Last turn results:
[X] Up
[X] Produce Viscerators (DC 25) 88 Roll + 15 Skill = 103 CRIT, Bonus applied to other Admin tasks this turn.
[X] Repair Smart Barriers (DC 50, +5 to location defense once completed.) 62 Roll + 15 Skill + 10 Bonus = 87
The purple swamp of Nar Kaaga is filled with shrieks of tearing metal as the distorted sections of Smart Barrier are removed, and the hollow vocalizations of the Striders straining against them to remove the most damaged sections. You put the Viscerators to work clipping the creeping vines that have found their way into the spalls and cracks of the metal. Within the day every crack and warp in Citadel Zero's construction will be restored, the excess material used to begin the scaffold upon which all future expansion will be supported.
[X] Small Synthwombs (0/225) (42 Roll + 15 Skill = 57) + (4 Roll + 15 Skill = 19) + (39 Half Roll + 15 Skill = 54) + (34 Half Roll + 15 Skill = 49) + (1 Half Roll + 15 Skill = 16) + 10 Bonus = (205/225)
You pour an immense amount of resources into the Synthwombs, every spare Strider, Stalker and Fabricator working continuously for days to complete them on time. And yet your efforts are thwarted by a single microorganism.
It is well-adapted to surviving intense radiation, the very same you use to sterilize the soil to be converted into organic feedstock. It would be a fascinating specimen, were it not the cause of such frustration. Being almost without an immune system more than half the wombs are infected, oozing suspension fluid from sores and lesions. A few of the more extreme examples even develop tumors as their replication mechanisms are inadvertently triggered by the microbe.
"
Warning: Cauterization process active in sector."
The internal cameras are blinded as dark energy is unleashed within the chamber, vaporizing the microbe, and the incomplete production facilities hosting it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
It will not take long to grow replacements now that you've identified the issue, but still long enough to delay the project a few days.
[X] Repulsorlift Theory (DC 40) 37 Roll + 15 Skill = 52
Such a bounty of knowledge, from one single inhabited world in a Galaxy brimming with them…
Anti-Gravitation technology has long been known to the Combine, utilized in many facets of it's structure. Everything from the mechanical Scanner to the Dark Fusion Reactor presently thrumming in the heart of Citadel Zero relies on the Combine's mastery of Gravity.
And yet it has always been hampered by scale; beyond a certain threshold it is no longer viable for an Anti-Gravitation device to lift itself against the pull of most planetary bodies, smothered beneath it's own mass. Stationary versions of the technology might be used to levitate other objects, but only with access to an external grid.
With the innovations learned here however, you can already envision your own versions of the great Interstellar warships fielded by local civilizations, suspended effortlessly above a planetary surface, self-contained and indomitable.
But, for the moment you slake your mind with simpler things, initial steps towards an inevitable end.
Unlocked design projects.
[X] Practice (DC Variable, Small chance to improve Psionics skill.) 35 Roll + 15 Skill = 50
An epiphany comes to you as you are finally able to let your mind drift; The Psionic phenomenon you have been experiencing since your arrival here, that seems to be the 'Force' occasionally mentioned in Holonet broadcasts, only became agitated after the Dark Fusion Reactor came online.
To your sense the Reactor is as silent as any inorganic substance, or living things without minds. That this phenomenon reacts to it so strongly implies that it is not wholly restricted to the Psionic capabilities known to you at present.
+1 to Psionics skill.
[X] Humanoid Augmentation (0/150) 90 Roll + 15 Skill = (105/150)
You really didn't expect to ever see this many distinct species with almost the same body plan, though a few do seem to be direct offshoots of Humans, many more appear to have just happened upon a similar form. Most will only require minor augmentations to the standard conversion process, others will have to undergo significant amputations in order to match the current Transhuman template.
If the data you're scraping from the Holonet is to be believed, the more exotic examples of this trend may warrant specialized assignment in the future.
…
"
Alert. Biotic intrusion detected. Citadel stabilization force directive three: Clamp. Coagulate. Exterminate."
You suppose detection was an inevitability, Citadel Zero is far from subtle in it's presence.
Though that does not lessen the sheer bafflement of how close the Hutt scouting party got without noticing your facility. By your estimate the Smart Barrier's crown would have been visible over the canopy nearly six hundred meters prior to where the intruders finally noticed.
Two pairs of speederbikes swoop low and slow through the brush, though still far too quickly for the Scanners to keep up, going in a wide arc likely meant to cover as much ground as possible. One is another Weequay, but the others are all what appear to be baseline humans wearing what approximates a uniform among the enforcers of the Shell Hutts.
One group stops just ahead of the clearing, pulling out a set of electrobinoculars to scan the Citadel. Overwatch Snipers soon pick them apart as quickly as they came, but the others finally bother to look up, too deep in the foliage for the Scalpels to track.
You mentally stay Overwatch's command to launch the Hunter-Choppers in pursuit as the second group calls back and promptly gun their speeders away from the Citadel. It's unlikely that they could be stopped, and you have little doubt they would deploy their Air-Superiority craft in response.
For the moment, you will not escalate further.
You will allow the Hutts to ponder you for a time. Are you a mercenary group sent by their rivals? Could you be bribed into their service, perhaps more loyal to credits than your employers? Or could you be some agent of the Great powers in this Galactic conflict? Socioscidal as they may be, criminal elements do not tend towards bravery. They will not commit to an attack without checking every little nexus in their infected web for signs of your passage.
Their indecision will give you all the time you require.
Citadel Zero identified by Shell Hutts.
Administrator
TRAITS:
Old
Thoughtful
STATS:
5 Tactics Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice +1 Overwatch)
15 Administration Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
15 Research Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
5 Diplomacy Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
8 Psionics Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
2 Free Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 Overwatch)
Unit Cap: 4/6 (+6 Base)
CITADEL ZERO
Facilities:
Dark Fusion Reactor
Smart Barriers (+5 to Base defense.)
Basic Fabricators
Garrison:
Combine Soldiers (Mechanized)
Combine Soldiers
Scanners
Viscerators
Construction Striders (U)
Stalkers (U)
Dropships (U)
NAR KAAGA
Locations of Interest:
Shell Hutt Palace
Hostile Garrison:
Hutt Enforcers
Hutt Enforcers (Relocated from Kos-Amul)
Facilities:
AA Blaster turrets
Kos-Amul, Primary Settlement and Starport
Hostile Garrison:
Armed Populace
Hutt Enforcers
Z-95 Headhunters
Facilities:
Starport
Power Generator
"The Laugh House", Contraband Production Facility
Hostile Garrison:
Hutt Enforcers
A-A3 speeder trucks (U) (Relocated from Kos-Amul)
Facilities:
Spice Cracking Plant
AA Blaster turrets
Kos-Mata, Fringe Settlement
Hostile Garrison: None Identified
Kos-Resh, Fringe Settlement
Hostile Garrison:
Armed Populace
TACTICS:
[ ] Abstain(Tactics) (Free, take no actions in this category and instead gain it's die as half-strength Free Die for this turn.)
[ ] Assault Location (DC Variable, Combat. May be selected multiple times for attacking more than one site simultaneously.)
You know where your Enemy is, and their numbers.
[ ] Objective: (Write in objective, EG Destroy, Raid, Capture.)
[ ] Commit Forces: (Write in non-utility units…)
ADMINISTRATION:
[ ] Abstain(Admin) (Free, take no actions in this category and instead gain it's die as half-strength Free Die for this turn.)
Trivial Projects:
[ ] Produce Viscerators (DC 25)
A small, flying Mechanical Unit that uses spinning blades offensively. They excel at clearing confined spaces on their own, and are compact enough to be carried by your Transhuman soldiers.
Incapable of independent function, must be carried or launched by another unit or structure.
[ ] Produce Scanners (DC 15)
These mobile surveillance machines are normally intended for use in Urban environs, one tool of many to allow the Overwatch System to properly maintain order through omnipresence and omniscience. But, perhaps in this case they would serve well in monitoring the surrounding swampland for potential intruders.
Primary Projects:
[ ] Fabricator Upgrade (0/350)
General expansion of production lines and the addition of more precise equipment.
Enables production of APCs, Trucks and Hunter-Choppers. Unlocks more advanced facilities.
[ ] Small Synthwombs (205/225)
A series of Biomechanical apparatuses to take a Synth form from the initial embryonic stage through the various instars to reach maturity, installing the required weapons, tools, and other augmentations along the way.
Enables Gestation of Hunter, Crab, Mortar and Scanner Synths.
[ ] Basic Transhuman Augmentation Facility (0/175)
Without the space for a comprehensive conversion program you'll be restricted to the earlier Prototype version of the Modern Transhuman Forces. However doing what you can with the available resources will allow you to increase throughput of these units significantly, though their long-term viability will be limited.
Enables rapid creation of Combine Grunts from base population.
[ ] Canister Launcher (0/125)
A simple magnetic acceleration system to launch cargo pods across large distances. Typically used to deliver either Viscerators or Parasitics to a hostile location, sometimes in support of Transhuman Overwatch Activities. Includes a simple cloning device.
Halves Unit Cap upkeep of Viscerators, may launch Headcrab Canisters once per turn.
[ ] Setup a Suppression System (0/100 +10 to location defense once completed.)
A bank of Dark Energy Pulsor arrays would provide the facility with a good deal of firepower of it's own, including against aerial assaults in the event of an attack on Citadel Zero.
RESEARCH
[ ] Abstain(Research) (Free, take no actions in this category and instead gain it's die as half-strength Free Die for this turn.)
Trivial Projects:
[ ] Contraband Analysis (DC 35)
The now-named Giggledust seems to be a largely recreational substance, with little to no addictive qualities on it's own. There are however suggestions that it may have viable Anti-Fatigue properties in it's purest form.
Primary Projects:
[ ] Defoliant Studies (0/100, Enables non-aerial logistics running out of your base.)
While the Dropship Synth is efficient, you only have so many of them for the time being. Finding a suitable compound for clearing away the flora to establish a roadway for your land vehicles will free up significant resources.
[ ] Humanoid Augmentation (105/150)
Necessary adjustments to baseline procedure, considering a large portion of the Galactic Population is either Humanoid or Near-Human in nature.
Enables Transhuman Augmentation for a wider portion of the Populace.
[ ] Repulsor Train Design (0/100)
The pre-existing rail networks on Earth proved to be extremely useful for the logistics of the Combine Overwatch. While no such network exists on this world, the long term utility cannot be denied. Switching to a frictionless Repulsorlift system would allow the trains to traverse nearly undeveloped pathways between destinations, dramatically reducing the upfront cost of such a system.
Halves Razortrain Network construction cost.
[ ] Repulsor Transport Design (0/115)
Short of eradicating the entire ecosphere, the swamps of Nar Kaaga will continue to hamper operations long-term, even after the deployment of a viable Defoliant. A vehicle in the style of the local landspeeder craft could simply ignore most terrestrial obstructions, and allow Transhuman units or perhaps Civil workforce individuals to traverse with ease.
[ ] Long-Range Aerial Antigens (0/200)
Your studies indicate that warfare in this Galaxy heavily favors the use of small, often single-occupant strike craft either to harry the opposition's own craft or to deliver powerful munitions directly to installations or vessels. Creating a self-guided missile with a Repulsor in addition to conventional drive systems would allow the projectile to essentially ignore a planet's gravity well. Limited only by air resistance and fuel, you estimate such a weapon could rapidly eliminate light targets even in low orbit above a launch site, though efficiency drop-offs mean it is unlikely to be viable against larger targets.
The gaze of your data-link lands on the intended object of your research, the deceptively small disk currently stowed not far from your pod... No, you'll have to be patient to unlock it's secrets.
Arbeit Data Disk decryption locked until the construction of a Supercomputer Array.
DIPLOMACY:
[ ] Abstain(Diplomacy) (Free, take no actions in this category and instead gain it's die as half-strength Free Die for this turn.)
[ ] Talk? (DC ???)
The Shell Hutts have identified your location. While they are unlikely to have a favorable stance towards you, you might be able to sow disinformation or learn more of their internal politics. Sending a scanner, and using Overwatch as a proxy will allow you to communicate with them, though exactly what you'd say is another matter. (Write in...)
PSIONICS:
[ ] Abstain(Psionics) (Free, take no actions in this category and instead gain it's die as half-strength Free Die for this turn.)
[ ] Practice (DC Variable, Small chance to improve Psionics skill.)
You can't actually recall the last time you needed to Hatch, but given the circumstances it might be time to stretch your abilities a little, should that time come again on Nar Kaaga.
[ ] Hatch (0/150, +2 Skill to Admin, Tactics and Diplomacy.)
It's becoming more and more clear that your direct intervention in proceedings may be necessary. Though you will still need to return to the Pod at regular intervals to rest.
PERSONAL:
(No actions available.)
(AN: Retroactively changing Overwatch Voice quotes to be in Italics for clarity's sake. Those are certainly some rolls on the Synthwombs...
Vote by Plan, Two hour moratorium on voting, after that voting will be open until 10:00PM CST this Thursday.)
(Edit: Good lord I just looked at Steam and it's like, 20 bucks to get every goddamn valve game.)
