The past few months had been rough. Your severance package turned out to be worthless in the wake of post war inflation, and even in one of the supposed seats of Pact Joint Command you couldn't find a stable job. Trying find work outside the Pact was nearly impossible with how destroyed your reputation was with the Raihan Empire.One drink turned to three quickly, and soon you were telling anyone who would listen about the hardships. The undue, unjust, and entirely of no fault of your own, hardships.---Make a choice. You are currently a little buzzed, but a few more drinks shouldn't hurt.>Complain about having to moonlight in the pharmaceutical industry, and getting no thanks. A bump couldn't hurt.>Decry the squalid living conditions you've had to endure, despite your charitable work at the local clinics. Pound one.>Rail against Solei, who is an unimaginative prick. Take a shot.
>>6373892>Complain about having to moonlight in the pharmaceutical industry, and getting no thanks. A bump couldn't hurt.
>>6373892>>6373892>Complain about having to moonlight in the pharmaceutical industry, and getting no thanks. A bump couldn't hurt.Wasn't expecting to see another Space Shipyard quest so soon, relatively speaking.
>>6373892>>Rail against Solei, who is an unimaginative prick. Take a shot.
>>6373892>>6373894>>6373898You crushed a small capsule between your fingers and inhaled sharply. Cold, burning, a burst of euphoria and suddenly crystal clear with the lingering smell of titanium fire. "Amp. Ampheticaine. It existed before, right? AKSG product all the way." The guy one seat over rolled his eyes. "here we go again." His lack of enthusiasm for very important facts did not deter you."I..." you sneezed like an undignified kitten "I perfected it!. Well, after NuAmp, Diet Amp, but I got it right. Got it exact! Biological chemistry... nominally outside my real of interest, but not my genius. Was I rewarded? No! NO I WAS NOT!" You started to stand up, mid proclamation, but a firm hand on your shoulder from a bouncer grounded you back into your seat, forcefully. This world was like clay, crude, demanding a hand to shape it. "A vision to realize it." Internal monologue leaked quite externally from your lips.Ampheticaine was ubiquitous here, the lifeblood of industry perhaps. You rolled a drained shotglass in contemplation. Drops of cheap liquor rolled out onto your palms. "I did good work. Just like for the PJC. Took an imperfect idea, then purified and concentrated it! Did you see the videos of the Megaton Rain before they butchered it? Just like that....and just like that as soon as my work was done I was thrown away again."The local grey market was always eager to capitalize on any resource. You had happened to be one, if only for a moment. Once developed, your utility quickly ended as the illicit pharmacorp found your personality difficult to work with and left you with a broken finger and busted nose. Shortly after the compounding process and formula proliferated outside the hands of your former employers. Sadly it also saw your apartment explode while you were elsewhere.>>6373900You slam a shot your neighbor bought for you, in a bid to shut you up. Poison and fire twisted into your gullet, the phantom of being strangled quickly passed, tension numbing slightly."It was as fucking bad as working with Solei! He was so damn smug when he got the Director position of PJC R&D. Well fuck him, Whats the PJC now? Barely anything." You pull out a medal case and show your increasingly weary audience. "I...EARNED this! Not Solei, and they accused me of being iterative for designs that were placeholders!" you leaned on non existent back of your stool and fell to the floor.The bouncer looked at you with a grimmace. He was spiked, you knew him in passing. A patient. The spike's death sentence was reduced to a life of inconvenience with a firmware update and a very minor hardware augmentation."Glasner. Time for you to go. Need a hand?"----You are intoxicated. Another drink doesn't sound so bad though. Make a choice.>Ignore him, Get up and Keep drinking.>Take the hand and ambulate your way "home.">Slap his hand away and be combative.
>>6373911>Ignore him, Get up and Keep drinking.
>>6373916"Only lost my balance. Just got started."The bouncer looked at you with a mixture of pity and frustration before walking away. This had been your routine for the past few weeks, it wasn't going to change tonight. "Don't have much else to do or anywhere else to be." Your living situation was best described as nomadic. You spent your "evenings" in the station's bowls with other vagrants, trying to stay ahead of individuals who desired to collect on petty debts. "Galaxssys' a..'ard place man."The seat next to you had been empty for a while. A few more beers were put into storage for conversion into future piss before you noticed commotion. A group of attractive women were taking part in a brawl that was wrapping up. The bouncer from earlier was on the floor. You went over to see what this was about, no need for people to act so savage.A guy comes in from outside your peripheral vision before you can get any closer. "Not for you Mr. Drunk. Today's your lucky day though, just walk away."---You are three sheets to the wind. What do you do?>Push your way past.>Try to reason with him.>Take his advice and walk away.>Approximate a challenge to him in a display of dominance.>Write in
>>6373930>Write inProjectile vomit directly into his face.
>>6373985You look around, and realize that the full attention of this man and his battle harem are now on you, as are the patrons of this establishment. Attempts to talk come out as a stutter. You pull yourself from a slouch to full height and attempt some semblance of dignity "I..hu huhu...I am the F former Director of the" and then it hits. Your body rejects the toxic swill in your stomach, a pain unlike any you've felt racks your being, doubling you over and causing you to put a death grip on the nearest available object. Starwind's shoulders. He was already executing a slick martial arts move that was no doubt going to break something.A shame, today had been going so well.>Roll for Glasner Beam effectiveness. 1d20.
Rolled 5 (1d20)>>6374003
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>6373892I'm Cognis and I approve this licensed third party spin off.Remember to link the previous thread so new comers have context. https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Space+Shipyard>>6374003Chargin the bile cannon!>>6373898>Wasn't expecting to see another Space Shipyard quest so soon, relatively speaking.Well NonCognis got infected with the brain worm and really wanted to explore the setting some more. Given that I thought Ex Nihilo was an interesting hook but was too busy run it myself I gave my blessing for this quest.
>>6374013>5:A poor showingThe Glasner beam had long powerup, requiring a long belch that allowed Starwind enough time to lean to the side, avoiding all but the particulate splatter of your projectile vomit. The rest of the incident is a blur, involving you getting violently kicked, thrown, then stomped on by a group of rather attractive women. In retrospect some men pay for that, so this could be considered a minor victory, if not for the grievous bodily injuries.It would have been a mercy to have passed out right away, but instead some purple haired floozy grabbed you by the face and scanned your eye "No. The Arc-itect bounty was rescinded with the death of it's sponsor." The voices were hard to focus on. "Yeah. Looks like we missed out on this one. What? Patent infringement?" She hauls you up and the group poses around you. Your face was swollen to the point where you couldn't get a good look, but it seemed like one of the patrons took a picture. You tried to talk but spitting out mouthfuls of blood made it hard. "Whufdafuqmahn?""Hey look, you have a bounty on you, I, beloved hero collect it, and cover the cost of coming to this dead end. They just wanted you roughed up. Also stop building rotary cannons or something. I don't know. Also this is for my jacket." You never saw the next punch coming. "Come on Ladies. Lets go see if that cute engineer wants to join the team."---"Wow. I've never seen someone shit himself from getting hit like that. It was really impressive!" She was your nurse, and a former knight pilot. Apparently she lost her frame in the war and had been disowned by her family, with no way to really get back into their graces. You'd feel worse for her if not for the constant replay of your ass beating she tended to play while doing routine care. Your gritted your teeth as she twisted and adjusted a brace that kept your shattered arm in one piece. "Almost as impressive as loosing a knight to strike fighters." The quip had upset her the first few times, once you learned enough about her to utilize it, but now it seemed ineffective. "Hmm, yes, but I think people will remember this more. Because it's funny. Also Galatan Starwind. Mmmm." She had a far off look in her eyes for a moment. "Anyway, my master is coming to see you shortly. Please appreciate what you are being offered."A moment later a ragged looking man entered. He was lean, and masked. The infra and ultrasonic emissions from extensive augmentations made him unpleasant to be with in the same room. Your teeth almost hurt being near him. "Harris Glasner. The Alchemist wishes you well. I wish you well." You can't see his face, but he leans in closer to your bed, grabbing the railing tightly. "On her behalf, I would like to extend an offer. No need to act. Now." If not for the medical catheter already inserted inside your more delicate anatomy, you would have pissed yourself.When you look down at your bedside tray, next to a cup of chocolate pudding is a letter.
>>6374028You skim the contents of the letter, it was brief, and to the point. A job offer. blah blah blah responsibility. Something something well being of the station community. Where was the job title....Director. "OH HELL YEAH! I am an artist, and this will be my canvas!" You jumped out of bed and re fractured your arm. "Fuck!"---It was a few weeks of ongoing therapy, but you were fully recovered, with new teeth even. Surprisingly nice teeth for such a backwater station. Granted if it could be had, it would be here. Your official new duty. Director. The pep in your step was arrested slightly as you stepped into a massive open bay. It looked like some sort of forward operational base in a military campaign had sex with a homeless encampment. There were clearly signs of industrial activity, but none of it was pristine. Overhead gantries hauled massive components into place while a robotics assembly line busied itself with unrelated tasks. Numerous specialty "Shops" handled sub components."Its beautiful. Isn't it? Harris Glasner." The masked man had snuck up on you. "We made many things here once. Strike craft, torpedoes, corvettes, even frigates. The Kaszanka type, if you are familiar. I know you are." He walked in lockstep with you, explaining the various shops and locations. You spotted a decommissioned hotdog being stripped for components, apparently cannibalized for it's engines. "We use those for Zweihänders. Waste not."You'd had enough of him. "Yes, yes. Want not. Who are you anyway?" you adjusted your glasses more out of a nervous fidget than any real need. You felt him grinning through that opaque, featureless mask."I'm just a Bastard. You can even call me that. In fact, I insist. But, that is much. Less. Important than the job at hand You. Need to make choices."He guided you over to a small open air elevator. It lead you up to an overhead director's cubicle on one of the mobile cranes. This place was a shithole. The whole thing was. Before you could say anything the Bastard motioned it's head towards the empty yard. "The artist needs a canvas, and this the brush with which you will work. Try not to have a tragic fall."
>>6374041>>6374041On your Director's display was a notification of the first job order you had to deal with."Our customer is the provisional government of Shima. To be honest its sort of an occupied territory of the PJC, and they are quickly loosing influence as the member states of the pact maneuver against eachother for favored trade deals and political ties. The upside is, we are nominally part of the PJC, so this funds us.Shima has the capacity of build strikecraft, and has stocked up on them, but the craft aren't FTL capable. They need to patrol their territory and have requested between 6 and 12 patrol craft. The Pact has elected new builds rather than donating existing surplus craft, probably because the surplus got obliterated during the war.These things don't need to be much more than their mission, so keep tight to the requirements and we can cash in on surplus exotic matter at the expense of going heavy on common matter. You also aren't going to have access to most of the familiar goods here, we make everything in house.Ex-Nihilo's equipment is a little different, we can import, sure, but that eats into operational costs, so for now learn about what we have, develop the lines, and make do. Below is an overview of the current frigate frame and available sub components.(1/2)
>>6374065(2/2)---From: MX ProSuper"The Knife Fighter was made to be incredibly affordable, accomplish a patrol, and come home. Damage control wasn't part of the plan. We have two example configurations for you to review. A type offers a fast gunship equipped with the lantern core, B type is a pocket carrier that can take a hit or two. Neither are ideal, but its what the team could make before you came into the picture.1. Deck houses provide a living and command space. The bigger the more functionality, think on equipment in mission repairs, command and control, room for EVA and recovery. The smallest simply provides the crew room to exist. The more crew you have the bigger you have to go.2. Sensors. From a basic comms blade, to a jammer, to a C4 ISR node. The heavier you go the more power you need.3. Armor and heatsinks. I'd argue heatsinks could be armor.4. The E-Drive. If you are gonna jump you need it, and this ship needs it.5. Lantern Core. This takes the place of multiple engines and powerplants. Gratuitous speed and power output, less efficiency, and it explodes violently if ruptured while under power. Its also cheaper than multiple engines and power cores.6. Power core and basic engines. They don't explode, but you are either going to be slow as fuck, or come out more costly and still less than fast.7. Armament. We are a little underdeveloped here. Our best tech in house are probably the missiles, but we also have basic particle beams. I'd say something about the strike craft but our customer can supply their own so that's always a consideration. Use the existing unit as a placeholder for locations.8. Capacitors and shield tiles. We pioneered these ones. Much cheaper than a power plant, but they only have enough juice for a hit then you are systems dead until recharged. The tiles are happy being fed from a direct power source or capacitor array. Doesn't matter much to em.And hey, we wrote the book on doing things the wrong way. Literally. Check out the Chimera manual sometime. Yeah, you shouldn't daisychain E-drives together, but if you know whats gonna blow first, you can plan for downstream failures and on station repairs. That said, this probably isin't the contract for that kinda shit. Anyway Glasner, welcome to the team, good to have you as a boss, go knock yourself out. Maybe you got some ideas we didn't think of."---Alright players. Describe the kind of ship you want to make with whats available, and see if you can hit consensus. We'll have a ship within the next few hours, unless I pass out before then. The picture is mostly to help you visualize whats going on and what you have, rather than any expectation of drawing or creating anything, but if you do, thats cool too.
>>6374070the ship pixels.
>>6374070>>6374074They want a patrol frigate, let's give em one. Large deckhouse so the ship is capable of performing limited EVA, boarding, rescue etc... would be useful in a "police" vessel. Lantern drive for cost and speed (we shouldn't be going into situations that are too hairy. Maybe advise training crews on emergency shutdown drills, or work some kind of CASE blowout panels into the superstructure to mitigate the effects of a full drive explosion.)Then, capitalizing on the power output, slap on shields, heatsinks and particle beams. Going all in on energy should produce a ship that's cheaper to resupply while still being able to perform its intended function. 1. Biggest deckhouse, special emphasis on having a small EVA/recovery bay.2. basic comms blade.3. Heat sinks4. E-Drive: Yes5. Lantern Core.7. Particle Beams8. Shield Tiles
>>6374070>>6374085Supporting, though I wonder why a patrol frigate needs an E-drive. If they're just meant to travel inside the Shima system, then it would be cheaper to forgo the E-drives and wake jump/haul them to the system instead.
>>6374242Agreed, maybe offer the E-drives as a separate installation package if they want to. Also, can we fit a couple of multipurpose missiles in there? Or do we have to develop those first?
>>6374242>wake jumpThe Pact never developed hyperdrive tech, but select Imperial ships had it. Maybe if we could salvage a hyperdrive from an old battle site we could make a ship to haul our non- FTL frigates.
>>6374085>>6374242>>6374252>>6374262These things were certainly...interesting. Ex-Nihilo engineering up close. If you had access to a hyperdrive maybe it would be possible to reverse engineer it, but this was unlikely given the political climate. E-Drives were the best option for something as large as a system territory. Inefficent to be fair, but they also did offer some redundancy in supporting each other should a large enough threat emerge.You worked the overhead crane system, and sent out commands periodically to the work teams. They were dysfunctional, fooling around, getting hurt now and again, but they also got the job done. You didn't like it, but it also made sense how this place churned out the raw amount of very mediocre ships it did. However...THIS TIME WOULD BE DIFFERENT. "Mine is a lighter touch..." you muttered as you worked the controls. The oversized drive core had come in earlier today, along with the heatsinks and E-drive. The components were crude, but the integration could be optimized. It also wasn't going too hard on additional resources yet...Its a civil ship. But there was room for more. They didn't ask for more though...but you were director. You had stared at the schematics of the particle beams long enough to get ideas. Better than ideas. Eventualities.---Pick one.>Finish the ship, and start cranking out the rest of the Shima patrol fleet. (control yourself. Produce 12 totally fine, if unremarkable frigates.)>Commit to a slight optimization. Ever so slight. It'd need more power, and that would eat into the materials budget for the fleet, but you could still reach the customers minimum ship count requirements, even if it was one or two under, they'd understand for what they were getting. (roll 1 d20 to reach for glory and risk an absurd boondoggle)
>>6374338>Finish the ship, and start cranking out the rest of the Shima patrol fleet. (control yourself. Produce 12 totally fine, if unremarkable frigates.)Solei thought we couldn't do boring but practical!? Well we'll show him! We'll make a ship so boring it'll put even him to sleep!...Ugh, we are going to need a drink after this.
>>6374338>Commit to a slight optimization. Ever so slight. It'd need more power, and that would eat into the materials budget for the fleet, but you could still reach the customers minimum ship count requirements, even if it was one or two under, they'd understand for what they were getting. We've tried the boring option before, like refitting old ships, and in the end it earned us the boot. No more! Glasner's Revengeance starts now!
Rolled 8 (1d20)>>6374395>(roll 1 d20 to reach for glory and risk an absurd boondoggle) in the options field put "dice+1d20"I'll allow multiple people to be normal, and multiple people to try and roll. Lets see which of glasner's demons wins out.If more people vote for keeping it practical, we go that way.If one person rolls a 20, a 1, or more people roll, we go that way.
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>6374402Trust me, I'm an engineer!
>>6374528two more hours. if no further rolls, or choices, we go with that 7.---You looked at the ship. It was fine. Fine enough, but, hmm. No. "It's not good enough. It wouldn't last a second against a patrol frigate." It wasn't made to. You knew that. That was not the mission, and yet, it galled you. Galled you badly.
Rolled 15 (1d20)>>6374576Can we do better?
>>6374587>15You gritted your teeth and looked at the design one last time. Constraints and eventualities played out in your imagination. Shima thought it needed cheap ships to get a job done right now, but there was obviously little thought about after "right now". It was short sighted. In theory they could upgrade the ships, in practice, they would fuck it up. You leaned back into your chair and let your hands glide through the air as you played with the design in augmented reality....When your "design trance" ended you looked over what was wrought, and found it satisfactory. The changes were obvious, but nuanced. Not catastrophically expensive, and not outside the realm of what was asked."Hey, ProSuper. I've got some changes, get the crews to work." the schematics were pushed out and you received download notices.There was audible swearing over the channel before you got an intelligible reply. "You sure about these changes? It won't stretch worktime too much, but uhh, this is a little bit fancier than what we had ya know? We won't hit our target numbers for total units."You cringed at his inability to think in the long term. "Push the damn changes. I know what I'm doing." You directed, he expedited, if he wanted to run the show he missed the chance when the Alchemist hired you.Your upgrades touched the weapon systems, shield emitters, and sensors. A jammer was added along with a C4ISR Suite. You rounded the ship out with an extra reactor and heat sump. It was going to be able to coordinate with the other ships of it's class, get in, get out, and hit first without being detected. The back half was a powder keg, but it was a well defended powder keg with good isolation measures, so even if core were to go critical the craft could be blown in half and in theory the E-drive and crew compartment would be salvageable. The extra resource cost from your discretionary modifications brought the total ship count down to a still respectable fleet of 9 craft.---In the following three weeks the craft were constructed, shaken down, and delivered. The representatives of the Shima Provisional government were skeptical, and more than slightly frustrated at the lower ship count, but the crews of the ship quickly grew to appreciate the Knife Fighter. It lived up to the hype.You were paid with compensated room and board, and enough scratch to pay off petty debts. No more broken fingers! You spun around in your chair a few times celebrating. Maybe more than a few times. Maybe life was going to be ok. Tonight you would go to the bar to drink! Nay! To FEAST! You were inspired, your mind ablaze with new ideas, and Amp. Glorious Amp!---Pick a route:>Glasner's feast.>A strange proposition.>A lesson in humility and rage.and pick an upgrade to work on:>Lantern core. Could be faster, less prone to exploding.>Particle beams. Find a way around the scaling issue.>Shield emitters. They are too fragile.
>>6374666>A strange proposition.WHAT'S IN THE BOX!?>Lantern core. Could be faster, less prone to exploding.It's pretty awesome when it doesn't explode.
>>6374666>A lesson in humility and rage.True artists suffer for their art.>Lantern core. Could be faster, less prone to exploding.
>>6374666>A strange proposition.>Lantern core. Could be faster, less prone to exploding.
>>6374670>>6374705>>6374706Upon completion of the order, you briefly met with the Alchemist at their office. It was a very utilitarian room, filled with archaic terminals and other tools for individuals who would not have possessed even the most basic of implants to use Augmented reality. A grimy window looked out over the gas giant which the station orbited. At a desk sat the Alchemist. Another masked individual. perhaps a strange affect of this station. "Between you and, ah, "The Bastard", I've noticed a trend towards masks. Will I be getting one?"You heard a distorted chuckle from a voice modulator. "Not unless you fuck up, Harris Glasner. So try to keep your face. We've got good news for you. A little gift, and Something you'll be familiar with. The good Lord Hyron Banfield has deigned to gift our station a pair of mass fabricators from the Megaton Rain. Wonders of engineering that they are, there is little in the way of exotic matter for recycling. He thinks we might actually output a net positive with them, so make that happen. But no rush, how these are utilized is up to you...Director."A lot of feelings washed over you, horror at what had happened to your masterpiece. Resignation. Betrayal. Rage. Fuck Solei. and even more so, an odd sense of freedom. There was a much that could be done with those units. Ignorant individuals would only see them as bespoke machines to make heavy torpedoes. With a little time and work, they could be reconfigured for any form of mass production. This could dramatically improve the output and quality of the station, at least in your hands. "I uh. Please pass my gratitude to Lord Banfield."The Alchemist simply tapped it's mask. "You'll have that opportunity yourself, soon enough. Enjoy yourself for a few days." The figure simply gestured you away with a shooing motion. You saw yourself out, still at a loss for words, this was not what you expected, and the Alchemist was eccentric, but not nearly as taciturn as described. With little else to do, you made your way back to your CORPORATE FURNISHED APARTMENT.>1/2
>>6375121>2/2Work was done, the boss had ordered you to enjoy time off. You had a job you liked, a position that offered you respect, and the evening before was exactly what you wanted; a giant meal, ample drink, and unexpectedly pleasant company. A powerfully built woman with a prodigious appetite was entertained by your witticisms and anecdotes. A shame she left before you could culminate your seduction of her. Still, there was always the memory of that figure and her form fitting body glove. You sighed and looked around your home.The apartment. No, your apartment. What a beautiful thing. It was stocked with beer, and someone even left a little crystal bowl full of amp capsules on the counter top. You shouldn't. no no. What the hell, you earned it.*crack* SNRRRRT.---A few beautiful days were spent optimizing Ex-Nihilo components, and with it your understanding of their design philosophy. Oversized components and brute force made up for a lack of advanced fabrication or elaborate workarounds for limited exotic materials. You found their willingness to simply explore what was possible very refreshing, regardless of if that desire was founded in desperation or not. Designs from the knife fighter emerged, in particular you were happy with how you massaged out some of the less desirable traits of the lantern. It could still explore, but it wasn't going to do it so readily, and on top of that you believed there was a way to further integrate other systems into the lantern core, raising its overall cost slightly, but reducing total system costs.Another capsule cracked between your fingers, followed with an undignified snort. Another plastic package thrown into a small pile. "Hmm." These particle beams, there was something in there beyond just the weapon, maybe more valuable than the weapon itself. The idea was there teasing you. There was also the "Chimera Handbook" to finish reading, ghastly as it was. More of a study on how to do everything in ship design no one should ever do, but there was value to it... the thought was swiftly interrupted by a very unwanted ping to your augmented reality messenger. Shima contact, but originating local. Corporate identity. Interesting, and worth checking out.You thought about how to start, so many ways to answer. This was the new you. Business you. "Glasner. What's your business?" no, too lame. Cool you. "Business or pleasure?" Fuck man. no that was weird. Wait, wait... they were the ones calling. Maybe staying quiet until they talk first would work. Social anxiety was creeping higher, and an Ampheticaine buzz was decidedly not helping. The call connected. You stayed silent. Frozen."uhh.. y'ello?" The voice as familiar. Male. You voice caught in your throat."Is this Glasner? Look man. I've got some business, I know how we parted way wasn't great, but uh, lets have a drink and let bygones be bygones huh?"...Horner.--pick one.>"Fuck you man.">"Whats the business?">write in.
>>6375131>>write in."Are you fucking serious!? After everything you and your partner did to me, you dare approach me for 'business'!?... But of course you would. You've always been as stupid as you are lucky Jack, how else would you still be alive? And lucky for you, I'm in a good mood. So if this business just happens to be a project worthy of my genius, maybe, just maybe. I'll consider it."
>>6375163>"Are you fucking serious!? After everything you and your partner did to me, you dare approach me for 'business'!?... But of course you would. You've always been as stupid as you are lucky Jack, how else would you still be alive? And lucky for you, I'm in a good mood. So if this business just happens to be a project worthy of my genius, maybe, just maybe. I'll consider it.There was a pause, he was composing himself. It lasted for less than a half a second, considering his strategy then just blurts it out."Lets cut the crap and put everything on the table. We have a Chimera, and it needs fixing."He was asking you to fix stolen war salvage. That belonged to Noto first, maybe the Pact, but certainly not Jack mother fucking Horner. "That is PJC property.""Nominally, it isn't. Your guys left it deep in the territory of the Raihans, after it very publicly defected to the empire, after they refurbed it, and after we found it, fixed it, and are trying to keep it. So are you in or are you going to blow another opportunity?"He was worthless, his business was worthless, and the Chimeras weren't worth anything beyond a mobile platform. You grinned. He needed you, and now you didn't need him. "No Jack. I think I'm fine to let this one pass by..." Just before you hung up you heard a woman shouting. It was Mayumi, and her voice dominated the link. "Director Glasner, we..I, would express significant gratitude to work with you just once more. Would that you hear my offer." Her voice was slightly husky. Suggestive. Your mouth was suddenly very dry. "Go ahead." you almost croaked."This ship, it needs special attention, and discretion. Our position in the tragic aftermath of this horrible...horrible conflict is regrettably strained. What we can offer you is a business alliance, between our two markets, and a modest amount of material to offset your labor costs." Her syrup voice couldn't disguise how shitty this deal was, and how many details were lacking."I'm ending this call." you started to gesture to your temple, ready to cut the link."We have a hyperdrive on this ship...Director. You'd like to see this, I am sure. Would you like to get a long...hard...deep look. At the hyperdrive? All the time you need to study it. Feel it. Know it.""I uh. yeah. I do." You gulped a few times. Suddenly her voice was all business."Wonderful. You'll have the details of the contract shortly, and remember. Discretion."Jack was already complaining "With him? Like that?!" The link cut.His suffering tipped mental scales for you. It was worth it. All of it.
>>6375186The contract rolled in through official channels, but it was fully laden with NDAs but the crux of it was simple enough.--Requested platform: Corvette.Function: UtilityPrimary: Wreckage recovery, ship breaking, towing, and on site salvage processing. Secondary: Local fabrication, material fusing, and component recovery.Tertiary: Minimize the crew. Ideally none.Customer: Horned Princess Shipyards.Addendum:Contract critical: On site supervision by Director Harris Glasner. All transport, lodging, and per diem will be handled by HPG LLC.--Surprisingly the Alchemist had already approved the contract for your final approval. It looked like it was time to cook. You had already pulled up a utility ship concept from the Ex-Nihilo archives that the maintenance team cooked up. It was very close to ideal for the task, if unimaginative, and mundane, but you could get away with automating it and not draw too much attention. They called it the "Mite".On the other hand...from your own genius, a frigate. Optimized for remote operations, housing all the needs listed, and while not capable of being everywhere, certainly capable of the task described for the task at hand. Admittedly you'd could only field two at most.---Choose>Mite Corvette>Wrecker Frigate
>>6375192
>>6375192>Mite CorvetteEasy to produce, maintain and transport. Shipbreaking is hazardous work, so losing a corvette won't sting as much as losing a frigate.
>>6375211It was a battle of ego, if a momentary one. The Mite had no glamour, no sleek lines, and nothing to stand out. Your work crews had been busy fabricating through the night to get the prototype assembled. When you woke up you were pleasantly surprised to see how far work had progressed in your absence.A little note was available for review on maintenance log. "Thanks for choosing our design boss, its not much, but we're proud of it. - Homeless Mike"A little digging into supervisory logs revealed "Homeless Mike" was an elderly member of the work crew who seemed to live in the refuse heap near building 2. His work history goes back to the earliest days of the war, and he was arguably living on the station before it was reactivated for the war effort. He wasn't a risk. You turned your attention to more important maters. The mite. It was really only capable of "Moving and shredding things." as per the original description. A large maw on the front of the craft was lined with simple mechanical manipulators and cutting tools. Integrating very basic welding equipment into the aperture wouldn't be particularly difficult. It was all just space constrained. You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. It was VERY space constrained. There was realistically no way to fit everything in here.It could be tweaked to be modular, go heavy on the robotics. There wouldn't be much room for the crew though.--Make a choice>Commit to keeping the design simple. Fails most of the secondary and tertiary goals.>To to do a moderate improvement to the design at a cost of increased complexity. Will accomplish the secondary goals, but increase crew requirements.>Act with supreme arrogance, and shove everything in. Its arguably a more fragile design, maintenance hungry design, but with good engineering and a competent crew its more than doable. (roll a 1d20, best of 3, or a crit.)
Rolled 2 (1d20)>>6375294"I built a ship around an enormous rotary cannon and still managed to squeeze over a thousand rounds of 200mm shells into a frigate hull; how hard could this be?">Act with supreme arrogance, and shove everything in. Its arguably a more fragile design, maintenance hungry design, but with good engineering and a competent crew its more than doable. (roll a 1d20, best of 3, or a crit.)
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>6375294>Act with supreme arrogance, and shove everything in. Its arguably a more fragile design, maintenance hungry design, but with good engineering and a competent crew its more than doable. (roll a 1d20, best of 3, or a crit.)
>>6375363>>6375409awaiting a final roll.
Rolled 16 (1d20)>>6375418
>>6375421>>6375409>>6375363You worked over the Mite half a dozen times, considering extreme variations before reminding yourself of two things. Too much change was almost as bad as a clean sheet design, and you didn't care for these particular customers.You patted yourself on the back, mentally of course. "It is...perfect. Everything is there." You called over the Maintenance leader (MX ProSuper) to see the design for his opinion, in reality, you just wanted someone to notice the subtle changes you made. The use of space wrapping around the internal fabricators for an unexpected, if very cozy, living space. How you podded the various tools and put them into the units manipulators, or how the primary cutting and processing array now sported a faceted multi phase array laser...or how it was missing the entire fucking engine and power plant."Damnit! I'm an idiot!" Looking over at the lantern core concept you quickly scale down a digital model, then slap a safety cage around the most vulnerable section. "I'm a genius!" As a last minute after thought you threw on another cooling ring simply because it would fit. As you were finishing the last of the design your MX ProSuper came over and looked at the design for a bit. "yeah, that's the Mite alright. But why's it got one of those bombs on it's back?" you sighed. "It is not a bomb. It is a lantern corn, and this version is even more stable than the last.""So it doesn't explode no more?""No it will certainly explode if you damage it during peak operation.""An' thats whats with the cage?""Yes.""K'." He shrugged and left.You looked at the craft and frowned. "I should have built the frigate. Still. It's no mite." a last minute name change was done to the production unit. "Tardigrade"
>>6375478During the shakedown run of the first unit a few quirks were discovered. The core was violently overpowered for what it was, and without inertial dampeners you needed to code in an acceleration gradient for the engine control unit. Dozens of small issues were found and fixed. The funniest one was when the containment cage heat soaked and started to undergo elastic deformation. The pilots really though they were going to die, and never realized the transparent reactor housing was good for another thousand degrees. Those goofballs barely know their materials science.After the pleasantries of completing the production line, you concluded everything had been avoided long enough. It was time, and your least favorite part of any project. Communication. You opted for text, mostly out of contempt. Partially out of social avoidance. "Lot 1 ready for delivery. No Eigen Drives. 2 crew minimum. 6 corvettes total."Jack's response was fast, and also text. Coordinates on the opposite side of the local gas giant, and rudimentary instruction. "You, the ships. Be positioned for pickup, sans crew." Luckily for him, the autopilot on the Tardigrades was good enough to do coordinate maneuvering and anti collision.You found yourself getting ready to helm your own product. An interesting experience.---Choices:>Go solo.>Bring a friend (write in)
>>6375521>Bring a friend (write in)Let's bring... um...ah shit, we have no friends. NVM...>Go solo.
>>6375585>>6375585Having to pilot a space ship was an interesting experience. It wasn't something you really bothered with much. The Tardigrade was somewhat temperamental and slightly violent even with the adjustments you had made. The blue glare of the Lantern core was omnipresent, and the sheer energy output of it set your teeth on edge. It was like sitting next to the Bastard. Still, you were able to function, and after 20 minutes of punishing operations you had grown acclimated to the experience...As you approached your rendezvous point, a contact on the ships limited sensors popped up. To be fair though, you saw it visually first. It was a chimera to be sure, the mangled lines of the glory class were visible in it, but this one had been heavily worked over by the Empire; or at least what was left of it.Automatic docking permission was granted for the swarm of corvettes as you approached. The ship was barely touching the extreme edge of the gas giant's upper atmosphere, and you could already spot fragments of it falling off like glitter. One engine was in poor repair. If not for the valuable hyperdrive, it would be a mercy for the wretched ship to just plunge into the depths below. Instead you felt the solid impact as the Tardigrade magnetically clamped itself to the warped deck plate of the "Kobito" Ex-Midget, ex 3 other ships. You reached out over your local link and found nothing, there was massive electromagnetic interference from the planet below. Instead the docking light winked several times, and you felt the ship shudder before pulling away from the gravitational field. It was getting ready to jump.--Being strapped to the surface of a ship during translation is very, very, different than being on the inside of a ship. You suspected this brand of hospitality was Horner's doing. The stars were unfamiliar at first, but you soon recognized a few constellations. "Shima." Likely the very edge of the territory. "Alright. Your delivery is complete, the Tardigrades meet the written needs. What else do you want? I've fulfilled my end of the contract."Silence. just silence. It wasn't like they were going to have some halfassed scheme to kidnap you. Eventually Horner deigned to speak."Eh, Sorry about that Glasner. The ship doesn't like to jump, we had to put out a few metaphorical fires. You know what I mean?""You mean real fires." There was another long pause before he responded back."Yeah. Anyway, you are probably wondering why we are out here in the middle of nowhere trying to repair this colossal piece of shit, and I assure you, there is a very good reason."You really weren't. "No. I only care about the hyperdrive module.""Ok! Great, eye on the prize." The man naturally greasy. "So here's the thing. We have the drive, but if we go back to HPG, it will probably be seized. If we send this ship anywhere to get stripped, it gets seized. This leaves us with a very.."You cut him off and get to the point. "You need me.">(1/2)
>>6375622There was something not too far from the Kobito. Maybe a ship."Yep. Won't act like we're too close Glasner. You're smart, and prone to risks. That wasn't what we needed back then, but it is now."You were almost outraged at first, with how callous this man was towards throwing you away, and now needing you again. It was also honest, but it was also probably a manipulation tactic. Horner was clever in his own way, and his arena of intelligence was different than yours. An inferior one, but at this moment one that was in play. You opted to reach for what was familiar to him."Whats in it for me?" You pop a video feed to the AR stream.Eventually you sorted out what the object nearby was. It wasn't a ship It was the fore section of the kobito.Jack was mindlessly smoothing over his hair. Pacing. Still, he was letting you see this. It was in character. "We already agreed on access to the hyperdrive, you learn it, and maybe down the road you are able to fabricate it. Maybe we do business, you as a prime supplier." You knew damn well that bitch Mayumi was listening."I've got a counter offer. Your struggling business dies trying to hold onto this thing, or you ship it to Ex-Nihilo station, you get my protection as Director. DIRECTOR...and we work from there, corner the market on new build hyperdrives. Whatever you want though." You push some repair options Jacks way, things you had literally created as you were speaking. ----Alright players, make a choice.>Truncate the Kobito. It'd be cut down to something a little bigger than a Glory, but they wouldn't be able to contest a breach of contract. Doable here. Gets the job done and ends your suffering.>Stabilize the two sections, send it to Ex-Nihilo for repair and negotiate their services protecting the "battle of noto" scrap field. You gain an asset that will ensure your own leaders remain pleased with you, but will raise eyebrows with the Pact. (Bully Jack enough via a 1d20s)>Prep for mass integration. Send it to HPS, Mayumi would merge her shipyard into the kobito to make up for the missing mass. You might end up seeing them again, or maybe they hyperjump into a star and die. Both are fine. (default if you fail the bottom option, but its more of a fail forward than a hard loss. Open to choice if it interests you most.)>The Glasner offer: Scrap the damn ship and establish a joint venture in one of the surplus areas of Ex-Nihilo, with them under your thumb. (you will have to battle Mayumi's dice rolls, this will only happen if enough players opt for it.)
Rolled 20 (1d20)>>6375650>Stabilize the two sections, send it to Ex-Nihilo for repair and negotiate their services protecting the "battle of noto" scrap field. You gain an asset that will ensure your own leaders remain pleased with you, but will raise eyebrows with the Pact. (Bully Jack enough via a 1d20s)Both Jack and the Pact can suck my dick.
>>6375650>Prep for mass integration.For the laughs.
>>6375673>20: well then.Mayumi responded first. "Your arrogance is is befitting nobility, if only your business acumen matched it. I..."You cut her off "...wouldn't have come to me if you weren't desperate, and a little light reading shows exactly how well your shipyard is doing. By the way, is the family well?"You knew her family was very much not well. It was likely she was the sole survivor of her siblings. No solid confirmations, but trivial gossip was easy to find, even if some of it was likely be embellished. Brother fucker. Really? Absurd. The Tardigrades omitted any form of gravity generation, and as you flicked a crushed amp capsule away from yourself it glided and smacked into the armored viewport to your left, then spun off somewhere to be forgotten. Eventually Jack called in. "Look, Glasner, you are going places you shouldn't be, know what I mean?""I do, but your constant use of epigrammatic speech is...killing me.""I, uh. what?""Idioms. Turn of phrase in lay speak.""Alright, fuck. Ease up man."---The Tardigrades preformed excellently, even with whatever scab crews Jack and Mayumi had manage to scrape together. You oversaw the stabilization effort; creating a virtualized maintenance plan that was then displayed over augmented reality overlays and holographic guides.The Kobito's forward section was partially cannibalized into hollow tube braces and foamed metal beams. As you worked, it was obvious that the front half of the ship had already been heavily salvaged very recently. Entire cooling modules were missing, and all the wiring was stripped in numerous sections. It was going to take at least 72 hours of non stop work, but the ships were equipped with a small berth for two crew member rotation and enough rationed food for a solar week. Given that you had been continuously optimizing the automation routines of the repair fleet and sending out remote updates, it was an increasingly plausible time frame.--Your EVA time was actually enjoyable, even with the company and setting. True to your customer's words, you got ample hands on with the Hyperdrive. Some called you a technophile, but they were just narrow-minded. Art was art, in all its forms, and your appreciation of this sculpted beauty was not lacking as you cut all connections and feeds for a moment of more intimate observation and examination.-->1/2
>>6376059>(2/2)The drive was old. Very old. Your disassembly was limited to very surface level elements but even that confirmed theories you had. Multi spectral scanning tools penetrated deeper into the unit, but it was still just enough to further more guesswork. It would need to be studied in an actual laboratory. For now you settled for powering it on. Calibration would take time. This unit was just lumped into the Chimera in the most superficial way possible.Jack reached out over your link, disrupting your work. You realized he had embedded crude, if effective physical equipment in the drive room. "Done fucking the hyperdrive yet?" You ignored the barb. Despite your reverence for the machine, you'd never debase it like that. They were pure, and something like Horner couldn't comprehend that."The drive is powered, but not operational. It's going to take time, so go keep Mayumi Company. I doubt she keeps you around for your managerial skills."---The next several days were constant verbal degradation and abuse to both Jack and Mayumi, interlaced with poignant truths about their position, and past work. You received many a retort in turn, but were quick to point out it was your job to design, and theirs to lead, and it turned out you did both better than either of them and you let them know it. You pointed out how Ex-Nihilo's growth capacity was outright horrific and made the Horned Princess Shipyard look like an amateur effort, because it was. Mayumi lost her composure and reminded you she was perfectly capable of removing your head with her bare hands. "..and Mr.Harris, its becoming, an increasingly desirable outcome. Please don't test my patience any further. Jack, meet me in the shuttle." You've thoroughly enjoy your moment of superiority with your prior boss, but all things must come to an end."It's done. We have power, but Don't try to use it and the Eigen drive at the same time. Your main bus wouldn't handle it, but neither would anything in a 10 kilometer sphere. Including us. The ship is structurally stable for the short term, but without a massive refit, its going to fail in short order.""That's not your problem. We have the hyperdrive..." the thought of these two trying to manage that beautiful machine, all its concealed knowledge, set you off again."You wouldn't even know how to manage the hyperdrive, or establishing a manufacturing line. You couldn't even get it running without me, and another few E-Jumps would have shredded this wreck. You know it. I've set coordinates for Ex-Nihilo. The ship can be fully serviced there, and you can see for yourself what the opportunity you are ignoring."--An hour later, the former Midget, now Kobito, had returned home. It just so happened to be that a group of Glory-B's were staring down a capital ship of unknown providence, and Admiral Ruhi was screaming in your ear over a priority channel.The quest will continue.
>>6376063"Glasner, what is this!? PJC is starving for a fleet, Noto is damn near defenseless, we can barely keep scavengers from our debris field, and you are out here working for House Shimada's heir and by virtue the Raihan court!"You weren't too concerned with anything she just said. "How about you brief me on why there is a PJC fleet right in front of Ex-Nihilo, with a vessel of unknown providence.""Coincidence. These ships are to be reclaimed. The unknown was already here as a customer for the past week." Had that much time really gone by? You were rather focused."You mean broken. Stripped. Didin't you just say the PJC is resource strained? Ruhi, what is this?" Those were your designs, a vast improvement over the near archaic Glory-A. This was Solei's doing, you knew it.she raised her voice, and her octave started to climb "Don't try to reverse this. Why are you working with the enemy?""The war is over Admiral, and I played a significant part in ending it. So to be very concise; why are you here?""We can discuss it in person. Ruhi Out."---You met the Admiral on station, and ended up settling for a private meeting in your apartment. It was informal, and discussed over your modest dining table and several beers.Your conversation revealed that she was at the station to oversee the reclamation of the Gory-B class. All of it. There were concerns that you wouldn't comply. The Glory-B's were paort of the PJC fleet, but were also property of their respective systems. Systems who no longer required a high performance warship with a significant investment of exotic matter. They wanted it back. The common matter was of limited concern to them, and its value was diminished with the prospect of transport. In the end the hulls of the stripped ships were earmarked for raw materials and an approximation of payment, given that state of Pact currency.Solei had personally laid out the plan to the council, which was swiftly approved. He reasoned that with the threat of the Raihan empire removed, any potential threat was insignificant enough that a homogenized and simplified fleet could manage it. Any larger threat represented something that Pact had no chance of defending against. Higg was going to handle fleet upgrades of existing ships, and several minor locations were responsible for shipbreaking, but apparently he insisted that Noto, in particular Ex-Nihilo handle scrapping the B's. Ruhi explained the logic, but you were unable to keep your calm and threw a beer across the room. "Fuck man!"You saw her. There was surprise and pity. You'd seen it all before, when they thought you couldn't understand, when you explained a greatness they couldn't comprehend. That look. Like you were the defect.Her eyes unfocused for a bit before she spoke again. "It doesn't matter. I need whatever you can scrape together or Banfield will have my ass, and then yours.">(1/2)
>>6376428>(2/2)The alcohol numbed some of your indignation, and you weren't so insensitive as to miss the constant pained expression of Ruhi. A little more probing revealed how strained the PJC was, in that it was almost nothing now. A collection of mutual aid agreements, a handful of ships stationed over Noto's capital, and a near total lack of funding. Right now they were able to secure a modest resource stream via claiming anti piracy and formerly policing functions for intra-member state disputes before the function was de-funded."So your request, is it for the PJC, or is it for Noto?""Nominally the PJC, but realistically its Noto as soon as Banfield decides it is. We are serving a function as long as there is perceived value to the rest of pact, but as soon as that runs out...I don't know. At the moment I'm officially autonomous, and Noto has no real forcing factor, but they will eventually, and I've already lost, well, everything." She sighed, lowering her face into her hands.You considered your options. The post war environment was chaos, and well, as it was said "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity." You'd almost forgotten about the Unknown ship that had been patiently waiting. Notes from your administrative staff indicated it was a Blorg colony ship, and that apparently their ship was "sick." However there was only so much of you to go around.----A simple text came through that you dismissed as fast as you read it. "Damn Harris, you really are in the middle of it." A nonpoint from Jack, very on brand of him. The Kobito was parked at the extreme south of the station, with Mayumi and Jack enjoying the finest hospitality you would afford them, which was the same hospitality everyone else got on this station. You'd already seen several security reports involving the owner of HPS breaking limbs with overly curious locals. Hmm. Not your problem. You'd love to start work on something larger than a frigate, but the other docks were still congested with existing contracts or bulk cargo storage. You reached out to your production supervisor. "Get me Homeless mike. Have him start a work detail on the Ex-Midget, Let them know its called the Kobito now." You were about to end the call before you querried him on another item "The fabricators, were you able to get unit 01 installed?""Yeah Boss, went in easy. No idea how it works.""It's fine, don't touch it. Halt installation of unit 02, I might have other plans for it." on a second thought you remotely locked the fabricator from operation. You knew your men, and the limits of how much trust could be placed in their ability to not "touch the thing." as an afterthought "Get the rest of the crews ready, we have ship breaking to do. Tell them not to be overly aggressive with the hulls."
>>6376436>Choice time:Pick from each category, your strategies can feed off one another if you chose wisely. I'll take the options most selected by the players.1. Fading Glory: You need to decide what to do with the hulks of the stripped Glory-Bs.>Contact Solei and let him know you could refit the Glory-B hulls to match his standardization. Clients eat the cost. Glory to the Pact. Will yield improved particle fields, conventional engines, and armor. Gain Ruhi's acknowledgement.>Sell Ruhi on refitting most of the hulls with available Ex-Nihilo tech. Its a quick answer to the PJC's fleet size. Noto Stands! Improved beams and missiles. PJC will secure Noto's salvage fields.2. PJC: The Pact Joint Command is barely scraping by and can't really afford new cruisers.>Create an expensive, high end corvette with enough firepower to pose a threat to to a frigate, but be cheaper than an entire frigate with a lower crew count. Develop improved power generators and heat management.>Sell them on the wrecker frigate, but retool it for combat. Improved armor and missiles.>Just reheat the production line for the previous frigate and improve it based off what you've learned. Improved beams and lantern core.3. The Horned Princess you know: Mayumi seems invested in the Chimera, you suspect you know why.>Send the Kobito to the salvage fields to recover chimera fragments for repair. Mayumi will provide protection for your salvage fields for a time, before using her personal warship to influence negotiations on Shima and within the Raihan empire.>Earmark a few Glroy hulls to create a fresh Chimera hull for Horner and Mayumi. Existing components and engines will be stripped from the Kobito. You will include the second fabricator from Megaton Rain, configured for production of whole drones and corvette parts. No weapons. Starts a venture between Ex-Nihilo and HPS.4. ...and The Blorg you don't: These fungal aliens reside on a ship of unknown providence, with potential room for discovery. Its a shame its a toxic hellhole deadly to human life. They are willing to >Contact Horner and Mayumi for a joint refit of two surplus Glory hulls. Will deepen cooperation between Ex Nihilo and HPS,.>Personally enter the craft and try to discover the issue with their failing ship. (dice minigame)>This is 100% not your problem. See if Benny can help. Results may vary.(1/2)
>>6376466(2/2)5. Upgrades:Your time spent with the Kobito and it's unique hyperspace drive were enlightening. The first hand look at a chimera, and Raihan engineering attempts to improve a flawed design also lent insight into potential building techniques.>Upgrade the lantern core and integrate the Eigen drive. While this increases the individual cost and complexity of the core, it drives down the total use of exotic materials is reduced due to shared functions and components within the core. You suspected you could squeeze some modest improvements in speed, and explosion resistance out of this design.>The Raihan modified engines were elegant and robust, but you could do better and provide a line of propulsion without the inherent dangers of the lantern core, which some customers may appreciate.>You didn't want to make engines, you wanted to make larger particle beams!!!----Players and lurkers, hello. I wanted to give some background. This quest was made to come in blind and unfamiliar, but for those familiar with the setting, hopefully you are enjoying my rendition of familiar faces. Of note, the title image was generously provided by Cognis, depicting Glasner, Admiral Ruhi, and the masked Alchemist.I wanted to know if you would like to focus on raw ship building with every post, or if you are enjoying the interludes and more character focused story. Your feedback will shape the quest going forward.
>>6376472>Contact Solei and let him know you could refit the Glory-B hulls to match his standardization.>Create an expensive, high end corvette>Earmark a few Glroy hulls to create a fresh Chimera hull for Horner and Mayumi.>Personally enter the craft and try to discover the issue with their failing ship. (dice minigame)>The Raihan modified engines were elegant and robust, but you could do better and provide a line of propulsion without the inherent dangers of the lantern core, which some customers may appreciate.I only caught the second shipyard thread and missed the first and third outings. Just happy to catch this one. Raw shipbuilding is fun when there are enough players to create discontinuity, and generates the most humor in this series. That said, Glasner is growing on me.
PS -- Is Ruhi supposed to look like a Shimada relative?
>>6376466>Contact Solei and let him know you could refit the Glory-B hulls to match his standardization. Clients eat the cost. Glory to the Pact. Will yield improved particle fields, conventional engines, and armor. Gain Ruhi's acknowledgement.>Just reheat the production line for the previous frigate and improve it based off what you've learned. Improved beams and lantern core.>Send the Kobito to the salvage fields to recover chimera fragments for repair. Mayumi will provide protection for your salvage fields for a time, before using her personal warship to influence negotiations on Shima and within the Raihan empire.>Contact Horner and Mayumi for a joint refit of two surplus Glory hulls. Will deepen cooperation between Ex Nihilo and HPS,.>Upgrade the lantern core and integrate the Eigen drive. While this increases the individual cost and complexity of the core, it drives down the total use of exotic materials is reduced due to shared functions and components within the core. You suspected you could squeeze some modest improvements in speed, and explosion resistance out of this design.Why the hell would we give away the highly complex one-of-a-kind fabricator unit that was the most critical component of the Megaton?
>>6376525>>6376557Appreciate the posts. I'm going to give any additional players a chance to get at this tonight before I post. One player or 10, we keep rolling forward.as for the fabricator and other things, they will be answered in universe. I like your energy on it though.
>>6376466>Contact Solei and let him know you could refit the Glory-B hulls to match his standardization. Clients eat the cost. Glory to the Pact. Will yield improved particle fields, conventional engines, and armor. Gain Ruhi's acknowledgement.>Just reheat the production line for the previous frigate and improve it based off what you've learned. Improved beams and lantern core.>Send the Kobito to the salvage fields to recover chimera fragments for repair. Mayumi will provide protection for your salvage fields for a time, before using her personal warship to influence negotiations on Shima and within the Raihan empire.>Contact Horner and Mayumi for a joint refit of two surplus Glory hulls. Will deepen cooperation between Ex Nihilo and HPS,.>Upgrade the lantern core and integrate the Eigen drive. While this increases the individual cost and complexity of the core, it drives down the total use of exotic materials is reduced due to shared functions and components within the core. You suspected you could squeeze some modest improvements in speed, and explosion resistance out of this design.
>>6376526That's weird considering Ruhi is the only one I've actually drawn. Pics for Mayumi and her Sister were ripped from the interwebs.I guess they look similar since they've all got that long faced east asian matriarch thing going on.
>>6376813Partly the haircut too.
>>6376525>>6376557>>6376713You watched the the stripped hulls of the Glory-B's from an armored window. By no means were they representative of your full genius, but to see them reduced like this did sting. Slightly. An upgraded "Glory S" from Higg was parked in orbit near the process, almost like Merik Solei himself was overseeing the process. From this distance the changes didn't look like much, and maybe that was his art. Doing just enough, or maybe the most with the least. It was painfully reductive to your sensibilities, but you'd had enough time now to think and examine. The PJC common network was still available to you, and with it the schematics for that refit. You spent no more than a half hour fully examining what had been done, which truly, was barely anything. Solei had added on applique upgrades; plasma tiles, chemrail extensions to the mainguns, and not even an entire replacement of the engines, it was just a partial replacement of the lower third and some components that would have been regular wear items. Everything else was untouched. Extra power draw was resolved by throwing in the minimum amount of capacitor arrays necessary."Unbelievable. He is unreal, a sea of choices and he does this?" you spoke to your AR display, the armored window, and no one in particular. This wasn't arrogance, or hostility. It was who he wants. The realization in that moment was almost painful. You doubted you would ever have common ground with a man like that, but maybe, you could work to match his speed...between the stations various production shops and the newly installed fabricators, you should be able to construct a majority of the components needed. It would be trivial actually. You sent an encrypted message over the PJC channel."Get me Solei. I have a proposition for him and by extension the council."---Solei displayed little emotion beyond a slightly raised eyebrow at your proposal and included schematics. "Glasner, this is cost effective. Sensible. I didn't know it was in you."" He hadn't pushed to refit the hulls due to slight differences between them that would lead to difficulties. You had elegantly worked around those issues, using standardized equipment despite the differences in superstructures between the A and B models, creating an effective unified class of ship. The council members were pleased with effectively getting a bargain, and the in the end you were left with just a few B hulls that had been damaged in the war and weren't cost effective to return to service as warships.---You received a short message from Ruhi. "The timeline for total refit is several weeks out, but the council has agreed to immediately allot some of the "bonus" ships to the PJC on a temporary basis. Your quick thinking is a credit to Noto and Lord Hyron Banfield." You extrapolated the politics of that for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth the effort. There was beer. That was enough.
>>6376943>Just reheat the production line for the previous frigate and improve it based off what you've learned. Improved beams and lantern core.>>Upgrade the lantern core and integrate the Eigen drive. While this increases the individual cost and complexity of the core, it drives down the total use of exotic materials is reduced due to shared functions and components within the core. You suspected you could squeeze some modest improvements in speed, and explosion resistance out of this design.The next day was a little blurry. You didn't have a hangover, not exactly, but the lack of amp was certain a factor in feeling rough. Ruhi's hat was still sitting on your kitchen table; she'd forgotten it in your last meeting. You knew It was easily replaceable, but intended to return it at some point. For now, it was an affect of hers, which reminded you of the The PJC frigate project. You rubbed your hand down your face. Unkempt stubble bristled against you. Today was not ideal, your head wasn't in the ship building process, and maybe the lingering effects of emulating Solei's minimalism were sticking with you. Horrible. "Just horrible." The usual energy wasn't there, so you defaulted to the only available ship class the station could readily make. A knife fighter.You slowly chugged through the space around you, augmented reality visible to you alone at this moment. An outsider would make mistaken you for moving in a stupor, hallucinating at phantoms. They would only be partially right. You became more animated as you started to focus on the weapons and lantern core. There were some improvements you had wanted to try for weeks, and getting them out of your head and into the electrons would be a relief. You rebuilt the lantern once, then scrapped it and rebuilt it again....and again. Eventually you finalized something that was a true "core". It contained all critical functions of the ship, wrapped in layers of complimentary machinery and electronics, both more complex in its dependencies and elegantly simple for its component count than then sum of it's functions.---You were interrupted several times throughout the day over trivial things. "The Blorg's ship is falling apart." Everyone was so hyperbolic in their speech. Aura and the Bastard invited themselves in, trying to get your time for a supplemental knight frame. "No time. Dealing with cannons and Blorg." You really weren't dealing with the Blorg, and didn't want to. It wasn't that you hated them, just that there was something revolting about them, on a biological level. social level. Perhaps metaphysical."You. Would kill them? Very un.expected." The Bastard's low level electronic hum increased in volume, pulsing, grating on your nerves and hurting your teeth. A chuckle might have been mixed in with that oscillating noise. You didn't know how aura wasn't bothered. You gestured to your table, it had some petty food items and drinks. "Help yourself, then leave. No distractions." >(1/2)
>>6376993>(2/2)Kill them? What was he talking about? All you mentioned were the cannons and blorg. "No! I'm designing cannons, AND dealing with...Aura? Hello? Anyone?" They were gone. Honestly it was a relief. Work on the enlarged particle beams was fruitful. They would be able to scale a few more times before you ran into real limitations. Right now it was purely power and cost requirements. Your own exposure to salvaged Raihan weapons had given you some useful cliff notes. Admittedly, yours were of a different breed. Not necessarily inferior. A continuous beam took more time on target than a single blast, but the cost differential was there. It was a fair trade.After more internal coping you sighed and looked back at the knife fighter hull. It was limiting, but with the improved lantern core, the deckhouse could be moved reward now that the back half wasn't an immediate explosion hazard. The extra power was useful for what might have been slightly oversized cannons, but one must allow for a bit of flare from time to time. The final touch. The plasma screen. Your reproduction of Solei's work highlighted some optimizations to be made. You resisted on the Glorys, but now, you were free.A little more re configuring left you with a formidable little ship housing systems engineered to it's absolute limits. Hopefully Ruhi would like it. You smiled and looked over at her hat...and it was gone. A crude written note was left behind by the Knight pilots. "If you ever want to to see your hat again, build the knight." an archaic smile emoticon included."Son of a bitch!">PJC Fire support frigate "Duelist" Class, has entered production---Choose:>Let the hat go. Its just a hat. You still have to deal with HPS and the Blorg. Stay the course and fix the Kobito, deal with the blorg. Its a long day thats going to keep getting longer.>GO GET THAT HAT. Mayumi and Jack and handle their own bullshit. (start an HPS interlude sequence, Jack and Mayumi will be bumblefucking around Ex-Nihilo doin the building. Glasner will be busy making Aura a custom knight.)
>>6377075>GO GET THAT HAT. Mayumi and Jack and handle their own bullshit. (start an HPS interlude sequence, Jack and Mayumi will be bumblefucking around Ex-Nihilo doin the building. Glasner will be busy making Aura a custom knight.)
>>6377075>Let the hat go.The knight can wait.
>>6377075>Let the hat go. Its just a hat. You still have to deal with HPS and the Blorg.We're not going to abandon legitimate business over a hat.Although... our bratty knight needs correction. >:) When the time comes we should make her knight have a suitably ironic design flaw to piss her off.
>>6377268>>6377310>>6377233This whole situation was juvenile. You almost hissed, your cool lost. "Ohhh...that bratty knight needs correction. Both of them." You gave a silent apology to Ruhi for your failure of hat stewardship. The hat would wait.Horner and Mayumi were opportunists, but opportunists with a shipyard. They'd need to be kept busy and the Blorg project would work. Finding them wasn't so hard, not with the level of surveillance available to you. Mayumi was wandering the station with a small detachment of guards. She had been for the past few days. Periodic stops at each major assembly hub, bay, and hanger. You allowed it, there were no true secrets here. The Raihans still had a few of their own contacts here, but spying had gradually turned to covert business with those houses who were desperate enough during the post war months.Jack was slipperier. He was absolutly equipped with some sort of espionage equipment, and kept vanishing and reappearing off the station's internal sensors. PJC personnel, coupled with civilian contacts had done an admirable job keeping tabs on him. For a businessman he seemed to have hobbies outside the norm. You finally found him in the upper area of the station trying to poach a frigate contract with a representative from Shima. "...see you again." Static. "Glad you picked HPS for..." more interference. "Refits. The Ex-Nihilo models, already seen em." You decided to interrupt then and there. Your own link request was boosted through the station's emitters. increasing frequency amplitude to a point where you burned through any countermeasures and bored into his skull."Jack. If you need business, I have some for you." Over the security feed you saw him grab his face for a moment. That transmission probably hurt a little."Good.""Good what, Glasner? That fucking hurt by the way. Asshole."---You explained the job. The Blorg needed a new ship and your crews weren't about to walk onto a floating biohazard that was already beyond economical repair. HPS had experience with the Blorg, several times over. They would provide xenoergonomic fitments and additional custom life support equipment, and work directly with the Blorg. Your crews would do prep work and finish the hulls. Back and fourth negotiations concluded with allowing the Kobito a refit from the scrap fields, within reason, and incentive bonuses for a satisfactory job to include at least a partial overhaul by you.Mayumi argued heavily for rights to the spare fabricator unit, but in the words of Lord Banfield himself, who personally nixed that decision "Why the hell would we give away the highly complex one-of-a-kind fabricator unit?"---Roll 3d20.>HPS work with the Blorg and subassemblies. Determines how much bonus work HPS will get on their Chimera.>Ex-Nihilo Work on the Blorg ship hull. Determines the overall quality of the ship.>How much the Blorg like it. Influences repeat business and reputation.
Rolled 5, 2, 5 = 12 (3d20)>>6377586Big money!
>>6377627How could this happen? We're smarter than this!
>>6377627I await...at least two other players. To roll a 1.
Rolled 8, 11, 17 = 36 (3d20)>>6377586I'm sure it could always be worse
Rolled 10, 2, 1 = 13 (3d20)>>6377586>>6377645I should probably start reading quests instead of just rolling.Godspeed.
Rolled 13, 4, 2 = 19 (3d20)>>6377586
>>6377627>>6377648"I'm sure it could always be worse" the prophet said>>6377708based roller, and Blorg racist.>>6377712Totals: 13,11,1---Repair work was at a point that the Kobito was able to jump. It had languished next to several deralict hulls and a decaying blorg craft that looked worse by the day. Its time languishing in the shadow of Ex-Nihilo was coming to an end as the Kobito's long dormant hyperdrive was finally brought up to criticality and it executed a jump, crossing the enormous gulf between the Ex-Ninilo station and a pocket of neutral space containing the Horned Princess Shipyard. In reality it was several jumps, but that took away a little bit of the gravitas of the moment. Mayumi's staff had been busily preparing modules as described for an off site project, with little to go off of other than dimension scans of Pact variant glory class ships and the understanding that this would be for Blorg clients. When her staff asked if they needed to arrange a Charon, she simply told them no.The Kobito jumped in system and pulled up to HPS like it was a common occurrence, loading prepacked modules and taking on dozens of small VCS drones, derivatives of a simple drone fighter now converted to construction duty. Mayumi knew it was petty, but she didn't want video footage of Glasner's worker craft dominating the effort. The presence of her own product lineup was trivial, but an important face saving move.A sizable portion of Mayumi's own staff were also brought along inside the Kobito, it's cavernous bulk more than capable of supporting temporary habitation. The crew were a mix of engineers, technicians, and xenospecialists.--"Jack. How do I look?" Mayumi looked every bit like she always did. Immaculate. Ageless. Jack ran a hand through his hair before answering. "Presentable, given our past few weeks." She looked over at him. He was wearing a suit that was mismatched again. It was a pointless exercise in correcting him anymore. "Get my things. We're heading out." This was a long standing ritual. Perhaps it was Raihan tradition, Jack didn't know. He had several workers grab her personal luggage while he carried a small handbag.--The Kobito's return to Ex-Nihilo was nothing short of chaotic, with VCS drones pouring out of it before the ship had even fully exited the hyperspace gate. Work on the Blorg craft started immediately.>(1/2)
>>6377719((OP got range banned, posting on his behalf))You looked over the work Mayumi's crew had done, and found no notable deficiencies. The Blorg for their part had become increasingly vocal and persistent about getting a new ship. You had explained to them several times that there wasn't a hull available to meet their exact specifications. They would have to settle with the two glory-B hulls.A walk through provided by Mayumi and "Homeless" Mike was given to the Blorg's leadership, who promptly detested everything about the ships, from the long hallways, to the ergonomic considerations, even after several minor refits. Their complaints were nonstop, even going so far as to state "You should pay us to take these [undefined explatives]." Further complaints about pricing, and then criticisms and refusal of almost all local equipment resulted in their decaying ship being stripped for any available components by the Blorg's own work crews. Attempts to offer aid at this point were met with refusal over "technological secrets".The Blorg work crews then attempted to demand pay. They demanded compensation for the value of the ruined hulk of their first ship. They demanded access to the station. It took another day before the refitted ships were complete and you stared at the carcass of the Blorg Bioship with contempt. "I should have let you drop into the upper atmosphere." Your own security teams informed you that the Blorg had attempted to take the ships for an unauthorized cruise before payment, not one but multiple times. Confrontation yielded denials, strange complaints, and circular illogical arguments that ignored their own initial subject matter and rapidly jumped to other topics.The rest of the ordeal was as unpleasant as the first, with escalating complaints leading into legal threats over ownership rights for the carcass of their original ship, hostile living conditions, and more. They weren't a unified species, you reminded yourself of that. This was just one colony. Was this hate you felt? You were sure that such base feelings were below you, yet here it was. Hate. You hated the Blorg. You hated almost everything about them. "Their money wasn't worth it." you hissed through clenched teeth. To top it off, Mayumi was overtly pleased. Her work was done, and the Kobito had already translated to the salvage fields with a short jump.Finally you had enough. Your security handled the issue with a short message. "You are trespassing on a PJC Military installation. Leave immediately or be destroyed." several warning shots from the parked Glory-S's were enough to send them on their way, blasting out idle threats and complaints.>(2/2)
>new space shipyard threadHOLY SHIT HYPE WE'RE SO BACK
((OP is still having trouble. I will continue to post on his behalf.))With the Blorg gone, the Tardigrades began cutting off diseased chunks and pushing them into low orbit for atmospheric capture. You watched the chunks fall away, the PCJ didn't want this biohazard salvaged. Specialized ships had already come and gone, sampling and studying. HPS was not one to let an opportunity pass, and a selection of modified VCS drones had assisted with the "autopsy". All that was left after a few hours was the incident report; some of it redacted even for you.The Bioship was a total unknown. Cellular structures and even molecular machinery fully deviated from any known records, no element of it's genetic makeup could be confirmed for a repurposed organism, but it also couldn't be discounted. What was understood was the organism appeared to have been grown, then implanted with inorganic components which were interfaced with organic elements. The Blog colony that had inhabited it was unaware of the ships exact nature, and continued to constantly integrate Blorg technology onto the craft as systems failed from systemic infection. You shook your head at the loss of knowledge and data. The thing was mostly inert biological structures and a liquefied slurry by the time the aliens had approached for help.As you continued reading, the Blorg's own symbiotic microflora infested and destroyed the ship. Researchers found a complex central nervous system and brain like organelles, and internal sensory organs theorized in use for aural, chemical, and visual processing. Postmortem analysis by your researchers showed heightened levels chemicals analogous to stress hormones. It didn't just die bad, it died angry. There was a moment of pity for the organism before logic dominated again. It was dead and gone, its passing regrettable but no longer an item that could be controlled. You cracked an amp capsule and inhaled sharply.Those particular Blorg, you wouldn't bemoan their passing. There were more pressing matters though, and the alchemist had requested a meeting with you. You habitually cleaned your glasses in preparation for engagement. Sleep would wait.---The Kobito crawled awkwardly through the debris fields of the Noto War. The Pact had taken to calling it a "salvage field". Lady Mayumi Shimada considered it a grave site, and it was hard not to. Periodic bodies pelted the massive craft as it entered denser areas of wreckage. The war dead were here, awaiting recovery, but they would continue to wait. Salvage was what was being guarded here, not honor. Tied to Jack, for better or worse, if this played out right the future would be less of a shameful struggle. They were hedging their bets with uncertain gambles. Stealing the Kobito was bold, and admittedly Jack's idea, but he was arguably right. It was derelict, and whoever was fastest, most capable, would hold onto it. This abomination represented something akin to hope for her. Maybe for him too.>(1/2)
>>6378144>(2/2)Jack considered the last few weeks. Working with Glasner had to have been a punishment for a past sin. Given the past, perhaps it was obvious though. Between working over Pact contacts and exploiting a demand for work he had managed to secure a few minor contracts for drones, frigates, and carved out joint ownership of hypderdrive production with the Pact. That one was probably going to bite him in the ass later, but the initial cost to return on investment had too much potential. Each hyperdrive made by the pact would see a small, very small, percent of it's value as royalty to HPS. It was arguable the pact was going to reverse engineer the drives anyway, so maybe the Empire wouldn't be too testy. Still, it was a guaranteed source of income for the time being. That was cause for celebration, and drinking. A lot of things were cause for drinking. He had been working at a bottle of wine, Raihan vintage. It was good, but the memory was bitter. It came from Shirin when the shipyard had finally started to turn around, before things really went to shit with the Empire. Mayumi was fixed at a console by the armored glass of the kobito's deckhouse, the look on her face was almost a trance. He held the bottle up and offered a sip that would have been rejected anyone. "No? Ok. More for me.""Mayumi." Jack had been talking for a while, but Mayumi was distracted by her own thoughts, and a lack of sleep. They had both jumped at the chance to drum up business. With the fall of Shima, and Mayumi' sister missing, likely dead, the House Shimada was driven into a position of near irrelevance. The shipyard was still struggling post war. Even with the demand of reconstruction from the empire, the shipyard wasn't in a politically favorable position within the court. One off sales to flaky customers wasn't going to keep the lights on. The noble woman was frozen, staring into space, lost in thought. Jack set his hand on her shoulder expecting a slap, a threat, or snide comment...fuck anything. She gave nothing, said nothing. Despite being a genetically perfected specimen of humanity, there was still vulnerability in her. Jack kept his hand in place and stared out into the void with her. VCS drones and Tardigrades awaited deployment.---Roll 2d20 to see what sort of salvage the Kobito recovers, and what sort of mishaps the brave crew finds in the salvage field.Players can suggest equipment to look for. e.g.: drones, parts of the hand, carriers, beam cannons, chimera wreckage, specific classes of ship that interest you. These examples were not exhaustive.
Rolled 19, 2 = 21 (2d20)>>6378146
>>6378146Parliament class carriers offer the best loot, namely hyper drives and possibly Tile X-2 fighters. The Hand of Throne did have a hyper drive with tactical jump capability, but the odds are that it got blown apart along with the rest of the ship. Lastly, Otori Kai's cannon might be worth looking into because credit where credit is due, they stole a bastardized version of our admittedly questionable design and turned it into something actually usable.As for mishaps, I imagine there's more than a few unexploded Hotdogs either floating about or wedged inside Raihan ships.
Rolled 17, 20 = 37 (2d20)>>6378146>Shipyard quest is backWe aro so ba...>OP got range bannedIt's over.Is the roll first come first serve or is it just the best one from all anons?Could there be half blown up knight frames that we could frankenstein for our bratty pilot?
>>6378359>>6378299>19, 20: Jack Horner, with the Midas touch.---The salvage fields weren't as still as the Pact would have hoped. Even with periodic patrols from the PJC ships and the borrowed allegiance of less scrupulous factions within Noto, the desperate or most daring could be found trying to claim a petty amount of ill gotten gains. Small craft lurking in the dark, illuminated by the flare of a cutting torch during EVA, trying to loot a communication moduel or some other avionic. Half the time they just hoped what they were pulling from wreckage was the ticket out of poverty or to an easy life.The Kobito had many eyes, from it's own tired sensors, to networked Drones and Tardigrade corvettes. Jack watched it all play out, scavengers trying to escape this place with an armful of salvage. He smiled, they weren't so different, he and them. It was just that the Kobito could carry so much more. He wasn't just here for the wealth of the salvage field, he was about to show the Pact how much they could save by contracting HPS. Since the battle of Noto, the salvage field had been well documented, and crucial items of interest, particular wrecks. The Tardigrades were given work orders that would take weeks of extended rotations. The crews pay would normally make jack's eyes water, but it was petty compared to the prize. By using the little corvettes to aggregate key salvage into dense partially fused clusters, the ensuing object would be wake jumped with the powerful hyperdrive onboard theKobito to Ex-Nihilo for recovery and breaking. Much, Much, cheaper than fielding a fleet of oversized salvage barges. "Now for the hard part..." It was a bit of acting, but Jack borrowed the authority of the Pact and played the role of a hard bitten military man, spewing bullshit codes and regulations, obscure laws and threats to anyone within earshot of his broadcast. The smallest ships avoided the Chimera, going dark drifting in an attempt to blend into the wreckage. Larger craft fell to bluffs that the Kobito had armament and fled.---You are once again, Harris Glasner.Each return trip saw the Kobito bloat with salvage, growing bit by bit with entire deck sections, engines, and weapon systems. It was ugly, and rushed, but that was an area Ex-Nihilo excelled. You offered mild insights in structure, power balancing, and optimization, but frequently your disgust with the ship overcame any curiosity as you looked over the schematics. "You ran the power feeds externally." Homeless Mike was acting as lead supervisor and had handled organizing most of the work, he was nonplussed with your concerns. "Yeah. Its a Chimera, we do a lot of things like that with these things. Just try not to look at internal systems routing if workarounds bother you." You did. You swore, and wept, and secretly vomited. This wasn't a ship, it was an abomination. It perhaps matched the soul of it's owner.>the quest will continue.
>>6378644Forgot the image
>>6378645+++Test of function. QM rebooting.+++
It was time to meet the Boss. From your apartment to the office of the Alchemist easily took 10 minutes of wandering through industrial sectors packed densely with ramshackle shops and homes. The locals were starting to recognize you and no longer gave too much effort hawking their wares or in certain cases, services, at you. The station was on it's third shift, and the approximation of nightlife was picking up as workers and pilots cut loose. Several times you had to pin up against a wall as crowds nearly ploughed over you. Erratic gravity also didn't help, with some areas having effective "potholes" where you'd experience a momentary 3G on that awkward patch of ground. The true locals knew where to avoid and even in a drunken state the crowds would part around the worst gravity failures. Well, usually. "Fuck! Oh fuck! Joseph Cupertino save me!" A shabby man had been propelled upwards over the foot traffic, and was now floating helplessly, limbs flailing as he threw up into a gravity absent space. Projectile vomit formed spheres before hitting a virtual wall of artificial gravity then splashing down onto the moving crowds. It was exactly enough to trigger a brawl that you wisely chose to move beyond.Station security was already shouting, with the sounds of LRAD suppression devices making your bowels twitch even from this distance. You were glad you had nothing to do with station sanitation services.---The Alchemist was standing there, waiting for you. "Harris Glasner. We meet again. You've been busy. Very busy." You took less than a milisecond to know this was not the same entity you had met before, but it was better to play along for now. You chose to sit down this time, the chair was stiff but your body was aching, ready for sleep. "Stabilization requires more effort than sustainment. Your station presents a unique set of challenges, but its not above my capacity." Bloodshot eyes, sunken cheeks and a slight shake to your hands said otherwise. "I'm please with your work, you've kept things balanced. Balance is important here. Its how we survive. You should know some in the Pact, even here in Noto, may find your methods frustrating, erratic, maybe unpredictable. In the past your Sanity was questioned. You are effective, but are you insane Harris Glasner?"The figure inclined its faceless glare at you, this alchemist was playful, the merriment in it's voice couldn't fully be masked by the vocal distortion unit. "Sanity. Sanity is a measure of predictability against expected situational norms; a component of trust. Sanity is subjective, and not always useful. I consider myself rational, and logical."There was static and the telltale movement of laughter from the "Alchemist". "A wonderful answer. Very good. Onto your work, and future expectations."
>>6379236Various images, video clips, and text readouts confront your weary senses in AR Space. One by one they cycle in front of you as the Alchemist speaks."The knife fighter frigate was a good choice. You laid the groundwork for an improved lantern core and since then we've done swift business with the monolithic core format. So much so that others have attempted to study your work. You should feel flattered. As for the ships themselves, the provisional Shima council has used them carefully, and avoided engagement where possible. Yet pirate activity, as it is, saw two ships destroyed. You may be happy to know the crews survived, until they were also killed by the same pirates. Shima has requested the remaining ships be upgraded to an approximation of the "Duelist" standard. Speaking of..."A brief video clips shows a pitched battle between a lizard heavy cruiser and two Glory-S cruisers, supporting them were duelists frigates. "In our moments of weakness and recovery, previously neutral elements have started to become slightly opportunistic." The alien ship was eventually forced into retreat, which was out of character but not an impossibility for the species. Their clans were anything but unified at the moment. "The ability for those ships to rapidly respond, coupled with their aggressive sensor package has allowed our thin forces to emulate true strength, and perhaps be stretched even thinner. The captains have had nothing but positive statements about the Duelist, its been useful in mixed response situations, even moonlighting with hauling light external cargo." You had quietly hoped they were treating Ruhi well."Tardigrades have been most popular since their inception. We move a lot of those units Harris. Operator error has seen a few core containment failures, but those circumstances are perhaps darwinian. Still, if you find time, a mod would probably be best for our reputation considering the attention it has..." A clip of a silent white helmeted pilot entering a tardigrade plays out accompanied by a voice over from the smarmy host of Galactic Gear."They say necessity is the mother of invention; now I don't know if the engineers at Ex-Nihilo actually needed to strap an oversized bomb to their new corvette, or if they just really wanted to. There's one thing I do know: it's that if you're willing to risk a core breach, the Tardigrade puts the power in power tools. On today's show the Zig is going to use one of these mighty mites to cut through an entire...">cont
>>6379634----"The refitted Glory's were an unexpected boon by the Pact, one they didn't exactly have the funding for, but also could not decline. With them the PJC is more than a hollow force, but less close to the height of it's influence. Ruhi has sent her regards and oh...there is a message here about a hat. Know anything about that?" You blithered for a bit blaming the bastard and Aura but quickly realized the Alchemist was moving through it's notes, ignoring you. "Speaking of refits, the Blorg that you helped out so generously, ending at net negative for us, were revealed to be pirates. They currently stalk Territory outside of Noto, which is good, but are within Pact territory." You started to speak before being cut off "Yes, its bad. Not optimal. You are going to have to address that. Soon."The Alchemist tapped the side of it's cyclopian helmet almost playfully in thought. "Horned Princess Shipyard, Jack Horner, Mayumi Shimida. That you worked with them, restored their Chimera, and agreed to business deals. Your logic looks like wild gambles to those with short sight and limited creativity, Harris Glasner. Perhaps your actions were overreach for your position as Director." The air was still and stale. You were uncomfortable, and wanted a shower. If you were going to be fired again, you just wanted it to be expedited. "...but not for a Senior Director. Which is what you are now. "All the eyes that matter are on you now."You considered all of this, and despite exhaustion, logic won out. "I'm the man with a target on his back, and you stay in the background." The Alchemist walked up to your side and traced a finger from your hand to shoulder, then tapped your nose. "Yes." It paused in mock thought for a moment. "Do you know what the reward for hard work is?" A small desk plaque with your name and new title was placed into your hands. You were momentarily stunned with the situation before you saw the alchemist squat down to your head height and whisper, tinny and distorted. "More hard work."Sleep was not something afforded to you quite yet, as you were swiftly escorted to your new worksite. Bay 2. It was large enough to easily accommodated for a Cruiser design, and you had work orders already pending for a commercial mass hauler and escort craft.--->cont
>>6379637Choose one customer: consensus or majority wins.>Contact from Raiha - The Empire would like to discreetly commission two new classes of ship. The ships must be able to pass for Raihan designs once completed.>Saurian Clan Quezet - An ambassador from a lizard clan, at odds with the solar union. They seek "industrial ships of non war use." At least thats what the auto translator indicates.>Noto, lord Banfield - The man who rules the very territory your station was in, and seeking to implement logistics improvement programs within his sphere of influence. Pirates have been a problem.ANDChoose two ships (one from choice A, one from Choice B and write in) same as above.ANDPick a side project. Roll a 1d20.>Advance the Pact hyperdrive development project>Build Aura's knight frame.
Rolled 9 (1d20)>>6379639I want to srick it to the union so bad bros. But i guess it could be useful to clean up the shit where we eat.>Noto, lord Banfield>Maru classShould be tanky against pirate scrounged together weapons while being fast enough to respond.>Hot dogThe protectee of choice.>Build Aura's knight frame.The dog will be enough faction strenghtening for one day. Having a named character knight pilot in our back pocket will be useful.
>>6379639>Noto, lord Banfield Choice A:>Sharur Class FrigateThree corvettes in a trench coat. Not as impressive as Maru, but can operate without a carrier. Might be able to produce new parts in the future to further improve and change it's loadout. Plus, the components could be built in smaller shipyards and then assembled, which would speed up construction.Choice B:>GigaDog Class FreighterSide Project:>Build Aura's knight frame.
Rolled 9 (1d20)>>6379639>Saurian Clan Quezet>Sharur>GigaDog>Build Aura's knight frame.
>>6379744>>63799019...9RNGesus condemns the hat thief to suffer
Rolled 17 (1d20)>>6379639>Clan Quezet>Ache-a-ton>BigDog>Aura's Knight FrameLet's get another 9 for the hat thief!
Rolled 20 (1d20)>>6379639>Noto, lord Banfield - The man who rules the very territory your station was in, and seeking to implement logistics improvement programs within his sphere of influence. Pirates have been a problem.>Maru class>Hot dog>Build Aura's knight frame.
>>6380004You had considered which contract to take for a while. In the end Lord Banfield was the right choice. Plus you wanted to meet him. He had arrived within proximity of the station a few short days after you accepted the contract. A strike force of three Falcon Light Cruisers had entered the system. PJC ships. You Transferred over on a Tardigrade, it's compact lantern drive made the transit a short one. Two of the falcons maneuvered their bulk to intercept your small ship, and an automated interrogation demanded security codes to proceed any further. A complicated dance between your physical encryption signature device and the strike group's onboard savant began. You knew this process enough to realize you had time to kill. --- The cruiser's seethe cannons stared at you from the distance. You stared back and gave a small wave. "Hello." it was absurd, but playfulness was crucial to well being. A long, decompressing stretch routine was undertaken. Also good for well being. A small hand sketch of the thunderbird was made, and then you rehashed your experiences with the Hyperdrive on the Kobito. That was a good time. But now....you were Bored. Freed from the restraint harness of the pilot's seat, you floated slightly and let your imagination and memories drift. Ruhi, Kryska. One reminded you of a combat computer, but in all the best ways. Complexities within complexities, uniquely rare, capable, beautiful for what it is, and fragile. The other was like a charged Eigen drive, energetic, dangerous, immediate in action, demanding, and a skin tight body suit....drives don't have those. "Glasner, You're cleared for approach. Glory to the Pact. See you shortly." your thoughts were concluded with that notification, a voice that you knew well. —Lord Banfield met you in the officers section of the Falcon under his command. A communal living room was the setting of your meeting. "Forgive the austerity Glasner. I haven't had the luxury of time for decor since my ascendancy to Lordship of Noto." Ruhi was sitting next to him in full uniform, you expected her to talk, but this was clearly a formal setting.You didn't waste time. "It's acceptable, considering I designed this class, I might be to blame when I chose to omit the tactical chaise and carpet." The attempt at humor was met with a brief blank stare from the Banfield, and a look of slight horror by Ruhi. Your composure kept exactly long enough for Hyron's to crack. He smirked. "You really don't stand on ceremony do you?""Did it ever add anything back to an effort?""No I suppose not. Lets handle this then, like men of the line and be quick about it. What do you have for me?">cont
>>6380491Your presentation was done with a holographic projector that was tied into your own AR system. The virtual ships floated in front of Ruhi and Banfield, rotating and exploding into sub assemblies at your gesture, in time with questions and requests. There were a few design modifications made on the fly. Before you set out the GigaDog's name was already hastily changed to the "Iumentum class" and was readily accepted as exactly what Noto needed.There was a lot of struggle between the Maru and the Sharur classes. The Maru was preferred for it's firepower, but would have needed a dedicated carrier due to lacking an E-drive. The Sharur was an oddity, but also made sense as shipping escort. In the end the Sharur won out, but the lord almost sulked about it. He had been working on a glass of wine during your presentation, one that had been refilled several times now.---"It's a serviceable design, but I doubt my peers will be impressed, let alone particularly convinced Noto has any fangs." For a brief moment you saw the man's youth. He hid it well, but he was in age, your junior, and with that there was a touch of bravado and impatience that simmered under the surface. He looked over at you. "Glasner. You've had a history of pushing boundaries. I want what the Maru has, but I want it on the Sharur."Your pulse raced for a bit as you wordlessly began an impromptu, real time redesign in from of your client. The Maru was replaced the corvette on the nose of the Sharur, and from there back you trimmed and redesigned the component craft. The two watched you work, transfixed. A focus was placed on firepower and speed over armor and ECM. The final product was beautiful."...and there we are. This would be the fang you desired, but its cost is high in rare and exotic matter. you could afford two Sharur type As compared to this type B. Regardless of what you choose, production can begin immediately on both the freighter and frigate."Hyron stood up and walked around the two holographic ships, examining them several times over. "I saw the improvement of the Duelist over the Knife fighter, and the improved cost was worth it. Do you intend to keep pushing boundaries, reaching for your limits?"I absolutely do." you affirmed."Good. So do I, and I need tools and weapons like that. I need men like you. I need women like Her." He gestured at Ruhi without looking, and you saw her slightly flush. "I am going to make Noto the greatest system in the Pact. Greater that its ever been, and I have no room for competition if that is going to be accomplished. Get these started immediately, our business is done, but Glasner. We'll be seeing each other again soon. Ruhi, see him off."As you walked away the young Lord had already dismissed the lesser of the two ships and was simply staring at it, but through it, his mind and vision elsewhere.>cont
>>6380492---You and Ruhi chatted lightly on the way back to your Tardigrade, but she was more formal this time. "I've been wanting to return your hat back to you, but its gone missing." With that she genuinely smiled. "Its ok, I have too many of them. The PJC ended up being smaller than expected but the uniforms were already produced en masse. I could loose one a week and still have spares by the time I retire. It was kind of you to care though." The rest of the journey was short and the conversation light, but you couldn't quite shake several feelings twisted around inside of you. You had work to do, but her demure behavior around the lord stuck with you. For some reason it tarnished your moment of glory."Admiral Ruhi. I'll be off. Safe travels and we'll be in touch."As you climbed into the cockpit of the tardigrade, you got a brief notification over your AR link. "Lets have dinner again sometime. I'll bring a spare hat."—You saw The Bastard and Aura awaiting you even before you touched down. The Tardigrade's sensors glitched and struggled as you zoomed in on the duo. "You are. Back now. The work can begin." The knight pilot's own transmission broadcasted into the cockpit over every speaker at an unpleasant loudness. Your responded back over the loudspeakers of the ship, normally meant for docked maintenance. "On my own time, at my own speed. Which is sufficient for you two."Having debts owed was a powerful tool, and while you loathed politics, at some point it may become unavoidable with the Alchemist and Banfield at your back.While you did enjoy working on advanced designs and knight frames did tickle your sensibilities, this time you decided to aim for a different vision. During the war the disgraced knights of Ex-Nihilo worked hard to obtain their new frames, going as far as to teach themselves engineering in-between going on dangerous salvage runs in cobbled together strikecraft. The Bastard himself was one of the few survivors of that time and he had earned his junker of a frame (partly stolen from Aura). In short; why should Aura (a former enemy combatant) simply be handed a new frame? Especially since she had done nothing but be an annoyance, and you still needed to pay that bratty noble back for stealing Ruhi’s hat.>cont
>>6380493You smiled to yourself as you came up with several ironically punishing concepts. Firstly a more feminine and sexualised design, oh it had advantages -modeling it after Aura’s own proportions would improve neural synchronization, it’s finesse and agility would be unparalleled- but it would be the mecha equivalent of going into battle in a bikini.Then there was a highly customizable model built around a robust skeleton, except all the default modules would be dogshit and the outer shell looked like a cutesy character for little girls. Taking to the field in such a frame would make Aura a laughing stock. Fitting for a bratty noble scion. In time it could be upgraded into a formidable machine but Aura would have to earn it.Then there was what you called the “Solei Option”. Present Aura with an enhanced Blackguard. The Blackguard was a cumbersome but powerful pseudo knight frame developed during the war. Really it was more of a mass produced ground assault mech suited to meat grinder campaigns, a far cry from the elegant bespoke machines made for knights. Presenting Aura with what was essentially a flying brick would make your displeasure clear, but none would be able to deny the sheer firepower it could bring to the table.What knight should you present to Aura?>Sexy Knight>Cute Knight>Chonky Knight>Write-In
>>6380495>Cute Knight>Call the model QT-3.14Time for our magical girl to go on quests for power and glory.
>>6380495>Cute Knight>Call the model QT-3.14"Convince" her to become a galactic idol in order to spread Glasner's fame and glory far and wide.
>>6380495>Sexy KnightSeems most in-character for Glasner to be a sexist horndog. Also, we can save the Cute concept for a male knight, har har.
>>6380495>Sexy Knight
>>6380495>Cute Knight>Call the model QT-3.14
Aura and The Bastard followed you, she nearly skipped along with excitement as you made way to a diner. "You'll finally make me a frame?" Static and indignation crackled from the bastard. "Try not. Loosing. it again." Aura fell behind, cowed. After a moment she jogged up, happy and tugging your sleeve. "So, You gonna make me a frame!?" For all her annoyances, you found her to be nearly ineffably adorable. You didn't even bother to look over. "No. I'll design a frame. Fabricators make it." You saw the restaurant; shabby but serviceable for the function. "I can work while I eat." You snorted as you snapped a capsule. Clarity. Your mind started to flow with possibilities for the frame before your flow state was interrupted. "That's really bad for you! Stop doing that!" Interruptions. Considering you refined the AKSG formula into Amp you knew exactly what the physiological effects were of Amp. You were fully in control. "Its fine." Crushing another capsule with a short snort you expertly flicked the spent plastic at her forehead. "HEY!""You don't criticize your mentor. Now please. I'm trying to focus." She wouldn't let up. "He was already different. You aren't, not yet. But you will be... wearing a mask, being weird. Like all of them."The bastard was silent for the exchange, nonplussed by Aura's naive worldview. Maybe it was a blessing she sat the war out...Unimportant. Designs coalesced in your mind once more. "Your moral pugnacity is surprising, considering your initial will to kill dishonored knights, steal the family frame. Etcetera...ecetera.. Now please. Shut up."---She didn't shut up as you worked in augmented reality, rectifying relative slop that Solei's team had cooked up while you were busy with the Megaton Rain. So many things that could have been done better. Some of the Pact frame's were unaltered from the Ex-nihilo developmental programs. They were inconsequential details, but still, Fucking amateurs. Nagging and unplaced concern eroded your focus worse than the presence of the Bastard. You were able to at least grow accustom to that, but the constant attempts at engagement were distracting even if you dodged most of the conversation with eating something. Whatever it was. You hadn't payed much attention to be honest.The Bastard offered design input from his own experiences, but it was more distraction than use, a lesson in cruelty to one's self and those around him. Still, by the end of the evening you had managed to scrape together something that would grow with her, not overwhelm the inexperienced pilot. "Aura. the schematic is done and cued for fabrication, and I am ready to sleep. Stop by bay 01 by close of midshift tomorrow." You received an unexpected hug. The two escorted you back to your apartment before breaking off on their own ways.You lied about sleep. Once inside you slipped into a quasi trance state and began working hyperdrive theoreticals.>cont
>>6382493Aura walked with her Mentor "The Bastard" towards bay 01. The bay was large enough to handle an entire frigate and was used for the programs that lead up to the knight restoration program.Aura wrinkled her nose as they entered the space via a freight elevator. "It smells like burnt oils and metal in here...and maybe blood?"The bastard simply looked forward, into the distance of the area. "Because of those things. we. Exist for conflict." She had grown to his unusual speech cadence and pauses, initially assuming it was an eccentricity. The reality of the bastard's existence was more austere. He was mostly cybernetics, and an almost integral part of his knight frame's own hardware. The speech center of his brain had been partially hijacked for massively parallel sensory data processing. Simply to fight, to pilot, to prove he was worth being a knight, to show those who thought better how wrong they were. She felt a little bad for him, but had seen him piloting "his frame", and that empathy melted away. He really was a bastard. Just one who wasn't all bad......her thoughts had occupied the time as they approached the new frame. Her fists clenched."OH WHAT THE FUCK MAN?!" Aura stomped a foot in absolute disbelief. Standing like some kind of Kawaii mecha idol was the thing that was supposed to be her new knight frame. She wanted to cry, and maybe scream in frustration. A little note popped up over augmented reality once she was in proximity to the machine. Glasner, or at leas his holographic form greeted her. "I'm sure by now you are forming premature opinions. Try to look past the surface and appreciate what is underneath. The affected bulky exterior and relative lack of firepower are by design, but the endoskeleton; well, there is nothing better in our little corner of the galaxy. I made it after all. You should be able to survive a few mistakes with the existing armor. Enjoy. Glassner out!""ARGH! That terrible old man! That wretch! He is so...mean! MEAN! So..." Aura searched her lexicon for any word that suited the moment before the bastard cut in, his voice almost clear for a change."Bratty." "Yes! THAT BRATTY DIRECTOR NEEDS CORRECTION!"-----Its time to check in on our designs.Rolling for: Tardigrade, Duelist, Knife Fighter, and SharurPlease roll a 1d4 to see how the ships created so far have fared.First two rolls will count.
Rolled 4 (1d4)>>6382495
Rolled 3 (1d4)>>6382495
Brushing aside the smaller issues you had things to focus on. Ex-Nihilo had engineering and construction capacity for days. The hyperdrive wasn't going to build itself, and it sure as hell wasn't going to fund itself. You had been busy doing a build out of semi automated equipment to aid in that effort, but the constraint was the use of rare and exotic material. By sticking with common materials you had "saved money" but things were bulkier, less refined, and sometimes simply wanting, even with your admittedly resplendent engineering. You looked over at a mirror near your table. Damn you were a good engineer.A good engineer alone was not enough to make things go forward though. You needed real resources. So it was time to take some extra customers. "Homeless" Mike had curriated some of the best job prospects and laid them out for you earlier. Now was as good a time to review. You took another bite of cereal and looked through the package.1. The Iumentum class hauler, or GigaDog as you knew it in your heart, had been garnering a fair bit of attention in the past few weeks. The amount of mass it could move was impressive, that it did it fairly quickly was making post war reconstruction look optimistic. There had been small requests from interested third parties for one off orders of Iumentum sub types. You looked over the requirements, basically the same ship, tiny tweaks here and there. A secondary request was for a new build frigate that could expand on the capacity of the Tardigrade. Interesting. The customer was some startup flush with venture capital. Seems your points of contact would be one D. Radic and Ms. Salva, if you chose to take the job. Ex-Nihilo would be allowed to retain the rights on all development and modifications. No client idents. No pictures. just financial accounts and an AR contact.,2. A contact from the Raihan empire, by way of Aura of all people, had reached out. The message was very real, but also informal, nothing more than an AR encrypted peer to peer message.The empire was looking to rebrand discreetly. Part of that was rebuilding their diminished fleet. Another part of that was showing the people the Empire was capable of building a new ship, and getting to work. To that end the contact is willing to provide access to unique Raihan technology for this effort, but the ship design will become the property of the empire. You looked over the proposed exchange item. Remote Effectors. Tractor beams to the lay person. There was a lot you could do with those, and your fingers mindlessly traced over the hovering schematic in your AR space. For this effort you'd be partnered with Horned Princess shipyards. Your contact was a woman. No name given. Just a location at a bar not too far from your residence. You did get a picture of her for visual ID.>cont
>>6383602Your final contact was a Saurian, representing Clan Feranis. You recognized the name, they had been in the news feeds a while ago. They had been devastated by Solar Union attacks early in the border conflict, making them violently anti-human. Frankly you were surprised the clan still existed as a cohesive entity. Station security had mentioned there were Saurians taking odd jobs, mostly mercenary, some working the bays as cargo handlers. The kind of things usually beneath them. The request was stored on a somewhat archaic storage medium. You accessed the contents. It was direct from the Saurian, no middle man, no diplomatic services. Your translation software makes quick work of the missive, but struggles with some saurain nuances and slang.,"No longer to fight as warriors, disgrace only. a lifetime before clan extinction. To be of [use again/ honor. Again]. Talons of no fight, but a finality of carving rock and rend steel. Our only treasure exchanged to yours." There are a list of requirements, most of them being that the ship is cheap, fast, and have a generous cargo capacity. Secondary is ruggedness and survivability. No weapons, no sensors, no further equipment. The Saurians plan to finish the ship to their specifications at a shipyard of their own people, apparently several larger clans are interested in this particular venture and are fronting at lest some of the cost.---Pick one. highest number of selections is the winner, the others may wait around for a while though, but their situation and offer may change.>Logistics Startup: Iumentum and a new build frigate.,-Get a generous pile of exotic and rare resources that advances hyperdrive production by 2 rolls.-Choose this if you want Intrigue and politics.>Raihans: New build Cruiser.,-Gain remote effector/ tractor beam technology.-advance hyperdrive production by 1 roll.-You do not keep the design.-Choose this to see what Jack and Mayumi have been up to, visit their station, and meet the new contact.>Saurians: XL mining ships.,-develop an improved lantern core that includes integrated shield functionality.-Roll a 1d20 for what the saurian treasure is (Mystery box! Can you resist it?)-Possibly make new friends or incredible enemies.-Choose this if you want to lizard.
Hey everyone sorry for the glacial pace of the quest. NonCognis is constantly getting hit by the QM curse in addition to being ranged banned. Just wanna stress: I have not taken over this quest, 95% of all the updates are their work (I exercise a bit of editorial power every now and again.) which is passed to me via DM.Wanna know what IS 95% my work?This pic of Aura in her Raihan Knight uniform. (NonCognis helped me a little with some details.)Ain't she an adorable little jingoist?
>>6383605>Logistics StartupMust get hyperdrive,>>6383630qt314
>>6383605>Saurians: XL mining ships.Hell yeah! The bros are getting back together. Let's enable them to "Operation British" the space NATO!>>6383630She is adorable.
>>6383605>Logistics Startup: Iumentum and a new build frigate.Why would anyone give away their designs? Reputation can't be built with silence. And who would want to deal with Saurians right now? That'd just draw the Solar Union's ire!Good thing we wouldn't do something so brash.
>>6383822>That'd just draw the Solar Union's ire!I see the end of the first thread has dealt lasting trauma to the player base.
>>6383605>Logistics Startup: Iumentum and a new build frigate.,Politics? Intrigue? Not my problem.We keep the rights to the design, making us slightly more famous?? Now we're talking.
>>6384001Decisions. Maybe some analysis would clear your head...Tired of pacing and thinking, you sat down at your kitchen table. Hands gestured through AR space trawling the various information networks and media hubs to garner data "in situ". A little research on your existing products.The frigates and corvettes so far had been well received, and even praised for being low maintenance. You lifted a spoonful of sugary cereal into your mouth as a "chatbot" co processor summarized the user data from blogs into pertinent information. Those posts were long, and you had no time or care for them. "Just the relevant data please..." you swiped through, erasing chunks of highlighted nonpoints. Hundreds of videos from "how-to" guides to infotainment like galactic gear were similarly condensed and distilled into their intended output. The bot did good work, even marking subtle opinion highlights across multiple influencer at key speaking points. Seems your competition was out in force, and spending some coin to undermine Ex-Nihilios work. You weren't too concerned. Most of the metadata indicated the manipulation was coming out of smaller shipyards. Out of curiosity you checked against HPS and were almost disappointed to see nothing. You shoveled more cereal into your gob.Scrolling to a more granular view, you had people with "hands on metal". The general consensus was was that the ships were reliable, if full of design, interface, and ergonomic eccentricities that required red familiarization. Far and away the Tardigrades were the best seller and rapidly developing a small fan cult. Their fabrication capabilities were limited compared to a true shipyard, but something was a 100% improvement over nothing if your logistics chain was unavailable. You scrolled a little bit further into the data. It seems the galactic gear hosts couldn't cause the tardigrade to explode on it's own. Another entertainer, "whistlin' plasma" smashed a cruiser into the thing at full impulse, triggering the desire outcome. Moving to a next gen lantern core would improve that issue, but apparently even that was good publicity."Huh." A pact news feed was on the physical display of your apartment, long enough to catch your attention from AR. Shima's Knife fighters had apparently been upgraded at several other shipyards with various retrofits. Shima was shopping around, but they were wasting their time. Your current lineup thoroughly relegated those ships into obsolescence.
>>6384644You scrutinized a 3d model of the ship, this "Navajero", in front of you. Enough data was known about it already to create a reasonable extrapolation as you waited to see if Shima's own Pact shared networks had available engineering data. They did. Now you did too. Solei's work was immediately recognizable. Railguns, laser defense, forward laser. Effective, but unimaginative. Less sustained power draw than the C-beams, but more demand overall. You spotted the auxiliary reactor and refined industrial engines. The whole thing was reminiscent of a scaled down kestrel at this point.What was very curious was there was clearly another shipyard involved. That pylon mounted engine, the VLS cells and missile blisters. A supplemental comm system. Sloppy, but it fit within the power constraints of what was already there. Possibly Blorg work. Interesting. The Lantern drive was modified too. You swiped virtual ship away. It was a series of Kludges built on a prototype. The remaining knife fighters would hold their own against a similarly armed frigate,and it was arguable they were probably the fastest of their class within the pact. The possibility of someone molesting your latern design was now also on the table. Unqualified hands touching bastardized versions of your work.That didn't bother you. at all. You needed to clear your head. Work. Work was good. Better than walking. You cracked an amp capsule and walked out to your favorite nearby bar, making a call along the way."Is this Radic? No? Salva. Ok. Yeah. yep. Lets meet. Bring Radic or we don't do business." you pinned coordinates for the bar to the conversation's metadata. It was time to...NEGOTIATE.---Players. Please roll a 1d20, the best of the rolls is what I will use, unless its the worst. Which would be a one. This roll represents how astute Glasner will be during BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS. Do really good, and you might get some leverage.Pictured to the left are the Raihan and Saurian contacts. They are still around.
Rolled 4 (1d20)>>6384649Rollin...
Rolled 20 (1d20)>>6384649
While we wait for the update have a second pic of Aura. After being stranded on Ex-Nihilo, shes been through some shit, even with a new knight she's forced to make do with what she can get. Such is life on Ex-Nihilo.
>>6384676>20 in effectThe walk to your chosen meeting location was brisk, guided by an ever growing smell of seared flesh, homemade beer, and local music. It was your "favorite bar". A factor based off the weighted averages of walking proximity to your domicile, quality of food, and relative privacy. You spent a moment considering the nuances between favorite, favored, trying to match the level of communication to who you speak to, and conventional conversation with people who understand and yet don't internalize nuanced language. It was all too much autistic pondering, even for you.You spotted a woman outside the doorway. Oversized sunglasses, purple hair. Foreign. The last one was hard to peg, but you were good at recognizing people who weren't exactly from the Pact or even Raihan empire. She quickly recognized and flagged you down with a wave. "Hey! Over here! Names' Lyra. D's already inside, got us a table in back." She held out her hand in a closed fist, waiting for you. "No? Come on. Bones it." You literally had no idea what she wanted. "I...uh what?" You awkwardly grabbed her hand with yours and shook in the conventional manner of greeting.She laughed raucously. "Are you for real?! Come on, let me.." she grabbed your hand and closed it into a fist, then lightly bumped her fist into yours. "There. Lets go inside. Steaks gettin cold." She didn't notice but you wiped your hand off on your pant leg. It was more of a habit than genuine fear of filth. "Lyra. You remind me of an associate from a time ago." She reminded you of Jack, but with tits. "Hopefully someone good yeah?" Nope. "Someone. Yeah." You followed her inside, the owner's elderly mother was waiting at the entry, and he was behind the bar furiously working the grill. Both afforded you a quiet nod as you maneuvered past the main seating area and towards one of the sparse private dining rooms.You saw him right away. He wore a uniform for a company you'd never heard of, and was grey in all aspects of his person. Not notable, just weathered, reserved. His posture and bearing were severe. These were not regular customers in as much as you could call any of your clients "regular." He was already seated and cutting through a generously thick steak, two more sat on the table, still steaming, a knife sticking out of each. Mr. Radic. "D" as Lyra called him. "Harris Glasner." he didn't look up, he just kept cutting then spoke again, glancing up to lock eyes. "You made the right choice. Mass Ex is going to change, well, everything, and we need your help to do it." You seated yourself, as did Lyra. The meal would have been expensive, even for you. Meat was hard to get off world, harder still to find in a stellar backwater. "So..."Non existent accent, no obvious colloquialisms, vague age, nothing. Suspicious. Still, "Mass Ex" had funds on hand, raw material, and available deep lines of credit. It was something none of your other contacts could offer.
>>6385074"You requirements work well for our current production runs." Radic was chewing, watching, The man's gaze felt like a gun pointed at you. It wasn't intentional on his part, just who he was. You manipulated AR space and showed some of the modular options out of courtesy. "While I doubt these fit your use case I find it imperative to be transparent with what is available." The small room momentarily is awash in light as you switch from AR to projected holograms. There is just a certain something that comes with processing an image optically rather than direct optical cortex implantation via AR. "We have our modular line, which admittedly has some benfits..."Harris was brusque about those "I appreciate your candor, Glasner, but lets skip the low end. My company has an image to establish. Its interesting that you are able to build to that scale though..." he briefly indicated the outsized ship in the blue modular category. "Its just a teaser for upper limits. Ex-Nihilio developed some insitutional knowledge from our wartime projects.""The Chimeras." He looked at you for a moment, gauging. You weren't sure what for. "Yes. That particular project line.""Only a project line? It takes a certain kind of person to wage war in that way. High risk, high reward. Aggressive timelines. It's why we approached you. Show me your high end offerings."You swiped the modular craft away, the holograms diffusing into glittering particles fading into the dark. The modified hauler and new build frigate emerged in a burst. "The Iumentum was built for Noto, but we own the design. Increasing mass payload is a non issue for the right funds, but speed will suffer. Fleet protection would have to fall to dedicated craft as onboard countermeasures eat into it's payload. Supplementing your fleet would be a new class of frigate; its everything the Taridrade is, but more. Recovery, towed hauling, on site fabrication." you played a concurrent series of short video clips with the Tardigrade doing all the tasks described. "In theory, several of these frigates could supplant a smaller shipyard or component generation. Not in quantity, but in terms of on site, on equipment logistics.""We coulda done good work out in the 'fields with that." Lyra offhandedly commented. It was almost imperceptible but Radic gave a minute shake of his head to her and the commentary stopped.Radic wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking. "This is more in line with the mission...we are also happy to support domestic production. When is the soonest you can start production?"You grinned slightly. "Why aim so low? I suspect Mass Ex would settle for nothing less than the best. I encourage you to consider my higher end offering. Twin lantern cores would allow the Iumentum an unsurpassed degree of speed." He frowned at that. "It'd leave us with redundant e-drives, they don't sync for jumps."You were on the offensive now. "Incorrect. Your e-drives cannot. Mine can."
>>6385145With deep pockets, these customers could push forward the hyperdrive project and allow you finish tinkering with the resonance drive. It was never quite perfected and that perturbed you to no end. The matter had to be pushed.You played a brief clip of the climactic final battle between your Megaton Rain and The Hand, to include the dramatic tactical jump of the capital ship. "With no hubris, I have rarefied experience in solving technical constraints beyond the means of most. A simple cargo ship of your requirements is well within the envelope of my skill." The next ship featured a cut down version of the megaton rain's own fabrication technology, and a four matured resonance drives. Admittedly you hadn't designed them yet but the theoreticals were all there; in your head."Hmm. Glasner, its impressive. Not just impressive for this area of space. But..." Radic didn't want extra risk, he wanted a fleet as quickly as possible. It was clear that time, not resources, was the constraint here. "Your ability to deliver a product is not in question. The level of upkeep required for consistent mission and sortie generation is the issue. High performance prototype hanger queens does not serve the needs."You bristled at that comment. It was shortsighted, like Higg all over again. "You clearly value time, and the conservation of action. A bad start will cost you and your "mission" momentum that will never be able to be compounded. Your sponsors do not hurt for funding, and I will not feign total ignorance. Either of my packages will meet your needs, but only one will accelerate your time table. Keep in mind, you aren't the only customer of this technology, but you have a chance to be the first."He looked at you now, it was almost enough to make you flinch. "You have balls. Don't play coy with me. Do you know who we are? Who we represent?"It wasn't something to say out loud, you exercised tact. "An existing power playing a long game. Logistics can yield complex dividends. Influence. Soft power."Lyra shuffled now, no doubt arming herself. Radic's gaze was empty as he stood up, a hand reaching into his jacket. "And you, you'd be fine, complicit even? Whats your game Glasner?"The posturing was a display you didn't appreciate, but you were reminded of the "Alchemist", of Banfield. You understood their need for the drama of the moment. You took a breath and straightened up as you paced, speaking quickly. "I want to build ships, create things you've never seen. Innovation. My skills thrive when needed. Conflict creates needs and escalation. Escalation demands innovation. I hate stagnation....Reactivity. Reactivity is life, its struggle, its violence, its synthesis! The status quo, is just a gradual crawl to becoming inert. stable, but unmoving. Still. dead. Your great power games over the next lifetime or two, maneuvers and feints? Insignificant to me." Both Radic and Lyric looked at you with a degree of surprise.
>>6385161Lyra looked at Radic for a moment "He's fucking bent, mate."You stopped your manic pacing, and sat down, cutting into the still warm steak. "That is very subjective Lyra. From where I sit, you look a little out of your depth." The steak was rather good. If you survived this exchange you'd have to leave a positive review on Gelp."...do we have assurances to your discretion? That you won't support hostile proxies?" His frown deepened into a scowl, his carefully held face revealing years previously hidden. This was a man who had dealt with a lot of bullshit in his life."Discretion? Yes. Limiting my customer base? No. Besides, who you represent, their skin isin't that thin, and we wouldn't want to give away the act." Blackmailing and strong arming a man like this was a terrible idea, but tactfully doing so, was perhaps less of a bad idea. "Make a choice, or get off my station. Fail to do either and my knights will intervene." Aura and the Bastard weren't really YOUR knights, but they sort of owed you a favor at this point, and what good is a favor if it's not used. You cut another strip of meat and ate calmly. The duo sat down after a bit, clearly having a closed channel conversation over their AR links."Glasner. The bosses say they made the right choice. So here is to a fruitful transaction." He pulled his hand out of his jacket, holding an envelope. "Account access codes are all there. We retain rights to reproduce and modify the designs. You have discretion on which variants we are fielding." You just nodded and commented. "Good to leave the subject matter expert to the subject matter...Are we now on a first name basis?"He ate and shook his head. "No."---Make a choice:1. Pick the safe bet and get 2d20s to advance the hyperspace drive.2. Pick the risky bet and roll a 1d20. Above 10 and its sufficient, gain an extra dice for the hyperdrive project. below 10 and you loose a dice. Best of 3. nat 1 is a crit fail. You also advance the Resonance drive with this roll, creating an alternative to the lantern cores.
Rolled 17 (1d20)>>6385167Well after swinging our dick around like that we kinda have to go all in.>2. Pick the risky bet and roll a 1d20.Oh boy, here I go rolling badly again.
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>63851672. Pick the risky bet and roll a 1d20. Above 10 and its sufficient, gain an extra dice for the hyperdrive project. below 10 and you loose a dice. Best of 3.I don't get it. Does this mean we roll up to 3 1d20s? >>6385182 This guy rolled >10, so I should roll again, and then someone else rolls 1 more d20 if I roll >10? Personally not a fan of "best of" dice rolling, it makes successes and crits too common desu.
Rolled 8 (1d20)>>6385167>2. Pick the risky bet and roll a 1d20.
>>6385186I know right? But /qst likes to win
>>6385186This round was generating rolls for the hyperdrive project. Glasner will be attempting to reverse engineer the drive and create a functional prototype. There are degrees of success and milestones. Its an involved, resource intensive effort, and I won't just hand it to the players. Each roll given represents some forward momentum on the project.>>6385182>17. +1 roll.You left the steak dinner a fuller engineer. Nay, Director...NAY. Senior Director. You felt good. Real good. For being what he was, Radic wasn't so bad. Lyra you wouldn't fuck with Horner's dick, and a brief moment of accelerationism to logical conclusions left you resolute that such an offspring must never be birthed. With a discreet movement you crushed an amp capsule and inhaled. Now the night was perfect. You set to work conducting plans, and creating designs as you walked, conducting a fevered symphony with your hands in AR space. A few of the residents just watched you as you made your way back to the apartment. "The mad man" was a common sight.--Back at your apartment you reviewed the production queues. The Noto order for Banfield was wrapping up, and not having to entirely retool was a boon.You uploaded the Iumentum modifications to the assembly team and contacted "homeless Mike". He had proven both competent and diligent.The components and ship were well known factors at this point, you had every bit of faith it was going to be "easy". The true challenge would be the final sync between the lantern cores, and that would be handled personally by you. The thugs that moved metal and bonded atoms couldn't be trusted to such delicate work. With the new order queued up, the new Frigate needed attention, and it's resonance drive...and photoniqe fabrication system. and it needed a name. Fuck you had really bullshitted on how ready that design was. At least you could work unperturbed from the relative isolation of your apartment.--You split your days between the hyperdrive project and designing the Daedalus class frigate. In some ways it was more advanced than the Rain's own fabrication systems, but it was constrained by the comparatively primitive environment of ex-nihilo. That was changing though. While still unable to rival Higg station, you were pleased with what you wrought. The machine if tasked to it, was capable of creating smaller ships. Albeit slowly, but still. The quartet of resonance drives was a bitch to get operational, and several times over you considered slapping a lantern core on the ship and being done with it. However, it was a challenge, one you refused to ignore. The final version of the drive borrowed a few concepts from the lantern core, but miniaturized and duplicated them. It was an excellent blend of speed, and power, while not being a potential explosion hazard. The prohibitive cost was a non point given the client, and you took a small petty pleasure in spending their money.
>>6385231You finished showering, the ultrasonic water spray on the edge of discomfort, but a small price to pay for the level of cleanliness you required. It was going to be a long shift of attenuating the differences between twined lantern cores. You sighed and made your way into the station, hurrying your pace to get to Bay 2.A pair of arms closed around you from behind and lifted you off the ground. That son of a bitch! "Fuck! We had accords! This is a betrayal!" While still midair you were rotated to face your assailant. Kryska. "Saw you on top of the world there, figured I would say hi. Its been a minute." It wasn't Radic. It wasn't Lyra. Your relief almost made you dismiss that she really just picked you up, just like that. You almost laughed. "It has been...a minute. Hasn't it? What can I do for you?" She set you down, almost gingerly, leaning against a wall. "Soooo, Mr. Directorrrr...I was wondering if you could help me out." You almost corrected her, it was Senior Director, but resisted."I need to know what you want, if I can make a decision on if I am going to help.""All business." She smiled. "Alright. I'm here until tomorrow, and I wanted to review my ship with you, see if there are improvements to be made."You looked at her for a moment, your eyebrows raised. "That is one of Jack's. Of course there are improvements to be made, but why me?"she rolled her eyes. "You're here, I'm here. It's convenient. Would you have time to slip in an ad-hoc refit?""I'm committed for most the day to a work order." She looked disappointed "Ahh. I suppose...just send your ship to the Chimera dock, and I can do an informal review and optimization while I work.""Hmm. How about I stop by your apartment tonight, and we do a more in depth review. Make some implementations for next time I'm at port? I'm good for funds, I've had a windfall of easy paydays...but we can discuss payment if you want." She had been unintentionally keeping you captive, her hands propping her up on either side of you. "So?"You swallowed slightly. Your mouth was very suddenly dry.----Players. Please roll 3d20 for the hyperdrive. I will accept 1 dice per post. The first three are the only ones that count.also, in the same post, make a choice1. Kryska- Sure. I'll see you later. (a little ship customization, a little adventure)2. Kryska- I have prior commitments. (And fear for my well being)
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>6385234> 1. Kryska- Sure. I'll see you later.For the laughs.
Rolled 18 (1d20)>>6385234RolllllllllAlso hoping our pelvis will be intact in the morning
>>6385340Doh, forgot to vote>1. Kryska - Sure. I'll see you later.
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>6385234>2. Kryska- I have prior commitments. (And fear for my well being)Disregard females, acquire technology. Also I don't get why she doesn't just go back to Jack if she wants a refit.
>>6385234>1. Kryska- Sure. I'll see you later. (a little ship customization, a little adventure)
>>6385314HyperDrive and HyperDrive: 7,18, 13Ongoing Ex-Nihilo, and by the opinion of Lord Banfield, Noto's efforts into creating a hyperdrive were garnering some attention. It wasn't that a new hyperdrive was an impossibility, but frequently there wasn't a usecase strong enough to domestically create one, salvage one, or refurbish an heirloom. Even shipyards that made hyperdrive capable craft frequently were using refurbished equipment in this corner of space. After that, drives scaled in complexity and size in order to wake jump other ships in their proximity. That is exactly why you were sitting at your kitchen table with a shit eating grin.Your research project had started to yield fruit. A digitized model of the drive from the "Kobito" was rotating in front of you, along with smaller unit examples provided by jack and Mayumi. This wasn't about simply reproducing existing equipment, it was about fully understanding the theory behind it, improving it. Noto continued to struggle with advanced fabrication which meant the engineering samples your team constructed were...slightly Ersatz. You had been so focused on the drive that you failed to notice Kryska staring into your face. "That happy to see me huh?"You blinked a few times before focusing on her, the 3d model fading to transparency and shrinking down into a corner of your view. "Ah..." you rubbed the back of your head "I was working you see. Something revolutionary." She looked at you blankly for a moment before grinning. "Sorta wish I could get someone to look at me the way you look at work, mmm, can't be helped though." she slid a holographic projector puck to the middle of the table where photons coalesced into shape, bringing her ship to view. "So maybe this will get you going." She leaned on her elbows studying you as you started examining the heavily armored craft."Half this is my damn work. They botched it to hell! Look at that, there was a provision for a condensed beam. That was the prototype Glasner beam! My beam!"So poked the ship's engines. "So. Glasner Drive. Glasner Beam. Little insecure about people knowing who did the work?""It's not like that, I just...like naming things. After me."
>>6387312"Because you are so great..." she was starting to crack now, the shit eating grin was there. You were being had, and you were not one to be taken lightly. Gravitas began to ooze from your very being."Well fuck. Know what Kryska? Yes, I am great. I am fucking resplendent." You bristled and puffed, standing up. "I make things! Awesome things...Cool things! The glasner beam was realized on Sharur class. It shoots a potent load of hybridized photonic and exotic matter. Who does that? Me! I do that!" You jabbed your thumb into your chest. "This guy."Kryska clamped a hand over her mouth. "Snerk." a muffled laugh escaped snorted out her nose. You saw her reddening face and knew you fucked up, but it was too late. "hehe. So you...shoot a potent load huh? BWahahahAHAHA! Oh fuck, you are a funny guy. It's a shame you don't let people know." you shook your head in exhaustion. "Just get a few beers from the fridge, this optimization is going to take some time.""Ah, yeah it is." you were abruptly grabbed by your collar and yanked out of your chair, glasses falling to the floor.---Roll 2d20 please. The first rolls count.>Survival>"Glasner Beam"
Rolled 6 (1d20)>>6387314>SurvivalKnowing Kryska, this is all we can hope for.
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>6387314>"Glasner Beam"
I was thinking of voting, but nah, best to keep this a jumbled f-up. Whiskey Delta time!
>>6387482>6/7: "sad."Kryska was nowhere to be found when you stirred. With a shrug you hauled yourself into the morning routine, taking a little longer to get ready today, with a bruised and somewhat broken body. As the shower washed away sweat and tears from last night, you looked over your work team's report in AR space. The "Castle" had received modest upgrades where expedient. The rest of shower was a little slow, you were pretty sure you had a broken rib. For sure a black eye. Instead of reaching for your usual glasses you grabbed sunglasses. You had enough time in your day to check out the ship from a departure deck, and made swift way there. Well, as swift as two legs and a rather classy cane can go.---Kryska saw you hobbling towards the viewing area, an expansive sheet of transparent metallic ceramic. "Uh. Hey." She looked away for a bit. "Nothing against you Glasner, but that...just wasn't the best showing." She looked at you with pity, PITY!"I pride myself on all aspects of my...everything. EVERYTHING!" you pointed the cane at her, the gesture was exactly as feeble as you realized it was."We are all made for something in this life, and that just wasn't your domain. Anyway, I've already settled up our account balances, time for me to hit the star dust. Stay classy Glassy." You were sorta stunned. "That sounded suspiciously like pity and disengagement. Feel free to be direct.""You're a smart guy Glasner, but here is some advice. You can't eat, drink, fuck or live in an ego, so consider it's utility. Take it easy yeah?"and like that Kryska was gone, you watched the ship's engines flare off into the distance for a bit, considering her words. Words that sounded suspiciously like looser talk. Your AR display chimed with incoming work orders and meetings. You made your way back towards the engineering of the station. It had been too long.
>>6387938Choose. You will get 1d20 per project for hyperspace research, in addition to the listed items. The mission you do not pick will have it's own resolution.>1: Extra-humanitarian efforts: will you simply follow the customer requests, or can you extract hidden redemption?the PJC was expanding, bounties, humanitarian efforts, it needed ships capable of onsite construction, evacuation, and mobile hospital work. Their first order of business was taking care of their damaged headquarters.andThe Saurians on your station continued to petition for mining craft. They have managed to increase their offering bid. It would be their last offer.+1d20 roll for hyperspace.-Improved Lantern Core: integrated particle screen.-improved miniaturization and plasma technology.>2: Matters of the mind, matters of the heart. There were secrets to know and consequences to have.HPS was asking for consulting work regarding a new cruiser design, you'd be on station at their shipyard. The contract was clearly a modification of the last Raihan offering. "Glasner. You're nerd ass is gonna wanna see this shit." it was from Horner.andThe Alchemist has a direct request, not order, for you. It was time to deal with some pirate issues. You also need to be shown a few things, its time.-gain remote effector technology-gain [redacted] technology.-gain [redacted] drive technology.
>>6387943Aww shit this is a tough one...>1: Extra-humanitarian effortsGonna go with this, I like the idea of an all-in-one lantern core plus the lizard bros keep losing so it's high time we threw them a bone.
Rolled 12, 13 = 25 (2d20)>>6387945Forgot to roll.
>>6387943>1: Extra-humanitarian efforts: will you simply follow the customer requests, or can you extract hidden redemption?Lizard bros, it is time. The space UN will reap hyper militarized terrorism like never before!
>>6387943>2: Matters of the mind, matters of the heart. Better listen to the boss.
>>6387943>1: Extra-humanitarian efforts: will you simply follow the customer requests, or can you extract hidden redemption?
You considered the two contracts as you made your way to the station's commons area for this deck. Normally avoided due to the abject commotion and a lack of utility, it was where your clients agreed to meet. While the "Alchemist" was your boss, and that contract was tempting, it didn't appear to be as time sensitive as the PJC and Saurian offering... Plus that down payment in raw resources was eye watering. The lizards must be desperate, and you were no fool. Chances are they considered the request dual use with a focus on military over industrial. Not your problem.Your other customer was the PJC. Your work with the Tardigrade corvette and Daedalus frigate had garnered significant interest from within and without the pact. Decentralized fabrication was an industry disruptor, and the PJC was asking to be first in line for the next escalation of that concept; an engineering cruiser. Beyond that there was desire for...lets see...basic humanitarian aid, impromptu transportation, anti piracy. You winced internally at the notion of building two concurrent designs again. Sleep had been a welcome thing while it lasted. Oh well.Fumbling in your coat pocket your hand blindly groped around for an Amp capsule, only to find nothing. "Fuck." Your cane clacked against the floor as you continued on. There were options, certainly, possibilities. You'd already prepped some high level concepts. The thought of design work passed time, and distracted you from the terrible lack of Amp. It was getting a bit harder to focus in here. The lights were bright, the sounds were loud. Your pelvis hurt. Maybe some genetic tuning was in order for your body...maybe. that thought was distracted as a child plowed into you. "Sorry old man!" You were bowled over, he simply rotated on a foot with the inertia and took off, a playmate in pursuit behind him leaped over your prone form. "Fuck man." You just laid there for a moment, the cold steel plate floor was slightly pleasant against your many aches. You would have laid there longer if not for your jacket being scruffed like a kitten while a powerful hand hauling you up and over the height of any baseline human.A Saurian, a particularly large specimen, locked your eyes with it's own bionic units. It spoke with alien vocalizations, while a translator implant on it's neck approximated civilized speech. "Warlord Glasner. There is death, there is duty, there is trade, today is honorless trade. Shame yourself no further. Honor and duty tomorrow." Gingerly picking up your cane while still holding you aloft, the Saurian made way towards the commons courtyard. At least Ruhi wasn't here, you wondered what kind of lackey you would deal with. Casting your gaze from the floor you dared to stare ahead, spotting one Admiral Ruhi. Maybe you could get down before she saw you.Nope, shit, she’s waiving at you. "Fuck."The Saurian cocked it's head to glance at you. "Mating can be resolved later. It is now a moment for business.">cont
>>6389723Ruhi was already well on your way as you attempted to coax the Saurian into lowering you. "Magnavax! Please, set him down!" The Saurian shook its head slowly, parodying the human gesture. "He is Warlord struggling alone like a clanless elder. Carried aloft, his status is seen, honor restored." Ruhi facepalmed so hard it knocked her hat off. The Saurian snatched it out of the air before you could blink. "Your regalia of position, not fallen. With glory it is returned." She took the hat from the lizard's outstretched claw, shaking her head. It looked at her for a moment. "Yes. Disbelief at Saurian magnificence. Common here. The faces made, adorable."--Eventually Ruhi managed to convince Magnavax to set you down and return your cane. A short distance away a welded steel bench served for the meeting place, with the Saurian dominating his own side through sheer mass. He was of clan Feranis, and their unofficial leader. While light on the details, he explained that their leadership was killed in a cowardly and sudden decapitation strike. You glanced at Ruhi for a moment, trying to get any explanation out of her in what would normally be considered an act of overt war. She simply fidgeted with her hat and put her hands in her lap as the lizard went on. The survivors of the clan had banded together with what wealth they had to make "a new ideology, new cooperation." Vague again, but ok.He explained that to many other clans their present work was shameful or perhaps less than honorable. As you sought more information he elaborated that it could be akin to scavenging the dead. That they "should be dead in retribution." More business minded clans saw opportunity. "To be of use." Since then Magnavax and his remnants became useful, and worth the risk of investment, and with that a chance to regain their honor and position."A compelling history. Backed by a compelling contract. I would be glad to assist, but how do you fit into this Admiral Ruhi?"She glanced at the saurian and then back to you. "We needed labor, and they needed work. Initial efforts were...perhaps tumultuous, but cultural differences are being resolved. With their recent decision to obtain heavy mining ships, we had hoped to..."You saw where this was going. "Leverage a bulk order for scale of economy. Perhaps a variant ship?""Well, yes. I was hoping given our business relations in the past you would find this agreeable?" You'd considered her more than a business friend, perhaps that was naive of you. It didn't show on your face. "It won't be viable unless you are committed to accepting the Saurian design as principal."Magnavax interjected "We must have plowshares to swords. Design compromise is unacceptable."You weren’t sure if Magnavax was overtly asking for weapons or deliberately butchering the idiom. Unfortunately, without a diplomat trained in Human to Saurian communication, many details were likely to be lost in translation.>cont
>>6389724Ruhi corrected him. "Its Swords to Plowshares. You make a tool out of a weapon." Magnavax gave an exaggerated shrug "Yes?" Ruhi glared at him. "YES! We already talked about this, Glasner has modular designs. Affordable, modular designs!"You looked over at her. "The modular line was really intended for the industrial and commercial sector, it may be a poor match to your mission and still outside your budget." Ruhi held her composure but you could tell she was nervous. "The PJC has the funds… I wish to test out the fabrication components of the proposed class by assisting in construction of the saurian ships to offset the cost.""You want me to build ships...so you can help build ships? Between you and the Saurian you're hoping to fund the fabricators which run heavy with exotic materials in order to build the saurian feet mostly on your own?""Well. It's not exactly like that, but also Yes." the duo looked at you expectantly. The idea was sort of workable, Ex-Nihilo could focus on core component production of the Saurian ship while the external fabricators handled crude mass items like superstructure components. It still wouldn't be to the same degree of quality as a proper shipyard, but it could safely be considered a minimally viable product. It might also be trouble, but it would free up a production line.On the other hand you could just force some new designs on both of them and advance your own portfolio. They'd get fewer ships though. You tapped your cane in thought as you sat considering the options.---Choose:>1 Support Ruhi and Magnavax building a fleet on a shoestring budget.>Gain early access to your final customer, without a time penalty.>2 Build your own designs.>Expand your existing ship portfolio for future customers((Unfortunately OP got range banned again, so I shall relay the updates once more.))
>>6389725>1 Support Ruhi and Magnavax building a fleet on a shoestring budget.Lizard bros can not stop being based.>RangebannedWe should ask where the QM lives, maybe that's where the replacement for Epsteins island is bring organised.
>>6389725>1 Support Ruhi and Magnavax building a fleet on a shoestring budget.Quantity has a quality of its own.
>>6389725>1 Support Ruhi and Magnavax building a fleet on a shoestring budget.Credible deniability, and I like Armed Merchant Cruisers.
>>6389987Ruhi's proposition carried weight. You wanted to create, to disrupt. The fabricators proposed were not to the capability of the Megaton Rain's, really, Ex-Nihilo's these days. They also were a far cry from a dedicated high end ship yard like Higg, or even the Horned Princess Shipyard, as much as you loathed to give Jack or Mayumi any credit. Even internal credit...ugh. Having to deal with them once the hyperdrive project was complete was not an even you looked forward to.Less than dealing with Lord Banfield's ambition. Less than Mass Ex and their barbed offers. Less than the great power games of the Solar Union. Now a new headache was staring at you, at least you think he was staring. How long had you been in thought anyway? fuck. You hand subconsciously fumbled around your pocket looking for Amp. Nothing. Terrible. Focus. Focus. The offer...Smaller shipyards would suffer from this technology, but progress demanded it. Demanded it proliferate. They would adapt, or go extinct. There was a choice there...and you were curious what would happen once it was wild...even if there was almost no profit in this. You knew favors were a currency of their own."Fine. We start immediately. I'll see if there are in process optimizations that can be done for the designs. Note the definition of see, to observe, determine, consider. Not guarantee." You began sending orders for the Heavy Engineering Cruiser to Bay 2, bay 1 would be fully dedicated to lantern core production.Ruhi let out an audible breath she had been holding. "Work will be at least a month for the cruisers, and how ever long your team takes for the Saurian miners. Magnavax, figure out what you need from this design. There won't be any do-overs.""Unhesitating. Consideration deadly. decisive business." The Saurian over pondered the concept as you walked away, ignoring it's attempt at Haiku.---please roll 2d20, first two count, for the optimizations (or fuckups) of the two ship designs.
Rolled 3, 7 = 10 (2d20)>>6391170Just like that and we're back bruh!This quest is so cursed...
>>6391203And for my next trick!*rolls badly... again*
Rolled 14, 19 = 33 (2d20)>>6391170of course
>>6387946 Hyperdrive: 12/13 Mediocre is "good enough.">>6391170>>6391203:Shitty!You spent the next week sequestered in your "office", with delivery food containers gradually piling up in your apartment. The PJC engineering cruiser was proceeding shittily, with numerous glitches and mechanical problems needing constant attention. Trying to replicate the better half of the megaton rain's fabrication capability, but making project agnostic, while also reducing the overall use of critical exotic material was turning out to be a nightmare. Structural and power instability issues required that the ship be equipped with industrial drives and a conventional system layout. This left it anemic, unable to fabricate, jump, or even propel itself without a lengthy pause to shut down and start up critical systems, shunting power where it needed to be. It still did everything you envisioned, but much more slowly, and there wasn't enough time to revisit the concept with the impending hyperdrive demonstration.The Saurian mining ships were slowly taking shape, with your modified lantern cores borrowing a few design notes that the clan shared with you after reviewing the Lantern Core schematics and determining you were "Going to figure this one out anyway." The final product was fully a significant improvement over it's predecessor while only marginally increasing net complexity. Explosion risk was also reduced at the admitted cost of an increased explosion intensity. There were trade offs, but hey. Timelines had to be kept.Both the PJC ships and the Saurian ships were going to be "minimally viable" without armor or even certain structural elements you and kept to your word. They could always come back, or use their ship to finish the job themselves. It was time to make your way to a "shareholder" presentation of the hyperdrive project. That meant dealing with Jack and Mayumi. You grabbed your cane and hobbled with as much grace as was available to you.1/2---
>>63913642/2It was an uneventful walk to the presentation, it gave you time to ruminate. The hyperdrive project, a complete study, reverse and then re-engineer of the fleet capable unit found on the "Kobito". Allegedly a peer unit to the hyperdrive on the former Raihan Empire's flagship "The Hand". There many smaller drives, but precious few units of that scale and capacity. If your efforts paid off, it would provide a small upset to the balance of power in the galactic region. You'd been busy with completing the "Schwarzschild" a ship hastily tacked onto a hyperdrive. The entire unit was oversized, and underpowered, made in less than idea conditions with significantly less than ideal materials. It only needed to work once to proove the underlying concepts. Hmm. Nervous, you were actually slightly nervous.Enterting the makeshift presentation area, a departure bay with armored windows, you saw a small crowd made of Ruhi with several PJC cohorts, Lord Hyron Banfield himself flanked by several of his peers, and skulking around were Jack and Mayumi. You spotted "the bastard" and Aura chatting with Magnavax. You shoved your hand into your pocket and clutched a handfull of Amp capsules, picking one to quickly crush and inahle. "Better not fuck this one up." You muttered under your breath. The armored windows of the bay highlighted your latest works, yet to be named. They were ugly, and incomplete. You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned around to find Solei. The flinch was involuntary. "Glassner." It wasn't a condemnation, just a simple acknolwedgement. You strugged to say anything, but the words wouldn't come. He broke the silence "You know how to push the limits. I'll give you that. I want your work to succeed today." that made you actually smile. "Thank you for not wishing me luck, Solei." He noddeed slightly. "Never would." With that he simply walked off.---You spoke briefly to the assembled crowd about the hyperdrive, anticipated timetables and what ramifications could be expected for a successful test. Touching your finger to your ear, your AR link switched audio over to the test crew of the ship. "Make it happen." The drive began to glow red hot as the thermal management system struggled to contain the energies within, and test paint blistered away into the void. Small arcs of energy crawled across the surface of the machine, and the first hints of a rift were opening.>Roll a 1d20 for the success of this test. First roll counts. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Rolled 11 (1d20)>>6391366Pff, drives shmives. How hard can it be?
>>6391406>11: Better than bad!Schwarzschild committed to a very rough jump; the quantum wavefront was slightly irregular as it slid forward into hyperspace. An unexpected wakejump pulled along the PJC and Saurian ships near it. For a moment the room was silent, waiting. Aura was pressed up against the armored glass, scanning for any hit of a gate opening. Any minute now...you tapped your cane slightly on the floor, waiting. Solei was conversing with Hyron Banfield, gesturing to an incomplete ship hulk. A moment later a series of crimson rips in space manifested, gradually widening; your ships emerging no worse for the wear... Well they might have been somewhat blackened, almost like they had a carbon char. The Schwarzschild listed awkwardly, it's engines sputtering as various lights flickered erratically and finally going dark. The crew contacted you on an encrypted channel. "Reporting in. We made it. Jump wasn't like anything I've handled before." You gave them a curt acknowledgement of accomplishment and informed them the tardigrades were already hauling them back to the station.The larger ships moved under their own power, no apparent worse for the wear. The crews were jarred to say the least, but kept to the script. Ruhi's "engineering cruiser" proceeded to create an orbital lattice structure on the fly, and you had several smaller but mission critical components stored in the ship ready for use. If the audience didn't understand they weren't fabricated on the spot and only came from the ship, well, it couldn't be helped. Solei looked at you from across the room and raised a slight questioning eyebrow, seeing through the bullshit. Over the next hour you lectured to an increasingly indifferent crowd about the features of the ships, construction, and more, buying time for maintenance crews to shove parts out of the fabrication sections of ship as if produced on the spot. Those parts were fitted into the Saurian mining ship, and the entire vessel promptly jumped to a nearby asteroid to provide a live holographic feed for the crowd."For the final part of our tech demo, please pay attention to the mining beam's prodigious excavation capacity. It is in no small part based off the Glasner beam as found on our Sharur series frigates." That at least operated exactly as intended, firing off a massive particle beam from its onboard accelerator. The whole ship was spent and would have to cool down for at least 24 hours, but it accomplished the task at hand, leaving a glowing molten hole in the asteroid. That display was met with muted applause and some enthusiastic pointing by Lord Banfield. He wasn't subtle as he spoke to one of his entourage "That! Right there! Inform MassEx I'll make the deal now!"1/4see: >>6389725 >Gain early access to your final customer, without a time penalty.
>>6391717With the demo over, you let yourself relax, holding your upper body weight on the cane. Ruhi started to approach you before Banfield's group surrounded you. "Glasner, I want that mining cruiser, modified" You straightened yourself "Lord Banfield..." he stopped the conversation and looked at you with a wolfish grin "You know to call me Hyron, and I shan't remind you again my good friend. Good?" You locked eyes with him through your sunglasses. Pinprick pupils, a mild sheen of sweat. He was using Amp, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. You picked a measured response to match his mood. "Better than good, Superlative." He laughed and clapped you on the back, jarring a broken rib. You bit back a wince, it wasn't something to explain here."Hyron, production is at capacity with prior orders, otherwise the lines would be yours." You gesture at the PJC and Saurian ships looming outside the station.He frowned slightly, leaning in closer to you, his voice lower. "Glasner, an individual, a man of your capacity, should be able to resolve such a matter...and I know you shall. For me. Immediately." A forced AR window popped up, indicating a transfer of credits to your station's account, as well as a smaller, but not insignificant amount directly to you. "Your holographic presentations entertain me immensely. Meet me on my vessel, and bring Ruhi."You exchanged final pleasantries before the group departed. Ruhi was still standing here, eyes searching you. "I suppose asking you about dinner is off.""I wouldn't entirely say that. Come on, we have a Lord to meet, and a Saurian to both disappoint and ask a favor of."2/4
>>6391719You broke the news to the Saurian as carefully as possible, informing him that there would be optimizations for his ships due to a new order which could not be ignored. You told him that his clan would be gainfully employed harvesting raw material and paid in proper credits. He looked at you for a moment and spoke. "Games." That was Magnavax's response to your thoughtfully worded heads up that production of his ships would be delayed. "Why games?" The Saurian responded, his translator competing with the bass rumble of his true voice. "Recompense. As much as can be asked in my position". AR images bombard you with Saurian script and pictures of historic games; Go, Fangqi, Xiangqi, Chaturanga, Petteia. He had really done his research. "Games to train, to learn. Business is war by another means. Games will teach business."You weren't exactly sure that Magnavax was aware of how vague that sentiment was, but you also weren't about to turn down such an easy way to resolve the matter. "Very well. We will discuss "Games" after my business negotiations." He nodded at that, and left.--Ruhi was pleasant company on the short shuttle ride to Hyron's ship, a Glory-S this time. She always charmed but kept the details of her personal life to a minimum, and in turn asked little of your current state. The corridors of the Glory were familiar to you at this point; stately, a bit archaic in layout, but functional. An armed contingent of Noto's own guard escorted you to a well furnished stateroom. Wood, plush carpeting, fragrant oud burned somewhere out of sight. "Fantastic! You both made it!" Hyron was genuinely pleased to see you, his manservant had already seated you and Admiral Ruhi, bringing out glasses of Armagnac and...almond stuffed dates. You wasted no time in consumption, an active mind needed to be fueled, sometimes frequently. Ruhi only nibbled lightly on a date and nursed her drink, observing the room. "Why so demure? live a little." He looked at her for a moment before she looked into her lap. "I'm entertained. I just wait for the show to begin." her hands made a halfhearted flourish in your direction. Just like that, Hyron's attention was fixed on you causing an abrupt swallow of half chewed dates and almonds. It wouldn't go down. You were choking, he knew it, you knew he knew it. You pounded the entire glass of Armagnac, the liquid's alcohol burn turning to pleasant heat and vapors that cleared your sinus cavity. "Well then, let us begin." Hyron's staff dimmed the room without being asked. Soon your holographic display of the mining ship was present.3/4
>>6391721The ship was thoroughly picked apart over the next several hours. Hyron apparently felt the other states within the Pact were plotting against him, paranoid or not he wanted something of a show of force. When you presented the mining beam, that sold him. He just wanted the entire ship militarized and capable of repeated firings. It only necessitated an entire redesign, one that was costly. He proved unconcerned, and had recently sold the transport fleet to one MassEx, turning a tidy profit in the process. Strong cognac was the only drink provided, and everyone present was red in the face from it. "I reason, if you finish that hyperdrive project soon enough, the ships may be obsolete for our needs. Wise, no?" Hyron wobbled slightly in his chair. Planting your cane into the supple carpet you pushed yourself up and gave the lord a military salute. "To the greatest mind of Noto!" You were born in Shima after all. Hyron raised a glass in mock toast. "Here here, Glasner." Ruhi just looked away slightly, covering her lower face with a hand, snickering. "Yes, to you...Glassy." The Lord of Noto lit up at that. "Glassy!" You hid the surprise well, unsure if that was a reference to Kryska or not. "Glassy, you can do this for me yes? You can make Noto mighty again, will you not?" He staggered and grinned. Of course you agreed.--Captive as you and Ruhi were, eventually the evening came to an end. "As much as it pains me, friends, I must retire, and your shuttle awaits. Admiral Ruhi, if you so deign, my ship has space for this evening."Choose:>"Actually, the Admiral and I have further business to discuss on Ex-Nihilo.">Stay silent.
>6391723
>>6391723>Stay silent.Oops
>>6391723>"Actually, the Admiral and I have further business to discuss on Ex-Nihilo."
