, and other methods will provide extra points. At that first level, it's pretty much automatic, but getting it to 50 is hard because a lot of the points will reset at that 'level' development, if one doesn't maintain a consistent effort to keep up to date technologically, and also in terms of office structure, and a wide variety of other factors. Hence, only a few polities, like Ilwar and Sol, have moved onto the next category, 0/100, and have two base actions. None have gotten that third base action.
As well, winning great victories or taking losses can increase or reduce Naval Organization, as experienced officers are killed when their ships are destroyed. Currently, then, with no bonuses, by Turn 15 there will be two naval actions instead of one. Except, sitting in waiting around isn't your plan, is it?
Maximum Capacity:
Need: 50 (DC raised by 10), Rolled: 56+10=66
Kikkizit took charge here, personally, spending half of his time in the Technocrat Imperium, incidentally having the effect of all but making all but certain that the embassy was approved there. Kikkizit got dozens of interesting concessions, and though it was of course expensive, it was entirely worth it. They wrote a paper, as well, on some of the cultural mores of the Imperium, its history, and also met with some game designers and Solarian agents who were acquiring the same technology. This led to yet another interesting contact, but not in time to help with the collapse of the video game board…
Either way, it was a little startling to see just how much Kikkizit had accomplished.
Reward: Up to date hardware and software, contacts, etc. +1 to Naval Organization.
Tanks and Carriers
Need: 25/50/75/100, Rolled: 114
Every month, it seemed, they made more and more progress, breaking previous deadlines. They had the tank done within four months, all systems good, including a set of armaments that were quite excellent, and should be mass producible. It was a bit of a delicate machine in some ways, and so there would need to be some work in the factories to fix a few minor bugs, but in all honesty, it was as done as the Tankers could make it. All that remained was to implement it.
That done, they began work on APCs, the taxis of the battlefield. VTOL craft could be useful, but they had limits both for deployment and dropping soldiers off, and the sheer practicality of an APC was apparently rather established. It was most useful for a full-scale war, since on Gazinita, at least there were different vehicles used for riot control and the like (though they could certainly work on police vehicles if they ran out of fun things to do, they assured Vorzhan), but those only provided limited protection against small-arms fire. Currently they were arguing about motors and also whether the APC should have weapons of its own, and if so what they should be, but hopefully they'll figure something out soon.
Diplomacy:
Meet the Solarian Ambassador
Need: ???, Rolled: 5+19=24, not a good start.
The Speaker frowned. That meeting could have gone better. Nobody insulted anyone else, but the ambassador, a tall, thin, pale being with heavy augmentations, hadn't really warmed up to them. It was perhaps testament to the fact that Vorzhan was becoming a politician- or perhaps that Xvorzit are basically politicians in the best meaning of the word- that they didn't like not being liked. They would have to try again. They began to plan, think of new conversational strategies.
Reward: Nothing, no real contact made, Vorzhan was so distracted by the utter failure to connect that they didn't even talk much about
Re-establish all the Embassies
B'iyiuna was not an expert, but he had a huge staff of experts, and whatever else, he was full to the brim with energy, and a willingness to work night and day and night again without sleeping. Which was typical enough for Xvorzit, but he seemed able to do it for a week on end without any side effects, just plowing on, and while he wasn't so great at the foreign part, he did manage to get embassy buildings made for all of the diplomats he hoped his 'send the whole diplomatic corps all across the known galaxy' plan would result in. Tezthen apparently was a large help in every stage of this, at least according to some of the inside sources Vorzhan checked, since in the official plans her name showed up precisely nowhere.
Aamanthorat
Need: 30, Rolled: 78+20 (25-5 (penalty)=98
"..."
"Yes Speaker?" the expert on the Aamanthorat asked.
"So, getting this straight, the Aamanthorat sent a small commune of individuals to be the embassy, and they selected among each other the one of them that would be ambassador?"
"Indeed, Speaker."
"And formed a body to do so?"
"Yes, with mass gained from the others."
"Just one question," Vorzhan asked.
"Ask away."
"Why," the Speaker asked, "Does the rock look Xvorzit shaped?"
"To put you at ease."
"Oh."
Barsamen Confederacy
Need: 40, Rolled: 94+20=114
The Confederacy has apparently been waiting for some kind of diplomatic contact. They've managed to prevent the rogue member from doing anything untoward at the moment, and are now expanding their navy- a topic which leads to discussions of joint military exercises together, as well as trade and transit- and the fact that Uhan pays a visit to the Xvorzit member of the Confederacy around this time helps, as the world is able to put in a good word to the council, which grants the request almost immediately and sends as an ambassador a famous monk and scholar, experienced in several dozen forms of combat, and just as many philosophies. They are surprising energetic, and other than feeling rather short next to them, Vorzhan decides that they like them, and unlike the Sol ambassador, they get the feeling that the Barsan Ambassador, whose name can be translated as Argis-Unne-Kot, though the exact concepts conveyed in this three part phrase are apparently...obscure.
Entat Star League:
Need: 121, Rolled: 78+20=98
The Entat do not respond. According to Tezthen, when asked, they have no diplomatic contact with any other powers, and haven't for centuries, since the end of the Hexamari Wars. The polite note was for nothing, though she does say that the first broadside was rather cleverly written, but that getting any sort of open communications with the Entat is an academic thought experiment at best, a waste of time at worst.
Hexamari Heretics:
Need: 70, Rolled: 90+20=110
The heretics agree to set up an embassy, though they did make an odd request to learn more about Xvorzit chitin, because they seem to think it might have unique properties. Either way, B'iyiuna picks a diplomat with absolutely no cybernetic augmentations and sends them along. It seems that things are going well enough, though the Heretics' culture is apparently very strange indeed. Social though, and rather friendly when one gets to know them, the ambassador reports back.
Hexamari Theocracy:
Need: 50, Rolled: 31+20=51
The fact that the heretics had gotten so warm of a reception was almost enough to scuttle the agreement, but a quick thinking diplomat twitched their head-wings in a brilliant idea and began emphasizing that only by also having an embassy can any heretic actions be countered, which was enough for the Theocracy to reluctantly allow diplomats in. B'iyiuna sent the most cybernetically enhanced diplomat they could find to the Theocracy, hoping that this would be seen as a positive sign.
Holy Free State:
Need: 130, Rolled: 80+20=100
Tezthen came in one day and asked the Speaker, "If I've done anything to offend you, I am sorry. I did not mean… I am loyal, but--"
Vorzhan, who had been reading, looked up, startled, "What? Why would I be angry at you, from what I know of your record you've done good work--"
She explained that she had been told that her 'assignment' was the Holy Free State. Vorzhan, a little unsure, asked why that was a big deal, which led to her trembling and running off. When they finally get the report from her mission, well, things made sense. It read at first like an objective report on the Free State's history, but it sorta got a little bit drier and more cutting when it pointed out that the Holy Free State viewed all aliens as inferior animals to be either enslaved or wiped off the face of the galaxy, at best. It detailed how B'iyiuna had just taken the name off a list and given it to Tezthen as her assignment, and how she had only gotten a meeting with a lowly official after three weeks of work, a meeting that they arrived late to and would only say that 'We have no wish to pursue a holy war against you at the moment, lowly bugthing.' Then they left, without so much as a goodbye. This was meant to be an assurance, since few other nonhuman nations spent so much time and effort as Tezthen had been forced to, and so she had assumed that there was some reason for it.
Vorzhan didn't have a headache, per se, but they felt for Tezthen and her impossible task.
Ilwari Union:
Need: 50, Rolled: 36+20=56
The Ilwari were not easily pleased, but in this case, the same diplomat who had spent the past two years in the Union, after the failure to retrieve the Xvorzit slaves, was able to call in favors and finally establish an embassy, though at the moment they were considered rather secondary compared to other embassies. Most of all the Ilwari were strange and hairy and they smelled funny, and that was according to the sorts of Xvorzit who didn't share B'iyiuna's mindset.
Incorporated Suns:
Need: 30, Rolled: 19+20=39
Commonly cited as an example of 'Sol on a Budget' though the term was thought to be derogatory, they were somewhat reluctant to incur the expense and not entirely sure of Gazinith motives, but the relative openness of their government, and Sol's current approval meant they finally acceded to the request and sent their own ambassador as well.
Mercantile Republic:
Need: 70, Rolled: 79+20=99
Startlingly, the Iashec instantly agreed to an embassy. Vorzhan suspected it was so that they could know, or hopefully know, exactly where the spying was coming from, and hopefully do their own spying and espionage. Vorzhan decided that they would frustrate this by keeping the embassy, this one if not the others, entirely on the up and up and monitoring the Iashec embassy at all times, to the extent possible.
People's Republic of Tanara:
Need: 70, Rolled: 67+20=87
Tanara is something like the Mercantile Republic in all the wrong ways, but it was surprisingly easy to bribe one's way into an embassy, and so while expensive, there would be few problems. Though Vorzhan didn't trust the Tanaran ambassador at all.
Republic of Deiah:
Need: 70, Rolled: 16+20=36, failure.
Apparently having an Embassy with the Ilwari Union was the breaking point, and they refused to receive the credentials of the ambassador, thus the process couldn't even begin. Perhaps with time they could be won over, though Deiah was not a very importnat human polity.
Rorrox Association:
Need: 30, Rolled: 3+20=23, failure.
The embassy was almost set up when the Rorrox ambassador suffered a sudden illness and needed to be rushed home, which of course set back the construction of a pressurized compound on the Rorrox homeworld- outside of it, of course, sealed environment suits would be needed to survive. Either way, it was an annoying setback.
Star Kingdom of Kenoadad:
Need: 70, Rolled:65 +20=85
A 'Star Kingdom' that had been through half a dozen dynasties over the last century, it was unstable, and operated as much as some sort of corrupt hereditary plutocracy as an actual monarchy. In all honesty, the Gazinith ambassador said it 'felt like home' which meant that they only had to bribe the right people and the embassy was easily set up.
Stendar:
Need: 70, Rolled: 45+20=65, bare failure.
Stendar, protesting the continued illegal actions of Gazinitah, officially refused to meet the ambassador or send their own, even while drawing up plans and beginning to build an embassy, unlike one that the Xvorzit needed. Elaborate, huge, and expensive. But officially, they denied building it, and certainly haven't opened it yet.
Technocrat Imperium:
Need: 40, Rolled: 41+20+10 (Kikkizit)=71
Kikkizit certainly helped, and ultimately the Imperium is perfectly willing to open embassies, and in fact have them from almost every polity out there, though this would only be the second Xvorzit Hive World to have reached out in this way.
Transpecies Harmony Republic:
Need: 22, Rolled: 74+20=94
With a large Xvorzit population and a tendency toward openness in their foreign policy, it would have taken an idiot to screw up getting an embassy agreement through, and B'iyiuna sent one of the better diplomats to discuss it. The current President was a Xvorzit, and they had a long, interesting discussion before turning over details to the human Secretary of State. All in all, it was one of the easiest possible assignments, but was nonetheless carried out as if everything relied on it.
United Kingdoms of Thalkayr:
Need: 50, Rolled: 18+20=38, failure.
It was going so, so well, and then the ambassador had accidently addressed one of the Kings as 'ja' instead of 'na', thus somehow implying that he was an Emperor above all others, an insult that to the King storming out and the negotiations temporarily breaking down, only restarting temporarily thanks to the effort of his eldest daughter, and only then long enough for the Xvorzit ambassador to apologize and for a further meeting to be scheduled later in the year.
Varalai Federation:
Need: 30, Rolled: 26+20=46
Varalai too was an area where it was a relatively easy sell, but the diplomat assigned did a mostly workmanlike job, but that was enough to get an embassy set up in a democracy, even though it did have some objections to some of Gazinitah's actions.
Xvorzit Hives:
Need: 40, Rolled: 69+20=89
All in all, a Xvorzit Hive was a Xvorzit Hive, and good things had been heard about the way Gazinitah was treating its own citizens, and so it wasn't be hard at all to get other Hives to agree to establish embassies, and in the end it is a simple matter, and a rather pleasant one, to greet the new Xvorzit ambassadors. Vorzhan has a very nice meal with them, and it seems like this, at least, won't be a source of trouble or embarrassment.
Reward: Embassies set up, now have access to options involving them, and more. Gain relative (broad) opinions of various polities, might not be entirely accurate. Will have to work on the ones you missed later.
Diplomacy?
Need: 35, Rolled: 89+5=DIPLOMACY
It seemed that there was definitely some waste in terms of luxuries and illegal gifts, but most of all that there was inefficiency. Diplomatic efforts could be improved if things were only carefully moved around, and bribes could be turned into inducements and better facilities. It tied into B'iyiuna's interest in embassies so much that they would build an entire quarter using some of the money excised from the budget, and more properly equip foreign ambassadors.
Reward: No money saved, +2 to all (Foreign) Diplomacy rolls from here on out.
Stewardship
Public Corporations
Rolled: 59+5=64, not bad!
The decision to keep the corporations pays off somewhat, though at this rate it'll be over a decade before returns are made on the investment, and that's only if the economy keeps up at its current rate, which isn't likely. However, it makes a perfect platform for economic counter-espionage, and the profits coming in are still enough to be worthwhile.
Reward: Potential Intrigue options, +64 Wealth per turn.
Open Up Avenues
Rolled: 34+5=39, nothing
Well, at least nothing bad happened this time. Better luck next year.
(Hive) Public Transport
Need: 15, Rolled: 73+10+5=88
It wasn't hard, and the upshot was that the improved economic efficiency had been well worth it, as was the fact that the people at large grow ever more impressed. What remains now, transportation wise, is the far, far more complicated process of extending this new transportation system, carefully tested and at least viable on a smaller scale, across the whole planet and seeing if it works on a macro scale.
Reward: An option, increased public opinion.
Mines of the Hive
Need: 30, Rolled: 37+5=42
It was difficult, but the mines are currently running at a profit. A small profit, though compared to the deficit before it is impressive, all the more so because it was done without the cost cutting, poor safety standards and low pay that accompanied the mines previously. There would need to be an expansion of operations or the creation of new equipment, or even new purposes for the space of the mine if profits were to increase further, but even this at least keeps the Mines from being a drain.
Reward: -50 Wealth a turn because +5 Wealth a turn. Options.
A Study of the Law Books
Need: 20, Rolled: 29+5=34
Finally, it is done. Now that all of the laws are clearly understood and have been put together into a single online document, not only will it be easier to search them, but now contradictions should stand out, and reforms can be begun, especially on governmental matters, the government, legally at least, having existed somewhere halfway between functional and not these last three years.
Reward: Options, +5 to all options that involve the law books (doesn't help for Lawyer/Judge reforms.)
Intrigue
Yaziha: 1d100+27=45, nope.
Castling:
Need: 50, Rolled: 70
It was quite needed, and Vorzhan was surprised at how many identities might have been undermined. In fact, the timing seemed to have been quite fortuitous, as many forces were moving in to exploit weaknesses discovered several months prior, only to have the rug pulled out from under them, dozens of counterattacks and intrusion attempts from a number of polities, including the Iashec, were thwarted. The only odd thing is that Zaeswin had been quiet as of late, his agents working more subtly. Something is being planned, something big, but at least Gazinitah is preparing for it.
Reward: Preparation done, enemies caught.
Redeeming the Aroane Special Group
Need: 45, Rolled: 55+10+32=97
To begin the process of redemption is easy enough. What's more difficult is to find exact roles for them. For the moment they act against criminal and foreign elements, but eventually their purpose will need to be more specific and their limits more defined if Vorzhan doesn't want there to be more overreach. What reaching out to them does do is increase what Vorzhan can do in terms of internal security, as well as free up some manpower.
Reward: Options, expanded manpower.
When In the Course of Events
Need: 35, Rolled: 94
The factions could unite on many issues, even if they couldn't unite on all of them. Not all were heroes, not all of them were even nice, and many believed in slavery and corporate power, just as long as it was handled more efficiently. But all across Asurin they began acting against all of the other factions. With the support of Gazinitah, they had an advantage over the anti-Zaeswin forces which were supplied by Gazinitah, and thus tracked by Gazinitah, and so began to gain some notable victories, though at the moment the antigovernmental forces are still undecided as to their goals and weaker than the other two. But they are growing stronger, and perhaps soon they will surpass the other factions.
Reward: 'Asurin Democracy?' Option line begun. 'Naught But Ash' option line locked.
Learning:
Games, Games, and More Games
Need: 30, Rolled: 24+5=29, no penalty, can try again.
In the end, there are disagreements involving the content of the games, the nature of the games, how best to organize 'gaming groups' and a thousand other minor disagreements that add up to it not getting done in the time that they'd prefer.
Reward: Nothing, can try again next turn.
Take A Pill
Need: 35, Rolled: 67
This time, at least, it works. It's expensive, but the benefits are immediately seen, especially in the poorest regions. Endemic illnesses are lowering, and with it medical based poverty, which is having a small but meaningful impact on both poverty and crime, not all that surprisingly. The greatest advantages are long term and subtle, not the sort of thing that can be instantly recognized by the media. The first real benefits will start to show themselves over the next few years.
Reward: Improved health and public safety, long-term advantages.
Personal:
The Past Is the Past
Need: ???, Rolled: 9+10 (Trait bonus)=19, Hazitean is annoyed, closes up, can try again...the turn after next.
Vorzhan sat in a dark room for a while before they were feeling comfortable enough to turn on the light. Darkness wasn't an enemy. What *was* an enemy was the fact that next time they should try to talk to Hazitean with more tact. Next time...but not any time soon. Bringing it up again so soon would be foolish.
Reward: Nothing, can't try it again until the turn after next.
What Are Friends For?
Need: 10, Rolled: 17
Just talking takes time out of Vorzhan's busy schedule, but their old friends are maintained, and more than that, they have contacts in a wide variety of fields. Primarily military, but they range the gamut, and Vorzhan can rely on them for help.
Reward: +5 to any one borderline action each turn. That is to say, one action that has (barely) failed or might be brought into a crit with a plus 5 is given some love.
Personal (Others):
Kikkizit's Correspondance
Need: 15, Rolled: 48
Their communication has entered a delicate stage, Kikkizit said, but they suspect that they are friends, and that furthermore the Prime Minister is probably willing to expend more capital in maintaining the alliance. However, Kikkizit urges, they will not use their private correspondence as a means of diplomacy, and they cannot and will not reveal the full contents of these communications, and if they are hacked, they will figure it out, unless Vorzhan is behind it. They respectfully implore Vorzhan not to violate their privacy.
The things one does for friends, Vorzhan thinks, but agrees.
Reward: The Prime Minister and Kikkizit are now friends, have a regular correspondence. Currently Vorzhan is *not* monitoring this or using it as a 'private line' for information and negotiation.
Uhan's Religion:
Rolled: 45
Kikkizit and Uhan talk for a while, and this time it is recorded. Uhan explains his religion and asks for permission to further proselytize , not wanting to step on any toes, and also offers additional information on exactly what the religion entails. It's pretty interesting, the packet, though Vorzhan hasn't been able to read it yet. Either way, they seemed to part on good terms, and Uhan was going to be travelling to the Xvorzit member world in the Confederacy to learn more. Interesting.
Reward: Options.
*****
A/N: So, sorry this took a while to get out. Pretty good rolls.
