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May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)

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Dr. Snark said:
Of course the other big coup was figuring out what the hell Wesker's deal was. And it's a thing, especially since it turned out to be partly the Arkanians' fault. Y'see, our man was apparently an experiment by some of them to create what was apparently the "ideal being," incredibly smart, stupidly strong, yadda yadda yadda mad scientist stuff. Except as it turns out when you do all of that your creation doesn't take kindly to being subservient to people "weaker" than him. Especially since from the sounds of it he's just as arrogant as the Arkanians that created him and bought into that "ideal being" BS. So our aspiring mad scientist slaughtered every one of his creators to the man, then fled Arkania.

From there we're not entirely sure what happened, it's probable that he got picked up and funded by the Seps but we don't have anything conclusive to prove it sadly. But aside from that...he really hates you Ciara. Some of the records the Silencer found seem to say that he considers you to be his biggest enemy. It's not just from preventing the plagues; some the records that confirm that tidbit are dated before the deployment of the first virus samples.

I dunno what his deal is. But whenever you're ready, we can end this nightmare once and for all.
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Goddamn fucking egotist. I cannot fucking wait for him to die. Also, I really wanna know why he hates us besides the fact that we stomped some of his viruses.
 
...Can I just say how absolutely hilarious it is that this guy was ranting about teaching us a lesson, and then our silencer goes and does this?

Because it's pretty fucking hilarious.
 
Say is there anything going on with the Dara thing? She's being out of sight for a while.
Hoping to bring her back.
 
Dr. Snark said:
The other fun interlude will be up soon, when Asajj and Ciaran go on The Journey Home. Don't miss it.
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But Dr. Snark-senpai, I can't miss it! Its not out yet! :p

Good job, can only hope we critshit the bed with the assault; can't leave a chance for Weskers.

Dr. Snark said:
Well Satine's still willing to spend time with Obi-Wan even after hearing about Siri. So either she took it well or Obi-Wan is a very smooth talker. I could see either/or.
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Well obviously, he used diplomacy. After all, Obi-Wan is a cunning linguist :p
 
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I just bet that Asajj is going crazy with anticipation to be back home. Learning new ways to kill things (especially Dooku) in shamanistic ways.
 
@Dr. Snark, I did a bit more spreadsheet work, and collated a list of all our current 'Abyss Watcher' assets (divided into 'Planetary Assets', 'Non-Planetary Assets', and 'The Vault'). As before, feel free to use this for the first-page info posts.

The last item on my to-do list, is to update the Galaxy map with the results of this turn, and to provide an index of all the sectors (and notable systems) currently affiliated with our Council of Neutral Systems.


Planetary Assets (by system)​

Coruscant, Core Worlds
'Diamond Deception' cantina
Droid Factory (+2 'basic droid' squads per turn)
Financial District businesses
Lower-level Salvage Teams (+1 salvage roll)
Council of Neutral Systems Embassy (+1 Diplomacy action, CNS)

Surveillance Infrastructure
- Cantina surveillance
- Senate District surveillance
- Starport surveillance
- Large-scale Wiretaps (+5 Intrigue)

Undercity Base
- Main Hangar (Capacity: two ships)
- Hidden Turrets
- Secret Lab (+5 Learning rolls, research)
- A9G-series Archive/Data Analysis Droid (+5 Intrigue)
- A1-series Business/Accounting Droid (+5 Stewardship)
- Borvo the Hutt's Palace

Karada Corporation
- Research-complex & Headquarters
- Cybernetics division (organic squads less likely to die/chance of recovery)
- Versuch Labs (+1 Learning action, biotech)

Humanitarian Organization
- Headquarters

Security Company


Neimoidia, Colonies
Baktoid vehicle factory (combat vehicle production)
Trade Federation businesses


Naboo, Mid Rim
Spinnaker and Theed businesses
Borvo the Hutt's Black Market


Castell, Colonies
Commerce Guild businesses
Abyss Watchers facility (Base)


Dantooine, Outer Rim
Luxus Resort
Crystal Cave (effectively unlimited supply of lightsaber crystals)


Kashyyyk, Mid Rim
Alaris Prime businesses


Kalee, Wild Space
Smuggler's Den
Blacksite (increased recruitment for all military squads)

Fortified Military Outpost
- Recruitment Bureau (+1-2 Kaleesh warrior squads per turn)
- Shield Generator
- Military Academy (+5 Martial rolls, CNS)
- High-Grade Training Facility (increased experience for all military squads)


S-840 a.k.a. 'Kiln' a.k.a. 'Invalid System', Unknown Regions
System Defenses (Kiln protected against intrusion)

Lordran a.k.a. 'Error 404: Planet Not Found'
- Firelink Farming Complex
- Anor Londo Industrial District
- Darkroot Chemical Plant (20% discount on Karada Corporation upkeep)
- Kalameet Decimator Factory (+1 Decimators per turn)
- Labor Droid Plant (40% discount on Kiln system upkeep)


Mandalore, Outer Rim
Sundari Mansion

Mandalorian Guardian Corps
- Headquarters (recruitment & training facility)
- Mandalorian History Initiative


Nar Shaddaa, Outer Rim
'Orb of Phantasticora' Casino
- Defense Grid


Muunilist, Outer Rim
Refugee Camps
Abyss Watchers facility (Base)



Non-Planetary Assets​

Scimitar
- 'Star Courier'-model prototype stealth ship (insertion/extraction)
- Designed and manufactured by Republic Sienar Systems

Oracle
- 'Lucrehulk' class LH-3210 freighter (Mobile Base)
- Hyperwave transceivers & communications array
- Fabritech ANq-51 sensor array, rectenna & computer
- Force training facility and Library (increased experience for all Force Users)
- Support fleet and starfighter squadrons (+1 Martial action)
- Research & Development facilities (+5 Learning rolls)
- Training facilities (increased experience for all military squads, increased cap for recruitment)
- Quadlasers and basic weaponry
- Hospitality suites and decorated interior (+5 Diplomacy rolls)

La'Sombra
- Asteroid Base, space between Corporate and Wyl Sectors, Outer Rim
- Biotech Research facilities (+5 Learning rolls, biotech)


Hyperlane Arrangements
- Abyss Watchers transports & freighters (+5 Intrigue rolls, +5 Stewardship rolls)
- Favorable trade pacts within Council of Neutral Systems ('Favored Nation Neutrals', 5% reduction in Clone Wars income penalty)
- Neutrality arrangements with Republic and CIS ('Restoring the Trade Lanes', 10% reduction in Clone Wars income penalty)
- Favored trading partner of Hutt Council ('Hunt for Rotta', 15% reduction in Clone Wars income penalty)
- Favored trading partner of Trade Federation ('Hey Trade Federation', 15% reduction in Clone Wars income penalty)
- Purchase agreement for Humanitarian supplies from CNS ('War-Ravaged Recovery, 5% reduction in Clone Wars income penalty)


Personal Assets
- Lady Ciaran's Lightfoil
- Lava lightstaber crystal (harvested from Crystal Caves of Dantooine)
- Chiss holocron (mysterious recon report of the Unknown Regions)
- Darth Vectivus holocron (immunity from Dark Side influence)
- Instructional Jedi holocrons (found in ruins of Dantooine Jedi Enclave)



The Vault

A top-secret gallery only accessible by the upper echelon of the Abyss Watchers, it contains various mementos, trinkets, and general expensive things that either relate to the history of the Abyss Watchers or were "acquired" by them during their activities.​

Current Manifest:
- Poster Advertising The 'Diamond Deception' Cantina, Donated by Owner: Ciaran
- Chiss Holocron dating to Old Republic Era, Gifted by Unknown Smuggler
- Holo-Map of Spinnaker, Drawn by Gulan Terrek
- Recordings from Force Sect Datachips, Donated by Damask Holdings
- Black Sun Flag, Acquired from Operation Eclipse
- The Magnus Charter, Historic Naboo Document, Acquired during Operation Emerald Dream
- The Crown of King Tapalo of Naboo, Acquired during Operation Emerald Dream
- The Lost Orb of Phantasticora, Sacred Gungan Relic, Acquired during Operation Emerald Dream
- Medal (Sapphire Order), Awarded by the Royal Government of Naboo for Humanitarian Contributions to the People of Naboo
- Letter Congratulating Humanitarian Efforts of Lady Ciaran, From the Personal Desk of Chancellor Sheev Palpatine
- Copy of Mercenary License for Abyss Watchers, Dated 3623 ATC, From the Republic Ministry of Galactic Service
- Carbonised Ashes of Unknown Huk Captain, Acquired by Silencer during Second Huk War
- Izvoshra War Mask, Gifted by Qymaen jai Sheelal, known better as General Grievous, as a symbol of Eternal Gratitude
- Medal (Hero of The Republic), Dated 3624 ATC, Awarded by Chancellor Palpatine for Role in Hukgate
- Darth Vectivus Holocron, Donated by Silas Cata
- Holo of Lady Ciaran, Count Dooku and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Taken 3625 ATC, Corusant Residence
- 'Jedi' Robe of Lady Ciaran, Used for Kamino Operations
- Unknown Jedi Artifact of Cold War Era, Discovered by Lady Ciaran
- Collection of Articles on Ciaran Assassination, Dated 3626 ATC
- Collection of Preserved Heads of Various Species, Acquired during The Shadow War
- Galactic Games Banner, Dated 3627 ATC
- Self Portrait of Hego Damask, Bought on Black Market
- Sereno Landscape Painting, Acquired from Count Dooku's Office, Left Replica Behind
- Medal (Esteemed Patron), Awarded for Exemplary Services Rendered to the Trade Federation
- The Preserved Corpse of Granta Omega, Acquired on Korriban
- Painting entitled 'The Foundation of the Confederation', Gifted by Dooku
- Collection of Holos of Seperatist Afterparty, Taken by Lady Ciaran and Viceroy Gunray
- Letter of Summoning, Sent by Jedi Council
- Letter of Apology, Sent by Jedi Council
- Seal of the Chiss Ascendancy, Acquired in Unknown Regions
- Pre-Republic Era Hutt Statue, Gifted by Hutt Cartel
- Wookiee Carving, Gifted by Chief Engineer of Alaris Prime
- Seal of the CNS Unified Military Command, Gifted by General Grievous
- Medal (Galactic Humanitarian), Awarded by Galactic Senate
- Mutant Skull, Acquired during Operation RESI
- Darksaber, Acquired from Death Watch
- Pre Vizsla's Mandalorian Armor, Recovered from Concordia
- Various Kaminoan Paintings (w/viewing goggles), Acquired during Operation Skyfall
- HS-1 Head, Acquired during Operation Skyfall
- Holorecording of Grievous' Assault On A Black Sun Compound, Recorded during Operation Absolute Eclipse
- Handmade Kaleesh-style Cloak and Mask, Created by Lady Ciaran during her time on Kalee
- Copy of Official Declaration of Partnership with Sienar Fleet Systems, Dated 3632 ATC
- Declaration of Favored Associate Status from Hutt Council, Dated 3632 ATC
- Poster Advertising the 'Orb of Phantasticoria' Casino, Donated by Owner: Ciaran

(Initial 'Vault' concept and format created by @Whumbly)
 
Publicola said:
@Dr. Snark, I did a bit more spreadsheet work, and collated a list of all our current 'Abyss Watcher' assets (divided into 'Planetary Assets', 'Non-Planetary Assets', and 'The Vault'). As before, feel free to use this for the first-page info posts.
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Looks good, though The Vault will stay a separate post and I'm slightly reworking the High-Grade Training Center so that it will be a (cheap) upgrade for next turn with no upkeep. Mostly so I can do the flavor text for it, honestly.
 
Dr. Snark said:
Looks good, though The Vault will stay a separate post and I'm slightly reworking the High-Grade Training Center so that it will be a (cheap) upgrade for next turn with no upkeep. Mostly so I can do the flavor text for it, honestly.
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What exactly do the Decimators do for us? I know they're big super heavy tank things and all, and it's nice to have muscle when we need it. But do we need to get some sort of special transport to use them or what? Could we sell the designs to the Republic or CNS or something?
 
I just remembered that Satine would be later be betayed by her prime minister Almec in canon due to the poisoning of numerous children due to the black market he established.
Will he remain loyal in this quest?
 
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(Omake) Boot To The Face Camp (Canon)
  • Threadmarks
    • Ardion Prosili said:
    At this point I go, "Panory posted? Lets go check out the new omake!" if I see that Panory posted at all.

    haven't been wrong yet. fucking machine.
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    The machine is a train with no brakes.

    Boot to the Face Camp
    ​
    Barak Keler shifted imperceptivity in futile quest to get more comfortable. He supposed he shouldn't complain, seeing as he had volunteered for this mission, but he had been thinking more of the bonus in the form of loot rather than the hours of waiting in the snow for a target to appear. It was like these morons chose Hoth as the base for their attempt to resurrect the Black Sun solely to make him miserable.

    Grievous hadn't seemed to care though. The Kaleesh warrior thrived on the knowledge that he'd be crushing the Black Sun. Again. It was a matter of pride for the General, and he insisted on dealing with any who used the name of the Black Sun personally and with great prejudice. Barak was in it for the loot coming from what seemed like such a simple job. Hang back and snipe anyone attempting to flee the base.

    The flyer hadn't said anything about this damn cold though. It was all he could do to remain focused on the door his scope was fixed on in this howling snowstorm. The door opened, and Barak got ready to shoot, then relaxed a bit as Grievous walked through the door. That meant he and the other volunteers had swept the base, leaving nothing alive in their wake. Mission accomplished, and Barak hadn't needed to fire a single shot. He hoped he was still getting paid despite not really doing anything.

    Then he nearly had a heart attack as the General raised his blaster and fired at Barak. The cold made him slow to react, which was lucky, since his instinct was to return fire. Fortunately, the Wampa that Grievous had shot collapsed on his before he could shoot the man who had saved his life. Unfortunately, Wampas were damn heavy, and Barak was basically pinned until Grievous made his way over and hefted the thing off of him like it weighed nothing.

    "That was pathetic. A true warrior wouldn't have let a beast as clumsy as this approach undetected." berated Grievous. "Any Kaleesh child would be a better fighter than you."

    "With all due respect General, I was simply devoting all my attention to the task I was assigned, as per my training." said Barak in a feeble attempt to defend himself.

    "Bah, then you are an idiot trained by an idiot." said Grievous, voice dripping with derision. "Still, it is useless to be mad at a dog for being trained improperly. Who is this moron that taught you the ways of battle? I need to teach him a lesson before his lessons lead to the death of us all."


    XXX​


    Xruk watched impassively as the newest batch of fresh recruits ran around the training facility. One of the men reached the finish line of his tenth lap, meaning he finally got to rest. Or at least, he thought he did, which made the set of sprints all the more mentally crushing. It was like Mama Xruk had always said, "To make a man a great soldier, you must first completely destroy his old self."

    "Are you serious? Sprints?" wheezed the recruit. "After all those laps? Fuck you."

    Some of the older recruits who actually were on break went still and silent, an empathic response for the poor soul. Xruk walked calmly up to the bent over man, who was still trying to catch his breath. Wruk shoved him down, the force too much to withstand even if the recruit had braced for it. Since he hadn't even remotely been expecting it, the recruit ate dirt and found Xruk's right foot keeping him down.

    "Is this too hard for you? Perhaps you'd like me to apologize for hurting your feelings? Because that's not even an option. Your options are to get up, apologize, run your damn sprints, and get assigned kitchen duty for a week, or get stuffed in the brig until I remember you exist." Xruk's voice dropped to a whisper. "And seeing as I can't be bothered to remember your name, that could be a very long time."

    Xruk stood up and walked back to his original position, not even turning around for the recruit's apology. He did however turn around when a completely new voice rang out in his training hall. "So, you are the one responsible for the Watcher's abysmal performance in the field. Xruk, was it?"

    "I'm the one responsible for turning these maggots into something resembling a soldier. You got a problem with that?" said Xruk, voice low.

    "Other than the fact that your incompetence is being passed down? Not particularly." said Grievous, stepping forward aggressively until he and Xruk were practically butting heads.

    No one was able to tell who moved first, but all of a sudden the two were fighting tooth and nail. Xruk was a whirlwind of punches and kicks, but he might as well have been a child throwing a tantrum for all it stopped Grievous. The General fought on Xruk's terms for a short time, dodging blows and responding with his own before simply picking the Gand up and throwing him to the ground.

    "Try to teach them something worthwhile. Soldiers like Barak are a disgrace." said Grievous as he stalked off.

    "I must say, it's not often I get the chance to see you fight someone head on in such a manner." said Thrawn, who had been observing the whole affair from the shadows of the entryway.

    "I needed to remind him not to get complacent. If he gets complacent, his recruits get complacent. If they get complacent, we all get dead." said Grievous matter-of-factly. The Kaleesh warrior spit off to the side as he walked past Thrawn. It wasn't lost on the Chiss that Grievous had spit blood instead of saliva. Or maybe the spittle of the Kaleesh people was red. Reflecting on it, he knew so little of the Abyss Watcher's allies. He really must remedy that as soon as possible.


    XXX​


    AN: I can't really remember the last time Xruk was relevant, so I wrote a thing about him and Grievous butting heads, with a cameo from our other military legend. In other news, I have now produced over half the omakes of the glut. I will now proceed to sit upon my hoard like an omake dragon.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • newwriter said:
    I just remembered that Satine would be later be betayed by her prime minister Almec in canon due to the poisoning of numerous children due to the black market he established.
    Will he remain loyal in this quest?
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    Considering Ciaran put alot of effort into setting up alternate trade routes to supply CNS space and her own interests, I suspect Almec has never needed to set up the smuggling routes.

    fasquardon
     
    Bones said:
    What exactly do the Decimators do for us? I know they're big super heavy tank things and all, and it's nice to have muscle when we need it. But do we need to get some sort of special transport to use them or what? Could we sell the designs to the Republic or CNS or something?
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    Those are your nuclear option. If you have to break those bad boys out, something has gone seriously wrong.

    newwriter said:
    I just remembered that Satine would be later be betayed by her prime minister Almec in canon due to the poisoning of numerous children due to the black market he established.
    Will he remain loyal in this quest?
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    Well Ciaran is the black market he would have established so yes. If you look back at previous updates he's actually been helping set up the Mandalorian Guardians.

    Panory said:
    Boot to the Face Camp
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    Seven. Also yeah, it does demonstrate how weird it is that your Martial advisor now only has that status in name only compared to Thrawn and Grievous...Canon, +10, dear lord man you are basically going to be a celebrity by the time the next turn stars. People are going to humbly demand that you spare but one of your bonuses to this one action etc etc.
     
    Panory said:
    AN: I can't really remember the last time Xruk was relevant, so I wrote a thing about him and Grievous butting heads, with a cameo from our other military legend. In other news, I have now produced over half the omakes of the glut. I will now proceed to sit upon my hoard like an omake dragon.
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    Keep up the good work. The omake train has no brakes!
     
    Dr. Snark said:
    Canon, +10, dear lord man you are basically going to be a celebrity by the time the next turn stars. People are going to humbly demand that you spare but one of your bonuses to this one action etc etc.
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    That may depend on how soon you post the final Interlude and then put up the next Turn. By my count, we already have 14 omakes, which means we only need one more before we're bumping up against your "1 omake bonus per action" rule. On the other hand, would it be possible for us to 'save' these bonuses for a future turn, or would that break the bank even more?
     
    My Goodness. I wonder how we could possibly fail the next results with all the omakes we have.
    I just love it. I am always happen to read omakes and see them canonized. It allows readers to contribute to the world and enjoy it while the QM takes time to update.
     
    Publicola said:
    That may depend on how soon you post the final Interlude and then put up the next Turn. By my count, we already have 14 omakes, which means we only need one more before we're bumping up against your "1 omake bonus per action" rule. On the other hand, would it be possible for us to 'save' these bonuses for a future turn, or would that break the bank even more?
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    The main reason I have the "spend them this turn" rule is because usually there's only like two or three that pop up between updates

    (and honestly I want to see the hilarity of this all play out for myself)

    Edit: Just to be clear, there are 2 Martial, 2 Diplo, 2 Intrigue, 2 Learning, 1 Lore, 2 Personal, 2 Hero and 1 free action for a total of 14 actions. Meaning that the "cap" this turn is 28 bonuses.

    If my math is correct, you guys can currently slap a +10 bonus on every single one.

    Double Edit: Also yeah I upped the cap to two omakes per action because it lets you focus down on ones you like more (hi, Thrawn).
     
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    Dr. Snark said:
    Seven. Also yeah, it does demonstrate how weird it is that your Martial advisor now only has that status in name only compared to Thrawn and Grievous.
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    Hmm. Are the stats of the advisors listed somewhere? I'd think that they would have been upgrading their respective main stats a lot over the years, simply due to being the person running their domain for the Abyss Watchers. That's a lot of on-the-job experience.

    Though, I guess I've never been completely clear about the difference between advisors and hero units.
     
    Oh I am slain! said:
    Hmm. Are the stats of the advisors listed somewhere? I'd think that they would have been upgrading their respective main stats a lot over the years, simply due to being the person running their domain for the Abyss Watchers. That's a lot of on-the-job experience.

    Though, I guess I've never been completely clear about the difference between advisors and hero units.
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    Oh they have (though PR-1's an oddball given that he doubles as both).

    In gameplay terms they're the ones giving you an extra action in every category (when the war isn't halving them).

    In narrative terms it depends on the field in question:

    Martial: Since you've gotten Grievous and Thrawn a more accurate title for Xruk might be "Head Trainer" or something similar; he handles recruitment and training of your forces in general.
    Diplomacy: PR-1's a droid that doesn't sleep, he's got the time to be an advisor and hero unit. He screens calls basically.
    Stewardship: While Borvo's technically a "partner" and not an "employee," he tends to look over the finances of the Abyss Watchers to determine where he can squeeze out a few more credits.
    Intrigue: Gulan's practically Ciaran's number two in this area and one of her most trusted and called upon advisors given his position.
    Learning: When he's not running experiments that are about to explode in his face, Var Zheen's job is to coordinate the scattered research centers of the Abyss Watchers so they're all on the same page for their projects.
    Lore: Tyro's job is to train up Force-sensitive agents and generally examine Force schools for techniques that he can quickly and effectively teach the Agents.

    That clarify things?
     
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