>>4350216
>Fuck your premade choices, we want to make our own faction.
The Vacuum Cult. Transient matter is falsehood, the only truth is the eternal void. Shunt the unbeliever from the airlock, praise the empty!

>>4350216

>The Yahzu Dynasty.

Ancient China, space edition. Let's do this!

>>4350220
I’m getting very 40k Spacer/Mechanicus vibes there. If you could give me like a brief rundown on what their schtick is I’d be happy to allow this as a option

>>4350224
>Ancient China, Space edition.

Kinda just a horrible mishmash of general Asian themes but yeah that’s a apt description

>>4350216
>Fuck your premade choices, we want to make our own faction.
The Try-tachyon conglomerate. With cutting edge technology and ruthless efficiency we'll guide humanity for progress

>>4350216
>The Yahzu Dynasty.

>>4350216
>>The Yahzu Dynasty.
>By the will of the Eternal Empress.

>>4350216
>The Flottilla. It’s not theft, it’s recycling.
Just a bunch of humans role playing as quarians

I’ll give this a bit longer as this is obviously a very big choice. Feel free to be creative with any ideas you may have, I may ask some clarifying questions but Id be happy to run something I didn’t come up with.

>>4350216
>The Yahzu Dynasty.
Space China/Japan!

>>4350225
The Yahzu Dynasty looks like it's going to win, but I was leaning toward a Buddhist-Futurist aesthetic and instigating a Yellow Turban/Taiping Rebellion esque uprising against the civilized factions. Like the Buddhists of old they believe reality is an illusion they need to escape but unlike them, don't adhere to spirituality and see driving humanity extinct (for their own good) or rendering the galaxy as inhabitable as possible to minimize the amount of future sufferers that can born is a religious duty. Heavy on thick robes, blank masks, and cybernetics to remove their flesh's attachment to the material world, suicidal dedication and infiltrators in many places but few in number and hated by every other faction.

>>4350282
As uninhabitable as possible. If they don't go through I could see them as a minor but savage pirate faction/distant threat for the secret service equivalent to root out before it indoctrinates too much of the population or gets infiltrators in compromising positions.

>>4350216
>>The Black Fleet. Pay in coin or pay in blood.

>>4350216
>The Dominus Empire.

File: A768AFE2-4727-4760-9AA7-D(...).jpg (116 KB, 625x923)

116 KB JPG

>The Yahzu Dynasty wins!

You are far away in thought, thousands of different points of information flitting past your conscious mind while you hover somewhere between meditation and crushing boredom. The frantic motes of data patter against your mind like driving rain, rain that you have not felt in so many long years. Just one of many things you gave up when you took the throne, the throne that was yours by birthright and by divine mandate. You were the Empress just as you are now and just as you always will be. Eternal. Unyielding. Undying. A mind ensconced in a artificial shell more metal than flesh. Very few parts of you could be called “original” at this point, a careful stream of rejuvenants, nutrients and antivirals are fed through a discreet port on the base of your skull. A constant stream to ensure your precious Organic components are sustained eternally. Your mind itself has expanded, given the most free reign to observe the worlds under your control, to learn all that there is, connected through countless wires and silicon shards wedges deep into the most core parts of your being. You are the Dynasty and the Dynasty is you.

Metallic fingers, crafted exquisitely to resemble soft and delicately painted human digits, tap idly on the armrest of your gilded throne, the imperial throne room stretching out before you for hundreds of meters. Even without activating the cybernetic replacements for your eyes, you know it is filled to capacity with nobles, servants, generals, admirals, priests and scientists. All hear to ply you with requests, flattery, platitudes and their own advice. You internally groan with irritation as you realize there are well over a thousand queued up to beg your audience...

You have nowhere near the patience for that right this moment. With the speed your mind operates at, barely ten seconds has passed since your Chamberlain announced your various and lengthy titles and proclaimed that you would be taking audience this day. With a flick of your mind, you bring up various leads of information that are included in your briefings.


>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.

>Inspect your Empires economic gains.

>Inspect the reports on your military strength.

>The sooner you get this over with the sooner you can “relax”

>>4350347
>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.

>>4350347
>Inspect your Empires economic gains.
Stonks

>>4350347
>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.

>>4350347
>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.
We need to know what we're working with.

>>4350347
>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.

>>4350347
>Inspect the worlds and systems under your command.

>Inspect the worlds and systems under your control.

With a idle thought, you bring up a detailed survey of the worlds under your dominion. Star maps, geographic surveys, atmospheric analyses, population census, all this and more flick by your minds eye, present, absorbed and gone in a fraction of a second. Tens of billions of lives all condensed into a bare moment of thought on your part.

>System: Celestial Kingdom
Heavenly Throne: Empire Capital, Palace of the Empress.
Moonlight Citadel: Empire Capital Moon, Military Shipyard
Emerald Garden: Large Agriworld (3 moons)
Blazing Comet: Small Molten World
Demons Maw: Supermassive Gas Giant, Mining station 1/2
>Hyperspace lanes: 1
1-Sleeping Dragon

>System: Sleeping Dragon
Dragons Eye: Yahzu Dynasty Colony, System Capital
Dragons Teeth: Industrial World.
Dragons Belly: Asteroid field, Mining Station 1/3
Dragons Egg: Frozen Dwarf planet. Uninhabited.
>Hyperspace lanes: 3
1-Celestial Kingdom
2-???
3-Tempestous Nebula

>System: Tempestous Nebula
>Typhoon: Yahzu Dynasty colony, System Capital.
>Glittering Gem: Mining world, mining station 1/4
Fortress of Tranquility: Military Space Station, Shipyard
Temple of Knowledge: Research Station.
>Hyperspace Lanes: 5
1- Sleeping Dragon
2-???
3-???
4-???
5-???

You flick away the information, pleased with the progress that your empire has made over the centuries. The time when your ancestors first found this system was many long years ago, lost into myth and legend but they prospered in their solitude, building up a great civilization that spread out into the stars. You do not hold a great amount of systems like several other stellar nations but you have cultivated the ones you do possess with a extremely discerning eye.

>Inspect your empires economic reports

>Inspect the information on your military strength

>Your supplicants do look a bit antsy but they know better than to rush you for any reason.

>Other

>>4350439
>Inspect your empires economic reports
That's much fewer systems than I expected.

>>4350439
>Inspect your empires economic reports

>>4350452
The theme I was going with here was that you’re just getting started as a full fledged stellar empire. Built yourself up from a mostly abandoned colony, rediscovered tech and got yourself back out there. Surveying and colonizing systems will be much easier for you than it was in the past

(I rolled for your starting systems on my own table, it came out low.)

>>4350439
>Inspect your empires economic reports

>>4350439
>Inspect your empires economic reports

>Economic reports
>gimme stonks!

With a mental flick, you close the windows presenting your system reports and instead bring up a detailed summary sent to you hourly, compiled by the the various financial groups that call your systems home. Reports of trade, of debt, of input and output, of imports and exports, losses and gains, bankruptcies and booms all flit across your vision like snow as your mind picks out the key information.

(The currency of this game is just general Credits (C). This is a universal currency that is accepted by damn near everything in the galaxy.

>Celestial Kingdom
Empire Capital +10
Agriworld +3
Mining Station +3
Military Shipyard -4
+12 Credits per turn.

>Sleeping Dragon
Colony +2
Industrial World +6
Mining Station +3
+11 Credits per Turn

>Tempestuous Nebula
Colony +2
Mining world +5
mining station +3
Military Shipyard -4
Temple of Knowledge: Research Station. -4
+2 Credits per Turn

Total: +25 Credits per turn

You look over some of the expense reports with concern, the shipyards are fantastically expensive to maintain but they allow you to improve, repair and create new ships so a necessary expense they remain. You internally grimace at the expense report for the research station, the amount of funds being channeled there is simply astronomical. But the men and women that are employed there are the best and brightest of your empire and they are the ones responsible for your artificial longevity so you suppose they can be granted a bit of leeway in their budget.

>Look over your military reports, your empire is nothing without its military might

>Finally stress your supplicants so they’ll stop staring at you. It’s only been a few seconds but still...

>>4350504

>Look over your military reports, your empire is nothing without its military might

>>4350504
>Look over your military reports, your empire is nothing without its military might
So we going the Imperial Japanese route here or what?

So from what can tell we have plenty of room to build up in the systems we currently control and multiple unknown hyperlanes to explore. We should focus on building up more economic structures for more credit income and explore the unknown hyperlane in Sleeping Dragon.

File: EE476E25-3042-4E40-94B5-2(...).jpg (33 KB, 393x277)

33 KB JPG

>>4350550

>Check your military strength

If you guys could give me 3d4 that would be great. Best of 3

>>4350550
Gotta agree with this

Rolled 4, 3, 1 = 8 (3d4)

>>4350566

Rolled 3, 2, 4 = 9 (3d4)

>>4350566
As you wish QM

Rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8 (3d4)

>>4350566

>>4350576
>Look over your military strength.

You know for a fact that your military power is the backbone of your empire. The valiant soldiers under your command and under the command of your ancestors unified your planet, quelled rebellions, won civil wars and kept the peace for centuries. While it has not flourished in recent years, the opportunity for expansion has piqued your desire to see your armies raised to new heights. Bringing up reports from your most senior generals and admirals, you look over the troop musters at most recent count.

(Remember, just because these are measured in individual units, those are condensed numbers. A unit of Tier one light Infantry is several thousand men strong.)

>4 Units of Imperial Levy(Light Infantry 20hp 1d10 damage.) While not a elite combat force, the Levy performs many tasks satisfactorily. They can assault positions, defend them, function as a occupying garrison, board ships, enforce peace on unruly worlds. Armed with a Imperial Army issue Mk12 pulse rifle, bayonet and standard issue flak armor, they are the mainstay of your forces. (-5C to recruit)

>3 Hornet Scout Wings (Light Aircraft 50hp 1d20 damage) The Hornet Scout Craft is a nimble and lightly armed aircraft that can serve perfectly well in a variety of roles from close air support to void combat. It’s lack of heavy armor or bombing capabilities makes it lackluster against hard targets.
(-15C to recruit)

>4 Squadrons of Kappa Patrol Corvettes (Light Corvette 150hp 4d20 damage) the Kappa model corvette is a common sight in your systems. Quick moving yet sturdily built, the Kappa can patrol your space, explore new systems and engage threats with its compliment of small gauge Mass drivers and missiles.
(-35C to recruit)

>Yahzu Dynasty
>Leader:Eternal Empress
>Capital:Heavenly Throne
>Treasury:50C (+25 per turn)
>Systems:
Celestial Kingdom
Sleeping Dragon
Tempestous Nebula
>Shipyards: 2
>Research Stations: 1
>Military Forces
4 Units of Imperial Levy (-5C
3 Hornet Scout Wings (-15C)
4 Squadrons of Kappa Patrol Corvettes (-35C)

>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)

>have one of your aides send you a list of the most urgent requests. You’ll deal with those while they grovel. (Choice of 3)

>>4350630
>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)

>>4350630
>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)

>have one of your aides send you a list of the most urgent requests. You’ll deal with those while they grovel. (Choice of 3)
What are the actual differences here?

>>4350630
>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)
Let’s just get through it all, we might actually get some use out of the pile.

>>4350630
>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)

>>4350645
I’ll present a set of choices that you guys can decide 3 missions from or I can present a random set of 3 missions that are set.

>>4350630
>have one of your aides send you a list of the most urgent requests. You’ll deal with those while they grovel. (Choice of 3)

>>4350630
>>have one of your aides send you a list of the most urgent requests. You’ll deal with those while they grovel. (Choice of 3)

>>4350630
>You may as well listen to the waiting supplicants now (random missions)
Let's start with the simple easy tutorial missions first.

>May as well get it over with

With more than a little internalized aggravation, you force your consciousness back to the forefront and reassert control over your body. Articulated joints stifle smoothly as your limbs unfurl from a lotus pose and you stand for a moment, a gilded umbilical linking the back of your skull to the life support systems of the throne. You give a tiny dip of your head as a respectful greeting to the assembled supplicants and they bow low in response, those lowest in the hierarchy dropping to their knees and touching their brows to the polished marble floor. Taking your seat once again, your mastercrafted fingertips dance across a inbuilt data slate in the arm of your chair almost on their own volition, one of the dozens of helper AI’s that assist your cybernetic components interpreting your will.

Your chamberlain quickly approaches, bowing low a arms reach away and keeping his head downturned as he responds to your command. He is a thin man, the rejuvenant treatments doing little to repair the wrinkles in his face and the bend in his back. He is surprisingly spritely for a man nearing his second century however. A braided white mustache hangs down from the corners of his mouth, the matching goatee hanging down nearly to his chest. Your head turns to look at him, the servos barely audible beneath the synthetic skin that covers the majority of your upper chest, face and scalp.
“Send them forward. One at a time.”

He bows again, clasping his hands together before him as he turns towards the first supplicant, a young Noble from one of the Mining families. A quick glance at the way he walks forward, a quick glance thrown back towards a hopeful looking young woman behind a minor admiral and you’re sure of his request before he even speaks it. The look of barely contained shock on his face as you bless the marriage would have made you smile if you’d still had the ability. An alliance through marriage between the Admiralty and the Mining Guilds would see a great deal more support towards increasing safety at your mining outposts. Without even uttering a word the young man is steered about by one of the ornately armored Royal guard and sent on his way with his new betrothed. You glance at your chamberlain and the stooped man ushers forth the next supplicant....

After long hours of addressing complaints, resolving grievances and filing out punishment and reward, you finally have the more urgent matters resolved. Your Chamberlain is a efficient man and doesn’t waste your time any more than necessary. You are able to relegate a significant chunk of your processing power to puzzle of your responses to the more serious matters that can’t simply be resolved by your word in court.

>1/2

>>4350785
(Missions are events that require your attention to resolve. They can be dealt with in a multitude of ways but some ways are more effective than others for certain problems. You can assign any combination of units, ships or Hero units to the mission but just be careful not to stretch yourself thin)

>A small ship that matched none of your known designs was spotted in the Celestial Kingdom system in orbit of the Emerald Garden. You are unsure what has transpired but it must be investigated.

>The Hyperlanes in the Tempestous Nebula have been troubled with pirate activity for months. They must be dealt with immediately lest they become too bold.

>There are reports that several of the regional governors of Dragons Teeth have been plotting rebellion to seize control of the planet. This cannot be allowed.

>These missions are bad, we demand different ones

>>4350786
Just to clarify what’s going on here, as these are the tutorial missions just a Y/N is required. Sorry I didn’t put that in the main post

>>4350786
>A small ship that matched none of your known designs was spotted in the Celestial Kingdom system in orbit of the Emerald Garden. You are unsure what has transpired but it must be investigated.
1 corvette squadron and 1 scout wing

>The Hyperlanes in the Tempestous Nebula have been troubled with pirate activity for months. They must be dealt with immediately lest they become too bold.
3 corvette squadrons and 1 scout wing

>There are reports that several of the regional governors of Dragons Teeth have been plotting rebellion to seize control of the planet. This cannot be allowed.
4 levies and 1 scout wing

Do we have any hero units yet?

>>4350786
>>A small ship that matched none of your known designs was spotted in the Celestial Kingdom system in orbit of the Emerald Garden. You are unsure what has transpired but it must be investigated.
>Our Capital system
This means one of two things either some foreign empire bypassed Sleeping Dragon somehow or some ancient tech has reactivated.

>>4350805
That was going to be the next choice. I actually forgot to include it in the unit selection so well do it next. That’s my bad

>>4350814
So I guess for my vote we'll accept all three missions then if it is advisable. It's still tutorial so why not.

>>4350805
Support
Let’s breeze through this tutorial

>>4350786
Y
Y
Y

>>4350805
>The Mysterious Ship.
1 corvette squadron and 1 scout wing

>Nebula Reavers
3 corvette squadrons and 1 Scout Wing

>The Dragons Teeth Rebellion
4 levies and 1 scout wing

The most critical matters are the ones that you yourself must directly decide what to do. The petty, trivial matters can be delegated to countless bureaucrats or Imperial officials but in matters that could directly or indirectly affect your empire as a whole, you afford those your full attention. Mental commands issued at the speed of thought are delivered to the appropriate commanders and captains, the men and women rushing to obey the orders of their Divine Empress.

The small force you send to the world of Emerald Garden is a deeply disturbing one. Somehow a vessel has gotten into your capital system without once being noticed except for a visual glance out the viewport of a cargo scow. You hope that your scout wing and corvettes can run the mysterious ship down and find out it’s purpose.

The matter of pirate activity is another one entirely. The degenerates that prowl the starlanes are common as insects, preying on any they find weak and fleeing into the void at the first sigh of retaliation. You give your captains express orders to hunt those scum to the ends of the galaxy and beyond. You’re sure those ramshackle pirate trashheaps couldnt hold a candle to your Imperial Navy.

Finally the matter of the would be coup of Dragons Teeth. The industrial world itself is extremely valuable to you, it’s miles of factories churning out goods and materials at a constant rate. The regional governors had supposedly composed some plot to oust the current planetary governor and hold the worlds resources hostage until their demands, whatever they were, were met. You order the full might of your Imperial Army to invade the cities of the treasonous governors and utterly annihilate any resistance. You order along some additional air support as an afterthought, the PDF gunships could be quite troublesome to the Levymen if they were unsupported.

You tap your finger idly on a small, discreet button on your dataslate and ponder the option of calling some more.... specialized individuals back into the forefront of your service. They served their purpose well where they were but perhaps carrying out your will would be a better use of their skills...

>Roll me 3 separate 1d5 please

Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>4350867

Rolled 1 (1d5)

>>4350867

Rolled 5 (1d5)

>>4350867

Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>4350867

>>4350871
>Shadow Hero: Black Lotus. A creation of the shadowy depths of mad geniuses, Black Lotus is almost as mechanical as her Empress. Nearly all humanity has been stripped away from the cybernetic assassin, leaving only a cold intelligence and a sadistic level of cruelty. Few have seen her perform her art. Fewer still have survived.

Science Hero: Professor Ashika. Eccentric and outspoken, Professor Ashika is a expert in the field of robotics and cybernetics if his own custom alterations are any example. Rarely goes anywhere without his customized assistant androids. What assistants require heavy pulse cannons and Melee suites has yet to be explained.

Combat Hero: General Zhao: Some men are too important to be claimed by the embrace of death. Some merit a second chance to serve with honor and distinction. Not much is left of the man who was once Zhao, buried behind alloy armor and enough firepower to melt a tank to slag. The steel beast slumbers between battles.

>Deploy heroes on available missions? Who’s going where?

>>4350910
>Ashika to the abandoned ship
>Lotus to the Pirates
>Zhao to the Rebellion

>>4350915
Support

File: FB1BCEFB-1ECC-4A49-85FD-A(...).jpg (216 KB, 1024x1448)

216 KB JPG

Well have to continue this in the morning guys and guys, it’s getting quite late here and I am extremely tired. Thanks so much for playing and well pick this ASAP tomorrow morning

>>4350915
+1

>>4350924
See you tomorrow qm

>>4350915
Support

>>4350910
>Ashika to the abandoned ship
>Lotus to the rebellion
>Zhao to the pirates

File: __original_drawn_by_swav_(...).jpg (409 KB, 1716x1818)

409 KB JPG

>>4350924
See you next time.

File: 210FA83B-853C-4E2B-931D-E(...).jpg (227 KB, 1772x1238)

227 KB JPG

>>4350439
map time
>>4351120
+1, assassin gal is useful for assassinating rogue governor people

>>4351199
Nice map

>>4351120
Also +1

>>4351199
Nice map anon! Thank you! Feel free to continue with that as I sadly have no map making capability

File: 3FAC44D6-D78A-461E-B27C-A(...).jpg (161 KB, 400x540)

161 KB JPG

>>4350915
>Professor Ashika to the mysterious ship
>Black Lotus to the Pirates
>General Zhao to the rebels of Dragons Teeth

The first message that you send out is short and to the point. The handlers of one of your most lethal assassin are a peculiar bunch, spending as much time tinkering on their charge as they do themselves but you have no complaints with the effectiveness of their creation. Black Lotus is something of a legend in certain circles, the only existing image of her captured by chance had circulated through the holonet after a particularly surly minor noble had met a grisly end along with his bodyguards, concubines, partners and heirs. You had allowed the image to remain public, the speculation and fear only added to her reputation till only the mere mention of a Black Lotus was enough to cow even the most temperamental Imperial noble. The message you receive back informs you that Black Lotus will be ready for action in less than 24 hours after full diagnostics and a baseline test to ensure no erratic tendencies emerged on mission.

The second one that you issue is far more friendly. Professor Ashika is a brilliant if.. off color man who has had numerous breakthroughs in the field of robotics and cybernetics. Many of the most recent developments in both fields have been at his hands and he himself has performed many of the minor upgrades and delicate repairs of your intricate internal systems. Any man who can keep up a full conversation with himself, both of his mute androids and you all with the specter of a gruesome and painful death looming over his shoulder is a man to be respected. The response you receive is rambling, nearly nonsensical and a serious breach of Imperial etiquette but you give the man himself a pass as he agrees to assist your captains in locating the mysterious ship in orbit of Emerald Garden.

The third message you send is less of a request and more of a carefully worded command. Deep within the belly of the imperial palace, a ornate sarcophagus slides open with the oozing hiss of escaping coolant. Within the tomb, a giant slumbers, a behemoth of steely skin and iron sinew, the mortal body within so ravaged by war that many would struggle to accept that he was still alive. But within the crimson and gold armor, beneath the layers of artificial muscles, beneath the diligent and tireless life support system, a human heart still beats. A voice rumbles out, a bass growl that would shake the air as Zhao unfurls from his tomb, taking his first steps in well over three decades.
“HOW MAY I SERVE YOU MY EMPRESS”
>pic related

You would smile if you still had the capability. With a thought, General Zhao sets off from his tomb to the Palace Hangar, his personal shuttle already being prepped to take him to join the forces he would be commanding. You can only imagine the awe that would be felt by the inexperienced Levies to be in the presence of a Imperial legend.

>1/2

>>4351356
>just a bunch of lines and dots
>not something you can do

>>4351387
With those matters being attended to, you turn your attention to your operations at home. You have time to take care of some decrees and orders before the reports from your underlings begin rolling in.

>Order a research project (you can perform as many research projects at one time as you have research stations. Also, what would you like to research? You can upgrade equipment, design new weapons, vehicles or ships. Pretty much anything is fair game but if it’s out of your reach or just not feasible I’ll let you know)

>Order construction of mining stations (in which system and which planet) (mining stations start at 15C and each consecutive one is an additional 5C)

>Order construction of new fleets (you can construct as many fleets at one time as you have shipyards)

>Recruit new Units

>Other

>>4351389
Filthy phone poster here

>>4351391
>Order a research project
Armed exploration ships

>>4351391
>Demons Maw: Supermassive Gas Giant, Mining station 1/2
>Dragons Belly: Asteroid field, Mining Station 1/3
>Glittering Gem: Mining world, mining station 1/4
Can’t we max these all out for 30 c

>>4351394
It takes a special kind of masochism to write from a phone.

>>4351391
>Order a research project, exploration ships
>Build 1 Mining Station at Demon's Maw

>>4351398
Each cost 15C with +5C for every additional one anon.

>>4351400
I’m a glutton for punishment.

>>4351407
Those are the ones we have faggot. Also wasn’t asking you.

>>4351410
Kys illiterate

>>4351410
Every additional Mining Station you build is an additional 5C to the cost so to max out those planets and asteroid field would be 135C. 15+20+25+30+35+40

>>4351407
Supporting
>>4351410
Reading isn't your strong suit huh

>>4351416
In that case Demon Maw is terrible cost effeciency considering we can only build one.
Maxing out Glittering Gem for 25 (C) is superior.
>>4351412
>>4351417
>implying english isn’t an abomination of a language

>>4351421
>Implying English isn't my third language

Demon's Maw is on our capital system though. It should be safest from raiders, pirates and shit.

>>4351423
>It should be safest from raiders, pirates and shit.
You mean the ones we’re taking care of right now? Not to mention the sooner we max it out, the sooner we can benefit from the increase and the system encourages mass building projects. Also a research station and shipyard is in the same system as Glittering Gem so we’ll have to commit resources to protecting that system regardless.

>>4351421
>>4351423
You can build a mining station on any planet that is not already inhabited. If the planet is habitable it will be turned into a mining world otherwise you will just build the orbital mining stations. (Big ass semi automated space elevators that siphon materials directly from the planets core) gas giants can support 2-4 depending on the giant in question, large planets can support 3, medium 2, small/dwarf 1. Asteroid fields can support 3.

>>4351427
Wrong question. Does the planet in quesrion affect credit output?

>>4351430
Blazing Comet is small, Dragons egg is a dwarf planet so it would normally be 1 Each. But Blazing Comet is a molten world so I’ll tack on a +1 space to it because I realized I fucked up Demons Maw and molten worlds are easier to mine from.

So that’s 2 Spaces for Blazing Comet and 1 for Dragons Egg

>>4351434
Yes. Habitable planets with a colony will produce a steady baseline 2 Credits unless they are large at which point they produce 3 Credits per turn. Agriworlds increase the rate at which your population grows on colonies which in turn increases the amount earned by those planets until they hit their population cap (which can be increased by researching housing upgrades). Small planets have a pop cap of 5, medium planets 10, large 15, habitats 4. Industrial worlds produce additional credits as well as decreasing the cost certain construction choices will take. Mining worlds produce shekels.

The size of the planet does affect its credit output (as well as its max population if it is habitable) and the type of planet does as well. Molten worlds are easier to harvest from, they produce additional shekels. Frozen worlds are hard to harvest from, they produce less. Gas giants can be tricky, they can be resource rich or a giant celestial fart.

>>4351391
Research exploration ships and build a mining station anywhere you want desu. I don't see the difference.

>Research Exploration ships.
>Construct a mining station at Demons Maw (2/2) -15C
>35C remaining

You have a sudden idea to implement a new way to explore new systems. In times past a patrol of ships would tentatively enter hyperlanes and scout out the foreign system, surveying planets and marking anything of interest. With a dedicated ship with top of the line sensors, improved sublight thrusters and a specially trained crew, a single ship could accomplish the same work in a fraction of the time. You’re not completely ignorant of the hazards faced by entering unknown systems whether they be pirates, native inhabitants or even rival nations so you recommend the a fully stocked armory and a sizeable armament installed into the ships themselves. While they may not win slugging matches the design you propose would be capable of defending itself from most threats. Your chief researcher at the Temple of Knowledge eagerly responds that they will begin drafting designs and should have a functional prototype in a short span of time.

A second communication channel is opened between yourself and the head of the mining guild of Demons Maw. She is a matronly older woman with prosthetics replacing most of the right side of her body after a unfortunate gas explosion ripped through the station some years ago. She bows agreeably and listens intently as you relay your orders and the required funds to begin construction of a second mining station in orbit of the temperamental Giant. With a dip of her head and a analytical look in her remaining eye she thanks you for your patronage and you end the connection.

Your fingers are steepled before your chin as you drift off into thought, ten thousand different motes of information reeling through your mind like driven snow....

There is much to do. Always much to do.

>Who will we assume control of first?

>General Zhao and the Rebel’s of Dragons Teeth

>Black Lotus and the Nebula Reavers

>Professor Ashika and the Mysterious Ship

>There are still matters to attend to here

>>4351460
>Professor Ashika and the Mysterious Ship

>Anybody else wish to cast their vote before I call it?

>>4351460
>Professor Ashika and the Mysterious Ship

>Professor Ashika and the mysterious ship.

The recycled air aboard the Covette is stale, slightly over warm and tinged with the everpresent scent of coolant and reactor fuel present on every starship. The deck has a ever-present vibrating tremor that thrums in pace with the ships reactor, the contained reaction feeding power to the thrusters, the life support, the weapons controls and a thousand other delicate systems. Crew members hurry to and fro, carrying out their tasks with a well trained mechanical efficiency that would prompt a small twinge of pride from their drill instructors back at fleet training. The entire ship and each of the four other Corvettes in the patrol squadron are entirely geared on completing their mission with steadfast dedication.

All of their efforts go completely unnoticed by the wiry man currently up to his elbows in the midsection of a impassive, faceless android. The sleeves of his heavy jacket were originally white and were in fact washed before he arrived here, his slightly manic energy prompting him to dissect one of his androids in order to “find out where that blasted clicking is coming from!”, an endeavor that has taken up the better part of the day. The fact that he has done so, not in his specially accommodated quarters but instead in the middle of the cargo bay is lost on him as slightly squeamish crewmembers watch the growing pile of pseudo-organic components growing on the hastily requisitioned table, a thick stream of a gelatinous greenish-brown fluid oozing off the edge and pooling on the deckplates in long sticky strands.

The android in question stands impassively as ever, it’s eyeless gaze turned down towards its creator and charge digging around in its innards. It holds a few wayward innards out of the way with a helpful hand and proffers a combitool without even being asked which the doctor doesn’t even look up to grab. It’s compatriot/sibling stands a few meters away, the seven foot android hefting a large gauge pulse cannon and standing stock still, it’s gaze invisibly scouring every single crew member present and attaching treat markers of various degrees to any that could pose a threat towards its creator.

>1/2

>>4351542
“Aha! So that’s what that was!”
Professor Ashika exclaims, yanking out a tangled bundle of relays and control nodes from somewhere in the Androids torso, tiny indicators blinking red across several of the nodes. Holding the fluid smeared combitool in his teeth, Ashika quickly replaces some of the corroded components and makes a mental note to upgrade the coating on these to at least a class three corrosion resistance unless he wants to hear a power coupling tick every few seconds. Looking down at the pile of pseudo- organic innards, biomechanical components and hardware on the table and back at the empty abdominal cavity of his creation he sighs, gestures to the second of the giants and clears his throat.
“Ahem. Beta? If you would? Be a dear and put Alpha back together.”

Wiping his hands ineffectually with a rag provided by a slightly green crewmember who hurries off before the resident mad scientist can do something terrible like dissect him or replace his knees with tank treads. Ashika whistles to himself, the polished prosthetics set into his orbital sockets clicking minutely as they focus on each detail before him, zooming in on a clump of tissue stuck beneath a fingernail as he scrapes the offending scrap out with the edge of the rag. Signals from a dozen different prosthetics and implants cycle through his mind, power reserves from the coils of artificial muscle and tendon, capacitor readouts from the pulse pistol implanted into his right arm, diagnostic reports from the cerebral relay he implanted years ago and rarely use. Over the years many rivals have assumed him to be weak and unwilling to resort to violence when necessary. Enough labs turned into smoking craters or armored convoys struck from orbit dissuaded the less persistent ones.

Ashika tosses the rag into a disposal bin and sends a subvocal standing order to Alpha and Beta. If any harm comes to their creator from the crew of this vessel then they are to detonate the reactor. A standard contingency to be quite honest. Satisfied that he is at least sociably presentable, Ashika tucks his hands into his pockets and makes his way to the exit of the cargo bay, trying to decide what to do with the next few hours until they make orbit above Emerald Garden.

>Go speak with the Captain. You’re technically the ranking officer here by order of the Empress but it would still be polite.

>Retire to your quarters, you can get some work done in your version of peace and quiet.

>You’re technically in charge. Round up some of these meatbags with all of their original parts and set about getting this ship to *your* standards!

>Other

>>4351544
>Go speak with the Captain. You’re technically the ranking officer here by order of the Empress but it would still be polite.

>>4351544
>Go speak with the Captain. You’re technically the ranking officer here by order of the Empress but it would still be polite.

>>4351544
>>Go speak with the Captain. You’re technically the ranking officer here by order of the Empress but it would still be polite.

>Still here, running to the store for some groceries, I’ll be back in roughly an hour at most. Feel free to discuss in the meantime!

>>4351628
What is there to discuss?

>>4351648
Ideas for what the mysterious ship could be, possible ideas on what you all would like to do next, Ive got no clue, just encouraging conversation.

>>4351745
You do realize people know very little about the setting right? If you want more discussion give the players more to work with.

>>4351544
>Retire to your quarters, you can get some work done in your version of peace and quiet

>>4351755
We can talk about implementing Kamikaze planes

>>4351755
Feel free to ask any questions you’ll like. If it doesn’t spoil anything I’ll answer any questions fielded.

>>4351785
Just use use missiles and torpedoes.
>>4351792
Just tell me about tech levels and history.

>Go speak with the Captain, it would be polite and expected.

Ashika sighs as he keys in the entry password given to him and the hatch slides to the side with a pneumatic hiss, the several inch thick door slotting into the wall as the Professor steps through the new opening. In the belly of the ship, numerous compartments are located through hatches and ladders located along the walls with cargo lifts and bulkead doors accessible through short offshoots. Ashika notes entrances to the engineering compartment, to the medbay, to life support and to the ships reactor. One of several Virtual assistants tags the locations in his expanding mental map, relaying the information to Alpha and Beta. Crewmembers step out of the Professors path as he makes his way to a lift at the far end of the main corridor, the keypad flashing green before he even reaches it and the doors sliding open. Stepping inside, the doors slide closed and he clasps his hands behind his back as the lift cycles up through crew quarters and up to the command deck.

Again that gentle hiss of air pressure as the doors slide open, the lift opening to a three way intersection of narrow corridors. Ashika quickly steps out, following the rapidly expanding map of the Corvette as the small virus he implanted in the ships system as he used the keypad does its work. The door to the bridge glides open and the men and women crewing the various stations and controls turn to look at the stained, surgically altered and wiry form of Professor Ashika. Ashika turns his head this way and that, the scanning suite built into his ocular implants registering over a dozen holstered sidearms and a recessed panel concealing a half dozen pulse carbines. The Captain almost reacts violently, your ocular implants registering a heightened pulse and a reflexive twitch towards his holster and highlights his form in red, targeting guides already drawing across your vision before you dismiss them. You use the moment to study the man himself. He’s tall, taller than average for those who spend so much of their lives in the reduced gravity provided by grav-generators. His speckled grey hair is trimmed close to the scalp, matched by a thin, well groomed mustache. His face is lined more by stress than by age, Ashika estimates him to be somewhere in his late 50’s. Impressively he passably turns the reflexive jerk into a straightening of his uniform and steps forward, dipping his head as he does.
“Ah! Professor! How good to finally meet you. I am Captain Hitashi and this is my humble vessel “Void Falcon”. I trust you find your quarters satisfactory?”

>1/2

>>4351814
>”Apologies Captain but I did not come to exchange pleasantries. What information have you received from Emerald Garden?”

>”I’ve not yet inspected them but I am assured they will suit my needs if I require them. Sleep so often comes secondary to duty as you know”

>”Captain Hitashi, you stand relieved of your duties until further notice. I am in command as per the demand of our Divine Empress.”

>Other (write in)

>>4351816
>>”Apologies Captain but I did not come to exchange pleasantries. What information have you received from Emerald Garden?”
Just want to get to the good stuff.

>>4351818
Support

>>4351816
>”Apologies Captain but I did not come to exchange pleasantries. What information have you received from Emerald Garden?”

>>4351792
What does the empress do in her free time

>>4351845
Watch space anime

>>4351811
Ok so history first. The year is roughly in the mid-3000’s. The stasis colony ship that arrived in the Celestial Kingdom system was orginally launched by the Pan-Asian Comglomerate in ancient Terra. The system that the vessel originally arrived at was found to not be habitable and so it followed its automated protocols and scanned surrounding systems for possible candidates before making a hyperlane jump. After decades of repeating this, the colony ship finally arrived at a isolated system with a habitable planet. This colony became the capital of Heavenly Throne although it wasn’t called that at the time. The colony grew and grew, settling their world and trying and failing for years to reestablish contact with Terra. Unbeknownst to them a massive civil war had broken out and the human factions had splintered into dozens of disparate nations with the capital of Terra being bombarded into a radioactive hellscape. This set back the progress of much of the human race with only a tiny portion retaining their pre-Schism technology. Many human colonies were simply forgotten in the chaos and have grown into unique cultures (like yours) with their own technology and ideals.

Timeline-
-Humans Leave Earth and colonize Mars and Luna
-Colonization Of Surrounding Systems
-Stasis ships are sent out to colonize further systems
-FTL travel is discovered with the Hyperdrive.
-Age of Expansion, humans colonize every habitable world they can find, establishing dozens of splinter factions and stellar nations as they go.
-Age of Light. Tech reaches a plateau, life is good for everyone in all the human empires, kingdoms and stellar nations.
-The Schism. War, everywhere and all the time. Nobody even remembers why and if they do know, they aren’t talking. Humanity split into thousands of groups during this time, every system just trying to survive with many failing.
-Age of Regression. Most of the technological progress was lost as survival was put into greater priority than interstellar travel or Dyson spheres.
-Second Age of Expansion- You are here. Humans have built themselves up into early First AoE tech levels and have begun spreading back out into the stars to claim new territory once again.

>1/2

>>4351814
>>4351857
Tech levels: compared to the standard human world right now, HIGH.

Alright so tech would be a good question. You guys picked the Yahzu Dynasty which is the more technologically advanced but has a smaller territory to offset it. Fusion reactors of varying size are used to supply power to ships and cities alike. Cybernetics and full scale synthetic limbs and organs are commonplace and seen as an asset to a person. Your leader has basically had a fully body conversion with only her (heavily upgraded) brain remaining of the original. Orbital stations are commonplace as well as space elevators which are a key component of mining stations. Ships have limited artificial gravity (think 60-70% standard earth gravity).

Your standard soldiers use pulse rifles which basically fire a small sphere of plasma at several hundred feet per second. They’re equipped with blades made of a ubiquitous “alloy” that we’re gonna say is folded ten gorillion times and is better than steel in every way. Your military ships use railguns and VI driven missiles in combat, ion thrusters for reliable and quick movement.

Feel free to ask more specific questions, I’m sorry if the quality of the quest isn’t too good, I haven’t tried to run one in quite some time.

>>4351845
Browse Space 4chan and troll the space aussies

>>4351816
>>”Apologies Captain but I did not come to exchange pleasantries. What information have you received from Emerald Garden?”

>>4351861
Then let's get a scene during her shitposting hours later then.

>>4351845
But honestly, she “sleeps” as in she shuts her mind off until something bothers her or something requires her attention. When she is “awake” or “on” she browses the information fed to her constantly, watching her people, watching the world and doing her best to experience what she can never experience again through cameras and holopics.

>>4351867
Sounds boring. Where's the space harem and servants tending to every need?

>>4351877
She’s basically a brain in a jar.

>>4351888
But space harems tho

>>4351898
So? Brain in a jar.

>>4351816
>”I’ve not yet inspected them but I am assured they will suit my needs if I require them. Sleep so often comes secondary to duty as you know”

Ashika almost resists the urge to sigh. What is it with humans and their pesky tendency to clog a exchange with useless platitudes and niceties? An exchange of information was an exchange of information, no need to muddy the waters further. With a dismissive wave of the hand, Ashika gestures for the man to stand back up and cease that intolerable bowing. Sweeping by the mildly miffed captain, Ashika glances over the controls of the individual stations, the ocular implants clicking and whirring as they focus on various panels, view screens and readouts. The crew of the bridge watch in silence as Ashika turns and clasps his arms behind his back, addressing the Captain for the first time since entering the room.
“My apologies Captain but I did not come here to exchange pleasantries. I simply wish for you to report on what information has been presented by the officials of Emerald Garden. Now, may I receive it or will I have to scour your systems for it?”

Captain Hitashi bristles slightly, clearing his throat and swallowing as he takes a deep breath and brushes down the front of his uniform. Dipping his head again he forces out a
“Absolutely sir. Let me just show you.”
Through gritted teeth. Stepping up to a recessed projector in front of the captains chair, Hitoshi enters a short code into the datapad in the arm of the chair, a faintly blue tinged holographic display of Emerald Garden springing into view from the floor and ceiling mounted projectors. Gesturing to a small, blinking red icon in orbit around the planet, Hitashi brings up several files that arrange themselves on the projection.
“I’m sure you’re already aware of the matter that has us out here. Approximately five days ago, the pilot of a cargo hauler happened to look out his viewport as he was making the descent into atmosphere and noticed a strange ship in orbit. He was interrogated after he reported the sighting to his supervisor and from his description, this is what we are looking for.”

1/2

>>4351930
With a flick of his hand another file appears on the projector, a approximation of the vessels appearance based on the haulers testimony. It is a sleek, almost polished smooth teardrop with no visible edges or outcropping, only a scattering or small ports at regular intervals for zero g orientation. A seam across the belly of the strange vessel can be spotted, a lengthwise divot that resembles nothing so much as the cargo bay doors of the corvette you find yourself on. From the estimate of the Hauler, the vessel is theorized to be either an equivalent or smaller size than the standard Kappa model Corvette. Turning towards you, Captain Hitashi gestures towards the rendering of the odd vessel and continues speaking.
“From the reports of the Planetary Garrison, they’ve been scanning the space that it was estimated to be in repeatedly with no results. They’ve got a theoretical area it may be in because every time they survey this sector of their orbit-“
He points directly at the red icon
“Their scanning software goes haywire. They don’t have any anti-orbital capability so all they can do is just keep scanning the area and surrounding areas. So far, the vessel supposedly hasn’t moved but we’re not sure if there’s any way to be sure.”

He finishes speaking and clasps his hands behind him, stepping back as he does to allow you a closer examination.

>these option are your approach to how you plan on going about this but feel free to be creative and write in your own suggestions.


>Curious as to why they would be remaining in the same location. Perhaps something on the ground has their attention?

>Order the PDF to perform a multi spectrum scan. There has to be some sort of interaction, you can’t shield a vessel from everything!

>We will have to flush them out. They won’t be able to hide if they are forced to move. Order your men to prepare the missiles for timed detonation.

>We will have to run a manual grid sweep of the suspected area. Order the Scout wing to fly a search pattern perpendicular to ours.

>Other

>>4351932
>Order the PDF to perform a multi spectrum scan. There has to be some sort of interaction, you can’t shield a vessel from everything

>>4351932
>Order the PDF to perform a multi spectrum scan. There has to be some sort of interaction, you can’t shield a vessel from everything!

>>4351932
>Curious as to why they would be remaining in the same location. Perhaps something on the ground has their attention?

>Order the PDF to perform a multi spectrum scan. There has to be some sort of interaction, you can’t shield a vessel from everything!
Question, was psionics ever recorded to be a thing?

>>4351948
Not currently but it’s not a impossibility

>>4351932
>Order the PDF to perform a multi spectrum scan. There has to be some sort of interaction, you can’t shield a vessel from everything!

File: 4581069D-2005-4056-977A-2(...).jpg (24 KB, 321x321)

24 KB JPG

>Sorry about going afk for a bit, Made dinner and lost track of time.

>Have the PDF perform a multi spectrum scan.

If you guys could roll me 1d100 for this scam attempt I’d appreciate it

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>4352271

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>4352271

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>4352271

>84.

Ashika ponders the implications of the ships description. It almost sounds like some sort of stealthed Corvette, it’s rounded surface and matte coating designed to absorb signals beamed its way instead of reflecting them into the void. Perhaps a complex series of thermal banks to absorb the meager heat generated by silent running. However the fact that the PDF has their scanning equipment scrambled every time they survey the area is troubling. The fact that it’s not only passively avoiding being detected by conventional means but aggressively ensuring that they are not detected means that they are confident in their ability to avoid your scanners. Ashika strokes his chin in thought before nodding and jerking his gaze to a young ensign manning the comms station.
“You there. Send a message to Emerald Garden PDF headquarters. Tell them to run multiple, full spectrum sweeps across the suspected area. Preferably from as many locations and angles as possible. If they can’t detect the ship itself we should be able to narrow its location down at least.”

The young technician jerks back with a start at the sudden attention, gaze jerking between Ashika and the Captain. Paling visibly, he quickly swallows back the surprise and gives a jerky nod, bringing up the encrypted communications link and forwarding your orders. While the technician works, Ashika turns to the Captain and gives the man a flat stare which is returned in kind. Finally, Ashika speaks.
“If they manage to detect the vessel, please do have me notified. As you were Captain Hitashi.”

Turning on his heel, Akashi gestures to the door and it slides open as he approaches, sealing behind him with a dull thud.

>it will be several hours before the message reaches Emerald Garden and several more before the response and results are received. How will Akashi pass the time?

>Get some rest. It’s good for the meatbags and you as well.

>Spend time tinkering with Alpha and Beta. They can always be improved.

>Look over your own equipment, you can never be too well maintained.

>Other

>>4352393
>Get some rest. It’s good for the meatbags and you as well.

>>4352393
>Spend time tinkering with Alpha and Beta. They can always be improved.

>>4352393
>Get some rest. It’s good for the meatbags and you as well.

>>4352393
>Get some rest. It’s good for the meatbags and you as well.
Now that I think of it, could mechs be a thing? While not perfect at combat they can serve more uses than a tank or plane can.

>>4352393
>Get some rest. It’s good for the meatbags and you as well.

>>4352393
>Spend time tinkering with Alpha and Beta. They can always be improved.
maybe add some special abilities with ridiculous overdramatic names.

>Apologies for falling asleep on you guys.
>Get some rest, it will help pass the time
>Switching directly to Ashika POV from here out, just a bit easier to write that way for me.

Your mildly harmless virus cycles through the Void Hawks various systems and subsystems as you make your way towards what your expanding map tells you are the quarters set aside for you by the Captain. As you walk puzzle over the possibilities brought on by the strange ship hiding in the gravity well of Emerald Garden. The fact that remain in what is presumably a geostationary orbit even when they know they have been detected is extremely strange. Perhaps they have some interest on the planets surface or woe betide some asset they deem valuable enough to remain in what is rapidly becoming hostile space for them. For more than the third time today you lament the fact that humans have to be so damned complicated, every detail having to be scoured from them before you can get the whole picture when it would be much easier just to interface and exchange the relevant files.

But you suppose for some there is some attraction to retaining more than 50% of “original equipment”. You’re pondering the possible metallurgic techniques that went into creating the hull of that stealthed craft when you reach the marked officers quarters that your map informs you are the quarters afforded to you. The door slides open as you approach, revealing a only slightly cramped area with a folding bed that slots into the wall a recessed panel concealing a storage locker and emergency oxygen supply, a polymer and metal desk and chair against the opposite wall and a small washroom tucked into the corner. For quarters aboard a ship this size they’re positively palatial. Sending your location to Alpha and Beta, the Androids confirm your location and begin moving towards you at a steady pace. The door closes behind you and you take a deep breath before laying your jacket across the desk.

The folding bed is surprisingly comfortable if that was even a concern of yours these days. You allow yourself one final contemplation on the possibility of hauling the craft home like a victorious hunter and force yourself to sleep.

The shipwide shudder as the hyperdrive spools up goes unnoticed by you, only your threat detection suite registering a mild tremor throughout the ships superstructure. Once it is free of the gravity well of Heavenly Throne, the hyperdrive whines and propels the patrol squadron through a lightless tear in space, shunting them through a “wrinkle” in reality.

>1/2

>>4353076
The hyperdrive is a fantastic and requires bit of equipment for any vessel that doesn’t plan on suffocating or starving on the way to their destination. Able to complete inner system jumps from planet to planet in a matter of hours instead of months, they make traveling from world to world a much more convenient matter entirely. For longer jumps however, hyperlanes must be located, the areas where reality is the most tattered allow the creation of more stable “wrinkles” allowing travel across far greater distances. The only drawback is the time it takes for the device to charge and the unfortunate fact that if the drive is damaged, a attempted jump could collapse the vessel in on itself as the containment fields failed miserably. The possibility of horrible, instant death is lost on you like many other things as you awake instead to the jarring return to reality a short distance from the gravity well of Emerald Garden.

“Well”
You mutter to yourself, sitting up and swinging your feet to the floor
“Time to go make sure the meatbags don’t get me killed in all their flailing about.”

The door to your quarters slides open as you approach, your jacket slung over a shoulder. Alpha and Beta flank the doors like faceless statues, their heads jerking to eyelessly stare at you. They turn simultaneously and follow behind you as you make your way down the corridor, their heavy footsteps thudding against the deckplates. Your entrance to the bridge is no less sudden than it was earlier but for their credit, no one reflexively grabs for a pistol however one ensign does jerk back from the door as it opens suddenly to reveal your smiling face flanked by two goliath androids.

Through the viewport, the planet of Emerald Garden is visible, two of its moons visible in orbit as the planet rotates on its axis and they drift through their orbits. The planet itself is a brilliant emerald orb floating through the void, marred only by the oceans and lakes that streak it with sapphire. The smudgy grayness of the urban centers visible from this distance are dotted around coastal regions or areas far too unsuited for the cultivation of crops or livestock, dense cities expanding vertically as much as they can rather than outward. The planets orbit above these population centers are abuzz with activity with freighters, cargo haulers and tugs moving about in a carefully organized display of barely controlled chaos. Not for the first time you regret not voicing your idea to the Empress for every citizen of the Dynasty to receive at least minor mandatory implants in order to better coordinate their actions amongst others. For some reason others found forcibly networking your entire civilization to be distasteful.

>2/3

>>4353077
Captain Hitashi turns to face you from where he was observing the holographic display, the projection of Emerald Garden floating just ahead of your viewport to the real thing. You raise a brow and step toward, gesturing to the reduced border of the suspect area and the now slowly blinking icon of the suspected ship.
“Captain. I trust that our orders were well receive and executed? I’d hope a simple multi spectrum scan would not be beyond them.”

The Captain bows his head respectfully before he gestures to he holographic map.
“Yes sir. The PDF launched multiple full spectrum scans of the area from as many locations as they could. I’ve heard word that they cobbled together a mobile scanning setup and had it moving constantly. Their systems were still scrambled but to less of an extent and they could only hit so many. It was a commandeered weather station that broke through the interference and got us a approximate location of the vessel itself. It’s located in what we believe to be a small debris field from a orbital station that was struck by a asteroid in younger years of our Dynasty.”

You stroke your chin and give the slowly blinking icon a long look, comparing it to the location in orbit of the planet itself. You shrug as you cross your arms across your chest.
“Curious as to what the cargo hauler was doing that near a debris field then. It’s not in orbit above any population centers. Perhaps moonlighting as a salvager?”

Captain Hitashi shrugs as well, clasping his hands behind his back.
“At this point, it’s unsure what this purpose was there but we can at least be thankful that the appropriate individuals were notified and that his information was in fact true.”
Turning towards you fully, he gestures to the blinking icon and gives you a pointed look.
“Sir. There is another matter. We detected a short wave heavily encrypted data burst originating from the ship during the brief moment that we broke through the interference. It was directed here...”
He points to a location on the holographic projection and the map zooms in to a satellite view above what appears to be a relatively small town.
“We don’t know what the signal was but we can only suspect that they know we are onto them. What are your orders sir?”

>We can’t let them know that we have their location. Fire missiles into the debris field randomly, use the resulting cover to engage with the Scout Wing.

>We may be able to force them into action. Have the PDF investigate whatever it is they’re in orbit over. Full military cordon and sweep, gunship patrols.

>We have them now. Full attack Captain, do not give them the opportunity to flee

>Other

>>4353079
>We may be able to force them into action. Have the PDF investigate whatever it is they’re in orbit over. Full military cordon and sweep, gunship patrols.

>>4353079
>We may be able to force them into action. Have the PDF investigate whatever it is they’re in orbit over. Full military cordon and sweep, gunship patrols.

>>4353079
>We may be able to force them into action. Have the PDF investigate whatever it is they’re in orbit over. Full military cordon and sweep, gunship patrols.

>We’ll force their hand. Whatever it is they’re interested in, surround it and close in.
If you guys could give me 1d100 here I’d appreciate it. Best of 3

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>4353389

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>4353389

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>4353389

When’s the update?

Anyone want to discuss anything?

>>4353942
Where are the aliens

>>4353942
When can we implement kamikaze strikes?

>>4354110
No clue.
>>4354150
Why wouldn't you use missiles instead?

>Could’ve sworn I’d posted that I was going to have to take off for the rest of the day yesterday. That’s what I get for not confirming that i did actually hit post.
>Military cordon and Sweep. Force their hand.

If they have assets or something of interest on the ground then perhaps you can force them into action by threatening it. Turning to Captain Hitashi, you clear your throat.
“Captain. Send orders to the PDF commanders, I want a full perimeter and sweep of that area, gunship patrols, lethal force is authorized.”

Hitashi immediately turns to the comms relay and begins barking out his orders that the comms technician relays to the appropriate commanders on the ground. With several thousand PDF troopers swarming through and surrounding that town they’re so interested in, it will only be a matter of time before they’re forced into action. Leaning heavily on the waist high railing around the holoprojector, you watch the slowly blinking icon as your hastily assembled plan begins coming into motion.

>A short while later

Down on the surface of Emerald Garden, a small peaceful town is suddenly wracked by the sounds of gunship squadrons flying in tight patrols around and over the town. With confused looks on their faces, the residents stop their work or emerge from their homes to watch. The paved roads outside town are suddenly packed with troop carriers, the armored trucks coming to a rest on the outskirts of town and disgorging dozens of PDF soldiers each. Within minutes, a perimeter is being established and the first of the sweep teams are being sent into the town itself, every resident being pulled into the town square until the search is complete. Doors are kicked in, rooms tossed and a few unhappy residents find themselves the recipient of a rifle butt to the jaw as the sweep teams move in careful grids, searching every possible nook and cranny for anything strange.

>1/2

>>4354782
It is on the outskirts of town, in a semi-abandoned warehouse that their search finally bears fruit. The side doors are tried and found to be locked or blockaded. A breaching ram is brought forth and a team of burly PDF soldiers heave it forward with all their might, knocking the door of its hinges. The immediate radio chatter of casualties taken and requests for backup floods the local channels, requests for explosives technicians suddenly drowned out by the shouted warning of
“Contact! Contact!”
And the hissing whine of pulse fire. Without a video feed to the soldiers reporting the enemy contact, all you can do is listen to the exchange, the familiar hissing whine of pulse fire interspersed with reports of men down, of calls for medics and fire support. Occasionally you hear a unfamiliar humming crackle before a voice goes silent or devolves into agonized screams. But the PDF soldiers are determined and they push the unidentified defenders back through volume of fire alone.

Suddenly a crashing and rending impact can be heard through the radio chatter and the gunships on station report the emergence of a small ovoid craft the size of a orbital shuttle crashing through the roof of the warehouse at high speed and breaking for orbit. They attempt to give chase and score only minor hits with their pulse cannons, the strange sleek vessel simply outpacing them by too far of a margin. Almost immediately, the strange ship in orbit begins to move, dipping to a dangerously low orbit and firing its maneuvering thrusters on full to maintain what little height it has. The smile that comes to your face is almost predatory as you watch the blinking icon on the hologram suddenly pulse and become solid, the location of the mysterious ship hidden no longer.

>Send in the scout wing. They wiill engage while we move to surround them.

>Full Attack Captain. Fire when ready (railguns or missiles?)

>Target their engines, I’m sure our Empress would like them alive if possible.

>Other

>>4354783
>Target their engines, I’m sure our Empress would like them alive if possible.
We must steal the tech

>>4354788
I’ll work with one vote. If you could roll me 3d100 please

Rolled 48, 10, 85 = 143 (3d100)

>>4354852

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>4354852

>Kappa Corvette Patrol has engaged Unknown Stealth Corvette.
>Railguns targeting Engines
>85 hits
>if you guys could roll me 4d20 for your damage? First roll only

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>4354946

Rolled 6, 7, 9, 10 = 32 (4d20)

>>4354946

>>4354964
>all 4 under 11

Rolled 85, 54 = 139 (2d100)

>Unknown Stealth Corvette is hit!
>80-32=48HP!

Like predatory beasts converging on their prey, the Corvette group moves forward as one. The patrol spreads out, each vessel firing their maneuvering thrusters to put themselves at a different angle towards the vessel that is slowly growing larger on the viewport. It’s at a range of several thousand meters that you glance over to Captain Hitashi and give a quick nod.
“Captain. Target their engines. Our Empress would appreciate them alive or at the least the opportunity to study that ship.”

Turning towards the fire control officer, Hitashi barks out his commands.
“Three round burst. Target their stern and walk it. we don’t know their design but that’s the best bet for their engine compartment.”

The Corvette shudders moments later, it’s superstructure jarring as the railguns fire in rapid succession. Each Corvette in the patrol fires their own volley to the salvo, a barrage of ludicrously fast alloy slugs that jet out across the void in a matter of seconds. On the magnified view screens, you can see the strange ship rock as it’s hull is suddenly battered by the oncoming rounds. While several of the rounds hit at an angle and instead of punching through simply carve ragged tears through the shining hull. Others strike true, vaporous jets of atmosphere and coolant venting from sudden craters in the glossy armor. Several of the thrusters go dark and the vessel skews slightly as the impact of the rounds knocks it on its axis. Ice crystals condense from the spewing coolant fumes around several of the more centrally locates new perforations like blood from a wounded animal.

Suddenly the space around the vessel is cut with blinding flashes of green light, lances of energy slashing out wildly at the oncoming corvettes.

>Strange Corvette returns fire with Laser turrets.
>Rolling to hit

Rolled 5, 20 = 25 (2d20)

>>4355507
>85 hits you.
>Rolling for damage

>>4355513
>Kappa Corvette Patrol takes 25 damage!
>150-25=125!

The lances of green light continue to slash out into space, wild retaliatory shots that strike the surrounding debris field more often than they risk striking your ships. Suddenly a squalling damage report comes from one of the other ships in the patrol as a burning beam of energy gouges a deep slash through its armor, igniting fuel lines and melting interior bulkheads to slag. You can hear the ships captain over the communication channel bellowing for the affected compartments to be sealed and vented, crew be damned!

Puffs of atmosphere and flame signal the deaths of those unfortunate crewmen trapped in the punctured area, the good of the ship as a whole put above their lives. If the fires were to spread to the fuel reserves themselves then the entire vessel would be immolated from within. The wounded vessel lags behind slightly, its engines flickering as redundant systems are activated and precious power rerouted around the horrible damage that emerald beam wrought.

>Send in the Scout Wing to draw their fire while we disable their engines!

>Continue firing! Full speed ahead!

>Damn taking them alive! Fire the missiles! Aim for their reactor!

>Push forward Captain. Close to boarding range!

>other

>>4355529
Just so you guys are aware, I’m splitting the “units” into their constituent parts for terms of damage received. The Patrol group itself has 150hp split between 5 ships. Each Corvette has 30hp so that 25 damage shot damn near gutted one of your corvettes quite easily. When a unit is below 50% health, it’s damage is halved as half the unit is still alive if you get what I mean

>>4355529
>>Push forward Captain. Close to boarding range!
They're shooting peanuts keep attacking

>>4355529
>Send in the Scout Wing to draw their fire while we disable their engines!
More reason to take that ship now

>>4355529
>Send in the Scout Wing to draw their fire while we disable their engines!

Rolled 70, 50 = 120 (2d100)

>Send in the scout wing to draw their fire
>Continue Attack on their engines
>Roll me 2d100 please, best of 3.
>Rolling for their attack on your scout wing

Rolled 38, 1 = 39 (2d100)

>>4355628

Rolled 36, 66 = 102 (2d100)

>>4355628

Rolled 67, 23 = 90 (2d100)

>>4355628

Rolled 4, 91 = 95 (2d100)

>>4355628
pls high roll

Rolled 17, 17 = 34 (2d20)

>>4355628
Mysterious Corvette
>70. hit on scout wing
>50. Miss on Kappa Corvette Patrol

>67. Scout Wing hits.
>1. Critical Fail. You hit something alright.

Rolling for damage against Scout Wing. If I could get a roll of 1d20 for the Scout Wing id appreciate it. First roll only.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4356318

>>4356318
>>4356327
Scout Wing takes 34 damage!
>50-34=16! Scout Wing is below half strength! Damage reduced to 1d10

Strange Corvette takes 15 damage!
>48-15=33! Strange Corvette is below half health! Damage reduced to 1d20!

“Captain! Send in the Scout Wing! They’ll draw their fire while we continue our barrage.”
You know well and good that you’re sending most of the men in that squadron to their deaths. For a singular vessel intended for stealth and reconnaissance it’s surprisingly well armed and you doubt the lightly armed and armored attack craft will be able to last much more than a few moments. But sacrifices must be made in the name of science and in the name of the Empress and those men and women would be proud to know their lives were spend in such a manner. You watch the hologram as the smaller icons of the scout wing move from their reserve position behind your small attack squadron and instead gather into a delta formation, moving up and over the Patrol group before diving down onto the wounded ship, spiraling through the debris field as they go.

The pilots are brave, their head on charge towards the vessel that vastly outclasses them shows no hesitation, no fear as they fire their weapons as fast as they will cycle. The bright blue streaks of pulse fire cut through the void, splashing against the glossy black armor and leaving glowing craters of molten alloy in their wake. The sheer volume of fire seems to have some effect on the Corvette, streams of coolant and burning fuel spewing from a ragged gash that opens in the vessels side as the Scout Wing concentrate their fire, melting a sizable wound in the flank of their opponent. However the retaliation is swift and brutal as the turrets swivel in their housing, locking on to the high speed nuisances. Scything rays of emerald energy again slash out into the void, lances of heat that send chunks of metallic debris spiraling with straight edged divots carved through them. At first, the Scout Wing evade the returning fire, even going so far as to concentrate their fire on one of the turrets and melt the offending emplacement to glowing slag before their luck finally runs out. First one then another erupt into short lived fireballs as the laser carves through them, sending them tumbling through the void or crashing into large chunks of debris. Sudden screams of shock or pain are suddenly cut off with mortal finality as the scout wing is cut down by nearly three quarters its strength in just scant seconds.

>>4356354
However their sacrifice was all the time you needed as the railguns gave cycled and reloaded, their payload rocketing through the void with a concussive thud that shakes the entire hull of each Corvette. You watch with gritted teeth however as the enemy Corvette fires it’s remaining thrusters and rolls on its axis, the rounds streaking by harmlessly. You pass a momentary thought on their trajectory and realize that while several of them would splash harmlessly in the ocean, there may be a few coastal settlements on the northern continent that may need to be rebuilt and possibly resettled.

A sudden emergence of a second contact on the hologram catches your eye and you realize that the strange shuttle reported by the PDF gunships must have breached atmosphere and is burning void hard for the strange Corvette, it’s cargo hold sliding open to reveal a spacious interior perfectly sized for the ovoid craft.

>Fire again Captain! They must not escape! Have the scout wing maintain their attack!

>Pull the scout wing out of there! Destroy that ship!

>Close to boarding range captain! I want to examine their ship personally!

>Open fire on that shuttle!

>Other

>>4356356
Keep firing, but have the scout ships(or what's left) start shooting the new shuttle

>>4356356
>Fire again Captain! They must not escape! Have the scout wing maintain their attack!
MUST NOT LET THIS TECH GO TO WASTE!

>>4356448
>>4356467
Anybody wish to vote for a tie breaker?

>>4356356
>Fire again Captain! They must not escape! Have the scout wing maintain their attack!

>>4356356
>Fire again Captain! They must not escape! Have the scout wing maintain their attack!

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>4356467
>>4356686
>>4356739
>Continue firing
>Have the scout wing maintain their attack

>Rolling for the Mysterious corvettes attack
>Roll me 2d100, best of 3

File: D2E8EAD8-76B0-4ACA-8971-F(...).gif (501 KB, 500x204)

501 KB GIF

>>4356762
>99.

RIP scout wing. You were too pure for this world

Rolled 65, 91 = 156 (2d100)

>>4356762
The empress will just build more

Rolled 78, 20 = 98 (2d100)

>>4356762

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>4356762

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>4356765
>>4356794
Forgot to put 2d so here is the other one

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>4356765
Mysterious Corvette
>99 hits, Rolling for damage

Scout Wing
>78 hits! Roll me 1d10 for damage. First roll only.

Kappa Corvette Patrol
>91 Hits! Roll me 4d20 for damage please. First roll only.

Rolled 4, 2, 1, 2 = 9 (4d10)

>>4356820

Rolled 13, 9, 18, 1 = 41 (4d20)

>>4356822
Shit. Wrong dice. My bad

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>4356820
Enemy ship knocked out.

>>4356820
Mysterious Corvette deals 6 damage to Scout Wing!
>16-6=10

Scout Wing deals 4 damage to Mysterious Corvette!
>33-4=29

Kappa Corvette Patrol deals 41 damage to Mysterious Corvette!
>29-41=-12

>Mysterious Corvette is completely disabled!

The attack continues with a vengeance as your ships move forward with unstoppable determination, engines burning blue-white in the void as they rush to draw to that perfect firing angle that will see their opponent still and helpless before them. Far ahead, the Hornet Scout Wing continues their battle against the beleaguered Stealth Corvette, streaking tracers of pulse fire interspersed with the emerald lances of energy spearing from the crafts remaining turret. Already their numbers have dwindled further, a scalpel-like slash of a acidic green beam bisecting the unfortunate craft from nose to tail, sending each half tumbling through the void to erupt in twin fireballs. A spiraling trail of burning fuel spells the end of another as they lose control and crash into a drifting hunk of debris, splintered metal and flash frozen fuel spreading in a cloud from the impact. The remaining Scout Craft give as good as they get however, streams of pulse fire burning into any available target they can get at. The thrusters, the remaining turret and the cargo bay are all pummeled with repeated volleys of plasma fire that sends droplets of superheated metal drifting away into the void. Weaving through the debris like a bird through a windstorm, the ovoid shuttle darts through space, narrowly avoiding a stream of plasma fire before slamming into the cargo bay with such force the entire vessel rocks in space. The remaining thrusters flare and the vessel begins to move.

>1/2

>>4356983
The strange Corvette has since ceased its fighting and began burning hard to escape from the debris field when the railgun rounds impact it across its hull. Ragged gouges and tears rip through its superstructure, atmosphere and fuel spewing out into the void along with debris and what appear to be flailing forms that writhe in the vacuum before falling still. The remaining rounds in the salvo pepper the craft from stern to midships, the vessel entirely perforated in some areas, hissing clouds of escaping coolant building up mounds of ice crystals on the once smooth and glossy hull that now resembles the surface of a asteroid blasted comet.

Aboard the Void Falcon, cheers break out in the bridge as the enemy vessel loses power, the remaining three Hornet Scout Craft forming a delta formation and flying circles around the craft before pulling into a holding formation, guns trained on what they suspect to be the bridge of the stricken craft. As the news spreads through the Void Falcon of the enemy ships defeat, Captain Hitashi turns to you and offers a salute and a small bow.
“Sir. The enemy vessel is disabled and heavily damaged. We did it.”

>Board that vessel now. I want to take a look at it personally.

>I can’t work out here. I require access to my laboratory. Attach tow moorings to the vessel, we will drag it home with us as a prize for our Empress! (End mission, return to base)

>Hail them, see if anyone is still alive in there.

>Other

>>4356984
>Board that vessel now. I want to take a look at it personally.

>>4356984
>Board that vessel now. I want to take a look at it personally.

>>4356984
>Board that vessel now. I want to take a look at it personally.

>>4356984
>>I can’t work out here. I require access to my laboratory. Attach tow moorings to the vessel, we will drag it home with us as a prize for our Empress! (End mission, return to base)

>Close to boarding range, I wish to inspect that vessel personally.

With the victorious cheers still ringing through the ship, you give a curt nod and fix Captain Hitashi with your gaze.
“Excellent. Now close to boarding range and prepare your men. I wish to inspect that vessel personally and I’d rather do it before any surviving crew have a chance to do something foolish.”

Giving a quick glance to the ravaged enemy corvette, Captain Hitashi seems skeptical for a moment before giving you a salute and nodding.
“Yes sir. I’ll have our security teams suit up for void operations. I’ll assign them to your protection while onboard”
Tapping out a quick order on the comm unit attached to his wrist, Hitashi quickly sends out the necessary commands for the security teams to begin preparing for boarding operations, the Void Falcon quickly beginning to move closer to the mortally wounded vessel.

In a short span of time, you have been given a suit of vacuum armor, the armored suit containing oxygen filters and reserves,, temperature control suites, internal power supply and limited radiation protection. A extremely basic voidsuit that covers a wide range of environments. The articulated armor hugs close to your skin, automatically adjusting certain areas to function as a second skin, a gel filled interior layer conforming to your body. You know that various points of the void suit can constrict in the event of breach to seal the affected area from the rest of the suit, reacting to damage automatically. You’re already thinking of ways the suit can be improved upon before you even finish putting it on. Alpha and Beta stand still as statues at your side, their blank, sickly white forms immune to such paltry things as hard vacuum, the menacing hum of the capacitors in their heavy pulse cannons sending a subtle vibration through the air as they acknowledge new orders.

Boarding action, Security Crew temporarily placed on White list, considered as Friendlies. Unknown hostiles expected, Lethal force authorized, significant collateral damage unacceptable.

You briefly consider the merits of forwarding your list of orders to the security teams before remembering that they are also placed on the list of acceptable casualties and reason that that may have detrimental effects. Not that you care for their opinion but expendable meatbags seem to perform better when they are unaware of their expendable nature. Sealing the helmet of the void suit over your head and securing it to the neck and chest portions, you work your arms and shoulders, a quick twist and bend ascertaining that you have, while not full movement, enough that you don’t feel overly restricted.

>1/2

>>4358047
Alpha and Beta flank you as you make your way to the lower level of the Corvette. The door to the cargo bay seals behind you, the interior of the cargo bay devoid of all but a gaggle of unarmored technicians wearing extremely basic void suits and a group of nearly two dozen men and women clad in similar void suits to yours standing in a staggered formation at the docking airlock. The airlock is open, revealing a undamaged portion of the hull of the strange Corvette, a series of pressure rings holding the extending airlock umbilical to the glossy surface. Already technicians are scrambling around, bringing up plasma torches and heavy rotary saws in order to cut through the hull.

>Stand back, Ill do the honors (have Alpha and Beta melt through the hull)

>Introduce yourself to whoever is in charge of the boarding team while he technicians work.

>Stand back and allow them to perform their meager part in your plan.

>Other

>>4358050
>Stand back, Ill do the honors (have Alpha and Beta melt through the hull)

>>4358050

>Stand back and allow them to perform their meager part in your plan.
It's what they're there fore

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>4358054
>>4358158

You briefly ponder allowing Alpha and Beta to cut through the hull with their heavy pulse cannons, the large gauge plasma projectiles would be able to carve a appreciably sized opening through most metals. Instead you allow the technicians to play their small part in your plans and instead watch as they slowly cut through the hull with torches and rotary saws. You cross your arms across your chest and hum idly as the technicians carry away sections of glossy hull, of armor plating and lengths of ridged metallic cables, clearing more and more space before signaling for the cargo hold to be sealed entirely and vented of atmosphere. Within a matter of minutes, the cargo hold is as airless as the void beyond the hull and the technicians cut through the final layer of the exterior hull. The bulkhead section falls inward, edges glowing slightly as it thuds soundlessly onto the deck plates on the interior of the strange ship. The squad leaders motion for their men to advance into the entrance, weapons sweeping left and right, flashlights spreading visibility as the squads file into the hole. After several moments, one of the squad Leander’s voice comes through your comm unit.
“Professor, sir. It’s clear.”

Uncrossing your arms you give Alpha a nod, the hulking android taking position before you while Beta follows a few steps behind. The faceless synthetics must duck their heads beneath the glowing edge of the entranceway. Following close behind your faithful bodyguard, you step into the enemy ship and are immediately confronted by not only the pitch blackness beyond the edges of the light but also the strangely organic design of the interior of the ship. Rounded curves and strange, ragged textures adorn the walls, the doors to other compartments closed by what appear to be irising doors, Strange pseudo-muscular artificial tissues present at the edges of the panels. A recessed panel holding a dimly blue-geeen glowing oval pad coated in some viscous slime set at chest level on the wall next to it.

The floors are uneven, a rolling, organic appearance reminiscent of the fleshy hide of some massive creature. A faint pulse still thrums through them, the last gasps of a dying reactor struggling to remain functional most likely. Something in the corner catches the attention of the boarding crew and they advance on it, shining their light on a full black armored form slumped against a wall, a chunk of shrapnel the size of your forearm emerging from their chest. The figure is bipedal as far as you can see from your position by the door but you can tell that the proportions are off. The neck is just too long, the limbs slender and appearing stretched, the torso slim and angular. A strangely shaped white and black helmet is encasing their head, what appears to be some strange rifle discarded against the wall next to the corpse.

>Inspect the sealed doorway.

>Follow the Hum in the floor towards their reactor.

>Study the body, what is this *thing*?

>Other

>>4358385
>>Follow the Hum in the floor towards their reactor.

>>4358385
>Follow the Hum in the floor towards their reactor.

>>4358385
>Inspect the sealed doorway.

>>4358385
>Follow the Hum in the floor towards their reactor.

>>4358385
>Follow the Hum in the floor towards their reactor.

>>4351907
Is our exterior at least attractive, or what we consider being attractive?

>>4359506
The exterior of your body is a “idealistic” replication of your physical features while you still had them. Think very carefully made mechanical components and synthetic skin that serve the purpose of making the Empress more visually acceptable as still more or less human.

>Follow the hum
>apologies for the late start, it’s been a shit day.

The weak, erratically pulsing hum in the deckplates reminds you of the weak, fluttering heartbeat of some dying creature. Leaving one squad of boarding crew marveling over the deceased alien and the sealed door, you instead allow your feet to guide you. Alpha takes a position at your side, unable to lead without knowing the destination while Beta follows close behind, faceless head swiveling left to right to scan each shadow and cranny for possible hostiles. The unfamiliar environment and open combat parameters means that the hulking androids are metaphorically on edge, the barrels of their pulse cannons emitting a faint pale blue glow from the charged shot ready to wreak havoc on the first threat they see.

The strangely organic, twisting corridors play havoc on the men and women of the second squad following close behind you, complaints of tripping and nearly twisted ankles being muttered through the comms channels. They are far more jumpy than your bodyguards, a sparking gash through the bulkhead nearly earns itself a barrage of pulse fire before they manage to restrain themselves. You barely pass them a glance as you tsk to yourself, following the steadily increasing strength of the pulsing hum that beats the lifeblood of this vessel. You’re honestly impressed by the fact that the reactor is still functional. The fusion reactors used by your own empires ships would have entered automatic shutdown with the amount of damage this vessel has sustained. There are numerous points where you can simply look out a ragged tear in the wall and see the twinkling expanse of space through the mangled tears. Whatever systems they use are either stable enough to be unlikely to enter catastrophic failure or they have some other system in place to prevent a reactor breach or some such equivalent.

Following the gently sloping corridor down as it curves towards the interior of the ship, you ignore several small branching side passages as you march forward, Alpha and Beta sending multifrequency scans down each as you pass. You walk over the sprawled and scattered corpses of more of those strange bipedal creatures, their various wounds leaking coated in a thin oily black liquid, bodies torn and rent by the merciless impact of the railguns rounds that tore this vessel to shreds. The men behind you pick their way over the corpses with more trepidation, poking and prodding each with their weapons as they go.

>1/2

>>4359620
But suddenly you stop as you turn a curve in the corridor, a sudden sight before you bringing you to a halt. The corridor opens up into a wide chamber, the roof rising up to nearly thirty feet above you. Thick cables crawl along the ceiling and floor, dipping in and out of the dark chitinous substance that makes up the majority of the construction aboard this vessel. Several scattered pedestals stand around the chamber, faintly glowing surfaces displaying scrawls of unreadable glyphs and symbols. Those strangely fleshy lengths lead from each of these pedestals to a glowing and pulsing sphere set into the wall, actinic green light pulsing from between the crystalline panels set into the chitinous exterior. The entire room thrums with energy, the reactor itself badly damaged, sparks and oozes of green vapor spilling from several junctions around the chamber but still, it struggles on in mechanical determination. You can’t help but admire the craftsmanship.

>Attempt to shut the reactor down. Last thing you want is whatever failsafe they have failing...unsafely.

>Attempt to decipher the glyphs and symbols with your translator program. You want to see what those displays say.

>As long as no hostiles are attempting to set it off, you’re content to leave it as is. Set off and rejoin the rest of your forces.

>That central corridor seems to lead somewhere to the interior of the vessel. Perhaps it’s worth investigating.

>Other

File: __original_drawn_by_swav_(...).png (4.87 MB, 1676x2583)

4.87 MB PNG

>>4359623
>Attempt to decipher the glyphs and symbols with your translator program. You want to see what those displays say.

>>4359623
>Attempt to decipher the glyphs and symbols with your translator program. You want to see what those displays say.

>>4359623
>Attempt to decipher the glyphs and symbols with your translator program. You want to see what those displays say.

>back from the old mans birthday dinner.
>Attempt to decipher the glyphs on the pedestal display

If you guys could roll me a 1d100I’d appreciate it. Best of 3

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>4359924

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>4359924

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>4359924

>>4359506
>>4359583
We could always try making an perfect genetically modified organic human body for us if we ever wanted to feel like a person.

Although we'd probably be doubling over at the very first instance of feeling every bodily function like breathing or having to swallow food and drink.

File: 0E13775D-ACE3-4785-96EB-5(...).jpg (85 KB, 990x543)

85 KB JPG

>Sorry guys, been having a rough couple of days and have been unable to scrape the time to QM together.
>80. Translation successful.

“Guard the doors. I do not wish to be disturbed”
Your voice cuts through the confused meanderings of the boarding team and causes your Android bodyguards to jerk into motion, quickly taking positions the larger central corridor and one of the curving alternate corridors. You put them out of your mind as you make your over to one of the glowing pedestals, the crystalline display coated with scrolling lines of sigils and strange curling glyphs. You lean over the alien display, the unfamiliar technologies that must have gone into its design and construction filling your mind with possibilities before you wrest yourself back into focus. This information means nothing to you if you cannot decipher it and so you activate a mental trigger and a virtual assistant you had written years ago becomes active.

“Translate as closely as possible to Imperial Common. Narrow translation parameters to equivalency standard three, basis: Unknown Language and Alphabet.”
You lay out the base directive for the program and the VI quickly goes to work, comparing sentence structure, pattern repetition and linguistic signatures at a pace unmatched by any organic creature.

You allow yourself a few minutes of idle contemplation as your program works, letters and single phrases of Imperial common becoming superimposed over the sigils and strange curling text little by little. Within the span of ten minutes, you have what you believe to be a functional translation of their language with what examples you have available and a crude understanding of how to operate these data towers.

>Check the reactor status with the data tower

>examine the most recent shipwide messages

>Examine the ship power levels by compartment.

>Use the data tower to shutdown the reactor

>Other

>>4364448

>Check the reactor status with the data tower

>examine the most recent shipwide messages

>Examine the ship power levels by compartment.

>Use the data tower to shutdown the reactor
All of them in this order.

>>4364563
+1

>>4364448
>>4364448
>>Check the reactor status with the data tower

>>4364448
>Check the reactor status with the data tower

>>4364563
+1 if possible, else check the reactor status

>>4364563
This too, if possible.

>>4364448
>>Check the reactor status with the data tower

>>4364563
>Check the reactor status with the data tower.

The multifaceted crystalline surface of the pedestal is strangely pliable beneath your fingers, depressing and shifting like some sort of organic crystal as you clumsily adapt to its interface. You’re translation program adapts as you work, more and more of their language deciphering itself as you guide what you quickly learn is called a Data Tower through its various displays. The readouts of the reactor core itself are troubling enough that you would order a shipwide shutdown just to prevent a containment breach. Energy levels spiking incredibly high before falling to dangerous lows, reactor core damage compounding by the moment, capacitors damaged and offline, it’s a wonder that the core is still functional and a greater wonder that the entire ship hasn’t been reduced to free floating atoms yet. With not much beyond general diagnostics available, the schematics and design quite unhelpfully not present on the main interface, you can learn precious little from the reactor core itself except that it produces incredible amounts of power from the interactions of two exotic gasses reacting in a containment field of gravitic forces.

>Examine the most recent shipwide messages.

The alien interface requires you to relearn most of what you understand of the actual user side of these affairs but some things are so universally standard that they must exist everywhere. A blinking icon near the top right corner of one of the leftmost facets of the crystalline “screen” catches your attention and a quick tap brings up what reads like a shipwide order. Your translation software takes a moment to scrub the text into legibility and you raise a brow as you read.
“Servants of the Hierarch. The primitives have wrought terrible damage upon the Seeker of Light. Warrior Caste and Menials are commanded to Consecute and remain. No surrender is to be given or accepted. The Primar and the Caste of Knowledge must report to the Doorway with the acquired samples of the Primitives.”

“A Doorway?”
You mutter to yourself, puzzling over the meaning of Castes and Menials and Primars as you look over the message once more. The fact that the majority of the crew seems to have been ordered to remain here is a move that you yourself can easily understand, not everyone can be saved and sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of knowledge. You bristle momentarily at the derogatory term of “Primitive” and console yourself with the fact that no matter their opinion, it is THEIR ship that is currently open to the void with its crew asphyxiated on the deck.

>1/2

>>4366097
>Examine the ships power levels by compartment

Flickering back the display to the power readouts, your rapidly learning translation program quickly notates a sidebar that allows you to see the various compartments of the ship in a strangely organic, veinlike power readout, pulsing in shades of purple, green and a dark crimson. It takes several moments for you to understand the readout and you lean closer, examining the text next to each of what you understand to be the various levels and compartments of the ship. Few areas still actually have anything beyond reserve power, only the reactor room still displaying almost functional levels of available power. The bridge, labeled here as the “Primars Throne”, the gravitic generator and that strangely labeled “Doorway” still display small amounts of power, slowly draining down as the reactor loses its ability to supply enough energy as its damage worsens.

>Shutdown the reactor

With all the available knowledge that you feel you can glean from this data tower, you scroll over to the controls for the reactor itself. A quick dance of your fingers inputs the command to shutdown and you watch as the acidic green glow through the crystalline panels in the sides of the reactor core dim in slow pulses before stuttering and falling dark. Almost immediately, the entire ship enters the stomach churning float of low gravity as the gravitic generator begins running entirely on emergency reserve power. The few lights available on the walls of the reactor room dim and take on a dull crimson glow, casting deep shadows across the walls and floor. Your complement of boarding crew mill about nervously, aiming weapons at every dark crevice and corner as they nervously whisper to each other. You’re not sure what their concern is as you step back from the data tower and look about the reactor room with interest.

Everything on this ship is dead.

Using the crude map you gleaned from the compartment diagnostic, you believe you’ve got a few possible options to examine while you’re onboard.

>Examine the Purification Chamber.

>Examine the Doorway

>Examine the Primars Throne

>You’ve seen enough here. Let’s get back to the Void Falcon. (end mission)

>Other

>>4366098
>You’ve seen enough here. Let’s get back to the Void Falcon. (end mission)

>I’ve seen enough here.

Turning on your heel, you send a subvocal command to Alpha and Beta, the hulking androids swiveling to follow you as you make your way out of the reactor room of the alien vessel. The boarding crew look in confusion at your sudden turnabout as you begin to depart without a word. With shrugs and shared glances they follow close behind you as you make your way back towards the boarding umbilical. You’ve got much on your mind, the potential technological advancements available from the maimed alien vessel, the implications of their presence in your empresses systems and whatever nefarious purpose they were involved with down on the surface of Emerald Garden. You are silent, absorbed in the whirling depths of your own mind as you make your way into the Cargo hold of the Void Falcon. It is only when you stand in the freight elevator of the imperial vessel that you remove your helmet, bringing up your comm channel to Captain Hitashi.
“Captain. We are finished here. Have towing cables attached to the wreck and we will tow it back with us. I have work I must complete and I require my laboratory and equipment to do so.

>Gained Research Options
>Aeltheuin Reactor
>Beam Lance Turrets
>Carapace Armor
>Precision Thrusters
>Null Plating
>Aeltheuin Autopsy

>Which mission shall we take control of next?

>General Zhao and the rebellion of Dragons Teeth?

>Black Lotus and the Nebula Reavers

>>4366264
>General Zhao and the rebellion of Dragons Teeth?

>>4366264
>General Zhao and the rebellion of Dragons Teeth

>>4366264
>General Zhao and the rebellion of Dragons Teeth?

>General Zhao and the Rebellion of Dragons Teeth

The industrial world hangs in the void like a steel and rust colored marble visible through the viewing windows of the bridge of the transport vessel. General Zhao stands motionless, still as a statue inside the armored exoskeleton that is as much a part of him as his own heart. Standing well over nine feet tall, Zhao's armor is crafted in an archaic style, resembling that of the warriors of ancient terra. Gold filligree is worked into the details of the engravings set in crimson and black dyed alloy armor, highlighting dragons and demons, legendary scenes of battles fought and won. The armor is a tapestry of history, the storied tales of the man within it. The glowing eyes of Zhaos helmet are unwavering and unblinking, feeding a full complement of suit diagnostics, weapon status reports life support readouts and multispectrum visual feeds at a constant rate directly into the mans occipital lobe. The armor plating overlaps and slides against itself as he shifts in place for the barest moment, metallic scales making the hide of a mighty beast. A custom crafted pulse pistol the size of a assault cannon is magnetically locked to the right thigh while a curved sword scaled for his towering height is sheathed at his hip. With a whim, Zhao can activate the miniature power cells built into its hilt and sheathe the blade in a crackling field of energy for a short time. He is an imposing figure, a brutal warrior and a cunning General and he has been unleashed upon the traitors of Dragons Teeth with the full might of four full regiments of Imperial Levies. Weak and unblooded they may be but they will prove themselves or die in the service of the Eternal Empress.

The transport ships themselves are packed with the aforementioned fresh soldiers. Men and women bustle about, some preparing weapons and equipment, others going over maps and troop estimates in long winded briefings. Many are thankful for the squadron of Hornets that flies alongside the transport vessels. Without any combat capable ships in orbit to provide fire support, they’ll take any air support they can get. The fact that the traitorous forces on the planet have little more than repurposed PDF gunships at their disposal is good for morale as well, the relatively weak gunships will be easy pickings for the Hornets. In the cavernous hangars making up the staging area for the planetary invasion, companies form up as a shipwide klaxon sounds across each of the transport vessels, the troop carriers entering the gravity well of Dragons Teeth.

>1/2

>>4366718
Zhao’s armored gauntlets clench for a moment as he looks upon the devastation visible from orbit. Vast fires burn through the industrial sectors of the planet, clouding the skies with smoke. Entire regions of the planet have devolved into chaos, what were once cities now burning war zones as the traitorous regional governors throw their all at the planetary capital in order to seize power before their chance is wrested from them. From the intel that was supplied when he was ordered on this task, it is apparent that there are three conspirators on this attempted coup. Regional Governors who desired some concession or other from the Empress and decided that holding a planet hostage would be the best way to go about that. Each region they control is some crucial part of the planetary infrastructure and the planet cannot resume its normal production capabilities until they are either pacified or brought to heel. Zhao knows that thousands are dying every moment on the ground and that for this world to be returned to the Empress, many thousands more would need to die as well.

The Captain of the Transport vessel approaches, maintaining a respectful distance from the towering general and salutes. Zhao barely turns his head to acknowledge her, the aging woman having the almost unhealthily thin and tall build of someone who has spent most of their life in artificial gravity. She clears her throat before speaking
“General. Sir. We have entered orbit of Dragons Teeth and are preparing the landing craft. They’ll be able to deploy within the hour. What are your orders my lord?”

>We will deploy at the Planetary Capital. The assault by the traitors must be repelled and we must link up with loyalist forces.

>Land our troops at the Habitation district, the residential regions are where many of their recruits are being pulled from. If we cut off their supply of soldiers, they will be weakened in the long run.

>Land our troops at the refinery districts. If we cut off their supply of fuel they will be unable to field their vehicles against us in later engagements.

>Land our troops at the processing centers. They are using them to produce equipment for their recruits. If we capture them their forces will be less effective against us.

>>4366720
>We will deploy at the Planetary Capital. The assault by the traitors must be repelled and we must link up with loyalist forces.

>>4366720
>>We will deploy at the Planetary Capital. The assault by the traitors must be repelled and we must link up with loyalist forces.

>>4366720

>We will deploy at the Planetary Capital. The assault by the traitors must be repelled and we must link up with loyalist forces.

>>4366720
>We will deploy at the Planetary Capital. The assault by the traitors must be repelled and we must link up with loyalist forces.

File: 4DDA22E9-1E7A-4AF9-90F1-2(...).jpg (191 KB, 1920x922)

191 KB JPG

>Taking over to Zhao’s pov

You turn your head to glance at the Captain once more out of the corner of an artificial eye. You ponder the options, the pros, the cons and quickly come to your decision.
“The Planetary Governor requires our immediate assistance. If we can link up with loyalist forces we will even the gap between our numbers. We will crush the traitors and drive them from the capital over mountains of their own dead.”

Your voice is a grating rumble, a heavily modulated and artificial growl that can be felt in the chest of anyone nearby. You find it quite effective for instilling obedience, the desired results going into motion almost immediately as the Captain bows and quickly strides off to the comms station to relay your orders. You look out through the viewing windows to the quickly growing orb taking up the majority of the view, fires visible across much of the planet and sigh in resignation.

They brought this on themselves.

>Some time later

The dropship lifts from the deck of the hangar with a jarring lurch that jerks several of the soldiers in its belly against their harness. A full platoon of Imperial Levy are seated in narrow benches, a chest harness keeping them from being thrown about. Some of them are slightly green, many are streaked with nervous sweat, some are stony faced and grim. But all of them either stare or purposefully ignore the hulking figure taking up the center of the internal cargo bay. You brace a hand against the roof, fingers splayed and nearly denting the metal with inexorable pressure. Anything short of being shot down or impacting another dropship will see you moved. Already your ears are full of radio chatter, PDF screaming for backup, for orders, reporting being overrun and overwhelmed before falling silent one by one. A topographical map of the planetary capital, a sprawling series of overlapping rings splays itself over your vision with numerous highlighted areas appearing as the intelligence teams assigned to the transports feed you an ever growing supply of information. You bring up your communications channel with the pilots as tentative antiaircraft fire begins peppering the skies around the incoming swarm of dropships.

>We will land hot at the governors palace itself and reinforce the defenders. Steel yourselves men, for today you die.

>We will land outside the city proper and pin the rebel scum against the defenders. We are the hammer and they are but so many nails.

>Land in the city proper, we must reinforce what is left of the outlying garrisons and hold back rebel reinforcements. Like water on rocks we will break them.

>>4368122
>We will land outside the city proper and pin the rebel scum against the defenders. We are the hammer and they are but so many nails.

>>4368122
>>We will land outside the city proper and pin the rebel scum against the defenders. We are the hammer and they are but so many nails.

>>4368122
>We will land hot at the governors palace itself and reinforce the defenders. Steel yourselves men, for today you die.

>We will land on the outskirts of the capital and pin the rebels against the defenders.

“Land on the perimeter of the city. We are the hammer and those rebel scum are only so many nails.”
Your voice cuts through the comms channel the dropship pilots are communication with each other on while descending through the slowly thickening torrent of antiaircraft fire. You receive confirmation from the pilots, some more agreeably than others at the prospect of dropping at the edge of a active battlefield than directly into it. The deckplates beneath your feet shudder as maneuvering thrusters fire in controlled bursts, throwing the fat bellied dropship out of the way of a staccato stream of pulse fire, the blue-white plasma bolts cutting a swathe through the air. The rapid thrum of the repeating pulse turrets mounted on the nose of the dropship beats a steady pulse through the craft as the copilot returns fire, stitching a line of fire through the air as the swarm of dropships dive ever lower to the ground.

The chosen landing ground is highlighted on the HUD of every pilot in the group, the Hornet scout wing circling overhead like vultures as the dropships fire their braking thrusters, hovering just above the grounds surface while the ramp slams down. The officer of the platoon of Imperial Levy wastes no time while under your gaze, yanking his release cord the second the ramp begins to lower and grabbing his rifle. Charging down the ramp he turns and shouts encouragement at his men as they follow after him, weapons held at the hip and feet pounding as their heads swivel for cover or hostiles. The deckplate thuds beneath your feet as you stride out of the dropship and feel your feet sink slightly into the slightly sandy soil beneath you. Your head turns slowly, bringing in every detail of the surrounding terrain.

The walls of the capital city of Dragons Teeth stand just over a mile and a half away, torn and ravaged to half collapsed rubble by the rebel assault. Beyond the off-white rubble of the walls stands the once sophisticated and beautiful architecture of the planetary capital, terraced villas and gently curving towers now broken and burning, sending columns of greasy black smoke skyward. The skies of Dragons Teeth have long been choked by smog and smoke to varying degrees but now a hazy fume covers much of the sky, reducing the sun of this system to a flat muted disc through a veil of foul smoke. The city is surrounded by rolling hills, the main avenues of approach by land being the roads cutting through the depressions between the uneven landscape. Though the distance is great, you know that the haze of dust on the eastern side of the capital is a advancing rebel force supported by gunships and light armor repurposed from PDF troop transports and armored vehicles.

>1/2

File: 031AA0CB-9D97-43FD-B534-D(...).jpg (66 KB, 1050x525)

66 KB JPG

>>4368378
You stand as a statue for several short minutes as the dropships continue to touch down on the hillsides around you, disgorging their contents. Hundreds of Imperial soldiers hurry about, setting up a perimeter, establishing firing positions and setting out on reconnaissance in the local area. With every minute that passes, your numbers grow with already a force of well over a thousand soldiers assembled on the hillsides to the southeast of the planetary capital. Several of the officers have gathered at the summit of the hilltop behind you, looking with horrified awe at the conflict before them. Pulse fire streaks through the sky, illuminating traitor and loyalist gunships as they exchange fire, occasional victims of the deadly dance spiraling through the air only to end as a rolling fireball. The individual exchanges of gunfire between entrenched loyalists and attacking traitor forces is so intense in some places that a blue-white glow can be seen illuminating the rising smog. Bodies litter the outskirts of the city, cut down in the initial assault by the traitor forces, a truly impressive number considering the timeline at which the traitors had to act or die. The fact they were able to twist so many from the service to their Empress is troubling and yet another crime they will pay for.

>What are your orders General Zhao?

>We must cut off those rebel reinforcements to the east if we do not wish to be surrounded in turn.

>Send in the Hornet Scout Wing. We must establish aerial superiority if we are to succeed.

>This area of the wall is lightly defended if at all. We can make our attack here and push deep into their lines before they even know they are under attack.

>Contact the local PDF commanders. Where are we needed most? We must coordinate with them if we are to be victorious.

>Other

>>4368379
>>We must cut off those rebel reinforcements to the east if we do not wish to be surrounded in turn.

>>4368379
>>We must cut off those rebel reinforcements to the east if we do not wish to be surrounded in turn.

>>4368379
>We must cut off those rebel reinforcements to the east if we do not wish to be surrounded in turn.

Ded?

>>4372827
Hope not.

>>4372827
>>4373754
Thankfully not dead. I broke my phone the other day (surprisingly not as shatter resistant as they claim) and just picked it up from the repair shop today a bit ago. thanks for the patience guys.