Well, originally I thought the reward for this might have been that circumstances aligned in a way Medea stayed with Hinako despite her "Revenge, it is done."
I've left enough hints in the past updates — including this very last one — that there's enough leeway to guess, in broad terms, what the 'reward' is. Yes, the quote marks in itself is a hint.
But then Vocalend posted this, which indicates that there's no real tangible reward and that it was already hinted at. So my new theory would be what the immediate consequence of our early arrival was:
"You have arrived. I thought you would be late."
[...]
"Good, Chaldea'll do." Releasing her grip on Excalibur Morgan, she disappeared in golden motes of mana.
Replacing the lights, stars uncounting occupy the whole of the walls. Etched through magic and technology both, names of Chaldeans dead and living lit up. In constellations and asterisms of varying brightness and colours, the links of relations inside and outside the burning Earth are shown. Parents, children, lovers, friends, and more. For every one of the four hundred members of the Security Organization, there are at least three links to the outside world.
More than a thousand names, and more than a thousand pictures.
In a week and in secrecy, worked with by but two people, the facade breaks.
The assembled move aimlessly, tracing the connections through patterns and constellations aplenty. Some cry in silence, some break down in ugly sobs, all trying to be dignified and not quite succeeding. In darkness lit by the stars, people mourn together.
Looking at the status screen, Food/Hydroponics, Fuel improvement/stretching, and Mental Health will likely be the primary concerns for us this turn, particularly the first. While Mental Health is something we badly need to work on, the general improvements we will be making should be able to shore it up for now and we already have a planned lifeline or two for fuel.
'A mystic from Trabulus said that a wandering inhuman being would make their way here, interested in keeping track of the happenstances of the relatively mundane World. A rare one, you are.'
'You are not as scared as I thought you would be.'
'I have my Faith, jinn. That, and common sense. If you intended to murder me, I'd already be dead. No, you're here as an observer. You do not care for the affairs of ours. You are here to see what you perceive as sins that we humans enact on one another."
As if punctuating his word, the distant crack of thunder of man's make echoed in the distance.
'Perceive? It is the truth, they are sins. What will happen to the City once you break through is the sin of the pillage. You will consign it to the sins of razzia, because you have to for that is the truth of your world.'
'...That so? Then it is the truth that I accept. But the night is long, and the moon is out, enlighten me on the nature of these sins, xian. I can see it in your eyes too, you have made these sins yourself, by virtue of complicity.'
'Astute. Perhaps you're not so bad after all. Then I will oblige.'
Billy the Kid does not dream much. Being an untiring being made of magical essence relinquished him of much of his human need. That, of course, does not mean that he isn't going to indulge in it.
Sometimes, it is in the form of merely sleeping and letting himself drift away. No prairie around the Arctic wastes, but he sleeps on a bed that is at least ten times more comfortable than any he had slept in during his days.
It's not an equivalent exchange. He preferred the rough and tumble of the expanse than this, and from the times he dreams, it is clear that his Master did too.
His sleep is oft dreamless but at times, he would see glimpses of her just… languidly take in the scenery. They are always different, both in the landscape and in the times. He would see her walking between towers topped with crescent and a star in one dream and then in the next, watch as she climbed atop pristine sequoias and peer from the canopy tops.
Wordless, these rare dreams are.
Excepting this one.
Well, not his concerns. Not yet anyway. He will continue to see how everything will shape out. So first, get out of bed, freshen up, and do what has been a daily routine for both he and the Caster.
That is to say, barge into his Master's room and just take up a third of the room's space. HIs own room is just two doors down, with Medea's own- undoubtedly magically trapped- between them so it is a brisk walk as he goes in front of the door, which automatically opens with a quiet hiss an-
He crouched, hand on his holster as three orbs violet stare where his face would have been.
"When will you learn to knock first?" An almost matronly voice irritatedly queried as the orbs winked out like candlelights.
"When will you learn that violence isn't an answer to daily problems?" The retort came as he relaxed. "I am sure that this wasn't how we agreed to start our mornings."
From outside, the Archer can see that for once, Medea let her hood down and some semblance of grimace is seen in his face.
Well, he's not a genius but he can guess what made her lower her guard. "But well, I am pretty sure there's a good reason for this morning hostility." He smiles, "Ain't that right, Master?"
The occupant of the room merely sighed. "Get in, Archer. We have an important talk to square off."
That, the Archer decided, is an order. So he kept his smile as he entered the room, the door closing behind him before a haze of purple mist solidified into Grecian runes behind him.
Hinako nodded, as she motions the Caster to continue. "Olga Marie Animusphere has an anomaly."
"And you refrained from mentioning this because…" There's a hint of accusation in the Elemental's tone. For his part, Archer took the prepared teapot and cup and helped himself to it.
"Because I want to see if I am wrong. But it does seem that whatever the oddity that affected Olga Marie Animusphere in her Rayshift is liable to stick. The oddity here is that the state of seemingly lacking an Origin doesn't seem to affect her at all. Her daily activity is, for all I can see, is normal."
"And you're the only one to know?"
"As far as I know. Dr. Archaman looks all the picture of obliviousness and he handles her checkups."
"I don't follow." Archer chimed as he sipped the warm tea.
Medea turns to face the gunslinger, her uncowled face a dissonance for the Archer. Because for once, he sees no trace of irritation she has for his existence. "In short, she is akin to someone who managed to survive and thrive despite having the heart and lungs ripped out."
"...Oh. Like…" He trailed his gaze to Hinako, who seems to consider the insinuation before nodding. "...Oh."
The meeting room is silent, all the occupants in various states of rumination after the topic broached.
At least, before Da Vinci chimed in. "So, Maxamed, how is the investigation into the Singularities?"
Recovering quickly, the Somalian magus replied, "A mixed bag." Here, he gives a nod to the inventor, who turned on a holoprojector. In hues blue and azure, a lazily circling globe zooms in on France. Immediately, streaks of angry red circles and lines take root on the northern parts of the country. "1431 AD. France. This is where the first Singularity will take place."
"Right in the middle of the Hundred Years War." Anselm mused. "What's the early call here?"
"Bad things. The sensors, for we have yet to repair much of the Command Centre and the whole of SHEBA, paint an… interesting picture. The red areas denote regions where extreme temperature shift occurs. In some cases, the daily averages of these regions reach 500°C. And," He pursed his lips. "The magical signatures we see matches with Clocktower's database for dragons."
"A mixed bag is supposed to contain at least something good." Avrum notes. "What's the good news?"
"Significant dissipations of these signatures can be seen all over the southern parts of the country, suggesting that the Counter Force is summoning Servants to counteract the Singularity but so far, what happens is a mere holding of the line. As for Seraphix, it is dated to 2017 AD."
"That is… recent." The Director replied, the site of the oil rig blinking on the North Sea, paradoxically close and far from the turmoil of the Hundred Years War.
"And worryingly silent. For all intents and purposes it is a stable thing." Maxamed continued. "I hesitate to be paranoid but there is a chance this might be a trap of a sort."
"If it is, then it has a hell of a bait." Avrum noted. "And in that case, you need someone to check if there is indeed something wrong." He paused, drawing a deep breath more akin to a mechanical wheeze considering his half-augmented state. "I volunteer as the pointman."
"You what-" Anselm almost choked back in incredulousness before the former rasar continued on.
"I am the last one." The Finnish man is silenced by the grave words. "Marisbilly kept a tight cordon of information between Chaldea proper and the Oil Rig. There are things," At that, Maxamed seems to still, an unspoken gesture noted only by the former NCO and the Director. "That he did not wish for most of us to know of. Archaman," The doctor startles lightly. "You know full well what I mean by this."
"I… I do." He grimly nodded. "Then I back this motion."
"Dr. Archaman," The eldest man narrowed his eyes. "You are backing sending- if you'll mind my candour, a half crippled man to scout a hostile territory via Rayshiftin-"
"Which," A sheaf of paper slid across the table from Yisshakar, cutting the tirade. "Has been proven to work multiple times now. And I will hardly be a weak cripple. Da Vinci?"
The inventor sighed airily, though there's a string of tension to it. "Da Vinci's Power Armour Mark IX. It is the latest prototype of a… not quite Mystic Code that I am toying around in my spare time." The tone remains light, but everyone here knew that 'spare time' for Da Vinci remains miles away from most fully human craft. "It will be useful at protecting him and granting substantial armaments to disengage against Servants."
Slightly mollified, Anselm switched tracks. "And we're not sending any Servants with him?"
A glance is shared between Romani, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie, and at that, Anselm made a quiet ah. "I overstepped, haven't I?"
"Mashu Kyrielight," The Director starts after a short consideration, "Is to not know sensitive information on Seraphix, not on the eve of a battle such as France."
"Then we certainly can't send her Master as well. Fujimaru is taking to this by bonding with her Servants."
"Then-" Maxamed starts, which lowers the mood around the room, darkening once more. Sighing in a manner opposite to his frame, he continues. "Then this is something you should decide, Director. Bluntly then, I will speak of the proposal for the week." Everyone seems glad at the change of topic. There's a lot of projects that the Analytics Department can do. The problem is time. Compiling and reviewing data takes time. Though, with the added personnel, I think that there's a capacity to expedite the process. Establishing the work will take a week."
"At the least," Olga Marie starts. "What is your recommendation?"
"The after action report. If we rush that, we would be able to make some doctrinal suggestions for two Masters. It will be imperfect." The heavyset man exhaled. "We can only hope the Grail can address the deficiency."
"That is, if we're not launching an incursion to Seraphix and use it for stabilization." Avrum pressed his point. "But regardless of how you will decide, Director, I will need to push for the upgrade of the reactors. If we push through the repairs, we will allow the Masters to regenerate the Command Seals."
"It will be under consideration. Your department, Anselm?"
"The hydroponics bay is a priority but I would really like it if, considering the sheer number of construction proposals in the work, we allocate resources to Da Vinci's automata plan." Anselm shuffled around the papers in his grasp. "Speaking of, the staff are doing well though…"
Romani grimaced, cluing on to the segue. "Mental health problems?"
A grave nod answered his question, "The onset of acute stress disorders across the border, one case of panic disorder setting in before the reshuffling of staff, and suicidal ideation. As a matter of fact, we have at least three personnels, who will not be named," He warns with some heat. "They have admitted to considering following through with the impulse." The mood of the room darkened once more. "Fortunately, as much as there is a fortune, the memorial seems to have… rekindled their resolve." He smiled at the Director, who exhaled in relief as the darkened pall around the room abates.
Ongoing effect of the Memorial revealed! The Memorial Room pulls back personnels most gravely affected by the Incineration from the brink of despair. No attrition rate of Chaldean personnel from despair and suicide. For now.
Further effects may show themselves.
The Director allows herself a smile as she directs her gaze at the two other Department Heads that have yet voiced their opinions. "And Romani, Da Vinci? Any pressing plans?"
"No, Director." "Nope~"
"Then let's," She exhaled in a mix of relief and dread. "Take a break and get back to the proposals after a while." Decisions
Occasionally, as the Director of Chaldea in charge of managing the last effort to save humanity, Olga Marie Animusphere will be forced to make a choice. These decisions, though not costing any actions, may still cost the for-now artificial costs. More than that, these executive decisions are more or less final and will lock Chaldea to a certain course of action. Extreme consideration is to be advised. For the purpose of plans and synergies, these will need to be bundled with the plan votes.
The Last Soldier
Avrum Yisshakar, for one reason or another, volunteers to Rayshift into Seraphix Oil Rig. Partly as an expendable trigger to any potential trap and partly to sanitize the area before any Master and their Servants would enter the area for a thorough search. He will be equipped with raiments and panoply of war from Da Vinci. It will allow him to scout with impunity if there are no threats… and perhaps disengage and flee if there are.
[] [DECISION] Send him alone. There are skeletons that are best left unseen, so close to the deployment in France.
[] [DECISION] It is too risky. Send a Master and a Servant to accompany him.
-[] It will be the 4th Master. Hinako Akuta can keep her silence. Which is the problem.
--[] Send for Medea of Colchis, she would be able to scry for traps and tripwires.
--[] Send for Billy the Kid, he would be able to outrun any potential dangers.
-[] It will be the 48th Master. Ritsuka Fujimaru is untested. What she sees might not be good for her.
--[-] Mashu Kyrielight will not be sent in. It doesn't need repeating why.
--[] Send for King David. His combat skills and exorcism capability might prove useful.
Staffing Department: Sulo Anselm is not a mage. In the department though, he would be the third best thing. A people's person. His proposals are sound, but they carry an edge of dismissiveness towards the magical portions of Chaldea. It burned him once now, he will not be found wanting the second time. With the basics of Chaldea more or less satisfied, he has expanded his proposals into two folders.
[] Food. More of them. With a third of Chaldean personnel now in various states of activity, there's a pressing need to get more food. With the Hydroponics still broken, then the two Archers would need to be enlisted once more. This time, the proposal has a more varied list. Anselm confided that prophet-prepared mutton is still, in the end, mutton. Which resulted in a bit of a bickering from Avram's end on matters of gratefulness and the like. Time: One Week. Result: Gain actual three weeks of food supply for a third of Chaldea's staff. More red meat variety.
[] Hydroponics Reactivation Pt. 1. The entirety of the Hydroponics Wing is buried in rubble. They need to be cleared first. Enlist some Servant-power and what few able workers to shift the debris and prepare for rebuilding. Time: Three Weeks. Result: Hydroponics Wing is cleared of debris. Unlocks Part 2.
[] Doubled Rations. The simplest thing is, as usual, the hardest. Increase the calorie intake and food variety for the Chaldean staff. Without the Hydroponics Wing, this… will be rather hard. The reward itself might not be commensurate but it is undeniably beneficial. Cost: Half of the Food Supply. Time: One Week. Result: Double the food requirement of Chaldean Staff. Adjust the Food Supply accordingly. Increase morale. ???
[] Morale Overview. After the Memorial, there is, for lack of better word, an uptick of morale and with it, productivity. Anselm wishes to investigate what even is needed to counsel everyone and the starting points of such an endeavour. Romani agrees and backs this effort, stating that with everyone affected, finding the most able of the few mental health workers is a matter of import. Time: One Week. Result: Gain rudimentary psychiatric and counselling facility in Chaldea. Open action continuation in the Medical Department.
[] Recreational Spaces. At a certain point, the sheer breakneck pace the personnel undertake will have negative impacts to their long-term mental care. For lack of a better word, 'distractions' need to be thrown to the human personnels. He has some ideas where to start with this. It will, however, be makeshift like much of the things Chaldea is capable of doing. Time: One Week. Result: Gain a small selection of recreational groups to allow for stress relief and creative outlets.
[] Departmental Expansions. With the memorial done and the staff reshuffle complete as well as the completion of several basic workloads, Anselm is comfortable directing the 'excess' work to a Department. He warns though, that it will be a while before this measure can be done again. Time: One Week. Result: Gain a Departmental Action in the chosen Department.
-[] Staffing Department
-[] Security Department
-[] Medical Department
-[] Analytics Department
-[] Research Department
Security Department: Avram Yisshakar is… not an ideal person to lead the department. You know it, he knows it, everyone does. With the Memorial and the reshuffling of personnels, he has started to make great strides in his work and proposals via subordinates. The bluntness of those proposals leaves something to be desired still though.
[] Repair the Reactors Phase Three. With one reactor dumbed down, the next step would be to repair the second least damaged reactor. With the second of the primary reactors up and running, a new functionality would be restored. Time: One Week. Result: Increase Primary Reactors Operational Level by 10%. 'Increase' 2 Weeks worth of fuel supply. Unlocks "Seal Regeneration" action.
[] Prospecting. A pressing issue noted by the Department concerns the lack of raw materials needed. The current holding pattern states that there's enough materials to be recycled and refined. Any actual expansion needs materials. Avram proposes to some of the soldiers to brave the cold and the perimeter of the Chaldea — which is somewhat substantial — and find any particular deposit of ores. The Arctic can provide. And with the restoration of the archives, there's some pointers. Time: One Week. Result: Gain access to exploitable mineral wealth. Unlocks mining actions.
[] Inventorize the Storage Wing. Not a pressing proposal, the Captain said. Nonetheless, there are a lot of things in the storage. The result of perhaps excessive hoarding in the part of the Master Candidates — all but two of whom are more or less dead — and the accumulated treasure of more than one decade of activity can be quite considerable. Time: Two Weeks. Result: Gain access to Chaldean Materials and Servant Catalyst tabs.
Medical Department: Romani Archaman is a frazzled bundle of exhausted energy. You can relate. His proposals are penned in his usual conciseness and leaves none to be desired. He's doing better too now, on account of not having to deal with nearly a fifth of Chaldean staff under his Department's care. And with the Memorial, there's a rare sort of contentment in his expression. He confided that as of now, there's no truly note-worthy things his department can do. At least, not without more materials, which is more needed by other Departments.
[] Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals. This too, is a proposal from Doctor Black. With the surfeit of medicinal herbs, there's now enough to kickstart the creation of synthetic medicine distilled from the plants. Time: One Week. Result: Self-Explanatory. Complete with 'Industrial Framework: Medical Equipment' to unlock 'Selective Revivification — Technological'.
[] Selective Revivification — Magical. Nearly half of Chaldea's staff is still in cryofreeze. One and all, their injuries are in such severity that suspended animation was the best choice. Now… now he can start to make a new proposal. Once more, he would like to enlist Medea's help. This time in creating what is in essence a sealed chamber filled with healing fluids. The specifics of this project eludes you but it is what it is. Cost: Medea Action. Time: One Week. Result: Start treating critically injured personnels.
Analytics Department: Sterling Maxamed is a man of few words. But you can work with that. For a new Family, he is hard working, diligent, and nonplussed. His proposals are short, concise, and do not meander into tangents. With the reparations of the databanks, he has a bevy of proposals.
[] AAR: Fuyuki. A side proposal put forth by Maxamed is a simple one. He believes that there's a particular need to compile a report of how the two Masters performed in Chaldea's first crucible. Attached preliminary data is… interesting, to say the least. And enlightening too. Time: Two Weeks. Result: Gain an AAR and lessons to be learned from Fuyuki. Unlocks enhancement options in other Departments in the coming turns.
[] SHEBA Calibration. With the onset of a Rayshift deployment, it is prudent to start peering into the Singularities in a more thorough detail. In the simplest terms, it will allow Chaldea a forewarning and thus, preparation. All that is left then, is pick a target. Time: One Week. Result: Gain broad overview of information pertaining to the selected Singularity. -[] France. From what few can be gleaned, it appeared as if Paris is a charred hellscape and a trail of devastation can be traced throughout what would be Normandy. A select few tendrils of destruction seems to carve their way through the Loire. And yet, we do not know for certain what is causing the events to occur. -[] Seraphix Oil Rig. It is a stable Singularity. Which makes it alarming. The lights seem to be on and the rig itself is operational and yet, there is no sign of habitation or otherwise. More than that, what audiovisual feed that came back seemed to be corrupted in an artificial way. It is not a pressing matter if an incursion is not to be done this week, but if it does, it is tantamount to do.
[] Supply Cache Investigations. One of the two notable things of import to be found is the fact that Chaldea has a list of supply depots scattered across the world. These depots seem to open themselves up with the second, much more notable part of the archives. Which is… a concern. Time: One Week. Result: Pin down locations where the caches are locad. Unlocks deployment options for Servants.
[] Marisbilly's Contingencies. Honestly, Maxamed griped, all that needs to be said is the introduction text to the folder. "Open only in the case of extinction", written in a cursive that can only have been from the elder Animusphere despite being in digital format. It will take some time trying to see what, exactly, is contained within the folder and more importantly, what is actionable from it. Time: Two Weeks. Result: Self-explanatory. Unlocks further options.
Research Department: Da Vinci. You don't need to say anything else. She has a lot of plans. Plans that, admittedly, neglects her actual subordinates in their worth but she's Da Vinci. There's no bad blood in this on the part of staff under her, not in this scenario and after years of acclimatization. It is a bias worth noting though.
[] Automata Creation. There's a demand for untiring workers and while the current roster of Servants aren't ones to shy over menial work, other Servants may voice objections. It will be somewhat costly, of course. Cost: Da Vinci Action and 1 Week of Fuel. Time: One Week. Result: Mechanical Automatas capable of doing programmed tasks. Alleviate the workload of human personnel. Cut the time cost of certain Actions and unlock others.
[] Industrial Framework: Refinery Suite. It is putting the cart slightly before the horse, Da Vinci notes, but all the materials that the Security Department can get are worthless if they can't be refined further. Build another industrial suite on the edges of Chaldea to allow for such measures. Cost: 1 Week of Fuel. Time: One Week. Result: Gain immediate refining capability when certain actions on the "Prospecting" action chain are done.
[] Mystic Code Inventorizing. With deployment soon, it might be worth it to start to take a stock at the available wearable Mystic Codes. With Fujimaru's extreme magical deficiency and Akuta's propensity for close ranged combat, it is time to see what Codes would be the best fit for them. And of course, Da Vinci added, ask the two if they would like to change the designs of their personal uniforms. Time: One Week. Result: Match a Mystic Code with both of the Masters, allowing them tailored options for France Singularity. Vote in Plan Form. Manual Moratorium is enforced.
[] Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals. This too, is a proposal from Doctor Black. With the surfeit of medicinal herbs, there's now enough to kickstart the creation of synthetic medicine distilled from the plants. Time: One Week. Result: Self-Explanatory. Complete with 'Industrial Framework: Medical Equipment' to unlock 'Selective Revivification — Technological'.
[] SHEBA Calibration. With the onset of a Rayshift deployment, it is prudent to start peering into the Singularities in a more thorough detail. In the simplest terms, it will allow Chaldea a forewarning and thus, preparation. All that is left then, is pick a target. Time: One Week. Result: Gain broad overview of information pertaining to the selected Singularity. -[] Seraphix Oil Rig. It is a stable Singularity. Which makes it alarming. The lights seem to be on and the rig itself is operational and yet, there is no sign of habitation or otherwise. More than that, what audiovisual feed that came back seemed to be corrupted in an artificial way. It is not a pressing matter if an incursion is not to be done this week, but if it does, it is tantamount to do.
I'm personally thinking do these options at least. We don't have the food supply to revive more people quite yet, plus I feel like we're going to need the meds. As for SHEBA, he's going in regardless of any option combination, so we may as well try to get eyes in there. We have some idea about what's going on in France. We have no idea about Seraphix
If we are planning on sending a servant in with Ansem, my vote is for Billy. Being the closest thing to a rogue we currently have, his skillset would be the best suited to the mission and would likely help Ansem get the hell out of dodge if (read: when) need be.
[] Morale Overview. After the Memorial, there is, for lack of better word, an uptick of morale and with it, productivity. Anselm wishes to investigate what even is needed to counsel everyone and the starting points of such an endeavour. Romani agrees and backs this effort, stating that with everyone affected, finding the most able of the few mental health workers is a matter of import. Time: One Week. Result: Gain rudimentary psychiatric and counselling facility in Chaldea. Open action continuation in the Medical Department.
[] Recreational Spaces. At a certain point, the sheer breakneck pace the personnel undertake will have negative impacts to their long-term mental care. For lack of a better word, 'distractions' need to be thrown to the human personnels. He has some ideas where to start with this. It will, however, be makeshift like much of the things Chaldea is capable of doing. Time: One Week. Result: Gain a small selection of recreational groups to allow for stress relief and creative outlets.
Still running the numbers if we'll be forced to pick and choose here since staffing has a lot of important actions, but if we are I think we always have to pick Morale Overview over Recreational Spaces. Namely that it opens up action continuation in the Medical Department, which is probably the department with the least overall opportunity costs currently. We need to have a path to be able to work on mental health and morale, both this turn and in the future.
So shifting this action from our most overfilled category to our least is very useful.
[] Plan Don't Starve, Immediate Seraphix
-[] [DECISION] It is too risky. Send a Master and a Servant to accompany him.
--[] It will be the 4th Master. Hinako Akuta can keep her silence. Which is the problem.
---[] Send for Medea of Colchis, she would be able to scry for traps and tripwires.
-[] Staffing (Olga) - Food. More of them.
-[] Staffing - Hydroponics Reactivation Pt. 1
-[] Staffing (Olga) - Morale Overview
-[] Security - Repair the Reactors Phase Three
-[] Medical - Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals
-[] Analytics - SHEBA Calibration - Seraphix Oil Rig.
-[] Research (Da Vinci) - Automata Creation
-[] Research - Mystic Code Inventorizing
As noted, opening condition is we have a week's worth of food left, so that constrains us. We need to send the archers to gather food to buffer and we need to get the Hydroponics chain progressing.
If we're doing Hydroponics, then that has obvious synergy with Automata because there's just brute force rubble clearing and so on.
That also means Billy isn't available for Seraphix. Unfortunately, I think it's too sketchy to just send the guy in on his own, so we should still deploy Hinako+Medea (let Ritsuka keep training). That locks out the Medea medical action, also. This also means that Analytics should target Seraphix.
Lastly, take the Olga action on the Morale Overview since the narration hit us over the head with it, Security continuing Reactors is obvious, Medical has no other valid actions. Research I opted to conserve fuel, since we're not doing Prospecting anyway.
Staffing
Food is mandatory if we don't want to starve. That locks in:
[] Food. More of them. With a third of Chaldean personnel now in various states of activity, there's a pressing need to get more food. With the Hydroponics still broken, then the two Archers would need to be enlisted once more. This time, the proposal has a more varied list. Anselm confided that prophet-prepared mutton is still, in the end, mutton. Which resulted in a bit of a bickering from Avram's end on matters of gratefulness and the like. Time: One Week. Result: Gain actual three weeks of food supply for a third of Chaldea's staff. More red meat variety.
That said, getting psychiatry up and running is gonna be fucking essential to deal with this shitshow, so it's next on my priority list.
Security
Pretty heavy hints that more power will be very useful, what with the ability to regen command seals. It's also a depleting resource like food, so any action to boost it should be considered. Locks in:
[] Repair the Reactors Phase Three. With one reactor dumbed down, the next step would be to repair the second least damaged reactor. With the second of the primary reactors up and running, a new functionality would be restored. Time: One Week. Result: Increase Primary Reactors Operational Level by 10%. 'Increase' 2 Weeks worth of fuel supply. Unlocks "Seal Regeneration" action.
Medical
Not many options here. Only one, actually:
[] Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals. This too, is a proposal from Doctor Black. With the surfeit of medicinal herbs, there's now enough to kickstart the creation of synthetic medicine distilled from the plants. Time: One Week. Result: Self-Explanatory. Complete with 'Industrial Framework: Medical Equipment' to unlock 'Selective Revivification — Technological'.
Analytics
Here's where the interesting decision making starts. If we're committing to Seraphix, having the data will be key, if we're doing France then pick that instead. The AAR has been strongly recommended in-narrative, so it's a powerful contender too. The supply caches and Marisbillies notes are much less urgent, probably.
[] AAR: Fuyuki. A side proposal put forth by Maxamed is a simple one. He believes that there's a particular need to compile a report of how the two Masters performed in Chaldea's first crucible. Attached preliminary data is… interesting, to say the least. And enlightening too. Time: Two Weeks. Result: Gain an AAR and lessons to be learned from Fuyuki. Unlocks enhancement options in other Departments in the coming turns.
[] SHEBA Calibration. With the onset of a Rayshift deployment, it is prudent to start peering into the Singularities in a more thorough detail. In the simplest terms, it will allow Chaldea a forewarning and thus, preparation. All that is left then, is pick a target. Time: One Week. Result: Gain broad overview of information pertaining to the selected Singularity. -[] France. From what few can be gleaned, it appeared as if Paris is a charred hellscape and a trail of devastation can be traced throughout what would be Normandy. A select few tendrils of destruction seems to carve their way through the Loire. And yet, we do not know for certain what is causing the events to occur. -[] Seraphix Oil Rig. It is a stable Singularity. Which makes it alarming. The lights seem to be on and the rig itself is operational and yet, there is no sign of habitation or otherwise. More than that, what audiovisual feed that came back seemed to be corrupted in an artificial way. It is not a pressing matter if an incursion is not to be done this week, but if it does, it is tantamount to do.
Research
The refinery is explicitly called out as not valuable yet, and since we're about to go into combat a quick and easy edge like Mystic Codes would be fantastic. Also, outfits!
[] Mystic Code Inventorizing. With deployment soon, it might be worth it to start to take a stock at the available wearable Mystic Codes. With Fujimaru's extreme magical deficiency and Akuta's propensity for close ranged combat, it is time to see what Codes would be the best fit for them. And of course, Da Vinci added, ask the two if they would like to change the designs of their personal uniforms. Time: One Week. Result: Match a Mystic Code with both of the Masters, allowing them tailored options for France Singularity.
[] Automata Creation. There's a demand for untiring workers and while the current roster of Servants aren't ones to shy over menial work, other Servants may voice objections. It will be somewhat costly, of course. Cost: Da Vinci Action and 1 Week of Fuel. Time: One Week. Result: Mechanical Automatas capable of doing programmed tasks. Alleviate the workload of human personnel. Cut the time cost of certain Actions and unlock others.
[] Selective Revivification — Magical. Nearly half of Chaldea's staff is still in cryofreeze. One and all, their injuries are in such severity that suspended animation was the best choice. Now… now he can start to make a new proposal. Once more, he would like to enlist Medea's help. This time in creating what is in essence a sealed chamber filled with healing fluids. The specifics of this project eludes you but it is what it is. Cost: Medea Action. Time: One Week. Result: Start treating critically injured personnels.
My analysis was entirely dedicated to the turn plan. The appropriate turn plan should work with any of the possible combinations - Seraphix if we're comitting, France if we're doing that instead. I'm waiting to hear more arguments before I decide on my personal vote on who to send to Seraphix.
Firstly, apologize for the belated reply. Conked to sleep shortly after posting the update and when I woke up, power and internet is gone. It's back now though. Now, for the replies:
If we are planning on sending a servant in with Ansem, my vote is for Billy. Being the closest thing to a rogue we currently have, his skillset would be the best suited to the mission and would likely help Ansem get the hell out of dodge if (read: when) need be.
At this point, *checks notes*, provided that absolutely everything goes right in Seraphix to not need any Master supervision, Da Vinci can do the work by herself to take on the workload and finish installing the Blast Shield Latticework on Seraphix, use the Grail to stabilize the whole space-time architecture, by the time Guda and co. finishes France, Seraphix will be anchored to the real world once more.
This, of course, means that you're going to France with just four Servants, not counting the CF Servants that are dropped, local human allies/neutrals, and Hinako taking on Jalter and her coterie of Servants and dragonforce.
Also, because it probably wasn't all that clear, "Reprecussions" is a talk between the Heads and Olga Marie that happened simultaneously with "Revelations" talk where Billy barged in at the end. The dissonant cut to the meeting scene is because of that.
At this point, *checks notes*, provided that absolutely everything goes right in Seraphix to not need any Master supervision, Da Vinci can do the work by herself to take on the workload and finish installing the Blast Shield Latticework on Seraphix, use the Grail to stabilize the whole space-time architecture, by the time Guda and co. finishes France, Seraphix will be anchored to the real world once more.
This, of course, means that you're going to France with just four Servants, not counting the CF Servants that are dropped, local human allies/neutrals, and Hinako taking on Jalter and her coterie of Servants and dragonforce.
Also, because it probably wasn't all that clear, "Reprecussions" is a talk between the Heads and Olga Marie that happened simultaneously with "Revelations" talk where Billy barged in at the end. The dissonant cut to the meeting scene is because of that.
[] Plan Don't Starve, SE.RA.PH
-[] [DECISION] It is too risky. Send a Master and a Servant to accompany him.
-[] It will be the 48th Master. Ritsuka Fujimaru is untested. What she sees might not be good for her.
--[-] Mashu Kyrielight will not be sent in. It doesn't need repeating why.
-[] Staffing (Olga) - Food. More of them.
-[] Staffing - Hydroponics Reactivation Pt. 1
-[] Staffing (Olga) - Morale Overview
-[] Security - Repair the Reactors Phase Three
-[] Medical - Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals
-[] Analytics - SHEBA Calibration - Seraphix Oil Rig.
-[] Research (Da Vinci) - Automata Creation
-[] Research - Mystic Code Inventorizing
Do you really think sending Hinako to face BB, Melt and Kiara is a good idea? Ritsuka is the one we really need there. There's simply no way BB will acknowledge Hinako as "Senpai" and actually help properly, nor will Hinako be able to emphasise with Melt enough for Melt to risk Virgin Laser Palladion should it become necessary.
You're forgetting that Abyssal Cyber Paradise SE.RA.PH. is a Subspecies Singularity; it's the fault of a remnant Pillar fleeing from the hordes of ravenous mat farmers. Kiara particularly is an outright saint until Zep-whoever gets his claws in her and regrets it.
(She's also a licensed psychologist from what I recall, which is probably going to be helpful if she's alive in Seraphix.)
EDIT: I don't expect things to automatically go smoothly given the Shady Experiments, but I doubt it's going to be bad as EoR Extra.
[] It will be the 4th Master. Hinako Akuta can keep her silence. Which is the problem.
--[] Send for Medea of Colchis, she would be able to scry for traps and tripwires.
--[] Send for Billy the Kid, he would be able to outrun any potential dangers.
Do you really think sending Hinako to face BB, Melt and Kiara is a good idea? Ritsuka is the one we really need there. There's simply no way BB will acknowledge Hinako as "Senpai" and actually help properly, nor will Hinako be able to emphasise with Melt enough for Melt to risk Virgin Laser Palladion should it become necessary.
I mean, if it was Kiara and co, BB would be making the whole thing super fucking obvious, at least playerwise. Like "hey, this is the super hard difficulty level SERAPHIX! Don't come here until you grind to level 99+99!"
And Vocal wouldn't give us a full on TPK on the... third turn?
Mmmmmmmh, I do kind of wonder about the trap in detail though.
We can't show Gudako the, uh. 128 children hanging between life and death, either way. It's a little early on for that.
Hinako... hmmm. She's the obvious choice if we want a Master in it, but - her problem would probably be the opposite of Gudako. In that she'd have absolutely no reaction to the horrifying crimes against humanity Seraphix is built around. Which, given that her cover story is "Chaldea technician, found to have high Rayshift compatibility", IIRC could be a small issue, in that it makes her look shady as fuck. In a high stress environment like Chaldea right now, that could be an issue.
Also, we definitely fucking want Hydroponics. Like, holy shit do we want that.
[]Plan Finger on the Trigger
-[] [DECISION] Send him alone. There are skeletons that are best left unseen, so close to the deployment in France.
-[] (David) Food. More of them.
-[] (Staffing) Hydroponics Reactivation Pt. 1.
-[] (Olga1) Morale Overview.
-[] (Security) Repair the Reactors Phase Three.
-[] (Medical) Industrial Framework: Pharmaceuticals.
-[] (Olga2) AAR: Fuyuki.
-[] (Analytics) Sheba Calibration
--[] Seraphix Oil Rig.
-[] (Da Vinci) Automata Creation.
-[] (Research) Mystic Code Inventorizing.
Name is just a lyric from a song I like.
I already touched on why I think sending Hinako or Gudako in would be a mistake. Though in any case, sending one of the two Masters into what's likely to be a trap - even if not an instant death one - on the verge of France does seem ill advised. Could be some synergy with automata creation as well? Give him some like, drones or something.
Food choice is obvious - as I mentioned, we need Hydroponics. It's not just a food thing, but also a psychological point- if the staff sees efforts being taken to restore food for the long term instead of basically living week to week, it will improve their morale. There's also synergy with the automata creation choice, in that, well, many hands make lighter work.
The hydroponics thing ties into Morale Overview - this will likely improve Olga's personal state of mind as well, since people are feeling much more determined after the memorial. Which may be useful given that she's on the AAR action and is usually pretty self-critical - having a concrete example of something she did well would help a great deal.
Repairing Reactors... Yeah, more or less a no-brainer. I do want to check storage and do prospecting, buuuut. ⚡is likely to be more useful right now, especially with CS regeneration.
Selective Revification I don't want - while more hands sound nice, that's more mouths to feed and people who didn't get the Memorial Wall morale boost - it could affect the overall morale level badly right now. So, Pharmaceuticals.
AAR has synergy with Mystic Code stuff - specific lessons learnt + choosing specific Codes seems like an obvious link.
SHEBA checking on Seraphix is to help out Avrum, since France explicitly has local forces for us to check in on with, so while SEHBA observation is useful it's not as necessary.
Automata Creation I already noted earlier synergies, but it's also just generally useful + more automata, Chaldea staff has more time to relax overall, giving us reason to open up rec rooms next turn or what have you. Plus, the earlier we get it, the more it pays off in the long run.
Mystic Codes... cute girls, cute outfits, nothing better to do with the action. And France is on the horizon.
