Last turn results:
[x] Repulsor Transport (0/180) (37 Roll + 15 Skill = 52) + (25 Roll + 15 Skill = 40) + (64 Roll + 15 Skill = 79) + (59 Roll + 15 Skill = 74) = (245/180)
[x] Assault Location: "The Laugh House", Contraband Production Facility
Resources Gained:
73k Credits
Strategic Resources:
108 Giggledust Crates
See Turn 7.5; +65 Admin Overflow assignment available.
[x] Inoculate
"
Attention Non-Citizen Workforce; Punitive actions in this location have been suspended. Report to central processing facility to receive medical aid."
By the time the laborers start actually moving out of the areas they'd been corralled into most of your forces have already pulled out of the facility. They amble around, occasionally glancing up at the remaining Scanners but mostly at the destruction around them, only a few milling towards the central plant.
A group of three makes a run for the treeline once it's apparent that your forces are ignoring them, and all three fall at the same time from small explosions.
You review that moment again; a set of simultaneous detonations, all at almost the same spot on the back of the neck.
Explosive implants, likely automated.
...It's a crude method, but perhaps the Hutts are more shrewd than you had anticipated.
[x] 1x Research Die Contraband Analysis (DC 35) 89 Roll + 15 Skill =
104 CRIT, +10 Bonus to Research rolls this turn.
Going from a bare handful of vials to hundreds has certainly given you plenty of material to work with for your analyses.
The substance appears to rely on two compounds, the first causes the primary effect the drug is known for; stimulating the amygdala and adjacent structures to lower the threshold of what is considered humorous in most species, while also blocking the receptors responsible for the feeling of fatigue.
The second is much more subtle, causing a mild delirium that, in conjunction with the primary effect, increases suggestibility and neuroplasticity. A higher concentration of this second compound should exacerbate the condition, enough that long-term use should aid in the molding of a subject's mind through simple exposure to the appropriate concepts, though at the cost of reduced capability while the drug is in use.
Unlocked a future Civic option: Increased Compliance for Reduced Productivity.
[x] 1x Research Die Repulsor Train Design (0/100) 42 Roll + 15 Skill + 10 Bonus = (67/100)
There are certain challenges in the conversion process; the repulsors have a tendency to interfere with each other when chained together in series, and given the lack of an actual track the train currently tries to drift when a turn is too sharp, but these issues are more than resolvable given time.
[x] 2x Psionics Die Hatch (35/150, +2 Skill to Admin, Tactics and Diplomacy.) (30 Roll + 15 Skill = 45) + (93 Roll + 15 Skill =
107 CRIT) = (187/150)
You've prepared as much as you reasonably can, tweaked your immune system and it's constituent implants to deal with the irritants and pathogens present in the planet's atmosphere. The Pod shifts, releasing you from it's protective confines, and you feel the Force pulse briefly in response as you taste the atmosphere of this world for the first time, if filtered through your mask.
You could swear the air still manages to sting at your skin through your suit, in spite of the climate control systems.
Why any organic race would willingly choose to settle such a noxious environment is beyond you.
You don't go very far, a set of screens unfolding from the ceiling as a set of nozzles spray a fine mist over your body; to ensure proper skin hydration.
[x] 1x Diplomacy Die Negotiate With Sabaoth's Teeth Mercenaries 37 Roll + 7 Skill = 44
[x] Negotiate Directly
It takes seven minutes for the Mercenaries to respond, a 2d representation of the female Rodian lounging in a tall, rounded chair appearing in holo-blue coloration on-screen.
"Vlyal spea-" She blinks, cutting herself off and narrowing her eyes. "You're… Nevermind, I-"
"Elaborate on the services provided by your organization."
The captain pauses again at your interruption, swallowing deeply. "...Right, direct. Okay. We have a full squadron of starfighters with quad laser cannons and shielding, and veteran pilots better than anything you're likely to see outside the Republic Navy. We'll fight for you, in the black or planetside."
"And the condition of your vessels?"
"...We had a setback some time ago. Nothing you need to be concerned about, we keep our fighters in top condition. Much better than the Shell's clunkers, I assure you. Else they wouldn't have bothered hiring us." She straightens in her seat, clasping her hands together.
"Might I have the honor of knowing with whom I am speaking?"
"The Combine."
She blinks again, and you continue before she can ask further irrelevant questions.
"We are prepared to offer the equivalent of Forty-Thousand Republic Credits."
A series of sharp, nasally chuckles intrude upon your senses for a moment. "My… I'd need triple that to even consider it. Surely you don't think you can outbid the Hutts by being cheap, now do you? That barely covers the cost o-"
"We will raise an additional Twenty-Thousand, in conjunction with complete maintenance of your equipment and vessels."
Her head tilts to the side, looking at something behind the camera for a moment. "...That is tempting. But how do I know you're going to follow through here? Give us the creds up front, with another five on top."
"Acceptable. Continued collaboration will be rewarded. Further instruction will follow."
"W- ...When, I nee-"
"Attention Auxiliary force. Change communication frequencies to 18-27…"
The captain startles a moment before you disconnect, turning your attention to more pertinent matters as Overwatch handles integration.
Resources lost:
-65k Credits
A promise.
Gained Sabaoth Starfighters(Merc.)
[x] Deploy Defoliant
The Construction Striders work in teams of two, one hoisting the long hoses, filled with the yellowish defoliant compound. They spray over the foliage and the occasional fauna caught in the area, the substance foaming and steaming on contact, weighing down the plantlife before the second strider cuts and smothers them with various tools.
A path is made to the nearest road, and various detritus is piled together towards to dry and form a tenable road surface connecting to it.
…
The Hutts continue to bring in more transports; as confirmed by your new Forces, with more droids, but it is hard to ascertain their numbers with the information you have access to. That said, the general movements of the assets you do have track of are consistent with an
imminent mobilization.
Administrator
TRAITS:
Old
Thoughtful
STATS:
7 Tactics Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice +1 Overwatch)
17 Administration Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
15 Research Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
7 Diplomacy Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
12 Psionics Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
2 Free Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 Overwatch)
Unit Cap: 6/8 (+6 Base, +2 Synthwombs)
RESOURCES:
7k Credits
108 Giggledust Crates
CITADEL ZERO
Facilities:
Dark Fusion Reactor
Smart Barriers (+5 to Base defense)
Basic Fabricators
Small Synthwombs (+2 Unit Cap)
Suppression System (+10 to Base defense)
Garrison:
Hunters
Crab Synths
Combine Soldiers (Mechanized)
Combine Soldiers
Scanners
Viscerators
Construction Striders (U)
Stalkers (U)
Dropships (U)
ORBIT
Sabaoth's Teeth Mercenary Light Improvised CV (Aux.)
Sabaoth Starfighters (Aux.)
NAR KAAGA
Locations of Interest:
Shell Hutt Palace
Hostile Garrison:
Hutt Enforcers
Facilities:
AA Blaster turrets
Kos-Amul, Primary Settlement and Starport
Hostile Garrison:
Armed Populace
Hutt Enforcers
Unidentified Droids
Unidentified Droids (1-2, Arrived from space)
Z-95 Headhunters
A-A3 speeder trucks (U)
Facilities:
Starport
Power Generator
"The Laugh House", Contraband Production Facility
Hostile Garrison:
(N/A)
Facilities:
Spice Cracking Plant
AA Blaster turrets (Damaged)
Kos-Mata, Fringe Settlement
Hostile Garrison:
Hutt Enforcers
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…)
[ ] Command Auxiliary Forces (DC Variable, possible combat.)
Your Mercenary forces may be controlled separately from your main units. If performing an attack a Merc Unit can simply be added to that task instead of using this one.
[ ] Interdict
Order the squadron to prevent any space traffic in or out of Nar Kaaga by force. The Hutts will likely contest this once it becomes apparent.
[ ] Intercept
Squadron will behave reactively, engaging the enemy Strike craft if they attempt to act.
[ ] Backstab
The Hutts currently believe the Sabaoth's Teeth to be in their employ, if this behavior is selected the Mercs will comply with Hutt orders until the most opportune time to betray them.
[ ] Write in...
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 Mechanical Units:
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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:
[ ] Gestate Synths:
[ ] Crab Synths (3/125)
Heavily armed and armored, the Crab Synth is most suited to frontal assaults, bringing it's pulse chaingun down on enemy positions. In close combat it's claws are even powerful enough to dig into thin-skinned vehicles. On Nar Kaaga it can navigate without hindrance, slicing through the foliage with ease and perhaps even burrowing into the soft soil to stage ambushes.
[ ] Hunters (17/100)
Nominally a scout unit, Hunters excel at stalking isolated targets, as well as possessing a high degree of mobility allowing them to traverse nearly any terrain. While unable to completely replace infantry, they serve well in supporting roles of all kinds.
[ ] Mortar Synths (101/110)
Essentially a self-mobile piece of light artillery, the Mortar Synth is very vulnerable if left unprotected in a conflict area. That stated, in conjunction with other units marking targets it provides a degree of firepower only rivaled by emplacements and significantly larger machines.
[ ] Claw Scanner (0/50)
A more advanced, multi-role version of the Mechanical Scanner, the Claw Scanner provides support to other Synth units by spotting targets, providing visuals via a neural linkage and dropping support equipment and ammunition for Transhuman forces. Sometimes used for the delivery of non-essential cargo.
Buffs one other unit. May independently lay mines at a location.
[ ] Produce Vehicles:
(N/A Until Fabricator Upgrade)
[ ] 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.
[ ] 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. +2 Unit Cap on completion.
[ ] Canister Launcher (42/125)
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.
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:
(N/A)
Primary Projects:
[ ] Native Biochemistry (90/160)
The earlier incident has revealed the possibilities of the native flora. While you don't anticipate anything else so dramatic as that acid, even refinement and production of that compound alone could prove valuable.
Unlocks Acid shells for Canister Launcher.
[ ] Repulsor Train Design (67/100)
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.
[ ] 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.)
Trivial Projects:
[ ] 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.)
Primary Projects:
(N/A)
PERSONAL:
[ ] Assign Production Overflow +65 (Free, Write in...)
(Vote by Plan, Three hour moratorium on voting, after that voting will be open until 12:00AM CST this Monday.)