Blood trickled from his lips as Senior Researcher Samantha Carter moaned in pleasure from the pain.
"All personnel this is a general evacuation order," the commander's dead voice urging the survivors to their doom, "SGC has been compromised. Section R-3 has been breached. Research 3 has been breached. Biohazards have escaped containment. Case Masada is now in effect."
Fools. We were all fools.
Blood soaked fingers danced along the keyboard with a will not their own as Sam disabled the base's self destruct mechanisms one by one. Her teeth bit into her tongue even as her mind screamed at her body to stop.
"All personnel this is a general evacuation order. The SGC has been compromised. Section R-3 has been breached. Research 3 has been breached. Biohazards have escaped containment. The base's self destruct has been compromised. Nuclear launch from Atlantis base is now authorized. I repeat Nuclear weapons are inbound."
Ah, O'Neill had outsmarted them after all. Thank God.
.....
January 1st, 2016
Sabrina,
The gate was buried along with any chance of survival in the rubble of Cheyenne Mountain. A few years later something came for Mankind. A few theorized it was some kind of Cosmic Horror, others theorized it was a Daemon of the Warp, and the ideas just got crazier from there. It wiped out humanity was wiped out or enslaved.
Your memories of this incident have been wiped to preserve your sanity, merely the knowledge it occurred is hopefully sufficient to prevent it.
You have been sent back in time to prevent this catastrophe. Your relationship with your mother, Catherine, combined with a few slight alterations in the timeline should be sufficient for you to have a fighting chance. This time, rather than an entity controlled by a single government...let us try putting the SGC in private hands. Perhaps that will help.
I wish you the best of luck, Miss Langford.
P.S.
This is the 47th time I've had to reset the timeline and I'm afraid I've exhausted my ability to do so. Please don't fail.
My Aegis will protect Earth, mostly, but like any fixed defense it can be bypassed through internal disruption or external ingenuity. The latter is what happens on 1/1/2016.
.....
January 1st, 1996
The Langford Initiative, Stargate Operations
The year is 1996 and you are in charge of the Langford Initiative, a private research organization, that has discovered a method to travel between planets and intends to do so for wealth and to further the boundaries of human understanding. Catherine Langford has just retired and handed the reigns of power over to her daughter, Sabrina.
While the Stargate has been a lifelong endeavor for Catherine, the simple fact is, she was never able to make the bloody thing work and her failing health has forced her into retirement.
It wasn't her fault, specifically, instead it was __________________________________ .
[ ] a lack of resources. [ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[ ] a lack of credibility. [ Cannot start with any Scientists and you are the laughing stock of the Scientific Community. A reputation you'll need to put serious effort into repairing. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[ ] a lack of knowledge. [ No DHD; Daniel Jackson figures out the glyphs at an unknown point in time (10% chance per Quarter for him to succeed. This likely costs you 5-10 turns but I will timeskip ahead to keep us from getting board. Just realize it shortens your 20 year window.) ]
However, Sabrina is confident she can overcome this in short order given how close her mom was to a breakthrough. The question is...what sort of organization has Catherine left her to work with?
[ ] The Initiative - A loosely organized group of interested people with no solid structure. Pros: None Cons: None
[ ] The College - A place of higher learning within a limited scope that excels at research. However, the open exchange of ideas on such a campus makes confidentiality a problem when everyone is competing for grant money. Pros: Research bonuses in all fields, +1 Learning Action per Turn via the Langford College holding. Cons: Information Gathering against the Langford Initiative on Earth is always successful. Neutral: Title change to Langford College.
[ ] The Contractor - A privately held defense contractor that focuses on the production and sale of missiles to the US Government. Their products range from one of the old Minuteman ICBMs to various types of Cruise Missile. Their research into the Stargate was largely a personnel project of your mother that devoured most of the profits. Pros: Practical experience in applied R&D for military applications, access to military-grade hardware without any legal difficulties [as long as they aren't used publicly on Earth], income from USG military contracts. Cons: You are of interest to Foreign Powers on Earth and you will suffer regular Intrigue actions performed by State Actors. Neutral: Title change to Langford Industries.
[ ] The Corporation - A "legitimate" business based in the Cook Islands which handles "asset protection" for "legitimate businessmen". Unable to find legitimate sources of funding, Catherine Langford turned towards running a legalized money laundering operation to fund her research into her father's discoveries. Pros: You can tap both legal and illegal funding sources across the whole world. You can ignore legal restrictions when acquiring equipment. Cons: You cannot create new Earth-based Holdings and must acquire them through Intrigue actions. Neutral: Title change to Langford-Wutani Corporation
The Langford Initiative is a game about stopping an impending apocalypse of an indeterminate nature. As such, its a Quest with a fixed length [ 80 strategic turns + ?? length of sub-chapters to handle mission decisions / etc.] which you will either "win" [ Stop whatever it is that is coming for you ] or "lose" [ Earth gets wiped out. ].
Traits:
Admired [ +10 to Loyalty checks for those who serve her. Bodyguards cannot be turned except through insanity or possession. ]
Embraced the Brown Note [ Immune to Insanity, Fear ]
Quick [ +2 to all Skills ]
[x] a lack of credibility. [ Cannot start with any Scientists and you are the laughing stock of the Scientific Community. A reputation you'll need to put serious effort into repairing. You start with Gate Access and a DHD.
[x] The Corporation
- An organization based of the Jesuits or other shadowy church organization would also have been interesting.
I left out religious based organizations intentionally. It gets a bit messy mixing real world religions with some of the stuff I'm putting in and I'm going to try not to offend religious people by claiming I killed their god in this story or something. xD
[X] a lack of resources. [ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[X] The Corporation
Lack of money combos with the option that has additional ways to gain more money.
Current Tally; party of me is tempted to just write for this given there seems to be minimal interest atm but if people want me to wait I will...so get back to me on that soon
Vote tally: ##### 3.21
[x] a lack of credibility
[x] The Contractor No. of votes: 2 wootius, hcvquizibo
[x] a lack of credibility.[ Cannot start with any Scientists and you are the laughing stock of the Scientific Community. A reputation you'll need to put serious effort into repairing. You start with Gate Access and a DHD.
[x] The Corporation No. of votes: 1 butchock
[X] a lack of resources.[ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[X] The Corporation No. of votes: 1 veekie
[X] a lack of resources. [ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[X] The Corporation
Like veekie said this seems to provide a source of income. Lacking a DHD or credibility in the beginning could be detrimental. Also I like the idea that running some illegal activity to fund the operation could create an interesting mindset in later actions though not NID stupid.
Like veekie said this seems to provide a source of income. Lacking a DHD or credibility in the beginning could be detrimental. Also I like the idea that running some illegal activity to fund the operation could create an interesting mindset in later actions though not NID stupid.
[X] a lack of resources. [ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[X] The Corporation
Also, lol at that title change. Really gonna have to work hard to avoid the stupid with that heritage.
Vote tally: ##### 3.21
[x] a lack of credibility
[x] The Contractor No. of votes: 2 wootius, hcvquizibo
[x] a lack of credibility.[ Cannot start with any Scientists and you are the laughing stock of the Scientific Community. A reputation you'll need to put serious effort into repairing. You start with Gate Access and a DHD.
[x] The Corporation No. of votes: 1 butchock
[X] a lack of resources.[ Begin with $0 and operating expenses consuming 100% of your income. You start with Gate Access and a DHD. ]
[X] The Corporation No. of votes: 3 veekie, GenoDragoon, Jack Folstam
I'm going to skip flavor text simply because there isn't a good way to write this given the number of options I need to present.
--------------------------------------------
Langford-Wutani Inc Special Rules
A Lack Of Resources [ You start with no income holdings beyond HQ. ]
On The Watchlist [ You cannot create new Earth-based Holdings; must acquire them via Intrigue-based Capture on Earth. ]
Cook Islands Profiteer [ Ignore Law Enforcement as long as your contacts are able to bring the funds/items in question to the Cook Islands]
--------------------------------------------
Gained Langford-Wutani HQ
Provides operating capital to maintain gate operations, 3 Notable Advisers, and 4 Field Teams (5-man teams) of average mercenaries.
--------------------------------------------
Sabrina specialization: [ Pick 3 ]
[ ] Bureaucrat [ +3 Stewardship, +3 Diplomacy ]
[ ] Talented Operative [ +5 Intrigue ]
[ ] Master Schemer [ +3 Intrigue; +3 Stewardship ]
[ ] Brave [ +3 Marital; Immune to Fear ]
[ ] Master Strategist [ +5 Martial ]
[ ] Embraced the Brown Note [ Immune to Insanity, Fear ]
[ ] Genius [ +5 Learning]
[ ] Administrator [ +5 Stewardship ]
[ ] Quick [ +2 to all Skills ]
[ ] Charismatic [ +3 Diplomacy; +3 Intrigue ]
[ ] Admired [ +10 to Loyalty checks for those who serve her. Bodyguards cannot be turned except through insanity or possession. ]
Field Commander for Team 1 [ Pick one ]
[ ] Agent Cross [ Brave (+3 Marital; Immune to Fear); Master Strategist (+5 Martial ) ]
[ ] Agent Grieves [ Strong (+3 Martial; +3 Health); Talented Operative (+5 Intrigue) ]
[ ] Agent Henderson [ Embraced the Brown Note ( Immune to Insanity, Fear); Adventurer Occultist (+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
Science Adviser Notables [ Pick one besides Daniel Jackson. You get him for free. ]
[X] Daniel Jackson [Linguist (Ignores language barriers); Adventurer Archaeologist (+5 to rolls involving Earth or the Goa'uld) ]
[ ] Doctor Rodney McKay [Field Researcher (Ignores Lab requirement for research); Genius (+5 Learning) ]
[ ] Doctor Zachary Smith [Field Researcher (Ignores Lab requirement for research); Talented Operative (+5 Intrigue)]
[ ] Doctor Watson [Genius (+5 Learning); Adventurer Occultist (+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
--------------------------------------------
1) Fortified provides +X when defending against Intrigue and Martial actions.
2) Holdings = Assets that produce a mechanical and/or financial benefit. Right now, you can't really get more as you need an offworld base or you need to attempt to 'steal' via Intrigue on Earth.
3) The main modifiers you need to worry about besides stats are situational [e.g. Injuries, preparation, fortified vs. not] and the tech differential. [e.g. If you get attacked early by a Ha'tak without any sort of shield or anti-orbital tech, it doesn't matter how awesome your fortified base is...you die.]
4) Characters will have their stats skewed towards the things they have bonuses in. Sabrina is "awesome" as she'll have 50% more starting traits and generally remain ahead of other characters. However, if she dies you lose as she is the only character that is aware of the world ending in 2016 ... so keep her in noncombat roles.
5) Field Commander + Daniel Jackson + 3 Mooks = Team 1
6) Second Science Adviser = Head of R&D that brought the Stargate online, I suggest keeping him at home as a Councilor, it is up to you if you want a second "hero" team and use him as the core. Just realize notables are expensive and difficult to replace.
If you have any mechanics questions before you vote, let me know. Its the basic CK2 set of skills and they generally function in the same areas of interest except Learning == Science!!!
Yes, its not realistic but it is relatively simple to understand.
1d100+[Related Mods] = Result v. DC [ usually visible ] or Opposed Roll [ usually ??? ]
[X] Admired [ +10 to Loyalty checks for those who serve her. Bodyguards cannot be turned except through insanity or possession. ]
[X] Embraced the Brown Note [ Immune to Insanity, Fear ]
[X] Quick [ +2 to all Skills ]
Secure loyalties and madness proof ourselves, then generally round out our capabilities. I may switch Quick for Charismatic or Master Schemer though. Those also help our focus.
[X] Agent Henderson [ Embraced the Brown Note ( Immune to Insanity, Fear); Adventurer Occultist (+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
[X] Doctor Rodney McKay [Field Researcher (Ignores Lab requirement for research); Genius (+5 Learning) ]
Madness proof operative is gold.
And science advisor needs Learning the most.
[X] Quick [ +2 to all Skills ]
[X] Charismatic [ +3 Diplomacy; +3 Intrigue ]
[X] Admired [ +10 to Loyalty checks for those who serve her. Bodyguards cannot be turned except through insanity or possession. ]
[X] Agent Henderson [ Embraced the Brown Note ( Immune to Insanity, Fear); Adventurer Occultist (+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
[X] Doctor Watson [Genius (+5 Learning); Adventurer Occultist(+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
Just fyi, immunities are personal unless otherwise stated. I think that was obvious based on Veekie's comments but I just want to be 100% sure people understand since you are buying them heavily.
Sabrina examined her paperwork carefully as she considered how very, very close Langford-Wutani was to the red. She had no idea how Catherine had ever managed to fund her personal expenses given the expense of a secret base on par with any Bond villain. No wonder her mother always seemed to have a soft spot in her heart for them!
Daniel Jackson rushed into her office with an excited grin on his face. "Sabrina! I've finally figured out what these symbols mean now that you've shown me your DHD. They are addresses. We dialed one to test it and it worked perfectly!! Henderson is preparing a MALP to be sent across ASAP!"
Sabrina chuckled and left her paperwork scattered over her desk. No matter how much she stared at it, she would still find herself taking a pay cut this quarter just to keep the books even. "Show me, Doctor Jackson. I'd like to be there when the first MALP goes through. I trust my orders not to send any actual people until we've had a chance to investigate all of the addresses is being followed in all the excitement?"
Daniel nodded and rushed towards Stargate Operations in the basement of the compound. Even as she picked up the pace to follow the eager gentleman, she could not help but think of the cost of pumps which kept the basement levels of the complex free of water. Their operating expense was nearly as large as her own salary! Bloody island bases.
Sabrina caught up with Daniel as he held the elevator door open for her and smiled. "So, Doctor, how many addresses do we have to work with? Is Doctor McKay's theory about radio transmission even with an outgoing wormhole correct?"
Daniel shrugged and said, "Six addresses. The rest were too badly damaged for me to sort out more than 4 symbols. Maybe in a couple of months we'll have a chance to try all of the combinations to figure out the rest! As for the good Doctor's theory, well, we have sent nothing through yet so the MALP will be the test of it."
Sabrina nodded. "Surprised you didn't call him that 'arrogant asshole' again. The two of you patch things up?"
The elevator reached the final basement level and the doors began to open. "Umm, he helped me a little with the DHD so I'm giving him a second chance."
The pair wandered into Stargate Operations as the blast doors slammed closed behind them. The room was filled with armed guards but sending things to the other side should be safe enough if Doctor McKay was correct that the wormhole was limited to sending matter in a single direction. Who would want to harm us anyway? A few of them were just engaging in small talk and ignoring all three points of entry, including the bloody Stargate.
Sabrina growled softly at the attitude she perceived and muttered to Daniel, "Remind me to speak with Henderson. His men need to be on alert at all times in this room."
Just fyi, all Advisers provide +1 Strategic Action in their area of expertise. This is the cheapest and most efficient way of gaining additional actions given you'll either need to capture Holdings or build them off-world to gain additional actions beyond those.
Turn 1: Feb Missions -> March Missions ( 2 MALPs available) -> Turn 2
Turn 1 is a partial Turn as you've spent your strategic actions this turn finally getting the Stargate in working order.
Simple missions won't create sub-turns as they are pretty much decided by dice rolls without decisions.
Missions with heavy combat, diplomacy, or intrigue events will trigger decisions. I'll allow write-ins that are reasonable but you won't know the DC(s)/etc.
All Field Teams are equipped with a GDO and the Stargate begins play defended by a metal iris similar to the SGC's initial iris.
Sabrina [ Personal Action (2 per Month) ]
[ ] Acquire a business loan [ DC: 35 ] [ Diplomacy; +$6,000,000 which will need to be repaid Jan 1, 1998 with a 10% APR (+$600,000/year).]
[ ] Hire a Base Commander to manage Stargate operations [DC: 50] [ Consumes 2 Personal Actions; Martial Adviser; +$250k/month upkeep ]
[ ] Hire a Financial Manager to manage Earth-side financial operations [DC: 50] [ Consumes 2 Personal Actions; Stewardship Adviser; +$250k/month upkeep ]
[ ] Hire Mr. Wu with a handpicked staff. [ DC: ?? ] [ Intrigue Adviser; No upkeep but Mr. Wu works for your Yakuza friends. You trust them, right? ]
[ ] Seek "Legitimate" Business Opportunities [ DC: ?? ] [ Intrigue; attempt to assist your Yakuza friends with opening new money laundering operations. [ ] Combat Training [ DC: 35 ] [ You take the same training as everyone else, good for morale and a chance to get into better shape. ]
[ ] Other - Write In [ DC: ?? ] [ There is a huge range of opportunities for the sort of people you might seek out, so I'm leaving this open. ]
Science Notable Assignment Options [ Doctor McKay ]
[ ] Science Adviser [ Learning added to strategic R&D actions; +1 Strategic R&D action ]
[ ] Research Field Team [ Field R&D Team becomes Team 4 -> Team 4 is now 1R; +10 to Field Research Rolls ]
[ ] Contractual Obligations [ Lease out his skills for money to various criminal organizations; +$500,000/month ]
Standing Orders [ Decision is final for Feb/March ]
[ ] Examine all alien technology [ Attempt to research technology on-site. Risks Field Team(s), ties up the team for the following month. Requires Field Researcher for normal productivity. ]
[ ] Recover all alien technology [ Attempts to remove alien technology and return it to earth. Risks HQ but doesn't consume missions. Risk damaging tech. ]
[ ] Ignore unusual technology and flag for follow up missions [ Send a "science team" covered by a field team at a later date; holds Alien Tech option for future turn(s) but consumes an additional mission. ]
Field Team Rotation [ Decision is final for Feb/March ]
[ ] 2 Missions per Month [ 2 in Field, 2 in Reserve/Training; 2 Teams per Mission; Send in the Reserves Option on Missions]
[ ] 4 Missions per Month [ 2 in Field, 2 in Reserve/Training; 1 Team per Mission; Send in the Reserves Option on Missions]
[ ] 4 Missions per Month [ 4 in Field, 0 in Reserve/Training ]
Giza Cartouche Mission(s): [ Pick a number in line with the Field Team Rotation for February operations; please use team designations instead of Xs so I know which teams you assign. ]
[ ] GC-1 - MALP data marks this as a barren world covered in rock. Temperature ranges from 0 to 10C.
[ ] GC-2 - MALP data marks this as a desert world covered in sand. There is no sign of habitation. Temperature has remained north of 20C.
[ ] GC-3 - MALP data marks this as an Earth-like world; Stargate is located in a Forest.
[ ] GC-4 - MALP was destroyed by a blast from what appears to be a staff wielded by some sort of Jackal(?); Doctor Jackson believes this to be the "Gods" of Egypt; World appears to support human life based on MALF data.
[ ] GC-5 - MALP was destroyed by what appeared to be a lighting strike. No data available.
[ ] GC-6 - ?????; Both MALPs have been destroyed and replacements will not be operational until the end of February.
[X] Admired [ +10 to Loyalty checks for those who serve her. Bodyguards cannot be turned except through insanity or possession. ]
[X] Embraced the Brown Note [ Immune to Insanity, Fear ]
[X] Quick [ +2 to all Skills ]
Secure loyalties and madness proof ourselves, then generally round out our capabilities. I may switch Quick for Charismatic or Master Schemer though. Those also help our focus.
[X] Agent Henderson [ Embraced the Brown Note ( Immune to Insanity, Fear); Adventurer Occultist (+5 to rolls involving the supernatural)]
[X] Doctor Rodney McKay [Field Researcher (Ignores Lab requirement for research); Genius (+5 Learning) ]
Madness proof operative is gold.
And science advisor needs Learning the most.
[X] Hire a Financial Managertomanage Earth-side financial operations
[X] Research Field Team
[X] Examine all alien technology
[X] 2 Missionsper Month
[X] GC-1
[X] GC-2
[X] Hire a Financial Managertomanage Earth-side financial operations
[X] Research Field Team
[X] Examine all alien technology
[X] 2 Missionsper Month
[X] GC-1
[X] GC-2
