Beneath Celestial Depths (An Arpeggio of Blue Steel Quest)

Baguette 9
Poor little Mary has some clothes now, but they don't pass muster! You must give her some garments befitting a member of your illustrious crew! It shall not be something of simple thread and stitches, however, but a magnificent outfit only outmatched by your own beauty! With no small amount of delight, you gather the necessary Nanomaterials and present it to your cute little Design Child.

"Here you are, Mary dear," you hand her a clean, pure white dress, "Your new uniform!"

She carefully puts it on and twirls a bit, a smile on her face from your present.

"Thank you," she gives you a little hug.

"You haven't even seen what it can do yet!" you activate the dress, and in an instant it transforms into a big fluffy fur dress. Mary marvels at her now very-comfy clothes.

"This is a Nanomaterial Dress, darling, it'll transform to match your mood!" you pat her on the head, "Please do enjoy it! It suits you!"

And as Mary experiments with her new outfit with childlike glee, you move onto your next project.


With a little bit of work, you're able to bring your galley back online. A stupendous achievement, for this allows you to resume your life's passion. No, not the espionage, double-crossing, or the slow and tedious work of orchestrating your rise to power, but the one and only reason for existence on this forsaken celestial body!

That's right, the fine art of baking the most wonderful foodstuffs known to sentient lifeforms across the cosmos!
Baguettes.
Their crisp, thin but firm outer crust! Their soft, steaming fluffy insides! Ah, you could spend all day waxing poetic about the beauty of the baguette!
But you can't. For you're not just going to bake a baguette, but you're going to teach your newest crew member how to create this wonderful culinary delight!
True, you lack basically all of the ingredients needed to make the dough... but that is no matter! Nanomaterial shall suffice until you procure the necessary ingredients! It should be exactly the same! And you can reclaim the Nanomaterials after all is said and done! A messy business, but for baguettes, you'd do anything.

"Um," Mary stares at the carton of eggs, jug of milk, and other ingredients sitting in a row on the counter, "Where did you get these?"

You cinch your apron on, which proudly declares, "I have a knife and know how to use it" on the front.

"Quite simple, young pupil," you pat her on the head, "I created them from Nanomaterials. On the molecular level, they will behave exactly like how the actual items would behave."

"Is it even safe to eat Nanomaterials?" Mary protests with a bit of exasperated concerns, "And I thought you were going to use what little you had for repairs!"

You just giggle. Ah, so young, so foolish. Young Mary has yet to realize the important things in life! Like baguettes!

"All in good time, Mary," you smile cheerfully, "First, baguettes!"

You carefully show little Mary how to mix and prepare the batter, and the fine art of shaping the baguette. All the while, you carefully simulate the behavior of the nanomaterial, perfecly emulating how the actual ingredients would react. You're not at all ashamed to brag about your skills in this matter. After all, you once created an entire fascimile crew to deal with the Americans. They passed muster on initial inspection too. Compared to a human, a baguette is mere child's play! Not that baking a baguette itself is easy. It is a finely honed art!

You sit and watch the long, lovely creation bake in your oven, the crust forming right on the minute. Ah, you can hardly stop drooling in anticipation!

"Behold, young darling!" you declare with a flourish as you pull the masterpiece out of your oven, "The finished product!"

It's a foot-long, steaming golden loaf of french bread, smelling like the streets of Paris after National Baguette Day!
That's a thing, you're pretty sure. It had to be, right? You're just making assumptions here, but there's no way that there wasn't a Baguette Day in France. And in the even that it isn't, youre not going to disrupt your blissful ignorance by seeking clarification.

You break off the end, the fluffy interior as soft as a cloud. You offer it reverently to Mary.

"Here you go, darling!" you beam proudly, "Eat up!"

Mary just stares warily at the piece of bread, hesitantly replying, "Um... that's made out of Nanomaterials, right? Should I really be eating that?"

"You eat radioactive strawberries, dear, it's not like this is going to hurt you anymore than that," you giggle in amusement. The dear is just shy! Nobody can resist your baguettes!

But she does! She shakes her head and tries to push the bread back to you!
You shall not forget this slight.

"Hmph," you narrow your eyes at the ungrateful Design Child, "Very well. But should I procure the ingredients to bake a proper loaf, you shall try it. Is that understood?"

She nods, and you're placated. For the moment. You do eat the entire baguette in front of her, however, savoring each and every fluffy, warm bite.
Mary looks decidedly uncomfortable all the while.



Bringing your own hull back online has been a slow affair, but it has allowed you some time to explore the base. Unfortunately, you are starved of knowledge in this prison! You have not used the uplink in case you alert whoever is on the other end, but this has left you in ignorance of the world! This base's database may contain enough information to hold you over until you can properly pilfer a modern historical tome! But it is tied directly into the base's main generator, and so you cannot power it yourself. You must bring the base back to life!
This holds some risks in of itself, but nothing ventured, no information gained! Ah, you hunger for knowledge...

A brief look over the base's reactor reveals it to be a primitive nuclear fusion generator. It utilizes hydrogen extracted from water to sustain nuclear fusion, which powers the base. Quite overkill for a mere submarine pen... you suspect that this base might have some powerful defenses you're unaware of. Why else would so much power need to be generated?

Getting the thing running is simple, and you don't notice any traps... of course it might cause serious problems for the facility if any of the wiring or anything else you're pumping power into has degraded too severely since the pen was closed down.

You doubt any of the various failure scenarios would be any danger to you...but you don't know everything about this place, so you leave your Union Core with your hull and send your Mental Model down to the lower levels.

While you approached the task with much trepidation, it turns out that merely setting the startup sequence in motion is all you need to do, and it roars to life without a hitch. Granted, it is rather old, and you notice some issues that, if unattended, will lead to a complete system failure in...a century or so. You doubt anyone could get it back up and running, at that point.

The database is now yours! Hon hon hon ho hon hon!
You do love laughing in such a manner. It may be overly stereotypical of the French, but it's not like you strove for cultural accuracy in the first place.

With full access to the base's server banks, you get the full picture about this submarine pen.
It was a volcanic outcropping that the United States discovered during the war with the Fog. Using Micromotion Stealth submarines, mainly the big honking Motherships you occasionally fought during the war, they made it all the way out here and began constructing the base. It took a year at breakneck speed, but it was ready to function as a Forward Operating Base towards the war's end.

Apparently, whatever you did with Habbakuk causes disarray within the Fog. The American task force that was sent to the North Pole was nearly decimated by the Scarlet Fleet, only saved because Blue Steel cut in and interrupted the ambush. However, as the Americans retreated, they noticed that both Blue Steel and the Scarlet Fleet lost coordination, some ships becoming erratic in behaviour while some just sank on the spot, their markings dying like an old lightbulb.

The Americans skirmished with Blue Steel and the Scarlet Fleet over the next few months, but the Fog had entirely disappeared, vanishing off into unknown regions or sinking mysteriously. Eventually, Blue Steel clashed one last time with Scarlet Fleet and then set a course for Antarctica, disappearing. The Americans didn't track them, as they were preoccupied with Scarlet Fleet which chose to forcibly take the Hawaiian islands. The US had only just barely set down there to evacuate what few people remained, before beating a quick retreat.

This base, which was then rendered obsolete, was abandoned. The base's static defenses were removed (damn it!) and most of the remaining supplies were loaded up onto the submarines. It was then left to the elements, which is where the reports ends.
There is a manifest of what was left, however. Hm. There is a large amount of weapons left in the armory. Not just personnel weapons either. Railguns, Vibration Warheads, conventional torpedoes, and even some low-yield nukes! You might not bring yourself back up to full combat capacity with what's here, but you won't be toothless either! You'll still be lacking Wave Force Armor, though. There's no recourse except to find a Home Port, assuming the Humans left those standing. With all the Fog behaving oddly, there's no telling whether the Home Port's defensive weaponry are even active anymore.
That's a sobering thought...

At any rate, you're one step closer to getting out of here! Once you have weapons, you can leave! Unless you want to go poking around this base a bit more... and if you want to come back. After all, there's no issue with using the uplink if you're planning on leaving. But it might be nice to have someplace to come back to, should you need to hide. It's not like anyone is going to come looking here.


[Major Actions-1]
[] Bite the bullet and see what you can gather about the Outside world through the uplink. Time to see what the world looks like.

[] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.

[] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
-[] Install the weaponry in the armory into the base, it needs to be well-defended.
-[] Split the weaponry between yourself and the base. Neither will be well defended but neither will be defenseless either.


[Minor Actions]
[] Show Mary to conduct espionage. Basic skillset for any aspiring megalomaniac.
[] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
[] Try and salvage Baguette ingredients from the MREs.
[] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.
 
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[x] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.

[x] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
 
I honestly think using the Fog Tactical Network would be a bad idea. If im reading this correctly then its likely that the only FoF ships still operating (or atleast in human hands) are those that belonged to the Scarlet Fleet. Those particular ships had reason to hate our particular French Boat. On the bright side Blue Steel's ships should still be alive. The records said they were left alone in Antarctica and never seen again. So either they found a way to leave the planet or they have gone Dormant in the same way that Surcouf did. We might want to look into finding them (as well as the cores of the FoF ships that went 'randomly' offline and sunk) while we are looking for a Home Port.

[x] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[x] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
 
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[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[x] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

FINALLY

[X] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Split the weaponry between yourself and the base. Neither will be well defended but neither will be defenseless either.

I'd rather us have a place for us to retreat to if things go south.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[x] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

The weaponry is roughly 200 years old. It was subpar compared to Fog weaponry in the day and right now would probably not serve much against modern human weaponry. It might be somehow useful if we put everything on the pen defense but it would leave Surcouf toothless and the setting up of static defenses might be picked up from orbit. Making it half-half is just making a poor firepower even poorer for everything. As it is the best defense the pen could have is that it is secret and likely forgotten. If we pick up Fog and maybe modern human weaponry later, why not? But as it is, having Surcouf fully armed and loaded takes priority if we want or need to move out.

[X] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.

We are approaching the time to set sail, let's guarantee she has better training.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

I don't think we plan on staying here, so getting ourselves in order should be first priority.
 
The weaponry is roughly 200 years old. It was subpar compared to Fog weaponry in the day and right now would probably not serve much against modern human weaponry. It might be somehow useful if we put everything on the pen defense but it would leave Surcouf toothless and the setting up of static defenses might be picked up from orbit. Making it half-half is just making a poor firepower even poorer for everything. As it is the best defense the pen could have is that it is secret and likely forgotten. If we pick up Fog and maybe modern human weaponry later, why not? But as it is, having Surcouf fully armed and loaded takes priority if we want or need to move out.

Additional point, putting static defense, especially in abandoned outpost using outdated weapon will draw suspicion instead. Might as well bring them all in the first place.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

[X] Let Mary have another go at [Command] simulations. She has the potential after all. Certainly a rough diamond.

Let's alternate between training and having fun with her.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.


of course it might simply fail catastrophically...


Fusion reactors can't fail, Doctor. They'll simply stop working. Fusion works by fusing hydrogen into helium. It's not a chain reaction, so it can't go out of control. (Not like fission) If containment in the reactor fails, the plasma made of hydrogen within the reactor will lose too much heat. This stops the fusion process into helium. Then the fusion reactor will simply stop generating power. Perhaps you should replace "simply fail catastrophically" with "overload the old, unused power lines". And no, no amount of Fog bullshit will allow a "nuclear fireball" to form, sir.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.

[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.

[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
 
[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
Fusion reactors can't fail, Doctor. They'll simply stop working. Fusion works by fusing hydrogen into helium. It's not a chain reaction, so it can't go out of control. (Not like fission) If containment in the reactor fails, the plasma made of hydrogen within the reactor will lose too much heat. This stops the fusion process into helium. Then the fusion reactor will simply stop generating power.
At worst you'll get a really nasty plasma fire, but yeah no earth shattering kaboom.
 
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[X] You have full access of the facility now. With the full manifest from the armory, you should...
-[X] Install the weaponry into your hull and load up on ammunition as well.
[X] Your interior is a mess and it looks like something you're incredibly unfamiliar with. Maybe you should get Mary to help you and the Subnodes (tiny Surcoufs) to help you clean up.
 
Fusion reactors can't fail, Doctor. They'll simply stop working. Fusion works by fusing hydrogen into helium. It's not a chain reaction, so it can't go out of control. (Not like fission) If containment in the reactor fails, the plasma made of hydrogen within the reactor will lose too much heat. This stops the fusion process into helium. Then the fusion reactor will simply stop generating power. Perhaps you should replace "simply fail catastrophically" with "overload the old, unused power lines". And no, no amount of Fog bullshit will allow a "nuclear fireball" to form, sir.
 
Was the baguette thing that big in the old quest? It didn't really feel like I was reading about Surcouf, it was more like a meme version of her.

Also right before she's leaves can we bite the bullet and use the up link? I mean we started this and just stopped in the middle of it.
 
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