Attempting To Fulfil Your Contract: A Noveria Planquest [Mass Effect]

[Faith]

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress: 86/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P, +1F)

The Onsite Construction Facilities have been put straight to use, already churning out steel, aggregate, and Immense steel girders and thick slabs of concrete are popping up in the immediate surrounds of the Peak 41 facility, particularly lining the utility pipeline that snakes from the workshops all the way back to Port Hanshan itself.

Unfortunately, Clan Korten elected not to get themselves quite so involved in the building process this time, enamoured as they are with their new and improved workshop facilities. Instead, most of their contributions tend to be more negative - at least one wall was found insufficiently reinforced when a Tomyam APC crashed into it at speed and went right on through (it should be noted that the krogan consider this a resounding success). As such, many of the present walls are now designated secondary barriers, with the intent being to construct an additional set of even bigger, even more durable walls in front of them.


[ ] Restore Offsite Uplink
The mess the Spectre made of the Aleutsk Valley pathway to Peak 15 included a not-insignificant amount of damage to one of Port Hanshan's Offsite Data Uplinks. Originally designed as redundancies, the Offsite Uplinks became more and more important as Hanshan's population grew but its infrastructure failed to grow with it. The increased strain on the network is noticeable, with complaints of latency and dropped connections coming from every sector.
(Progress: 111/100 - 5 Resources per die) (+4 Network)

With the mess at Peak 15 resolved, the geth debris cleaned up, and a full sweep of the area well underway, you reason it's more than safe enough to send a team out to work on repairing the Offsite Uplink. It takes them a few days to clear away the worst of the debris from the destroyed tower and set things up, but the replacement parts are, for the most part, ready and waiting by the time the job is done, so rebuilding begins immediately.

Once the uplink is back online, the reduced strain on the network is obvious. Particularly for some of the offsite labs using it as their primary comms node, latency is down and network stability is up again. Technically, the network is still overloaded, as the offsite uplinks were never intended for full time use, but they're more than stable enough, for now.

[ ] Hanshan Medical Centre Renovation
Maybe it's just your quarian aversion to slap-dash medical care and 'good enough' clean rooms, but you personally take some offense to the lack of updates Hanshan Medical Centre has seen since it was initially constructed during first wave development. Port Hanshan's population, being made up generally of professionals, not families, with next to no children or elderly, may be less in need of cutting edge medical technology than some demographics, but in your professional experience, hospitals are exactly the kind of thing no one appreciates until they really need them.
UPDATE: Baria Frontiers has a medical research clinic attached to the Hanshan Medical Centre, and would certainly be appreciative if it was included in renovations.
(Progress: 94/200 - 10 Resources per die) (Improve Port Hanshan Livability)
(Baria Frontiers: +1F)

Port Hanshan Medical Centre has never been a particularly busy hospital, but it has operated for twenty years, and was built originally to occupy the narrow slice of venn diagram where 'good enough' and 'cheap enough' overlapped. When the promise of renovation money is waved over their heads, the administrators there are quick to come up with a list of improvements, equipment replacements, and other alterations.

The first wave of changes is the rollout of a number of new diagnostics scanners and vital lifesaving equipment - various ventilators, pacemakers, and intravenous nutrient pumps, new and more reliable medigel cultivators, and an additional surgical suite in the research clinic.

[ ] Prototyping Workshop (SUCCESS OVERFLOW STAGE 2)
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress: 252/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P) (Overdue 1/3)

With the vast majority of the work almost completed, getting the final pieces of equipment installed was simply a matter of waiting for them to arrive and slotting them into place. The krogan immediately began putting the workshop through its paces, working on an ERCS order for smaller armoured vehicles to replace the aging, Alliance-surplus Grizzly IFVs they often field.

A number of relatively minor requests stacked up regarding equipment tooling and tolerances - apparently, a lot of modern industrial equipment just isn't suitable for krogan use, and you can't possibly imagine why. With some slack remaining in the project budget and the project team otherwise done with the workshop, you task them with fulfilling any and all reasonable requests until the end of the month, and leave them to it.

For the rest of the month, a small trickle of gadgets and gizmos of increasing complexity make their way down to Peak 41, including more than one piece of equipment initially ruled out of the project for being too expensive.

You check in with your project staff on-site, and they explain that Clan Korten has some suppliers who can get their hands on the good stuff for cheap - with the budget they had left over, they could, and had, achieved a fair few stretch goals, and the workshop was now not just fully equipped but borderline cutting-edge, to Clan Korten's glee.

(+5 Resources)
(Korten Machines: +1F)
(Expand Security Staff Updated)


[ ] Arcology Spire
Very few people want to make their lives on Noveria, and it doesn't take a genius to work out why. The advantage of this is that it massively reduces housing pressure - and what little long-term housing pressure does exist tends to be focused on the resort-cities, which cater far more to high class lifestyles. Nonetheless, some 80,000 people call Port Hanshan home, and that is brushing close to the practical capacity limit. Taking lessons from centuries of urban planning and orbital habitat design across the galaxy, arcology spires serve to provide not just housing and the requisite utilities, but rental spaces that can be dedicated to shops, restaurants, schools, gyms, and other facilities, providing all the average resident needs within a single complex.
(Progress: 217/200 - 5 Resources per die) (+4 Housing)

With the spine of the arcology spire in place and the cluster of utilities, shops, services, and entertainment venues already installed, all that remained of the arcology project was the housing. Over the month, dozens of teams of mechs rapidly deployed and unpacked hundreds of living modules, slotted them into place, and connected all the utilities and fiddly bits. Able to work with minimal downtime to recharge, without need to sleep or take breaks, without the ability to make mistakes, the mechs set a stunning pace, and you swear every time you eye the camera feed another few floors have sprung into being.

The project finishes shortly before the end of the month, giving ample time for the construction supervisors to do structural scans and tests and make sure everything is working. No problems present themselves and the arcology spire is considered open for business - as of yet, no one has moved in, to the apartments or the attached facilities, but they'll come in time.

[ ] Breaking Ground: Lower Hanshan
An obvious consequence of building in the Skadi Mountains is that real estate that can actually be feasibly built on is precious. Port Hanshan's primary facilities were built suspended from the sides of the mountains or digging into them, and the primary intent was for office and residential spires to build up from there. Despite your protests at the time, very little infrastructure was established to allow for expansion downwards - towards the ground floor of the lower valleys, which would be an excellent space for industrial operations and low-cost housing. Now that you're the Administrator, you can rectify that.
(Progress: 255/300 - 20 Resources per die) (Unlocks Lower Hanshan Development)

During your time on the Services and Facilities Committee, you had frequently campaigned for Port Hanshan to make use of the full height of the Skadi Mountains - even if the lower ground was less scenic, that only made it a more acceptable place for industrial facilities that would be 'ugly' elsewhere.

Unfortunately, many other members of the Committee and of the NDC on the whole lacked your appreciation for self-reliance, and noted that anything Noveria needed could be shipped in from existing factories offworld. But they are no longer the ones making decisions regarding the future of development on Noveria, and so their concerns about aesthetics mean nothing to you now.

Huge amounts of work have gone into expanding the infrastructure of Port Hanshan's central district down, primarily power and utility connections, passenger transit options such as trams and elevators, and bulk freight elevator access as close to the spaceport as was feasible (and deliberately designed to interface well with your plans for future spaceport expansion).

Even without counting the more limited room for expansion beneath the fringes of the city, the room now available could fit many thousands of new residents, or factories, or labs, or other facilities as necessary, and without requiring the substantial investment of forming a whole new city.


[ ] Geth Salvage
Between the troopers, warbots, turrets, and miscellaneous other detritus of battle, the NDC is sitting on a veritable goldmine of exotic geth technology. Ensuring that the debris is appropriately recovered and stored for future use by the NDC, rather than whoever stumbles across it, is vital. A Citadel military think-tank has already put out a request for recovered geth technology to be passed on to them, and you know for a fact that there are corporations on Noveria who would be similarly interested.
(Progress: 108/100 - 5 Resources per die) (Further options on completion)

The last few caches of geth technology have been scooped up and brought into the gatehouse-turned-warehouse with the rest of them. As before, it's largely destroyed trooper and warbot bodies, with a smattering of lighter drones and heavier turret emplacements. All up, you've secured a fairly hefty haul, and you're certain to make a staggering amount of money from it all, should you choose to sell it.

Unfortunately, as expected, there's no useful data left on any of their memory cores - they were nothing if not thorough in their wipes. A shame. Any hints on how Saren was able to gain control over them would have been useful.

Several groups have already indicated a desire to get their grubby hands on the geth technology. A Citadel military think-tank has already put out a bounty, and both Synthetic Insights and Kantor Robotics have made offers - less immediately profitable offers, but offers that stand to make a lot more money down the line… provided they don't do something stupid with the parts and start another geth incursion, that is.

[ ] Snow Patrol
Though Matsuo's report and the Peak 15 surveillance footage paints an impressive image of the Spectre's combat prowess, and the trail she left in her wake is by no means small, the possibility of small groups of geth or rachni remaining somewhere near Peak 15 is non-zero, which by your reckoning is too high. Though it's a pain, having some of Matsuo's forces and drones scour the Aleutsk Valley for any trace of either invader would do a lot to ease tensions.
(Progress: 230/200 - 10 Resources per die)

"I thought nathaks didn't have predators?"

"They don't. That's why they're so easy to pull off balance if you grab them from behind."

"Uhuh. So, there's nothing on the planet that could rip a nathak's face off head-on?"

". . . shouldn't be. Fuck."

"Jesus, look at that mess. Are those acid burns?"

"Maybe. Ain't no acid-spitters on Noveria, though."

"Hah, right. You heard those rumours about Peak 15?"

". . . you don't think a rachni did this, do you? We should probably report- "

"Oh, whatever. Look, we're right on the edge of the valley, and this corpse has been here for ages. Whatever did this… it's long gone now."

"We hope it's long gone now, you mean."

Click to shrink...

The weather easing up allows for much faster progress in scouring the valley, and ERCS forces quickly finish their sweep of the area. Aside from a few tiny, scattered pieces of geth debris, the majority of which are added to the pile and only some of which are pocketed as trinkets by security staff, nothing dangerous is found.

Some evidence is turned up that something biological may have been prowling around the valley at some point, but ERCS trackers estimate it was probably passing through the area between two and four months ago, and if it continued heading north, away from Port Hanshan, then it'll be well out of your way.


[ ] Expand Security Staff
As reports continue to trickle in from the wider galaxy about the scope of the geth incursion, much murmuring and discontent has been directed at the ERCS. Their current position as Noveria's police force involves a lot of patrols, guard duty, and crowd control, and their current equipment is by no means suitable for any kind of protracted war with the geth in the event of a future invasion. ERCS wants to negotiate permission to move in some of their more militarised units and vehicles as additional defence against potential geth invasions.
(Progress: 106/150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Housing)
(ERCS: +1P, +1F)

You're not totally sure what happened behind closed doors in the ERCS offices that led to the sudden change in mindset from 'bordering on pulling out' to 'doubling down', but it certainly has proven helpful. Expanding what was, essentially, a militarised police force, into a proper colonial military, has proven a fairly easy task - it's something the ERCS have done before to varying degrees, and it shows.

Although the troops and equipment are still on the way, the defence plans have been drawn up, the contracts have been signed, and a number of petitions for improved defensive installations have been put forward to further reinforce Port Hanshan from the threat of enemy invasion.

===​

Status and Corporation posts have been updated to reflect this turn. Once the minivote below concludes, there will be an interlude regarding that (plus the Investigation Data), and then (after any necessary Status/Corp updates) we'll be back on track for turn 4.

So, with that in mind, pick as many of the following as you want (at least one must be taken)

Geth Salvage
[ ] Sell to the Citadel: +50 Resources, -5ES, No Further Consequences
[ ] Sell to Kantor Robotics: +20 Resources, +2P, +1F, Consequences?
[ ] Sell to Synthetic Insights: +20 Resources, +1P, +2F, Consequences?

No moratorium on this one​

 

[Faith]

I'll Make Some Calls

"SSV Normandy receives you, Noveria. Commander Shepard will be on the line shortly, please hold."

After a few moments of silence, the holoprojector bursts to life, and you find yourself face to face with the Hero of Elysium. Well, sort of. She's clad in the same style of heavy armour she wore during her jaunt through Port Hanshan, helmet tucked under one arm neatly.

"This is Shepard," she introduces herself tersely. "Can you make this quick?"

You frown and do some quick mental reshuffling of points. "Certainly. My name is Administrator Nil'Zannis, Noveria Development Corporation. You had my predecessor arrested. I understand you're still in pursuit of the Council's rogue agent, Saren?"

Shepard nods sharply. "We are."

"Mm. Perhaps I might be able to grant you a lead. After the… incident at Peak 15, the Noveria Development Corporation and its associates did some digging into Saren's activities as a major shareholder. We've come up with some alarming discoveries and I felt they might pertain to your mission."

"What kind of discoveries?"

"One of the first projects Saren got involved with after becoming a major shareholder in Binary Helix was a project to help a krogan clan cure the genophage. The project never went anywhere, but its data was bought by Benezia, who also had a few of the staff formerly working on the project reassigned to a privately owned facility."

"You think Saren and Benezia were trying to continue that research?" The Spectre pauses, face thoughtful. "We've fought more than a few krogan on Saren's payroll - if he's found a cure for the genophage, or even if he's just trying, it might be enough to buy their loyalty."

"Seems likely," you agree. "I suspect very few people who intend to make themselves the primary enemy of the civilised galaxy would want to do so without krogan at their side. The weird part is the facility itself, though - as far as all records indicate, it's located on Virmire."

The Spectre frowned. "I'm not familiar with that planet."

"It's an uninhabited garden world, located in Sentry Omega, right on the edge of the Terminus. There was an attempt to colonise it once, but pirate raids forced the colony to shut down. You'd need the backing of the Council - or at least a small fleet led by some kind of military genius, if you wanted to hold territory there. It's a strange place for a research lab, unless you want to do something very dangerous very secretly."

"This facility, any idea how big it might be? How many staff are there?"

"For the krogan project, around two dozen staff, maybe less. It wouldn't necessarily be a big facility, but it would have to be purpose built - the kind of genetics and cloning experiments they were involved in can't be run out of a prefab. But I don't think that's the only thing you'll find there.

"About a year ago, Saren and Benezia both made sudden, large investments into Synthetic Insights. They used their new power to scoop up a few experts from various teams - including one asari matron who worked as a geth engineer back on Rannoch. These researchers were all bounced around for a bit before being redirected to, according to the documents, the same research facility on Virmire."

"The kind of experts who might be able to help Saren take control of the geth?"

"I'm not in the habit of making bets on decks I haven't stacked, but if I was, that would be a tempting one to make, yes. Alongside the Binary Helix and Synthetic Insights staff, Saren also headhunted a few experts from Baria Frontiers - mental health specialists, behavioural therapists, and neurologists. Might be related to the krogan project, might be something else entirely. Speculating on mad science isn't my area, I just build the labs."

"And all these staff were all redirected to the one place?"

"Apparently. Most of them dropped out of contact, which isn't necessarily out of the ordinary, but they all stopped claiming paychecks within about a month of their arrival. Saren might be paying them himself. Or forcing them to work with him."

"What about staff from the Peak 15 facility?"

"Most of them - at least, most of the lab staff, perished. The survivors only had good things to say about you and your team, but there were not many of them. Only a couple of staff assigned to the project were put there by Saren and Benezia - and they appear to have suffered unfortunate friendly fire accidents."

Shepard's face remains remarkably impassive at that.

"Nor did Saren and Benezia pull any staff off of the rachni project to send to Virmire," you continue when it becomes clear Shepard has no plan on responding. "Given it was a recent project, he may have been waiting to see results before committing. Or not been interested - if he can cure the genophage and he's got the geth on his side, it seems to me he wouldn't really need the rachni."

"With krogan strength and geth firepower, he'd already be dangerous. If Binary Helix were having trouble controlling the rachni at Peak 15, he may have decided they weren't worth the trouble," Shepard agrees.

"Or he could have just been constrained by cost," you add. "Running a sophisticated facility on the edge of the Terminus can't be cheap - Saren is wealthy, Benezia was even moreso, but they're not that wealthy."

"Understood. Speaking of controlling the rachni, have you seen-" She cuts herself off abruptly. "Have any rachni survivors been causing trouble since we purged the labs?"

"If they have, we've no evidence of it," you say, truthfully. "Captain Matsuo's teams recently finished patrolling the area, and we've found no sign of anything untoward," you continue, slightly less truthfully.

"Good," Shepard says, nodding again. Another voice, barely audible over the speaker, causes her to turn, and she nods at someone outside your field of view before glancing back at you. "Thanks for the information. I should go."

"I understand, Commander. I'll send the full report through to your ship now."

===​

"Nil! It's so good to hear from you again! It's been ages!"

Whilst her voice is clear, there's an unmistakable background noise, the general hustle and bustle of the Moreh's communications room overcoming whatever background noise filter the channel affords.

"Hi, Arrelle. I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry, but this is business, not pleasure."

"Of course it is," Arrelle sighs. "Alright, sure. Go."

"I'm sure the Migrant Fleet is aware that the recent geth activity is related to one of the Council Spectres going rogue?"

"We've had reports to that effect. A lot of pilgrims are coming home early, but the news is muddled. This Spectre, Saren, he somehow leads the geth now?"

"That's what they say, and I believe it. We had an incident here on Noveria-"

"There? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I- no, I'm fine. I wasn't on site when it happened. One of Saren's associates had command over a large geth force she somehow smuggled through security. Another Spectre came through and destroyed them all. We believe that Saren may have created some means to control them, and I think I might know where you can find it - or at least, find out about it."

"What makes you say that?"

"A number of AI researchers, including one asari who worked on geth before the uprising, were recruited by Saren and shipped to Virmire, in the Sentry Omega cluster. They would have had about a year of time to perform research before the geth attack on Eden Prime."

"That's not a lot of time to come up with something better than anyone in the fleet has done in three hundred years."

"It's not, but Saren has control of the geth somehow, and it seems likely that those researchers were involved."

"But nothing definite?"

You wring your hands together. "No. Nothing definite."

"It's interesting, sure, I just - Admiral Xen has us up to our necks in projects as it is. We've got marine teams deployed to half a dozen worlds to scout out geth points of interest. We don't really have the manpower to spend chasing a giant 'maybe'."

"I understand. One of the Council Spectres is also likely to investigate the site, and from first hand experience I can say that she's quite a disruptive individual. It might be an opportunity we lose access to."

"The human Spectre? You know she has a quarian on her team? I don't know who, but the Admirals do, and neither of them seem worried about missing out on any data she finds. If there's something interesting at the base, we'll find out about it anyway."

"I see. I had assumed she was an exile or outcast, not a fleet member - it seems strange a Spectre would allow a pilgrim to join them on a mission so important. Either way, I would appreciate you ensuring this information finds the right hands. I may not be with the fleet, but I like to think I'm still of the fleet."

Arrelle laughs. "We haven't exiled you in absentia yet, Nil. As a favour to you, I'll pass this on, but don't expect anything big from it. At best we might be able to spare a corvette or courier to drop off some marines and do some recon, but if there's some kind of geth fortress there? There's nothing we'll be able to do. We're stretched thin right now. And of course the Council is blaming us for the geth being on the loose."

"I understand. I'm not expecting the whole Light Fleet to go, I just thought the information may be of some use."

"Sure. And before you go, Nil… would it kill you to come home sometime? I know you get paid leave. You can finally see your little cousin."

"It's not that simple, Arle. You wouldn't tell Captain Drav or Admiral Xen to just take a month off. I have responsibilities to see to."

Arrelle sighs deeply, shoulders slumping. "I know, I know. I just think it would be nice if you saw my daughter at least once before she gets her suit? We were so close as kids, and now…"

Your cousin sighs again. "You're gone, Garro is always busy… It feels like the Zannis clan isn't much of a clan at all anymore."

You don't have anything to say to that.

After a few moments of silence, she sighs again. "Love you, Nil. Good luck with your work."

"Love you too, Arrelle. Good luck with yours. Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai."

The connection cuts, and your office falls silent.

===​

"The geth incursion may be one of Noveria Corporate's worst kept secrets, but I'll give you credit for this," the asari begrudgingly admits. "I had no idea there were so damned many of them. They're all going to be ours?"

"No. The Ahial Syndicate turned down the chance to buy their weapons-"

Actually, Rangemaster Rikus had told you that if you ever disrespected him, his staff, his art, and his company by suggesting he crib notes from someone else's work again, he would smash your faceplate and dunk your head in a septic pipe, but you didn't think that needed repeating.

"So they're going to the Citadel's bounty. As are the armature and colossus frames, the prime frame, and the turrets. And the scrap. The more intact trooper and leaper frames, those are yours."

"Small cut."

"By category, maybe, but by bulk you're getting close to sixty percent. And paying less than the Citadel for the privilege."

"Interesting. Not giving any to Kantor?"

You consider a few different diplomatic ways of saying you don't trust the batarians as far as your scrawny arms can throw them, but settle for shrugging instead. "I'll refrain from commenting on the transactions of your fellow corporations."

Vivve Shalesta makes a long, low humming noise, clearly amused. "I see. Why are they in such varied states of disrepair, if you don't mind my asking? Oh, I apologise. I don't mean to imply that just because you're a quarian-"

"It's fine. I've spent my fair share of time around geth technology - and digging through this pile, in particular. The Spectre and her team, and the ERCS forces, all have very different approaches to combat, so the damage tends to vary based on who exactly knocked it over."

You gesture to a particularly crumpled leaper frame. "That one didn't get out of the way of a krogan charge. Blunt force until the whole spinal cluster snapped." Your finger slides to the side, indicating a nearly undamaged frame next to it. "That one suffered a targeted system overload attack. Main computer core is fried. Analogous to the brain melting. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing. A fellow quarian, I suspect."

"And this one was just… shot a whole bunch?"

You eye the bullet-riddled trooper frame she's indicating, with several chunks of armour plating, two fingers, and the lower half of its left leg missing.

"Yes. I think that was also the krogan."


Status posts have been updated.

 

[Faith]

The Citadel's collectors, a turian and a volus, are the pinnacle of professionalism from the moment they arrive. Once shown to the salvaged geth remains (at least, the ones you didn't sell to Synthetic Insights) they take less than two hours to scour though and catalogue the pile, cross reference it with your own records, and confirm the details of the purchase.

They offer Lilihierax's workers get a chance to earn some overtime assisting in the loading of crates (under the watchful eye of both the Citadel agents and the ERCS guards) and in moving those crates to the spaceport freight terminal, and within a day of their arrival, the Council's agents are off, taking several hundred thousand credits worth of geth debris with them. The payment for the salvage comes in less than five minutes after they take off, and according to Lilihierax the worker's overtime didn't take much longer.

Frankly, you wish half the corporations here were that professional. It would be nice not to have to chase Mrs Moore from Long Winter for their rent money every month.

Once the agent's freighter has vanished into the distance, you return to your office just in time to catch the last few minutes of the live news broadcast.

"In other news, missing archaeologist Liara T'Soni has been recovered from the Artemis Tau cluster by a Spectre agent. Dr T'Soni has attracted Council attention not for the value of her findings, but because of her mother, the late Matriarch Benezia, who unfortunately passed away due to a lab accident on Noveria four months ago. Benezia is now believed to have been working with the rogue agent, Saren, and the geth invaders - whether her daughter is involved remains to be seen. This has been Wulf Westly, with Real Traverse News."

Frankly, you hadn't even known Benezia's daughter was missing, but then, Benezia's unfortunate demise has dragged a lot of her skeletons into the light recently. It's understandable more people would be paying attention to her daughter now.

You dismiss the rest of the news feed story by story as your VI feeds them to the terminal. A lot of nonsense about geth sightings everywhere from Omega to Vol, alien creatures murdering Alliance marines on Altahe, what some rich arms dealer ate for breakfast… there's a lot you appreciate about life in the wider galaxy, but the absolute inanity of the news still amazes you (in a bad way).

"No, no, stop," you say with a sigh as your VI adds another news story to the feed. "News can wait. We've got work to do."

===​

Resources Banked: 35
Resource Income: 208 - 6 (Favour) + 5 (Refund) + 70 (Geth Salvage)
Total Resources Available: 312

Cargo Capacity: 2
Network Capacity: 6
Power Capacity: 8
Housing Capacity: 6

Executive Support: 65

Spoiler: Corp Status

Corp	Profit	Funding	Favour
NDC	50	50	n/a
Port Hanshan	6	6	n/a
Sannovi Industrial	2	2	4
Noveria Now	1	1	3
Tevura Media Group	1	1	3
Hassan Atomics	1	1	2
Kaskadan Syndicate	1	1	2
Narhu Combine	1	1	2
Solemni & Olde	1	1	2
Synthetic Insights	2	2	2
Abec Territorial Ordinance	1	1	1
Ahial Syndicate	1	1	1
Domain Ecological Services	1	1	1
Dora'vua Cyber Systems	1	1	1
Epherea Biomedical	1	1	1
Kantor Robotics	1	1	1
The Preni Group	1	1	1
Tiber Extraction And Refining	1	1	1
Astra Finanical	1	1	0
Baria Frontiers	1	1	0
Elanus Risk Control Services	1	1	0
Jaeto Investigations	1	1	0
Korten Machines	2	2	0
Long Winter Studios	1	1	0
Itavan Skyworks	1	0	-1
Nezo Aerospace	1	0	-1

Quota Target: 80 >> 92 Profitability
Quota Progress: 3/12 (25%)


Free Dice: 3

Heavy Industry (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 0/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Glacial Fusion Plant
Fuel-efficient and climate friendly, fusion power plants are the standard for developing and developed worlds across civilised space. By burying the fusion plant deep within Noveria's frozen glaciers, they and the limited radioactive waste they produce can be safely and securely contained away from more densely populated areas, and without ruining the view as more economical renewable generators would.
(Progress: 0/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Power)
(Hassan Atomics: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress: 86/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Secondary Artificial Biome Cluster Site
Before an artificial biome can be created, with its own atmosphere mixing stations and climate control systems, a container for that biome must be created. These facilities are, by necessity, relatively large, and as such require substantial land clearing. Additionally, Noveria's extreme temperatures necessitate a high degree of environmental hardening to ensure the artificial biome is not adversely affected by outside weather.
-[ ] Peak 11 (Progress: 0/250 - 15 Resources per die) (Domain Ecological Services: +1F)



Advanced Industry (3D, +15 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Data Traffic Management Centre
Prioritising data traffic is already a challenging problem for every group in the galaxy. Intergalactic communications rely on simple priority rules to allocate bandwidth, whilst local relays such as Hanshan's ground-to-orbit system generally work on a first-in-first-out basis, relying on relative lack of traffic to ensure high speed connections. By analysing outgoing communication requests and assessing relative importance before passing them offworld, corporate assets can be assured they are receiving the highest possible speed at all times, and never getting stuck behind civilian data traffic.
UPDATE: Granting corporations limited access to the data analysis allows them to fine-tune advertisements and other elements of the content they produce, enhancing profitability.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)
(Noveria Now: +1P) (Tevura Media Group: +1P)

[ ] Hanshan Medical Centre Renovation
Maybe it's just your quarian aversion to slap-dash medical care and 'good enough' clean rooms, but you personally take some offense to the lack of updates Hanshan Medical Centre has seen since it was initially constructed during first wave development. Port Hanshan's population, being made up generally of professionals, not families, with next to no children or elderly, may be less in need of cutting edge medical technology than some demographics, but in your professional experience, hospitals are exactly the kind of thing no one appreciates until they really need them.
UPDATE: Baria Frontiers has a medical research clinic attached to the Hanshan Medical Centre, and would certainly be appreciative if it was included in renovations.
(Progress: 94/200 - 10 Resources per die) (Improve Port Hanshan Livability)
(Baria Frontiers: +1F)

[ ] Dedicated Computation Cluster
Personal or desk scale computation and data storage devices are both cheap and widely accessible galaxy-wide. However, as has been the case for centuries, there is a cost to miniaturisation. Dedicated room-scale hardware has always had an advantage in processing speed and power, from antique server racks to modern quantum supercomputers. Installing some computation clusters within Port Hanshan's office complexes and renting them out could prove mutually beneficial.
-[ ] Astra Financial (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Astra Financial: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Dora'vua Cyber Systems (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Dora'vua Cyber Systems: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Network Isolation Lab
One of the biggest difficulties in safely researching dangerous digital intelligences is that they are all, to varying degrees, capable of propagation through communication networks. Any network connection is a potential threat vector and containment if a malicious intelligence reaches the extranet is nigh impossible. As per Council regulations, dedicated Network Isolation Labs must be established for such research. These labs must follow stringent data security guidelines and operate in complete isolation from the extranet to ensure security.
(Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-1 Power)
(Synthetic Insights: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 09 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Ahial Syndicate: +1P)
-[ ] Peak 28 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Long Winter Studios: +1F, +1P)

[ ] Holoaugmented Design Space
Creating digital models and mock-ups before beginning real-world construction is a centuries old process, but one that has always had issues. The perspective granted by a free-floating camera in a digital environment never properly encapsulates a real-world perspective, and things that look right on the model occasionally come out looking a little bit uncanny. Holoaugmented Design Spaces allow designers to bypass this by constructing a full-scale holographic replica of their design to walk through and experience in a much more functional way than is allowed for even by use of augmented reality visors. Itavan Skyworks wants to construct one at their office to experiment with starship layouts.
(Progress: 0:150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Power)
(Itavan Skyworks: +1P, +1F)



Infrastructure (3D, +25 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Due to ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters', the workers refuse to venture up to the site without a military escort.
(Progress: 26/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)
(Cannot be taken without Mountain Monsters)

[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 0/200 - 20 Resources per die)

[ ] Breaking Ground: Lower Hanshan
An obvious consequence of building in the Skadi Mountains is that real estate that can actually be feasibly built on is precious. Port Hanshan's primary facilities were built suspended from the sides of the mountains or digging into them, and the primary intent was for office and residential spires to build up from there. Despite your protests at the time, very little infrastructure was established to allow for expansion downwards - towards the ground floor of the lower valleys, which would be an excellent space for industrial operations and low-cost housing. Now that you're the Administrator, you can rectify that.
(Progress: 255/300 - 20 Resources per die) (Unlocks Lower Hanshan Development)



Security (4D, +7 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Mandatory Audit (Targets 1 Corporation)
In addition to the physical security staff provided by ERCS, the NDC has access to a suite of in-house corporate assessors, auditors, and investigators, trained to dig out corruption, noncompliance, and assorted chicanery wherever it takes root. Sending them after a company ensures that the appropriate rental fees and taxes are being paid, promptly and without any shenanigans.
(Breakpoints: 20 / 60 - 5 Resources per die) (For six turns, negative corporate favour does not reduce income.)
(Target: -1F)

[ ] Mountain Monsters
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)

[ ] Enhanced Border Security
Despite the stringent firearms laws enforced at Port Hanshan, Matriarch Benezia and her commando bodyguards were able to smuggle in not just their own weapons, but a small force of geth troopers, using scan-shielded crates, making a mockery of the Port Hanshan establishment and of its security. The ERCS have put forward a proposal to deploy new and highly sophisticated scanning systems, to ensure similar events cannot be repeated.
(Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (+5 ES)

[ ] Emergency Drills
As more details begin to shake free regarding the unmitigated disaster that was Peak 15, it is becoming increasingly clear that the corporations have become a little too complacent in terms of safety procedures, even those that affect not just individual labs but the whole institution. Enacting random, no-warning emergency drills should ensure they shape up soon enough.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)



Administration (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Internal Sweeping
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

[ ] Firearm Regulation Revision
Port Hanshan maintains a strict policy of prohibiting possession of firearms or firearm components for all parties, with exceptions for on-duty security staff and, by decree of the Executive Board, Spectre agents of the Citadel Council. Though information about the geth attack on Noveria was widely suppressed, news of geth incursions across the Traverse continues to spread, and some are calling for weapon restrictions to be loosened to enable self-defence.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Data Security Law Revision
Noveria was founded and built on the principle of privacy being paramount. By the terms of the colonial charter, all data is to be treated as the private and inviolate property of the responsible parties. Whilst this is obviously preferred by many of the corporations who have established operations, the deliberately sweeping law makes the personal data of individuals equally secure, which makes data harvesting, content targeting, and behavioural analysis relatively difficult.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Expand Security Staff
As reports continue to trickle in from the wider galaxy about the scope of the geth incursion, much murmuring and discontent has been directed at the ERCS. Their current position as Noveria's police force involves a lot of patrols, guard duty, and crowd control, and their current equipment is by no means suitable for any kind of protracted war with the geth in the event of a future invasion. ERCS wants to negotiate permission to move in some of their more militarised units and vehicles as additional defence against potential geth invasions.
UPDATE: ERCS has contracted the design and production of enhanced all-terrain vehicles for their Noveria forces to Korten Machines, allowing a greater home field advantage.
(Progress: 106/150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Housing)
(ERCS: +1P, +1F)
(Korten Machines: +1P)

[ ] Horuvak Valley Platinum Mine Approval
Though they have already secured mineral exploitation rights across Noveria, Tiber Extraction And Refining are restricted by the terms of the colonial charter from engaging in mining operations within a certain range of Port Hanshan without the proper approval. In testing their new Panoptes mineral scanner, they located a significant deposit of platinum within the Horuvak Valley, and the group has requested permission to draw up plants to establish an extraction operation there. Though it could generate significant profit, especially if refining is also performed on site, resource export, whether raw or refined, would put significant strain on Noveria's spaceport.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks further options)
(Tiber Extraction And Refining: +1F)



In keeping with what is apparently becoming a pattern, there's probably something wrong with this post somewhere. If you see it let me know.

Vote is NOT YET OPEN

 

[Faith]

Welcome to the Noveria Corporate Network
You are currently logged in, Laekus (Chairman)

■​

♦Topic: Administrator Zannis
In: Boards ► NDC ► Executive

Laekus (Original Poster) (Chairman)
Posted on April 22, 2183:

I realise it's not exactly time for a performance review yet, but it's been an interesting four months, if nothing else. What's the assessment so far?

I wasn't initially impressed by his record, but he has at least managed to avoid embarrassing us completely. The geth and rachni incidents are both largely suppressed, Saren and Benezia were investigated promptly, and even in spite of Binary Helix, he's on track with his quota.

(Showing Page 1 of 1)

► Rugg
Replied on April 22, 2183:
Gradd says he keeps his promises and Anoleis' promises too. And he hasn't tried to screw anyone over yet. Maybe he's spineless, but too much spine in his position is almost worse. I like him so far.

► Anyela
Replied on April 22, 2183:
He has put a significant investment into ensuring that Port Hanshan remains secure and stable. I cannot fault him for this. As Korten Rugg says, he has so far avoided drawing the ire of the local managers, at least to the extent of my understanding. So long as he avoids any future disasters I would be happy to renew his contract.

► Molag
Replied on April 22, 2183:
He went over our heads selling internal reports to the Spectre and he went over our heads selling the geth debris to the Citadel. He may not be rocking the boat just yet, but him making these kinds of decisions risks setting a powerful precedent for future administrators. He needs to remember his place.

► Ileta
Replied on April 22, 2183:
What would you have preferred he do with the geth? We would likely have done the same thing he did. Synthetic Insights have been looking for geth parts since they attacked Eden Prime and Kantor Robotics have their bag packed with projects already. They don't have the staff or facilities to rip up half a geth army.

Besides, making decisions like that without us was exactly the point of the Administrator, before we decided to reduce the role to glorified landlord. Now we're returning to our initial goals, it seems fair to return to the office of the administrator their initial privileges. At least now he's worth the credits he's skimming.

► Simbus
Replied on April 22, 2183:
The view on the ground seems pretty positive, which is surprising. I've been working with his Services department and they seem to actually like him. I was expecting a lot more jealousy on their parts. Matsuo likes him - he's a little less abrasive than Anoleis, and humans seem inclined to sympathy for quarians in general, so both of those things are probably helping.

Myself, I remain neutral. He's on track to meet his contract quotas and he hasn't pissed anyone off yet, sure, but that's also literally the bare minimum demands of the role. We'll have to wait and see if he floats or excels.

(He's not even skimming that much, he's mostly just doing a little well-informed stock trading on the side. At least, as far as we can see from down here.)

► Anomo
Replied on April 22, 2183:
I know he's invested a lot more into security since he moved in. Is he aware of Binary Helix's little secret, or worried about another geth attack?

► Yimm
Replied on April 22, 2183:
The latter, we think. Every action he's taken that could have been about the queen could have been due dilligence, and he's been very prompt with his reporting on major events thus far. I'm not sure he'd be interested in keeping her secret if he knew of her. We should have brought him in earlier, but it's too late for that now. It's been months and we've picked up no sign of her. I think this window has closed.

► Molag
Replied on April 22, 2183:
Kantor have a lot of projects, but they also know how to prioritise. If they were offered a geth warframe, I'm sure they would have taken that and put their mechound research on hold without question. And Kantor aren't the only corporation he's snubbed so far. He may not be actively antagonising but he doesn't seem too interested in making friends.

I'm not (yet) so upset I'd vote to have him removed, but unless he turns his act around I won't be voting to renew him.
​

End of Page. 1

===​

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 211/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

The first step of expanding the spaceport is clearing a space for the spaceport to expand into. Luckily, the plans are not new, the area is well surveyed, and work crews already performed some preliminary work in making the arrangements for Lower Hanshan's cargo freight elevator, so the plans are all aligned and your work crews have absolutely no excuse not to get straight to work.

And, to their credit, they do. Every day you head up to the spaceport control tower and take a look at their work and every day a little more of the mountain has been carved away, a new foundation of steel girders and pipes and power conduits creeping across the ground along the path now cleared.

The freight elevator passage has been linked to what will be the spaceport's main cargo hub, and though not presently useable, when the spaceport is complete that cargo hub will allow for easy transport of cargo from below without having to haul it through the city proper.


[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress: 101/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P, +1F)

Construction around Peak 41 continues at an unfortunately slow pace. Clan Korten has continued to be unhelpful, with walls being smashed, crushed, or knocked over almost as quickly as they're being put up.

Clan Korten insists that this has proven a very helpful addition to their creative process, but you're just getting increasingly frustrated at the amount of money being sunk into rebuilding the same three walls but incrementally stronger each time. You briefly wonder if it might be easier to skip the iterative process and jump straight to lining the walls with starship armour and integrated kinetic barriers, but your foreman assures you that that won't be necessary.

This time, he says, for sure, he affirms, the krogan won't be able to knock the walls down.

You expect you'll be hearing another apology from him by the end of the week.



[ ] Hanshan Medical Centre Renovation
Maybe it's just your quarian aversion to slap-dash medical care and 'good enough' clean rooms, but you personally take some offense to the lack of updates Hanshan Medical Centre has seen since it was initially constructed during first wave development. Port Hanshan's population, being made up generally of professionals, not families, with next to no children or elderly, may be less in need of cutting edge medical technology than some demographics, but in your professional experience, hospitals are exactly the kind of thing no one appreciates until they really need them.
UPDATE: Baria Frontiers has a medical research clinic attached to the Hanshan Medical Centre, and would certainly be appreciative if it was included in renovations.
(Progress: 251/200 - 10 Resources per die) (Improve Port Hanshan Livability)
(Baria Frontiers: +1F)

With the majority of their most vital equipment and tools slowly being replaced with more modern and high end versions, the Hanshan Medical Centre began working down their priority list. First they replaced the more obscure equipment, such as the elcor bioscanners that saw maybe one use a year, the clean-tanks for Hanshan's less-than-four-hundred hanar, and the drell dehumidifier harnesses, with the old ones set aside for emergency use or sold off to private individuals.

Then, with the funds and support they have left, Hanshan's administrators turn to much more benign improvements - fresh paint in the halls, an expanded garden and relaxation area on the 'roof', new physiotherapy and training equipment in the gym, coffee machines for the staff and high-quality televisions for the patients. Though not particularly useful for improving medical outcomes, the general quality of life improvements should make things a little better for the patients and staff both.

It also endears you to the administrative staff there, who tell you that past administrators have basically ignored them unless there was some kind of crisis, and as a quarian, there's nothing you appreciate on principle more than medical staff who don't hate you.


[ ] Network Isolation Lab
One of the biggest difficulties in safely researching dangerous digital intelligences is that they are all, to varying degrees, capable of propagation through communication networks. Any network connection is a potential threat vector and containment if a malicious intelligence reaches the extranet is nigh impossible. As per Council regulations, dedicated Network Isolation Labs must be established for such research. These labs must follow stringent data security guidelines and operate in complete isolation from the extranet to ensure security.
(Progress: 93/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-1 Power)
(Synthetic Insights: +1P, +1F)

Vivve Shalesta was more than happy for Synthetic Insights to take possession of some of the NDC's recently acquired geth debris, but she's less willing to have her staff put it to use with their facilities the way they are. Though the geth are technically not artificial intelligence, she informs you redundantly, they are still dangerous enough that the Council would be leery to let them play with geth parts without taking the proper precautions, and Synthetic Insights makes a policy of not giving the Council any excuse to launch investigations of their own.

As such, Shalesta requests the construction of a dedicated network isolation lab - a facility completely cut off from the extranet and from all wireless communications, so that even in the worst case scenario a rogue intelligence could still be adequately contained. You see no reason not to oblige, and the act of creating a network isolation lab isn't really that difficult.

Some previously unused offices in Port Hanshan's Corporate Sector are stripped of all network hardware and fitted instead with faraday cages and signal jammers. The power conduits are reconfigured such that all internal sockets in the office unit are powered entirely through a single junction which can be easily disconnected in case of emergencies, and backup battery units are installed to ensure that even in Port Hanshan experiences a mass power-outage, the signal jammers will continue to operate for at least several hours.

Personally, you think that part's slightly redundant, since if there's no power there would be nothing in the lab to send signals out, but Council standards are Council standards and you're not going to argue about being thorough - after all, it's not paranoia if the robots really are out to get you.


[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 69/200 - 20 Resources per die)

Peak 12 was one of the best-surveyed sites for future development, before the NDC pulled the plug on the project in favour of the resort cities, and though it's been almost two decades, the plans are still almost perfectly appropriate - a landslide did wipe out a chunk of one of the ridges marked as part of the safe route, but that's relatively easy to fix, all things considered.

A few snowbounders make the trek back and forth along the proposed route, ensuring that no other damage has occurred and that the bridge sites are still suitable for construction, and their equipment reveals no issues severe enough to warrant a change of plans.

A couple of heavy duty trucks follow, carrying the navigational beacons used for guidance and communications during blizzards and setting them out along the path. A third wave of vehicles follows, laying out a long weather-shielded conduit for utility services to run through.

Unfortunately, it's a long path and progress is hampered by some unfortunate weather, but the team makes good time, getting a little over two thirds of the way to the site. Another team shuttles out to the site itself to set up a basecamp in preparation of future works.

[ ] Breaking Ground: Lower Hanshan
An obvious consequence of building in the Skadi Mountains is that real estate that can actually be feasibly built on is precious. Port Hanshan's primary facilities were built suspended from the sides of the mountains or digging into them, and the primary intent was for office and residential spires to build up from there. Despite your protests at the time, very little infrastructure was established to allow for expansion downwards - towards the ground floor of the lower valleys, which would be an excellent space for industrial operations and low-cost housing. Now that you're the Administrator, you can rectify that.
(Progress: 352/300 - 20 Resources per die) (Unlocks Lower Hanshan Development)

With key infrastructure in place, mainly meaning transit lines to move the equipment and utility conduits to power it, further progress on Lower Hanshan comes quickly. With no contractual obligations, you have your team focus construction efforts on building a strong framework that later projects will be able to exploit in whatever way suits them best.

Of course, just because you have no contractual obligations doesn't mean you don't know what's going down there. Whilst your staff toil away (or rather, sip coffee whilst the mechs toil away) you personally drag out your old drawing tablet and start sketching up a few plans. Industrial sites and low-cost housing are the obvious things to go down there, but neglecting civilian services and entertainment would be problematic - not everyone is okay with being crammed into small spaces like the quarians are.


[ ] Mountain Monsters
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 22/100 - 5 Resources per die)

All of the staff you would have assigned to replacing the uplink are instead working on running utilities to Peak 12, but that's no reason not to get started dealing with this 'mountain monster' nonsense.

A handful of small prefab cabins are set up on the abandoned, snowed-over construction site, keeping a dozen or so of Matsuo's less reliable men warm despite the mountaintop chill, and they rotate through patrols of the site, aided by drone flocks for aerial surveillance.

As has always been the case, nothing turns up on any of these patrols, no sightings are reported, and the only thing of note in any of the reports is the remark that the teams are going through coffee faster than usual because of the cold.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"It's one of life's greatest mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a god, watching everything? You know, with a plan for us, and stuff? I don't know, man. But it keeps me up at night."

"...what? I meant, why are we up here, on this mountain?"

"...oh. Uh. I…."

"Spirits, you humans are all so weird."

Click to shrink...

[ ] Enhanced Border Security
Despite the stringent firearms laws enforced at Port Hanshan, Matriarch Benezia and her commando bodyguards were able to smuggle in not just their own weapons, but a small force of geth troopers, using scan-shielded crates, making a mockery of the Port Hanshan establishment and of its security. The ERCS have put forward a proposal to deploy new and highly sophisticated scanning systems, to ensure similar events cannot be repeated.
(Progress:122/150 - 10 Resources per die) (+5 ES)

The ERCS waste no time in beginning deployment of all manner of new toys and technologies once they are given the go ahead by your staff. Old weapon scanners are ripped from the walls and replaced with top-of-the-line replacements, and then supplemented with biometric readers, thermal sensors, x-ray scanners, and a range of other devices.

Doctor Toradul assures you that this is equipment he would have killed for during his degree (forensic science, he tells you) and that the chance of a geth infiltrating Noveria now is so close to zero it's not worth calculating - or, uh, it will be, as soon as they finish calibrating the sensors, many of which seem to be struggling with the cold.

The spaceport's cargo terminal receives a similar treatment, with all manner of scanners and a designated quarantine bay so that containers may be inspected manually if necessary. Additional devices are obtained and set aside for installation in the expanded spaceport, once it's completed, but they can be calibrated ahead of time, so there should be no further delays once the calibrations are complete.


[ ] Internal Sweeping (Rolled: 125) (Natural 100)
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

One of the advantages of using a heavily modified quarian ancestor-VI updated with geth technologies and more than a few custom-coded patches, instead of some off-the-shelf garbage like the Mira model, is that it can do a lot of things no one anticipates a VI being able to do. When you told your staff you were installing a new VI message filter on the corporate network, none of them so much as blinked. If they'd had any idea what your VI could do, they might not have been so relaxed.

Presumably, they presumed all the little loopholes to talk without being listened in on would still work - using the beta-reader protocol to send each other messages without 'sending' anything, turning off the transcriptor on their voice calls to prevent logging, or just flat out having face-to-face conversations instead of using their terminals. All techniques well known to the Administration team members you sent to investigate potential corruption, but all difficult to prove.

Unfortunately for the Infrastructure, Services, and Maintenance team, your VI isn't so constrained. With the access provided to it, it can monitor every message as it's being written. It can listen in on their voice calls and generate its own transcript for your later perusal. It can lip-read through camera footage and cross-reference with background noise from other live microphones.

With your own personal infrastructure set up, you can keep a second pair of eyes on both the Infrastructure and Administration teams, and make sure no one is trying to pull a fast one on you.

Between your eyes and the diligent work of the Administration team, your investigation casts a wide net and sifts through a huge amount of data. The slightest hint of corruption would be uncovered in seconds. Whispers of backroom dealings would be heard. Papers going 'missing' would be found in seconds. Wayward credits would be sniffed out and traced back to the source with ease.

If any of those things were happening.

But they're not.

If one of your team members so much as breathed in a dissenting way, you'd know about it. If a single word of complaint was written about you, it'd find it's way to your desk. If anyone tried to send a report over your head, it would be caught.

But they don't.

Not once.

In fact, your staff seem legitimately happy to be working (which, naturally, has you immediately suspicious), despite the fact that you can't find even the tiniest speck of corruption amongst them (which is frankly just more suspicious). After some further investigation, of both the surveillance-state and the coffee-machine-conversation kinds, you get a clearer picture of why.

Though it had taken you some time to make waves amongst the corporate bigwigs, word had spread as it always did around the water coolers, and both your reputation and your history were fairly well known to the office staff. Since you built your career on being good at running services and utilities and not on being good at office politics, they had faith that you'd give them some modicum of respect and not make unreasonable demands, and so far, intentionally or not, you'd lived up to that.

The few times you've stepped in to work on a project yourself, they've not seen it as petulant micromanagement, but as a senior coming down to pull their weight on a hard project and offer some guidance and advice along the way. When you come down to the offices to chat to people on their breaks, they've not seen it as an intrusion, but as a fellow team member getting to know his staff now that the crises have settled down a little and their team isn't so busy.

They see all this, and they see that you're a quarian and that everything you've achieved has been done in the face of a not-insignificant degree of speciesism, and they see it as an inspiration, proof that their choice of specialty has not doomed them to a life of managing sewage plants or data relay centres.

Whether you like it or not, your staff see you as something of an inspiration, and have a great respect for the way you conduct operations. They are competent, they are happy, and they are loyal in a way that goes beyond the promise of the next paycheck.

Now you almost feel bad for spying on them so much.

(Nil'Zannis Gained Trait: Beloved Boss: Infrastructure department will never gain Corruption.)


[ ] Expand Security Staff
As reports continue to trickle in from the wider galaxy about the scope of the geth incursion, much murmuring and discontent has been directed at the ERCS. Their current position as Noveria's police force involves a lot of patrols, guard duty, and crowd control, and their current equipment is by no means suitable for any kind of protracted war with the geth in the event of a future invasion. ERCS wants to negotiate permission to move in some of their more militarised units and vehicles as additional defence against potential geth invasions.
UPDATE: ERCS has contracted the design and production of enhanced all-terrain vehicles for their Noveria forces to Korten Machines, allowing a greater home field advantage.
(Progress: 210/150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Housing)
(ERCS: +1P, +1F)
(Korten Machines: +1P)

Close to two thousand new staff members arrive throughout the month, ranging from combat teams and vehicle operators to quartermasters, logistics officers, and corporate police. Almost as soon as they arrive, they're put to work, with increased patrols throughout the Corporate Sector, guards watching over the various construction sites in and around Port Hanshan, and vehicle crews joining Clan Korten in making a mockery of your efforts to build a safe testing range by destroying it almost as fast as it's built in the name of 'equipment familiarisation'.

With the staff in place, and many of the arcology spire's apartments now filled, the uptick in rent, whilst slight, is noticeable. Clan Korten, having just received a hefty and well paying contract with ERCS, accept the tax you level at them with what strikes you as uncharacteristic amicability, and you find yourself once more thankful that you wound up with a relatively tame krogan clan.

===​

Status and Corp post updates coming SoonTM

 

[Faith]

"...designs boast similar firepower, but a much greater rate of fire. In testing, soldiers equipped with these new detachable heat sinks were able to fire almost three times as many rounds as the control group in the same time period. One soldier commented that the new advancement would be a game changer - others remain reluctant, claiming that against organised opposition, it has always been shield delay, not weapon cooldowns, restricting the pace of combat."

"Unfortunately, the rest of the announcement was not as optimistic - turian researchers are still unable to efficiently replicate the geth's unique plasma munitions, or their highly effective shield emitters, although they claim they are making steady progress thanks to a surge in new components, kindly donated by colonists of the Traverse."

"Nonetheless, as geth incursions grow more frequent throughout the Traverse, we can rest safely, knowing their technological advantage is slowly slipping away from them. This has been Maku Bel Imelus, Traverse Daily."

The news falls silent, and you wave away your VI's attempts to load another article, double checking the time. Unlike Mrs Moore, who attempted to ditch your meetings almost as often as she attempted to ditch paying rent, Director Arachne was almost always...

Your intercom buzzes. "Sir? Your afternoon meeting is here."

… very punctual.

"Send him in."

The door opens with a subdued hiss, and the human enters. Unlike most of the businessmen on Noveria, who wear tight fitting suits in clear white or blue, he wore loose-fitting dark robes that brought to mind the archival footage of quarians from before the fall of Rannoch.

"Good afternoon, Administrator Zannis," he says with a smile, extending a hand as he crosses the room.

"Ah, Director." You shake his hand, and gesture to the chairs at your desk. "Please, take a seat."

He sits opposite you, placing a datapad on the desk between you.

"I greatly appreciate you giving me this opportunity to discuss with you - we at Tiber have many thoughts on the new Lower Hanshan sector, and we're hoping that our dreams and your plans might achieve a form of synthesis."

"My plans are currently quite flexible," you state, grinning although he can't see it. "Looking to make an investment? Expand your operations?"

"Perhaps. Currently, we don't perform too many mining operations here on Noveria - primarily we use well-scouted resource deposits as controlled testing environments for our new resource scanners. The proceeds of what little mining we do are generally shipped offworld to an orbital facility and fed through the asteroid hopper for refining - not an inefficient process, per se, but the cost of diverting ships for the task is not insignificant."

The Director tapped a few buttons on his datapad, and a holographic map of some kind emerged. "This is the standardised layout for Tiber's first stage refineries. If we could build a couple of these on Noveria, we could process the materials here and skip a fairly costly transporting step in space - and Lower Hanshan is close enough to the spaceport for convenience whilst keeping noisy, dirty refining processes sufficiently far from the… centre of town, so to speak, that no one would complain."

It would also mean Tiber's existing engineers and researchers would be joined by foundry staff, miners, and other labourers - perfect feedstock for a hypothetical Lower Hanshan residential area?

"Naturally, if we were to do this, we would need to increase our mining output, to get enough throughput to make the facility profitable - but there's more than enough mineral wealth here for us to do so. We imagine the bigger concern, from your point of view, would be the increase in cargo being sent about the place. But, if you feel that the spaceport will be able to sustain that kind of operation, well, consider this advanced notice that we'd be interested in collaborating for future development. Such a collaboration could prove profitable for us both."

The Director leaned back in his chair, and you leaned back in your own to match. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure it would."

===​

Resources Banked: 82
Resource Income: 212 - 7 (Corporate Favour) = 205
Total Resources Available: 287

Cargo Capacity: +2 (Minor Surplus)
Network Capacity: +6 (Significant Surplus)
Power Capacity: +8 (Significant Surplus)
Housing Capacity: +4 (Minor Surplus)

Executive Support: 65

Spoiler: Corp Status

Corp	Profit	Funding	Favour
NDC	50	50	n/a
Port Hanshan	6	6	n/a
Sannovi Industrial	2	2	4
Noveria Now	1	1	3
Tevura Media Group	1	1	3
Hassan Atomics	1	1	2
Kaskadan Syndicate	1	1	2
Narhu Combine	1	1	2
Solemni & Olde	1	1	2
Synthetic Insights	2	2	2
Abec Territorial Ordinance	1	1	1
Ahial Syndicate	1	1	1
Baria Frontiers	1	1	1
Dora'vua Cyber Systems	1	1	1
Elanus Risk Control Services	2	2	1
Epherea Biomedical	1	1	1
The Preni Group	1	1	1
Astra Finanical	1	1	0
Domain Ecological Services	1	1	0
Jaeto Investigations	1	1	0
Kantor Robotics	1	1	0
Korten Machines	3	3	0
Tiber Extraction And Refining	1	1	0
Itavan Skyworks	1	0	-1
Long Winter Studios	1	0	-1
Nezo Aerospace	1	0	-1

Quota Target: 80 >> 92 Profitability
Quota Progress: 5/12 ( 42% )


Free Dice: 3

Heavy Industry (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 211/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Glacial Fusion Plant
Fuel-efficient and climate friendly, fusion power plants are the standard for developing and developed worlds across civilised space. By burying the fusion plant deep within Noveria's frozen glaciers, they and the limited radioactive waste they produce can be safely and securely contained away from more densely populated areas, and without ruining the view as more economical renewable generators would.
(Progress: 0/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Power)
(Hassan Atomics: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress:101/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Secondary Artificial Biome Cluster Site
Before an artificial biome can be created, with its own atmosphere mixing stations and climate control systems, a container for that biome must be created. These facilities are, by necessity, relatively large, and as such require substantial land clearing. Additionally, Noveria's extreme temperatures necessitate a high degree of environmental hardening to ensure the artificial biome is not adversely affected by outside weather.
-[ ] Peak 11 (Progress: 0/250 - 15 Resources per die) (Domain Ecological Services: +1F)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Commercial Manufacturing
The majority of Noverian-manufactured consumer goods are novelty clothing, snow globes, winter-sports equipment, and snowbounders - goods appropriate for the holiday-goers and long-stay tourists common in the resort cities, but less appropriate for the corporate staff living full time on the planet. Creating local manufacturing for things like furniture, clothing, and home computer terminals would help cut living expenses in Port Hanshan - particularly for the city's small but growing labour, retail and service underclass.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (-2 Cargo, -2 Housing)



Advanced Industry (3D, +15 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Data Traffic Management Centre
Prioritising data traffic is already a challenging problem for every group in the galaxy. Intergalactic communications rely on simple priority rules to allocate bandwidth, whilst local relays such as Hanshan's ground-to-orbit system generally work on a first-in-first-out basis, relying on relative lack of traffic to ensure high speed connections. By analysing outgoing communication requests and assessing relative importance before passing them offworld, corporate assets can be assured they are receiving the highest possible speed at all times, and never getting stuck behind civilian data traffic.
UPDATE: Granting corporations limited access to the data analysis allows them to fine-tune advertisements and other elements of the content they produce, enhancing profitability.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)
(Noveria Now: +1P) (Tevura Media Group: +1P)

[ ] Dedicated Computation Cluster
Personal or desk scale computation and data storage devices are both cheap and widely accessible galaxy-wide. However, as has been the case for centuries, there is a cost to miniaturisation. Dedicated room-scale hardware has always had an advantage in processing speed and power, from antique server racks to modern quantum supercomputers. Installing some computation clusters within Port Hanshan's office complexes and renting them out could prove mutually beneficial.
-[ ] Astra Financial (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Astra Financial: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Dora'vua Cyber Systems (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Dora'vua Cyber Systems: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Network Isolation Lab
One of the biggest difficulties in safely researching dangerous digital intelligences is that they are all, to varying degrees, capable of propagation through communication networks. Any network connection is a potential threat vector and containment if a malicious intelligence reaches the extranet is nigh impossible. As per Council regulations, dedicated Network Isolation Labs must be established for such research. These labs must follow stringent data security guidelines and operate in complete isolation from the extranet to ensure security.
(Progress: 93/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-1 Power)
(Synthetic Insights: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 09 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Ahial Syndicate: +1P)
-[ ] Peak 22 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Kantor Robotics: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Peak 28 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Long Winter Studios: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Holoaugmented Design Space
Creating digital models and mock-ups before beginning real-world construction is a centuries old process, but one that has always had issues. The perspective granted by a free-floating camera in a digital environment never properly encapsulates a real-world perspective, and things that look right on the model occasionally come out looking a little bit uncanny. Holoaugmented Design Spaces allow designers to bypass this by constructing a full-scale holographic replica of their design to walk through and experience in a much more functional way than is allowed for even by use of augmented reality visors. Itavan Skyworks wants to construct one at their office to experiment with starship layouts.
(Progress: 0:150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Power)
(Itavan Skyworks: +1P, +1F)



Infrastructure (3D, +25 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Due to ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters', the workers refuse to venture up to the site without a military escort.
(Progress: 26/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)
(Cannot be taken without Mountain Monsters)

[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 69/200 - 20 Resources per die)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Residential District
Though lacking the awe-inspiring views and proximity to useful services and retail outlets, the new Lower Hanshan area has no shortage of space, space which can be turned into a great many apartments. Smaller, lower-quality apartments, sure, but more than suitable for the kind of lower-class workers Port Hanshan finds itself increasingly in demand for. And of course, knowing some of the corporations, they'll start issuing new staff to those apartments too, in order to cut costs where possible.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (+16 Housing)



Security (4D, +7 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Mandatory Audit (Targets 1 Corporation)
In addition to the physical security staff provided by ERCS, the NDC has access to a suite of in-house corporate assessors, auditors, and investigators, trained to dig out corruption, noncompliance, and assorted chicanery wherever it takes root. Sending them after a company ensures that the appropriate rental fees and taxes are being paid, promptly and without any shenanigans.
(Breakpoints: 20 / 60 - 5 Resources per die) (For six turns, negative corporate favour does not reduce income.) (Reduces risk of Corruption / Shenanigans)
(Target: -1F)

[ ] Mountain Monsters
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 22/100 - 5 Resources per die)

[ ] Enhanced Border Security
Despite the stringent firearms laws enforced at Port Hanshan, Matriarch Benezia and her commando bodyguards were able to smuggle in not just their own weapons, but a small force of geth troopers, using scan-shielded crates, making a mockery of the Port Hanshan establishment and of its security. The ERCS have put forward a proposal to deploy new and highly sophisticated scanning systems, to ensure similar events cannot be repeated.
(Progress: 122/150 - 10 Resources per die) (+5 ES)

[ ] Emergency Drills
As more details begin to shake free regarding the unmitigated disaster that was Peak 15, it is becoming increasingly clear that the corporations have become a little too complacent in terms of safety procedures, even those that affect not just individual labs but the whole institution. Enacting random, no-warning emergency drills should ensure they shape up soon enough.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)



Administration (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Internal Sweeping
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
UPDATE: With your VI monitoring the networks for any sorts of mischief, identifying and monitoring corruption is much easier and much less likely to devolve into a tangled mess.
UPDATE: Your rapport with the Infrastructure department is such that, whether out of respect or genuine satisfaction with their current status, they will refuse to engage in meaningful corruption. The Infrastructure Department is not a valid target for this action.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

[ ] Firearm Regulation Revision
Port Hanshan maintains a strict policy of prohibiting possession of firearms or firearm components for all parties, with exceptions for on-duty security staff and, by decree of the Executive Board, Spectre agents of the Citadel Council. Though information about the geth attack on Noveria was widely suppressed, news of geth incursions across the Traverse continues to spread, and some are calling for weapon restrictions to be loosened to enable self-defence.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Data Security Law Revision
Noveria was founded and built on the principle of privacy being paramount. By the terms of the colonial charter, all data is to be treated as the private and inviolate property of the responsible parties. Whilst this is obviously preferred by many of the corporations who have established operations, the deliberately sweeping law makes the personal data of individuals equally secure, which makes data harvesting, content targeting, and behavioural analysis relatively difficult.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Horuvak Valley Platinum Mine Approval
Though they have already secured mineral exploitation rights across Noveria, Tiber Extraction And Refining are restricted by the terms of the colonial charter from engaging in mining operations within a certain range of Port Hanshan without the proper approval. In testing their new Panoptes mineral scanner, they located a significant deposit of platinum within the Horuvak Valley, and the group has requested permission to draw up plants to establish an extraction operation there. Though it could generate significant profit, especially if refining is also performed on site, resource export, whether raw or refined, would put significant strain on Noveria's spaceport.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks further options: Lower Hanshan Ore Refinery)
(Tiber Extraction And Refining: +1F)

===​

Dadada, can't wait to see what's broken or wrong this time! Vote is NOT YET OPEN, you know the drill.

 

[Faith]

"A rare piece of good news from the Traverse today, as ExoGeni announces that its pilot colonial holdings on the Prothean relic world of Feros have finally begun turning a profit. The surprising turn of events, particularly in the wake of a protracted geth siege, has been welcomed by investors, with ExoGeni stock soaring. A spokesman from the group has said that a new understanding of the prothean systems still active within the ruins has opened paths to many new discoveries."

No one could reasonably have expected there to be useful junk on Feros - centuries of raiders from the Terminus had taken everything not bolted down, and then come back with crowbars for the rest. Common wisdom suggested that if any good stuff was left, it was buried so deep beneath sealed doors and heaps of rubble that there was no way to get to it.

Of course ExoGeni would have found a way. ExoGeni ran their operations very differently to the NDC - minimal oversight, maximum overreach, spreading everywhere like a virus. For the most part, it led to them running dangerous operations, cutting every corner they could to save the budget, and barely scraping a profit from anything, relying purely on the weight of numbers to turn those small profits into something meaningful.

But every now and then, in scraping away the dirt, they struck gold - and finding a way to bypass one of the major blockers to exploration on Feros definitely counted. Especially if it meant they were able to access a whole new world of untouched prothean artefacts.

You ponder, for a moment, how different your life would have been if you'd accepted their offer when they came headhunting. Then you recall what actually ended up happening to their floating city on Despoina, where they wanted you to work, and abandon that line of thinking.

"Next article," you say to your VI, as you reach for the next stack of progress reports.

There's a beep from the corner of the room and another newscaster's voice fills the silence.

"Geth activity has been trending downwards in the Traverse since the initial surge of activity following the attack on Eden Prime. Council sources credit this to the actions of the Human Alliance navy and their own Spectre operatives. Mercenary groups from the Terminus have also chipped in, responding to bounty requests posted by both the Turian Hierarchy and the Quarian Flotilla. Geth sightings have decreased by almost forty percent across the Traverse, particularly in the southern border regions..."

===​

Although it hasn't caused enough fuss on Noveria proper to warrant your attention, a dispute between Itavan Skyworks and Korten Machines has escalated enough that a report has found its way to your desk.

Itavan Skyworks accepted a priority contract with the Turian Hierarchy to provide a number of new cargo vessels for their logistics division, and in doing so were forced to push back orders for a number of their other clients. One of these clients was Korten Machines, who had ordered additional transports that would have allowed them to move their prototypes off Noveria and back to Tuchanka for proper field testing.

Without their new transport, Korten Machines have a garage full of vehicles they cannot ship out, which also means they cannot begin work on the next round of prototypes. This has cost their Noveria branch a potentially lucrative design contract with a vorcha warlord on Heshtok.

Itavan Skyworks acknowledges that its actions may have caused inconvenience for its other clients, but due to the terms of the contracts signed, no reparation payments are required, so Korten Machines have no choice but to accept the loss.

(Korten Machines: -1P)

===​

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 297/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

One of Noveria's infamous blizzards starts up early in the month, significantly hampering progress on the primarily-external construction operations. Despite the poor conditions, work does continue, albeit slowly, with the metallic shell of what will soon be the cargo terminal coming together. Walls and floors are emplaced, pipes and cables run, and soon the entire building has come together, fully connecting Lower Hanshan's cargo elevator to the spaceport complex.

All that remains is the construction of the new docking cradle bays, currently little more than foundations with a ring of navigation lights around them. The docking clamps, cargo cranes, and conveyor belts are already prepared, either stored in the terminal or waiting in orbital stockpiles for deployment once the buildings are closer to completion.

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 93/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)

Work begins at Peak 18 much as it did at Peak 41, with metal girders and slabs of concrete popping up along the utility link connecting Peak 18 itself with Port Hanshan. The course Nezo use for their testing is already laid out with nav-beacons and lights, and crews set about planting walls at every corner and near every cliff edge. The blizzard somewhat hampers progress, but the group continues to make good time on their work. About a third of the track is finished, and preliminary work is complete along its whole length.

[ ] Destructive Testing Range (Success Overflow)
-[ ] Peak 41 (Progress:180/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Korten Machines: +1P, +1F)

With their current stock of vehicles finalised and ready for deployment, and no capacity to build more until they can get the current ones shipped out, Clan Korten has finally stopped tearing through the testing range long enough for the construction crews to actually finish constructing it.

With the test track sheltered somewhat from the blizzards currently hampering work across the rest of Port Hanshan, your crews have a much easier time getting out to the work site, and they now have a much, much better understanding of just how durable they need to make the walls. Wreckage and debris from prior attempts are scooped up and recycled into the newest, latest wave of walls and barriers, cutting a little cost off the top as enormous edifices of concrete and metal are brought into being.

A quick test run during a lull in the snows has a Tomkah practically bounce off one of the walls on impact (an act considered a rousing success by all parties, given the Tomkah failed to crumple or even dent) and as such, work is officially considered complete.
(+5 Resources)



[ ] Network Isolation Lab (Success Overflow)
One of the biggest difficulties in safely researching dangerous digital intelligences is that they are all, to varying degrees, capable of propagation through communication networks. Any network connection is a potential threat vector and containment if a malicious intelligence reaches the extranet is nigh impossible. As per Council regulations, dedicated Network Isolation Labs must be established for such research. These labs must follow stringent data security guidelines and operate in complete isolation from the extranet to ensure security.
(Progress: 192/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-1 Power)
(Synthetic Insights: +1P, +1F)

With most of the external signal dampeners and jammers installed, work crews finally move into the network isolation lab itself, reconstructing the internal power and data conduits, installing a series of separately-networked terminals for research use, and preparing a variety of computational clusters for dedicated intelligence software.

Knowing that the geth are going to be a common topic of research, you also ensure the lab has a large number of small containment rooms - barely more than prison cells, really. These rooms should provide a safe place to lock individual geth platforms without risking their escape, and each cell wall has individual jammers which may be disabled to allow geth in adjacent cells to network. The cells are watched by automated turrets, controlled through hardline connection by a security officer at the far end of the lab.

Between the Council's exacting standards, Shalesta's experience, and your own critical eye, you're reasonably confident that the Isolation Lab is about as safe as it's going to get, short of some kind of technological revolution. You'll be keeping an eye out, just in case.

[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 28 (Progress: 111/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Long Winter Studios: +1P, +1F)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the demands for the construction of practical special effects are very, very different to the demands of most other kinds of prototyping done on Noveria. Expanding the Peak 28 film studio to incorporate additional workshop space was easy enough, even in spite of poor weather, but the requested technology runs the gamut from stock to strange and only some is readily available on Noveria.

The more basic components, such as precision 3D printers, autolooms, and basic chemical equipment, have already been installed, but more sophisticated kit will have to be special-ordered for installation later.



[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Due to ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters', the workers refuse to venture up to the site without a military escort.
(Progress: 96/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)
(Cannot be taken without Mountain Monsters)

There is much bickering, complaining, and disgruntlement amongst the workforce as they return to the uplink site to resume work after their hefty pause. The fact that you're sending them up during a blizzard probably isn't helping, but the topic of conversation remains the 'mountain monsters'.

Despite the worker's fears, no monsters materialise, and work finally gets meaningfully started. The building and base for the uplink equipment are mostly finished, but with the blizzard bearing down it's simply too dangerous to try and install and activate the uplink itself.

[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 129/200 - 20 Resources per die)

With the path to Peak 12 mostly mapped out already, finishing the last of the work before the blizzard hit was relatively easy. The storm did cut off air travel, but the temporary facilities already set up at the Peak 12 site were enough to get crews started on the basic structure.

Though there's a fair bit of work to do before there's even enough of a structure at Peak 12 to take down the prefabricated shacks, work is coming along nicely.



[ ] Mountain Monsters
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 72/100 - 5 Resources per die)

With the workers finally getting back to their jobs, the guards watching the site finally have something to do other than wax philosophical and consume copious amounts of coffee. They run perimeter patrols, escort shifts on their way to and from the worksite, and stand guard over the mech maintenance zone to make sure there are no repeats of last time.

The monsters once so feared once again fail to make any sort of appearance, leading to much boredom and much disappointment amongst the ERCS troops. Despite that, the fears persist, although they are not as loud or as prevalent as they were before. Hopefully, they fade completely, rather than sticking in place as some persistent urban legend, but frankly, as long as it stops affecting your work crews, you'd be happy with either outcome.

[ ] Enhanced Border Security
Despite the stringent firearms laws enforced at Port Hanshan, Matriarch Benezia and her commando bodyguards were able to smuggle in not just their own weapons, but a small force of geth troopers, using scan-shielded crates, making a mockery of the Port Hanshan establishment and of its security. The ERCS have put forward a proposal to deploy new and highly sophisticated scanning systems, to ensure similar events cannot be repeated.
(Progress: 154/150 - 10 Resources per die) (+5 ES)

The ERCS staff, after a long period of experimentation and having to acquire a few bits of more specialised hardware, have figured out how to properly protect all their various highly sensitive cameras and sensors from the temperature extremes Noveria often throws around.

Once their modifications are verified to work and the systems are properly calibrated, it takes very little time for the scanners to be set up throughout the spaceport, including in the newly build extension to the cargo terminal and along the accessways leading to what will be the docking cradles.

[ ] Emergency Drills (Success Overflow)
As more details begin to shake free regarding the unmitigated disaster that was Peak 15, it is becoming increasingly clear that the corporations have become a little too complacent in terms of safety procedures, even those that affect not just individual labs but the whole institution. Enacting random, no-warning emergency drills should ensure they shape up soon enough.
(Progress: 132/100 - 5 Resources per die)

Over the course of the month, you conspire with Matsuo to generate plausible emergency scenarios for each corporation on the planet and, on a day when the blizzard isn't quite so rough and no one has any cargo deliveries scheduled, you put your plan into action.

Across Port Hanshan and its various surrounds, emergency alarms begin to sound. The corporate network is briefly flooded by concerned and confused messages, but though the workers quickly discover that it's a drill, they nonetheless comply with their emergency plans. Whether it's because everyone else was just more vigilant than Binary Helix in general, or because the recent disaster caused them to shape up, everyone follows their emergency drill plans cleanly and everything seems to go smoothly.

There's a near-disaster when the team sent to dig out Clan Korten find out the hard way that the krogan keep shotguns in their emergency shelter at Peak 41, but the turian's barriers mostly held and the hospital staff are relieved to have a good excuse to put their new trauma surgery to the test, so you consider that a relative success.



[ ] Internal Sweeping (Rolled: 62)
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
UPDATE: With your VI monitoring the networks for any sorts of mischief, identifying and monitoring corruption is much easier and much less likely to devolve into a tangled mess.
UPDATE: Your rapport with the Infrastructure department is such that, whether out of respect or genuine satisfaction with their current status, they will refuse to engage in meaningful corruption. The Infrastructure Department is not a valid target for this action.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

Whilst your reputation amongst the administrative divisions is not as beloved as amongst the infrastructure divisions, they seem likewise generally respectful of the fact you're not slashing their budget or demanding the impossible.

Naturally, between your investigations and the Internal Affairs investigators poking around, you find a few small credit-leaks, and you make a few 'polite reminders' about the importance of professional conduct and vigilance against corruption. Most of those leaks dry up or slow to a trickle shortly, and whilst you're sure they'll return, none of them are big enough to be worth chasing down and making an example of.

Aside from the standard bureaucratic penny-pinching, neither you nor Internal Affairs identify any meaningful corruption, embezzlement, or incompetence. One staff member was hired despite being the less qualified of the three final candidates, likely due to his relation to the hiring official, but less qualified does not mean not qualified, and frankly you don't care that much about the quality of the Junior Port Logistics Data Analyst Intern in the first place. Certainly not enough to fire a guy and call back one of the other candidates over it.

 

[Faith]

You look with disgust at the snow creeping its way up your window. Once upon a time, the phenomena had been fascinating to you - born and raised on a spaceship and visiting the Citadel to start your pilgrimage, weather was something you'd never really experienced. And once you'd wisened up enough to pad out your suit with a secondary thermal layer, it even became kind of fun to wander around in the snow every now and then, just for the novel experience of it.

But the winters down at Dessura were always more mild than up here.

"How long is this blizzard expected to last, anyway?" you ask your empty office.

Even by Noverian standards, it's a bad one. The wind is almost audible even through the thick windows of your office, the snow rushing past the windows reducing visibility to nothing but a tumbling vortex of white.

"Creator Nil'Zannis, satellite imagery suggests the blizzard will diminish over the next week. Estimates based on prior weather reports indicate work may resume in four days."

For the last week and a half you've had construction crews idle and construction ships grounded because of the storm, and recent intensification meant that you'd had to eventually cut off surface air travel completely - shuttles just don't have the power or the sensor systems to move around safely in this kind of weather.

"Good. Hate to have our staff sitting around doing nothing."

Luckily, not all of your staff were idle. Internal teams were making the most of the lull in activity to catch up with paperwork, complete their cybersecurity refresher training, and investigate avenues of siphoning money away in amounts you wouldn't notice, probably.

That's what you'd be doing in their position, anyway.

===​

Itavan Skyworks' recent shift to accommodate the Turian Hierarchy has drawn the ire of more than just Clan Korten. Tiber Extraction And Refining have found themselves in a tight spot for reasons similar to the krogan clan, unable to move minerals from some of their new mining sites in the Traverse due to the deployment of their expanded transport fleet being delayed.

The group have already taken steps to cut off their discounted-supply-and-support deal, bumping up the price of materials at some of Itavan's Traverse shipyards, but the turian group is big enough to have other contacts, such as the Hierarchy itself, and more than wealthy enough to cop the fines. The act is really more sabre-rattling than any meaningful attack, but still indicates unforseen hostility between the two groups.

Itavan may have overstepped in committing so much to aiding the Hierarchy - but then, the turian pricks are unlikely to consider that much of a problem.

In other corporate news, Kantor Robotics has taken a swing at Solemni & Olde over an unflattering audit report that they claim may have cost them a lucrative opportunity. Kantor has alleged that Solemni & Olde's documents make inaccurate and misleading claims based off the data provided, and paint the company unfairly in a negative light.

Joke's on them, though, since you'd committed to not selling them any geth wreckage well before you got the audit report in hand.

===​

Resources Banked: 77
Resource Income: 215 - 15 (Favour) = 200
Total Resources Available: 77 + 200 = 277

Cargo Capacity: +2 (Minor Surplus)
Network Capacity: +6 (Significant Surplus)
Power Capacity: +7 (Significant Surplus)
Housing Capacity: +4 (Minor Surplus)

Executive Support: 70


Quota Target: 80 >> 92 Profitability
Quota Progress: 6/12 ( 50% )


Free Dice: 3

Heavy Industry (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 297/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Glacial Fusion Plant
Fuel-efficient and climate friendly, fusion power plants are the standard for developing and developed worlds across civilised space. By burying the fusion plant deep within Noveria's frozen glaciers, they and the limited radioactive waste they produce can be safely and securely contained away from more densely populated areas, and without ruining the view as more economical renewable generators would.
(Progress: 0/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Power)
(Hassan Atomics: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 93/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Secondary Artificial Biome Cluster Site
Before an artificial biome can be created, with its own atmosphere mixing stations and climate control systems, a container for that biome must be created. These facilities are, by necessity, relatively large, and as such require substantial land clearing. Additionally, Noveria's extreme temperatures necessitate a high degree of environmental hardening to ensure the artificial biome is not adversely affected by outside weather.
-[ ] Peak 11 (Progress: 0/250 - 15 Resources per die) (Domain Ecological Services: +1F)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Commercial Manufacturing
The majority of Noverian-manufactured consumer goods are novelty clothing, snow globes, winter-sports equipment, and snowbounders - goods appropriate for the holiday-goers and long-stay tourists common in the resort cities, but less appropriate for the corporate staff living full time on the planet. Creating local manufacturing for things like furniture, clothing, and home computer terminals would help cut living expenses in Port Hanshan - particularly for the city's small but growing labor, retail and service underclass.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (-2 Cargo, -2 Housing)



Advanced Industry (3D, +15 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Data Traffic Management Centre
Prioritising data traffic is already a challenging problem for every group in the galaxy. Intergalactic communications rely on simple priority rules to allocate bandwidth, whilst local relays such as Hanshan's ground-to-orbit system generally work on a first-in-first-out basis, relying on relative lack of traffic to ensure high speed connections. By analysing outgoing communication requests and assessing relative importance before passing them offworld, corporate assets can be assured they are receiving the highest possible speed at all times, and never getting stuck behind civilian data traffic.
UPDATE: Granting corporations limited access to the data analysis allows them to fine-tune advertisements and other elements of the content they produce, enhancing profitability.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)
(Noveria Now: +1P) (Tevura Media Group: +1P)

[ ] Dedicated Computation Cluster
Personal or desk scale computation and data storage devices are both cheap and widely accessible galaxy-wide. However, as has been the case for centuries, there is a cost to miniaturisation. Dedicated room-scale hardware has always had an advantage in processing speed and power, from antique server racks to modern quantum supercomputers. Installing some computation clusters within Port Hanshan's office complexes and renting them out could prove mutually beneficial.
-[ ] Astra Financial (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Astra Financial: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Dora'vua Cyber Systems (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Dora'vua Cyber Systems: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 09 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Ahial Syndicate: +1P)
-[ ] Peak 22 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Kantor Robotics: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Peak 28 (Progress: 111/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Long Winter Studios: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Holoaugmented Design Space
Creating digital models and mock-ups before beginning real-world construction is a centuries old process, but one that has always had issues. The perspective granted by a free-floating camera in a digital environment never properly encapsulates a real-world perspective, and things that look right on the model occasionally come out looking a little bit uncanny. Holoaugmented Design Spaces allow designers to bypass this by constructing a full-scale holographic replica of their design to walk through and experience in a much more functional way than is allowed for even by use of augmented reality visors. Itavan Skyworks wants to construct one at their office to experiment with starship layouts.
(Progress: 0:150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Power)
(Itavan Skyworks: +1P, +1F)


Infrastructure (3D, +25 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Due to ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters', the workers refuse to venture up to the site without a military escort.
(Progress: 96/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)
(Cannot be taken without Mountain Monsters)

[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 129/200 - 20 Resources per die)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Residential District
Though lacking the awe-inspiring views and proximity to useful services and retail outlets, the new Lower Hanshan area has no shortage of space, space which can be turned into a great many apartments. Smaller, lower-quality apartments, sure, but more than suitable for the kind of lower-class workers Port Hanshan finds itself increasingly in demand for. And of course, knowing some of the corporations, they'll start issuing new staff to those apartments too, in order to cut costs where possible.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (+16 Housing)



Security (4D, +7 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Mandatory Audit (Targets 1 Corporation)
In addition to the physical security staff provided by ERCS, the NDC has access to a suite of in-house corporate assessors, auditors, and investigators, trained to dig out corruption, noncompliance, and assorted chicanery wherever it takes root. Sending them after a company ensures that the appropriate rental fees and taxes are being paid, promptly and without any shenanigans.
(Breakpoints: 20 / 60 - 5 Resources per die) (For six turns, negative corporate favour does not reduce income.) (Reduces risk of Corruption / Shenanigans)
(Target: -1F)

[ ] Mountain Monsters
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 72/100 - 5 Resources per die)

[ ] Facility Security Review
A lot of the security and emergency response plans remain pretty much unchanged from when they were first written twenty years ago, and whilst standard security doctrines haven't exactly drifted in that time, expansions and reconfigurations of facilities across and around Port Hanshan could warrant a more thorough review of the corporate security services ERCS provides. ERCS professionals could be sent to investigate corporate holdings that may pose risks, and devise revisions to the existing plans as necessary to account for changes since the original documents were written.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (May unlock Security Revision actions)
(Target: +1F)

[ ] Corporate Defence Satellites
There are only a few major stations in Noveria's orbit. In addition to the standard comm buoys, that is. Itavan Skyworks and Narhu Combine maintain a starship service station, the Tevura Media Group runs an orbital hotel for the wealthy and influential, and of course the NDC Head Office is aboard the luxury station Profit's Retreat. Which means that there's plenty of room for the installation of defence satellites. The realities of space combat make actual dedicated combat stations impractical, but a satellite network armed with sensor arrays and GARDIAN laser batteries could provide security of the tripwire variety. The Executive Board believes this kind of development would be too far a divergence from their intended aesthetics, although they admit that, given recent events in the Traverse, it may be warranted.
(Progress: 0/250 - 35 Resources per die) (-10 ES)

[ ] Routine Emergency Drills
Prior negligence has made it clear to the NDC that not everyone on Noveria is taking their security as seriously as they should be, even if recent events caused them to shape up. Regular but unscheduled security drills should ensure that the various corporations continue to do their part in keeping everyone safe should the worst happen. Also, watching the corporate types scurry like rats when Matsuo lights a fire under their ass is kind of fun.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)


Administration (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Internal Sweeping
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
UPDATE: With your VI monitoring the networks for any sorts of mischief, identifying and monitoring corruption is much easier and much less likely to devolve into a tangled mess.
UPDATE: Your rapport with the Infrastructure department is such that, whether out of respect or genuine satisfaction with their current status, they will refuse to engage in meaningful corruption. The Infrastructure Department is not a valid target for this action.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

[ ] Firearm Regulation Revision
Port Hanshan maintains a strict policy of prohibiting possession of firearms or firearm components for all parties, with exceptions for on-duty security staff and, by decree of the Executive Board, Spectre agents of the Citadel Council. Though information about the geth attack on Noveria was widely suppressed, news of geth incursions across the Traverse continues to spread, and some are calling for weapon restrictions to be loosened to enable self-defence.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Data Security Law Revision
Noveria was founded and built on the principle of privacy being paramount. By the terms of the colonial charter, all data is to be treated as the private and inviolate property of the responsible parties. Whilst this is obviously preferred by many of the corporations who have established operations, the deliberately sweeping law makes the personal data of individuals equally secure, which makes data harvesting, content targeting, and behavioural analysis relatively difficult.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Horuvak Valley Platinum Mine Approval
Though they have already secured mineral exploitation rights across Noveria, Tiber Extraction And Refining are restricted by the terms of the colonial charter from engaging in mining operations within a certain range of Port Hanshan without the proper approval. In testing their new Panoptes mineral scanner, they located a significant deposit of platinum within the Horuvak Valley, and the group has requested permission to draw up plants to establish an extraction operation there. Though it could generate significant profit, especially if refining is also performed on site, resource export, whether raw or refined, would put significant strain on Noveria's spaceport.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks further options)
(Tiber Extraction And Refining: +1F)

[ ] Expanding Bureaucracy
One thing you've noted since arriving at Port Hanshan is that the scale of your teams is very well suited for keeping things running smoothly, but quickly becomes strained when projects are running. Given funding is not a particularly significant issue, taking steps to begin expanding your staff may prove beneficial for bolstering future developments. Primarily, it means preparing for both competency assessments and security checks for candidates, and ensuring that the paperwork involved to even begin hiring on the necessary scales is prepared for when hiring drives actively begin.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks Recruitment actions)

===​

Well, some of my new computer is here. Shipping the case separately due to bulk makes sense, but I'm surprised and disappointed that it got here faster than the internal gubbins. Ah, well, I'm sure the guts will turn up eventually. In the meantime, I have jury rigged an ugly tangle of cables and connectors and gotten my antique laptop up and running mostly, and whilst it's no gaming PC it's a fair bit better than my phone. As such, we are tentatively back in action.

Vote is currently closed, but I'll open it up tomorrow sometime. If you got questions, go ahead and ask 'em. You know, the usual.

Also, uh, Status and Corps posts are updated. As usual, there may be mistakes. Call 'em if you spot 'em.

 

[Faith]

It's not totally unusual for you to receive calls at odd hours, or overnight - your VI routes them to your apartment from your office, just in case it's really important. Usually, you would just ignore it until morning, but usually, it's not the Migrant Fleet calling.

The hologram emitter, thankfully, detects the darkness of your room before it switches on, and opts for low brightness, creating an image that resembles little more than a silhouette of a quarian woman. Luckily the audio quality isn't quite so diminished.

"Hey, Nil, it's Arrelle."

"Arrelle. Good to hear from you."

"Yeah. Sorry, it's my turn to make this quick. I put your message on the board like you asked, but only got a few hits. Mostly some almost-pilgrims who want to take a job for a few months to make some money and get established before they set off on the big adventure, I think. Not sure how useful that'll be to you."

"If there's a fairly consistent stream of them I could probably make it work."

"Well, you might be in luck then. And I guess some of them might change their plans and stick around, if you treat them right. But otherwise, if you're looking for quarians to work longer term, I think you'd have to look at pilgrims who are already out there. Or exiles, even. And at that point I guess you'd rather be hiring turians or something."

You make a noncommittal humming noise. Arrelle shrugs.

"By the way, that intel you gave us about Saren? Daro'Xen and Rael'Zorah found the manpower to send a team out that way, and it's all very quiet, but they seem to have found something of interest there that they're looking into."

"Really? Thanks for keeping me up to date."

"Sure, no problem. Figure you'd deserve to know, since you pointed it out for us. Anyway, I need to get a move on - busy day, there's a line. Keelah se'lai."

"Of course. Bye, Arrelle. Keelah se'lai."

===​

A recent flurry of fleet actions against geth forces in the fringes of the Traverse has greatly increased demand for yard time at Itavan stations - unfortunately, Tiber Extraction And Refining's recent contract cancellation has forced Itavan to go further afield in pursuit of the materials necessary to enact these repairs, costing them a significant amount of money.

Directors Arache and Erastus met on Noveria to attempt to work out a revised deal that works for both parties, but appear to be having no luck at present.

(Itavan Skyworks: -1P)

Solemni & Olde have defended against claims that a negative report lost Kantor Robotics business, confirming that their report is accurate, not an embellishment as Kantor once claimed, and also that their report was not submitted to the NDC until after the geth salvage had already been sold.

Whilst this has gotten Solemni & Olde out of trouble, it has not helped calm Kantor down, and they have now turned their ire to the NDC, claiming that in bypassing them but selling to the Citadel, the NDC has unfairly snubbed them.

(Kantor Robotics: -1F)

===​

[ ] Spaceport Expansion Program
Port Hanshan's Spaceport is only capable of adequately servicing a handful of freighters at a time, and the size of the facility and staff limit the throughput of cargo. Under normal circumstances, the addition of additional docking and service bays would be a simple matter, but the idiots on the board decided that they wanted their secretive research facilities to be nestled in the mountains, and the flatter lowlands are too far for convenient travel, so any expansion of the spaceport will require a significant investment of time and effort, not just in construction but in carving chunks out of the mountains to make room in the first place.
UPDATE: The Narhu Combine believe it would be a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement if they were given the responsibility of providing the refueling infrastructure for the expanding spaceport.
(Progress: 506/500 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Cargo, -2 Housing)
(Narhu Combine: +1P, +1F)

With the blizzard dying down, crews are quick to get back to work. Thankfully, the blizzard is followed by relatively still winds and clear skies, making it very easy for your construction shuttles to quickly make up for lost time.

The cradles come together quickly, the heavy equipment necessary either already on site in the cargo terminal, or brought in by shuttles and delivered directly into place. Cargo conveyors and cranes are set up to assist in the loading and unloading of cargo, configurable docking clamps will assure compatibility with every Citadel-standard starship capable of fitting in the bay, and a fair few of the Terminus designs that don't match those requirements.

As the month draws to a close, a swarm of worker mechs beautifies the entire place, laying out tiled floors, covering exposed machinery and utility conduits with false walls, and generally ensuring the site is clean and presentable.

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 107/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)

Little progress is made at Peak 18. Though the blizzard is over, the peak's position has caused enormous snow pile-ups. Most of the month was spent merely clearing the snow away from the site, and few new barriers were able to be constructed.


[ ] Prototyping Workshop (Success Overflow, Stage 2)
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 28 (Progress: 224/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Long Winter Studios: +1P, +1F)

Your staff went out of their way to obtain some particularly high-quality gadgets and gizmos for the use of the props and effects teams at Long Winter Studios, and that effort has rapidly proven massively beneficial.

Armed with an entire workshop full of new and expensive toys, the producers have been rapidly working through their various scripts and concept pitches, identifying scenes and props and in some cases even entire films that, once beyond their grapes, are now well within their reach. They've wasted no time in putting the facilities to good use.

(Long Winter Studios: +1P)

[ ] Holoaugmented Design Space (Success Overflow)
Creating digital models and mock-ups before beginning real-world construction is a centuries old process, but one that has always had issues. The perspective granted by a free-floating camera in a digital environment never properly encapsulates a real-world perspective, and things that look right on the model occasionally come out looking a little bit uncanny. Holoaugmented Design Spaces allow designers to bypass this by constructing a full-scale holographic replica of their design to walk through and experience in a much more functional way than is allowed for even by use of augmented reality visors. Itavan Skyworks wants to construct one at their office to experiment with starship layouts.
(Progress: 196/150 - 10 Resources per die) (-2 Power)
(Itavan Skyworks: +1P, +1F)

The holoaugmented design space is an interesting piece of tech. Making full use of precise kinetic barrier generators overlaid with holographic images, the design space allows for fully immersive, perfectly to-scale 3D environments. The technology was originally developed by a Citadel thinktank for military training, but the value of the system for other purposes quickly became apparent.

A couple of floors of empty offices next to the Itavan Skyworks office are cleared out, with interior floors and walls removed to create one large hall, ensuring there's plenty of room for testing. Luckily, the installation is fairly straightforward - the equipment is designed to be modular, to better fit whatever space is available, and your technicians have no trouble rolling it out once the rooms are cleared.

Surprisingly, the Turian Hierarchy stepped in towards the end of the month, offering to foot one third the bill for Itavan's recent constructions. You sic your contract lawyers on them and they do their best, but ultimately you're only able to negotiate them up to a little over half the bill. Your and your lawyers agree that it would look better on the paperwork if it was a nice round 50%, so the remainder of the Hierarchy's money disappears in a haze of 'consultancy fees' and 'development taxes' which you all agree to never mention.

(+15 Resources)


[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Due to ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters', the workers refuse to venture up to the site without a military escort.
(Progress: 203/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)
(Cannot be taken without Mountain Monsters)

The departure of the blizzard led to a flurry of activity at the uplink site. A massive steel spire has been erected, with built-in kinetic barriers to protect the spire and its contents from any further harsh winds. All that remains is for the dish itself to be brought in and installed, and then the interior of the uplink to be kitted out with the necessary equipment - a relatively easy task for orbital lift craft, followed by some tricky but straightforward installation and cable laying on the part of your workers.

Though there's still a lot to be done, the fact that the majority of the remaining work is to be done indoors, and the lack of any kind of mysterious monster attacks during the construction process, seem to have killed the 'mountain monster' rumours off.

[ ] Breaking Ground: Peak 12 (Success Overflow)
When the NDC's Executive Board balked at the cost of ongoing developments and shifted funds into more profitable endeavours, a number of proposed-but-undeveloped sites were archived for later use. Abec Territorial Ordinance have indicated that they may in future wish to move manufacturing to Noveria, and one of those archived sites could prove suitable for their purposes. Establishing a transit route and preparing infrastructure connections is the first step of turning the site into an operational facility.
(Progress: 243/200 - 20 Resources per die)

Work at Peak 12 has just about wrapped up, with the basic facility at the end of the utilities pipeline finalized and the temporary prefabricated worksite dismantled. Though the facility is currently nothing more than a small bunk area, garage, storerooms, and equipment racks, it will serve as the lynchpin for further constructions on the site, providing a safe place for workers to shelter that's less fragile and more reliable than prefabricated cabins.

(+15 Progress to Peak 12 Munitions Plant)


[ ] Mountain Monsters (Success Overflow, Stage 2)
Wild rumours and conspiracy theories are circulating regarding reports of mysterious mountain monsters near the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site, and the mood amongst the workforce has soured. Construction teams are unwilling to go to work on the site without armed escort, citing attacks on their mechs which you suspect to have been staged. Send some of Matsuo's men and some of the new security mechs to sit on the site and babysit the workers until the job is done.
(Progress: 169/100 - 5 Resources per die)

The close of exterior work at the uplink site and the lack of recent attacks or sightings have left the construction crews confident enough in their safety that they're no longer demanding escorts and protection. Matsuo draws down the garrison at the site and starts pulling back the drone squadrons over the month until they're all gone, and when no complaints are forthcoming from the workers, reports that the 'mountain monster' situation is resolved.

There's some resentment about how the guards had to freeze on a mountain for months for what seems to have been absolutely no reason, but Matsuo is able to kerb the discontent before it gets too bad.

(+10 Resources)
(Favour Loss Averted)

[ ] Facility Security Review
A lot of the security and emergency response plans remain pretty much unchanged from when they were first written twenty years ago, and whilst standard security doctrines haven't exactly drifted in that time, expansions and reconfigurations of facilities across and around Port Hanshan could warrant a more thorough review of the corporate security services ERCS provides. ERCS professionals could be sent to investigate corporate holdings that may pose risks, and devise revisions to the existing plans as necessary to account for changes since the original documents were written.
(Progress: 107/100 - 10 Resources per die) (May unlock Security Revision actions)
*This action originally promised (Target: +1F) This was a mistake on my part, as a result of gratuitous copy-pasting. This action does not provide favour.

Based on feedback from the security drills, the familiarity of Hanshan's long-term staff, and the experience of the ERCS defence consultants, the review of Port Hanshan's security measures is swift and, all things considered, relatively positive. The citizens are aware of their shelter locations and evacuation routes, the corporate police know their protocols reasonably well even without having to consult their manuals, and due to Port Hanshan's mountainous location, the risk of intruders coming in from anywhere besides the spaceport is negligible. The spaceport itself, of course, is covered by the recent improvements to border security.

Whilst the team have a few things to say to Synthetic Insights about the hastily-amended security plan for the Network Isolation Lab, but it's more corrections or alterations than sweeping changes. All in all, ERCS is happy with the security of Port Hanshan itself and the corporate offices within, although they note that the external facilities are likely to be an entirely different story.

(Corporate Security Review unlocked)


[ ] Expanding Bureaucracy (Success Overflow, Stage 2)
One thing you've noted since arriving at Port Hanshan is that the scale of your teams is very well suited for keeping things running smoothly, but quickly becomes strained when projects are running. Given funding is not a particularly significant issue, taking steps to begin expanding your staff may prove beneficial for bolstering future developments. Primarily, it means preparing for both competency assessments and security checks for candidates, and ensuring that the paperwork involved to even begin hiring on the necessary scales is prepared for when hiring drives actively begin.
(Progress: 166/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks Recruitment actions)

The Sapient Resources team works like crazy to prepare for additional rounds of hiring amongst the NDC administration. Interview skills are brushed up, competency assessments are modernized and rewritten, and a not insignificant amount of effort is spent wrangling a contract with Jaeto Investigations for highly detailed background checks on any candidates who make it through the tests.

Of course, hiring staff is no use if you've nowhere to put them. Arrangements are made to adjust office allocations, so that each department has plenty of room for future growth. As of yet, no one has actually moved - it would be pointlessly disruptive, but when new staff move in, some time will be spent reshuffling staff.

(Additional Recruitment Actions available)
(Quality of all Recruitment Actions increased)

===​

 

[Faith]

The reports that cross your desk this month are indicative of an entire cavalcade of corporate nonsense, most of which is unrelated to you but no doubt going to cause you problems anyway.

Nezo Aerospace have made a formal complaint about the progress, or lack thereof, on the vehicular testing range, making particularly aggressive overtures regarding Clan Korten receiving 'preferential treatment' and the fact that they feel they've been sidelined by the administration despite having nothing wrong.

That one, admittedly, kind of is your fault. But the rest is just frustrating.

Several months ago, one of the social media pages operated by the Tevura Media Group was overwhelmed with users complaining about some controversial mining operations run by Tiber Extraction And Refining. After a lengthy defamation lawsuit, Tevura has finally acknowledged that the posts are defamatory, deleted them, and issued bans to millions of protesting users. Tiber is happy with the results, but the Tevura Media Group is likely to take a significant hit to reputation and profit both.

Meanwhile, Noveria Now ran an article on an ecological disaster on Zorya caused by a Domain Ecological Services survey team improperly quarantining and carrying a novel virus into the Ketla Wetlands, which rapidly spread through the region, inflicting massive casualties on local wildlife.

Domain have immediately hit back, against Noveria Now for exaggerating the effects of the mistake, and against Kantor Robotics. Domain alleges that it was Kantor mechs that failed to properly follow the preprogrammed quarantine procedures, an allegation Kantor is stringently denying. The whole mess seems likely to result in backlash against all groups involved. You can't wait for them to somehow find a way to blame you for it all. Racist bosh'tets.

===
​

Resources Available: 52 (Banked) + 222 (Income) - 10 (Favour) + 15 (Refund) + 10 (Refund) = 289

Cargo Capacity: +18 (Massive Surplus)
Network Capacity: +6 (Significant Surplus)
Power Capacity: +5 (Minor Surplus)
Housing Capacity: +2 (Minor Surplus)

Executive Support: 65

Spoiler: Corp Status Table

Corp	Profit	Funding	Favour
NDC	50	50	n/a
Port Hanshan	6	6	n/a
Sannovi Industrial	2	2	4
Noveria Now	1	1	3
Synthetic Insights	3	3	3
Tevura Media Group	1	1	3
Narhu Combine	2	2	3
Hassan Atomics	1	1	2
Kaskadan Syndicate	1	1	2
Abec Territorial Ordinance	1	1	1
Baria Frontiers	1	1	1
Dora'vua Cyber Systems	1	1	1
Elanus Risk Control Services	2	2	1
Epherea Biomedical	1	1	1
Korten Machines	3	3	1
Solemni & Olde	1	1	1
The Preni Group	1	1	1
Ahial Syndicate	1	1	0
Astra Finanical	1	1	0
Itavan Skyworks	1	1	0
Jaeto Investigations	1	1	0
Long Winter Studios	3	3	0
Domain Ecological Services	1	0	-1
Nezo Aerospace	1	0	-1
Tiber Extraction And Refining	1	0	-1
Kantor Robotics	1	0	-2

Quota Target: 80 -> 92 Profitability ( 15%)
Quota Progress: 9/12 ( 75% )
Heavy Industry (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Glacial Fusion Plant
Fuel-efficient and climate friendly, fusion power plants are the standard for developing and developed worlds across civilised space. By burying the fusion plant deep within Noveria's frozen glaciers, they and the limited radioactive waste they produce can be safely and securely contained away from more densely populated areas, and without ruining the view as more economical renewable generators would.
(Progress: 0/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Power)
(Hassan Atomics: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 12 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Abec Territorial Ordinance: +1P, +1F)*
*Bonuses only apply on completion of Peak 12 Munitions Plant
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 107/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Secondary Artificial Biome Cluster Site
Before an artificial biome can be created, with its own atmosphere mixing stations and climate control systems, a container for that biome must be created. These facilities are, by necessity, relatively large, and as such require substantial land clearing. Additionally, Noveria's extreme temperatures necessitate a high degree of environmental hardening to ensure the artificial biome is not adversely affected by outside weather.
-[ ] Peak 11 (Progress: 0/250 - 15 Resources per die) (Domain Ecological Services: +1F)
-[ ] Peak 44 (Progress: 0/250 - 15 Resources per die) (The Preni Group: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Commercial Manufacturing
The majority of Noverian-manufactured consumer goods are novelty clothing, snow globes, winter-sports equipment, and snowbounders - goods appropriate for the holiday-goers and long-stay tourists common in the resort cities, but less appropriate for the corporate staff living full time on the planet. Creating local manufacturing for things like furniture, clothing, and home computer terminals would help cut living expenses in Port Hanshan - particularly for the city's small but growing labor, retail and service underclass.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (-2 Cargo, -2 Housing)



Advanced Industry (3D, +15 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Data Traffic Management Centre
Prioritising data traffic is already a challenging problem for every group in the galaxy. Intergalactic communications rely on simple priority rules to allocate bandwidth, whilst local relays such as Hanshan's ground-to-orbit system generally work on a first-in-first-out basis, relying on relative lack of traffic to ensure high speed connections. By analysing outgoing communication requests and assessing relative importance before passing them offworld, corporate assets can be assured they are receiving the highest possible speed at all times, and never getting stuck behind civilian data traffic.
UPDATE: Granting corporations limited access to the data analysis allows them to fine-tune advertisements and other elements of the content they produce, enhancing profitability.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)
(Noveria Now: +1P) (Tevura Media Group: +1P)

[ ] Dedicated Computation Cluster
Personal or desk scale computation and data storage devices are both cheap and widely accessible galaxy-wide. However, as has been the case for centuries, there is a cost to miniaturisation. Dedicated room-scale hardware has always had an advantage in processing speed and power, from antique server racks to modern quantum supercomputers. Installing some computation clusters within Port Hanshan's office complexes and renting them out could prove mutually beneficial.
-[ ] Astra Financial (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Astra Financial: +1P, +1F)
-[ ] Dora'vua Cyber Systems (Progress: 0/150 - 15 Resources per die) (-2 Power) (Dora'vua Cyber Systems: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 09 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Ahial Syndicate: +1P)
-[ ] Peak 22 (Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Kantor Robotics: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Peak 7 Vertical Farm
The keyle moss has a number of properties that makes it highly appealing as an ingredient in a variety of pharmacological products. Epherea Biomedical believes that recent advances in artificial environment technology would make it viable to grow the plant on-site, which would both save on import costs and potentially allow for greater stockpiles to devote to research.
(Progress: 0/150 - 10 Resources per die)
(Epherea Biomedical: +1P, +1F)

[ ] Peak 12 Munitions Plant
Increasingly strict Citadel laws regarding the mass manufacture of explosives, for any purpose, have forced Abec Territorial Ordinance to distribute their manufacturing capabilities, and Noveria, given its reputation, was identified as an ideal site for one of their new plants. They intend to use the site to manufacture lower-yield tactical charges for militaries and private military contractors,
(Progress: 15/200 - 10 Resources per die)
(Abec Territorial Ordinance: +1P, +2F)


Infrastructure (3D, +25 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters' have finally faded, and staff are now willing to return to the project.
(Progress: 203/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)

[ ] Lower Hanshan Residential District
Though lacking the awe-inspiring views and proximity to useful services and retail outlets, the new Lower Hanshan area has no shortage of space, space which can be turned into a great many apartments. Smaller, lower-quality apartments, sure, but more than suitable for the kind of lower-class workers Port Hanshan finds itself increasingly in demand for. And of course, knowing some of the corporations, they'll start issuing new staff to those apartments too, in order to cut costs where possible.
(Progress: 0/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (+16 Housing)

[ ] Expanded Distributed Windworks
Noveria's weather and the terrain of the Skadi Mountains means that there are many, many valleys near Port Hanshan suitable for the deployment of distributed wind farms. Cheap, dependable, and clean, they're an ideal source of power, and distributing generation across multiple areas has benefits of its own. With additional logistics lines laid out to Peak 12, the potential exists to roll out a few more turbines and eke a little more power from the wind.
(Progress: 0/100 - 15 Resources per die) (+4 Power)



Security (4D, +7 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Mandatory Audit (Targets 1 Corporation)
In addition to the physical security staff provided by ERCS, the NDC has access to a suite of in-house corporate assessors, auditors, and investigators, trained to dig out corruption, noncompliance, and assorted chicanery wherever it takes root. Sending them after a company ensures that the appropriate rental fees and taxes are being paid, promptly and without any shenanigans.
(Breakpoints: 20 / 60 - 5 Resources per die) (For six turns, negative corporate favour does not reduce income.) (Reduces risk of Corruption / Shenanigans)
(Target: -1F)

[ ] Corporate Defence Satellites
There are only a few major stations in Noveria's orbit. In addition to the standard comm buoys, that is. Itavan Skyworks and Narhu Combine maintain a starship service station, the Tevura Media Group runs an orbital hotel for the wealthy and influential, and of course the NDC Head Office is aboard the luxury station Profit's Retreat. Which means that there's plenty of room for the installation of defence satellites. The realities of space combat make actual dedicated combat stations impractical, but a satellite network armed with sensor arrays and GARDIAN laser batteries could provide security of the tripwire variety. The Executive Board believes this kind of development would be too far a divergence from their intended aesthetics, although they admit that, given recent events in the Traverse, it may be warranted.
(Progress: 0/250 - 35 Resources per die) (-10 ES)

[ ] Routine Emergency Drills
Prior negligence has made it clear to the NDC that not everyone on Noveria is taking their security as seriously as they should be, even if recent events caused them to shape up. Regular but unscheduled security drills should ensure that the various corporations continue to do their part in keeping everyone safe should the worst happen. Also, watching the corporate types scurry like rats when Matsuo lights a fire under their ass is kind of fun.
(Progress: 0/100 - 5 Resources per die)

[ ] Corporate Security Review (Targets 1 Corporation)
Whilst Port Hanshan can submit to standard security standards with minimal risk, the corporate facilities around Port Hanshan have far more specific risk vectors that must be addressed directly. ERCS professionals should be sent to perform detailed reviews and generate new security plans specific to the corporate client in question.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (May unlock Security Revision actions)
(Target: +1F)



Administration (3D, +5 Bonus per roll)

[ ] Internal Sweeping (Targets 1 Department)
The NDC may occupy a place of privilege on Noveria, but the fate of your all-too-recent predecessor is a reminder that it is not immune to corruption. With some help from the NDC's Internal Affairs division, you can sweep a department to search for embezzlement, ineptitude, nepotism, and other forms of corruption. It's unlikely that much, if any, corruption remains after Anoleis was removed - and any who escaped notice the first time are likely to be keeping their heads down low for a short while anyway - but it never hurts to check.
UPDATE: With your VI monitoring the networks for any sorts of mischief, identifying and monitoring corruption is much easier and much less likely to devolve into a tangled mess.
UPDATE: Your rapport with the Infrastructure department is such that, whether out of respect or genuine satisfaction with their current status, they will refuse to engage in meaningful corruption. The Infrastructure Department is not a valid target for this action.
(Breakpoints: 40 - Requires 1 Admin dice and 1 from Target department) (Remove corruption, other consequences unclear)

[ ] Firearm Regulation Revision
Port Hanshan maintains a strict policy of prohibiting possession of firearms or firearm components for all parties, with exceptions for on-duty security staff and, by decree of the Executive Board, Spectre agents of the Citadel Council. Though information about the geth attack on Noveria was widely suppressed, news of geth incursions across the Traverse continues to spread, and some are calling for weapon restrictions to be loosened to enable self-defence.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Data Security Law Revision
Noveria was founded and built on the principle of privacy being paramount. By the terms of the colonial charter, all data is to be treated as the private and inviolate property of the responsible parties. Whilst this is obviously preferred by many of the corporations who have established operations, the deliberately sweeping law makes the personal data of individuals equally secure, which makes data harvesting, content targeting, and behavioural analysis relatively difficult.
(Breakpoints: 30 - 5 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (Further options on completion)

[ ] Horuvak Valley Platinum Mine Approval
Though they have already secured mineral exploitation rights across Noveria, Tiber Extraction And Refining are restricted by the terms of the colonial charter from engaging in mining operations within a certain range of Port Hanshan without the proper approval. In testing their new Panoptes mineral scanner, they located a significant deposit of platinum within the Horuvak Valley, and the group has requested permission to draw up plants to establish an extraction operation there. Though it could generate significant profit, especially if refining is also performed on site, resource export, whether raw or refined, would put significant strain on Noveria's spaceport.
(Progress: 0/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks further options)
(Tiber Extraction And Refining: +1F)

[ ] Recruitment Drive
By tapping into the vast corporate network the NDC has access to and making it known that opportunities exist, a number of skilled workers, white and blue collar both, can be brought to Noveria and slotted into the workforce. Additional hands will increase the amount of work a given department can do at one time, and with luck (and a big enough recruitment budget), you may be able to headhunt some of the best workers from around the galaxy to fill the ranks.
UPDATE: By leveraging his own reputation and contacts within the Migrant Fleet, Nil'Zannis may be able to attract quarian workers, allowing the NDC to benefit from their technical skills just as they benefit from the NDC's wealth and prestige.
(Breakpoints: 60 / 90 / ???)
-[ ] Heavy Industry (20 Resources per die) (+1 Heavy Industry Dice) (Chance for new trait)
-[ ] Advanced Industry (20 Resources per die) (+1 Advanced Industry Dice) (Chance for new trait)
-[ ] Infrastructure (20 Resources per die) (+1 Infrastructure Dice) (Chance for new trait)
-[ ] Security (20 Resources per die) (+1 Security Dice) (Chance for new trait)
-[ ] Administration (20 Resources per die) (+1 Administration Dice) (Chance for new trait)
-[ ] Quarians (15 Resources per die) (-15 ES) (Chance for new traits, other consequences unclear)

===​

Vote is NOT YET OPEN! Ask questions if you got 'em! Yadda yadda!

 

[Faith]

Despite the active, underway attempt to finish the construction of their testing track, progress on which is being hindered by yet more heavy snowfall, Nezo Aerospace have neglected to retract their statement of complaint against your office. Stupid bosh'tets, you'd like to see them put in the kind of labor your staff are in this weather.

(Nezo Aerospace: -1F)

The Tevura Group has reported massive profit losses as a result of the membership cull that followed the Tiber defamation case. Combined with the reparations payment they were forced to make, their finances are looking shaky. Not shaky enough, in your opinion, to warrant a temporary pause on their operational expenses, but the Executive Board insists.

(Tevura Media Group: -1P (Temporary) )

Meanwhile, the blame bomb being thrown around between Noveria Now, Domain Ecological Services, and Kantor Robotics has finally detonated, squarely in Domain's lap. Diagnostic records retrieved from the cargo mechs used on Zorya indicates that they were improperly shut down during a routine service and as a result reactivated in their default mode, ignorant of the quarantine procedures they were supposed to carry out. Domain has blamed this on inexperienced staff, and redirected some of their veteran staff from Noveria to clean up, unfortunately cutting into their productivity on your world.

And, of course, the Blue Suns, de facto rulers of Zorya, have extracted a significant sum from the company - allegedly, as compensation for the damage caused and the costs of repairing it. Practically speaking, you suspect Mr Santiago saw an excuse to threaten someone for money and leapt at the opportunity. Nonetheless - well, not your hull, not your breach.

(Domain Ecological Services: -1P)

===​

[ ] Glacial Fusion Plant
Fuel-efficient and climate friendly, fusion power plants are the standard for developing and developed worlds across civilised space. By burying the fusion plant deep within Noveria's frozen glaciers, they and the limited radioactive waste they produce can be safely and securely contained away from more densely populated areas, and without ruining the view as more economical renewable generators would.
(Progress: 172/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Power)
(Hassan Atomics: +1P, +1F)

Progress on expanding Port Hanshan's baseline power provision has moved swiftly, with excavation teams carving deep channels into one of the Skadi Mountains' more stable glaciers and construction teams following not far behind, laying out the groundworks for what will be an immense fusion power plant. The basic elements of the facility - hallways, access passages, and transit routes have all been laid out, and the durable, heavily-secured vault that will store the reactor's little radioactive waste is well under way.

[ ] Destructive Testing Range
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But live testing, especially of vehicles and weapon systems, can often lead to significant damage. Little more than a series of hardened walls to contain blasts and stop speeding debris, dedicated destructive testing ranges give engineers a place to cut loose and put their prototypes through thorough testing without endangering their neighbours.
-[ ] Peak 18 (Progress: 139/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Nezo Aerospace: +1P, +1F)

Snowfall has picked up again in the past month, compounding existing issues with snow piles blocking progress at Peak 18. One enterprising worker jury rigged a flamethrower and made a surprising amount of progress in clearing the snow before his supervisor was able to stop him, and though his pay has been docked severely for reckless behaviour, the site foreman has nonetheless issued a request for some proper flamethrowers - citing not just efficiency in spot-cleaning snow, but markedly increased morale for the work crew involved in the incident.

[ ] Secondary Artificial Biome Cluster Site
Before an artificial biome can be created, with its own atmosphere mixing stations and climate control systems, a container for that biome must be created. These facilities are, by necessity, relatively large, and as such require substantial land clearing. Additionally, Noveria's extreme temperatures necessitate a high degree of environmental hardening to ensure the artificial biome is not adversely affected by outside weather.
-[ ] Peak 11 (Progress: 52/250 - 15 Resources per die) (Domain Ecological Services: +1F)

Vast sections of mountainside near Peak 11 have been dug into by excavation teams, working at a somewhat more sedate pace than they did on the spaceport but nonetheless making progress. Initial wells which will hold the anchoring pillars for the site have been dug, and teams are working to flatten the surrounding ground to anchor the rest of the structure's foundations.


[ ] Data Traffic Management Centre (Success Overflow)
Prioritising data traffic is already a challenging problem for every group in the galaxy. Intergalactic communications rely on simple priority rules to allocate bandwidth, whilst local relays such as Hanshan's ground-to-orbit system generally work on a first-in-first-out basis, relying on relative lack of traffic to ensure high speed connections. By analysing outgoing communication requests and assessing relative importance before passing them offworld, corporate assets can be assured they are receiving the highest possible speed at all times, and never getting stuck behind civilian data traffic.
UPDATE: Granting corporations limited access to the data analysis allows them to fine-tune advertisements and other elements of the content they produce, enhancing profitability.
(Progress: 131/100 - 5 Resources per die)
(Noveria Now: +1P) (Tevura Media Group: +1P)

Another office near Port Hanshan's primary communications uplink has been stripped bare and reconfigured to serve a new purpose, this time as a large computational cluster for network analysis. Whilst the impact on transmission speed is near negligible in most cases, it is nonetheless appreciated by most of Noveria's corporations - none moreso than Noveria Now and the Tevura Media Group, both of whom stand to benefit from both the improved speeds and the network analytics data generated by the DTMC.

Jaeto Investigations have already developed a new business model, expanding their 'information services' to also offer clients the chance to use their corporate-priority connection when it's not already in use. For a nominal subscription fee, of course. Whilst they haven't yet received much profit from the endeavour, and don't expect much in the long term, they are nonetheless enthusiastic about the chance to analyse the network usage statistics of those who use their service - as well as the general statistics put out by the DTMC.

(Jaeto Investigations: +1F)


[ ] Prototyping Workshop
For all the power and sophistication of computer modelling and simulations, it is difficult for them to surpass the level of realism of reality itself. But producing prototypes only to find minor issues that require the reproduction of components or even the entire system is a source of constant frustration. Many designers prefer actual workshops, so that minor adjustments can be made swiftly and in direct response to problems that arise during the prototyping and testing phase without requiring constant digital redesigning.
-[ ] Peak 22 (Progress: 175/150 - 10 Resources per die) (Kantor Robotics: +1P, +1F)

Kantor's prototyping workshop is quite different in design from those built for Korten Machines and Long Winter Studios. Instead of a single large space to make room for multiple vehicles, or vehicle-sized props, surrounded by sophisticated workbenches and tooling stations, the Kantor workshop is more accurately a cluster of dozens of smaller workshops, each kitted out with precision tooling systems, omnifabrication suites, and a respectable collection of handtools - adjustable screwdrivers, spanners, wrenches, pliers, everything an aspiring roboticist could need.

You make note of some of the more modern pieces of equipment they're bringing in, and write yourself a reminder to pass some along to the flotilla next time you get a chance. It's not often even the likes of Xen or Zorah get to use cutting edge Citadel tech, and though the fleet is capable of a relatively high level of advanced industrial production, there are some things the salarians have always done better.


[ ] Ground-Orbit Uplink Site
The existing ground-orbit communications infrastructure is in dire need of expansion, with original usage estimates far exceeded and redundancy units pressed into general service to ensure needs were met. A new transmission tower and accompanying infrastructure would bring network capacity up to a far more acceptable level and remove reliance on the backup equipment.
UPDATE: Ridiculous rumours and nonsense allegations of 'mountain monsters' have finally faded, and staff are now willing to return to the project.
(Progress: 270/300 - 20 Resources per die) (+16 Network)

Work on the Ground-Orbit Uplink Site is nearing completion, with the last few components in the relay itself established. The project seems, on the whole, like it may have completed this month, save for an unfortunate issue with the computer systems resulting from hardware failure. Unfortunately, the Kaskadan Syndicate does not make a policy of over-producing incredibly niche high-capacity communication relays for no reason, so no replacement parts are available. The group have already arranged for more to be produced and delivered to the site, but it will take time.

[ ] Lower Hanshan Residential District
Though lacking the awe-inspiring views and proximity to useful services and retail outlets, the new Lower Hanshan area has no shortage of space, space which can be turned into a great many apartments. Smaller, lower-quality apartments, sure, but more than suitable for the kind of lower-class workers Port Hanshan finds itself increasingly in demand for. And of course, knowing some of the corporations, they'll start issuing new staff to those apartments too, in order to cut costs where possible.
(Progress: 190/300 - 15 Resources per die) (-5 ES) (+16 Housing)

The housing in Lower Hanshan is pretty much doomed to be largely-prefabricated residential units the likes of which are found on colonies throughout Citadel Space and the Traverse. Housing a lot of people to the standards that non-quarians demand simply isn't a cheap option otherwise, and quality is a much easier cost to swallow than actual money.

Luckily, Sannovi are experts at building projects exactly like this. They set to work with the same efficiency and drive as they have with most other projects, and apartments are springing up by the dozens. Devoid of furniture and equipped with only the bare minimum of necessary utilities, the blocks may not be particularly pleasant but they're certainly cost-efficient.

One of the human workers referred to the apartments as 'commieblocks', apparently a reference to a human architectural trend, or something? Though not particularly appealing to the white collar residents of Port Hanshan proper, dozens of staffers from the spaceport have already filed to relocate there on completion, as the much cheaper projected rent would allow them more money for luxuries.


[ ] Corporate Defence Satellites
There are only a few major stations in Noveria's orbit. In addition to the standard comm buoys, that is. Itavan Skyworks and Narhu Combine maintain a starship service station, the Tevura Media Group runs an orbital hotel for the wealthy and influential, and of course the NDC Head Office is aboard the luxury station Profit's Retreat. Which means that there's plenty of room for the installation of defence satellites. The realities of space combat make actual dedicated combat stations impractical, but a satellite network armed with sensor arrays and GARDIAN laser batteries could provide security of the tripwire variety. The Executive Board believes this kind of development would be too far a divergence from their intended aesthetics, although they admit that, given recent events in the Traverse, it may be warranted.
(Progress: 128/250 - 35 Resources per die) (-10 ES)

Piracy is no uncommon occurrence in the Traverse, and a number of corporations already offer various kinds of defensive satellites for exactly your purposes. You eventually settle on the Starsentry line, produced by Itavan Satellites - a branch of Itavan Skyworks you unfortunately can't recoup expenses through tax from.

The Starsentry, unlike many of its competitors, actually has a track record against geth insertion craft - a turian colony in Terminus space, Triginta Petra, destroyed a geth recon force and its fighter escort with a battery of the satellites, whose low profile and emissions allow them to remain 'hidden', near indistinguishable from regular observation satellites, until targets enter its range.

[ ] Corporate Security Review (Target: Kantor Robotics)
Whilst Port Hanshan can submit to standard security standards with minimal risk, the corporate facilities around Port Hanshan have far more specific risk vectors that must be addressed directly. ERCS professionals should be sent to perform detailed reviews and generate new security plans specific to the corporate client in question.
(Progress: 72/100 - 10 Resources per die) (May unlock Security Revision actions)
(Target: +1F)

Whilst your construction teams are setting up a new cluster of workshops at Peak 22, your security teams are exploring the existing complex, working their way through various engineering bays, storage rooms, and testing facilities to ensure that everything is safe.

The report you receive indicates that so far, the team are happy, although they'd like to come back for another look now that the prototyping workshop is finished and make sure there are no other concerns they need to raise.


[ ] Horuvak Valley Platinum Mine Approval (Success Overflow) (NATURAL 1)
Though they have already secured mineral exploitation rights across Noveria, Tiber Extraction And Refining are restricted by the terms of the colonial charter from engaging in mining operations within a certain range of Port Hanshan without the proper approval. In testing their new Panoptes mineral scanner, they located a significant deposit of platinum within the Horuvak Valley, and the group has requested permission to draw up plants to establish an extraction operation there. Though it could generate significant profit, especially if refining is also performed on site, resource export, whether raw or refined, would put significant strain on Noveria's spaceport.
(Progress: 161/100 - 10 Resources per die) (Unlocks further options)
(Tiber Extraction And Refining: +1F)


"Executive Anomo wants me to tell you, 'Absolutely not, Administrator'," the turian began as soon as the call connected. "And he is right to want that. The NDC is here to provide facilities for research, development, and testing. Limited industrial operations that help facilitate those goals are allowable. But a platinum mine?"

"The exploitation of natural resources isn't going to impact anyone else's research, and intensifying Tiber's revenue stream helps us through business tax and shipping fees-"

"I understand that, Administrator. The concern is not with the financial viability." The turian shakes his head. "It's about appearances. Noveria was intended to be a world for the rich, the educated - the higher classes of society. Bringing in mining crews, refinery technicians - that hurts that image. And some members of the board think that the image will serve better in the long run than the profits.

"I understand they're not as pleasant to look at as the service staff in the entertainment district, Chairman. But the increased work opportunities attracts more people to Port Hanshan, which means more income from taxes, more growth for the service sector, more funds for further work opportunit-"

The turian waves a hand and shakes his head again, and you fall silent.

"Administrator, listen. You've so far lived up to, and in some cases exceeded expectations. You have been, to the best of our knowledge, a beacon of professionalism. If you believe that allowing Tiber access to that platinum is the best way to proceed, we'll allow it - but there are members of the board who are already unhappy with the way your vision and ours sometimes seem to differ. Keep showing us results, and that'll keep you safe for now. But office politics is more than just numbers."

You nod firmly. "I understand, Chairman."

"I hope so, Administrator Zannis. I stuck my neck out, nominating you. Don't let me down. Laekus, out."

(-10 ES)

===​

It's still technically Wednesday here, so this technically isn't late.