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File: Seyllin IV.jpg (255 KB, 1800x998)
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Previously in SMQ: We dealt with an enforcement agent, put some skeletons in our closet, hired pilots, grown microgreens, restored dilapidated sections of the station, opened massage parlor, bought and equipped fighters, started producing Fleshpods, sniffed out raiders and took in renegade Superbrights.

archive:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Gurokaze
update schedule is one post per day

There are 29 people residing in the station right now: 12 pilots led by Arlest Beaulieu, 7 Superbright represented by Cese, 4 biologists working on Fleshpods, custodian Trenton, cook Alan with his wife and two kids and you.

We are allied with Dembowska Cartel, a loose alliance of resource extractors based around gas giant Konrakas. Two other entities are of note: Goldreich-Tremaine is a consortium focusing on financial services and space-based manufacturing and Gallente Federation is the most populous bloc consisting of colonist enterprises. These two factions are covertly engaged in intense competition over control of Seyllin IV's orbit, where your station is located.
>>
You woke up to blare coming from the station's PA system. Annoyed and confused, you put on your headset and connected with the pilot which was on bridge duty. He was telling you something frantically but you couldn't hear a word through the sirens.
"Turn off..." the words barely came out of your mouth. You cleared your throat and tried again, this time successfully speaking into the mic: "Turn off the alarm!"
"-ast two vessels, Hookbill not responding! What shou-" words mixed with background noise of various audial alerts coming from the bridge instruments started to pour into your ears through the headphones. (+2 Stress)
"Turn on station-wide PA and repeat!" you interrupted the pilot. You knew how important communication was in emergencies and wanted everyone to be briefed as soon as possible.
"We have been attacked! At least one bandit is headed towards the station structure, I cannot-" a distant tremor followed by a near loud bang and reverberation silenced the PA system. You realized the airlock door of the station section you were in slammed against its frame by the force of air being sucked out. A shiver came down your spine. You threw a quick glance towards status display mounted adjacent to exit of your cabin and after seeing green you proceeded to kick open the door.

"Everyone suits on!" you yelled into the hallway, several of your pilots already out of their cabins. If command section just got depressurized so could the main section and you weren't keen on finding out the hard way. You spotted your old friend in the hallway: "Alan, get Saima and the kids to the escape pods! Take Cora and Marco too!" Your pilots were professionals but Alan's wife, their kids and the two present biologists certainly didn't sign up for this.

While you were getting into your spacesuit you were thinking about your next course of action...
>A. Go to command section and confront whatever's there head-on
>B. Take positions around the airlock and in the hallway and counter-attack whoever comes from command section
>C. Get out the main section and into open space, advance along exterior wall towards bridge and former machine shop where your fighters are parked
>X. (write-in)

...and whether you should order Alan to launch right away or to wait:
>1. Launch right away, the sooner they get the fuck out of here the better
>2. Have them wait in escape pods for confirmation the escape path is safe
>3. Actually, they should stay in their cabins
>4. (write-in)
>>
aaand I fucked up the archive link
this should be it http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Gurokaze
>>
>>4521943
>B. Take positions around the airlock and in the hallway and counter-attack whoever comes from command section
>2. Have them wait in escape pods for confirmation the escape path is safe
Not gonna do a space walk without letting anyone know.
>>
>>4522416
+1
>>
>>4521943
X. Get the the pilots to make the space walk to the machine shop where our fighters are parked. Once there they can scramble and fight the threat.

2. Have them wait until the path is clear
>>
>>4522576
Support. Wouldn't they be able to get access to the station cameras and potentially seal us off if they're already in the command center and we stick around here?
>>
Rolled 2 (1d2)

Unanimous support for having civilians wait in the escape pods and a toss-up between counterattack >>4522416 >>4522471 and spacewalk >>4522576 >>4522611.

Rolling to break the tie-in but will incorporate both options:
>1 Organize the counterattack, send few pilots for spacewalk if situation allows
>2 Lead the spacewalk, order stragglers to stay in and prepare to counterattack

Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-10 You get knocked out before you manage to do anything
>11-14 Lose all initiative
>15-20 More or less manage to do what you set out to, mixed success
>21-24 Superbright join the fray, turn the tables on attackers
>>
Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>4522724
Here goes.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>4522724
>>
Fug.
>>
Rolled 3, 2, 3, 5, 5, 2, 9, 10 = 39 (8d10)

Making casualty roll, update likely coming tomorrow.

1st dice Superbright and attackers
>1-3 5 Superbright including Cese dead, one or two dead attackers, rest gone
>4 5 Superbright dead, Cese alive, one or two dead attackers, rest gone
>5 4 Superbright dead, Cese alive, some disabled/dead attackers, rest gone
>6 all Superbright dead, one or two dead attackers, rest gone, +2 to 4th, 6th and 8th dice, 5th dice treat 3 as 5 and 4 as 8
>7 one Superbright missing, rest including Cese dead, one or two dead attackers, rest gone, +2 to 4th, 6th and 8th dice, 5th dice treat 3 as 5 and 4 as 8
>8 4 Superbright dead, Cese alive, some disabled/dead attackers, rest gone
>9 3 Superbright dead, Cese alive, most attackers disabled/dead, some gone
>10 3 Superbright dead, Cese alive, all attackers disabled/dead

2nd dice pilot in Hookbill on duty
>1-5 Hookbill destroyed, pilot dead, was named
>6-7 Hookbill destroyed, pilot dead
>8 Hookbill and pilot missing
>9 Hookbill destroyed, pilot beacon transmitting
>10 Hookbill damaged and pilot intact, destroyed one of the attacking vessels

3rd dice pilot on bridge duty
>1-3 dead, was named
>4-6 dead
>7 heavily injured
>8 alive in bridge
>9 made it to former machine shop, ignore 4th dice roll and both biologists alive
>10 alive and treat 1st dice as 10

4th dice two biologists in former machine shop
>1-3 both dead
>4 one dead one missing
>5 one heavily injured one alive
>6-10 both alive

5th dice Alan, his wife Saima, their two kids, Cora, Marco
>1 critical failure, escape pods explodes on launch, all dead
>2 escape pod shot down, all dead (if 2nd roll is 10, pod launched and all missing instead)
>3 one kid alive, rest dead
>4 Alan dead, Saima and one kid heavily injured, Marco dead, Cora alive
>5-7 escape pod launched, all missing
>8-10 all aboard and safe

6th dice rest of pilots (10 in total)
>1 7 pilots dead, 2 heavily injured, 1 alive
>2 6 pilots dead, 2 heavily injured, 2 alive
>3 5 pilots dead, 3 heavily injured, 2 alive
>4 4 pilots dead, 3 heavily injured, 3 alive
>5 3 pilots dead, 2 heavily injured, 5 alive
>6-7 one dead, one heavily injured, rest alive
>8-10 one heavily injured, rest alive

7th dice how many named pilots died
treat as 7 if this dice is higher than 6th dice
>1-3 +3 named pilots dead
>4-6 +2 named pilots dead
>7-10 at least one named pilot dead

8th dice Trenton
>1-3 dead
>4-5 went to escape pod, treat by 5th dice result
>6 heavily injured
>7-10 alive
>>
>>4522931
>>4522777
Big fug.
>>
>>4522967
A-at least Trenton seems all right?
>>
>>4523044
Yeah... maybe he can mix some cleaning chemicals together and gas the intruders!
>>
"Lang!" you made eye contact with one of your pilots. "Stay here and organize defense! Everyone else..." you looked at the handful of pilots which were getting into their suits "...we are going out through the main airlock. Check your radios and go! Alan, wait in the pod until-"
"Airlock!" one of the pilots interrupted you. "Someone is in the airlock!" You turned your head just in time to see the connection to command section open and several hissing canisters being thrown into the hallway.
"Gas!" "Suits!" several people shouted. You reached for your helmet and wanted to put it on but sudden wave of tiredness came over you. Your surroundings turned amber and soon after you lost consciousness.

***

You woke up coughing, Trenton floating in front of you. Your head was spinning and you felt groggy but your heart was beating like crazy. Air reeked with the sharp fever stench of hot plastic. The hum of ventilators was louder than usual.

"Go check others, flash their eyes, see if they are breathing, spray their faces with this" the station's custodian pushed flashlight and a can labeled Epinephrine into your hands. "Got it? Now go!" he turned and launched himself towards one of the service panels, gently pushing away bodies floating in the hallway, grabbing an open laptop on his way.

Medical bag was floating in front of you, its contents slowly spilling out - trauma shears, Naloxone canister, compress bandages, Paracetamol tablets, diagnostic pads and other stuff.

"Hey, get moving!" Trenton's voice ringed in your ears.

Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-9 You are too tired to do anything. Three heavily injured people die, one of them is Arlest Beaulieu
>10-13 Arlest Beaulieu survives, the other heavily injured pilot dies, the heavily injured biologist in former machine shop also dies
>14-20 Arlest Beaulieu and the other heavily injured pilot survive, the heavily injured biologist in former machine shop dies
>21-24 All three heavily injured people survive
If anyone provides relevant write-in all three will survive
>>
Rolled 12 (1d12)

Trenton came through!

>>4523239
Naloxone is an opioid reverser. Administer the canister to ourselves by spraying a small dose it up the nose to ideally reverse the effects of that sleeping gas, grab the medical bag and run to the injured. Prioritize the biologist and reanimating them, ideally getting them to a state where they can give us spoken directions as we proceed to administering first aid to the other two. Continue to take small Naloxone doses when effects start to wear off.
>>
>>4523309
>Biologist
Though he might not be a doctor, having worked on the flesh pods in particular he could ideally be able to supplement whatever we can gather from the first aid kit's instructions, or direct us to potentially life-saving equipment/chemicals.
>>
>>4521942
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Gurokaze
theres nothing there faggot QM
>>
Rolled 12 (1d12)

>>4523239
>>
>>4523309
>>4523548
Fuck yeah perfect roll. And a crit success on both.
>>
>>4521949
Have you ever written something else before? The name seems familiar
>>
>>4523469
>this should be it http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Gurokaze
it's literally in the next post you spastic
>>
>>4523309
Great write-in and we also have the highest possible match. More pilots will survive.

>>4524385
I ran some content on different site using this handle.
>>
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"Trenton why did you gave me Epinenthirne.." you were mumbling and trying to articulate properly but gave up after a while and instead grabbed the Naxalone can. You sprayed it in front of you then took a careful breath.

Your condition improved but so did your alertness. Wave of panic washed over you as you fully came to comprehend your surroundings (+3 Stress).

You felt like shit but you managed to take off towards the bodies floating in the hallway. You didn't bother checking for pulse or pupillary response at first, instead you just sprayed small Naxalone doses close to noses of everyone you passed. Some pilots regained consciousness. As you were turning to make a second pass the main airlock opened and one person wearing station suit came in. It was one of your pilots named Hudson. He started helping with resuscitation efforts and gave a quick rundown of what happened:

The attackers struck unexpectedly. Hookbill on duty, manned by Viktor Ganbold, didn't stand a chance. Attack transport advanced alongside wall of command section and a squad of unidentified men disembarked. They made a hole in the wall using explosives, decompressing the section and killing Gael van Dijk and one other pilot. After that they went inside, moved to the main section, gassed most of the people there then went towards the hab unit.

At this point Lang and Hudson were the only ones which managed to get away into open space through the main airlock. There they joined with two Superbright which came through the hab unit external airlock. Several attackers were laying more explosives on the wall of the station and a scuffle broke out. Both Superbright paid with their lives but they managed to throw one stick on the transport. A set of explosions followed and the transport vessel became disabled. Several escape pods launched. Lang advanced to the former machine shop which seemed to be venting atmosphere after being struck by shrapnel and Hudson returned here.

The attackers were after the Superbright. It seemed their goal was to take them alive and after their transport got hit they elected to leave the station via escape pods.

Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-9 Although alive you are all too beat up to do much
>10-13 After things calm down your pilots won't leave you
>14-20 +biologists will stay too
>21-24 +you manage to recover critical piece of information or otherwise succeed in tracking the attackers
I wanted to give some interesting choices at this juncture but got hit with writer's block. Feel free to write-in whatever.
Alan, his wife Saima, their two kids, and all 4 biologists are alive, no extra effort is required for them at this point.
>>
Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>4524732
>>
Rolled 12 (1d12)

>>4524732
>>
Rolled 9 (1d12)

>>4524806
>>4524908
Thanks, making a Stress check - 6 and lower is bad news. Update coming tomorrow.
>>
Well at least its not our fault they are here.... Mostly. They were after the Brights.....
>>
Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>4524732
>>
>>4525000
We took in the brights and if that damn cese hadn't died shed have a fuck ton of explaining to do.
>>
>>4525309
Think our fighters crafts can hunt down the escape pods? Maybe blow em up?

I'm surprised they kill so many brights if their original goal was to capture alive them.
>>
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I decided to defy the original casualty roll in two instances: I reduced pilot casualties by virtue of great write-in and best possible roll and reclassified most dead Superbright as missing for more narrative fuel.

After making sure the station environment was stable your pilots manned the fighters and searched for missing people but to no avail.

Alan contacted you few hours after the pilots left. His family and the two biologists made their way into escape pod when the invaders have been busy with Superbright. They launched without issues and navigated into freeport which was near. Alan came back to station to help with restoration but he said he is gonna stay only for a few days and after that he and his family will begin looking for a more safe place to live.

You gathered everyone and told them they have one week paid leave and that you would understand if anyone elected not to return to station. Some people left right away but eventually everyone returned.

You hired a cleanup crew and workmen to help with station repairs. Hole in the command module got patched up but it was surmised mass driver was damaged beyond repair and superstructure was compromised. It was safe for habitation for now but eventually the entire section would need replacing.

Headcount:
7 pilots (Gael van Dijk, Viktor Ganbold and 3 other pilots dead)
0 Superbright (3 Superbright including Cese dead, 5 missing)
4 biologists (all survived)
cook Alan, his wife, 2 kids (all survived however planning to leave the station)
custodian Trenton
you
17 souls total

Might 5 (-1 ruined station mass driver, -1 blown-up Hookbill)
Reputation 3 (-1 failed to show up for salvage job + recent events)
Wealth 2 (2 now but at least -2 Wealth expected expenses next turn)
Stress 6 (+5 recent events)

During these last two weeks you focused chiefly on
>A. Making sure the cleanup and repair crews did their job properly and did not overcharge you
>B. Making sure relatives of deceased were notified in proper way and the bodies were delivered to them promptly and without hiccups
>C. Convincing Alan and his family to stay
>D. Locating the missing Superbright
>X. Something else (write-in)
>>
File: 1492293248_story_1.jpg (78 KB, 1600x900)
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>>4525979
>X
Revenge
>>
>>4526297
Look past the red in your eyes space brother, we have business to attend to beforehand

>>4525979
X. Begin tracking the attackers before the trail gets cold. We can dedicate half our remaining pilots to the endeavour while the other half stick around to guard the station. We are vulnerable right now and I dont want to die to space pirates. While we wait for any information to come through from our scouts we should begin A followed promptly by/complete simultaneously B.
>>
>>4525979
>D. Locating the missing Superbright
>X. Something else (write-in)
Revenge.
>>
>>4526308
Supporting. Might even be able to mobilize some of the local strongmen if we find their hideout.
>>
>>4525979
>>4526297
just caught up, support, also qm i had to find this quest thread 1 manually, your link in op doesn't work
>>
>>4526751
>your link in op doesn't work
Yeah, I know.. noticed it only after I posted. Working link is in third post.

>>4526297
>>4526308
>>4526400
>>4526569
>>4526751
We are gonna try to find who's responsible. Focus is on finding the merch company/enforcement arm over determining who ordered the hit and where the Superbright may be located (if they are still alive that is).

This is not gonna be easy. Please write-in any kind of clue we obtained, how did we obtain it and optionally why cannot we access it. Right now we have only one clue:
Trajectory data gathered by Gallente Customs Force but they refuse to hand it over. They are giving you some kind of jurisdiction bullshit. You suspect if you were to switch allegiance from Cartel to Federation the data would suddenly become available. That would be probably the easiest way to obtain the data, there may be also other approaches. It's also entirely possible the gathered data will be relatively useless.

Some places where clues may be located: Bodies of attackers, hab unit where Superbright lived, Hookbill/transport blackbox/wreckage, station cameras etc.
>>
>>4526790
>Hookbill wreckage
>Bodies of Attackers
Does the type of explosive they used give us any info?
>>
>>4526790
>Focus is on finding the merch company/enforcement arm over determining who ordered the hit and where the Superbright may be located
I thought the would by synonymous, or we'd go after both?

First off, talk to the remaining super brights, if they don't want to die, get kicked off the station, or want to see their friends again someday, they better damn well talk, and tell us everything.

Go over station video, weapon casings, chemical or dna residue left behind, and any corpses. Ask or put out feelers for movement of money and stuff towards mercenary complains recently, or contact information brokers.
>>
>>4525979
>A. Making sure the cleanup and repair crews did their job properly and did not overcharge you
>>
Thank you >>4526796 >>4526829. Now let's see if we can act on the clues.
Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-9 Despite your best efforts you are unable to make any kind of progress. Trail goes cold.
>10-15 In order to advance you need to expend resources you do not possess at this time. Investigation is on hold.
>16-20 You make good progress in your hunt. You are close to uncovering identities of those responsible.
>21-24 +You also do not suffer any penalties from neglecting A. and B. from the last choice

>>4526829
>I thought the would by synonymous, or we'd go after both?
It may be or not. Also all the Superbright are either dead or missing. Two died fighting the men which were placing explosives on the exterior wall, Cese suffered traumatic brain injury fighting the attackers in the hallway and the rest are missing.
>>
Rolled 5 (1d12)

>>4528160
Superbright shakedown!
>>
Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>4528160
>>
>>4528184
>>4528519
>>4528160
These rolls are brutal.
>>
Rolled 5, 6, 2 = 13 (3d6)

Rolling to determine whether we will suffer additional maluses. 1d6, rolling 3 times in case 1 lands.
>1 roll two more times, ignore any further 1s
>2 -1 additional Wealth bill
>3 +1 Stress due to discord with relatives of deceased
>4 -1 Reputation due to discord with relatives of deceased
>5 no change
>6 no change
>>
While the cleanup and repair crews were doing their work you embarked on a hunt for whoever was responsible for the attack.

It was common knowledge Gallente was tracking movements of all objects in Seyllin IV's orbit via network of ground and space-based observation posts and satellites. However they straight up refused you when you requested data on the escape pods which were launched from your station. They however made allusions your request would possibly be served to your satisfaction if you were to switch allegiance from Cartel to Federation. You moved on to the next clue.

You sent hair samples to three different labs for DNA analysis. However, each lab reported thousands of matches - a common obfuscation tactics in which false data is fed to as many databases as possible to counter exactly what you were trying to accomplish.

You tried to determine origin of explosives and the opioid mix which has been used against you. You had no luck with explosives, however you had the station's environmental data readily available. When the attack occurred, the main section got saturated with a mixture of Bentley-series opioid Etorphine and products resulting from combustion of an aerosol forming agent. You passed the info to your contacts but it soon became clear they didn't have time nor inclination to play detective for you. You estimated manual cross-analysis done by hired remote help would cost at least 2 Wealth.

You could also attempt to analyze financial transactions, see who paid who or who purchased the ships which participated in the attack. However this kind of intel wasn't exactly in public domain. Your estimate placed expenses related to retrieval and analysis to at least 3 Wealth.

There were also other approaches you could try but all of them required monetary commitment. You preserved the bodies and equipment of the two raiders which died along with their wrecked transport and started thinking about how would you get the cash you needed to continue the investigation.

After being presented with station repair bill you had to collateralize your fighters once again (+4 Wealth, 6x -1 Wealth regular debt payments). Moreover, with the 'bright gone you were certain the station's internal ecosystem would start degrading again, requiring imports of chemicals (Fleshpods no longer generate +1 periodic Wealth). You had to get your finances in order.

1/2
>>
What are you gonna do?
>A. Get two more Caldari fighters, then send the pilots on a mission
>B. Establish Intensive Animal Farming enterprise
>C. Look for other business opportunities (optionally write-in what kind)
>D. Actually fuck it all, I need to move on (Stress-induced option)
>X. (write-in)

Might 5
Reputation 4
Wealth 4 (+4 loan, -2 cleanup and repair crews)
Stress 5 (-1 acute to background)

Ongoing enterprises:
Fleshpods

Present forces:
Alpha Flight (Arlest Beaulieu)
Hookbill (fast, autocannons, plasma slicing torch)
Hookbill (fast, agile, drones, repair & recovery)
Griffin (superior sensors, drones, lasers)
Merlin (missiles, railgun, overload system)

Debt - 6/6 Wealth left to pay
Superbright abduction - Gather 5 Wealth to progress in your investigation

2/2
>>
>>4528757
We're back to the loansharks again.

>A. Get two more Caldari fighters, then send the pilots on a mission
Unless someone has any new ideas for alternative short-term business prospects/sources of income, I'd like to see if we can still get on that protection mission we'd been preparing for before this sudden attack. At the very least we'd be back to full military strength again.
>>
Guess we should have never paid off our original debt, probably those assholes wanted us to stay in debt forever.

>>4528757
>A. Get two more Caldari fighters, then send the pilots on a mission

Need more experience, eventual we'll send a merc company to operate out of our station and have troops to dispatch.
>>
Alright, we are gonna try and make some quick money using our ships.

Choose two fighters to buy (you can buy two pieces of the same type)...
>Hookbill (versatile and fast)
>Griffin (suitable as sniper, scout or support due its enhanced sensor suite)
>Merlin (emphasis on armament over speed and shields)
>Bantam (auxiliary shielding makes it tanky, slow and relatively blind)

...and supply adjectives to describe intended role and capabilities of our new platforms (two adjectives per one fighter -> four in total):
For example fast, agile, long-range, area denial etc.

Alternatively, specify armament:
For example autocannons, missiles, auxiliary shielding, ECM, extended ammo bay etc.

Our current setup:
>Hookbill (fast, autocannons, plasma slicing torch)
>Hookbill (fast, agile, drones, repair & recovery)
>Griffin (superior sensors, drones, lasers)
>Merlin (missiles, railgun, overload system)
>
>
>>
>>4529823
2 hookbills with a space superiority/dogfighting setup
>>
>>4529877
Seconding.
>>
>>4528757
Theres a workshop that's mostly empty right? Plus we've got that now vacant hab unit. Two avenues I can see are prostitution and asteroid mining. We could use our fleet to mine asteroids for high density, high value minerals and metals. Stuff like platinum, gold, silver etc. We can then take the ore back to our workshop to refine it and sell it on. The staff required can be housed in the hab unit which I'm fairly certain is cursed at this point. Otherwise lets find some desperate women we can rent out by the hour to the local space cretins. At any rate we've got all this extra space now maybe theres an entity out there that we could rent it to.

I can type up an actual plan if you consider these viable within our scope gurokaze
>>
>>4529933
Correct, about 1/4th of former machine shop is occupied by Fleshpod production, rest is available for enterprises. Habpod is also currently empty and so is about one half of our cabins.

Regarding prostitution and asteroid mining it could definitely work but I guess with some kind of spin.

Your average Joe is gonna get his fix in the station he works at and conversely the courtesans would rather live in big stations close to their customers as opposed to some remote structure where they would not feel safe. We have to provide something extra, something worth coming over to, something which is not available in the other big stations. Underage courtesans could definitely be an option I guess.

We could also open some kind of club, where customers will spend the night. Or just regular space hotel. Or just rent the empty space to some other entity as you suggested.

Asteroid mining I don't think we can turn profit. We don't even have a way to transport ore.. Perhaps we could rob other people which are mining or mine in dangerous places.

In any case, I will give some kind of bonus in our next mission just for having anons like you being involved in the quest.

>>4529877
>>4529919
Locked in, mission selection coming later tonight or tomorrow.
>>
>>4530055
So currently ALL the superbrights are dead or missing right now, none are on the station?

Can we put the dead ones in the freezer? Who knows, maybe they can be revived somehow with science.
>>
>>4530055
>Underage courtesans could definitely be an option I guess.
Hey, that actually doesn't sound too far-fetched an idea if that's the level of sex gimmick we'd need to stand out. Hell, we could've trailblazed the industry by becoming the first Superbright brothel if they hadn't gotten themselves all offed.

I'd personally avoid having management discussion descend into whichever niche /d/-tier depravities we could cater to, though.
>>
>>4529933
Oh yeah, I forgot: Feel free to flesh out a plan and I will include it as an enterprise choice or mission.

>>4530212
Yup, all dead or missing. Will put the three corpses we have in storage.

>>4530224
>the first Superbright brothel
Always an option if we manage to get our hands on them again..
Yeah in these contexts I'm planning to sticking only to choices which are relevant from a business point of view. Also feel free to vote against anything you don't like.
>>
>>4530055
>>4530224
>>4530287


I dont think anyone with a strong moral compass is going to be happy with what we're doing to these underage girls so we'll need to be sly. If we incorporate a shell company to begin with to start hiding the paper trail we can then move on to listing the hab unit in the commercial/residential property market. If somebody comes along with a legitimate interest that pays more than what we'd get for the girls i suggest we take that decidedly less risky money. Otherwise our third or fourth successive shell company can come along and make an offer. I imagine there are plenty of orphans roving the corridors and bazaars of the larger space stations that would look fine after we clean the muck off their malnourished faces. Nobody will come looking for them. I'm unsure as to how we are gonna advertise to prospective customers, this has the potential to really backfire and crippled our reputation. Any suggestions?
>>
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You could never go wrong with having more Hookbills. You chose to equip the two new arrivals in similar fashion to Hookbill you purchased earlier: Overdrive injection systems for more speed, inertial stabilizers for superb agility, and hardeners and resistance amplifiers for boosted shielding. However instead of drone tubes you mounted missile platforms and autocannons on the ship's hardpoints.

This configuration resulted in vessel possessing remarkable speed and maneuverability coupled with respectable offensive output. The chosen armaments consumed only fraction of the ship's capacitor, allowing it to retain its mobility even when firing. If space superiority was in question these Hookbills were the definite solution.

You now had four different Hookbills. Perhaps it would be good idea to assign each of them an unique identifier.

What kind of naming convention would you like to adopt for your fighters...
>A. Terran native American deities
>B. Lunar Maria names
>C. Terran medieval armaments
>D. Terran WW2-era Japanese navy ships
>X. Some other kind of callsign nomenclature (write-in)

...and which operation would you have your pilots undertake?
>A. Protect small salvaging operation
>B. Protect independent mining operation
>C. Attack a shipping convoy
>D. Harass the operations of a large mining conglomerate until they pay you off
>X. (write-in)

Available forces:
Hookbill (fast, autocannons, plasma slicing torch)
Hookbill (fast, agile, missiles, autocannons)
Hookbill (fast, agile, missiles, autocannons)
Hookbill (fast, agile, drones, repair & recovery)
Griffin (superior sensors, drones, lasers)
Merlin (missiles, railgun, overload system)
>>
>>4530449
What if we kept it through middle men, and had branches off station that would send us the profits after laundering them? We can make it so we not only provide sex, but other related services like safe harbor, fake ID, smuggling services, and transportation for people who need to disappear fast.

Why get the clients to come to the station when they can be more local planet side?

I'm all for prostitution but I'd rather not do underage, maybe jail bait but that would be the farthest we should go.

>>4530518
>C. Terran medieval armaments

>A. Protect small salvaging operation
>>
>>4530518
name them (Ship Model) (Loadout) (number) - (nickname given by the pilot)
so the plasma torch hookbill would be
Hookbill Melee 1 - Slicer or something
>>
>>4530569
I like the idea of having the station specialize in "disappearance" services.
>>
>>4530657
Seconding the Model-combat role-number + nickname callsign system. Your example would be shortened to something like H-M1 Slicer. Bit more pilot-personal.
>>
>>4531047
Oh, and voting for
>A. Protect small salvaging operation
>>
>>4530518
>A. Protect small salvaging operation
That jobs still open? Well hopefully they will be understanding.
>>
>>4530569


Might be time to dead off the prostitutes and switch out allegiance. Dembowska arent protecting us so if we switch to the federation then we can probably get them to station some manpower at the station to protect our interest. We managed to detect and 'rescue' that pod a while back so clearly we are positioned well within our territory. Furthermore we will then have access to the info we need to pursue the people who attacked us.
>>
Salvagers from Kyotid Zaibatsu had another job lined up and were still willing to partner up with you despite your earlier no-show.

One of numerous research outposts deployed to study Sea of Geduld, a disturbance in space manifesting as a vast radioactive cloud with unpredictable gravity patterns, had to be evacuated after it got hit with wave of charged particles. This is where you came in, keeping watch and helping the salvaging crews recover whatever valuables were left at the premises.

While your pilots were busy trying not to get sucked into Geduld you were occupying yourself with Couster Reserve and planning for your next enterprise. Massage parlor you opened when Seyllin IV's space elevator commenced service was a success. Looking back at it you came to conclusion there was lots of untapped potential in the local pleasure business scene. You were thinking long-term and had lots of ideas on what could be done but you knew you had to narrow it all down first.

Pick at most three features:
>A. Electronics ban, strict no-logging policy (possibly our biggest potential competitive advantage)
>B. No girls allowed unless they are working here
>C. Young courtesans coming from poor backgrounds living at the place full-time
>D. Older, less attractive but more educated courtesans coming here for work only
>E. Asset laundering
>F. Discreet personal transportation service
>G. Counterfeiting services
>H. Smuggling hub
>X. (write-in)

Using this vote to flesh out how we will start our club/bar. This is a long-term enterprise which will be expanded several times, so most ideas will eventually be realized. Three votes per anon, you can also vote against, the two or three options with the most support will be implemented first. Please remember we are just starting out and our resources are limited. I will water down any choice which would be too expensive to enact.

Available forces:
(ship model)-(combat role)(number)-(medieval armament)
G-SC1-??? Griffin (superior sensors, drones, lasers, Spaceborne Early Warning and Control)
M-FB1-??? Merlin (missiles, railgun, overload system, Fighter-Bomber)
H-SS1-??? Hookbill (fast, agile, missiles, autocannons, Space Superiority)
H-SS2-??? Hookbill (fast, agile, missiles, autocannons, Space Superiority)
H-RR1-??? Hookbill (fast, agile, drones, Repair & Recovery)
H-MX1-??? Hookbill (fast, autocannons, plasma slicing torch, Multirole Experimental)
>(optionally write-in medieval armaments in place of ???)
>>
Big choice time: space Vegas or space TOR?

>F. Discreet personal transportation service
Small-scale and feasible even at our current level, with the potential of branching out. Doesn't require significant military edge, just local knowledge and decent pilots.
>A. Electronics ban, strict no-logging policy
While it feels like the best way for us to stand out, it also feels like the sort of thing we'd need to have a good system/countermeasures in place to enforce and keep people from exploiting this against us. Voting on it tentatively for now, might switch out for a good write-in suggestion.
>E. Asset laundering
I'd rather avoid actually having any actual goods on board (counterfeit or smuggled) if possible at this stage. Fits well with a no-logging policy.
>>
>>4531769

Nah, nah...

The consistent money doesn't come from doing the deals, it comes from being the support services. We are an absolutely legal, well protected, and utterly blind to the law station. We guarantee three things:

1) You are safe when you sleep here.
2) What you say here, stays here.
3) We keep our mouth shut.
4) We provide our services as offered. No more, no less.

That's not to say that we don't get involved in side deals, It's just that they absolutely are not a part of running our station. We're like a casino... Whatever prostitution may go on inside the hotel is none of our affair. The core operation is well run and utterly honest.
>>
>>4531998
This is how we should play it. Making what we do as legitimate as legally possible will go a long way to securing the safety of our station as time goes on and word spreads that we can be trusted.

Many will think twice of trying to attack our station once established.
>>
>>4531998

Rules of the station:

1) Docking fees are paid in advance
2) You are safe when you sleep here.
3) What is said here, stays here
4) We keep our mouth shut, but we won't face down the law for you. Don't be a dumbass, and don't bring your troubles home.
5) Do not hack directly from the station. The penalty is spacing, and we keep your stuff.
6) We provide our services as offered, no more, no less. Caveat emptor.
7) The escrow service takes 7%.

What do you guys think? The 7% thing is escrow for deals conducted from or on the station. Basically, we find the space equivalent of the Cayman islands, incorporate an escrow service there in a mailbox, and have the main offices on the station. Legal protection in the event anyone ever gets pissy enough to try and intervene.
>>
>>4531720

> Electronics ban
> Escrow service/exchange board
> Gambling and recreation club.

People come in, post their cargo, we handle swapping of payment, they transship the cargo off station (or on, if it's legal), Have a few drinks, get laid, gamble...

And anything short of a capital ship we're willing to put up a fight against (eventually).
>>
>>4532168
>>4532177
I can dig that. Switching my >>4531769 vote to support.
>>
>A. Electronics ban, strict no-logging policy (possibly our biggest potential competitive advantage)
>E. Asset laundering
>F. Discreet personal transportation service
>>
>>4532168
>>4532177
Sounds good. Support
>>
>>4532177 has the most support, locking in.

Let's see how the salvage job went. Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-9 +1 Reputation
>10-13 +1 Wealth
>14-18 +2 Wealth
>19-24 +3 Wealth and +1 Reputation
>>
Rolled 6 (1d12)

>>4533013
>>
Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>4533013
>>
These rolls are shit.
>>
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>>4533665
They were better but then somebody deleted theirs.
Yeah, that's right, don't think I didn't see you you sneaky bugger, you're gonna get vented into space next.
>>
>>4533013
>>4533022
>>4533510
>tfw we're working for "exposure"
Oh, God dammit.
>>
>>4531769
Sure I'll support.

>>4532168
Maybe throw in a few extras like
no undeclared heavy weapons, WMDs, or toxic/poisonous substances.
Make it 5 or 10 percent for easier accounting.
Guests, friends, and family are your responsibility and will be held accountable to for their mistakes.
unpaid debts can result in asset seizure.
I think that covers it?
>>
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Salvage job was supposed to be a week-long affair but it ended already on day 1. Soon after reclaimers disembarked into the abandoned outpost the entire structure started to get pulled towards Geduld. Your pilots however kept their cool and managed to rescue everyone. Word spread your men were willing to go above and beyond their contract and not afraid to put their necks on the line (+1 Reputation).

The following day you met representatives from Lai Dai Consolidated, member of the newly formed Gallente free trade coalition. Ideally you would want to be financed by someone completely unaffiliated with the local factions, but frankly you were tired of rolling the dice every time you sent your pilots on a mission, hoping they would all come back not only in one piece but also with loot.

Give me two 1d12 please to see how much Wealth were we able to get for our venture:
>2-9 Your high Stress fucks you up. No Wealth and -1 Reputation
>10-14 +7 Wealth loan, repayment with 10 payments in total and possibility of early repayment
>15-19 +7 Wealth investment
>20-24 +7 Wealth investment, +1 Reputation and small bonus once we commence service

Anyone know how to counter dice cheating without disrupting the quest too much?
>>
Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>4534236
you can have one of the archive sites up to check if there were any deleted post rolls.
>>
Rolled 6 (1d12)

>>4534236
>>
pretty high dice rolls to beat.
>>
>>4534406
>>4534407
lol
>>
>>4534454
You are right. I'll keep the outcomes like this:
>2-8 Fail 19.44%
>9-13 Small Success 34.72%
>14-20 Success 38.89%
>21-24 Extraordinary Success 6.94%
but introducing a new rule where we go one outcome up if there's at least a modicum of discussion or otherwise good content.

Implementing this rule retroactively to previous roll and writing.
>>
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You are not quite sure why but Lai Dai representatives weren't interested in having a stake in your new venture. Instead they offered you mortgage secured by your station and Fleshpod know-how. There weren't any ugly surprises hidden in the fine print so you signed and money appeared in your account shortly after.

On the way back to station you were thinking about where to locate the club. One option was to get rid of the cursed habpod and connect a new section in its place.

The other option was to start the club in the former machine shop. The premises would have to share space with Fleshpod production and your fighters would have to be berthed outside the station. On the other hand, you would still have habpod and could rent it out, that is if anyone were interested (may get +1 Wealth periodically).

No matter which option you chose, you also had the opportunity to pay back the fighter loan in full. Doing so would save you 2 Wealth, but only if you did it now.

Where to place our new venue + should we pay back the fighter loan in full?
>A. Get rid of habpod and connect the club section in its place (-6 Wealth)
>B. Get rid of habpod and connect the club section in its place (-6 Wealth) + pay back the fighter loan (-3 Wealth), will be left with 1 Wealth
>C. Start the club in former machine shop (-3 Wealth)
>D. Start the club in former machine shop (-3 Wealth) + pay back the fighter loan (-3 Wealth), will be left with 4 Wealth

Might 7 (+2 two fighters)
Reputation 4 (+1 salvage job)
Wealth 10 (+7 Lai Dai loan, -1 fighter loan payment)
Stress 5

Balance Sheet
+3 Fleshpods
-1 Station maintenance (expected to go -2 after we open the club)
-1 Wages and related expenses (expected to go -2 after we open the club)
-1 Fighter loan (5/6 Wealth left to pay)
-0 Lai Dai loan (10/10 Wealth left to pay, payments start next turn)
0 total
>>
>>4534674
>D. Start the club in former machine shop (-3 Wealth) + pay back the fighter loan (-3 Wealth), will be left with 4 Wealth
I'd rather not start it in the machine shop but 1 Wealth is too low for me to be comfortable, especially with our upcoming expenses.
...Is it viable for us to move the fleshpods to the hab-unit for the time being so that the club doesn't have to share a room with them?
>>
>>4534674
>A. Get rid of habpod and connect the club section in its place (-6 Wealth)
>>
>>4534674
>D. Start the club in former machine shop (-3 Wealth) + pay back the fighter loan (-3 Wealth), will be left with 4 Wealth
Just save the equipment for when we set up the machine shop elsewhere.
>>
>>4535426
Agreed and supporting.
>>
You decided to fully pay back the loan you took against your fighters (-3 Cash) and to place the club in the former machine shop for now (-3 Cash). You had hopes Fleshpod production could be moved to Habpod but unfortunately finished Fleshpods were too big to fit in the airlock. At least this way Habpod could be rented out.

Once again you brought and attached ancillary life support and steam units. You hired two cooks, bartenders/croupiers, barbacks which could also serve as bouncers if the need arose and other support staff. Club interior was resembling the station's observation deck, with modular furniture and plastic surfaces dominated by few light clusters. Girls posted at reception "armed" with handheld metal detector wands integrated physical security check into the onboarding ritual.

You instructed all the staff, along with your pilots, to be open about the anti-surveillance approach you embraced. Club itself had a strict no-electronics policy but everyone was allowed to bring electronic devices into other parts of station. You made the observation room and unoccupied cabins in the main section available to your courtesans and their guests. You hoped this would make the guests feel more welcome and besides, it's not like you had any other option at this time.

You set the escrow commission to 1%. There were several local competitors and you had to undercut them at first if you wanted people to switch to your exchange board. Right now you projected the most income would come from the club itself but later this would shift as market share of the escrow service would start increasing.

While you were busy setting up the club your pilots have been scoping their next mission:
>A. Protect independent mining operation
>B. Attack a shipping convoy
>C. Help defend Kyotid Zaibatsu against probable retaliatory strike
>D. Harass the operations of a large mining conglomerate until they pay you off
>X. (write-in)
>>
>>4536114
>B. Attack a shipping convoy
>>
>>4536114
>A. Protect independent mining operation
>>
>>4536114
>A. Protect independent mining operation
>>
>>4536114
>A. Protect independent mining operation
>>
>>4536114
>A. Protect independent mining operation
>>
>>4536114
>>D. Harass the operations of a large mining conglomerate until they pay you off
>>
>>4536114

Local competitors, my ass. Those local competitors sure won't handle illegal transactions, which was the whole point of this one.
>>
Rolled 4 (1d8)

Locking in A and writing. Should be a comfy mission...
>>
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>>4537489
Will address this in the next update or the one coming after it

A friend of a friend was looking for a few small vessels to keep watch over an independent mining operation.

Numerous interstellar objects were present in Seyllin at any given time. These rocks were generally so small and fast it wasn't profitable setting up automated mining systems around them. They were also relatively abundant, so anyone interested in mining them was usually able to do so without getting into someone else's hair.

You were told to bring only two fighters. Small mining cooperative which hired you also sourced another set of fighters from different contractor to make sure neither of you would try to pull off some kind of funny business. You couldn't really fault them for this - it was a smart precaution.

Your pilots kept rotating their fighters between station duty and mining operation, except Griffin which was permanently assigned to the mission. As expected, the assignment was uneventful and at the end of it you received reimbursement without any issues (+2 Cash).

Your pilots returned from their last day of duty just as all the essential work surrounding the establishment of club and escrow service has been done. It was time to kick back and unwind. Actually you have been unwinding with alcohol and narcotics almost every single graveyard shift ever since your station has been attacked. May as well do it socially this time...

What to do? Pick two:
>A. Head to observation room to fix yourself a drink
>B. Head to mess hall to get something to eat and maybe speak with the new cook
>C. Check the habpod. Last time you went there was when you were gathering clues after the attack
>D. Go see how is the latest batch of Fleshpods shaping up, speak with biologist(s) on duty
>E. Go into the newly built club section (optionally write-in what to do there)
>F. Go talk to (write-in)
>G. Actually just stay in your cabin and read the news
>X. Something else (write-in)
>>
>>4537723
>E. Go into the newly built club section
May as well lurk around, see if the place is running without any problems.
>D. Go see how is the latest batch of Fleshpods shaping up, speak with biologist(s) on duty
>>
>>4537723
>>C. Check the habpod. Last time you went there was when you were gathering clues after the attack
Time to see how our quest's main antagonist, the cursed habpod, is holding up. I'm still curious to figure out just what the hell was going on with the Superbrights and that attack.
>>
>>4537756
Follow that up with
>E. Go into the newly built club section
Give it a "test run" while we're at it and have the employees treat us as any regular customer. Lord knows we could use losing some accumulated Stress.
>>
>>4537723
>D. Go see how is the latest batch of Fleshpods shaping up, speak with biologist(s) on duty
Do this first before we head to the club.

>E. Go into the newly built club section (optionally write-in what to do there)
We really need to relax, get a bit tipsy, and just relax, ask for some chill music to be played, and order drinks to be brought to us, sit down at our own booth so we can reeaaly lay back.

Also speak to the owner about getting some extra entertainment in the club, some go go dancers or some live music.
>>
>>4537723
>E. Go into the newly built club section
Socialize and hear rumors.
>C. Check the habpod. Last time you went there was when you were gathering clues after the attack
>>
>>4537723
>E. Go into the newly built club section (optionally write-in what to do there)
Socialize and use the services of one of our girls
>>
Rolled 5, 11 = 16 (2d12)

>>4537741
>>4537756
>>4537814
>>4538267
>>4538749
E. has the most votes, followed by C. and D. which are tied. Locking in all three, but postponing Club and Fleshpods for later. Writing...
>>
You were about to unfasten a shelf in your cabin and get your daily dose of rum and ramelteon but you stopped mid-air. You have been doing this for too long. Usually you would justify it by telling yourself how socially tired you were or by some other bullshit excuse but not this time. You opened door of your cabin and launched yourself into hallway. You were thinking about going to former machine shop to check on the biologists or to club to make sure everything was running smoothly. But you knew you were making excuses for yourself again. You have been avoiding something, some part of you, ever since the station got attacked.

You began moving towards habpod, thinking about the Superbright. You didn't want to but you knew you had to. You remembered how alien they seemed to you, their attitude distant and withdrawn. But you also remembered how Cese, the oldest one of them, made conscious effort to bridge the chasm between them and the rest of station's inhabitants. You knew it wasn't easy for her but she tried anyways.

What about you?
>A. All I cared about was getting the most value out of them. If I knew they would bring so much heat with them I would have never brought them over in the first place. What happened is on them.
>B. I should've tried harder. Perhaps if we had better relationship things would end up being different.
>C. I failed. I couldn't protect the people I was responsible for. What happened is on me.
>X. Actually I feel differently about all of this... (write-in)
>>
>>4539264
>>A. All I cared about was getting the most value out of them. If I knew they would bring so much heat with them I would have never brought them over in the first place. What happened is on them.
>>
>>4539264

>B
>>
>>4539264
>A. All I cared about was getting the most value out of them. If I knew they would bring so much heat with them I would have never brought them over in the first place.
He didn't really have the time to grow close or give them a chance. Given that we intentionally separated them from the rest of the crew, I can't imagine our guy openly having the highest opinion on Superbrights. That doesn't mean we're just gonna wash his hands of the whole attack though; they were still good employees of ours, and someone muscled in on our operation to take them out. If there's been a leak it would be good to get to the bottom of it, regardless of what we personally thought of the victims.
>>
>>4539264
>>X. All I cared about was getting the most value out of them. If I knew they would bring so much heat with them I would have never brought them over in the first place. ...But they were on my station and were my employees. I couldn't protect the people I was responsible for. They brought the trouble over, but what happened is partially on me.
>>
>>4539830
'Switching' >>4539823 to this, to avoid confusion.
>>
>>4539830
Support
>>
>>4539830
Sure, +1
>>
You entered habpod, closing all airlock doors behind you. Cleanup crew you hired after the attack cleared the place out, but not entirely. Panels in one compartment were neatly stenciled in gridwork, an elaborate geometric mosaic of interlocking L-shapes. Growing towards external airlock, the shapes were getting smaller, more tightly packed, crammed together in obsessive, crawling rigor. The engraving's intricacy was claustrophobic, smothering: the tiny squares seemed to writhe and flicker.

Suddenly it dawned on you Superbright knew. Somehow they deduced what happened here, what you did. But for some reason they never confronted you about it...

All you cared about was getting the most value out of them (is this the kind of person you are?). If you knew they would bring so much heat with them you would have never brought them over in the first place (but you knew didn't you? Your own greed blinded you).

No, you were not gonna just wash your hands of the whole attack like this. Superbright were on your station and were your employees. They brought the trouble over, but what happened is partially on you.

You parked yourself in the inscribed compartment and whipped out your laptop. You began going over your old communiqués, message history, archived footage. You cringed at your past self, all the mistakes you made now clear in hindsight. You started crying but you kept going. At last you fell asleep.

***

When you woke up you felt invigorated, as if some invisible weight has fallen off you. Things weren't over, far from it, but now you were filled with calm and newfound resolution (-1 Stress).

You checked your accounts (4 Cash) and decided to...
>A. Hire new pilots (prerequisite for future fighter acquisition)
>B. Get drones to complement station defenses (-2 Wealth, +1 Might)
>C. Upgrade our club/escrow enterprise (write-in what would you like to implement)
>D. Save the money for later
>X. (write-in)

Things you cannot afford at this time:
>Replace damaged Command section (-6 Cash, +1 Might, pre-requisite for station expansion)
>Pay back Lai Dai loan in full (may save up to 2 Cash)

Search for new Habpod tenants in progress..

Might 7
Reputation 4
Cash 4 (-3 fighter loan repayment, -3 club startup costs, +2 most recent mission, -2 recurring total)
Stress 4 (-1 catharsis)

Balance Sheet, recurring
+3 Fleshpods
+0 Club/Escrow (expected to start making +1 next turn)
-2 Station maintenance
-2 Wages and related expenses
-1 Lai Dai loan (9/10 Wealth left to pay)
-2 total
>>
>>4540649
>B. Get drones to complement station defenses (-2 Wealth, +1 Might)
They will help with our lack of situational awareness immediately outside of our station.

>C. Upgrade our club/escrow enterprise (write-in what would you like to implement)
Greater Man in the middle/middle man security and crypto encryption communications, and vertifications.
>>
>>4540649
>D. Save the money for later
If we spend cash we won't have any left for next turn, we're poorfagging it.
>>
>>4540678
I think we should spend at east some of it.
>>
>>4540684
i'd rather err on the side of caution but if we do end up voting to spend i'd prefer
>C
over anything else, the write-in on upping security is tempting, especially since we're trying to make that place our main moneymaker
>>
>>4540689
I was leaning towards B if I had to pic one, in the hopes that the extra security would make our MC relax a little and feel a bit safer, possible reducing -1 stress. But I'm fine with just C if we had to pick one.
>>
>>4540649

>C

Greater communication security, lay groundwork to incorporate as a full bank (version of space Switzerland). VR club pods with neural induction.
>>
>>4540797
Support, particularly the encryption and security upgrades.
>>
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You were playing with the escrow interface yet again to find any potential bugs or user experience issues and that got you thinking about security. Core application was built on open source package but you weren't sure how robust it was against man-in-the-middle attacks or how good it was at detecting compromised client environment. You weren't very knowledgeable in this area so you paid three different groups to audit the app then give you list of actionable adjustments they thought should be made. You also allocated more money into your bug bounty program and upped the rewards (-2 Cash).

After this was done you decided to see how the latest batch of Fleshpods has been shaping up. The only way there was through club - every few weeks when Fleshpods were ready for export makeshift wall has been drawn aside and pods moved through club premises towards docking station. You hopped into steam unit, cleaned yourself, donned a null-g club kimono, went through club premises and entered the laboratory.

Each pod was fastened to wall and insulated by airtight self-sealing pressure filament made of thick plastic. Rest of place was occupied by sensor units, monitors, styrofoam boxes housing nutrient solutions and hormone packages, cabinets filled with tools and spare parts, medical sterilizer units and other assorted stuff. Christopher, the head biologist, was studying some data displayed on one of the screens, flanked by lab assistant Lucienne.

It wasn't hard to tell these two have grown closer in last few weeks. A cynical thought crossed your mind: Seemed like the attack was good facilitator of bonding experiences. You made some small talk and acknowledged without them mentioning it first working in these improvised conditions was not ideal and that you will try to move the club to its own section soon. After this you crossed back to pub.

Bar was still in trial mode and you haven't been really promoting it yet, but despite this the place was quite packed. You felt good tonight and decided to:
>A. Join group of your pilots hitting it off with collegiate-looking girls near secondary bar
>B. Engage rather restrained trio occupying one of corner booths, they seem they will be leaving soon
>C. Join group of Cassie's girls which are idling near main bar
>D. Drag Christopher and Lucienne out of lab for a drink or few
>E. Buy a round for a pack of Dembowska miners accompanied by Cassie's girls
>F. Buy a round for mixed group of young Gallente professionals having fun in two cojoined booths
>G. Approach a visitor you recognize (optionally write-in their background, for example Sheva, Goldreich-Tremaine etc.)
>H. Just relax in a booth
>X. (write-in)

Club/Escrow enterprise
Realized improvements
Strict no-logging policy
Better app security

Potential improvements
Discreet personal transportation service
Asset laundering service
Counterfeiting services
anything else which has been mentioned and I forgot to list?
>>
>>4541812
>A. Join group of your pilots hitting it off with collegiate-looking girls near secondary bar
>>
>>4541812
>B. Engage rather restrained trio occupying one of corner booths, they seem they will be leaving soon
What kinda security do we have for the station and the club?
>>
>>4541812
x
bang some hookers (for free since we own the place)
>>
>>4541812

>E. Alcohol to the miners being chatted up by hookers means miners get laid means we get money. Alcohol is dirt cheap. Net profit.

>B. Lessee whats up....
>>
>>4541812
>A. Join group of your pilots hitting it off with collegiate-looking girls near secondary bar
>>
>>4541812
>A. Join group of your pilots hitting it off with collegiate-looking girls near secondary bar
>>
>>4541943
>C. Join group of Cassie's girls which are idling near main bar
>>
>>4541812
>E.
Let's give them the whole "manager personally greeting the guests" song and dance. Might earn us some regulars.
>>
>>4541915
Few barbacks which can be used as muscle when needed + the pilots would join in too if really needed.

>>4541943
>>4542137
Don't worry, we are getting laid no matter which choice ends up getting selected. Speaking of, A. wins followed by B. and E.

Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-8 -
>9-13 Success with Dembowska miners
>14-20 +partial success with the restrained trio
>21-24 +success with the restrained trio and we bag one of the collegiate-looking girls
+1 outcome content bonus for good discussion, write-ins is on.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d12)

>>4542252
>>
Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>4542252
Just try to be a good, cheerful and friendly host
>>
>>4542252

Given the legacy of shit rolls in this quest, I recommend we shift to a 3d12, drop the lowest model....
>>
>>4542719
The dice will like us eventually.
Just not now.
>>
You made your way to bar and asked bartender to prepare drinks for the group of Dembowska miners. While he was at work you approached some of Cassie's girls which were idling nearby, slipped them a bit of cash and gave them a mission: They were to spy on and engage two men accompanied by one woman sitting by themselves in a corner booth - something about them seemed strange to you. After this you grabbed a few drinks and helped another group of Cassie's girls to bring them over to miners. Most of them were unrefined, few outright crass but overall a good-natured bunch just looking to spend their hard-earned paychecks on hookers and blow.

You were quick to adjust to their wavelength and played the part of good, cheerful, friendly host without issues. After all, you grew up in a mining station so you not only understood but also respected these men. Moreover, they could've spent their time in some watering hole back at Konrakas but they chose to come all the way to Seyllin IV. You tried your best at ensuring they would have a good time - after all if they would tell their friends to come over too it would be a win for everyone.

In the meantime the girls you sent to keep tabs on the restrained trio reported back. They were associated in some way with an escrow service based on one of local stations. They have been talking about your Dembowska allegiance, no-logging policy, legal issues, something about structure and fees... They didn't seem dangerous, more like checking out the competition. You wanted to come over to them and strike up a friendly conversation but they already left.

Miners seemed ripe to wrap up their expedition so you moved over to your pilots. They have been hitting it off with a group of girls which were coming over to surface for an academia-sponsored visit. Your pilots outnumbered the girls 5 to 4 and you didn't feel like competing with them. You weren't interested in antagonizing your pilots (least of all over chicks), got nothing to prove, and most importantly tonight you were at ease with yourself. Relaxed and earnest, you had fun and made sure to help any of your pilots when they got caught up in a shit test or otherwise needed support in their game.

You concluded the shift in one of station's cabins accompanied by one of Cassie's girls (-1 Stress).

1/x, rest coming tomorrow
>>
LOL lurker here, I like how coomers boosted the post numbers crazily for that one post.
>>
Let's see if there's anyone interested in renting habpod. Give me two 1d12 please:
>2-8 -
>9-13 Small one-time Cash/Reputation
>14-20 Choice between small one-time Cash/Reputation and periodic income with drawback
>21-24 Periodic income
Content bonus is on.
>>
Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>4543593
>>
Rolled 1 (1d12)

>>4543593
I don't want to roll
>>
Rolled 4 (1d12)

>>4543593
>>
When you checked your private messages the following day there were several from various people inquiring about your habpod rental offer. Only three were worth further consideration:

Theatre actors incorporated as Kabuki Intersolar specializing in null-g performances were planning to spend a few months near Seyllin IV. They seemed like fun bunch and didn't mind being based near your club. On the contrary, they weren't against staging some plays there. The downside was their rental budget was quite low - it would barely cover your costs. Although having them wouldn't generate any monetary profit, you were certain their presence and content they would bring would make your club more alluring. (possible Reputation gain and/or Stress reduction)

Another party interested in renting the hab unit was Sheva. Most of your Konrakas contacts have been affiliated with this informal network of Dembowska miners and workers in one way or other. You worked together on several occasions in the past, most notably when they provided decisive help back when you first came to station. Sheva was willing to pay you good money for habpod (+1 Cash periodically) but it was quite clear their activities could bring trouble your way. Still, perhaps it was a risk you were willing to take.

Lastly, there was an investigative journalist slash celebrity named Teodoro Abreu which somehow managed to antagonize pretty much all major factions in Seyllin. He had sizeable following but you suspected he was being bankrolled by some corporate or state actor. There was definitely something going on with him and his crew, something which went deeper than simple political entertainment. Teodoro offered the same kind of money as Sheva (+1 Cash periodically) but came with his own kind of baggage, one which you had trouble qualifying.

Who to rent to?
>A. Kabuki Intersolar
>B. Sheva
>C. Teodoro Abreu
>D. someone else (write-in)
>E. Keep searching for prospective tenants (lower chances of success)
>F. Actually, let's get rid of that habpod (+1 Wealth)
>>
>>4544188
>A. Kabuki Intersolar
>>
>>4544188
D. Mr. Richard Coomingston, a somewhat wealthy cryptotrader who was looking for a place to have an extended sex vacation (+cash periodically as long as he stays on vacation there)
>>
>>4544188
>A. Kabuki Intersolar
>>
>>4544188
>A. Kabuki Intersolar
this sounds fun
>>
>>4544188
A.
>>
>>4544188
>E. Keep searching for prospective tenants (lower chances of success)
>>
>>4544352
>>4544380
>>4544387
>>4544397
>>4544568
>>4544711
Kabuki Intersolar it is.

Also what kind of content should we explore in the next ~5 updates? (pick one or two)
>A. More character micro mixed with small-budget cosmetic base-pimping
>B. Tactical dogfighting scenario
>C. Historical exposition (with choices)
>>
>>4545506
>A. More character micro mixed with small-budget cosmetic base-pimping
>C. Historical exposition (with choices)
>>
>>4545506
>>A. More character micro mixed with small-budget cosmetic base-pimping

>>C. Historical exposition (with choices)
>>
>>4545506
>A. More character micro mixed with small-budget cosmetic base-pimping
>C. Historical exposition (with choices)

We can do a one off scene where we take control of a pilot and do the dogfight for a one off event or something.
>>
>>4545506
>A
>C
As well, with focus on C in particular.
>>
On 24th November 2061 18:11 EST US Space Operations Command lost contact with geosentry Peru. In the minutes that followed, critical pieces of circumterrestrial infrastructure have been knocked out, making Unites States effectively blind. Half an hour later launch sites, engineering complexes, drone depots and other targets with military significance located on west coast got hit by massive coordinated strike.

In hindsight, beginnings of this global conflict could be traced back to 2010s. Beleaguered by population decline and antagonistic to immigration Japan had no other option but to expand. In late 2020s, after collapse of Russian Federation, Japan anchored itself firmly in Far East and was making steady gains in Chinese coastal regions. By 2050, Japan and US were openly antagonistic to each other and in replay of 1930s, Americans started employing tightening economical restrictions to force Japan to give up its claim on Pacific. Ultimately Japan saw no other option but to commence open hostilities.

Secondary conflict was brewing in Europe, where Polish-led Intermarium vied for power with Turkish coalition. Turkey was safe island in a sea of chaos. Starting in 2010s, it spread its influence to the rest of Middle East, Balkans and Kavkaz. Polish coalition had its roots in American effort to contain Russia as it was making its last, desperate move in early 2020s. Turkey and Poland have been clashing in Balkans, Ukraine and Russia since late 2040s and by late 2050s it was pretty clear where things were headed.

Who was the ultimate winner of this war?
>A. United States
>B. Japan
>C. Polish coalition
>D. Turkish coalition
>>
>>4546198
>A. United States
murica'
>>
>>4546198
>B. Japan
Weeb future.
>>
>>4546198

>A
>>
>>4546198
>C. Polish coalition
Poland can into space now!
I'll also take USA if there ends up being a tie.
>>
>>4546198
>C. Polish coalition
Poland Rising
>>
>>4546198
>C. Polish coalition
>>
Poland won because everyone else killed themselves and forgot about poland.
>>
>>4546399
>Poland can into space now!
based anon, polandball is fun
>>
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Although stunned by sudden Turkish strike Intermarium forces were able to stop Caliphate advance in Balkans. While US was rebuilding its space and air forces, Polish coalition kicked Turkey out of Serbia, anchored itself in Bulgaria and was blocking Ottoman attempts to invade from sea. By second year it was clear Japan and Turkey were losing by attrition. At this point Germany, fearing Polish dominion over Europe, launched a failed invasion and was forced to capitulate. This coupled with uprising in Egypt and Iran knocked Turkey out for good. With no allies left, Japan folded too.

This was not a total war - directly targeting population centers or otherwise threatening the very existence of a nation would incur nuclear response. Casualties numbered tens of thousands, a far cry from milions lost in early industrial conflicts. Europe was once again joined together in union but this time Warsaw was calling the shots.

US was too busy with its own problems to effectively respond to Intermarium power spreading through Eurasia. By 2070 California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas were predominantly inhabited by Mexicans and threatening secession. While US and Mexico were figuring out who would rule over North America, massive economical boom kicked off in Eastern Europe. Circumterrestrial solar arrays which beam microwaves to surface receivers saw their first use during war and the technology has been developed since then. Entire new industries sprung up from this shift from hydrocarbons to solar energy.

By 2120 moon and asteroid mining was commercially viable. By 2150 there were several station complexes in circumlunar orbit which were wholly owned by corporations. On 27th December 2071 exploratory probe Rusalka on its way from Saturn to Neptune detected an antimatter anomaly and not long after mankind discovered solar system was part of a wormhole network.

Subsequent mapping established that:
>A. There is one central system from which all wormholes originate
>B. There are several central systems which are interconnected and each of these has also their own wormholes leading to other systems
>C. There's seemingly random network of connected systems
>X. (write-in)
>>
>>4547265
>B. There are several central systems which are interconnected and each of these has also their own wormholes leading to other systems
>C. There's seemingly random network of connected systems

Did germany attack poland or turkey?
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth when?
>>
>>4547279
Initial setup was US + Poland vs Japan + Turkey. Turkey has been trying to entice Germany to join it against Polish bloc already since 2040s but at the onset of war Germany was neutral.

Germany shifted its stance when Poland started winning. Politically supported by France and Spain (which however didn't supply much militarily) Germany invaded Poland by got repelled with help of scramjet strikes launched from US and UK.

Japanese failure to adequately support this German offensive has been a point of contention ever since. Mainstream historical perspective says Japan was tied down on other fronts to be of much help while some fringe currents suggest Japan reached some kind of understanding with Poland and let Germans fail on purpose.
>>
>>4547265
>>B. There are several central systems which are interconnected and each of these has also their own wormholes leading to other systems
>>
>>4547265
>B. There are several central systems which are interconnected and each of these has also their own wormholes leading to other systems
>>
>>4547265
>C. There's seemingly random network of connected systems
>>
>>4547265
>C. There's seemingly random network of connected systems
A and B are cool but as a tiny force we probably benefit if it's more decentralized
>>
>>4547279
>>4547401
>>4547484
>>4547548
>>4547577
Strong support for both B. and C. and noone wants A. Therefore result is
>Seemingly random network of connected systems containing several clusters of systems connected to each other

Also condensing the timeline:
>2051 WW3
>2060 first enterprises focused on moon and asteroid mining
>2080 several stations orbiting Moon, the biggest one declares as Mare Serenitatis Circumlunar Corporate Republic, nation-states on Earth too busy with Arctic rush to really care
>2105 wormhole discovery

Next update coming tomorrow...
>>
>>4547785
It be more fun and there could be more possiblities if there was B and C and a mix of BC wormholes. Gives it some mystery, and makes aliens and other stuff more possible.
>>
Rolled 1, 4, 2 = 7 (3d6)

>>4548110
It's pretty much like this, but perhaps not that vast. And I have my own plans for aliens

Anyways, besides Earth and Seyllin IV, how many other inhabitable planets are out there...
1d6, reroll on 1, rolling 3d6 in case 1 lands

...and where are they located?
>1 Seyllin
>2 fringe system (has only one or two connections)
>3 cluster system (interconnected with other systems in its cluster)
>4-6 write-in or reroll
Roll for location for each planet, also feel free to supply names and details. Please no traces of sentient life and no major barriers to colonization.
>>
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In 2080 one of several station complexes orbiting Moon declared as a corporate republic. In the decades that followed hundreds of new micronations sprung up in space. Inhabitants of these new communities weren't bound by geography but by ideology. English remained lingua franca, because English was the language of computing and computing haven't lost its relevance.

Terrestrial nations didn't really care as they were too busy scrambling over Arctic and its natural resources. Besides, for all the posturing, cosmic states were tiny and dependent on supplies shipped from Earth. Life in space was much more expensive and much less desirable than living on Earth's surface, however this has been changing gradually.

Twenty years after wormhole revelation mankind developed rudimentary warp and shield tech. By late 2130s greater part of wormhole network has been mapped out and five new habitable planets have been discovered. In 2146 the first permanent settlement has been established on Urlen III. This was a new age of wonder and exploration, an age where once again undesirables could be sent to colonies, solving lots of societal problems.

It seemed things were going swimmingly for mankind, until they weren't. Massive evacuation effort was underway starting from late 2150s. Earth became uninhabitable, the reason:
>A. Rise in background radiation levels
>B. General ecological collapse caused by unchecked GMOs
>C. Impact event and subsequent climate change
>X. (write-in) must be gradual enough for most of population to be able to escape, but definite enough for Earth to be considered lost

Also feel free to roll for location of 4 new habitable planets >>4548440, otherwise I will fill in tomorrow.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4548440

>>4548671
>B. General ecological collapse caused by unchecked GMOs
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4548440
>A. Rise in background radiation levels
The other stuff seems more workable than "Earth gives us cancer now"
>>
>>4548671
>B. General ecological collapse caused by unchecked GMOs
>X. (write-in) Widespread use and loss of control of WMD's used by various terror organizations/ non state actors and radical political environmentalists trying to rid the earth of humans killing the planet.
Also Denmark nuked one of the ice caps to make the resources more accessible.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4548671
>>
>>4548671
>X. (write-in)
Sun entered a more active phase in its life. Temperatures rose gradually but the earth's ocean eventually boiled away. Scientists predicted that the sun would not return to its previous state for another few hundred thousand years.
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>
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Rolled 3 (1d6)

List of all known habitable planets:
>Seyllin IV
>Seyllin V >>4548756
>Urlen III located in cluster system >>4548744
>Rens II located in fringe system >>4548734
>soon-to-be-charted planet (rerolling >>4548939)

Integrating >>4548932 and >>4548753 into B. and writing..
>>
Well killing the planet is a bit of an overstatement, its become largely deserfied, but its still habitable if it weren't for the chemical pollutants, rampant bioweapons, and higher backgroudn radtion, make it hostile for large mammals and primarily humans, the enviroterrorists did achieve one thing, ridding the planet of humanity, but not entirely of life. Mainly plant life, and small animals and rodents, and mutant deer.
>>
File: Rens II.jpg (1.29 MB, 1745x917)
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Micronation fever hit the Earth in late 2120s and in 2140s things were coming to a head. Some saw nation-states as obsolete, tyrannical constructs which needed to be abolished, others viewed them as guarantees of societal stability. Some theorized nation-states brought about their own downfall by setting up special administrative regions which carried the 2060s economical boom and then allowing unrestricted cosmic emigration.

Earth's ecosystem has been ravaged by rampant spread of genetically-modified crops and animals. Each subsequent alteration, meant as remedy, only made things worse. At the same time, various splinter groups, radical political environmentalists, terror organizations, doomsday cults and other non-state actors were spreading their agendas by violent means and no one seemed capable of stopping them. It has been suggested Arctic exploitation unleashed something which was not meant to be unleashed, something which was driving people insane.

In any case Sun entering a more active phase of its life was what ultimately brought Earth's inhabitants to their knees. Opinion shift was massive: At first no one really cared, then suddenly everyone was desperate to leave the planet.

The biggest portion of Earth's population has been unloaded on Rens II, which was the nearest habitable planet. It was a frigid world with only few habitable strips near equator. Seyllin was where the wealthy and ruthless ended up, having two temperate planets and infrastructure which was ready to absorb the relatively small immigration shock.

The year is 2243. Please roll four 1d4 for present state of habitable planets:
First dice - Rens II, fringe system, harsh, poor, roughly 85% of all of mankind located here when last transport left Earth
>1 didn't really make it, last enclave has been evacuated few years ago
>2 evacuation effort underway
>3 evacuation effort underway
>4 limited emigration, up-and-coming power

Second dice - Urlen III, oceanic planet located in cluster system
>1 bad
>2
>3
>4 good

Third dice - X, is a moon, located in cluster system
>1 bad
>2
>3
>4 good
If Urlen III and X have matching dice, X is Urlen III's moon

Fourth dice - Seyllin IV vs Seyllin V, which one is more developed?
>1 Seyllin V is ahead
>2 both planets are roughly on even power level
>3 Seyllin IV is ahead
>4 Seyllin IV is vastly ahead

Alternatively write-in pretty much whatever you want. In any case, I'll fill missing details when needed.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d4)

>>4549610
>>
Rolled 3 (1d4)

>>4549610
>>
Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>4549610
Sacrifice everything.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>4549610
>>
Gonna end the thread here. Thanks for playing.
>>
>>4552784
Forever?
>>
>>4553054
Don't Jinx it!



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