The Grand Solar Rush - Asteroid colony management quest
- Thread starter Karf
- Start date
- Original Sci-Fi
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
[X] Diplomacy
-[X] Advertise your colony
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Refineries
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Port info gathering
-[X] Advertise your colony
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Refineries
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Port info gathering
I don't have a preference one way or another, if you want to go by plan, then that's fine by me, but if most people don't then I can count the votes.
That said, it probably would make sense to make plans, seeing as actions have consequences.
- Location
- Computer Desk
[X] Diplomacy
-[X] Meet the neighbors
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Mines
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Background checks
[X] Research
-[X] Mineral surveys
-[X] Meet the neighbors
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Mines
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Background checks
[X] Research
-[X] Mineral surveys
Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
[X] Diplomacy
-[X] Meet the neighbors
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Mines
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Background checks
[X] Research
-[X] Mineral surveys
Cool quest, though I'm concerned about our character being space sovereign Bill O'Reilly.
-[X] Meet the neighbors
[X] Security
-[X] Weapons
[X] Engineering
-[X] Mines
-[X] Living space
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Background checks
[X] Research
-[X] Mineral surveys
Cool quest, though I'm concerned about our character being space sovereign Bill O'Reilly.
Turn 3 - 2172 - Commercial viability
Winner said:
(Roll meet the neighbors, required 30: 92)
"Ha! Never let it be said that Hailey Maria Perez does things half-way," said woman slams down a data pad on your office table.
For a significant chunk of the year, you've seen her with her nose in her tablet or listening to something that she often rewinds, face scrunched up. Then you're pretty sure she scared off the freighter captain from ever coming to your section of space again by nearly interrogating him with Erikson on everything the man remembered about all his flights here. The quiet season she spent with Ken, fiddling with her amateur radio telescope while the comms were down. The last few months she's been sharing computer simulation time with Weissmeier.
"I'm sure no one ever said that. What's this?" you point to the display.
"This is orbital mechanics 201, a plot of a spy mystery novel and far too many gray hairs."
You tap open the display and flick through the images of star maps littered with annotations and trajectories.
"I've painstakingly mapped and backtracked every rock near us massing more than a kiloton. I've cross-referenced ship logs and transport manifests, some of which are technically illegally leaked, but you didn't hear that from me. This is my magnum opus. I'm done with math for a century, let me at them boss, I want people not numbers."
You continue to thumb through the massive info dump in front of you, "This is amazing Hailey, I thought you studied marketing, not astrophysics."
"I did, but I guess you never stop learning. So now I've got a certificate in radio astronomy."
"I'll go over this in detail tonight, but why don't you give me the short of it," you prompt her, setting the tablet aside for now.
She pulls up her own device and after a few seconds casts an image to the white-board on your wall that you keep around for just this purpose.
"We knew about New Ireland already, but it bears repeating that it's the biggest on the block, for now. It's entirely ice and melting fast though, so the owners are in a race against time if they want to stick around here. I've given them a decade, but it's a rough guess, they'll probably last a bit longer."
She zooms from the big marker to another one a bit closer to you and Earth-ward, "This is Deckard Station, a darn hard one to reference because most of its supplies come straight from NI. They're sitting on a regular old iron asteroid and pumping out steel that mostly goes to their patron. My guess is that once the ice runs out the fuel money will have gone into a spin station that'll keep buying up local fuel and selling it forward to tankers as a familiar rest stop."
With barely a breath she continues, pointing to a smaller rock roughly directly Earth-ward from you, "That is the compound for the Children of Dreamers. They picked the name, they have a website and everything, very professional."
She stands up, places her hands in a Buddhist mudra and intones in a deep voice, "Thus is our purpose to carry forward that which should have met with us in the void of space, but whose embrace we forsook. In the lives now lost we seek salvation by work."
"They're cultists?"
"They think Lucifer had intelligent life and worship that as godlike," she sums it up, her conclusion evident in her derisive tone.
"Moving on," she continues after a meaningful pause, "ahead of us by about a week is an unnamed research outpost from a Martian company that works in the nuclear energy sector, called Prismdust. No concrete evidence, but I'd bet to great odds that there's a uranium or plutonium deposit there."
Even when you know that there's no reason for them to be a threat to you, you still feel goosebumps on your arms, "Any chance they're making weapons?"
"Unless they're specifically researching new methods of enrichment, no. Not enough power for it. If they were though, this is where I'd do it," she gives you one of her winning smiles.
"Thanks..."
"Finally there's a tiny thing sunward of Deckard Station. It's a luxury resort, apparently very private and exclusive, the owner comes in on a personal craft with no flight path, maybe once or twice a year. The place is manned by a mercenary or private security crew."
"Alright, don't poke directly, but luxury means money, so all told, not a bad neighbor to have. You said finally, but isn't there another marker off up there?" you ask, pointing to the lone symbol outside the common orbits, nearer to the Sun than any other object by a wide margin.
"That's kind of scary, boss," Hailey leans forwards and drops her voice to a whisper, "You know how there's no such thing as government black sites?"
"Sure, just as everybody knows that any big government has black sites in deep space. Is that what that is?" you ask, mimicking her conspiratorial tone.
"All I know is that there's a signal that I can't pick up with properly calibrated equipment, only the incredibly inefficient one Ragnar and I made last year. There's nothing there as far as visuals go, but the scariest part is that it shouldn't have a stable orbit without burning fuel to keep it's position, and a candle like that could be picked up by just about anything."
Both of you take a minute to digest that info before Hailey continues.
"If we're gonna publish these charts, then I'm not including that dot, but it's there."
(Local star chart produced, can be sold for a minor income boost or saved as a negotiating chip. Hailey can now help with astronomy related tasks.)
(Unlocked new diplomatic options, unlocked new espionage actions)
(Roll weapons, required 25: 31)
The people in your tactical squad have done enough dry training, it's time to get them weapons, especially when you intend to advertise that you have ore for sale. In the interest of saving money, you order a set of rifles and several coffers of ammo, but not the significantly more expensive production patents or bullet forging kits, which proves to be both a blessing and a curse.
The bad news is that the weapons you get from the freighter are quickly found to be of subpar quality. They're prone to jamming in the fine powdery dust of the asteroid that lingers in the air after every move, there's an alarming misfire where a round ignites too fast in the chamber, leading to a chain reaction and a ruined magazine. Thankfully there weren't many rounds left, so the trooper didn't get injured.
At least the optics seem to be fine and the weapon profile is ergonomic.
The good news is that you've not spent a lot for the set and there's no need to try and recoup losses by producing more to use or sell, risking a reputation hit. On the first chance you get, the batch is getting decommissioned from active use into training gear. Still, they do work in a pinch and your men get to put their coordination to a proper test with live fire.
Although there is some hesitation to iron out, no one was hurt and the mock objectives were achieved within tolerances. At least that's what Miss Carpenter tells you, to the QRF, she's not nearly as kind.
(Your squads can be armed with basic weapons that they have some experience with.)
(Unlocked better armaments, weapon patents)
(Roll mines, required 30: 42)
You knew that you'd need to do some mining when you came here, so some of the tools you'd need you already have.
The hauler you used last year to get the solar field going is finally converted to a proper ore harvester. The drill bits are taken out of storage and checked over. While waiting for the results of the mineral surveys you have the team of miners go over maintenance and operation manuals.
When the first results come in, you rush to harvest the most you can before the freighter comes, gathering up a modest load of cuprite. It's not a huge amount, but it is enough to get the captain to land and pick it up at market rates.
After the ship leaves, the operation picks up steam. Instead of a quarry you get to set up a proper shaft, you complete the conveyor lines with the new engines you bought and you get adequate storage for the product. For now it amounts to little more than a separate hole in the ground close to the clearing you use as a landing pad, but it's not like you have to worry about rust.
(You are now exporting cuprite, a copper-oxygen crystal, the vein is promising and further improvements to the mines can be made)
(Unlocked mine expansion options)
(Roll living space, required 25: 28)
While you're not overseeing trade negotiations or the mines, you and Ken work on designing housing upgrades. It's a delicate process of shuffling people around while you break down walls and attach new modules to the base. Perhaps feeling a bit stretched out, you can tell in hindsight that some of the stuff isn't very well thought out, you could have made more efficient use of space here, routed piping better there and so on. Alas, what's done is done for now and the new units are still a definite improvement over the old ones. Most of the rooms can now be called as such. There's a bathroom attached to each unit and every third one is a double-decker, fit for a couple or a small family, affording some privacy to the residents.
The average apartment is not much different from a mid-class hotel room and you still simply assign them as people need them instead of renting them out or letting people buy permanent property. Kitchens are still not included due to open flame being a carefully controlled commodity, but the complex as a whole remains small enough to walk to the canteens for food. In total, you could probably fit half again as many people now and the overall living quality has risen, however marginally.
You've also remodeled some of the hallways, including as many clear glass windows as possible to reduce the claustrophobic feel of the place. Spacers like yourself are mostly used to the tunnel-like connector paths, but once the view-ports are installed, you have to admit that it does feel good to see the landscape, desolate though it may be.
(Living conditions improved, may see more family units forming. You have a good amount of quarters available to not feel too empty or too packed.)
(Unlocked further apartment enhancements)
(Roll background checks, required 30: 9)
"As far as I can tell, Hailey and Amanda are precisely what they claim to be," Erikson is delivering a private report to you in your new office, staring out the window overlooking the currently empty launch location and an engineer doing maintenance on the final bit of the conveyor. "A Texan with latino roots, probably just didn't get along with a superior at TI, got fed up with the firm and came here."
You nod and prompt him to continue. "Much the same with Amanda: both parents are from the States but she grew up in Tranquility. I assume you hired her because of the press scandal, not despite it. I did some digging and to be honest, I completely believe her version of events."
"Don't do business with the Ping-Lin Group, got it."
"At least run it by her first, could be an isolated incident or a bad branch firm thing." Erikson turns to you and cracks a wry grin, "Next up is me. As a show of trust I threw in some of the less known details of my divorce. I'd appreciate you keeping the exact settlement to yourself, but Hailey has badgered most of it out of me anyway."
Flipping through the files, you parse the final court summary, "So that's where my money is going. How about custody rights?"
"That's why the numbers are so big. I ended up settling for their demands if I got to keep her. Probably could have fought for it, it's not like she actually wanted to keep her for any other reason than the lawyers orders to use leverage, but when Kari is old enough to get the full details, she can know that some things are priceless," Erikson and you share a meaningful look as he stares you down.
"I've no children of my own, so I won't lie and give you empty platitudes about knowing what you feel, but for what it's worth, I think you made the right choice, Erikson."
He gives you a nod, then turns back to the window, "Moving on, Ken Hiragi."
"I'm listening."
"There's a few strange coincidences surrounding his first business getting started, but nothing that can't feasibly be explained by luck or random chance. In addition, there's an open missing person case on Troy matching his name and description. He's an adult, so someone must have filed it and either he doesn't know about it or he hasn't bothered to correct them. There's no legal trouble it could bring you, but it is a little strange."
"Any misinformed relatives looking for him?"
"His parents are in a retirement home, I imagine he's supporting them. No siblings and he's divorced from his wife, no kids either."
"Alright, maybe I'll just ask him about it," you try to imagine the mellow engineer as someone sinister and fail horribly.
"Which brings us to Lena Weissmeier," Erikson continues. "As far as potential influence goes, she's probably got more than the rest of us combined. The Weissmeier Group is big and the family could probably support her in luxury indefinitely."
"I was under the impression she voluntarily stepped away from it."
"Yes, but it is still something to keep in mind," the man leans forward onto your desk. "Money and assets should be of no import to her. Just as the file you gave me stated, she's in regular contact with the new head, her sister. But the messages she sends her are encrypted heavily enough that it's probably better than what went into that safenode we set up last year. Perhaps it's just how the ultrarich do things or some family proprietary software, but it does give me pause."
"I see," you sigh, "anything else?"
"This is probably more Hailey than me, but I'm worried that she's feeling left out. Hailey gets along with you and me, you tie Ken and Amanda into things, but Lena spends very little time with any of us. Not that I have a good solution, just something to consider."
"I'll try to keep it in mind. How about a more general system for going forward?"
Erikson shrugs, "Sorry boss, maybe if we weren't constantly bandwidth capped as is."
(Unlocked espionage actions to follow up on Ragnar's report)
(Roll mineral surveys, required 30: 61)
The first measurements and samples are taken based on proximity and the hazy images you obtained on your initial approach. The distinct reddish color of copper rich ore shines through with the right tools and a ground sample confirms the presence of cuprite - a copper oxygen crystal. Miss Weissmeier's report says that there's likely another vein of copper sulfides beneath this one and the likelyhood of finding some iron has gone up significantly.
The actual mineral itself is a rather pleasant ruby red, but crystals big enough to land on the carat scale and have the clearness of proper gemstone are exceedingly rare. Thus, while you won't be making jewelery out of your find, the copper is useful for heat conduction and basic wiring while the oxygen can be captured and used in a staggering number of processes, not to mention the most basic need to breathe. All in all, a valuable if common cache of resources for you to exploit.
Work on surveying the proximity of the base continues after that of course. It's late in the year when Weissmeier comes to your office, still in her field gear, requesting a meeting.
"Miss Weissmeier, to what do I owe the pleasure?" you offer her a drink that she quickly gulps down before opening a pouch on her belt and laying a few glittery nuggets on your desk.
"I've some excellent news, Mr. O'Rielly. About half an hour by rover north of here, there's a significant node of argentite, with veins of pure silver running throughout."
Before you can get a word in to congratulate her on the find, she continues, "I'm sure you're aware of it's value both as a rare metal as well as uses in electronics that you likely know more about than me, but I'd like to requisition a supply for medical research as well."
Again, before you have a chance to agree, she's caught her breath and keeps going, "Silver has many antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties when properly ministered, but the real groundbreaking application is in silver nanites and nanoparticles. The research is not necessarily expensive and doesn't require much material, a kilo of silver will easily last for months. And I don't need too many tools for it, just a few strong EM emitters and some diffusion vats."
This time you don't even try to get a word in, letting her build her case herself. For a solid ten minutes she details what must surely be all possible uses of medicinal silver, you finally intervene when she's about to pull up one of her by now infamous 3d animated graphs, "Miss Weissmeier, I'd be delighted to gift you first pick of any silver we pull up."
"...and the potential for prion disease treatment... Oh!" a pink dusting covers her cheeks when she processes what you just said. "That's... great. Thank you sir."
"Further, you're welcome to pursue whatever avenues of research you so desire, provided that your duties are properly managed. From what I understand, you're essentially ready to begin this research now, but I'm sure a proper lab would help. We'll discuss it at the next meeting in depth and set the yearly plan from there. Was there anything else I could do for you?"
"Yes, that is to say, no. Thank you. Of course, sir," she stammers out and forcibly shifts her tablet behind her. "I'll tell Ken the good news about the argentite vein. See you at the next meeting, sir."
(Full results of the survey indicate a good quality silver vein a bit further out than your existing copper mine.)
(Unlocked mines expansion - silver, more surveying, research into silver nanites)
Soon enough you call to order your annual planning meeting. Twice, because Hailey keeps muttering something under her breath.
"Miss Perez, a moment of your time please?"
She jerks upright, then waves her arms in front of her, "Sorry, boss, just, uhh... Going through some names. Yeah."
"Names?" you raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah, names. We can keep calling this place the rock or colony or asteroid or home or what-have-you, but it'll get mighty confusing if we do that in official diplomatic conversation."
She does raise a good point, "Any suggestions?"
"Tons, but none of them seem to fit. As much as this has become home to us, it's still your baby, you should be the one to name it."
"Hmm..."
[ ] Name
-[ ] Write-in
(This vote will remain open until we reach say... 4 votes for the most popular one, also please leave this line outside any plans.)
"Alright," Ken intersects, "by my understanding, our books are no longer red, but they're not quite green either. We've a way to go towards true self sufficiency as well."
"Our defenses might be quite important if we keep growing. Unfortunately we can't serve as a deterrent right now, merely a counterstrike. That'll change after the first engagement, I hope, but growth should be tempered with caution, sir."
The rest of the crew remain silent, agreeing with the assessment and awaiting your decision.
Hailey Perez, or just Hailey, as she insists, is an energetic and empathic woman. Prone to some daydreaming and perhaps not with the most intense attention span, she nonetheless has an uncanny insight into what people are feeling around her. A masterful poker player and a great shoulder to cry on, the latter by her own words at least, she's probably best suited to face-to-face meetings and positive contacts. Also recently gained a proficiency in astrology. Choose 1 task to send her on.
[ ] Diplomacy
-[ ] Advertise your colony
You'll pretty much always have room and jobs for people willing to put in the effort, but you won't get all that many colonists if no one knows of you. Place ads, make unreasonable and vague promises and put up flyers, whatever works. You'll probably get people to come, but they won't be… overqualified, to put it optimistically. On the other hand, maybe a bit of grunt work is exactly what you need right now, and occasionally you might – might – find rough diamonds with the slop. DC 20
-[ ] Establish relations with…
Subtly put out feelers for a patron, someone to legitimize your claim. Nothing overt, just find out who might be interested in your little rock and see what they might offer you in return. Nothing permanent or committal of course, your first partner will always be special and just the act of choosing will make you enemies as well as allies, even if they won't show it. Geez, this is like high school all over again, except now you need to worry about nuclear warheads instead of hurt feelings. DC 35
-[ ] Seek corporate deals
You can sell your output on the open market as it gets launched out, but the prices will fluctuate and rarely in your favor. Likewise for supplies of food, air and water, all of which can be scarce this close to the sun. After all, you can't very well not buy the food if deliveries come by once a year. Instead, you could find one of the many middle-man businesses that exist just to prevent that from happening. See what they'll offer you and make sure you can fulfill your part of the deal. DC 25
-[ ] Laws
While a 'what you say goes' policy is fine for now, you'll need to set up some standards eventually. How high is the tax rate, what to do with criminals, what about education, a jury of peers or professional judges, how (if) you'll pay your people. There's a countless amount of possible problems and an even more immeasurable amount of solutions. You and your staff won't be able to deal with everything, but that's no excuse for not making plans about anything. Begin work on a set of laws. DC 40
-[ ] Send a probe to New Ireland
New Ireland is mainly a refueling station, located on a chunk of ice from the rogue planet Lucifer. They process the ice into hydrogen and oxygen, selling the products as fuel for haulers on a round trip. A simple self-destructing probe can get in radio range of them and exchange your tightbeam comms protocols. DC 15
-[ ] Send a probe to Deckard Station
Maybe you should just go through New Ireland, but you can't well be faulted for trying if no one technically told you their political situation. And who knows, maybe you can get a better deal by talking with them directly. DC 25
-[ ] Send a probe to the Children of Dreamers
People with strange beliefs are nothing new and these ones are your closest neighbors. Surely they have some needs that you could fulfill or vice versa. DC 30
-[ ] Send a probe to the Prismdust research base
A research colony is usually well supplied by their patron, but they might have interesting patents to sell you and collaborative research, while a logistical nightmare, might produce some revolutionary results. DC 20
-[ ] Send a probe to the private resort
If it's some trillionaires party house, then something as exotic as locally sourced fruits and vegetables might very well fetch a price that would be ridiculous elsewhere. And the security staff have needs too, maybe you can undercut their current supplier. DC 25
Miss Carpenter projects an air of confidence and her no nonsense attitude backs up her demeanor. Perhaps a bit headstrong and stubborn, but as long as you don't act against her she'll likely be quite competent. The slightly more militarized situation you currently face might technically be outside her expertise, but watching her conducting training exercises out on the rocks certainly assuages such doubts. Choose 1 security action to focus her on.
[ ] Security
-[ ] Armor
As it currently stands, you're using stock exo-suits. They're bulky and hard to move in because of internal pressurization and rigid supports. They're fine for maintenance work, but not for casual strolls or anything more action packed. However, you could get a small unit kitted out in reinforced body suits that could be comfortably worn indoors and outdoors alike. Just send in the measurements and receive the merchandise. DC 25
-[ ] Squads
Your colony has a surprisingly professional and well liked police force, but that might be due to the fact that every officer is on first name basis with most residents. While you probably don't need more right this instant, looking ahead can't hurt. See if more people might be interested in joining the forces. DC 60
-[ ] Vehicles
You have in your possession a single heavy hauler and two electric buggies. None of them are fast enough to qualify as a response vehicle yet your rock is big enough that various mines should be spaced out across the surface, solar farms can be built out wide enough and enemies might land on your proverbial backside. Order two single-track astrobikes to deliver your emergency responders to the scene in a reasonable amount of time. DC 50
-[ ] Ships
Buying anything better than a tugboat attached to a fuel tanker is expensive. Really, really expensive. But you need to be able to project your power beyond your immediate colony. Whether as a statement to accompany your diplomats or as strike craft against asteroids or pirates, you'll be on the market for a proper spacecraft. DC 85
-[ ] Professional army
So it might be a bit presumptuous to call half a squad of enthusiasts an army, but it's a start. Fitness, team tactics, leadership exercises, rules of engagement and the like, alongside some live fire exercises to develop team cohesion is a good early basis for an officer corps. Ultimately you have dreams both of statehood and of mercenary groups you can rent out for sweet, sweet profit. DC 50
-[ ] Weapon patents
The guns you have are still in limited supply, no one wants to arm every random space rock after all. Do some shopping and convince a manufacturer to grant you access to their design specs so that you could start producing your own ammo and weapons. DC 60
-[ ] Better armaments
Turns out you nor anyone on your immediate staff is a trained soldier, so the weapons you got were probably more flash than bang. Not that they are completely useless, just that they could be so much better. Hunker down with your sheriff and find a better set of offensive equipment for your troops. DC 40
You and Ken often find yourselves working together; engineering as an honest means of work is something you're both intimately familiar with. Likewise you both know that a space station's engineers are her lifeblood, so you've hit it off quite well with the man. Far from being a simple farmer, he does have a solid base in nearly all things mechanical and you shore up the electric side of things. Now if only he wasn't such a scaredy-cat. Choose 2 projects to start building.
[ ] Engineering
-[ ] Mines - copper
Your first mines are up and running, providing you with a steady trickle of sellable ore. Expand that operation: widen shafts, open new ones, speed up transport, order new equipment. DC 40
-[ ] Mines - silver
Your science officer was quite enamored with the shiny metal and so are you. The veins are a bit further away than the copper is, but a little work has never stopped you from seeing the big picture: money. DC 40
-[ ] Refineries
No matter how much rock you sell off, eventually you'd have to be a fool to give up your mass when you can turn it into more valuable mass first. A proper oxygen extraction centrifuge is costly, but will serve double duty as safeguarding your own vital supply and providing fuel to arriving tankers. If they can refuel here, they can make the trip for less cost and so more of them will look your way. DC 30
-[ ] Luxury living space
The current apartments are adequate, but not luxurious. Expand the existing ones by including more floors and extra amenities. DC 40, can be taken with More living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] More living space
Now that actual money is rolling in and you're firmly established, more and more people will be coming. It's a good idea to stay ahead of the curve and start up a second complex of living space. DC 40, can be taken with Luxury living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] Docks
Your launch facilities are in a word pathetic. Refueling takes ages and is wasteful, you need to cart the supplies way too far and there's still a very real risk of something crashing directly into your domes. Set up something resembling a dock, instead of having a nice flat patch of rock some half a kilometer away serve as a launch site. DC 70
-[ ] Transportation
Moving to and from any installation on the surface is perilous. Low G walks under the blackness are scary and slow and you have almost no redundant cars. Ken pointed out that while you're small now, a robust metro network is never set up soon enough. The lack of unoccupied mining equipment is but a minor concern they assure you. DC 60
-[ ] Solar field expansion
You are producing enough for your present needs, but what about the you of tomorrow? Another expansion of the solar fields is in order. Storing the extra for the future might require some creative timing or another power-hungry project taken on concurrently, but complex undertakings have never daunted you before. DC 50
-[ ] Industrial capacitor bank
A massive array of capacitors that can be used to fully charge a spaceship's batteries in a few hours. While bigger vessels have means of generating their own power, they can occasionally carry empty cells to reload and sell. Smaller ships meanwhile need a recharge almost as often as a refueling. Also, there are other possible uses for massive and sudden energy releasing, namely railguns and mass drivers. Alas, this stuff is really, really, expensive. DC 80
-[ ] Industrial battery bank
A marginally cheaper alternative to capacitors, an oversized battery bank means that even if some disaster wipes out your energy farms, you'll have a month or so to do repairs before the air cyclers stop running. And you won't be wasting energy most of the time if you have a good reservoir to pump it into. DC 65
-[ ] Farms expansion: grain
A test run of your engineers and supply chains was successful, now it's time to branch out. Ken tells you that you should focus on variety over quantity next, both from a physiological as well as mental perspective. It does get quite dull to eat beans and rations on alternating days. Set up a second, smaller facility for a variety of grains: barley, wheat, rye, rice. DC 40
-[ ] Farms expansion: fruit
A test run of your engineers and supply chains was successful, now it's time to branch out. Ken tells you that you should focus on variety over quantity next, both from a physiological as well as mental perspective. It does get quite dull to eat beans and rations on alternating days. Set up a second, smaller facility for a plantation of fruits: grapes, watermelon, pineapple, lemons. DC 40
-[ ] Communal space
How's a dictator supposed to give rousing speeches to their people without a wide plaza and a balcony. Jokes aside, the harvest festival brought to your attention the fact that people don't have a sufficiently large area for gathering. Fostering a strong sense of community is something Hailey is constantly on your case about, and a space should be set aside for it. DC 40
A quiet individual, it took you months to find out that one of the children in your colony was the daughter of your personnel manager. When Ragnar Erikson does contribute to the conversation, it's usually a well thought out response or an insightful comment and his action plans are clear and concise. Perhaps this is just his way of separating his occasionally thankless job and his private life, as he seems to get along with Hailey at least. Choose 1 action.
[ ] Human Resources
-[ ] Background checks
Sure, you've vetted everybody important on board, but can they spot the lies on their underlings' resumes? Didn't think they had any? Maybe, but now you're thinking about it. Look into the staff of your staff, maybe they let someone accidentally slip through. If you intend to maintain control of your colony you'll need all the info you can get. Sic your spymas- set human resources to finding out about the people here, see what they'll dig up. DC 30
-[ ] Port info gathering
When various ships stop by your colony, they bring more than just material goods. They also bring a wealth of info, either from back home or locally. Also they have money they might spend elsewhere if you don't give them any reason to come out of their ships. A bar or two is bound to pop up sooner or later, but if you had a hand in the game from the start, you'll have a good source of rumors under your control. DC 35
-[ ] Surveillance
As of three hours ago, nobody had left any airlocks open or stolen extra rations, but you can't be sure that's still the case. To start with, a comprehensive set of motion sensors and fire alarms, pressure indicators and air purity measurers should be installed. It'll make the job of any future police that much easier and the first steps are just common sense on a rock without atmosphere. DC 30
-[ ] Audits
Right now you still have a good idea of how much stuff you have. But as time goes on and you hopefully continue to grow, these numbers will become muddier and muddier and the longer it's been since the last time someone checked, the harder it becomes. Better get ahead of the game and set up a system now. DC 30
-[ ] Sterile entry
The fact that you have no diseases loose among your population is a blessing easily overlooked. Although you've not had anyone new come in for a while, if and when that changes you intend to keep your base pox free. Set up medical scanners and a cleanroom by the main entrance, along with protocols for tracing, isolation and surveillance of newcomers, perhaps even medical background checks. It is a bit cumbersome and proper equipment is expensive, but it's the kind of thing you can only appreciate when it's far too late. DC 50
-[ ] Thorough check - Ken Hiragi
There's something about the nice, quiet ones. Erikson brought to your attention the barest of possibilites, but you should still follow up and reassure yourself. DC 50
-[ ] Thorough check - Lena Weissmeier
Why is she so secretive, what sinister motives could she have? Remember, it's only rude to pry if you get caught doing it. And no, this does not count as stalking or harassment, you're doing this for security reasons. DC 60
-[ ] Poke the black site
Alright, so you're not going to launch a probe to knock on their front door, but if a casual solar wind analyzer happens to pass by, they'd surely have more to lose by reacting to it. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it gave man the stars and if you've built a house next to a wolf den then you should make sure to guard your sheep. Err, bad analogy, you definitely don't think of your people as sheep. Anyways, try to find out anything about your secret neighbor. DC 75
Miss Weissmeier is a younger, more conventionally beautiful and feminine version of Miss Carpenter. Even in zero G she wears a dark business skirt and heels, her reports are thorough and drier than a vacuum, but you can't fault her data or methods. She might be the youngest on your council, and in rare moments her lack of life experience shows, but you're quite glad to have someone with medical expertise on standby at all times. Choose 1 subject.
[ ] Research
-[ ] Mineral surveys
The general readings claim that your rock should have a good balance of light and heavy metals, silicates and oxygen rich rock, and who knows what else. You've gone over the surrounding top soil, for lack of a better term, but there's more to the asteroid both in depth as well as further out, keep looking for more minerals. DC 40
-[ ] R&D labs
As it stands, your science corps is working out of two offices and a single room with tables, chairs, a whiteboard and a projector which they'll eventually move out of when there's more kids to school. Set up a room that has proper computers, a holodeck, some centrifuges and spectrometers at least. You'll leave the specifics to Miss Weissmeier. Got to start somewhere after all. DC 35
-[ ] Communications
Right now your best bet at transmitting data is to pack some drives on a resupply shuttle and send them off. Expand your reception arrays by building more and shielding them better to reduce loss. You'll still have periods of blackout when the Sun is in the way, but bouncing your signal around just has to wait for the moment, none of the existing deep space arrays are interested in your traffic and to change that is either the work of a diplomat or you'll need to design, manufacture and launch your own mirrors. DC 40
-[ ] Medic Training
The people in your colony come from various backgrounds and educations, but lifesaving knowledge is something everyone should have. Expand the rudimentary programs currently set up and make it a mandatory part of life on this rock. It will cut into productivity a bit but it'll be worth it to literally save lives. DC 20
-[ ] Trauma ward
Invest in a proper medical bed, some monitors and a respirator. Set up an x-ray machine. If you're particularly lucky, attract an actual surgeon. All things that might well save your own life one day. Alas, money is the one force that makes the planets orbit and you are feeling the lack of it. DC 55
-[ ] Silver nanites
Miss Weissmeier has charmed you into supporting her research on silver nanomachines for medical purposes. It'd be easier if you had proper mining set up for the silver, if your refining options were of better quality and quantity, if you actually had a lab, but she assures you that she can still start her work now, if you give her the green light. DC 75
Just in case it's not obvious, the characters in the story are very much unreliably narrators and they definitely don't know that their success is quantized to a dice roll. This warning is provided only once, as this is the first time an action failed when its failure isn't necessarily obvious to the people at hand.
It's been brought to my attention that just leaving the vote format unspecified can cause some confusion. Upon further reflection I think the quest will work best with a plan format, as options can have logical synergies with one another.
It'll also help me write and understand what people are looking to achieve if you provide a reasoning for your choices and how they interact with one-another. I hope this doesn't deter anyone from voting or active discussion, as much like the colony, our thread can only benefit from growing.
Also, apologies for any spelling mistakes, I'm currently away from home and much of the chapter was written on a laptop too old to run Word.
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[X] Plan: Grunts
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Advertise your colony
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Mines - silver
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] Trauma ward
We have a mine now and an expanded living space let's get some people to start filling it. The sterile entry and trauma ward will hopefully make is so that we can prevent anything going wrong with taking in a lot of new people.
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Advertise your colony
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Mines - silver
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] Trauma ward
We have a mine now and an expanded living space let's get some people to start filling it. The sterile entry and trauma ward will hopefully make is so that we can prevent anything going wrong with taking in a lot of new people.
- Location
- Computer Desk
[X] Plan: Grunts
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Advertise your colony
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Mines - silver
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] Trauma ward
I like this plan, its very much setting up a solid foothold for expansion. I'm not great with names myself otherwise I would recommend something.
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Advertise your colony
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Mines - silver
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] Trauma ward
I like this plan, its very much setting up a solid foothold for expansion. I'm not great with names myself otherwise I would recommend something.
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
[X] Plan: Finishing the Basics
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Refineries
--[X] Solar field expansion
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
This plan is about finishing up on the basics we need to set up to be ready for profit and further development. Laws to actually know how we'll be running this place and armour so our troops have better defences. Building refineries so we can process our culture into copper and oxygen, which should give much better results, depending on the roll it should be enough we don't need to expand them until several mining expansions later, and the solar panel field to actually safely power our mining operations and everything else it the same time. Sterile entry so once we start bringing people in next turn, or dealing with the greater number of transport's picking up our products we don't get hit by a disease and finally building the labs so our research team can actually do things without cutting corners of getting in others ways.
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Refineries
--[X] Solar field expansion
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Sterile entry
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
This plan is about finishing up on the basics we need to set up to be ready for profit and further development. Laws to actually know how we'll be running this place and armour so our troops have better defences. Building refineries so we can process our culture into copper and oxygen, which should give much better results, depending on the roll it should be enough we don't need to expand them until several mining expansions later, and the solar panel field to actually safely power our mining operations and everything else it the same time. Sterile entry so once we start bringing people in next turn, or dealing with the greater number of transport's picking up our products we don't get hit by a disease and finally building the labs so our research team can actually do things without cutting corners of getting in others ways.
[X] Plan Basic
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
We need to set up laws, have better security and produce more food before we expand our operations.
Background checks - because we failed this turn.
R&D labs is required before any serious research is conducted.
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
We need to set up laws, have better security and produce more food before we expand our operations.
Background checks - because we failed this turn.
R&D labs is required before any serious research is conducted.
- Location
- Pilipinas
[X] Plan Basic
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
[X] Colony name: Little Klondike
- after the alaskan gold rush boomtown
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
[X] Colony name: Little Klondike
- after the alaskan gold rush boomtown
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
Guess I'm changing my vote then. Prefer Plan Basic to Grunts.
[X] Plan Basic
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
[X] Plan Basic
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Laws
-[X] Security
--[X] Armor
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Farms expansion: grain
--[X] Farms expansion: fruit
-[X] Human Resources
--[X] Background checks
-[X] Research
--[X] R&D labs
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
[X]: Finishing the Basics
[X] Name: New Home
[X] Name: New Home
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] Plan: Grunts
I'd like to start mining silver ASAP because we are getting short on money. Taking care of our basic medical needs should make it more attractive to new settlers if we are willing to put our name out there, although I think it might be a little premature. Then again, I do not expect the effect to be immediate.
I'd like to start mining silver ASAP because we are getting short on money. Taking care of our basic medical needs should make it more attractive to new settlers if we are willing to put our name out there, although I think it might be a little premature. Then again, I do not expect the effect to be immediate.
[X] Plan: Finishing the Basics
Grunts leaves us only net neutral on income, because the extra money from silver mines and savings from more grain production are immediately drained by adding more people (and thus salaries to pay and mouths to feed).
Basic is a bit better, because boosting food production does improve the bottom line a bit, but IMO grabbing Refineries (and the supporting infrastructure for them) is a better move. It boosts income by adding value to the exports, adding another commodity to export a little (fuel), and it also reduces the DC for the Silver nanoparticle research that was one of the main benefits of our Research head.
It also means there'll be another income boost in later turns when we start on the silver mine, so Refineries is really hitting a whole pile of birds with one stone.
Grunts leaves us only net neutral on income, because the extra money from silver mines and savings from more grain production are immediately drained by adding more people (and thus salaries to pay and mouths to feed).
Basic is a bit better, because boosting food production does improve the bottom line a bit, but IMO grabbing Refineries (and the supporting infrastructure for them) is a better move. It boosts income by adding value to the exports, adding another commodity to export a little (fuel), and it also reduces the DC for the Silver nanoparticle research that was one of the main benefits of our Research head.
It also means there'll be another income boost in later turns when we start on the silver mine, so Refineries is really hitting a whole pile of birds with one stone.
Turn 4 - 2173 - Highs and Lows
Winner said:
(Roll advertise your colony, required 20: 73)
You've never had a problem with public speaking, but talking to a camera feels wholly different and weird. You're going through the hydroponic gardens with Hailey expertly walking backwards in front of you, a shoulder mounted lens pointed towards your face.
"As you can see, even in the furthest reaches of space we have a corner of greenery, reminding us…" Hailey just sighs and the little red light blinks off.
"No, boss. First, don't make it sound like we're a backwater rock," she mimics your voice far too well, "in the furthest reaches of space. We're exciting new opportunities, not a deathtrap cut off from civilization. I like the greenery angle, but frame it as something pleasant here, not something that reminds people of where they come from. If they're thinking 'hey yeah, it sure is nice to have some greenery here at home' they're not thinking about leaving it behind and coming here. Let's go again."
This is not the first or second take, each sentence of your normal cadence and mannerisms chopped up and fed through the PR engine that is Hailey Perez. You've grown used to the drill.
"As you can see, our gardens are a perfect place for a relaxing stroll, and the food we grow here tastes great," your camera operator gives you a thumbs up and motions to keep going, "Soon, we'll also be expanding our production to grains, so the halls will be filled with the scent of freshly baked bread and the evening drinks will be locally sourced."
"Nice one, you do listen to what I say. I might cut the last part in post, references to alcohol can end up driving people off, but I'll have to see how it flows before I can be sure. Do you want to do the entry or the trauma ward next?"
"I'd say the ward as I have a meeting with Miss Weissmeier in half an hour, but the builders are currently in there doing wiring. Let's pack up here for now and pick up tomorrow?"
"Works for me, I'll see if I can't get the QRF coming in on camera. I'd wager most of the people we're attracting will at least be interested in military work, so it should be good shots."
The first of your recruitment videos is out just before the freighter leaves a low orbit Earth station, and a handful of people get to serve as a test case for your new immigration protocols, thankfully taking it in stride. Over the course of the year you shoot another three clips, waving the flag, as Hailey calls it.
Even if people probably won't be coming here on their own ships or chartering extras, keeping your name out there and in peoples' minds is important. Your resident expert claims that any push for publicity will work in one of two ways. Either there will be an explosive start and a quick drop-off or a slow ramping of interest until people get sick of it and after a plateau you'd have a steady drop-off. She advises you that it'll be easier to attract more people the longer you keep working on the campaign, each wave of releases having a cumulative effect.
(Some people have arrived on station, more are expected to come next year)
(Roll armor, required 25: 11)
You always knew it would happen eventually. In truth, you're surprised it took this long. What is quite the blessing certainly feels more like a curse now.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to pay our respects to Felix Holst," you start the ceremony standing next to a closed metal coffin. Amanda is half a step behind you, even more stonefaced than usual.
"A beloved member of our community, Felix was always quick to crack a joke and tease out a smile. As part of our burgeoning defense force, he knew that what we are doing is worth doing, despite the risks. Alas, he will not be here to lend his wits and dedication to our cause in the flesh."
A catastrophic servo malfunction in the upper left thigh motor caused the whole limb to spin uncontrollably. Normally the power armor is meant to assist with moving the pressurized suits, but somehow the safeties failed and ripped the leg first out of the socket, then threshed the thigh bone, severing the femoral artery.
"Sometimes, the sacrifices we make aren't grand gestures or noble last stands. All too often a life is lost in a seemingly mundane accident, even more so here, near the sun and away from the safety net of Earth. But make no mistake, while Felix isn't here as a soldier, a friend, a son, he is here still. His memory will live with us all and our triumphs shall be his triumphs."
It took him four minutes to bleed out, screaming, pleading and rasping on the open intercom, Amanda confided in you while Weissmeier was going over the suit to find the fault and the body was prepared for cremation.
"I shut it down for the others, but I wouldn't turn if off for myself," she said, uncharacteristically hunched over as she sat in your office. "The motor just kept going and we couldn't even get close to him. Not that it would've done any good, we were too far out anyways. Just a regular training run. I'd forgotten just how perilous it is out here, too stuck in a routine."
You walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder, "It's not your fault."
"Yeah, but I should have done something. He was suffering and all I could do was watch. Should I have shot him? I knew we couldn't save him."
"And that is not your responsibility. He knew the risks, we'll get through this."
The picture of a smiling young man is draped in black cloth above the coffin behind you, "Mister Holst is survived by loving parents and a younger sister in Tranquility. Our hearts go out to them."
You didn't really know the man. Sure you had some basic facts and you'd talked to him plenty of times, but always of meaningless things, so your short and impersonal eulogy is the best you could come up with. After a short pause with your head bowed, you continue, "Let us take today to reflect on the people around us, talk and grieve. It's a brutal remainder that life is precious and fleeting. If anyone wants to talk, my door is open and if you want to spend some time in silence, this room will remain as is until 8 AM tomorrow. Thank you."
You step away from the lectern and move through the crowd of thirty or so people, all of them silent. Amanda remains by the casket, standing vigil over her fallen comrade.
(Roll mines – silver, required 40: 7)
Between the media campaign, the tragic death and Ken's infectious enthusiasm for the farms, you keep putting off organizing the mining complex over the silver vein. The main proponent, Weissmeier, is likewise swept up in Erikson's cleanroom work and so you find yourself just never having enough time to work out a good plan for the silver.
The sequence of delays doesn't just stop with your own shortcomings – the second drill bit you ordered faced delays in the production phase, something about tax disputes between the US and Europe. While you're granted partial compensation when the freighter doesn't deliver your machine, you still want the thing, so you don't ask for a full refund. All told, you can optimistically say that you've laid some ground work, but this year, no silver is extracted in your colony.
(Roll farms expansion: grain, required 40: 100)
While your mine ventures languish, Ken's work on the farms is a resounding success.
"The barley strain is special, William," he tells you when the first harvest rolls in, "It's something I was working on before coming here even."
As far as you can tell the grain looks maybe a bit bigger than you expected, but nothing beyond that.
"It's a two-row crop with almost all allergens removed, while the sugar yield is greatly increased. Also note the full heads: the stalk is duplicated, producing double the amount of grain. Genetically identical to the two-row, but it grows in four, saving space and reducing water consumption."
"I'll be honest Ken, none of what you just said means anything to me. I'm just glad it's a good harvest."
"Oh it's excellent," the man runs his hand over the multi-ton bin, "I never expected it to do so well. The samples I grew on Troy suffered from the lack of gravity, the spikes on the seeds shattering far too soon for convenient gathering, but here it's just fine, the microgravity environment seems to be enough to bring the gene back to the expected configuration."
"Again, I'm glad it's good. How much of it is there? The extension was supposed to be smaller and more diverse as I understood the plans."
Ken grins at you, "Nutritionally we've just about doubled our output, the seeds we got have an extraordinarily high yield. We might run into some complications with fertilizers in a few years' time, but it's a minor problem and easy to fix by keeping track of samples and acting accordingly. Nothing for you to worry about."
You have enough time for a second harvest late in the year, but this time, Ken instead invites you to his private quarters.
"Step in, Will," he greets you, "I have something of a surprise for you."
Interest piqued, you follow him to his table while he goes for the fridge, "What is it?"
Instead of answering he pulls out two aluminum cans, covering the color print on them with his hands, "The first microbrew, made of local ingredients. I know you've been beating yourself up and running yourself ragged this year, figured you might want to relax to a cold one for a change."
"Thanks, did you brew enough for the rest of the crew too? We've all been working hard."
"Well, about that… I'll need to ask you to requisition me a new office room. I've kind of made my old one into a brewery. Here, first drinks, I'll get them bottled later, the cans will do for now."
He hands you the chilled container and you see the logo on it as Ken pulls the tab on his own and says, "I've called it Felix."
You simply tap yours to his and take a swig.
It tastes divine.
(Farms expanded: you have no risk of running into food shortages even after population growth, brewery established: luxury goods available for export. Ken Hiragi is has discovered a nearly supernatural talent for the creation of various alcohols.)
(Unlocked aquaculture project, unlocked bakery)
(Roll sterile entry, required 50: 95)
The main worry and bottleneck to making sure people who get into your environment are healthy is the long quarantine and no matter how you and Erikson try to section movement and cleaning protocols, the best you can do is a two-week stay in a sealed off part of the base that would need its own air supply and waste management.
That is, until Lena Weissmeier joins your planning committee.
"The procedure is a bit experimental, but it's shown promise so far. A biometric scan and some clever machine intelligence work can detect potential malignant sources for targeted blood analysis with two sigma for true positives and five sigma for false negatives."
You're doing your best to keep up and struggling, but Erikson seems to be on the same page as her.
"Combined with the rapid spectroscopy for the bloodwork, we can let most people out in hours, a day at most provided they're healthy, minutes if there's only a few incoming. Not to mention that both procedures are vital tools for population statistics."
Weissmeier's smirk is little more than a shifting of her lips, but for her it's the equivalent of a giggle, "You mean surveillance. I'm well used to internal monitoring and acknowledge its necessity."
"Glad we see eye to eye on the subject, miss," Erikson continues without batting an eye, "Alright O'Rielly, neither of us has the necessary bioinformatics background to set up the system, so if you want this thing done properly, I'll need to drag Lena away from the hospital for some time. For what it's worth, I think it'll be worth it; getting this set up will let us do more than screen arrivals for disease. Smugglers won't stand a chance without inside help, we can react that much faster to health issues in our own people, a DNA profile on file is helpful for Carpenter's work and those background checks we've discussed will be that much more thorough."
"I concur," Weissmeier steps in, "work on the trauma ward continues apace regardless, sir, it's mostly out of my hands for the moment. We're just missing some special equipment and a qualified surgeon, neither of which I can do much about."
(Wait times for the airlock are almost trivially small)
(Roll trauma ward, required 55: 41)
Said trauma ward has run into the same issues as your drill bit for the silver mine. Parts of the robot meant for surgery assistance have been delayed, leaving the machine effectively without hands – a state not conductive to successful surgery. Likewise, none of the people who arrived this year are doctors. A lot of surgeries can be taken care of by machines, but there's still something to be said for a professional's quick improvisational abilities.
Weissmeier said she forwarded her recommendation for the hire to Erikson, who said he went over the people and sent them to Hailey. She said that the invites have been sent, but it's not like they'd get here before the next shuttle and that they'd likely take quite a bit of time to think your offer over either way.
Still, most of the work on the project is done. The beds are set, the rooms are built and medicine is stocked.
-.-
"Ken, why don't you kick us off today?" you're all sitting in your office for another end of year review and planning meeting.
"Our food stores are in a great spot, all we need for nutritional independence is some acids. In addition to the copper exports we could potentially sell our produce on the local scale. Obviously we can't compete with Earth's prices on the wider solar market, but we can carve out a niche for some choice goods."
Erikson continues with the good news, "The port airlock system is a tentative success, while we've not had a big sample size for stress testing, all simulations point to a truly great and innovative system. My thanks to Lena for making it possible."
The woman nods her head, then purses her lips, "The trauma ward is waiting for the next freighter, provided we maintain our focus on it. The facilities are as ready as I can get them, but the equipment should be checked over by a true professional and they'll need to acclimatize to our colony before the unit can be declared open, sir."
"The armored suits have been dismantled," Carpenter briefly states, "I don't think anyone would be willing to get in those suits after that."
Hailey remains unusually quiet, but you're quite aware of the media blitz she's been orchestrating with your face. The less said about your own personal efforts the better.
"So, now that everyone is up to speed, let's get down to business."
-.-
Hailey Perez, or just Hailey, as she insists, is an energetic and empathic woman. Prone to some daydreaming and perhaps not with the most intense attention span, she nonetheless has an uncanny insight into what people are feeling around her. A masterful poker player and a great shoulder to cry on, the latter by her own words at least, she's probably best suited to face-to-face meetings and positive contacts. Also proficient in astrology. Choose 1 task to send her on.
[ ] Diplomacy
-[ ] Advertise your colony
You'll pretty much always have room and jobs for people willing to put in the effort, but you won't get all that many colonists if no one knows of you. Place ads, make unreasonable and vague promises and put up flyers, whatever works. You'll probably get people to come, but they won't be… overqualified, to put it optimistically. On the other hand, maybe a bit of grunt work is exactly what you need right now, and occasionally you might – might – find rough diamonds with the slop. DC 25
-[ ] Establish relations with…
Subtly put out feelers for a patron, someone to legitimize your claim. Nothing overt, just find out who might be interested in your little rock and see what they might offer you in return. Nothing permanent or committal of course, your first partner will always be special and just the act of choosing will make you enemies as well as allies, even if they won't show it. Geez, this is like high school all over again, except now you need to worry about nuclear warheads instead of hurt feelings. DC 35
-[ ] Seek corporate deals
You can sell your output on the open market as it gets launched out, but the prices will fluctuate and rarely in your favor. Likewise for supplies of food, air and water, all of which can be scarce this close to the sun. After all, you can't very well not buy the food if deliveries come by once a year. Instead, you could find one of the many middle-man businesses that exist just to prevent that from happening. See what they'll offer you and make sure you can fulfill your part of the deal. DC 25
-[ ] Laws
While a 'what you say goes' policy is fine for now, you'll need to set up some standards eventually. How high is the tax rate, what to do with criminals, what about education, a jury of peers or professional judges, how (if) you'll pay your people. There's a countless amount of possible problems and an even more immeasurable amount of solutions. You and your staff won't be able to deal with everything, but that's no excuse for not making plans about anything. Begin work on a set of laws. DC 40
-[ ] Send a probe to New Ireland
New Ireland is mainly a refueling station, located on a chunk of ice from the rogue planet Lucifer. They process the ice into hydrogen and oxygen, selling the products as fuel for haulers on a round trip. A simple self-destructing probe can get in radio range of them and exchange your tightbeam comms protocols. DC 15
-[ ] Send a probe to Deckard Station
Maybe you should just go through New Ireland, but you can't well be faulted for trying if no one technically told you their political situation. And who knows, maybe you can get a better deal by talking with them directly. DC 25
-[ ] Send a probe to the Children of Dreamers
People with strange beliefs are nothing new and these ones are your closest neighbors. Surely they have some needs that you could fulfill or vice versa. DC 30
-[ ] Send a probe to the Prismdust research base
A research colony is usually well supplied by their patron, but they might have interesting patents to sell you and collaborative research, while a logistical nightmare, might produce some revolutionary results. DC 20
-[ ] Send a probe to the private resort
If it's some trillionaires party house, then something as exotic as locally sourced fruits and vegetables might very well fetch a price that would be ridiculous elsewhere. And the security staff have needs too, maybe you can undercut their current supplier. DC 25
You'll pretty much always have room and jobs for people willing to put in the effort, but you won't get all that many colonists if no one knows of you. Place ads, make unreasonable and vague promises and put up flyers, whatever works. You'll probably get people to come, but they won't be… overqualified, to put it optimistically. On the other hand, maybe a bit of grunt work is exactly what you need right now, and occasionally you might – might – find rough diamonds with the slop. DC 25
-[ ] Establish relations with…
Subtly put out feelers for a patron, someone to legitimize your claim. Nothing overt, just find out who might be interested in your little rock and see what they might offer you in return. Nothing permanent or committal of course, your first partner will always be special and just the act of choosing will make you enemies as well as allies, even if they won't show it. Geez, this is like high school all over again, except now you need to worry about nuclear warheads instead of hurt feelings. DC 35
-[ ] Seek corporate deals
You can sell your output on the open market as it gets launched out, but the prices will fluctuate and rarely in your favor. Likewise for supplies of food, air and water, all of which can be scarce this close to the sun. After all, you can't very well not buy the food if deliveries come by once a year. Instead, you could find one of the many middle-man businesses that exist just to prevent that from happening. See what they'll offer you and make sure you can fulfill your part of the deal. DC 25
-[ ] Laws
While a 'what you say goes' policy is fine for now, you'll need to set up some standards eventually. How high is the tax rate, what to do with criminals, what about education, a jury of peers or professional judges, how (if) you'll pay your people. There's a countless amount of possible problems and an even more immeasurable amount of solutions. You and your staff won't be able to deal with everything, but that's no excuse for not making plans about anything. Begin work on a set of laws. DC 40
-[ ] Send a probe to New Ireland
New Ireland is mainly a refueling station, located on a chunk of ice from the rogue planet Lucifer. They process the ice into hydrogen and oxygen, selling the products as fuel for haulers on a round trip. A simple self-destructing probe can get in radio range of them and exchange your tightbeam comms protocols. DC 15
-[ ] Send a probe to Deckard Station
Maybe you should just go through New Ireland, but you can't well be faulted for trying if no one technically told you their political situation. And who knows, maybe you can get a better deal by talking with them directly. DC 25
-[ ] Send a probe to the Children of Dreamers
People with strange beliefs are nothing new and these ones are your closest neighbors. Surely they have some needs that you could fulfill or vice versa. DC 30
-[ ] Send a probe to the Prismdust research base
A research colony is usually well supplied by their patron, but they might have interesting patents to sell you and collaborative research, while a logistical nightmare, might produce some revolutionary results. DC 20
-[ ] Send a probe to the private resort
If it's some trillionaires party house, then something as exotic as locally sourced fruits and vegetables might very well fetch a price that would be ridiculous elsewhere. And the security staff have needs too, maybe you can undercut their current supplier. DC 25
Miss Carpenter projects an air of confidence and her no nonsense attitude backs up her demeanor. Perhaps a bit headstrong and stubborn, but as long as you don't act against her she'll likely be quite competent. The slightly more militarized situation you currently face might technically be outside her expertise, but watching her conducting training exercises out on the rocks certainly assuages such doubts. Choose 1 security action to focus her on.
[ ] Security
-[ ] Armor
As it currently stands, you're using stock exo-suits. They're bulky and hard to move in because of internal pressurization and rigid supports. They're fine for maintenance work, but not for casual strolls or anything more action packed. However, you could get a small unit kitted out in reinforced body suits that could be comfortably worn indoors and outdoors alike. Just send in the measurements and receive the merchandise. And make damn sure that what you're getting is up to snuff. DC 30
-[ ] Squads
Your colony has a surprisingly professional and well liked police force, but that might be due to the fact that every officer is on first name basis with most residents. While you probably don't need more right this instant, looking ahead can't hurt. See if more people might be interested in joining the forces. DC 50
-[ ] Vehicles
You have in your possession a single heavy hauler and two electric buggies. None of them are fast enough to qualify as a response vehicle yet your rock is big enough that various mines should be spaced out across the surface, solar farms can be built out wide enough and enemies might land on your proverbial backside. Order two single-track astrobikes to deliver your emergency responders to the scene in a reasonable amount of time. DC 50
-[ ] Ships
Buying anything better than a tugboat attached to a fuel tanker is expensive. Really, really expensive. But you need to be able to project your power beyond your immediate colony. Whether as a statement to accompany your diplomats or as strike craft against asteroids or pirates, you'll be on the market for a proper spacecraft. DC 85
-[ ] Professional army
So it might be a bit presumptuous to call half a squad of enthusiasts an army, but it's a start. Fitness, team tactics, leadership exercises, rules of engagement and the like, alongside some live fire exercises to develop team cohesion is a good early basis for an officer corps. Ultimately you have dreams both of statehood and of mercenary groups you can rent out for sweet, sweet profit. DC 45
-[ ] Weapon patents
The guns you have are still in limited supply, no one wants to arm every random space rock after all. Do some shopping and convince a manufacturer to grant you access to their design specs so that you could start producing your own ammo and weapons. DC 55
-[ ] Better armaments
Turns out you nor anyone on your immediate staff is a trained soldier, so the weapons you got were probably more flash than bang. Not that they are completely useless, just that they could be so much better. Hunker down with your sheriff and find a better set of offensive equipment for your troops. DC 40
As it currently stands, you're using stock exo-suits. They're bulky and hard to move in because of internal pressurization and rigid supports. They're fine for maintenance work, but not for casual strolls or anything more action packed. However, you could get a small unit kitted out in reinforced body suits that could be comfortably worn indoors and outdoors alike. Just send in the measurements and receive the merchandise. And make damn sure that what you're getting is up to snuff. DC 30
-[ ] Squads
Your colony has a surprisingly professional and well liked police force, but that might be due to the fact that every officer is on first name basis with most residents. While you probably don't need more right this instant, looking ahead can't hurt. See if more people might be interested in joining the forces. DC 50
-[ ] Vehicles
You have in your possession a single heavy hauler and two electric buggies. None of them are fast enough to qualify as a response vehicle yet your rock is big enough that various mines should be spaced out across the surface, solar farms can be built out wide enough and enemies might land on your proverbial backside. Order two single-track astrobikes to deliver your emergency responders to the scene in a reasonable amount of time. DC 50
-[ ] Ships
Buying anything better than a tugboat attached to a fuel tanker is expensive. Really, really expensive. But you need to be able to project your power beyond your immediate colony. Whether as a statement to accompany your diplomats or as strike craft against asteroids or pirates, you'll be on the market for a proper spacecraft. DC 85
-[ ] Professional army
So it might be a bit presumptuous to call half a squad of enthusiasts an army, but it's a start. Fitness, team tactics, leadership exercises, rules of engagement and the like, alongside some live fire exercises to develop team cohesion is a good early basis for an officer corps. Ultimately you have dreams both of statehood and of mercenary groups you can rent out for sweet, sweet profit. DC 45
-[ ] Weapon patents
The guns you have are still in limited supply, no one wants to arm every random space rock after all. Do some shopping and convince a manufacturer to grant you access to their design specs so that you could start producing your own ammo and weapons. DC 55
-[ ] Better armaments
Turns out you nor anyone on your immediate staff is a trained soldier, so the weapons you got were probably more flash than bang. Not that they are completely useless, just that they could be so much better. Hunker down with your sheriff and find a better set of offensive equipment for your troops. DC 40
You and Ken often find yourselves working together; engineering as an honest means of work is something you're both intimately familiar with. Likewise you both know that a space station's engineers are her lifeblood, so you've hit it off quite well with the man. Far from being a simple farmer, he does have a solid base in nearly all things mechanical and you shore up the electric side of things. While he's still shy, his beer is to die for. Choose 2 projects to start building.
[ ] Engineering
-[ ] Mines – copper
Your first mines are up and running, providing you with a steady trickle of sellable ore. Expand that operation: widen shafts, open new ones, speed up transport, order new equipment. DC 40
-[ ] Mines – silver
Your science officer was quite enamored with the shiny metal and so are you. The veins are a bit further away than the copper is, but a little work has never stopped you from seeing the big picture: money. An extra drill head is arriving regardless. DC 35
-[ ] Refineries
No matter how much rock you sell off, eventually you'd have to be a fool to give up your mass when you can turn it into more valuable mass first. A proper oxygen extraction centrifuge is costly, but will serve double duty as safeguarding your own vital supply and providing fuel to arriving tankers. If they can refuel here, they can make the trip for less cost and so more of them will look your way. DC 30
-[ ] Luxury living space
The current apartments are adequate, but not luxurious. Expand the existing ones by including more floors and extra amenities. DC 40, can be taken with More living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] More living space
Now that actual money is rolling in and you're firmly established, more and more people will be coming. It's a good idea to stay ahead of the curve and start up a second complex of living space. DC 40, can be taken with Luxury living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] Docks
Your launch facilities are in a word pathetic. Refueling takes ages and is wasteful, you need to cart the supplies way too far and there's still a very real risk of something crashing directly into your domes. Set up something resembling a dock, instead of having a nice flat patch of rock some half a kilometer away serve as a launch site. DC 70
-[ ] Transportation
Moving to and from any installation on the surface is perilous. Low G walks under the blackness are scary and slow and you have almost no redundant cars. Ken pointed out that while you're small now, a robust metro network is never set up soon enough. This could be a chance while you have unused mining equipment laying around. DC 40
-[ ] Solar field expansion
You are producing enough for your present needs, but what about the you of tomorrow? Another expansion of the solar fields is in order. Storing the extra for the future might require some creative timing or another power-hungry project taken on concurrently, but complex undertakings have never daunted you before. DC 50
-[ ] Industrial capacitor bank
A massive array of capacitors that can be used to fully charge a spaceship's batteries in a few hours. While bigger vessels have means of generating their own power, they can occasionally carry empty cells to reload and sell. Smaller ships meanwhile need a recharge almost as often as a refueling. Also, there are other possible uses for massive and sudden energy releasing, namely railguns and mass drivers. Alas, this stuff is really, really, expensive. DC 80
-[ ] Industrial battery bank
A marginally cheaper alternative to capacitors, an oversized battery bank means that even if some disaster wipes out your energy farms, you'll have a month or so to do repairs before the air cyclers stop running. And you won't be wasting energy most of the time if you have a good reservoir to pump it into. DC 65
-[ ] Farms expansion: fruit
A test run of your engineers and supply chains was successful, now it's time to branch out. Ken tells you that you should focus on variety over quantity next, both from a physiological as well as mental perspective. It does get quite dull to eat beans and rations on alternating days. Set up a second, smaller facility for a plantation of fruits: grapes, watermelon, pineapple, lemons. DC 40
-[ ] Communal space
How's a dictator supposed to give rousing speeches to their people without a wide plaza and a balcony. Jokes aside, the harvest festival brought to your attention the fact that people don't have a sufficiently large area for gathering. Fostering a strong sense of community is something Hailey is constantly on your case about, and a space should be set aside for it. DC 40
-[ ] Aquaculture
Ken has come to you with a rather strange idea. The water cisterns you currently have are filled with distilled, pure H2O and you regularly add mineral content to it between the tank and a tap. What if you instead switched the injectors for filters and opened up the tanks. And then, he tells you, put fish in them. Most mammals and birds fare poorly in the super-low gravity, but supposedly fish mostly do fine and the stuff humans like to drink is an ideal environment to grow them. DC 60
-[ ] Bakery
The closest thing to fresh bread you've had in years are the dry crackers from the ration packs that, rumors say, expand when you apply moisture. You now have a variety of grains, things like rye bread and rice cookies would definitely sell like hot cakes. Also, muffins, 'nuff said. DC 30
Your first mines are up and running, providing you with a steady trickle of sellable ore. Expand that operation: widen shafts, open new ones, speed up transport, order new equipment. DC 40
-[ ] Mines – silver
Your science officer was quite enamored with the shiny metal and so are you. The veins are a bit further away than the copper is, but a little work has never stopped you from seeing the big picture: money. An extra drill head is arriving regardless. DC 35
-[ ] Refineries
No matter how much rock you sell off, eventually you'd have to be a fool to give up your mass when you can turn it into more valuable mass first. A proper oxygen extraction centrifuge is costly, but will serve double duty as safeguarding your own vital supply and providing fuel to arriving tankers. If they can refuel here, they can make the trip for less cost and so more of them will look your way. DC 30
-[ ] Luxury living space
The current apartments are adequate, but not luxurious. Expand the existing ones by including more floors and extra amenities. DC 40, can be taken with More living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] More living space
Now that actual money is rolling in and you're firmly established, more and more people will be coming. It's a good idea to stay ahead of the curve and start up a second complex of living space. DC 40, can be taken with Luxury living space for DC 70, counts as 1 action
-[ ] Docks
Your launch facilities are in a word pathetic. Refueling takes ages and is wasteful, you need to cart the supplies way too far and there's still a very real risk of something crashing directly into your domes. Set up something resembling a dock, instead of having a nice flat patch of rock some half a kilometer away serve as a launch site. DC 70
-[ ] Transportation
Moving to and from any installation on the surface is perilous. Low G walks under the blackness are scary and slow and you have almost no redundant cars. Ken pointed out that while you're small now, a robust metro network is never set up soon enough. This could be a chance while you have unused mining equipment laying around. DC 40
-[ ] Solar field expansion
You are producing enough for your present needs, but what about the you of tomorrow? Another expansion of the solar fields is in order. Storing the extra for the future might require some creative timing or another power-hungry project taken on concurrently, but complex undertakings have never daunted you before. DC 50
-[ ] Industrial capacitor bank
A massive array of capacitors that can be used to fully charge a spaceship's batteries in a few hours. While bigger vessels have means of generating their own power, they can occasionally carry empty cells to reload and sell. Smaller ships meanwhile need a recharge almost as often as a refueling. Also, there are other possible uses for massive and sudden energy releasing, namely railguns and mass drivers. Alas, this stuff is really, really, expensive. DC 80
-[ ] Industrial battery bank
A marginally cheaper alternative to capacitors, an oversized battery bank means that even if some disaster wipes out your energy farms, you'll have a month or so to do repairs before the air cyclers stop running. And you won't be wasting energy most of the time if you have a good reservoir to pump it into. DC 65
-[ ] Farms expansion: fruit
A test run of your engineers and supply chains was successful, now it's time to branch out. Ken tells you that you should focus on variety over quantity next, both from a physiological as well as mental perspective. It does get quite dull to eat beans and rations on alternating days. Set up a second, smaller facility for a plantation of fruits: grapes, watermelon, pineapple, lemons. DC 40
-[ ] Communal space
How's a dictator supposed to give rousing speeches to their people without a wide plaza and a balcony. Jokes aside, the harvest festival brought to your attention the fact that people don't have a sufficiently large area for gathering. Fostering a strong sense of community is something Hailey is constantly on your case about, and a space should be set aside for it. DC 40
-[ ] Aquaculture
Ken has come to you with a rather strange idea. The water cisterns you currently have are filled with distilled, pure H2O and you regularly add mineral content to it between the tank and a tap. What if you instead switched the injectors for filters and opened up the tanks. And then, he tells you, put fish in them. Most mammals and birds fare poorly in the super-low gravity, but supposedly fish mostly do fine and the stuff humans like to drink is an ideal environment to grow them. DC 60
-[ ] Bakery
The closest thing to fresh bread you've had in years are the dry crackers from the ration packs that, rumors say, expand when you apply moisture. You now have a variety of grains, things like rye bread and rice cookies would definitely sell like hot cakes. Also, muffins, 'nuff said. DC 30
A quiet individual, it took you months to find out that one of the children in your colony was the daughter of your personnel manager. When Ragnar Erikson does contribute to the conversation, it's usually a well thought out response or an insightful comment and his action plans are clear and concise. Perhaps this is just his way of separating his occasionally thankless job and his private life, as he seems to get along with Hailey at least. Choose 1 action.
[ ] Human Resources
-[ ] Background checks
Sure, you've vetted everybody important on board, but can they spot the lies on their underlings' resumes? Didn't think they had any? Maybe, but now you're thinking about it. Look into the staff of your staff, maybe they let someone accidentally slip through. If you intend to maintain control of your colony you'll need all the info you can get. Sic your spymas- set human resources to finding out about the people here, see what they'll dig up. DC 25
-[ ] Port info gathering
When various ships stop by your colony, they bring more than just material goods. They also bring a wealth of info, either from back home or locally. Also they have money they might spend elsewhere if you don't give them any reason to come out of their ships. A bar or two is bound to pop up sooner or later, but if you had a hand in the game from the start, you'll have a good source of rumors under your control. DC 20
-[ ] Surveillance
As of three hours ago, nobody had left any airlocks open or stolen extra rations, but you can't be sure that's still the case. To start with, a comprehensive set of motion sensors and fire alarms, pressure indicators and air purity measurers should be installed. It'll make the job of any future police that much easier and the first steps are just common sense on a rock without atmosphere. DC 30
-[ ] Audits
Right now you still have a good idea of how much stuff you have. But as time goes on and you hopefully continue to grow, these numbers will become muddier and muddier and the longer it's been since the last time someone checked, the harder it becomes. Better get ahead of the game and set up a system now. DC 30
-[ ] Thorough check - Ken Hiragi
There's something about the nice, quiet ones. Erikson brought to your attention the barest of possibilites, but you should still follow up and reassure yourself. DC 50
-[ ] Thorough check - Lena Weissmeier
Why is she so secretive, what sinister motives could she have? Remember, it's only rude to pry if you get caught doing it. And no, this does not count as stalking or harassment, you're doing this for security reasons. DC 60
Sure, you've vetted everybody important on board, but can they spot the lies on their underlings' resumes? Didn't think they had any? Maybe, but now you're thinking about it. Look into the staff of your staff, maybe they let someone accidentally slip through. If you intend to maintain control of your colony you'll need all the info you can get. Sic your spymas- set human resources to finding out about the people here, see what they'll dig up. DC 25
-[ ] Port info gathering
When various ships stop by your colony, they bring more than just material goods. They also bring a wealth of info, either from back home or locally. Also they have money they might spend elsewhere if you don't give them any reason to come out of their ships. A bar or two is bound to pop up sooner or later, but if you had a hand in the game from the start, you'll have a good source of rumors under your control. DC 20
-[ ] Surveillance
As of three hours ago, nobody had left any airlocks open or stolen extra rations, but you can't be sure that's still the case. To start with, a comprehensive set of motion sensors and fire alarms, pressure indicators and air purity measurers should be installed. It'll make the job of any future police that much easier and the first steps are just common sense on a rock without atmosphere. DC 30
-[ ] Audits
Right now you still have a good idea of how much stuff you have. But as time goes on and you hopefully continue to grow, these numbers will become muddier and muddier and the longer it's been since the last time someone checked, the harder it becomes. Better get ahead of the game and set up a system now. DC 30
-[ ] Thorough check - Ken Hiragi
There's something about the nice, quiet ones. Erikson brought to your attention the barest of possibilites, but you should still follow up and reassure yourself. DC 50
-[ ] Thorough check - Lena Weissmeier
Why is she so secretive, what sinister motives could she have? Remember, it's only rude to pry if you get caught doing it. And no, this does not count as stalking or harassment, you're doing this for security reasons. DC 60
Miss Weissmeier is a younger, more conventionally beautiful and feminine version of Miss Carpenter. Even in zero G she wears a dark business skirt and heels, her reports are thorough and drier than a vacuum, but you can't fault her data or methods. She might be the youngest on your council, and in rare moments her lack of life experience shows, but you're quite glad to have someone with medical expertise on standby at all times. Choose 1 subject.
[ ] Research
-[ ] Mineral surveys
The general readings claim that your rock should have a good balance of light and heavy metals, silicates and oxygen rich rock, and who knows what else. You've gone over the surrounding top soil, for lack of a better term, but there's more to the asteroid both in depth as well as further out, keep looking for more minerals. DC 40
-[ ] R&D labs
As it stands, your science corps is working out of two offices and a single room with tables, chairs, a whiteboard and a projector which they'll eventually move out of when there's more kids to school. Set up a room that has proper computers, a holodeck, some centrifuges and spectrometers at least. You'll leave the specifics to Miss Weissmeier. Got to start somewhere after all. DC 35
-[ ] Communications
Right now your best bet at transmitting data is to pack some drives on a resupply shuttle and send them off. Expand your reception arrays by building more and shielding them better to reduce loss. You'll still have periods of blackout when the Sun is in the way, but bouncing your signal around just has to wait for the moment, none of the existing deep space arrays are interested in your traffic and to change that is either the work of a diplomat or you'll need to design, manufacture and launch your own mirrors. DC 40
-[ ] Medic Training
The people in your colony come from various backgrounds and educations, but lifesaving knowledge is something everyone should have. Expand the rudimentary programs currently set up and make it a mandatory part of life on this rock. It will cut into productivity a bit but it'll be worth it to literally save lives. DC 20
-[ ] Trauma ward
Invest in a proper medical bed, some monitors and a respirator. Set up an x-ray machine. If you're particularly lucky, attract an actual surgeon. All things that might well save your own life one day. Most of the work is done, you just need some finishing touches. DC 20
-[ ] Silver nanites
Miss Weissmeier has charmed you into supporting her research on silver nanomachines for medical purposes. It'd be easier if you had proper mining set up for the silver, if your refining options were of better quality and quantity, if you actually had a lab, but she assures you that she can still start her work now, if you give her the green light. DC 75
The general readings claim that your rock should have a good balance of light and heavy metals, silicates and oxygen rich rock, and who knows what else. You've gone over the surrounding top soil, for lack of a better term, but there's more to the asteroid both in depth as well as further out, keep looking for more minerals. DC 40
-[ ] R&D labs
As it stands, your science corps is working out of two offices and a single room with tables, chairs, a whiteboard and a projector which they'll eventually move out of when there's more kids to school. Set up a room that has proper computers, a holodeck, some centrifuges and spectrometers at least. You'll leave the specifics to Miss Weissmeier. Got to start somewhere after all. DC 35
-[ ] Communications
Right now your best bet at transmitting data is to pack some drives on a resupply shuttle and send them off. Expand your reception arrays by building more and shielding them better to reduce loss. You'll still have periods of blackout when the Sun is in the way, but bouncing your signal around just has to wait for the moment, none of the existing deep space arrays are interested in your traffic and to change that is either the work of a diplomat or you'll need to design, manufacture and launch your own mirrors. DC 40
-[ ] Medic Training
The people in your colony come from various backgrounds and educations, but lifesaving knowledge is something everyone should have. Expand the rudimentary programs currently set up and make it a mandatory part of life on this rock. It will cut into productivity a bit but it'll be worth it to literally save lives. DC 20
-[ ] Trauma ward
Invest in a proper medical bed, some monitors and a respirator. Set up an x-ray machine. If you're particularly lucky, attract an actual surgeon. All things that might well save your own life one day. Most of the work is done, you just need some finishing touches. DC 20
-[ ] Silver nanites
Miss Weissmeier has charmed you into supporting her research on silver nanomachines for medical purposes. It'd be easier if you had proper mining set up for the silver, if your refining options were of better quality and quantity, if you actually had a lab, but she assures you that she can still start her work now, if you give her the green light. DC 75
Dice please, it's hard to make up interesting failure states for relatively straightforward stuff. On the other hand, congratulations on the first natural 100. I tried to figure something special out for it, but after bashing my head against a wall for half a day I had to admit to myself that I don't actually know anything about farming grain. So have some beer instead.
The name voting remains open, first to 4 wins. Currently we have:
2 votes for "Little Klondike"
1 vote for "New Home"
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
Plan: Low Hanging Fruit
[X] Diplomacy
-[X] Send a probe to New Ireland
[X] Security
-[X] Better armaments
[X] Engineering
-[X] Bakery
-[X] Refineries
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Port info gathering
[X] Research
-[X] Medic Training
[X] New Home
[X] Diplomacy
-[X] Send a probe to New Ireland
[X] Security
-[X] Better armaments
[X] Engineering
-[X] Bakery
-[X] Refineries
[X] Human Resources
-[X] Port info gathering
[X] Research
-[X] Medic Training
[X] New Home