Turn 10: The Call of the Silent Beacon
Yzarc
The Spark of Madness
Colchis - 832.M30
The Bireen Void was a dark, enigmatic expanse, a region of space where only the most daring explorers ventured. At its heart drifted the Silent Beacon, an ancient derelict station that had long been abandoned to the cold void. For weeks, the station had haunted your thoughts. Reports from the few scouts who had dared to approach it suggested the Beacon was a relic of an ancient civilization, long forgotten by time. The age and isolation of the station made it a tantalizing target for those hungry for knowledge or advanced technology, yet the risks were impossible to ignore. The station's systems, though dormant, were still active in ways you couldn't fully understand, posing potential threats to any who entered.
You, Dharok, Thalassa, and Lorgar had discussed the mission extensively, weighing its potential rewards against its very real dangers. The Silent Beacon might hold long-lost knowledge or relics that could further Colchis's ambitions, but it could just as easily be a death trap. Despite your eagerness to uncover its mysteries, the decision loomed over you. Was this a task worth risking your life for, or should others be sent in your stead?
Lorgar had expressed his concerns early on.
"We cannot afford to place ourselves at unnecessary risk, not now," he had said. "There is too much at stake. The planet is stable, but our work is far from done." You had sensed the gravity of his words, the weight of leadership settling heavily on his shoulders.
Now, as you prepared for the mission, that same question haunted you. Should you lead the expedition into the unknown, or trust others to carry out the task while you and your closest allies continued to oversee Colchis's development?
The first step was to assemble a team capable of handling the challenges the Silent Beacon presented. While you had initially considered taking on the mission yourselves, Lorgar, Dharok, and Thalassa all agreed that the risks were too great for such a direct approach. Instead, they began to choose trusted individuals, those with the skills and temperament necessary to succeed in such a perilous mission.
Dharok was the first to name his choice, an experienced Space Marine named Atarrus. An expert in both combat and survival, Atarrus had long earned Dharok's trust.
"He's a capable soldier," Dharok had said confidently, "and he knows how to think on his feet. If there are any surprises inside that station, he'll deal with them."
Next came Thalassa's decision. She chose a tech-priest named Ziva, a master of Machine Spirit integration who had served alongside her in many delicate operations. Ziva's deep understanding of ancient technologies and her ability to communicate with even the most arcane of systems made her an obvious choice.
"She'll be able to interface with the station's systems, no matter how old or damaged they are," Thalassa had said. "I trust her completely."
Finally, Lorgar made his selection, a scholar named Varn, who had dedicated his life to studying the ancient histories and myths of forgotten civilizations. While not a warrior, Varn's deep knowledge of the past made him invaluable for the mission.
"If anyone can decipher the history of this station, it's Varn," Lorgar explained. "His mind is sharp, and his instincts are strong. He may not be a soldier, but he's essential for understanding whatever secrets the Beacon holds."
With these key individuals chosen, the mission began to take shape. You felt a sense of relief, knowing that each of your companions had placed their trust in the most capable people they knew. But the preparations were far from over.
The next step was to ensure the team was equipped with everything they would need to handle the unknown dangers of the Silent Beacon. You oversaw the outfitting process personally, knowing that this expedition would need more than just standard equipment. The derelict station, with its malfunctioning systems and unknown security measures, demanded a combination of advanced technology and older, more adaptable tools.
Thalassa, ever meticulous, worked alongside Ziva to design a suite of tools that could interface with the station's ancient systems. Together, they developed advanced data readers, energy stabilizers, and backup power sources capable of adapting to whatever the Silent Beacon might throw at them.
"We need to be ready for anything," Thalassa said. "There's no telling how these systems will react, or if they'll even recognize us as anything more than intruders."
Dharok, on the other hand, focused on the defensive preparations. He outfitted Atarrus and the rest of the team with specialized armor capable of withstanding the hazards of deep space and potential environmental dangers aboard the station. Weapons were selected carefully, powerful enough to deal with any hostile threats, but adaptable enough to minimize damage to the station itself.
"We're not going in there to destroy it," Dharok reminded the team. "We need to learn from it. But if something decides to attack us, we'll be ready."
As for Lorgar, he entrusted Varn with a vast array of historical data and linguistic tools, ensuring that the scholar had everything he needed to decipher the station's secrets. Varn spent days poring over ancient texts, preparing himself for whatever he might encounter within the Silent Beacon.
"This station predates much of what we know," Lorgar said quietly. "Its secrets could reshape our understanding of the past, and I trust Varn to bring that knowledge back to us."
As the preparations continued, you found yourself facing a familiar question: should you accompany the mission in person, or send a clone in your place? The cloning ability had become a valuable asset, allowing you to be in multiple places at once without risking your life unnecessarily.
A clone could carry out your directives with precision, but it would never be truly you. It wouldn't have the same instincts, the same drive that had brought you this far.
You knew that Lorgar, Dharok, and Thalassa were already sending others in their stead, trusting their chosen operatives to carry out the mission while they oversaw Colchis's development. The question was whether you should follow their example.
Sending a clone would allow you to pursue other paths, where your leadership was needed for the ongoing missions, the rebuilding of the fleet, the diplomatic negotiations with neighboring systems, the countless tasks that demanded your attention. But if you went yourself, you would have the chance to personally uncover the secrets of the Silent Beacon, to see with your own eyes the ancient relics and knowledge that lay within.
As the day of the expedition approached, the tension in the air was palpable. The team, led by Atarrus, Ziva, and Varn, was ready. They had trained together, studied the layout of the Silent Beacon, and rehearsed every possible scenario. You oversaw the final briefings, making sure that every detail had been considered.
Atarrus, clad in his Aegis armor, stood ready with a calm, focused demeanor. He was a soldier through and through, and you trusted Dharok's judgment in sending him. Ziva, surrounded by a cluster of drones and data analyzers, was already deep in thought, running calculations and preparing for the moment she would step aboard the station. Varn, meanwhile, carried a bundle of ancient texts and reference materials, his mind racing with the possibilities of what they might uncover.
The ship was prepped, the team briefed, and the final supplies were being loaded. As you watched the team prepare to depart, the decision still lingered in your mind. You had the ability to send a clone, an exact copy of yourself, capable of executing your plans with precision, or you could go in person, trusting your instincts and experience to guide the mission to success.
The shuttle engines hummed softly as the final preparations were completed. The team, Atarrus, Ziva, and Varn, stood ready, waiting for your final decision. Thalassa, Dharok, and Lorgar were elsewhere, overseeing their respective duties on Colchis, trusting the people they had sent in their stead.
Now, it was your turn. The clone, standing at your side, waited silently for your command. It was ready to take your place if that was the path you chose. The Silent Beacon awaited, a relic of the past that could hold the key to the future.
Would you go yourself, leading the expedition into the unknown and risking everything to uncover the Beacon's secrets? Or would you send the clone, trusting it to carry out the mission while you remained on Colchis, overseeing the planet's continued rise to power?
The choice was yours.
CHOICE:
[] Go in Person
[] Send the clone
-[] Write in Build
Next turn you choose what TMA you unlocked.
The Bireen Void was a dark, enigmatic expanse, a region of space where only the most daring explorers ventured. At its heart drifted the Silent Beacon, an ancient derelict station that had long been abandoned to the cold void. For weeks, the station had haunted your thoughts. Reports from the few scouts who had dared to approach it suggested the Beacon was a relic of an ancient civilization, long forgotten by time. The age and isolation of the station made it a tantalizing target for those hungry for knowledge or advanced technology, yet the risks were impossible to ignore. The station's systems, though dormant, were still active in ways you couldn't fully understand, posing potential threats to any who entered.
You, Dharok, Thalassa, and Lorgar had discussed the mission extensively, weighing its potential rewards against its very real dangers. The Silent Beacon might hold long-lost knowledge or relics that could further Colchis's ambitions, but it could just as easily be a death trap. Despite your eagerness to uncover its mysteries, the decision loomed over you. Was this a task worth risking your life for, or should others be sent in your stead?
Lorgar had expressed his concerns early on.
"We cannot afford to place ourselves at unnecessary risk, not now," he had said. "There is too much at stake. The planet is stable, but our work is far from done." You had sensed the gravity of his words, the weight of leadership settling heavily on his shoulders.
Now, as you prepared for the mission, that same question haunted you. Should you lead the expedition into the unknown, or trust others to carry out the task while you and your closest allies continued to oversee Colchis's development?
The first step was to assemble a team capable of handling the challenges the Silent Beacon presented. While you had initially considered taking on the mission yourselves, Lorgar, Dharok, and Thalassa all agreed that the risks were too great for such a direct approach. Instead, they began to choose trusted individuals, those with the skills and temperament necessary to succeed in such a perilous mission.
Dharok was the first to name his choice, an experienced Space Marine named Atarrus. An expert in both combat and survival, Atarrus had long earned Dharok's trust.
"He's a capable soldier," Dharok had said confidently, "and he knows how to think on his feet. If there are any surprises inside that station, he'll deal with them."
Next came Thalassa's decision. She chose a tech-priest named Ziva, a master of Machine Spirit integration who had served alongside her in many delicate operations. Ziva's deep understanding of ancient technologies and her ability to communicate with even the most arcane of systems made her an obvious choice.
"She'll be able to interface with the station's systems, no matter how old or damaged they are," Thalassa had said. "I trust her completely."
Finally, Lorgar made his selection, a scholar named Varn, who had dedicated his life to studying the ancient histories and myths of forgotten civilizations. While not a warrior, Varn's deep knowledge of the past made him invaluable for the mission.
"If anyone can decipher the history of this station, it's Varn," Lorgar explained. "His mind is sharp, and his instincts are strong. He may not be a soldier, but he's essential for understanding whatever secrets the Beacon holds."
With these key individuals chosen, the mission began to take shape. You felt a sense of relief, knowing that each of your companions had placed their trust in the most capable people they knew. But the preparations were far from over.
The next step was to ensure the team was equipped with everything they would need to handle the unknown dangers of the Silent Beacon. You oversaw the outfitting process personally, knowing that this expedition would need more than just standard equipment. The derelict station, with its malfunctioning systems and unknown security measures, demanded a combination of advanced technology and older, more adaptable tools.
Thalassa, ever meticulous, worked alongside Ziva to design a suite of tools that could interface with the station's ancient systems. Together, they developed advanced data readers, energy stabilizers, and backup power sources capable of adapting to whatever the Silent Beacon might throw at them.
"We need to be ready for anything," Thalassa said. "There's no telling how these systems will react, or if they'll even recognize us as anything more than intruders."
Dharok, on the other hand, focused on the defensive preparations. He outfitted Atarrus and the rest of the team with specialized armor capable of withstanding the hazards of deep space and potential environmental dangers aboard the station. Weapons were selected carefully, powerful enough to deal with any hostile threats, but adaptable enough to minimize damage to the station itself.
"We're not going in there to destroy it," Dharok reminded the team. "We need to learn from it. But if something decides to attack us, we'll be ready."
As for Lorgar, he entrusted Varn with a vast array of historical data and linguistic tools, ensuring that the scholar had everything he needed to decipher the station's secrets. Varn spent days poring over ancient texts, preparing himself for whatever he might encounter within the Silent Beacon.
"This station predates much of what we know," Lorgar said quietly. "Its secrets could reshape our understanding of the past, and I trust Varn to bring that knowledge back to us."
As the preparations continued, you found yourself facing a familiar question: should you accompany the mission in person, or send a clone in your place? The cloning ability had become a valuable asset, allowing you to be in multiple places at once without risking your life unnecessarily.
A clone could carry out your directives with precision, but it would never be truly you. It wouldn't have the same instincts, the same drive that had brought you this far.
You knew that Lorgar, Dharok, and Thalassa were already sending others in their stead, trusting their chosen operatives to carry out the mission while they oversaw Colchis's development. The question was whether you should follow their example.
Sending a clone would allow you to pursue other paths, where your leadership was needed for the ongoing missions, the rebuilding of the fleet, the diplomatic negotiations with neighboring systems, the countless tasks that demanded your attention. But if you went yourself, you would have the chance to personally uncover the secrets of the Silent Beacon, to see with your own eyes the ancient relics and knowledge that lay within.
As the day of the expedition approached, the tension in the air was palpable. The team, led by Atarrus, Ziva, and Varn, was ready. They had trained together, studied the layout of the Silent Beacon, and rehearsed every possible scenario. You oversaw the final briefings, making sure that every detail had been considered.
Atarrus, clad in his Aegis armor, stood ready with a calm, focused demeanor. He was a soldier through and through, and you trusted Dharok's judgment in sending him. Ziva, surrounded by a cluster of drones and data analyzers, was already deep in thought, running calculations and preparing for the moment she would step aboard the station. Varn, meanwhile, carried a bundle of ancient texts and reference materials, his mind racing with the possibilities of what they might uncover.
The ship was prepped, the team briefed, and the final supplies were being loaded. As you watched the team prepare to depart, the decision still lingered in your mind. You had the ability to send a clone, an exact copy of yourself, capable of executing your plans with precision, or you could go in person, trusting your instincts and experience to guide the mission to success.
The shuttle engines hummed softly as the final preparations were completed. The team, Atarrus, Ziva, and Varn, stood ready, waiting for your final decision. Thalassa, Dharok, and Lorgar were elsewhere, overseeing their respective duties on Colchis, trusting the people they had sent in their stead.
Now, it was your turn. The clone, standing at your side, waited silently for your command. It was ready to take your place if that was the path you chose. The Silent Beacon awaited, a relic of the past that could hold the key to the future.
Would you go yourself, leading the expedition into the unknown and risking everything to uncover the Beacon's secrets? Or would you send the clone, trusting it to carry out the mission while you remained on Colchis, overseeing the planet's continued rise to power?
The choice was yours.
CHOICE:
[] Go in Person
[] Send the clone
-[] Write in Build
Next turn you choose what TMA you unlocked.
