Year 7, 2111 AD
The services for the men and women of the FSN who gave their lives to secure the courier and bring down the hostile subnet within your own network still linger in your mind come the new year. You won, there is no doubt of that, and what their lives bought for humanity was worth far more. It's still hard to accept, though. Yet you have found it in yourself to do so, for to not would be a betrayal of their sacrifice and the oaths all of their comrades swore.
Four years left, and the number of available projects useful to you is shrinking. Mary and Adrianna have both been shuffling new plans off the priority lists, thinning things down as much as they can with war now so much closer to reality. You've had your first taste, and that's good in a way, but the battles ahead will undoubtedly be so much harder.
You have Thirteen (13) Action dice available with Four (4) currently locked. Unless an option states otherwise, there is no limit to the number of dice you may spend on an option.
Military
Practiced Leadership: you have One (1) free dice for Military actions.
Forging the Sword: The only blows humanity successfully struck against the Shiplords were made in space, but although you have returned to the stars again, little of what plies the dark is military. There was little need for it, but that's all changed now. All you have to do is work out which of the proposals you want your Minister to push.
[] One Thousand Spears: You had to call and check that you'd been sent the right set of documents when you saw this proposal. Coming from one of the Experimental divisions, it suggests equipping Potentials with a framework that will allow them to engage the Shiplords directly in the void with all the power of their Practice. Whatever that means. [25%, requires a Practice dice, 2 years, Design Action]
[X] Wings of Terra: Expanding the ability of the auxiliary fleet, the designs for this came out of one of the experimental groups closely affiliated with the SDC. The small strike craft proposed would launch from repurposed auxiliaries, and due to being manually piloted would have a far higher chance of reaching their target than missiles. [40%, locked 1 year, Design Action]
[] Fury of the Heavens: The weapons created by the First Awoken are more powerful than any humanity has ever known, but their strength is limited by a lack of availability. The weaponry retrieved from across Earth has helped relieve this shortage, but more could be done. Even a small thing, like making sure every missile fired against the Shiplords has felt the touch of Practice, could do a great deal. [30%, requires a Practice Dice, 2 years]
Piercing Light: Although reverse-engineering the FTL drive of the Shiplord Courier captured last year is beyond your capabilities given the time restrictions involved, it isn't it useless. Given the manner of acquisition, Lina and her own advisors believe that it would be possible to fit the drive to one of your ships before the Shiplords arrive. They admit that the drive will not function within the inner system, but further out it could be a powerful asset.
[] Undaunted: Fitting the drive to a Dauntless will give you a quick striking hammer beyond compare, but Naval Command has pointed out that the relative frailty of this class may make this exceptionally risky. [70%, 1 year]
[] Towering Celerity: Another option would be to fit the drive to one of your Tower class ships, allowing one of your fleet's shields to reposition faster than you'd ever imagined. A Tower class is an incredibly hard target to kill, but they're also designed to fly into the line of fire. [70%, 1 year]
[] Commanding Speed: You knew the Ministry had worked on a flagship design, but it had been discarded due to the issues present in repositioning such a large craft quickly. With access to an FTL drive, however, Lina has brought the nascent Calypso class to your attention. [25%, 2 years, Design Action]
Humanity's Shield: Weapons are well and good, but a solar system makes for a vast fortress given time. Here you have something to work with as well, as all of humanity's orbitals are equipped with some weaponry. There's always room for improvement however, and a new need for it too.
[X] The Walls of Sol: The trance last year began a process, converting the outer ring of orbitals into fortresses with few peers. But there is more to do in the inner system, much more. [50%, locked 1 year, requires a Practice dice]
[] Adamant Miracle: When the Shiplords came before, they set Mars ablaze, and only Practice was able to restore the small part of it that is now yours again. The teams that worked on the Aegis defence network on Earth have come forward with a plan to install protections around Skylark, to make it as resistant as possible to any attack. Given the symbolic value of the city, and the very real value of the Red Tower, it merits thought. [40%, 1 year]
Shipyard Operations
You have Two (2) Construction dice to assign. Unless an option states otherwise, there is no limit to the number of dice you may spend on an option.
Military:
[] Construct Auxiliary Task Groups
[] Construct Dauntless class Squadrons
[] Construct Tower class Squadrons
Infrastructure:
[] Design Centre Expansion [Increases bonus to these checks. Limit: +20]
[] Yard Work [Increases bonus to these checks. Limit: +20]
Diplomacy
Reach to the World: You asked for help and the Circles answered. The reports they gave you would have been invaluable on their own, but they also gave you suggestions. Plans based on the knowledge they gathered, to act on what they told you.
[] Widen the Circles: The Circles were the centre of your efforts to heal humanity of the emotional wounds that the Shiplords inflicted. They've grown far beyond your greatest expectations and helped millions heal, but there's always more that could be done. They gave you some suggestions, but it'll take a lot of work. [30%, 1 year.]
[] Hearts of Humanity: The Hearts are the most experienced of all in the Circles at helping others, and have almost by accident become some of the most experienced therapists on Earth. Formalise this status by setting up a new aid organisation for them to work out of. [60%, 2 years)
[] Phoning Home: The communications network that Sol has now is far more advanced than anything it has ever had access to, but there are still many living without lagless communication. It isn't a vital project, but could be an important one. [40%, 1 year]
One World, One Heart: Kazuki has been far more personally exposed to the needs and desires of the people, and he has some suggestions for how to bring all closer together. He's quite adamant about the need for them, and although you agree you can't quite see how some of it is meant to work.
[] The World's Heart: This is the final piece, according to Kazuki, the keystone of all the work he's done with you over the years in bringing humanity closer together as a whole. It built from your first speech, the songs you sang that year, and has led to this. You asked for unity, he says. Do this, and you will make it a reality. [30%, 1 year]
Stewardship
Ministerial VI: you have One (1) free dice for Stewardship actions.
Healing Hands:
[] Symbols of Hope: Many of the great monuments that humanity built in the last two hundred years are only barely hanging on, victims of the single-minded focus that had to be given to other things. They're more than just the physical trappings however, and restoring them could do the world good. [50%, 1 year]
[] Many Points of Light: The habitats were built with function in mind, with much less thought given to the needs of the human soul and heart. Fixing that will be extremely complex work, but it's possible. [25%, 2 years]
Skylark Reborn: The Miracle of Skylark. First Practiced Miracle since the discovery of the Pattern, that many had believed had signalled the end of those glories. It's impossible to understate the value of Vega's Miracle as a symbol, but it does leave you in the rather interesting position of having to decide what to do with it.
[] Streetwise: Skylark was a centre of science before the Shiplords came, but it was old science, born of the Secrets that the Shiplords decreed forbidden. Much of it seems to have been changed, replaced with objects of Practice, but it might be a good idea to make sure. [30%, 1 year]
[] Uplink: Some parts of the city still remain offline or in need of replacement, particularly its communications gear. Integrating Skylark back into the net would allow you to distribute its databases, and access its systems remotely. [35%, 2 years]
Intrigue
Limited Bandwidth: Cannot select more than two actions.
Know thy Enemy: The Shiplords are coming, you know that now, and if you are to be prepared you must know what they are truly capable of.
[] Corpses Leave Clues: The Shiplords did good work cleaning up the mess that their two ships made when they were destroyed, but several pieces evaded their clean-up. Most have settled into stable orbits now, and each is a potential gold mine of Shiplord technology. [???, 1 year]
[] Cleaning House: There are still many platforms and assets left over by the Shiplord subnet after it was brought down. Although several parts of it remain active, their ability to resist is negligible with the VI that gave them purpose gone. Cleaning them up may also yield further data or resources. [40%, 1 year]
[] At The Gates: The Tribute Fleet data is encrypted, but it's a static encryption, little protection against what Marcus is capable of. Decoding it should give a far better understanding of what you'll be up against in three years. [70%, 1 year]
Learning
Daughter of Secrets: you have One (1) free dice for Learning actions.
Practiced Power: The Potentials are the most powerful weapon humanity has, but it's a weapon that you still know frighteningly little about. Mary now has access to far more resources than she did before, maybe you can help her along.
[] Sorrow's Sacrifice: When the Dragons fell, they worked something with the last of their power. Mary believes that this is the power that fuels every Potential, a sacrifice of the dying to give the living a chance. Confirming this would finally give a solid direction to this research. [35%, 2 years]
[] The Strength of Soul: The blood of humanity was shed beside the Dragons, and it changed the way their power passed to you. If the sacrifice of the Dragons created power, the blood of their human comrades gave you the means to touch it. That's the theory at least, but Mary needs to prove it if you want to reach practical applications. [40%, 2 years]
[] (Special: Touching the Void Unlock) Echoes of Power: Your work with Mary in more recent years opened your eyes to the stranger sides of what Practice was capable of. With more time, and some work finding more like you, Mary thinks she can bring her theory into concrete reality. [25%, 2 years]
The Neverending Journey, Second Step: All of the scientists on Mary's list have settled into their new working and living environment now, and you can see how happy your friend is to be surrounded by those just as passionate as she is. Now that they're all integrated however, they need a direction.
[] Future Proof: Now that everyone is working together, it should be relatively simple to work the relevant pieces of knowledge that they've found over the years into general study. It would give some of the stranger theories a lot more traction, and Mary has spoken before about how the Institute curriculum needs an update. [40%, 2 years]
[] For its Own Sake: Between them, Mary's new top flight staff brought petabytes of complex theoretical work with them. You had to build an entirely new server centre just to store it all. These people are probably the only ones really capable of parsing it out into something usable, and some of what they've been working on could be revolutionary. The problem is finding it. [30% chance of unlocking a new action chain, 2 years]
[] Picking the Bones: The defensive node captured last year is a potential treasure trove of information, but it has to be analysed and properly studied first. Aware that you don't have as much time as anyone would like, Mary plans to turn it all over to those like to herself and then monitor. From a safe distance. [40%, 1 year]
The Red Tower: One of the main centres of research on Mars before the Burning, the Red Tower was also one of the primary conversion points for the atmospheric conversion system better known as Clear Skies. Fully restored and online after the Miracle of Skylark, it is a treasure trove waiting to be unlocked.
[] Clear Skies: The atmospheric conversion systems that made Mars habitable were miracles of the Second Secret, but it was swiftly confirmed that the system now in its place is not a product of bioengineering. If the device can be understood, it could be replicated, and the entire program could be started anew. [30%, 2 years, requires a Practice dice]
[] Ancestral Key: Although the majority of the tower's files have been unlocked, some high level files remain encrypted. Mary mentions quietly that a great deal of the Martian colony systems were DNA coded, and that privilege system seems to remain in effect. Given who she is, she says, she might be able to unlock those files assuming she can convince the security protocols that she is who her DNA says she is. [20%, 1 year]
Void Secrets: The research levels of the Red Tower, those open to you, have yielded many secrets. Between those, and the other work Mary has done, you have some new directions of research to explore. If the Ministry is right, there are new Secrets to be found here.
[] The Longest Force: Gravity manipulation is something that humanity is capable of, but only thanks to creations of Practice. Some of what has been discovered within the Red Tower points to theoretical ability to harness that force without the need of Practiced items. [20%, 3 years]
[X] Small is Beautiful: The Potentials have given many Miracles within the field of nanotechnology, and science has struggled for years to catch up to them. Some of what the first generations of Prologue could do is now in the grasp of 'regular' science, but there were those in the Red Tower who disagreed with humanity's focus on the Second Secret. [40%, locked 1 year]
[] From the Other Side: You and the other Potentials know, without a doubt, that your power is a high secret of the Void, and old research supports this. Have all pre-Sorrows research on the subject compiled and added as a proper resource. They had ways of looking at things that you do not, after all. [40%, 1 year]
[] Conceptual Chaos: For as long as you've known her Mary's mind has burst with possibilities, more than she could ever focus on by herself. These ideas have never really been limited by field, although many focus around reality physics. Now that she's a Minister, you can actually detail enough people to keep up with her endless ingenuity. [60%, 2 years]
[] Unravelling the Impossible: Trying to understand, let alone replicate, the creations of Practice would to most be a truly impossible task verging on insane. Unfortunately, someone said that in Mary's hearing. She took it as a challenge. [30%, 4 years]
[] Reading the Word: With a theoretical explanation finally in hand, Mary advises a careful examination into the imprints. For that however, she'll need new tools, ones that can actually see what she wants to study. [45%, 1 year]
[] Mortal Instruments: The power that the Dragons gave you came from their intelligence, but also from their shared sacrifice with the men and women who served with them. The creations of the First are without peer as weapons, what further strength could be unlocked by giving them minds? [15%, 2 years]
Practice Actions
You have Four (4) Practice Dice to assign to actions, with One (1) currently locked. Unless explicitly stated, you may not assign Practice Dice to Practice Actions.
More than a Vessel: With their success parsing out the basics of what Marcus did to himself, Vega's staff have assembled a list of options to expand the understanding of internal Focus use by Potentials.
[] The Firstborn: The Endless Connection is an anomaly, but only due to his Awakening. Many of the First have come to internalise their power in similar ways, but their Focuses do not lend themselves to such spectacular utility. Talk to those of the First Awoken like your Security Minister, then combine the data sets. [55%, 2 years]
[X] Look to the Centre: There's enough in the files that the Ministry for Practice have put together for other Potentials to work with. Having more data to compare against would be nice, but taking two years to just make sure isn't on the cards. [40%, locked 2 years]
Project Harmony: Another section of your policy made almost entirely invalid by the Miracle of Skylark, Vega now has all the proof she needs to point to of her ability. Far more will accept her advice with an example like that behind her. Of course, you could also choose to send her to another project, although other actions taken by the Ministry will suffer.
[] Fluid Harmony: The data compiled last year seems to be changing the way it's being used as people look it at, but no one can understand why. This is Vega's work, at the core of things, and she's probably the only person who can truly understand it. [30%, 1 year]
[] The Shape of Miracle: Vega can now be personally assigned to an action utilising a Practice Dice, and a success will automatically trigger a Practice Trance. Other actions will suffer without her oversight, however, reducing her bonus to all other Practice actions and Practice dice by a quarter. [30%, 1 year]
Project Insight: A long running working group of Second and some Third Awakened, Project Insight is the only reason you know as much as you do about the Shiplords. They taught the world of the enemy's ways, unravelled many strengths and few weaknesses, and discovered the Pattern in time for you to prepare. Now you have a new question for them.
[] What Purpose Our Loss: The Shiplords take the same thing from all civilisations they touch, but what do they do with their tributes of blood? There are some suspicions, but the Project has never truly wanted to look that deep. Neither do you, to be honest, but you must know. [30% chance for information every year.]
[] Our Enemy, Before Us: Eight ships came before, but would eight come again? It's a simple question, but one with deeply important connotations. [40%, 1 year]
[] Rosetta: Thanks to the work of the Project, you now know that there are others but the Shiplords out there, and many might want to meet you in peace. It might be wise to learn more of the galaxy, that until recently you thought held only enemies. [25% chance for information every year]
[] Achilles Heel: The Project has found several weaknesses in the Shiplords, but Phoebe has told you that they can all feel something on the edge of their consciousness when they search through those things, just out of reach. [30% chance for information every year]
[] Write-in: Give me a question you would like answered about the Shiplords, and Project Insight will try to answer it. I advise choosing sensible questions.
Personal Actions
You may select One (1) Personal action this year.
[] Work with Mary: Get back into the saddle as a scientist and finally take the time to work through the theories that Mary has been trying to get you to give a proper read for the last few years.
[] Make Something: You're a Potential, capable of working items into artefacts so far removed from their original form and function that they might as well be considered magic. It will take time, but the results will be worth it. [Start Practicing an object, write-in a general idea of what you want to make.]
[] Work with a Minister: Your Ministers are all experts in their fields, excellent on the job teachers for matters that you have little experience with. [Write-in which Minister. Chance to raise stats and/or gain Traits.]
[] Powerful Words: Your words have a Practiced strength to them, but that's a cheap thing to say when you have no real understanding of what's involved. In some ways it's exhilarating, being able to draw so easily on the strength of your Focus. But you worry about what could happen if you put Practice behind a wrong word. You need to hone this gift, learn its limits and strengths.
[] Eldest Legacy: You were one of those offered teaching by the Elder First, and so the message that they left applies as fully to you as it does the handful of others who received similar offers. Go to the door they left behind, and see if you can unlock what lies behind it.
