>>35440468
An hour late; I was thinking you weren't running tonight.

>>35440468
Nice you are back.

>>35440602

He is only 8 minutes late, EST remember?

>>35440468

You are currently filling out reams of digital "paperwork" with an annoyed and caustic Administrator Yusuf, one of the final steps before your actual departure to your new world. You've been on this damn station far longer than you planned.

After mulling over the problem of what "breeds" of altered humans and non humans would be allowed to immigrate from many angles, you've decided that the best course of action is to screen and investigate every "type" that comes to your wold, as it would be pure madness to put blanket bans or allowances on everything falls into, say, the incredibly broad categories that covers "Supersoldiers" or "Aliens", sifting for those who are physically capable of co-existing with civilized humans.

You must remember to emphasize that your customs agents should keep a constant eye out for outliers and exceptions: many would have judged your Kzin population as being unsuitable, based on their races violent nature and constant warring with Humanity.

Yusuf seems to be almost physically repulsed by proximity to such a sensible and flexible policy, his bureaucrats soul withdrawing from it like a Vampire from garlic. At last, all forms notarized, signed in triplicate, and safely filed on physical paper in an office somewhere to the center of the station before being shredded and burned instantly for security purposes, Yusuf stacks up his elaborate business-card town ad leaves without a word.

>Wait for Embark.
>Talk to Chtall.
>Purchase very fine hats.
>Get a new uniform tailored.
>Other

>>35440718
>Get a new uniform tailored.

Something nice but not too much ostentatious.

>>35440718
>Talk to Chtall.
We've been putting it off for too long.

>>35440803

Did we? OK, lets talk to him first changing my vote here >>35440777

>>35440777
agreed

>>35440718
>Get a new uniform tailored.

Nothing pompous or pretentious. Maybe something that looks like a business suit or modern military uniform?

>>35440851
The only time we talked with the leader of the Chtall, Zan-Mar-Zall-Zak, was a brief refresher on Ravies, and if they can create a vaccine.
He expressed a desire to actually speak with us when the crisis was resolved.

>>35440468
How many Cthall and Kzin colonists do we have? We can iron out our government, right? Like on semi-autonomy. We need stuff like a supremacy clause.

Also, please try to keep Michaels' characterization in control. Rotating characters can make the QPC schizophrenic if you're not on top of it, and I don't want him to switch between being an autistic white knight who makes unfunny jokes to a sociopathic murderhobo

>>35440718
>Get a new uniform tailored.

>>35440718
>Talk to Chtall.

>>35440934
Er, I meant rotating players.

>>35440934
Chtall = around 40
Kzin = around 600

>Oh, one thing before we begin properly: A lot of the mechanics of this quest are very rough, and mostly pulled right off the top of my head. I'll be refining them as time goes on, but snarls in mechanics, like in last nights session, are an unavoidable result of me trying to branch out from calling for 1d100 rolls and fudging the results towards whatever I think is fair, like I did in my previous Quest. It was pretty much Freeform with some dice rolling, actually.

>Also unlike PG Quest, for those who played it, I will not be giving you nearly as many free bonuses, will not fudge rolls to shelter you from the wrath of the dice gods, will not get cold feet after presenting you with a serious threat and nerf them at the last minute (Sewer-dwelling Genestealers, anyone?), and will probably take longer to post than normal while I adjust to some (Hopefully good), changes in my writing style.

>>35440777
>>35440803
>>35440851
>>35440861

You make your way down to a cleared cargo section of the ship, sealed off and rigged to accommodate your alien passengers. You feel the cumulative effects of injury and exhaustion dragging on your frame as you make your way past the frantic final preparations. You must remember to rest as much as you can on the trip: There may not be a chance for some time when you arrive at Tempest.

Finally, you come to the airlock, waiting patiently before you are buzzed in.

The Chtall leader, Zan for short, awaits you within, surrounded by his senior colleagues. They stand just slightly taller than you, their shining chitinous plates a variety of colors, ranging from polished blue to deep red, their bodies writhing masses of small, worm-like creatures linked together to form a single colony-Mind, interacting with the world through specialized manipulator and sensory organisms extending themselves beyond the heavy, protective armor. All in all, one of the odder races you've ever personally spoken with.

>CONT

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This may end up disastrous, but what about some kind of fusion suit?

Neo-tokyo tailored suit, with western and military dress uniform influence?

>>35440718
>Purchase very fine hats.

Commissar peaked cap.

>>35441082

I could love a cowboy hat with that.

>>35440934

I wasn't very clear in last nights post: As governor, you are effectively a dictator. Your word is law, so long as you don't blatantly violate the Commonwealth Human Rights Convention when the authorities are looking. Granting settlements semi-autonomy means that you mostly leave them alone to direct themselves through municipal government, as opposed to routing all decisions through a central office staffed by your people and the varying shades in between.

Further, they represent broad categories more than strict selections. The exact details of your laws, for example, are up to you. But make too many of them, and make them too strict, and you'll have to move them up a category in Strictness.

You have 600 Kzin warriors of varying ages, plus about 3,000 unintelligent female Kzin. You currently have 40 Chtall, but due to quirks of biology and reproduction, that number will soon be fluctuating dramatically.

>>35441067

Zan and his retinue wait in silence for you to initiate conversation: A sign of respect for an outsider of great authority and influence among their people.

>Ask about Vaccination
>Ask about Terraforming
>Ask about Land Grants
>"What did you wish to talk about, Zan?"
>Other

>>35441254
>"What did you wish to talk about, Zan?"

>>35441254
>"What did you wish to talk about, Zan?"

Before we start, are there any concerns you might have for me?

>>35441067
Do we have that repurposed BOLO, because if so I think we should talk to it as well

>>35441254
>Ask about Terraforming

>>35441254
>>"What did you wish to talk about, Zan?"

>>35441312
We can talk with it when we're away from the station.
Remember that Colonial Marines and Commonwealth Marshals are coming this way to SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING. to find that Cobra we hired.
The extremely illegal Cobra, that causes the immediate deployment of a Colonial Marine supersoldier platoon when sighted.

File: 982061cbf31fca6bd9a9fa1b6(...).jpg (137 KB, 721x1143)

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Gonna post some uniforms. Something with a cross between military and cowboy could look like this. Granted, these are late 19th century/pre-WW1 military uniforms.

>>35441301
>>35441303
>>35441312
>>35441316
>>35441326

Scythe is currently stowed in the Cargo bays, deactivated. Though you definitely want to speak to him soon. From what you know about his Mark, you may have made an excellent find.
---------------------

Zan moves his tendrils in a complex pattern intended to simulate the cues normally expressed through pheromone signals that are rough analogues to human facial expressions and Kzin ear-movement: "Oh, many things. Many things." His voice is tinny and strange over the cheap translator hanging from his carapace, "For one, we will have the requested vaccine ready within two of your Solar days. Though we can detect no traces of the Virus in any of your subjects, it would be prudent to inoculate much of your workforce from becoming ravening animals. Additionally, we have found several fascinating facets of the virus that we are experimenting with, and may have great success in integrating into our own creations."

"Mainly, I wished to discuss terraforming methods and the tracts of land to be granted to us in exchange for our assistance. We also have some interest in sending our more intelligent pupils to study humans and human technology: While we are... Gravely challenged in understanding the art your people have made of manipulating the bones of worlds, those colonies of ours that have put in the effort have often greatly prospered from the knowledge."

>Terraforming
>Land Grants
>Technology training
>Other

>Chtall are consummate Bio-Engineers, each a walking Genetics laboratory with millions of years of instinct and ancestral memory to call upon in his works.

>>35441578

This I like.

>>35441540
>>35441578
what about a Fed or Zeon uniform

>>35441591
all of the above

>>35441591
>Terraforming
Discuss that we acquired a supercomputer that may be able to assist in terraforming efforts.

>>35441591
>Land Grants

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30 KB JPG

>>35441591
Could you please post our dialogue choice at the beginning of a post? It flows better for me.

>>35441591
>Tech training, since he brought it up

>>35441624
I"ll post one of them that fits a bit of a western theme after this

>>35441591
>Terraforming follow by Land Grants

Tell him we have plan to go through the terraforming process by the old fashioned way, with their help and that of an supercomputer we have we hope to accelerate the process greatly without compromising the results.

File: Img_1478457_60792691_1.jpg (70 KB, 400x531)

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Color wise, I'm thinking a black or dark blue. Blue because of Tempest.

File: BarquartSpanishAmericanSo(...).jpg (44 KB, 538x800)

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Independence:20
Monkey-Be-Gone:25
All Colonist Skills: 40
Soldiery:10
Weaponry:10
Armored Vehicles:10
All Sky El Upgrades: 35
Trade Station:25
Orbital Nodes:10
Asteroid Mines: 10
Couldscoop: 40
Planetary Defense Boats:25
Anti-Air cannons:5
Extra Domes:10
Industrial basics:25
Infonet: 5
Old sawtooth:10
One Way:10
Kzin Outcasts: Free
Cthall Colonists: 5

That's what we took, btw.

>>35441591
>Terraforming
>Land Grants

>>35441814
>Anti-Air cannons

Good I was worry we could get air raid by pirates.

>>35441814
Don't forget the things we bought from our Free Trader friends:

In-System Freighters
- 10% Off fuel and 12C to Mark

Enough LMG's to outfit our Guard squads with LMG's (same ammo as our assault rifles, even have the same parts, REQUIRES THE REMOVAL OF MORKUL COMBINE ID CHIPS)
- 5C

Supercomputer
- 7C Adjusted Price(came with some electronics that we sold off at a profit)

80 Southern Cross Light Amphibious Tank
- 7C (comes with shells and ammo)

Mystery Box of Smuggler Goods

BOLO weaponry on order, a list of salvaged weapons to become available in 3 months.

>>35441737
>>35441697
>>35441669
>>35441667
>>35441661

>Terraforming, followed by Land Grants.

"I'm planning on doing things the old fashioned way," You begin, nodding at a holographic projection you've called up of Tempest on your wrist-Holocom. "Since we can only do this once, we might as well do it right. I'vebeen told that your people have a special knack for this kind of work."

"Indeed, indeed." He swirls in his tendrils in a pattern indicating eager agreement, "We have extensive experience with this kind of project.. Mastery, even. Using small alterations to influence a species to migrate southwards to evade a plant they are suddenly allergic to, carrying seeds for a modified tree with them to expand forests and anchor grasslands. Working with natural selection, accelerating and gently guiding it. These are our ways, and it was a great surprise to us that your kind had not only developed similar methods, but abandoned them in favor of towers of dead metal and machine-minds. Truly strange."

"But yes, with our aid and expertise we will be able to accelerate this process greatly, cutting time nearly in half, and more fully adapting the life-forms to their new world. The initial waiting period while your machines force the atmosphere into a more suitable form will be arduous, but we intend to use it to incentivize the new generations to develop closer relations with your humans and learn to use your technology, even if true understanding is illusive."

"But there is the pressing issue of payments, and that should be dealt with first and foremost."

>There are eight areas on your planet that will develop into hot, humid, and most likely extremely overgrown clusters of islands and sub-continents, making them ideal for the Chtall and their strange Ecosystem. There are also roughly 20 small islands or island chains that would be ideal habitats, that they may also desire. The minimum you can give them is one of the Prime Regions, while Zan desires all of them.
CONT

>>35441591
>Terraforming
>Land Grants

>>35442097

>These islands and Prime Regions are sub-optimal for human habitation due to their projected extreme humidity and rainfall, though terraforming is, at best, an inexact science. All of these areas are relatively isolated from projected major population centers, and represent a small amount of the land area of your new world.

>All eight, plus Islands
>All eight.
>Four
>One
>Other

>>35442209
>All 8

Trying to harvest stuff off of overgrown island jungles is more trouble than it's worth. The small islands could be useful though

>>35442209
>Other
Four regions, and the islands, but with the understanding that they must allow the building of army and navy bases.

>>35442209
>>All eight.

http://pastebin.com/GxsJGFeP

I"ll update it with the govt and the stuff we bought soon.

Can we uh, get biotech agriculture from them? Plants that grow bronze and tin. Fermenting grapes. Insulin producing pigs, cows that make milk with antibiotics, etc.

We should grow corn, btw. Good for making plastic, ethanol and food.

>>35442209
>Other

10 islands, 4 prime regions

We can negotiate selling the others as our relationship develops.

>>35442209

All eight areas and half the islands, we may want to build a tropical resort at some point.

>>35442272
>>35442209
I'm >>35442288

And I like the idea of them explicitly allowing us to build bases for military purposes.

>>35442295
Thats more than he proposed, even. Lets meet him roughly halfway so we have some more chips to use down the line.

>>35442209
>Other

Half regions, half islands. 4 and 10 respectively.

>>35442324

We can afford to be generous this are sub-optimal for human habitation.

>>35442508
We don't know how they"ll turn out as we terraform, though. And like I said, it'd be something we can use for future negotiations.

Anyway:

http://pastebin.com/itfWLrew

Tell me if I missed anything

>>35442209
>Four Regions
>10 Islands
Tell him the rest would be up for grabs but we would prefer them to focus their colonization effort for now.

>>35442508
>>35442434
>>35442324

>>35442288

Possible, but difficult. You're looking more for Biotech-specialized Megacorps like Tau Biotech and Monsanto-Ares for that, and this is effectively the ENTIRE product-line of the latter. So much so, in fact, that they may turn their baneful gaze to you.

The main issue wouldn't be creating an organism that performs to standard, but one that can reproduce and produce genetically stable, functioning offspring into perpetuity.

The most feasible, and the one most strangely out of reach, is using modified plants to extract minerals. This is a secret held by the alien Kryllini, the alien Gene-Masters that you and Helen clashed against in the Torvos campaign. Unfortunately, captured plants always seem to die off in human care.

The three best descriptive terms for your new planet, beyond "Stormy", will probably be Wet, Green, and Hot. "Islands" comes in a close fourth. The surface is extremely rugged and mountainous, with broken landmasses scattered throughout an island-dotted sea. There are few continents that will be larger than Australia, and there will be many rivers, matches, and near-constant rain and mist. An excellent place for Chtall.

The islands they want are the hottest, soggiest, most rain-drenched rocks the planet has to offer. Places where the ground *squishes* underfoot and the mud is here to stay year round if it doesn't instantly get covered in some kind of plant-life. "Muggy" is the word of the day.

>>35442622
>>35442573
Doesn't sound like moving heavy equipment here for military and economic purposes is gonna be easy

>>35442622
Don't we want our alien enclaves to be strong anyway? Might as well give them these islands, doesn't really seem like we'd want to establish any official bases there.

>>35442209
>All eight.

>>35442622
On our Industry, do we have Von Neumann Machines (can make anything as complex as itself IIRC)? Half-VNMs (can't make a copy of itself, but can probably repair itself and make machines less complex than itself)

>>35442731
I really think we should wait and see instead of being over-generous. There's nothing really lost by holding out, and something to possibly gain. They"ll have more time to focus on a smaller amount of landmass anwyay

>>35442778
Not that guy but the problem is they might get impatient that we held out some land on them but we aren't using it for anything should we choose not to move anything on the land.

>>35442622
>Tau Biotech and Monsanto-Ares

Please no Saeder-Krupp...

>>35442778

Half-VNMs. Although some of the most complex parts of your factories will require off-world replacements.

>>35442731
>>35442666
>>35442583
>>35442573
>>35442508
>>35442434
>>35442295
>>35442288
>>35442277
>>35442272
>>35442242

Unless my count is off, we are currently tied between "Half" and "All", with the possibility of military bases and traded altered-crops.

>Half Regions, Half Islands.

>>35442622
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_acetobutylicum

What about this?

>>35442843
We have over 100 years, even with the Cthall accelerated terraforming AND the supercomputer we bought.

How is holding out on half of what they hope to get, and therefore exactly where they actually want to get, going to be a problem?

>>35442871
I vote half

>>35442871
I am good for all

>>35442871
I"ll change my vote from half on position that in exchange that:
We're allowed to use some of the land for military bases, tourist sites/ports and aid in medicine and agriculture.

Also offer a program to exchange knowledge/training. Medicinal/agricultural knowledge from them, human tech to them. Maybe some joint academies could be set up later on.

>>35442871
Half regions, half islands, and the right to build military bases.

>>35442938
>>35442871
I'm in favor of this

>>35442938
>Also offer a program to exchange knowledge/training
They already said that was one of the conditions that THEY demand for their services.
That's not something we can offer to get a concession from them.

>>35442949
>>35442938
>>35442899
>>35442893

"I am ..."Afraid"... That this will not be possible," Zan states, tendrils arced around him to display absolute certainty, "While we are willing to maintain structures to aid castaways from accidents, if needed, we will not allow outside parties to own holdings within our domains, no matter how small those domains are. It is,with all due respect, absolutely out of the question."

>Half Regions, Half Islands.
>One Region, All Islands.
>All Regions, half Islands.
>All Regions, All Islands.
>Other

>>35443190
>Half Regions, Half Islands.
When we do get oceans, we're going to need naval bases and wet docks, so we need some islands.

And regions to place planetary defense batteries in order to cover those areas of the globe.

>>35443190
>Half Regions, Half Islands.

>>35443190
>Half Regions, Half Islands.

Tell them we're open to giving them more Prime Areas and maybe islands in the future. Probably not all islands though, because of:
>>35443239

>>35443190

>All Regions, half Islands.

Hey OP. How/why exactly did we get to become a Planetary Governor?

What is New America, New Montana & Neo-Tokyo like?

>>35443190
>Half Regions, Half Islands.
Fair enough, it's their sovereign territory, we'll just let the build in certain areas.

>>35443239

See:

>>35442622

>The three best descriptive terms for your new planet, beyond "Stormy", will probably be Wet, Green, and Hot. "Islands" comes in a close fourth. The surface is extremely rugged and mountainous, with broken landmasses scattered throughout an island-dotted sea. There are few continents that will be larger than Australia, and there will be many rivers, matches, and near-constant rain and mist. An excellent place for Chtall.

You have islands. You have an excess of islands, as a matter of fact, and some that will likely make excellent vacation spots, depending on the whims of Terraforming. Those are not the ones the Chtall want. Normally, they only find one or two places on a Human world they can transform and inhabit, but Tempest fits them so well that they have a relative abundance of suitable land.

>>35443190
>Half Regions, Half Islands.

>>35443446
If we give all islands and all primary areas they want, would that open any blind spots for orbital defense, or our future navy?

What could we possibly lose out on? Natural resource access?

>>35443446

Give them all then, we can put military installations close as to leave anywhere undefended.

>>35443446
then their is no reason to not give the areas to them so give them the areas

>>35443518

None. There are no unique resources you know of that the larger masses won't have, but it wouldn't be the first time Survey missed treasure troves of strange and valuable minerals, or "missed" and sold the information to unscrupulous 'Corps. However, while they may by chance wind up on top of large deposits, there is no mineral you can think of that would only occur in one exploitable deposit planet-wide.

>35443301

The Terran Commonwealth, partly to ensure continued human expansion independent of the fluctuating economies and national fervor of its individual member nations, and partly to make sure that none of said member nations ever grow beyond the Commonwealth Armed Forces ability to 1v1 them, will often charter new colonies through relevant Megacorps to establish new worlds. Over time, these outposts have become both places of exile and reward: A prestigious office near a bureaucrats area of work, or a suitably gilded prison isle for disgraced politicians and the second sons of royalty. In light of your exemplary service in the BOLO Legion Varus, during which you saved the lives of several committee members in charge appointing Governors to new worlds, and your leap to the station of Commonwealth Folk Hero after your actions at Malddred Prime Tradestation, convinced the Commonwealth Expansion and Colonization Department that it would be of no harm to gain some positive press and give you a frontier command.

New America and New Montana are American-Ethnic colonies that date back to the Expansion, well before humanity exploded outwards with looted Hyperdrive technology in the Diaspora. They are well-developed Core Worlds, places of wealth and refined culture. The are also occasionally home to nostalgic quasi-nationalist movements, like your own Jeffersonians.

Neo-Tokyo is a chaotic city-planet "owned" by half of the Commonwealths most powerful Megacorps. It is a place of crime, intrigue, violence, crushing inhumanity, and cutting-edge technology.

>>35443791
So nothing to lose by giving them everything? Other than looking like we're at a position of weaknes

>>35443770
>>35443699
We can always give the regions and islands to them later.
We will have little else to give them later if we give them everything now.

>>35443770
>>35443699

>ALL

"We have no use for these locations", you say gesturing as the map zooms in, "They are both ideal for your kind and considerably less-than-optimal for our race. There is no reason to withhold them from you."

Zan affects a "bowing" motion with his tendrils, a pattern you are unfamiliar with. "We thank you for your generosity. It shall be remembered long in the living halls of Tempest. Now, though, there is the matter of arts both living and dead..."

>Technology training/Bio-Engineering trade
>Leave

>>35443883
>to them later.
>We will have little else to give them later if we give them everything now.

I was going for something that left them "indebted" to us but sure either way works.

>>35443907
>>Technology training/Bio-Engineering trade

You mentioned biotech specializing megacorps, didn't you? How does the law work in regard to biotech and pharmaceuticals? Do they have certain things patented/licensed? At the very least, they shouldn't care so long as we don't export things out, right?

>>35443883

What is it with you and withholding shit for bargaining chips when we don't need to? We can trade them in Tech trading or fucking fertilizer or somethig. They liked the Ravies, so why not trade them samples of strange life from across the sector? There's all kinds of things we can do without holding back islands we won't use anyway.

>>35443907
>all
>when it was only two and most of the others were for half
What the fuck is this shit?

>>35443961
Because we're supposed to have been a successful trader, and you're advocating selling things at cost to us.
Those samples from across the sector aren't going to come free, you know. We would have to pay others to get them for us, since we don't have any ships with hyperdrives.
And just because we won't use them, doesn't mean we can't profit from them in some way.

>>35443966
Eh, I was one of them for half, and I don't mind it too much. Sure, maybe there were some resources we might have exploited, but these guys are nominally part of us anyway.

>>35443957

Most Megacorps have Biotech divisions, with patents under Commonwealth law on anything they create independently. If you later create a product with a similar function, but using a different method, you're in the clear. Legally. However, as any daughter of Neo-Tokyo can tell you, few are the Megacorp executives who will not resort to extra-legal "measures" to deal with upstart competition with the same weight of decision other men would place on choice of desserts at a restaurant.

>>35443966

Give me a second to re-count, here.

>>35443907
>Technology training/Bio-Engineering trade
Regardless of my feelings on whether we should have given them all the regions, you still ignored everybody else's votes in favor of two.
What about these votes? Did they not count?
>>35443239
>>35443243
>>35443271
>>35443438
>>35443454

>>35444093
Do they try to go through the legal channels first, at least?

>>35443961
If we have nothing to lose, I don't see the reason to not give them all. Buut, the islands & lands are prime things we can use for future deals. We're playing a politician, not some 100% nice guy who spends all their money on a girl.

I'm in favor of giving them all so long as they feel seriously indebted to us and it gives them a very positive view of us, as someone who originally voted for half.

>>35444092
Regardless, though, miscounts do a disservice to everyone, wouldn't you say?
It's one thing to lose a vote because you're outvoted; fine, that's the way things go.

But when there's a pattern of miscounting, that's a problem that shouldn't be ignored.

>>35444181
Can't argue against that, I guess.

>>35444161
>so long as they feel seriously indebted to us and it gives them a very positive view of us
But that's something that you, as the trader, would have to determine from a completely alien set of body language cues.

If we were a xeno-specialist, or had extensive dealings with the Cthall to understand their culture and body language (which we would need a spectralyzer for, since their social cues are pheromone-based), then we'd probably be able to make a determination.
But we don't, and we can't.

>>35443907

Well I fucked that up. I had a column label moved over without realizing it.

He still thanks you for your generosity, but his gesture is one of gratitude you are familiar with, not the original strange, complex pattern, and the comment about your name being remembered in the Living Halls is also redacted.

>>35444261
Thats with the vote change I made? Anyway, lets move forward

>Half Regions, Half Island
>>35443239
>>35443243
>>35443271
>>35443438
>>35443454

>All Regions, half islands
>>35443300

>All Regions, All Islands
>>35443699
>>35443770

>>35444261

>sadfrog.jpg

You see what you've done, anon? You see what you've done?

>>35444308
It's still a miscount.
What, can't handle Jeffersonian ideals?

>>35444292
It would tie with my vote change from:
>>35443271

>>35444337
Even with one vote change, it would still be 4 vs 3.

>This is what I get for thinking I'm so smart for keeping track of votes in columns instead of counting in my head, and the forgetting to double-check my columns.

"To summarize our position, let me state this is not a normal colony effort: Normally, a single elderly Chtall, of great experience, boards a human vessel to a suitable world with a case of dormant Females, where he will live out his remaining days preparing the spawning grounds before his component forms separate, mate, and die: Their bodies containing the spores that will plant the first vestige of our homeworlds ecology in a new land. His sons will then carry on his work from what you humans would call "Ancestral Memory", and build a new colony."

"Here, in addition to many times the normal elderly Chtall, we included a group of our best leaders and Changers, myself included and foremost, to hasten the building of this new colony, given the prime land it will be built upon. Additionally, experience with humans and human technologies does not cross over well, and must be taught. This is the main reason why we have set out as we have: For so many colonies take great lengths of time to discover the potential uses of purchased human technologies and develop favorable trade in samples and materials with their neighbors. It is our intent to experiment, to see if this favorable state can be attained at the founding of a colony."

"Therefore, we propose to purchase basic human computers, one of the few technologies we can use to their full potential, even if we still fail to understand their true workings, in exchange for equivalent services in the art of Change. Is this agreeable?"

>Yes
>No
>Negotiate
>Other

>>35444569
I'm going for yes, but I'd like to know what's considered equivalent services in the art of Change, or what Change is.

>>35444522

He forgot to add

>>35442242
>>35442277

And possibly >>35442295

Is anyone else noticing that these Vote Corrections actually just miscount in the opposite direction? Because I rechecked the Government Styles vote from last night, and even though it was a clusterfuck the call was still accurate.

>>35444569
>Yes
>Negotiate

I dunno try reducing the amount of human females he needs

>>35444569
>Yes

>>35444569

This is agreeable so as long their is room for further exchanges in the future. Also specifics on what the define as the change.

>>35444657
what no where does it say he needs human females

>>35444657
What? He doesn't need human females. He meant Cthall females. We're different species from different planets anyway.

>>35444654
OP, can you double check please? Counting my vote change and stuff.

>>35444654
Do you realize that those three votes are from BEFORE a new vote was called for in >>35442871

Let's see your numbers on the government vote, then.

>>35444714
>>35444718
I was confused by the wording cause he said the elder was going to board a human vessel

>>35444630

The Art of Change is what the Chtall call their technique of genetic alteration and adaption. They view human Splicing techniques as being crude, brute-force shortcuts that ruin something that could be beautiful. Rather like the view of many of architects on blocky, grey, Soviet-Borg apartment buildings.

In this case, the difficulties in dealing with nonhumans comes to the fore: He is referring to a fair trade by evaluating the good that having the computer system does for them, and repaying you with something of equal use to you, most likely enhanced crops. The idea of leaving their end of the bargain unfulfilled is alien to them, but they have enough experience with Man to know that the same does not go for you. Perhaps this is one of the lessons they hope to impart on their educated children?

>>35444728

Ah, shit, I didn't get that. Fuck this is complicated.

>>35444569
>Yes

>>35444569
>Negotiate
Offer them access to the Supercomputer we bought, which is supposed to help terraforming efforts, at no additional cost.

And now we can put those regions and islands we withheld earlier to use.
Offer additional regions and islands, in exchange for additional services in the Art of Change.

>>35444839
>Fuck this is complicated.
Yeah, I never said it was easy. But that's what makes accurate counting important.
So that our successes are our own, as well as our failures.

>>35444718

No, the vote was correct. Half still wins.

>>35444839

This is actually what tripped me up. I got the votes from before and after mixed up and wound up with a decisive victory for "All".

I'm starting to think I should just avoid these kinds of multiple-choice sections entirely. They start arguments and take way too much time.

>>35444842
>>35444817
>>35444569
This sounds good. Going with yes, but with further negotiation.

>>35444657
>>35444680
>>35444630
>>35444840
Guys, we're a Free Trader.
We've got land that's no good to us but that the Cthall want.
This is now a prime time to sell to them something they want for something we want.

I'm not saying we need to go Full Ferengi, but let's not waste our trading talents by not taking advantage of good profit opportunities.

>>35444891
>avoid these kinds of multiple-choice sections entirely
Do you mean where you have second vote-offs when there's a draw?
Or choices entirely, and just go straight to write-in?

>>35444840
>>35444842
>>35444897

His tentacles perform a strange "chopping" pattern, one you are unfamiliar with: "This is highly agreeable, though I am hesitant to place my people in such a debt. The price for a place of the Halls of the people is high, higher than many Humans guess, but no higher than they should reason. For what is worth more than the trade equal of halving the creation of an entire World?"

Action?

>>35444988
"A friendship that could last for eons and spanning universes. This is only the beginning and I hope it shall not end."

>>35444842
>Offer them access to the Supercomputer we bought,

That's too much, they barely understand basic technologies giving them a super-computer will not help them. Given them access and training to the supercomputer with the terraforming process is more useful to their and our interests. That way they have a more tangible demonstration on the uses of technology in a field that they are familiar with.

>>35444891
Alright.

I dont think arguing is bad so long as it isn't heated. Time, I can agree with. Vote counts being accurate is important for me.

I think you're still doing a good job. I'm hype for this quest.

>>35444988
I'm tired, having a bit trouble understanding what he said. Did he say a place in the Halls is worth giving the rest of the land? What would a place in the Halls entail?

>>35444988
>trade equal of halving the creation of an entire World?
So, he's saying that we can expect a lot, but not too much, from giving them the remaining regions and islands, but to not push it, since the Cthall are cutting the terraforming time in half, after all.

Alright, next action should be to get ourselves tailored for a new set of clothes.
Our previous set kind of got ruined, what with the assault rifle bullets, and that sniper rifle shot.

What's happened to that merc, anyway?

>>35445043
It's access to time on the Supercomputer, not giving it to them.
So that means that they can ask for weather and climate model simulations to be run, and human technicians will run them. Their younger Shapers can then learn how to run programs on the Supercomputer from the basic computers we traded to them.

This is exactly what they said they wanted.

>>35445051
>>35445036

From what you can understand, he is saying that the equivalent cost of the islands and Regions in service through the Arts of Change would put his people in massive debt of the kind that no one has been able to get away with since the Megacorps were given free reign with development debt and indentures in the days of the Terran Empire. He is saying that many humans do not guess how the Chtall truly value their land, for the service they perform to earn it (Halving the time to make an entire world habitable) is titanic in scale.

This is why dealing with aliens is such a goddamn headache.

>>35445147
What about a place in the Hall? What does that mean, exactly?

>>35445147
Why don't we just ask him what he would consider to be equal value to them then?

>>35445147
>>35444988
>Action
Since he's hesitating because he thinks the debt will be too much, let's actually quantify the debt.
Services equal to one quarter the trade of halving the creation of a world.

>>35444988
I guess we should just turn on our inner car salesman and say that if he can do service for 2 regions we'll throw in a few islands for free or something

>>35445201
>place in the Hall?
His words were
>The price for a place of the Halls of the people is high
Halls of the People is Cthall reference to their spawning grounds, and their homes.

>>35445230
>what he would consider to be equal value
He just said it: cutting the terraforming of a world in half is what he considers to be equal trade. 150 years of service.

>>35445147
What about...place in the Hall, and selling it to them at the market price an average human would buy that land for? Which could then be paid off in kind over a long period of time with very little interest (adjusted only for inflation).

>>35445147
What I wanted to emphasize was that he can have the islands as its gesture of goodwill and that we welcome his race and desire continued friendship/trade/alliance.

>>35445131

Yeah, I am sorry I went full retard for a moment when reading your post.

>>35445297
>>35445296
Oh, I meant being remembered in the living halls. But that's a retarded thing to ask for, so nvm that. I stick to my offer of human market price, with very slight interest. Maybe with a cap. It can be paid off in cash, knowledge, etc.

>>35445201

In another life, one that existed briefly only through a glitch in Gods spreadsheets, your name was guaranteed memory in the Living Halls for eternity as one of generosity. Michael, however, does not know this.

I forgot that I was going to make you guys roll Xenopsychology for that insight, but, oh well.

>>35445147
What about services as medical genetic engineers as well as terraformers?
We don't have a hospital, or doctors.
And even if we did, having the Cthall perform retroviral engineering for cures to diseases would still be very useful.

The price of the regions and islands is to provide medical Changing services for the same term of time as the terraforming.

>>35445409
Hmm. How about: slightly below average or reasonable price for the land (in a humans' perspective). They get to pay it off in kind and cash, including some work/aid? They would still get paid, mind you. The debt would fall under the local community of the Cthall, not on any specific individual. Knowledge would also count as payment.

Holy shit. This island negotiating has been going on for almost two hours.

But yeah, lets be a bit 'generous' to them, even though by Commonwealth standards it would be a relatively fair deal to us.

We can emphasize we have different standards, and we would value the positive relations with their community. And that we see them as valuable citizens of Tempest.

>>35445528
Yeah, just give them the lands for terraforming services and call it a day.

Was the first quest archived?

>>35445489
If we go by current land prices, then considering it's non-terraformed land with no mineral resources, they'd be able to pay it off and the pittance that we would get isn't worth some of the better pieces of genetic engineering knowledge they can provide.

Since we don't have doctors or hospitals, genetic treatments for diseases seem more immediately useful and applicable.

>>35445528

This, they are giving us a huge help with the terraforming process is only fitting we respond in kind.

>>35445528
Island negotiation can go on for years in real life, I don't see any surprise

>>35445489
>>35445409
>>35445297
>>35445296
>>35445259

"Impossibility. Human goods and lands are not equal to the value of trade/twinned Grounds/halls/Homes, for human lands are empty and dead where the Lands of the Halls know nothing but mutually supporting/one life."

His translator seems to be having trouble with the concepts he's articulating, but something isn't quite right here...

>OPTIONAL: Roll 1d100 for Perception
>Ask him if he has any ideas

>>35445569
We're giving up land we won't use in exchange for shaving off 150 years of terraforming and obligations to teach them how to use computers.

From our perspective, it's a pretty good deal.

From their perspective, we're the second coming.

Am i right?

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>35445606
>roll

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>35445606
>OPTIONAL: Roll 1d100 for Perception

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>35445606

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>35445606
Rolling.

>Ask him if he has any ideas

>>35445606

I think we are experiencing a culture shock because I don't understand if we are giving too much or little to them.

>>35445560

>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/35355517/
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/35400267/

Sorry about the doubling-up of the opening paragraph. I messed up copy/pasting.

>>35445606
I just rolled (38), but can't we diplomance it like?

>I have no trouble with seemingly being generous to you at the start, in order to establish a good relationship. Outside of your nation, the specified lands are relatively useless so we are not taking that much of a loss.

Something like that.

>>35445639
>>35445633
>>35445632
>>35445656

>Including the fourth roll because I'm nice that way

For one thing, he completely ignored your proposal about medical genetic services and genetics training, well, not completely ignored: He made the Gesture of Acknowledgement to indicate he heard and understood, then said nothing about it. On top of that, his translator should NOt be having that hard a time. It just mangled a concept it had conveyed just fine minutes ago, and you can see no evidence of mechanical fault. You almost suspect he's making it deliberately hard to translate, exaggerating the rift in understanding for purposes of his own.

>Call him on it
>Watch and see where he goes
>Other

>>35445751
>Watch and see where he goes

>>35445693
It seems more that he doesn't want to be a charity case, or be given something for nothing.
But the value, to the Cthall, of suitable lands is so high that he can't just accept things for free, nor can he take on the debt that his people would feel to us.

>>35445751
>Watch and see where he goes
He wants to get at something. Let's see what he wants so badly.

>>35445751
>Watch and see where he goes

>>35445751
>>Watch and see where he goes

I think we gave the Cthall too little credit as negotiators.

>>35445769
>>35445770
>>35445785

You think you're on the right track. The Chtall have relatively few dealings with humanity outside of Terraforming services in exchange for living space, so it is possible that Zan finds himself in the position of either accepting an unacceptable gift, now that it has been made clear that these lands are separate from those granted in the Terraforming deal, but is unable to pay the price involved. However, you cannot shake the feeling that there is something else...

He remains silent, holding up his tendrils in the posture of exhausted options and lack of ideas. This is odd, considering that normally the gestures accompany speech. Then, another Chtall speaks up:

"If I may be of service to these Great Ones," says a red-tinged Chtall to your right "I am Kall-Zar-Gar-Mar, and I believe I have experienced a flash of insight for one so young and inexperienced as myself."

Wasn't the colony composed entirely of senior leaders and artisans, plus some Brood-Chtall in the back waiting to die? He certainly doesn't seem to be the latter.

"There are... Certain organisms that yield great profit to human merchants, but grow only on limited world. One is this Diamondwood I have heard of, which grows on but one Orb. It is said that many families with holdings there are preparing to once again experiment with transplanting their trees biome to a new world and escape interference from would-be overlords of the human person-group Hives. Perhaps we can be of service in securing for the human Michael break into a monopoly?"

Zan stands, signalling contemplation, once again without the accompanying speech, before he resumes: "Yes, this is most suitable: In exchange for the remaining lands, we shall adapt to this new world whatever limited organisms of great profit the human Michael and his successors can secure for us. Is this suitable to you, Michael?"

Well, his Translator seems to have cleared up.

>Yes
>No
Other

>>35445959
>>Yes
I like those

>>35445959
>Yes

>>35445959
>>Yes

>>35445959
>Politely/implicitly signal we caught on to what he was doing by mentioning and rephrasing the medical/genetic services and training thing.

We are ultimately asking for a payment in kind, which I think is a pretty good deal for both of us.

>>35446042
>>35446056
>>35446059
>>35446060
Guys, we should get that medical/genetic stuff. It's pretty damn big. Bigger than diamonds. It'd greatly reduce casualties early on in our colonization

>>35445959
They established themselves as bullshitting & fibbing, going off of our perception. They're lowballing us. Lets go for the genetic/medical stuff. Even if what he said it's true, it could draw early ire from a megacorp.

>>35445959

I may be reading a little too much between the lines but it feels a little too convenient. They were obviously ready to make that proposal as that information is too specific to be something he "heard of", like they are trying to fulfill another obligation by/while paying us with access to the Diamondwood at the same time.

Still quite welcome if Diamondwood is that valuable.

>>35445959
>Other
The medical & genetic training/services is more valuable. I don't like it. They're using deception and trying to bribe us (offering something that would benefit us personally).

I don't like playing into their hands anyway, and we shouldn't encourage them to be deceptive fucks.

>>35445959
Alright, hold for another 10 minutes here.

>>35446102
>>35446134
True, they're lowballing us.
Now, you're right that a megacorp would stomp on us for breaking their monopoly. But that doesn't mean that we need to break their monopoly when we're weak.

Zan made this to be an open offer: the offer he's extending is good for us AND all of our descendants.
That's pretty damn good.

>>35440468
>who make up for their difficulty in using technology based on "dead metals", plastics, and ceramics with their consummate skills as bio-engineers.
just so you know, plastic is by definition an artificial organic polymer
the most common organic molecule on earth is cellulose which is natural organic polymer which makes cell walls. its basically natural plastic (and is in fact superior to some forms of plastic).

>>35446220
Are you just fed up with us actually discussing these decisions?
Do you want to just get us onto the planet?
Because that's what it feels like right now

>>35446246

It is artificially created though. Mastery of all things Plastic is another races shtick, and they don't come up until later.

>>35446215
Good and "lowball" do not quite go together. The services would have been MUCH more valuable, and they"ll just try this kind of shit again next time. Playing right into their hands after scoring a 100 on a roll does not sit well with me. I'm really afraid everyone is going to continue giving offers that put us as at a value deficit just because it's the "nicest" thing to do.

The services/training would be more valuable in the short term and long term for our planet.

>>35446269
Go easy on him man.

>>35446269

I forgot to check for more discussion before posting. I keep forgetting there's more than 3-4 players.

>>35446102
>>35446134
>>35446189
You guys have a point.
Deleted my old vote here >>35446060
They need to throw in medical work, creating retroviral solutions to diseases, as well as the adaption of high-value organisms to Tempest's ecosystem.

Does that compromise agree with everyone?

I wonder if Cthall "Generosity" is synonymous with "Sucker".

>>35446059
Changing my vote. I thought the services came with allowing them their ancestral memory thing so let's ask for that sweet genetics research pool

>>35446337
Yes.

I think they do value their land highly, but they were trying to mess with us.

We should implicitly call them out so they don't try it again. As the governor, we should always try to negotiate from a firm and strong position.

>>35446337

Yeah, try to push for the medical work at the very least. We can be hard to bargain without being an asshole.

Alright, so, new vote to make things easier to count?
Please indicate if you want to accept Zan's deal as-is, or if you want high-value organisms + medical/genetic services and training.

I'm for
>high-value organisms + medical/genetic services and training.

>>35446396
I'm not saying we should reciprocate (since they tried to play their /Governor/ for a sucker /and/ bribe us), but:

We can implicitly call them out on their deception to give ourselves a stronger position in this negotiating. We should get genetic and medical. Medical, minimum.

>>35446453

I could go for the medical/genetic services and training only as high-value organisms is to vague and far off into the future.

>>35446453
>want high-value organisms + medical/genetic services and training.
>call him out politely, make it seem we've been slightly offended by him implying we'd accept a deal that would benefit the entirety of the Cthall for our own personal gain

Calling them out will make them more likely to accept, or they'd look like dicks. It will also establish the tone in future deals: that they cannot just bribe us with money or deceive us

>>35446494
>as high-value organisms is to vague and far off into the future.
Far-off in the future I'll give you, but it's not vague.
They specified one high-value organism, diamondwood, and there are other Cthall created organisms that would be valuable.

>>35444261
damn
did you guys even notice the part where it says
>All 8 are a small portion of the entire planet
>Its useless to humans
>It contains nothing special
>It does not open any holes in our defenses

so... what exactly do we gain by only giving them half?

>>35446453
>want high-value organisms + medical/genetic services and training.
>call him out politely

These guys are right about reminding the Cthall that we're fair, but not to be played for a sucker.
>>35446466
>>35446538

>>35446550

I don't know negotiating with aliens is fucking frustrating. Props to TheGameroom for making it so realistic.

>>35446550
Not being retarded nice guys who give things away for free. Read the rest of the thread.

>>35446453
>call them out without being dickish
>get genetic/medical services/training at the least, maybe some biotech organisms too

>>35446550
Well, if you read the discussion going on, it means negotiating for advanced medical genetic engineering on-par with the Core Worlds (they were able to create a vaccine to a new strain of Ravies in just a few hours) and the services of adapting high-value crops and organisms to our environment so that we can make huge profits.

I've got to step out for about 20 minutes for dinner.

>>35446587

Thanks, that is EXACTLY what I was going for. Dealing with the Kzin will be easier, but still not quite... Human.

>>35446632
>Dealing with the Kzin will be easier, but still not quite... Human.
I wonder if it would easier with the Kzin because they're mammals, rather than worm hiveminds like the Cthall.

>>35446629 Here

>>35446550
How about something like
>I must politely refuse because that could be seen as unethical and dishonorable. I cannot tie my duties as Planetary Governor and my own personal gain/finances.
>However, what about my earlier proposal? You showed the gesture of acknowledgement, but didn't respond?

Probably something a bit more subtle. I"ll leave the specific dialogue to the QM

>>35446629
>Give things for free
its not for free, its for terraforming our world 150 years earlier.

>>35446728
also, they are "lowballing" us specifically because we started it by playing hardball with them over the territory size. They were just giving stuff out beforehand without asking for anything until we started with it.

>>35446760
>hardballing
>giving half of everything when its standard for them to just have 1 area

We're not playing Planetary Governor Reinhold.

>>35446704
I like the part about our decisions as Planetary Governor shouldn't be influenced by our personal wealth.

>>35446791
we are literally offering to sell them the other half for something they were willing to do for free anyways before we started playing hardball.

>its standard for them to just have 1 area
actually what it said is that 1 is the absolute minimum we can give. not that it is customary.

If we do call on them on it, we can specify that we expected them to actually haggle our initial offer of half instead of just accepting it as is.

>>35446868
>Normally, they only find one or two places on a Human world they can transform and inhabit

I think we're being very fair, and your proposal would lead to us playing Planetary Governor Reinhold. That sounds dull as fuck.

And they were not offering the genetic/medical stuff for free.

>>35446868
>for something they were willing to do for free anyways
Which part?
The medical/genetic research and services?
The adaption of high-value organisms to Tempest's environment and ecology?

Because neither really came up before.
They were brought on as terraforming specialists, and everything else has to be paid for as extras.

>>35446938

Reinhold didn't drop into zombie-infested corridors to shoot at heavily armed cultists or walk into a police standoff dressed like a hobo and screaming "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM". I think we're okay as far as being dull goes.

>>35447003
We're also supposed to be this hot-shot Free Trader as well.
Just giving stuff away doesn't fit in with that backstory, though.

>>35447003
Reinhold had no stake in himself. If archelon gave the vote prompt to give his original sword to that one girl just because it would make her smile, people would vote for Reinhold to do it.

Reinhold was boring and predictable. He had no self-interest beyond being some whiteknight who spent money on actual royalty just because they were girls.

>>35446965
How about we just settle the terraforming now and ask them about genetic stuff later, after we set up the colony?

>>35447078
Because they were the ones to bring up finishing all negotiations for services to be rendered before they started their work.

>>35447078
Dude, no. They lied to us and tried to bribe us. Lets settle the deal now while we can switch our positions, and get what we want.

So, do you guys want to include refusing the offer of adapting single-planet species to Tempest for reasons of integrity, or haggle back with GenMed and education?

Alright, so right now, majority is for:
>call Zan out on his duplicity, politely.
>We want medical/genetic services and training, in addition to the adaption of high-value organisms

That seems to be the majority now.

>>35447178

Lets go with haggle back with GenMed and education.

>>35447178
I believe we want to do both, since calling him out is done by refusing the single-planet adaption offer, and we want to haggle for GenMed and training.

>>35447178
Haggle back, call them out politely and integrity.

>>35447178
Does haggling back include calling them out politely?
Because that's what I want.

>>35447178
>>35447200
This, and politely call them out so they feel more pressured to accept. And wont pull the same BS again

>>35447231
>>35447212
>>35447205
>>35447200
>>35447193
Wait, is haggling back giving up the single-planet adaption in favor of only GenMed?
Or is haggling trying to get both?

>>35447231
Just ask them why they didn't respond after showing us the acknowledgement sign.

>>35447178
I'm in favor of plants that will benefit the planet/our colonization in general.

>>35447200
>>35447205
>>35447231

>>35447180
>>35446453

"I'm sorry if my ways are as strange to you as yours are to me, but I do not appreciate being manipulated. I believe replacing offers to adapt certain unique organisms to Tempests genetic medical support and education will this arrangement most suitable. A Governor must have integrity, and that means keeping ones personal gain from interfering with the good of the Colony."

There is a moment of quiet as the Chtall converse among themselves in their low, chittering language, before Zan speaks again.

"It is true that there is great merit in putting the good of ones people over oneself. Providing help to those with damaged Lifechains and teaching human geneticists something of the Art will be a worthwhile task, but still not quite up to the level of paying for a place for the Living Halls to rise. If it is personal corruption you fear, then it would be a trivial matter to distribute ownership of these resources to other, yes?"

>>35447445
Is this a prompt?

>>35447445
I guess this means we have to throw in the rest of the islands. If this is the case I am all for it

>>35447445
So he's saying that the genetic services wouldn't be enough to pay for the land.
And the profits from the organisms could be distributed so we're not the only one profiting.

But is he trying to go with only the organisms, still?

>>35447445
So, they are willing to get us the personal wealth and the meds/genetics, but feel that it's not enough?

Maybe we can then leave some of it open for future? Or help with the terraforming of other planets in the system?

OH! Maybe even agree to help us with the other alien races plants that extract minerals from the ground yes?

>>35447445
Well I'm guessing he thinks that we want something a little extra aside from the medical research. I'm fine with just the research though.

>>35447445
Offer the rest of the islands. Money isn't really a concern this early, and won't be for at least the next 5-10 years. Knowledge and infrastructure is vital, though.

We are ultimately offering them over 4-8 times the capacity of a standard Cthall colony on any given planet, which means the Cthall on Tempest will eventually become a prominent Cthall center, even if it becomes a mediocre planet to humans. That's worth bringing up.

>>35447509

Shit, sorry. Yes it is.

>>35447576
>Cthall on Tempest will eventually become a prominent Cthall center, even if it becomes a mediocre planet to humans. That's worth bringing up.
Very good point, supporting.

>>35447445
Also, I would like to get an agreement on genetic tweaking of us and our off-springs, for longevity, health, smarts and looks.

>>35447576
>Money isn't really a concern this early
Money IS a big concern though, since that's what buys us specialists and infrastructure, and the payments we need to make to the megacorps.

>>35447525
>>35447569
>>35447573
>>35447576

Chtall colonies rarely have contact with one another, or even have living Chtall around from the parent Colony to educate the new generation. This particular Colony is an outlier in that they claim to be trying to both jump-start their Colony, but profit from trade with humans too. This brings up the question: What do humans, whose goods are built on technology the Chtall do not understand, have to give the Chtall beyond computers and the training to use them?

You still feel like you're missing something...

>>35447576
>Offer the rest of the islands. Money isn't really a concern this early, and won't be for at least the next 5-10 years.
Disagree. Money is important to get things, specially in the beginning and retain autonomy - and giving the islands for no gain is simply horrendously bad business.

>>35447630
That's true. I meant more that this early in the stage, knowledge and infrastructure are important for us getting off as a successful colony. If we have a good colony, it can produce a surplus which means we can avoid trade deficits.

>>35447665
Can we make a roll for this? Or guess?

I assume they want to be a group of Cthall that will have human knowledge implanted in their ancestral memory, and become an ethnic group of Cthall that can act as the face/middleman for other Cthall and humans.

>>35447696

Roll is 1d100 -10, for Xenopsychology and Applied Attention to Detail.

>>35447665
>This brings up the question: What do humans, whose goods are built on technology the Chtall do not understand, have to give the Chtall beyond computers and the training to use them?
Good question. Any idea guys? Maybe we should ask them straight, formulating it as a polity question - they're after something and we'd prefer that they would be straight with it.

Rolled 55 - 10 (1d100 - 10)

>>35447722
Things are definitely hard when the character has knowledge that the players don't to provide context to their observations.

Rolled 71 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>35447696
>I assume they want to be a group of Cthall that will have human knowledge implanted in their ancestral memory, and become an ethnic group of Cthall that can act as the face/middleman for other Cthall and humans.
Good thinking.

>>35447722
Rolling

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>35447722
I wish we had fate points to spend on rerolls, what with the swingyness of /tg/ dice when you roll multiple times

Rolled 89 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>35447665
They want tech and connections.

For whatever reason these ones are especially keen on the fact that they are missing out.

They also seem to however believe in forming connections with others of their kind...and humanity. They don't seem to desire outright unity and they appear able to deal better with others like humanity. Hence it appears to be just connections so far.

These...are no ordinary Chtall not by a long shot.

>>35447723
>>35447696
It's either something unique to Tempest, or it has something to do with being on the edge of known space.
Maybe they plan to experiment on themselves, and that's why they brought so many?

>>35447767
From what I can determine are 3 things.

1 they are keenly interested in non biotech.
2 They are planning to connect with others of their kind.
3 As for this one...I am not entirely certain over. It clearly involves others like humanity. This is the one that bugs me.

Not enough info for me to crack number 3 entirely. I just know it has to do with others like humanity, trade, exploitation, and they're after something in particular but aren't willing to cough up to whatever it is.

>>35447834
>they're after something in particular but aren't willing to cough up to whatever it is.
Indeed, though some anons had some good ideas before.

I'm (not fully related this) worrying about something we might miss on their islands if they're given full 'sovereignity'.

>>35447742
>>35447755
>>35447764

>SUCCESS

>>35447767

>BONUS SUCCESS (Once again displaying humanities talent for looking at A and skipping directly past B and C to D)

While Chtall are normally isolated, little known on the edge of human Civilization, this group seems to be intent on changing that. They want Technology, they want connections, and they want to expand their territory. There are many more worlds deeper within the Commonwealth with empty territory they can use, if they can afford it according to their own strange system of prices, than there are newly forged colony worlds in need of their Terraforming skills. To make a breakout, they need more than contacts with a low-level governor an his associates and some basic computers. They need something to sell.

Like Diamondwood.

There are many species with great economic value that can only live on one world, and there are always those who are willing to pay smugglers to try and break the monopolies that develop around them. Diamondwood is only part of a complex ecosystem, some would say *organism*, that is very, very similar to the Chtalls own ecosystem. There are other worlds, nearer worlds with far more determined attempts to break the Megacorps hold on their secrets (Tau Kapi comes to mind), but Diamondwood would be the best test bed for the Chtall to begin practicing a skill that will catapult them out of obscurity.

Monopoly Toppling.

It's simply brilliant.

>ACTION?

Well done guys!

>Monopoly Toppling.
We'll want a definite slice of that cake.

Supporting these will be our (risky) ticket to larger glories.

>>35447990

For example, we could aim to become a sector governor or something like that in this fringe region.

>>35447908
Well...gotta give it to them these aliens got balls. To be doing something like that means knocking heads with the megas and more. Something excessively dangerous but carries outrageous rewards. Alas monopoly toppling...busting those monopolies would be often equivalent to busting the balls of megacorps.

...I don't think we can afford that kind of heat. Especially since were still stuck with one of them due to debts and even after that its still pretty fucking insane.

Kicker is though they ARE aliens and while it may be considered crazy to consider as a human. They might possess that special something...


I just wanna say this I sure as shit don't want to be in the early test bed for that sorta thing. As it would be the perfect time for us to be dealt with easily.

>>35447898
It's just semi-autonomy.

Something like:

>The diamondwood would be mutually beneficial for both of us. This is, infact a very good deal for you. In exchange for the genetic/medical services and training, you gain:
>1. A colony on the edge of human space with a Cthall population capacity that's over eight times larger than normal. Tempest will become a prominent center of the Cthall, especially as the Cthall expand outward. Over time, this system will also have increased traffic as more people settle and trade in the area.
>2. We are offering you access to a supercomputer, giving you computers and the knowledge to use them.
>3. This will all help a good relationship between us. To top all of it off, I have connections as a former Free Trader and BOLOS commander that will allow Tempest and its' Cthall citizens to prosper.

>>35448048
Oh, and there's the fact said colony is already off on a good start for it's military and the fact it's already independent while being under the patronage of a Megacorp. All of which makes it harder to illegally target anyone on Tempest soil.

>>35447908
YES

>>35448064
>>35448048
And finally, that we're a planet where the Cthall people not only have semi-autonomy, but aren't discriminated against by the government.

Tempest is pretty much a golden planet for them, and we should make them aware of this (and that we're aware of it)

>>35447908
And that Diamondwood isn't something they're *really* conceding to us. And that it can only benefit both parties.
>>35448113
>>35448113

>>35447908
>>35448048
Action: As above, they commit to us, as in working to makes us bigger, wealthier and more powerful lord of fringe - and we commit to support their goals as highlighted.

This includes short term goals, like paying the megacorp debt, expanding in the fringe and securing the current world and its assets (still looking at supporting the plants that extract mineral!!)

However, we would need to start this monopoly carefully and relatively under wraps - and make sure they know it - as to not get shop or assassinated.

Do we agree?

>>35448113
>Tempest is pretty much a golden planet for them, and we should make them aware of this (and that we're aware of it)
I am wondering what else cool they could offer us?

@Gameroom: what do we know about other things they could provide us?

>>35448152
Yes. The fact we were a free trader should also highlight we have business savvy in the commonwealth.

>>35448174
Well, basically biotech which is what we're trying to get out of them. Medical/genetic stuff and some organisms

>>35448186
>Well, basically biotech which is what we're trying to get out of them. Medical/genetic stuff and some organisms
Yeah, I'm thinking of more concrete derivates from biotech, like better food/water stuff to ensure less dependency and so forth. Maybe machine/flesh fusion tech or something for those weirdoes that we took with us.

That sort of stuff, any ideas?

>>35448263
The gene splicing stuff?

>>35448186
>The fact we were a free trader should also highlight we have business savvy in the commonwealth
Also, this is a good point. We have good connections, specially to the guys we talked earlier when shopping for tanks and computers. We can use that to leverage more from them.

>>35448291
Yep. Hopefully the QM got all of this.

>>35448279
Holymoly yeah!!

@Gameroom: is there something like navigators from 40k, that are highly utile but rare due to certain genes and what not, in this setting?

>>35448174

>>35448174

Biotechnology is the main thing you could think of, although looking at the demographics earlier, it seemed the Jeffersonians are a bit short on women, while among the Neo-Tokyo Colonists are a good number of genetically altered indentures, most of them prostitutes, who have little luck reproducing with baseline humans without extensive (And expensive) Gene therapy. If the Chtall could help with that, the number of females of child-rearing age would swing rapidly from being outnumbered by military-age males to outnumbering *them*.

The Chtall specialize in slow, gentle modifications that are ultimately more elegant and effective than human Splicing techniques, if slower and more limited. For example, there are not going to be many advances from studying the Arts that will benefit people who "never felt quite right in their own skin" and decide to blow their life savings on getting turned into a bipedal Vixen. This also covers a fair number of your Tokyo Exiles, incidentally.

What they could help with is modifying native plants and animals to produce organic alternatives to synthetic materials, symbiotes designed to enhance human capabilities, better and safer narcotics... The world is suddenly your oyster.

>>35448330
All of that sounds good.

Fertilizing the neo-tokyers, cthall genetic/medical knowledge and services, modifying native plants/animals etc

Anyway, lets go forward

>>35448315

Many Splicers attempting to form their own new species, especially the really far-out ones that can survive for extended periods in vacuum and communicate telepathically to name one example, often have great difficulty getting a stable breeding population free of crippling birth defects. Only the very popular mods, like the aforementioned Fox, have managed to survive, and only by periodic injections of the transformed into their communities.

>>35448152

Is this your agreed-upon course of action?

>>35448367
Really though, this scene has taken five hours. I think we've reached a consensus at this point

>>35448379
This:
>>35448048
>>35448064
>>35448113
>>35448126
>>35448186
>>35448152

All of that

Thanks for the clarifications.

>>35448152
>>35448330

Well guys, if the above is worked in to the deal, I'M SOLD!!

So many ways to help our colonists, and make cash with .. more exotic things .. along mining. Like think about turism for cheap-ass genesplicing, narcotic trade, diamondwood and other rarities.

>>35448356
>>35448379

I think we're set. Let's continue.

>>35448381
>>35448393
>>35448394
>>35448417

The Chtall converse among themselves for a long, long time, before Zan finally approaches you, his tentacles moving in a strange, shifting pattern that seems to have some meaning you can't quite grasp:

"You are an extraordinary human. Either that, or we are terrible at conspiracy. We accept your proposal on several conditions: That we get a 10% cut of any profits made off of biotechnology derived from what we teach your scientists, when you have a biotechnology industry worth speaking of, that we retain our sovereignty within our own territory, and that you swear that, to the best of your ability, you ensure that your descendants do not turn on us in greed when our rise from obscurity is complete. Will this be suitable?"

>Yes
>No
>Other

>>35448474
By sovereignty he means maintaining the semi-autonomy, right? If so:
>Yes

>>35448495

Semi-Autonomy is what your human settlements have, meaning that by default you leave them alone to handle their own affairs without stepping in with your dictatorial powers.

The Chtall agreement includes sovereignty in their territory, meaning that you hold no authority to command them or interfere with their affairs on their territory unless it is part of a deal made with one who holds the authority to make such a deal. Here he is asking you to re-affirm that your patronage in their plan does not grant you special powers over their population and lands.

>>35448526
What about taxes?

>>35448526

I don't even understand how my trip came off that time. I'm not posting anywhere else.

>>35448474
>Yes

>>35448474
Yes

>>35448532

Nope. Deal was that they help Terraform, you give them islands no one else wants to live on. That's why there was no big negotiation with the Kzin about granting them land: They'll be living under your authority, just like the Colonists. All of this is separate from that. Besides, they don't actually use money as humans conceive it, except to trade with other races.

>>35448579
Alright. So essentially, they're like rich indian reservations, but with biotech instead of casinos.

>>35448579
I dont see anyone saying no at this point btw, so go on

>>35448526

YES/NO.

Sovereignty to the extend where they 1) agree to not conduct business which would harm us or our position, or the colony, 2) understand that we have some limitations towards the megacorp, which can and will influence them also, and 3) previously undiscovered important resources in the island should become usable through further agreements.

>>35448571
>>35448566
>>35448495

"Excellent. This will be the beginning of a long and profitable relationship."

He holds out a Tentacle. You stare at it, trying to interpret this gesture, before realizing he means for you to shake manipulators in human fashion. You oblige, your palm tingling slightly as you do so.

>New Suit
>Fine hats
>Every Girl's Crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed Man
>Embark

>>35448620
>Embark

We can do the dressing when we get on our planet. I've been dying for this

>>35448620
>Embark

>>35448638
Agreed. Embark.

>>35448620
>Embark

>>35448638
>>35448646
>>35448663
>>35448673

With a lurch, your ship breaks from its docking arm. You smile at the theatrics of turning down inertial dampeners and hitting the thrusters hard to give the "Big Moment" more impact.

Really, the departure is fairly boring. You sit around in your lounge (You were right, you COULD get used to this) with those members of your Staff that don't fill you with the urge to punch them, namely everyone except the corporate reps.

The trip out to the terminal is long and dull, and you spend most of it sleeping. You feel even more tired than you should after two of the most eventful days of your life, and that's saying something, but you put it down to the gunshot wounds. Those do seem to be healing well, though.

When the dull, dull week is over, you gather again in the lounge with everyone, including Zan, now, to watch the view-screen as the massive, cumbersome ship leaves Hyperspace and gives you a good view of your new home on the long-range cameras.

You finally start feeling excited. Here you are, after half a dozen petty crime lords talked you down for being a drifter with no roots, the master of a WORLD, and soon much more.

You smile like a wolf as your first view of Tempest comes in on the monitor.

That smile stays place when the babbling progresses into blasphemy most foul against half a dozen Gods, major and minor, and proceeds into fine whiskey being passed around the room to a chorus of almost casual profanity.

Well, on the bright side, knowledge is power, and now you know where that Scumworld Slaver base is.

And where the pirates are.

And, if the evidence of recent orbital bombardment is what you suspect it is, where the Pseudo-Arachnids are.

Mother. FUCKER.

>>35448780
Strike the Earth!

>>35448780
Holy shit. All on Tempest?

>>35448780
Is when i can say Free Trader should have been swapped out for the General background?

>>35448780
So, tell us more of the ship. Weapons, escorts, shields, armor ect.

Rather not have bad one-way space battle. Also, wake up the assassin buddy, he'll soon need to pull his weight around.

>>35448852
Nah man. Bolo to general/navy, navy preferred.

But now we just need to deal with the situation like a rogue trader, with bigger guns and capitalism.

>>35448780
>>35448802
>>35448818
>>35448852

>>35448780

As the intelligence becomes more clear, you start to get a feel for the situation.

The Slavers hit a refugee fleet, probably coming off the Southern Fringe as the Krorkinthan war heats up. The ships were probably almost as bad off as your ragged fleet of one-way Hecutors, if not worse, before the Slavers started punching holes in them. Most of the hulls seem to have been dropped on the planets surface and linked together, housing 20,000 inmates in their soon-to-be-infamous Flesh Bazaar. Their fleet is the usual rag-tag collection of converted tugs and junk freighters gunned up enough to scare off small-time pirates, rival Slavers, and put a hurting on colony worlds defended only by a handful of archaic Patrol ships. Your Patrol ships could probably give them a serious run for their money, though. The pirates... Not so much.

The Pirates are a fleet of 15 ships: Nine old Draconis Combine Frigates, and five Missile Carriers of a comparable vintage. Their only remotely modern warship is an old Rift Federation Gladius-class Destroyer which, while past its prime, is still a perfectly serviceable warship with proper modernization. The construction fundamentals on those ships were *Excellent*. Thankfully, they don't seem to have upgraded it yet. Your Patrol ships could probably put up a fight against the Frigates, though not a very successful one, but the Missile Carriers and that Destroyer will wipe them.

The Slavers seem to be holding their own Bazaar hostage under threat of kinetic bombardment, while the pirates are waiting for the swarming Bugs on the surface to wear down their hasty ground defenses and ships ammunition enough that their position will become untenable.

>CONT

>>35448912

The Bugs appear to have been driven underground years ago by Slavers setting up outposts, and kept down through periodic orbital "scrubbing". If they did their homework, they'd know that this would only result in the Rachs digging deep and building up numbers slowly for a breakout. Now their legions swarm around the makeshift defensive walls of the Bazaar, held back by a constant stream of orbital strikes directed by spotters among the Slavers few remaining ground forces.

Thankfully, most of the Pirates ground forces are dead, having been overwhelmed in an attempted sneak attack on the Bazaar at the opening of this situation by Bugs coming up behind them. Some of the toughest ones put up a fight, but they ultimately never stood a chance. The Slavers heading out to scavenge their weapons while under the delusion that they'd been taken out by a local swarm, not an element of a planet-scale assault, didn't last a tenth as long.

Now you have an interesting situation: You have an extreme advantage in infantry fighting capability, while the enemies already inferior capability is at best severely weakened, but no means to project that force without resorting to underhanded trickery.

You smile. Trickery it is.

You smile. Here's your world, and there's a lovely Destroyer with your name *all* over it.

>ACTION?

>>35448953
>>35448912

Addendum: You know all this because your ship is capable of picking up transmissions and cracking basic cyphers, and both sides seem to be incapable of shutting the hell up. You've been to lawless smugglers moons with better control on Radio pollution.

>>35448953
Boarding parties?

>>35448953
So, how would we go about boarding that Destroyer?

>>35448953
Governor, Cobra and a small strike team board the Destroyer and disable it (or better, take control and turn its weapons on the rest of the pirates and slavers).
Have neo-tokyo people assist us with stealth.

Then our fleet attacks.

It's 6AM here, so I'm gonna crash.

>>35449006
Honestly, i think leading from the rear is a better option. The last time we did a breach and clear, we got shot. Twice.

>>35449024
>>35448971
>>35448974

A direct assault would be predictable and get the Harvest shot to shit, even if the crew went along with it, which they won't. The Patrol Ships are stowed below and would take time to get unpacked and mission-ready, and your only other transport are the Hecutors packed with civilians and the light, unarmed shuttles that were going to be used to deploy your Asteroid Mines and assemble Tempest Station.

The more you look at it, the more you think deception is the order of the day. Besides, you don't want those Slavers getting away, or for the Bugs to eat the slaves while you're preoccupied. That and the rest of the fleet, old as it is, would probably blow your shiny new (ish) Destroyer to scrap while you're still assigning crew to battle stations.

It's beginning to look more and more like deception is the order of the day.

This is going to be fairly easy, considering that you won the enemy communications nets and they're still oblivious to your presence. You'd put it down to shitty sensors, but a Hyperspace Entry isn't exactly subtle, and the Destroyer isn't that old. The fact that the Pirates are on the verge of falling into mutiny and infighting, held only in check by Kommodore Scarr (Yes, for real) holding all of his Captains unofficially hostage on the Destroyers heavily armored bridge.

>>35449024

Goodnight. Dream of stormy skies and glorious space battles.


>ACTION?

>>35449066
>deception

Then deceive.

>>35449080
>>35449066

>own the enemy communications nets

You have a very concrete idea of how many effective fighters the Pirates have left just by listening to their hurried, interconnected mutiny plots. One spark, and every one of their ships is going to be crippled by infighting.

The Slavers are evidently unified in fear and their utter lack of any idea of what the fuck to do. They're desperate for any kind of solution, but their leaders have frozen up to a man.

>I forgot to mention that you also have a towed Cloudscoop, and heavy surface-to-orbit shuttles to offload colonists and equipment.

>>35449080

I'm going to need a plan of action here. How would you play these two against the the middle with your assets? I actually set up this scenario with no set solution in mind, but I've already figured out a possible plan Here are your Combat assets:

Iron Scythe, stripped of weapons, but covered in heavy industrial arms and drills. Nothing groundside can scratch him, it would take all of the Slavers remaining ammunition to damage him, and he'll be able to take quite a beating from the Pirates guns before he goes down

20,000 Well-trained, well-armed, loyal infantrymen with squad MLGs and a highly competent commander

600 Kzin warriors, some green by the standards of their race, some blood-soaked veterans, and a few heroes of song and legend.

5,000 Well-trained, experienced, extremely well-armed Mercenaries.

Your non-combat assets: Everything else. Think of how Pirates would profit from a decent space station they could get repairs at, or a Cloudscoop with cheap fuel. Or how Slavers would profit from the sheer diversity of some of your Neo-Tokyo Colonists. Or how both could prosper from having a supposedly legitimate mining colony to hide behind.

Your best asset: Your mind and your trustworthy face: Lie, lie, and lie some more.

>>35449066
Ok si. Pirates have a fleet in orbit and the bugs already have an underground colony. Fuck.

>>35449169
So we offer the winning party in an all out duel some stuff and then deploy the BOLO harvesster to churn the earth and the bugs. Use our forces to board pirates and slaughter them after we set up a station and offer repairs or something?

>>35449169
I don't do planning that well, so saying 'Lie' is meaning less to me.

Besides, this setpiece is a mess. Slavers on the ground, Bugs underground, Pirates in orbit. And we don't have the assets to kill them.

Offering amnesty is one solution, but we don't have the force to stop a potential double cross.

So i have no clue how to plan for this.

>>35449209

You OWN their communications. You can say anything you want to either side, make any deal you want with both of them at once, and you'll know instantly if someone leaks it to the other side, and be able to jam their signals if needed. All the cards for a good double-cross are in your hand, and across the table are two desperate men: One stupid, cowardly, facing down an insurmountable threat, the other Psychotic, unpredictable, narcissistic, and just now realizing how much his own crew hates him and each other.

>>35449169
Would it be feasible to fake a communication so that they think it was one of their ships speaking? We could set off the spark of infighting that way.

Given that the mutiny is held in check by many captains being hostages in one ship, we could also attempt to enter that if we have a distraction. Then we have the hostages. Given that we are an unknown third party, they would probably still attack us, but we might use this to initiate negotiations, if we play it right.

The biggest thread for everyone there are the insects. We could play up this thread and convince them that we are their only hope of winning.

And then we could of course offer to establish a 'legitimate' front for them to sell their stuff into dominion space.

>>35449169
Get the pirates to destroy each other then reap the benefits when they are weak. Lure the slavers into an ambush somewhere. Rest of the military assets should go towards fighting the bugs

>>35449239
How big of a threat are the ants? From what you wrote I imagine a writhering mass of them over large parts of the planet and I have no idea how we could even hope to exterminate them.

How intelligent are those insects? Could pheremones produced by our allien friends keep them away?