Turn 2: Year 2161
Results
A sharp report boomed out across the cavern as a heavily armoured Turian retreats towards his allies, a group of hunters that are providing covering fire against the pack of ravenous dogs nipping at his heels, their bodies brightening as their natural barriers absorb the concentrated mass driver fire.
Tossing a flashbang over his shoulder, the panting Turian made it behind friendly lines in good time, the dogs finally deciding to give pursuing him up as a bad job, falling back and deploying a combined biotic nova to cover their escape.
You walked up from where you and your boys had been waiting to intervene if necessary, the hunters seeming to have it well in hand for now.
"So, Mr Arkanus, how'd you find the locals?" The Turian was doubled over, breathing hard, still not entirely used to the high gravity and the significant exertion of outrunning a pack of incredibly fast biotic monsters.
Sucking in a few more mouthfuls of air, he stands up straight with a smile. "BRILLIANT!" The bellicose yell makes you flinch, but that's rather been your reaction to his sudden shifts in attitude in general. Ikus Arkanus, "Grand Master" of Rodam Expeditions, master hunter!
You had to say while you hadn't met many Turians he was different to all of them, expressing an enthusiasm for the hunt that was at once infectious and kind of disturbing. At the same time, a thick layer of bright intelligence and laser sharp focus lied beneath, a focus that could snap in and out of nowhere and turn the bombastic man into a quiet doctor, demonstrating why he apparently had multiple degrees in Zoology and Biology.
That he had managed to get more done with your research on the wildlife in a couple of months than you had managed in two years was somewhat embarrassing, but results were results no matter where they came from.
Visibly restraining his enthusiasm, he clapped you on the shoulder while nodding quite happily. "Yes, this is exactly what we're looking for."
"And pray tell, what exactly is that? The Matron just said that you were on the look out for new beasties, how does that relate to us?" You'd sent a communication to Rodam Expeditions only a month ago, when you were starting to build the first of the new hydroponics plants. Good thing you'd got them up and running with some making Dextro Food, even if his ship had rations.
Still, you'd expected maybe some mild interest from the group, not the head of the company himself to show up.
At your question he simply laughs, trudging back to the new base camp. "I can answer that in two words: Shock Tourism!"
At your raised eyebrow, he starts to elaborate. "Young adventurous types and old veterans are constantly looking for ways to thrill themselves no?"
"I get the general idea, sure, just surprised that you'd say here's good enough for that. Ain't there meant to be plenty of other worlds just as nasty?" If your brief scans of the codex were true anyway.
At that he claps his talons together before seemingly reconsidering and wiggling them. "Sort of. Tuchanka for example is more dangerous than here in many ways, Thresher Maws and all that. Here however… well its got a lot of things going for it."
By this point both of you reach the camp where he draws up a chair and a mug of purified water, gulping greedily.
You just pull out your hip flask for a more restrained sip, waiting until he continues.
"Perkwunos is still extremely dangerous of course, its fauna and flora mostly undiscovered, but more than that it's unique and memorable."
He waves around. "Not many have attempted the unique test of skill that is hunting biotic foes in a cavern… it's certainly extremely rare. Most of the ones that have biotics naturally are Thessia natives and the Asari tend to disapprove of hunting outside of very specific seasons where Asari tend to get priority. Combine that with the storm and the people nearby, well, it's quite the destination."
He smiles at you. "The chance to get a foot in the door legally with the new species on the block doesn't hurt either."
You nod, and consider the possibilities. "Say I do let you set up here… what's in it for us?"
He shrugs in a calm manner. "Let's not discuss sure details here and now, but rest assured you would receive a very good cut of the profits of any operation, as well as tourism in general coming through a world that otherwise would likely not receive much attention of that sort. And when I say a generous cut I mean it, the only people who will attempt such an endeavor as this will have to be pretty wealthy at a minimum."
"Seems reasonable, though what about if some idiot gets in over their heads and ends up splattered on the walls? I don't think I want to get sued."
He waves that question off like a cloud of midges. "Worry not my man, I've spent a decent portion of my life perfecting the air tight acknowledgement form, if anyone's dumb enough to sue they're going to find themselves up to their ears in variations of the phrase 'well they signed the forms!'"
You snort in amusement and hold out a hand for the Turian to take. "A shake for profitable business Grand Master?"
He takes it.
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"Well you're a sight for sore eyes."
The rough voice that greets you in your office is as grating as it ever was, but it at least lets you identify the speaker instantly. That your hand moves to the gun under your desk is simply coincidence.
"Zaeed. How's life been treating you?"
Zaeed Massani. One of the best soldiers you ever trained, and one of your biggest failures. In too many ways, looking at him was like staring into an eerie mirror of what could have been, both of you so similar in origin.
Difference was you went clean, but he seemingly never could.
"Not too bad. Got our first big job last year. Heard about what happened to you and your boys… real shame that."
Zaeed starts to move around your office, looking at the horn of a Rhino your boys had taken down a few days ago.
"I take it then that if your... what were they called again, Yellow Bees?"
"Blue Suns!"
"Blue Suns, sorry. If your Blue Suns had been there, then this might not have happened?"
He swaggers back into view, smugness oozing of his body. "Yeah, that's right. We fought off a raid on our own, my 2000 boys vs about 10,000 of the shitheads. Won too, and we've only kept on recruiting. We're going to be a household name soon."
Eyes narrow as you rise to your feet. You're not giant like Tychas, but Zaeed's never been the largest of men either, and with your drill sergeant voice you know you can break through his composure. "Cut to the chase Zaeed, what are you offering and what do you want? No bullshit."
He backs up, palms out stretched. "Take it easy. Offer's simple enough. 2000 of my boys, 500 credits per year for ten years, you can pay per year or at the end of the contract. Simple, right? No bullshit."
"Send me the info on your troops and I'll consider it."
He smirks again, tossing a data pad on your desk before turning and starting to march out of the room at his own pace.
"Oh, and Zaeed." Your call to him makes him turn back around for a moment.
"If you've been teaching those kinds of tactics to your 'boys' then I swear to God I'll find a way to put you in the ground!"
For a brief instant you're afraid you crossed a line as Zaeed's face lights up with intense rage and his arms twitch towards Jessy, still firmly mag-locked to his back. But as quickly as it appeared he reigns it in, flipping you off before vanishing out the door.
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Exploration Report: Dr Kara Oswald
Report begins: Governor Raynor, I'm glad you let us stretch our wings, perhaps an ironic statement seeing as we're underground, but I'm afraid this hasn't been the success we were hoping for.
First, let's start with the good news.
- We managed to explore an area around 10 miles, although not in immense detail.
- About 3 miles away from Lightening we found a pretty large deposit of Magnesium,
- About 7 miles away we found a deposit of Fluorite.
- We found the entrance to a Jungle Region.
Then, the bad news.
- About 30 dead and another 50 maimed over the course of the year trying to get the scans we got.
- BATS! Like seriously, these things are terrifying. A swarm of them seemed to be able to use their biotics to drain people's energy like weird vampires.
- Our scans were very non-depth. While we found stuff, between the Dogs the Hunters drove off, a sudden Rhino Hoard and the pecking bats it just isn't the complete.
What I suppose is more good news is that now we've got more experience, and armed with some of the hunter's insights we should be able to make some more progress next year.
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Police Report: Sheriff Findly
Well Jimmy boy, you told me to make the coppers the best you could get, and I sure am delivering if I do say so myself.
I spent most of the year setting up an academy to train new people, as well as setting up various anti-corruption measures, after all we found out just last year that the wrong kind of scumbag will talk for enough cash... or threats.
I also spent some of it preparing for space cops when money isn't so tight on the ground.
Meanwhile, customs enforcement has been put together to satisfaction, which has let us put a stop to quite a few assorted ne're-do-wells. Obviously, the usual suspects, the Stars and Stripes, the Marikati, the Trikina, and so on. What's different is that we managed to catch quite a few of these bastards in the act, which has netted us some nice bounties by the way. Looks like they were trying to smuggle unrefined Eezo off planet… bunch of overblown petty crooks if you ask me.
What's more concerning is this other guy. No idea exactly who he worked for or what was going on, but we caught him snooping around the kids. Hadn't seen him before, but the fellows assumed he was some kind of rat after they caught him attempting to abduct one of them reasonable assumption I say. I think you can guess if the kid was a biotic.
Here's where things get strange. They haul his ass to a cell, confiscate his stuff and then a complete black out happens. When power's restored, mystery man is gone. Poof, just like that. And all the information we had on him is gone too.
Something fishy is going on here, Jimmy. Real fishy, especially considering the you know what last year. Maybe those pirates ain't as through with us as we thought.
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Reading Tychas' official report makes you lay your head down on the table and sigh in frustration.
Who the bloody hell is seriously trying to kidnap your biotic kids, who your people had even more of this year. Trying again, even! It's maddening!
"Sir, incoming call. No origin point."
Looking up, you ask it be routed through to your desk, but instead of the expected video a message displays asking for permission to dock and for a single shuttle to come down to the surface.
Granting permission, you are quickly informed that a matte black Turian vessel has jumped into system, docking with the space port as the single shuttle descends to the ground, flying deftly through the storms with the ease of an experienced combat pilot.
RESULTS
Hydroponics: Food production expanded, Dextro food production means Turians don't starve. +150 Maintenance.
Wildlife Exploitation: Falls flat, but is saved by crit of hunters, +500 income from selling animal bits through Rodam expeditions, can be expanded.
An Interesting Offer: Contact re-established with Zaeed Massani, Blue Suns commander. Mercenary offer.
Hunters: Highly interested, drive off the Dogs for you, still pay upkeep this year. Shock Tourism option open. Make the acquaintance of Ikus Arkanus.
Establish Police: Crit Success. +500 credits from handing in bounties, police quality upgraded to good, minor damage to SA syndicates, prevented a kidnapping. +100 Maintenance.
Planetary Exploration: Minor success, mineral sites pinpointed.
Middling colony growth enthusiasm tamped down by attack: +100 income, +150 maintenance.
Zaeed's offer: for 500 credits per year for ten years you will gain 2000 high skill mercenaries (this is before Vido let standards slip.) Amount can be paid in yearly installments, or all at once at the end for 5000 credits (projected output of the refinery is 2000 credits per year.) Or a mix of both.
Can be accepted as a free action next turn.
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@EternalStruggle