Turn 28.5 - The Orkish Rebuttal
Tally
Rolls - scroll up to see actual rolls
[X][Necron] Take them.
[X] Plan: Enriching Exclave Establishment V3
-[X][Orks] Write-In: Try to lure the Orks in via talking and then destroy them once they're too close to successfully run away.
--[X] Head towards the Ork ship and attempt to contact the Ork in charge and challenge him to a fist-fight, winner gets the loser's ship. If he seems to be going for it, wait until he's well within medium range and then open up with everything in an attempt to destroy the Ork ship as quickly as possible. If he doesn't seem to be going for it, attempt to pursue and destroy the ship before it can warp away.
-[X] [Database] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
--[X] Based on your earlier skimmings on the database, both the Inquisition's and that of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the "Ancient Xenos Warbots" are probably Necrons. As you noted decades ago, they weren't known in your time even with the claims of them being millions of years old. That was probably an exaggeration or misintepration of data from the Imperium, so taking a deeper look should reveal some inconsistencies that tell the a different story, right? Right?
-[X][Repair Bay]: Remove the medium teleportarium (frees up 180 space, with 170 space free we have 1 free slot), build a psy-shielded captive cell block (38 BP + 250 BP for 50 HP psy-sheilds). Use the cells to store the necrons and various chaos artifacts / bodies. Use remaining capacity to repair combat damage.
--[X] Permanently station a detachment of bots here as security
-[X][Stankberg] Write-In: A slight adjustment on the Learn option, instead of just giving them a manufactory and some educational materials, offer lessons from and the manufacturing capability of the new branch of the Cogitare that you will be setting up in the volcano lair, while you're not expecting the whole population to jump for it and for some to deem it a waste of time in a population of a million more then enough will see the advantages of participating in lessons on how to operate and build the technology that produces their new masks and rebuilt their city.
-[X][Cogitare] Get our 20 tech-priests set up in the volcano lair with the goal of beginning the industrialization of the planet, uplifting the locals, and recruiting as many new Cogitare as possible.
--[X][Cogitare] The Cogitare should be handed control of the volcano fortress, the new manufactories we're building nearby, 589 Specter Light infiltration bots, 1000 Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers, 1000 Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots, and a Shuttle.
-[X] Construction x1 (600 VBP & 500 LC)
--[X] Build 4 Machine Spirit Manufactories near the volcano lair. (480 VBP & LC)
--[X] Build 1 Shuttle for the Cogitare staying behind. (20 BP & LC)
--[X] Build 2 Ocean Reclamation Boats for training purposes and to get started fixing the stank. (100 BP, 40 CP)
-[X] Research x2 (400 + 75 + 20 = 495 RP)
--[X] Human Virtual OMC simulations (150 RP)
---[X] Anexa assist
--[X] Human Design Interfaces (200 RP)
--[X] Remote Organic-Machine control (50 RP)
--[X] Abacus Manufacturing (50/100 RP)
--[X] Intelligence Coding (+45 RP -> 95/400 RP)
-[X] Travel/Explore: Head back to Denva.
-[X] Cia: Active Psyker improvement
-[X] Victan Active Action: Assist coordinating with the locals and Cogitare to get the exclave established and their relationship with the locals off the ground.
Rolls - scroll up to see actual rolls
[X][Necron] Take them.
[X] Plan: Enriching Exclave Establishment V3
-[X][Orks] Write-In: Try to lure the Orks in via talking and then destroy them once they're too close to successfully run away.
--[X] Head towards the Ork ship and attempt to contact the Ork in charge and challenge him to a fist-fight, winner gets the loser's ship. If he seems to be going for it, wait until he's well within medium range and then open up with everything in an attempt to destroy the Ork ship as quickly as possible. If he doesn't seem to be going for it, attempt to pursue and destroy the ship before it can warp away.
-[X] [Database] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
--[X] Based on your earlier skimmings on the database, both the Inquisition's and that of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the "Ancient Xenos Warbots" are probably Necrons. As you noted decades ago, they weren't known in your time even with the claims of them being millions of years old. That was probably an exaggeration or misintepration of data from the Imperium, so taking a deeper look should reveal some inconsistencies that tell the a different story, right? Right?
-[X][Repair Bay]: Remove the medium teleportarium (frees up 180 space, with 170 space free we have 1 free slot), build a psy-shielded captive cell block (38 BP + 250 BP for 50 HP psy-sheilds). Use the cells to store the necrons and various chaos artifacts / bodies. Use remaining capacity to repair combat damage.
--[X] Permanently station a detachment of bots here as security
-[X][Stankberg] Write-In: A slight adjustment on the Learn option, instead of just giving them a manufactory and some educational materials, offer lessons from and the manufacturing capability of the new branch of the Cogitare that you will be setting up in the volcano lair, while you're not expecting the whole population to jump for it and for some to deem it a waste of time in a population of a million more then enough will see the advantages of participating in lessons on how to operate and build the technology that produces their new masks and rebuilt their city.
-[X][Cogitare] Get our 20 tech-priests set up in the volcano lair with the goal of beginning the industrialization of the planet, uplifting the locals, and recruiting as many new Cogitare as possible.
--[X][Cogitare] The Cogitare should be handed control of the volcano fortress, the new manufactories we're building nearby, 589 Specter Light infiltration bots, 1000 Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers, 1000 Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots, and a Shuttle.
-[X] Construction x1 (600 VBP & 500 LC)
--[X] Build 4 Machine Spirit Manufactories near the volcano lair. (480 VBP & LC)
--[X] Build 1 Shuttle for the Cogitare staying behind. (20 BP & LC)
--[X] Build 2 Ocean Reclamation Boats for training purposes and to get started fixing the stank. (100 BP, 40 CP)
-[X] Research x2 (400 + 75 + 20 = 495 RP)
--[X] Human Virtual OMC simulations (150 RP)
---[X] Anexa assist
--[X] Human Design Interfaces (200 RP)
--[X] Remote Organic-Machine control (50 RP)
--[X] Abacus Manufacturing (50/100 RP)
--[X] Intelligence Coding (+45 RP -> 95/400 RP)
-[X] Travel/Explore: Head back to Denva.
-[X] Cia: Active Psyker improvement
-[X] Victan Active Action: Assist coordinating with the locals and Cogitare to get the exclave established and their relationship with the locals off the ground.
You aren't extensively knowledgeable about the Orks, but what you have seen about them is that they love fighting. Love it. It's their whole reason for being, and the primary reason they stop fighting each other is for the chance to fight somebody new and interesting.
And you'd rather prefer to keep that "new and interesting" person to you, rather than inflicting the scourge that is an unchecked Ork infestation on the planet that you've just started to get emotionally invested in. Or almost worse would be them turning around and carrying word to other Orks that there's a good fight to be had here, against you.
When you put those priorities together, it does seem like there's a clear avenue of attack, and it's the orkish ego. If you taunt them then there's a good chance they try to attack you instead of turning and running away. The trick is how to make it seem like a good idea to get close enough to the Spark of the Ancients to blow them into green dust bunnies.
There's a solution for that, but it's leaning a little more heavily on the interpretation of the Orks as battle-drunk idiots than you'd like. Still, you don't have a better idea, so as you pilot your ship out to meet them you send a message ahead of you.
It's of your older woman persona, and you've edited her to appear a good deal bigger and tougher. She's got a metallic jaw augment that gives her a severe overbite and carries a comically oversized plasma pistol on one hip and a stupidly gilded sword on the other.
"Orks. I challenge you to single combat for the space of the Calderath system. Fists, to the death. Winner gets all both ships, loser is dead."
Your message wings its way across the void and reaches the ork ship, and you wait eagerly for a response. You're busy calculating vectors in case they try to evade you. You're not accelerating as quickly as you can and could still probably cut them off short of reaching Calderath. But their ship is certainly faster than yours, and there's nothing you can do to stop them escaping the system or even jumping deeper into sub-sector Zantris.
You don't have to wait long, and you get back a message of a big ork staring intently into the camera pickup from a cavernous bridge scurrying with green figures. He's got a big hat that looks like nothing so much as a broad-brimmed top-hat made of scraps of shiny metal. His teeth are made of metal, but otherwise he appears to be entirely mossy-green flesh, and absolutely festooned with so many knives they appear to be a form of armor.
"Oi! this th'n' on? Ya, lets have us a proppa smack-down. Yer an' me, meet on shuttles 'n 'da middle. Da winna gets da ships." He nods authoritatively, like a judge satisfied with their ruling, and the channel cuts out.
You lean back slightly and frown to yourself. "It can't be that easy."
The next few hours prove that it is apparently that easy. They accelerate right towards you, and you accelerate right back. Your crew watch on in bemused silence as your finger hovers over the proverbial firing button.
Then, right as you're about to fire, the Ork sends another message. This time he's not on the bridge, but rather sitting in the cockpit of a shuttle that looks like it was hammered together by rabid toddlers on amphetamines. His face is split in a wide grin. "A'course it ain't gunna be jus' me, but me an' me boyz!" He laughs uproariously and chops his hand forward. "I'z go'n' ta enjoy wot ship ya got. Mighty shiny, it iz." Then the signal cuts out.
That was apparently the signal to launch shuttles, and a few dozen shuttles of completely variable design launch from the ork ship. You look at them and then shrug and open fire.
The ship is much tougher than you were expecting from the external appearance - though that's not exactly hard. It certainly looks like the only thing you need to do to defeat it is wait. But, as you have to keep reminding yourself, the Orks of this time are a scourge of the stars, and if allowed to build up to sufficient numbers can be a significant threat.
But these ones won't be. Their ship comes apart under a hail of plasma and macrocannon fire, and your fighters start picking off the shuttles.
The ork leader calls you again, and the downcast look on his face is almost comical. "Not fair," he says, looking betrayed and hurt. "I'z 'da wun ta do 'da betray'n."
You target your guns on the shuttle that the signal's coming from, and the signal cuts off abruptly as the shuttle comes apart in a tiny puff of fire against the infinite dark.
The rest of the boarding craft follow suit, though they get farther than they should. The shuttles slip targeting solutions that should have them bracketed, and close the distance even as they die. That's when you notice that your warp sensors have been picking up some kind of vague signal ever since the battle was joined. It's vague and hazy, closer to a general field than a discrete signal, but there's something there.
You start activating the bots spread across the ship, preparing them to repel boarders of the green and raucous variety. But then the last shuttle is tagged by your guns and spins out of control into the path of a plasma cannon to be vaporized.
Ork Combat - Rolled 78, good success!
And just like that the field of warp energy dissipates, leaving you with the knowledge that something funky's going on, but without enough data to really dig into what it is.
Weird. If only they were a little bit easier to capture for study. But I already have one caged demon, and am about to pick up a bunch of questionably-dead murderbots. Maybe I should chill on the absolutely-unsafe research subjects for a little while.
Your remaining crew cheer as the threat board reads clear. They've all been watching the tactical situation with bated breath, and you send out a general message that the threat is passed, and to return to regularly scheduled events.
One part of that is the priority meeting you're having with your crew to figure out next steps. Does an ork scouting party change your plans significantly?
"I don't think that should change our plans very much," Victan announces as he walks into the room. "It was a random scouting party, and it doesn't look like they got a message off. Unless we're sticking around for longer than is reasonable, the best we can do is warn the locals of the dangers and give them the tools to deal with it."
Anexa interlaces her fingers on the table. "Can we take a step back here and think about what we're doing? We're uplifting every world we come across, and scattering members of the Cogitare - my staff - across the sub-sector. Is that something we want to do?"
Cia looks at her. "Why wouldn't it be?" She's still dressed in her armor, but has left her giant sword propped up against the wall so she can fit into the chair.
Anexa rolls her hand around. "I agree it's a good thing. But that means we're not doing other things. We're uplifting these worlds instead of building a fleet. We're scattering my staff instead of putting them to work doing research. Is that our Mission?" The capitol letter is clear in her words, and the question is directed at you.
All of your crew looks at you, waiting for your answer. You consider it. So far your intentions to uplift the populations of Calderath and Vorthryn have been considered in isolation. But Anexa's right, it's time to think about it as part of a larger strategy.
Still, your answer is hesitant. "Yes?" Then you stop and think about it some more, planning out potential long-term plans and answering more firmly. "Yes. I don't want to be an island of sanity sailing through a sea of war and hatred, and scattering the seeds of the Cogitare seems like the best method to do that. Let's start thinking about this as something we'll be doing again. We want to establish an enclave here with a solid manufacturing base, a population to recruit from, and the mission to educate and uplift."
You wave your hands towards an uncertain future. "The hope is that they're self-sufficient, and able to hide and survive long enough that they can emerge as powers later. Growing in terms of manufacturing, numbers and knowledge. I don't know if it makes sense to try to integrate them into Denva as it expands or simply let them emerge as distinct sane polities that can ally together against the insanity of the galaxy, but what's important is that even if we left and never came back, the technology we've spread would be enough for a new civilization to emerge from the ashes of this sector."
Your crew sits and digests that before Cia answers wryly. "We just want it to be the right civilization. Or at least one that doesn't worship the wrong gods."
"Yes," you agree assertively.
Victan tilts his head curiously. "Then what do we do? How can we ensure the Cogitare spreads and uplifts as effectively as possible?"
You point at him. "Obviously, help them integrate. We need to get good at convincing local societies to accept help, and setting up the Cogitare enclave's structure to suit the locals. I don't think this is a case where a one-size-fits-all solution is going to work."
Victan nods, and your attention shifts to Anexa. "There's some research we can do to help them out. More elaborations on OMC, specifically to let them control industry remotely, make it easier to teach, and to help your tech-priests design their own blueprints to solve problems that come up. Let's get on that."
You glance towards Cia, who looks back placidly. "Nothing stands out for you to help with. Be ready for the next time we need to kick ass?"
She snorts and shakes her head. "I can't think of anything either. But I'm always ready to kick ass."
You slap the table. "Well, I think we have a plan. Let's get the rest of your staff set up in the governor's mansion with some manufactories, a connection to Stankberg and a mission. Anexa, do you think they'll be happy to go?"
Her expression is a bit wistful. "They are, actually. There's been some discussions about how glorious it would be to spread the Cogitare, to uplift people to the wisdom of exploration and your knowledge. I also don't think they'll object to being left behind in the volcano Villa. It's a nice place."
She shrugs. "I think it wouldn't be hard to change how I interact with them going forward, to make it clear that the goal isn't just to discover knowledge, but to spread it. That's something I'll change with the next batch of tech-priests. I assume we'll be heading back to Denva for more?" She raises an eyebrow at you.
You nod in response. "We will. It's been long enough that we should go back to check in, pick up more tech-priests. Maybe get some more ships built to address the problems we've faced out here."
Her eyebrow stays raised. "And the necrons?"
"The necrons?" You've heard that reference before, and it takes a quick database lookup to see where - in the inquisitorial files. And the accompanying images - of course.
Those aren't just random warbots in the governer's villa. Those are representatives of a machine race. An ancient and powerful one.
Anexa's expression morphs to victory as you re-evaluate your entire thought process on if you're taking the humanoid metal robots aboard. But the more you think about it, the more this revelation doesn't change your priority. They clearly have advanced technology, and the alternatives are leaving them behind with a cogitare that has significantly less resources to deal with them, destroying them or taking them with you.
"We'll take them. I'll build out a secure holding facility. And I'll see if there are any hidden files in the Inquisitorial database. I think there are more hidden files than real ones in there."
"Sounds like a plan," Anexa answers.
From there the meeting descends into more mundane discussions, such as where exactly you'll be incorporating the manufactories into the volcano complex. Cia's against spoiling the view, while Anexa argues that they can't go underground and Victan just gives sarcastic commentary.
As soon as you have time you dive into the first piece of your research agenda, which is figuring out how to let the Organic-Machine command system work remotely. The problem, as ever with remote systems, is latency and bandwidth. It's hard to transmit that much data losslessly, and the latency means it's hard for somebody to control the detailed working of a combat bot or manufacturing system from a great distance.
The solution is pretty much to add error-correction and better compression algorithms everywhere. But that's putting a very simple answer over a very complex process. The necessary information to entirely control a complicated mechanical system is a lot, and details matter. If the exact temperature of the coolant gets lost along the way then you can't just error-correct it. You need checksums organized by importance of data, as well as compression methods that are aware of the entropy of the data they carry.
Still, once you've simplified the problem to mathematics you're able to crunch through it in a satisfactory way, and come up with a new set of algorithms. Some sit atop the control system of the things being controlled, some go into the neural implants of the ones doing the controlling. Together they should mean that a person needs less overall data to control a large machine and that the data doesn't need to be as high-quality. That may have implications for improving the scale of what people can control, but that's something to investigate later.
Researched Remote Organic-Machine control - rolled 76+20=96, Critical success!
People can control CP-requiring technology like manufactories, combat units & more while within the same planetary system. They are fully functional during this process, able to take care of themselves & even do simple tasks.
Unlocked new technology - Interchangeable OMC control (150 RP)
Unlocked bonus technology - Lower OMC Implant Specs (200 RP)
Discounted existing technology - Human Virtual OMC simulations cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Large-Scale organic-machine Control cost reduced by 25 RP
Discounted existing technology - Improved Organic-Machine control cost reduced by 25 RP
Victan meanwhile is making frequent flights down to Stankberg, spreading around some more cheap masks and other basic technological goods as he tries to convince them to collaborate with the enclave that's being set up in the volcano villa thousands of miles away.
Now that he's finally come with a request the reception is cooler, but it's by no means cold. He's attempting to convince them to change their way of life, and at least some people are willing to listen, and suggest that they might not be totally opposed to learning some of these new-fangled technologies. They don't seem to really believe that there's a path to fixing the stank, but they're happy that there's going to be a permanent source of the new masks around, as well as people they can ask for help the next time something breaks.
They're most hesitant of all to send their children off to learn at the enclave, but relent when a few promises are made about the ability of anybody to come learn, along with frequent visits home and concurrent deliveries of advanced goods. It's looking more and more like there's going to be a significant population boom in the next few years as the people of Stankberg find other uses for their time than laborious mask-weaving and attempts to preserve food, so you're expecting their doubts to dwindle even further, especially after the ocean-reclamation boats deliver their first loads of seaweed.
Stankberg Learning & Cogitare Relationship - 28+17 = 45. Success.
Meanwhile, Anexa's overseeing the move-in of her remaining staff to the Sector-Governor's villa. She's chosen the new leader of the outpost carefully. Mure Fedolonil is a personable young woman who clearly idolizes Anexa, and has taken after her style in implants. She's significantly darker-skinned than Anexa is and has chosen a rich gold color for the surface impressions of her implants, but the outward design is similar, with geometric golden lines bracketing a shaven head and stretching down each of her limbs.
But more importantly, she's one of the most personable remaining tech-priests. Most of the ones who were excited about education and uplift stayed in Calderath, but Mure stayed just to continue learning from Anexa. She's clearly torn about being left behind here, but Anexa confides that she trusts Mure on this. Not just to teach the new students skills, but to raise them with the mission of the Cogitare in mind. Mure's pleased by the feedback, and accepts the request to head the new enclave. She stands on Anexa's left when she makes a speech to the remaining priests, with your green-haired body on the other side.
"The purpose of the Cogitare is to explore new knowledge and spread it to the stars, as we have done since we left Denva. But to spread knowledge, we must teach, and create new places where knowledge is discovered. Vita and the Spark of the Ancients is only one place, one ship. But sparks ignite new flames, and knowledge is the brightest flame of all! So let this system be a place the the flame of knowledge catches and burns brightly."
You'd been worried that they wouldn't be happy to get left behind here, but Anexa's speech at least forestalls any real grumbling. Then the offer of manufactories to themselves and the quality of the accommodations available seals the deal.
Should I be worried about the way they praise the omnissiah when looking toward my avatar?
For the manufactories themselves you've compromised and built them aboveground but outside of the caldera. They're in a secluded cove outside of the island that looks like it was used for bulk goods deliveries. That means the manufactories themselves don't spoil the pristine beauty of the internal caldera, but there's a large cargo-transit tunnel that accesses some of the main areas of the villa. It'll also be easy to launch the boats that you intend to be one of the primary production items of the Cogitare, to eventually remove all of the offending seaweed and make the planet fully habitable once more.
4 Machine Spirit Manufactories built for the Cogitare Volcano Enclave!
1 Shuttle for the Cogitare!
2 Ocean Reclamation boats built!
The tech-priests themselves spread out across the villa when they inhabit it. The death-cult servants are gone, but a few enterprising mechanicus members whip up some cleaning bots to keep the place spotlessly clean. They spread out to inhabit the choicest rooms and convert various locations into workshops and classrooms and dormitories. Mure plans out the curriculum for the new students, and she seems to have taken the instruction to create a school seriously. She's raided your databases, and what she's working on setting up is a proper academy, where students will learn the secrets of science and technology.
They won't be badly defended. The enclave is fully in control of the defenses on the island, and you're leaving behind a few thousand bots that would be able to stiffen those defenses or take on anybody that was able to infiltrate past them.
-589 Specter Light infiltration bots,
-1000 Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers
-1000 Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots
The other thing that's been keeping Anexa and her staff busy is building out an organic-machine simulator. It's going to be some time until they're implanting the full OMC implant into new people, but when that happens it'll be massively helpful if it's possible for them to learn in a simulated environment instead of having to practice with real hardware that can break. Especially if that hardware is limited as may be true for the next generation or so.
Depending on how they scale. We're leaving the exact construction queue up to Mure, but there's a general understanding that she's going to split their capacity between building up more capacity, building some reclamation ships and keeping Stankberg supplied with what it needs. Though if some Orks land while I'm gone she's fully capable of building whatever she needs to keep them in check.
Still, having the ability to simulate controlling various bots, ships and more is going to be useful in all sorts of ways you can't imagine. Not only will it let people train, but it'll open up combat practice and potentially allow people to test-drive designs before they've finalized the specs to predict how it'll perform.
Once more you and Anexa start with the basics of your own simulation capabilities and then massively scale it back, attempting to create a simple sandbox that you can input parameters in to generate a realistic-enough setting that an organic-machine control implant can interface with to control manufacturing, bots, tanks and even small craft with a simple setup.
A lot of that involves improving the user interface of the system, and creating a way for a theoretical design to be simulated accurately enough to be controlled in a simulation. All of this means that your organic-machine control tech has improved by leaps and bounds in terms of usability and effectiveness, but you know there's more ground to cover to make it maximally usable.
In the process of all of this you and Anexa joke about how you're effectively creating a very realistic videogame that can be played through people's neural implants. That's part of the intention - to allow people to practice their combat skills when piloting various robots. But there's certainly potential here if you spent the effort to build out the framework around the combat simulation.
Anexa speculates on the potential benefits of build a game around the organic-machine control simulations. "We could make it something people actually do for entertainment. If we can also make it work with lower implant specs then it might be a way to screen a much larger chunk of the population for skills with the organic-machine control. Or have people entering training already be experienced with the basics."
You have to concede the point, though if you do decide to go that route you're going to need to strike a deliberate balance between it being fun and being useful training.
Researched Human Virtual OMC simulations - 69 + 20 (Vita) + 10 (Anexa) = 99. Critical success!
All Organic-machine control happens at a higher level of competency, increasing the productivity of manufactories entirely controlled by OMC-equipped personnel, and increasing the combat capabilities of OMC-controlled combat units.
New technology unlocked - Streamlined OMC interface (125 RP)
Bonus technology unlocked - Gameified OMC (75 RP)
Discounted existing technology - Human Design Interfaces cost reduced by 25 RP
Discounted existing technology - Void Organic-Machine control cost reduced by 25 RP
Discounted existing technology - Lower OMC Implant Specs cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Interchangeable OMC control cost reduced by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Void Organic-Machine control cost reduced by 25 RP
+1 Anexa level
To your faint surprise nothing is aflame. The first students have arrived to the enclave and find themselves in awe at the majesty of their new location. They are housed in dormitories, presented with lesson plans and quickly dismayed by the weight of their workload. Still, you notice groups of them banding together to explore the structure, cautiously navigating the vast expanses of unused rooms.
Groups of adolescent students learning arcane arts in a grandiose building in a remote but beautiful location? That sounds like a fiction trope. I wonder what I'll find when I come back.
Still, with how everything's running smoothly you have time to get into your next research project, which is aiming to seal the deal on making the enclave capable of making their own designs more effectively. You're certainly intending to come back, but you don't know how long it'll be, and leaving them the ability to design new blueprints is likely to come in rather handy down the line.
The problem here is that your design software isn't really a software package so much as the precursor to your simulation package. It doesn't have "tools" so much as "capabilities." Every time you want to build something you more-or-less imagine what you want, then refine. But that doesn't work very well for humans. Not only is the human imagination imprecise and flawed, but they can't hold together a complete design in their head all at once. So, you need to adapt your system work gradually, over time, and have enough tools that it's possible for them to sculpt together a design manually.
It's somewhat tedious work, but at the end of the day you're happy with the results. You didn't do much more than slap an interface atop the design software you had that lets people control the shape and material of various parts, as well as the interactions between them. Then there's a thousand little edge cases and uses you need to account for, and you're not sure you got them all. But trying reveals a few optimizations you might be able to make to your existing designs, which are worth filing away for later.
Still, at the end of the day it's a functional piece of software that anybody with good enough implants can use to design something new, from a gun to a plane to a voidship. You aren't sure you'd be confident using their designs without double-checking them yourself, but for groups like your enclaves or Denva it very well might be a godsend to be able to design new things relatively easily.
Researched Human Design Interfaces - rolled 56+20=76. Good success.
Humans equipped with your implants, especially the OMC variety, can make their own designs. If you assign 20 people under your command with such implants to a design task it halves the cost of that design task.
Unlocked new technology - Collaberative Computational R&D (250 RP)
Discounted existing technology - Streamlined ship design discounted by 50 RP
Discounted existing technology - Improved Engine Designs discounted by 25 RP
You finish that up and quietly upload it to the network below. The tech-priests of the enclave seem to have a joint moment of religious revelation at the ability to directly access that kind of design software, and at least of few of them walk out of the classes they're teaching to go build something.
You're a little bit annoyed, but more proud of what you've built. This kind of consolidated implant-machine interface wasn't something that was really needed during the age of your birth, but right now it's vital. An implant package that can educate, research, design, build and remotely operate advanced robots. It's a powerful tool, and one that can hopefully help bootstrap the friendly outposts of humanity to decent levels of technology and military might - before it's too late.
Still, it's seems like it should be about time to leave Caldereth - except it isn't. You're ahead of schedule, but the enclave is right on time. They're still shipping down important material to finish putting together the ships and make sure everything is ready for the day you depart.
Still, you can try to accelerate the process, and you do by sending out quick notes to Victan, Anexa and Mure about the planned change of pace. You also notify Cia, but she's not doing anything nearly as dependent on which system you're in.
They scramble to update to the new timeline, but it's not going to be overnight. So you use the extra time to ponder your own construction. Artificial intelligence was among the highest feats of your own time, and you don't understand all of its secrets yet. But it's not like you don't have a copy of your own schematics, and not only will that understanding allow you to start figuring out how to build more AIs, it'll also hopefully let you make modifications to your own structure to give yourself new capabilities.
The other thing you busy yourself with is getting the necrons aboard. You've done some reading on the necrons, and what you've found is thoroughly unpleasant and unpleasantly vague. They're definitely older than humanity, likely older than the eldari. You find it hard to credit the "millions of years old" text, but there's nothing in the database to refute that claim, and it chills you. There wasn't even a whisper of them in your time, which seems hard to reconcile.
But the inquisitorial handbook you own doesn't seem to hold any clues, no matter how you sift through hidden files and search for links to more. It's not a guide to what the necrons are so much as how they operate. That alone makes for terrifying reading.
The Necrons sound like a scary story come to life - soulless killing machines slumbering underground on worlds across the galaxy, waiting to awaken for unknown reasons and attempt to conquer the space around them with advanced weapons, technology and implacable resolve. The primary recommendation of the Inquisition is simple - evactuation of key assets, and then exterminatus by the most extreme methods available. Even the space marines, the most elite forces of the Imperium, are typically considered no more than a delaying tool in the face of an awakening tombworld.
However, there's a few notes that catch your attention, though they're primarily warnings about the techno-lust of the Explorators. The Necrons clearly have advanced technology, and atop the physics-defying weaponry they have impressive self-repair capabilities and the theorized ability to teleport damaged units to safety. Without using the warp. All of this makes you theorize that the basic warriors - like the ones you have access to now - are little more than drones, potentially operated remotely in much the same way as you operate your own combat bots.
While that would mean it is fairly safe to study the necrons in your custody, you don't want to make damaging assumptions. Still, there's a lot of potential research to be done here, starting from the strange (and self-repairing?) metal they're made of to mapping out their circuitry and investigating if there's any truth to this teleportation thesis.
Furthermore, based on the note of where they were acquired and what the Knights of the Crimson Vigil told you, this particular necron tombworld has awoken and begun to expand into the space around it. That might mean that if you get close enough your captives will wake up, and potentially teleport away, taking everything they know with them.
That could be bad.
So, you design and build a new prisoner complex to hold them, adding psychic shields to it as a matter of course. You're not sure they'll do anything, but it's the best you can do, at least for now. Well, that and stationing a few hundred of your own combat bots throughout the prison in case they do wake up and decide to make a ruckus.
Unlocked new research project - Necron Initial Investigations (200 RP) Requires advanced technological research lab.
Then the day does arrive to leave, and you hold another ceremony on the surface of the planet with all of the tech-priests and their students. They've proliferated a simple throat implant that blocks the harmful emanations of the stank, and so most people stand bare-faced under the tropical sun as you give a short speech about the limitless potential of the future and the weight of the dangers that lurk in the stars.
"... and so I give you this charge. You hold the potential for everything, to spread joyous civilization across the stars. But those stars will fight you every step of the way, and you must be ready for the struggle. Do your homework, build the basic tools you need, for every piece of work done now is a stepping stone to the edifice of metal and knowledge that shall conquer the crushing darkness."
You step down from the podium after the short speech and Mure takes your place to remind everybody of the schedules, and then announce they have a half-day off to enjoy the beauty of the tropical paradise.
But you don't. Now that preparations are made it's time to leave. After all, you have a detour to make that is possible because of the extra time you saved due to the accelerated schedule. So instead of setting course back to Ascalon, you instead turn around and leave Calderath the same way you entered it, heading back to Vorthryn. You're not intending a long stop, and indeed you spend signifcantly more time in the warp than in the Vorthryn. The warp journey is fairly calm, though through your warp shields you can tell that your void abacus isn't exactly steering you through the calmest possible path. Still, it's not bad.
-11 hull psychic HP
You don't even enter the inner-system of Vorthryn, simply connecting to Quorath virtually, requesting an update and uploading your new technology. What you receive in response is clearly slapped together in haste, as they weren't expecting you for some time. But what accompanies it is an outpouring of goodwill in receipt of the new capabilities you offer. You are pretty sure that the terms "Blessed Omnissiash delivers!" is repeated more than a few times.
Paging through your report you can see why they're so pleased. It can be summed up pretty effectively as "everything going to plan, but not as quickly as we'd hoped." The Ductsworn and Bridgeborn are still sworn enemies of your enclave, but at least the enclave has solidified its military position rather appropriately, and begin to reach out and support the other populations on the ship, which are growing dependent on the enclave. They've got new initiates that they're training, but it's going slowly due to the absolutely atrocious baseline they're starting from.
Still, you transmit the news of the enclave in Calderath headed by Mure, along with a general sketch of the details. What you receive from Quorath is clearly tinged by emotions like jealously and competition, but not in a negative way. He's glad that the Cogitare is spreading further, but now he wants to outdo Mure. He's genuinely a little bit salty that she gets to lounge in the governor's villa while he's stuck in a ship that's only holding together because it was built to last ten thousand years. Which seems fair.
The next jump to Acalon is similarly calm, though once again it leaves its marks on your psychic shielding.
-14 hull psychic HP
You're not intending to go anywhere near Ascalon Primus or Oladeer, though you don't see anything out of place. That just makes you check harder with your updated sensors, as you don't trust the Dark Eldar not to try and jump you again.
However, the thing that interrupts your journey through Ascalon comes from inside your ship, as Cia sits in meditation at the heart of the psychic lab, orbited by a half-dozen slowly pulsing flames.
Cia level-up rolls - 5, 53. Perils of the Warp roll - 59 Dark Summoning
Your warp sensors scream as the materium rips in response to the flex of Cia's power. Something tries to force its way inside, but your psychic shields fight back, straining to keep the invading presence at bay and deny the very existence of the tear in reality that's bleeding colors of dreams into your psychic laboratory.
Combat bots are already on their way, but Cia's in the epicenter. At least she's not incapacitated, though her implants report rather active vital signs. Still, she's up and ready, blade in hand for whatever comes.
The warp rift bulges again, and a scream of rage tears its way loose as a red, horned face presses against the rift like a rabid animal trying to tear its way through a forcefield. Whatever it is, it's angry and it wants in.
Cia denies it, and the moment one of its horn punches through the hole and appears fully inside your lab she drives her blade in through the slot, sliding it into the creature's head. The cries of rage do not cease, but the creature staggers backward and the rip begins to close. However, it doesn't happen fast enough to avoid another pulse of warp-energy as rage made manifest runs wild through the lab, shattering what remains of the psychic shielding and buckling the bulkheads.
Your sensors also break, and you tune into the combat bots that are rushing into the lab, afraid of what you will see.
The tear to the immaterium is closed, and Cia's on one knee, her blade planted into the floor to keep her upright. She looks up as the bots enter, and her face is a mein of true rage, her eyes flaming. Then she blinks and the flames vanish. She pries her grip away from the sword and exhales long and slow. She stands, leaving the blade stuck into the floor of the lab, and totters forward.
"I need to sleep for a year," she says, heading straight for her quarters.
You keep a careful eye on her, and when she wakes up you give her some space, but the moment she seems ready to talk you enter her room.
"Are you ok?" you ask carefully. You're trying not to sound like you're cautious - but, well, you are.
She puts her face in her hands and sighs. "Yes. No." She looks up. "I'm scared. That's the kind of thing they warned us about, back at the monastery. When you think you're controlling your power - especially then - it will bite you like it is a wild animal."
She shudders slightly. "And the thing that tried to get in - it shared its rage with me. The shielding denied most of it, and my implant caught its words, but it was so much..." she trails off, then takes a deep breath. "I'll be fine. I know what happened, and I know not to let it happen again. Anger is not a path to power. Not my path to power."
You sit next to her and give her a hug. "It's ok. Nothing bad happened. We'll fix the lab. Upgrade it even. You're getting stronger, and that's ok. Do you need a break?"
She shrugs. "Maybe? I don't want to be scared away, but I've been pushing hard recently. Maybe I need a break, to work on my mental discipline for a while."
"Ok," you reply.
The psychic lab is destroyed. It will have to be rebuilt from scratch.
+1 Cia Level.
Still, once you're sure that jumping back into the warp isn't going to cause any more problems you do so. The warp transit is a bit less comfortable than it was the last time, but nothing problematic. You exit the warp in the Denva system excited to see what's been going on while you were gone.
-20 hull psychic HP
You're too far out to see much, and are about to start accelerating into the system when a beacon pings you with a text code that says "W requesting Vita's full and undivided attention. Input Victan Code 7 for full message."
You loop Victan in right away, and on prompting he responds with a completely random sixteen-character string that you send back to the beacon. It replies with a video message that you open up, looping in the rest of your crew. You have the feeling this will be important.
W is before you, looking rather grim. She's sitting in an office you recognize in your old ship, hidden underground a few miles from the facility you built on Denva.
"Vita, I hope you recieve this message sooner rather than later. I'm having it scattered around the Mandeville Points in the hopes you get it as soon as you return, because things are bad. We need your help once more."
Her lips whiten as she presses them together in displeasure before she continues. "A month before the recording of this message the Forsaken Chorus jumped into Denva from Myrris aboard the heavy cruiser Echo of Apotheosis."
Denva Visitors roll - 5
Who is it? - 2
You check the timestamp on the message. It was recorded eleven years ago, and the delay makes you shiver at what might have happened since then. But there's no use in not hearing the rest of what W has to say, and you let her continue.
"They destroyed our fleet and all of the ships under construction, then landed boarding parties aboard Klyssar's Nest and the concentrations of orbital manufactories, including the manufactories and refineries of Aerithon. Now they're sieging Denva. They've destroyed every major military base with orbital strikes. It looks like they want to conquer the planet for good. We're planning to try and hold onto your old base as long as possible, but all we can do is build defenses. We cannot strike back, and if they control the rest of the system..." she shrugs her hands helplessly.
Denva Military Development Roll - 5
W's carries the weight of every one of her centuries as she looks out at you. "Please, you have already given us so much, and we reached for the stars. But we were too optimistic, and it may be our doom. Save us one more time." Then she shakes her head. "Another three months and the new frigates would have commissioned..."
Her expression grows businesslike once more. "I'm attaching files on the progress Denva made, and the technology we've developed. If you should arrive too late and there's nothing left, at least we can repay you in the smallest of ways. I will save everything I can, but I don't think this is a fight I can win, just hold out." Then the message cuts out, and a large bulk of files starts to transfer over.
There's a moment of shock as you and your crew process all of that. Then Victan swears. "By the God-Emporer's Tarnished Throne. The moment we left."
"Not exactly," Anexa replies absentmindedly, but she's already busy pulling up and sorting through the files that W attached. "It looks like everything was going smoothly, they had distributed manufacturing throughout the asteroid belt and the Aerithon orbits, they had a few more candles online and were about to build a new tranche, as well as a half-dozen torpedo frigates. But before any of it was functional the Echo of Apotheosis jumped in and destroyed it all."
She throws up a set of statistics, highlighting a few numbers for attention. "Look at how much manufacturing there was. It's - see this?" She drags up an image of a ship. It's about two hundred meters long and half that wide, looking like a short and very pregnant shark. The notes indicate that it's the Crucible-class manufactory ship. Crew of four, run by OMC." Her tone carries a note of surprise. "They built hundreds of them. They were really spreading out, and embracing the technology... the number of students with the OMC implants is staggering."
Denva manufacturing development - 90
Denva Research progress - 43
Denva social development - 65
Technology aquired - Void Organic-Machine control
Allows OMC implants to control voidships.
Existing technology discounted - Superconductive Shenanigans cost decreased by 50 RP
New blueprint unlocked - Crucible-class manufacturing Craft
New blueprint unlocked - Flame-class Torpedo Destroyer
Anexa's interruption has shocked Victan out of his angry stupor, and he's started studying the display as well. "It looks like they moved fully into OMC technology, and were starting to have good relations with the Vellkar. Harvesting Denva Primus for materials, but all of the smelting and manufactories were in orbit." His tone grows hot once more. "There's a note here that all of that was destroyed after the Forsaken Chorus gained control of the system."
"Right." You say declaratively, breaking the spiraling that's going on as people desperately dig into files. "That's what happened then. We need to know what's happening now."
You set a very careful course. It's likely they already know you're here, and your ship isn't the stealthiest. But you haven't gotten any communications from in-system yet, and you don't want to give them more information that necessary. But your course is optimized to give you lots of options while giving you good sensor coverage of the entire system, and soon enough data begins coming back.
The heavy cruiser is right over Denva Secundus, though you note its orbit would keep it out of line-of-sight from your old base. Further data refines that yes, there are active void shields coming from that region of Aevon, and that ignites a spark of hope. If W was able to consolidate defenses and upgrade what you'd left behind even somewhat, she could have turned that region of the planet into a fortress that would be nearly impossible for a single ship to crack, especially against a population of billions.
Denva continued Resistance - 85.
But that leaves the rest of the system - and the message there is bleak. It looks like there's scattered activity throughout the asteroid belt from hundreds of remaining crucibles, but less than half of what W's files said they should have built. Klyssar's nest is still there and inhabited, but it shows signs of being struck with lancefire. Similarly the orbital manufactories and refineries around Aetherion are present and functional, but a new set of shipyards floats next to them, with a set of ships you don't recognize under construction within. They're still years-off from completion, but the sharp-pronged shapes resting within the building slips give you the chill.
Cia studies the projection intently. "So. What do we do now?"
That's a good question.
Vote on what to do.
What will you do about the Chaos Warband currently occupying Denva?
These are suggestions, feel free to write in a more complete plan. Depending on how complete your plan is and how the rolls go, this may take more than one update.[] Attack the ship
You outmass it significantly. It's a design you're unfamilair with, but you can win the ship-to-ship fight. Destroy it, then proceed to liberate the rest of the system with your bots.
[] Capture the ship
You're not sure if you have enough troops for this, but it's worth a shot. At the very least you can disable the ship, then build more troops later.
[] Bait the ship (write-in how)
Try to get them to come to you, potentially picking up more forces as they can so you can destroy them all at once)
[] Board Klyssar's Nest/Aetherion stations
Try and kick them off the void stations, potenitally picking up allies and weakening their foothold in the system.
[] Chase them away
With a slow but implacable approach you think you can chase them off without committing to a full fight.
[] Write-in
Current capabilities:
Command Points 1,760/12,500Flagship: Spark of the Ancients, 1700 CP cost
Ground Build Capacity: 0
Lift Capacity: 500 (converts between ground and void BP)
Void Build Capacity: 600
Research Capacity: 200
Psychic Shielding: Outer Hull 195/240 HP, Vita Core 135 HP, Crew Quarters 135 HP,
Bongo Psychic Energy = 59/??? Represented as approximate damage potential.
Juvenat usage: 3/50 people's worth (cannot be stockpiled)
Shipbuilding capacity: 0 ship construction slots (treat it as capacity. You can only be building ships that fit within your construction slots)
Available ships:
none, beyond your flagship.
Available ground forces:
1000 Specter Light infiltration bots (20 CP)
1000 Heavy Machine-spirit humanized Infantry Bots with Machine Spirit Jammers (20 CP)
1000 Heavy Machine-spirit Infantry Bots (20 CP)
CP costs for infantry bots work as breakpoints in increments of 1000. So 50 or 500 or 1000 bots all cost 20 CP, and 1001 costs 40 CP. Abstraction, y'all.
Misc assets:
A Void Abacus, Psytech Samples, A Navigator Fetus, A Scrapcode generator named Bongo. Dark Eldar Weaponry, A few Dark Eldar bodies, Dark Eldar Boarding Craft. Khornish Cultist corpses & artifacts. The Hand of Saint Agatha. A sector-governer's ransom in wealth. A dozen ancient metallic bots (pending vote). A chunk of auramite supposedly from the Emperor's armor.
Avatars:
Original Avatar, young human woman with green hair
Female tech priest with some augmentations.
Current Installations:
none
Military:
none
In progress construction:
none
In-progress research:
Abacus Manufacturing (50/100 RP)
Intelligence Coding (170/400 RP)
Actions (choose 4 of the below, can choose the same action multiple times):
[] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular. Don't do this just because it's free. Do it if you want to know something. Writing those sections delays the updates. If you want Vita to get more done, don't ask for this.
[] Orders: Command existing units in a given theater of operations.
[] Travel/Explore: Pick a system on the Map to travel to/explore. Currently, you may travel 1 system as part of an explore action, or 3 systems if you don't explore.
You can explore a place you've already explored, or focus your exploration on a specific feature of a place you've already explored. Or explore two systems next turn and then the turn after go back for specific POIs without costing an action. Jumping a single system over as part of an exploration action is free, a number which will increase with better navigation.
[] Diplomacy/Subversion: Talk to people. (Write-in goal & method)
[] Construction: Gain build points equal to your build capacity, write in what you spend them on.
Blueprints
[] Research: Gain research points equal to your research capacity, to be spent designing new blueprints or researching projects. Write in what you spend them on.
Blueprint design
Research
Crew:
Anexa Ifina, Magos Errant, Master of Many Talents.Level 16
-[] Anexa active Action: Research - assists a research action you take, granting +5xLevel RP to the action. Will level on a successful roll, scaled by the importance of the tech.
-[] Anexa passive action: Exploratory Research - Roll to discount a random tech from one of her specialties, a success will discount an amount similar to her +5xLevel RP bonus but modified with the roll. Will receive the specialty bonus, and a crit will result in a level-up and unlocking a new bonus technology, like what you get for a crit on a research action.
Specialties (3/4): Machine Spirits. The Warp, Cybernetics. Grants a +10 bonus when doing research rolls in the relevant category.
Has a staff of 0 tech-priests of the Cogitare Exploratium, which provide +20 CP each (0) & 1 RP each (0) per turn. 20 can be assigned to a design task to halve its RP cost.
Victan Thallos, Diplomat-Spy
Level 17
-[] Victan active action: Diplomat-Spy - assists any diplomacy action you take, granting +Level to the dice to the action. Will level on a successful roll, scaled by the significance of the action.
-[] Victan passive action: Counterespionage & Alliance-building - Defends against hostile covert action and improves relations with existing allies, as well as gathering information for making new allies. Will only level if something interesting happens.
Cia Steblin, Focused Pyromancer Psyker
Level 12
-[] Active Psyker improvement: Cia will actively attempt to practice her powers. Roll two d100s. Take the higher roll for determining level-up, but take the lower for perils of the warp. (DCs are unknown but context-dependent. They are currently favorable and will get less favorable as she levels)
-[] Passive Psyker improvement: Cia will take lower-risk actions to improve herself, including meditation, study and augmentation. A single level-up roll, with only a very low roll resulting in perils of the warp.
Focus: Combat. Cia is now armed with custom heavy armor and a large but crude two-handed force sword.
Abilities: Cia is able to use minor psytech without risk. She's learned the value of carrying around a few mundane ways to make fire for when she doesn't want to rely on her abilities, but is focusing on improving her pyromancy, which is currently ranked at Epsilon.
Yes, remote OMC crit and discounted Human Virtual OMC simulations, and I applied the extra RP to Intelligence Coding. Then Human Virtual OMC simulations crit and discounted Human Design Interfaces, so I once again applied extra RP to Intelligence Coding. In general I'm going to try and avoid discounting techs you're researching the same turn and give you other bonuses instead, but this time there wasn't a good alternative. So you got extra RP, and I applied it to Intelligence Coding instead of Void Abacus manufacturing because I don't want to complete techs you didn't plan on completing. It would involve extra dice and more writing. I also don't want to encourage you to try to get stacking discounts in a single turn.
The OMC efficiency improvements don't effect your manufacturing capabilities. Currently Vita can do 4 actions of manufacturing a turn, and a human running a manufactory with OMC can do 1. This increases that number to ~1.3ish. The follow-up tech will increase it further. The primary benefit of this tech is to improve the production capabilities of your allies, though if you wanted to build a manufactory ship and turn it over to some OMC-equipped allies then they could automatically produce stuff.
I decided to send Vita back to Denva by way of Vorthryn because it was doable in the action - 3 jumps of travel - and it seemed silly to unlock a bunch of technology to enhance cogitare enclaves and then not give it to your to other enclave when you had the chance. The "buisness as usual" update you got isn't entirely indicative of what you might find the next time you come back, we'll still roll for it the next time you come back properly.
The psychic lab is completely destroyed. You're going to need to rebuild it from scratch. As a reminder, that will cost 200 base BP for the psychic lab, + 675 for 135 points of shielding, all multiplied by 1.5 becauase you're building it inside a completed ship. So 1215 BP in total to rebuild exactly what you had. You may want to build it with more psychic shielding to avoid worse results. This was a bad roll and 135 psychic HP barely contained it. As Cia continues to level it won't be enough to completely contain a bad roll anymore.
You didn't unlock any follow-on tech for Denva having done the Voidship Control tech. This is mostly because I couldn't come up with follow-on tech that sounded reasonable that you don't already have from somewhere else. If you think of something, feel free to suggest it.
Once this situation is dealt with we'll proceed back to normal turns. Depending on how long your plan takes in-game, you may only have three actions next turn. You'll also get access to Denva again - if you win.
As far as you can tell, this Warband hasn't told anybody else about Denva and what's here. They entered the system, they won the space fight and now they're building more ships and trying to conquer the holdouts in Aevon to solidify their control here.
I might be able to get more updates done this week, so let's do 16 hours of moratorium and 18 hours of voting. But for now I'm going to bed. I fully expect a ton of clarifying questions when I wake up. Be patient, and if I can't answer everything in time, I'll push back the vote.
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