- Location
- USA
We do have access to the Rockies, we MIGHT be able to figure out mining operations. Else, we will need to massively step up salvage efforts.
Springbreaker - A Forever Winter Planquest
- Thread starter BOTcommander
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- dystopia sci-fi war plan quest
Uhhh, no you don't? I don't think there's even unfettered access to the Sierra Nevada, let alone crossing all of Nevada and Arizona or Utah to reach the Rockies. And if we want to trade, we might need to do infrastructure work to repair hyperloop tunnels or something.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lieutenant Voss sat slouched in a metal folding chair, staring at a speck of dirt on the dull concrete floor. Around him, the underground bunker hummed with aircon recycling stale air and old fluorescent lights that flickered occasionally. The air smelled of old oil and dust. The Sierra Nevada mountains hid the airbase well, burying it beneath a thick shell of rock, concrete and silence, but there wasn't much left to hide.
The Europan Air Force was a shadow of its former self. Legends told that once, these hangars had been filled with the sleek forms of cutting-edge fighter jets and the hum of a hundred mechanics working tirelessly on them. Now, the place was half-empty, like a forgotten museum exhibit. Rooms lay abandoned, consoles darkened, and lockers sealed shut. Only a few of the old jets remained, most in disrepair. His squadron had two working F-43 hypersonic jets. One had been entirely cannibalized for parts, and three more sat in various stages of disuse, shells of themselves.
Voss sighed, tapping his fingers against the leg of his flight suit. There was nothing to do. He hadn't been assigned flight time in over a week. Instead, the shift allocation system had him sweeping the floors or cleaning toilets. It was mindless, a far cry from the glory he had once dreamed of as a pilot. He had signed up for adventure, for the thrill of speed and sky. Instead, he was stuck in this crumbling base, watching the world outside drift further away with each passing day.
He leaned back, closing his eyes, when his datapad chimed. The sound was so foreign in the stillness that for a moment, he didn't react. When he finally picked it up, the screen flashed with something he hadn't seen in quite some time.
Flight Assignment: F-43 Hypersonic Test.
Voss blinked at the screen, unsure if it was a mistake. His squadron hadn't been assigned a real flight in weeks, but the order was there, as clear as day. A thin smile crept onto his face as he tossed the datapad aside and stood, his pulse quickening.
In the hangar, the skeletont echnical crew were buzzing around one of the two working jets. The F-43 was a sleek, black marvel of engineering, its wings sharp and angular, like the talons of some predatory bird. He had always admired it, even as the hangar around it crumbled into disrepair.
"Got a flight today, huh, Lieutenant?" The head tech, an old woman with greying hair chuckled, wiping her hands on a rag. "Guess you're in luck. Got her fueled up and ready."
Voss nodded, running a hand along the cool metal of the jet's fuselage. He couldn't help but feel the thrill of it again, the sheer power of this machine, one of the few things left that still worked as intended. It was almost surreal.
"Flying with her again, huh?" Another tech sighed. "Tell her if she makes you any trouble."
He smirked, shrugging as he climbed into the cockpit. "Depends on what you call trouble."
The canopy sealed above him with a hiss, and the familiar interface of the F-43 booted up. The AI copilot's voice chimed in almost immediately, her tone as smooth and sultry as ever.
"Hello, Lieutenant Voss. I've missed you. It's been… far too long."
He rolled his eyes. The flirty AI personality had been a topic of jokes around the base ever since the glitch had gotten worse. The copilot had been programmed for combat assistance, but somewhere along the line, its personality module had glitched. The techs said they couldn't fix it, some deep software error, not worth the hassle as long as it still functioned.
"Missed me, huh?" he replied, flicking switches on the control panels. "Not sure if I should feel flattered or creeped out."
"Flattered, of course," she purred. "You always know how to make a girl feel special."
He snorted, shaking his head. "You're just a glorified chatbot...," he paused on that. "And at least three times as old as me."
"Rawr, they do say that boys best learn to fly on older girls," her voice turned playful. "Now, shall we get started?"
The engines roared to life beneath him, the hum vibrating through his entire body. Armored bunker doors shifted open and moments later, it shot through the underground launch tube, hurtling into the open sky. Voss felt the familiar pull of G-forces as they accelerated past the mountains, the jet's hypersonic engines cutting through the thin air like a blade.
"Let's run some tests first," he said, adjusting the flight controls. The AI copilot handled most of the work, but he still liked to pretend he had control.
"Running hypersonic diagnostics," she confirmed, her tone still teasing. "Everything is in optimal condition. I do hope you'll show me something exciting today."
He grinned. "We'll see."
They flew for an hour, running through a checklist of maneuvers and speed tests. The jet cut through the sky with effortless precision, and despite everything, Voss felt the rush again. The F-43 was a marvel, a machine built for speed and destruction, even if it rarely saw real action anymore.
As the test neared its end, a thought struck him.
"Take us above the clouds."
The AI hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure? Our tests are nearly complete."
"I'm sure," he said.
The jet angled upward, slicing through the atmosphere until the dense layer of clouds fell away beneath them. Above, the sky opened up, a deep, endless blue that stretched across the horizon, brighter and clearer than anything down below. The sun shone fiercely, casting its light over the white cloudscape beneath them.
Voss stared, momentarily lost in the sight. It was peaceful here, so far removed from the crumbling world below. The decaying bunker, the war, the endless grind, it all felt distant. Up here, above the clouds, there was only silence and light.
He reached into the pocket of his flight suit and pulled out an old camera, one he had salvaged from a pile of junk years ago. He held it up to the cockpit canopy, framing the sun and the clouds below, and pressed the shutter. The camera whirred softly, spitting out a photo that slowly developed in his hand.
"Polaroids, huh?" She remarked. "You've got a romantic side after all."
He stared at the photo for a long moment, the image slowly coming into focus. It was imperfect, grainy, and faded, but it was real. A snapshot of the world as it was, up here in the sky, untouched by the decay below.
"Take us home," he said quietly.
The jet banked, descending back toward the earth. The clouds swallowed them again, and the bright blue sky faded, replaced by the gray, dreary landscape below. As they neared the base, his heart sank at the sight of the countless old bomb craters dotting the area around the launch tube entrance, the ground was pocked with destruction, a haunting reminder of the violence that had ravaged this place. He knew that the radiation levels still lingered dangerously high, the kind of levels that required a protective suit just to take a few steps away from the bunker. The underground launch tube took swallowed them once once more, and the jet came to rest in the empty hangar.
Voss sat in the cockpit for a moment, staring at the photo in his hand.
"Wasn't that fun?" the AI purred.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Yeah. It was."
The Europan Air Force was a shadow of its former self. Legends told that once, these hangars had been filled with the sleek forms of cutting-edge fighter jets and the hum of a hundred mechanics working tirelessly on them. Now, the place was half-empty, like a forgotten museum exhibit. Rooms lay abandoned, consoles darkened, and lockers sealed shut. Only a few of the old jets remained, most in disrepair. His squadron had two working F-43 hypersonic jets. One had been entirely cannibalized for parts, and three more sat in various stages of disuse, shells of themselves.
Voss sighed, tapping his fingers against the leg of his flight suit. There was nothing to do. He hadn't been assigned flight time in over a week. Instead, the shift allocation system had him sweeping the floors or cleaning toilets. It was mindless, a far cry from the glory he had once dreamed of as a pilot. He had signed up for adventure, for the thrill of speed and sky. Instead, he was stuck in this crumbling base, watching the world outside drift further away with each passing day.
He leaned back, closing his eyes, when his datapad chimed. The sound was so foreign in the stillness that for a moment, he didn't react. When he finally picked it up, the screen flashed with something he hadn't seen in quite some time.
Flight Assignment: F-43 Hypersonic Test.
Voss blinked at the screen, unsure if it was a mistake. His squadron hadn't been assigned a real flight in weeks, but the order was there, as clear as day. A thin smile crept onto his face as he tossed the datapad aside and stood, his pulse quickening.
In the hangar, the skeletont echnical crew were buzzing around one of the two working jets. The F-43 was a sleek, black marvel of engineering, its wings sharp and angular, like the talons of some predatory bird. He had always admired it, even as the hangar around it crumbled into disrepair.
"Got a flight today, huh, Lieutenant?" The head tech, an old woman with greying hair chuckled, wiping her hands on a rag. "Guess you're in luck. Got her fueled up and ready."
Voss nodded, running a hand along the cool metal of the jet's fuselage. He couldn't help but feel the thrill of it again, the sheer power of this machine, one of the few things left that still worked as intended. It was almost surreal.
"Flying with her again, huh?" Another tech sighed. "Tell her if she makes you any trouble."
He smirked, shrugging as he climbed into the cockpit. "Depends on what you call trouble."
The canopy sealed above him with a hiss, and the familiar interface of the F-43 booted up. The AI copilot's voice chimed in almost immediately, her tone as smooth and sultry as ever.
"Hello, Lieutenant Voss. I've missed you. It's been… far too long."
He rolled his eyes. The flirty AI personality had been a topic of jokes around the base ever since the glitch had gotten worse. The copilot had been programmed for combat assistance, but somewhere along the line, its personality module had glitched. The techs said they couldn't fix it, some deep software error, not worth the hassle as long as it still functioned.
"Missed me, huh?" he replied, flicking switches on the control panels. "Not sure if I should feel flattered or creeped out."
"Flattered, of course," she purred. "You always know how to make a girl feel special."
He snorted, shaking his head. "You're just a glorified chatbot...," he paused on that. "And at least three times as old as me."
"Rawr, they do say that boys best learn to fly on older girls," her voice turned playful. "Now, shall we get started?"
The engines roared to life beneath him, the hum vibrating through his entire body. Armored bunker doors shifted open and moments later, it shot through the underground launch tube, hurtling into the open sky. Voss felt the familiar pull of G-forces as they accelerated past the mountains, the jet's hypersonic engines cutting through the thin air like a blade.
"Let's run some tests first," he said, adjusting the flight controls. The AI copilot handled most of the work, but he still liked to pretend he had control.
"Running hypersonic diagnostics," she confirmed, her tone still teasing. "Everything is in optimal condition. I do hope you'll show me something exciting today."
He grinned. "We'll see."
They flew for an hour, running through a checklist of maneuvers and speed tests. The jet cut through the sky with effortless precision, and despite everything, Voss felt the rush again. The F-43 was a marvel, a machine built for speed and destruction, even if it rarely saw real action anymore.
As the test neared its end, a thought struck him.
"Take us above the clouds."
The AI hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure? Our tests are nearly complete."
"I'm sure," he said.
The jet angled upward, slicing through the atmosphere until the dense layer of clouds fell away beneath them. Above, the sky opened up, a deep, endless blue that stretched across the horizon, brighter and clearer than anything down below. The sun shone fiercely, casting its light over the white cloudscape beneath them.
Voss stared, momentarily lost in the sight. It was peaceful here, so far removed from the crumbling world below. The decaying bunker, the war, the endless grind, it all felt distant. Up here, above the clouds, there was only silence and light.
He reached into the pocket of his flight suit and pulled out an old camera, one he had salvaged from a pile of junk years ago. He held it up to the cockpit canopy, framing the sun and the clouds below, and pressed the shutter. The camera whirred softly, spitting out a photo that slowly developed in his hand.
"Polaroids, huh?" She remarked. "You've got a romantic side after all."
He stared at the photo for a long moment, the image slowly coming into focus. It was imperfect, grainy, and faded, but it was real. A snapshot of the world as it was, up here in the sky, untouched by the decay below.
"Take us home," he said quietly.
The jet banked, descending back toward the earth. The clouds swallowed them again, and the bright blue sky faded, replaced by the gray, dreary landscape below. As they neared the base, his heart sank at the sight of the countless old bomb craters dotting the area around the launch tube entrance, the ground was pocked with destruction, a haunting reminder of the violence that had ravaged this place. He knew that the radiation levels still lingered dangerously high, the kind of levels that required a protective suit just to take a few steps away from the bunker. The underground launch tube took swallowed them once once more, and the jet came to rest in the empty hangar.
Voss sat in the cockpit for a moment, staring at the photo in his hand.
"Wasn't that fun?" the AI purred.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Yeah. It was."
The Forever Winter Release
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The game is just to PC?
Prepare for the Lore and multiple rewrites @BOTcommander
- Pronouns
- He/Him
For now, yes, sadly. I dont think you can release Early Access games on consoles.
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So after looking at the game I have to ask the heck is the giant robot woman thing.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That is a Mother Courage, a Euraskan body recovery unit. Why is she hot and anime? To attract all the tall woman simps or something, idk.
- Location
- Nice try
I think it was stated somewhere that are some sectors tan by humans instead of AI, they still are in the same boat of were run by AI but still.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Guessing it won't be steam deck compatible for a while. Alas. Hopefully it won't take too long in EA to get to that point
- Location
- Australia
*Factory worker looks at the cutting-edge 3d molecular printer in front of him that just arrived at his station. The most advanced thing he'd used before now was a lathe.*
"What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?"
Actually, that's a good point, is the educational apparatus actually strong enough to use our higher tech stuff? Like, it's all well and good for a mechanic to be able to fix an M113, but if you plop them in front of a fusion-engined Heavy Mech, would they actually know what to do?
- Location
- Brazil
We've finished our population census this turn (and ended all the fun of Scavs and petty criminals who were fooling us), I'm sure our AI isn't crazy enough to send equipment to places where there's no one with knowledge in the Europan IDs who can use it.
It would be better to just keep it in preservation if that were the case.
- Pronouns
- They/Their
Added to The List.
Really feel something like "Ashen Wings of Glory"-
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
Malware has had us wasting resources.
Can we reduce the production of Capital Goods and Electric Components to reduce the drain on Raw Materials and Power?
- Location
- Brazil
I assume we will do this automatically as it is the most logical course of action. But our problem is that we are already in a deep hole of raw material shortages so this will only make things not more worse and not better.
To improve this we will have to make a large amount of trade with Nevada and Arizona while our mines start trying to replenish our stock locally.
(Of course taking steps to improve their efficiency in the future as now we have a lot of fires to put out in the short term)
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- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
How does using less raw materials on something we aren't using make things worse?
Looks like we have enough production for a year already. Slowing down production until we actually need those goods and electronics shouldn't be an issue.
Even if we have the resources to repair and activate factories, we don't have the power either.
- Location
- Brazil
I forgot to put a not there, lol
"But our problem is that we are already in a deep hole of raw material shortages so this will only make things not more worse and not better."