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Your name is David "Gunny" Rockefeller, no relation.
A veteran of the united states marine corps, you find yourself in a far-out situation after an all-too-close encounter of the third kind!

In the last thread you met back up with Clank after a few weeks away and found him running the show down in Thekia Station's lower city.
After making a deal with some locals to get your spoils of war towed back for repairs, you slowly discovered that life in the slums on this station is rougher than expected.

In order to help Clank secure his position and clean up the public order, you immediately dealt with a gun runner named Silus who appeared to be making moves.
After working with a slightly drugged-up Cylia to take out her mercs and requisition her stock of guns, she was more than willing to make a deal with you.

After that, you helped Kyla with a few simple prints back at the ship and continued on alone towards your second target: the whorehouse.
The woman in charge there, Civis, was level-headed and reasonable. It turned out that she was doing her best to take care of her own people after a shift in the station's power structure.

Now you find yourself deciding what to do with her as a potential asset. Will you leave her be, exploit her business or form a mutually beneficial contract?

>Last Thread: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5390745/
>All Threads: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=humanity+-+fuck+yeah%21
>Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rNxD6ccWY5M48dLWuTWdr5LiYLuS_YIAMKlTLw42eeo/edit#gid=0
>Discord Link: https://discord.gg/DMwvMw43yv
>>
>>5437189
>>5437139

You hear a bang against the door, followed by someone muttering "Shit!" under their breath.
She really wasn't joking.

"That's it, then?" You ask.

"Yes. As it stands, there's not much else i can do for them, besides keeping the brothel running. Without that work, they'd quickly fall into debt... or more debt, in some cases, and be forced to sell themselves."

"I'd say they're already selling themselves, wouldn't you?"

"True... but at least they still have their freedom. If ever they see an opportunity, they at least have the chance to grasp at it. A slave has no choices. No hope."

"Yeah... i guess. Still, the situation's pretty shitty, isn't it? I can smell the drugs in the air. And some of the girls, i see that glazed-over look in their eyes. Are you not planning on doing anything about that?"

"It would be difficult." She answers honestly. "Some of them need it for their work. Others use them to cope with their situation... and many are simply addicted. Whether they can stop or not depends more on them than me."

"No help for junkies down here, huh? Just like the kids, nobody cares... or at least, nobody with the power to do something about it."

"I'm afraid so. At least now that i'm in control of the brothel's funds, i can use the revenue we generate to pay for the girls' medical needs and possibly the occasional flight out of here. That's enough for me."

>Alright, i think i've heard enough. You don't seem like you'll be a problem after all, so we'll leave you alone for now.
>Just so you know, nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. I won't ask for much, but nobody's exempt.
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
>>
>>5437190
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.

Also bring up our comprehensive health-care package! With drug use so rampant and the diseases/injuries they must be constantly exposed to, we'd probably do better getting her on our and Clank's side by making free medical care a part of the deal, maybe even potentially offering a ride out to xebric station for any that need/want one once we've got it conquered, considering the "occasional flight out of here" comment?
>>
>>5437190
>Just so you know, nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. I won't ask for much, but nobody's exempt.

>and with payment comes protection and we'll let you run the show
>>
>>5437198
To be clear, I know we don't exactly have any real doctors, but we DO have a medical fab and I'm sure Clank has both access to another and the ability to download pretty much any medical text that might be needed.
>>
>>5437190
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.

with how things are going right now i still believe we no longer need to attack xebric. with enough time we'll basically have everything that we want and need here
>>
>>5437190
>>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
Yeah sure, this is another thing for Clank to focus on. I hope our cogga can multi task efficiently
>>
>>5437190
>Alright, i think i've heard enough. You don't seem like you'll be a problem after all, so we'll leave you alone for now.
I don't think she would be too keen on living under one crime lord after having JUST extricated herself from another.
>>
>>5437230
leaving her alone is not an option either. she still has a bounty on her head and we're here to collect if she doesn't fall in line like with the weapons dealer
>>
>>5437190
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
But first consult our crew to get their opinions. Clank, Kyla, not Cylia since shes asleep, Sanig, SHODAN, hell even our cabin boy.

>>5437198
That is something to consider, but we'd need to have a doctor first that can prescribe meds for them, and we wont always be here so promising health care is kinda iffy, because that requires the Metal Gear to be here to help them.

>>5437233
That's true. Maybe we can work something out where we collect her bounty, but she remains in charge. Like faking her death or something?
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>>5437240
>Maybe we can work something out where we collect her bounty, but she remains in charge. Like faking her death or something?
ok, here is the thing; we need the money because we want to attack xebric, but we don't need to attack them because clank is the defacto ruler of the underworld, giving us all the advantages we wanted on xebric with literally zero drawbacks. so lets just wait a bit until clank begins to make cash from his new contacts; that will make us WAY MORE than the bounties in the long term
>>
>>5437190
>Just so you know, nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. I won't ask for much, but nobody's exempt.
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
Give her some options but make it clear that she'll have to contribute in some way.
>>
>>5437190
>Just so you know, nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. I won't ask for much, but nobody's exempt.
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
>>
>>5437190
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.

>>5437220
Gron and Dark Star want Xebric it's not for us.
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>>5437240
>But first consult our crew to get their opinions. Clank, Kyla, not Cylia since shes asleep, Sanig, SHODAN, hell even our cabin boy.
Why? We're wearing the captain's braid and this isn't even remotely a democracy.
>>
>>5437190

>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange. We're also looking for manpower and maybe some of your girls could fit the bill for a career change with some training.
>>
>>5437190
acquire cat bussy
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>>5437749
but anon, we're already fucking cylia
>>
>>5437190
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.

As much as I’d like to bring in some fast cash with bounties I think this is the best play
>>
>>5437190
>Just so you know, nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. I won't ask for much, but nobody's exempt.
>How would you feel about working for us? You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange.
Both.
>>
>>5437837
+1
>>
>>5437190
>>5437837
Both. Both is good.
>>
>>5437365
Any small NGO is by necessity something of a democracy. Pirates and mercenary bands are no exception. Even if it's as simple as stating 'we are doing this' and giving people a chance to speak up about it.
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>>5437190

You don't sense a trace of falsehood in this woman's words. If she's acting, she's damned good at it.
This place likely does make a decent bit of money considering how popular it seems to be, but it's hardly anything in the grand scheme of things.

Not that you couldn't use it right now, but the good will you could create with the people of this station by protecting these girls is infinitely more valuable.
And besides that, they can provide you with something else that's more valuable than money as well. Dirt. Dirt on anyone and everyone who comes in here.

You've made your decision.

"How would you feel about working for us?" You ask her. "You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange."

"...Work for you how, exactly? What kind of information are you looking for?"

"Anything, really. Doesn't matter who it is or what they do, anything they say could have some value. People slip up with they get comfortable, say things that maybe they shouldn't. You feel me?"

"You want us to blackmail our customers? We can't do that. If we get caught, then..."

"No, no. We'll be doing the blackmailing. You'll just be listening. Always. And if anyone has a problem with that, well, we'll take care of them. And if we happen to make something off of what you give us then you'll get a cut, simple as that."

"I really don't want to put the girls in danger, though... can you really protect us? I'm sorry, but i really don't know anything about you."

"I understand. We're new in town after all, so maybe word hasn't spread yet. That's fine, you don't have to answer us right away... but keep your eyes on the news. And ask Silus just how much good her mercs did her against me and my girl."

You stand up tall, adjusting your jacket and stretching your shoulders for a moment. Just enough that Civis can see the weapons strapped to your body.

"Ahhh... maybe we'll install a few laser turrets in here too." You continue. "If that'll make you feel better."

"Laser... turrets?" She asks, sounding confused. "You mean phasers?"

"Nope."

Refusing to elaborate further, you start to make your way out. However, you pause as you place your hand on the doorknob and turn back to Civis.

"Oh, and one more thing. Nobody operates down here without giving Clark his cut. All things considered, i won't ask for much. Say, a hundred credits a month? More symbolic than anything. Take care, Civis."

You continue on through the door, but in your way are the three canid men from before. Now that they're standing in front of you, it's clear that one of them is much larger than the other two.
They clearly intend to block your path. They seem to be sizing you up. Trying to see how strong you really are, maybe? As if you'd walk in here alone on a bluff.

They aren't saying anything. They're just staring you down.
>>
>>5438139

>Just push past them. You don't care what their issue is.
>If they want a scrap, you're happy to give them one.
>Just threaten them, see how they react.
>Tell Civis to deal with her pets.
>Write-In?
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>>5438141
>Just stare back till they shit or get off the pot.
Maybe a "what" if they take too long, but otherwise, seriously, no need to shove past or throw a punch, just look at them completely unimpressed.
Actually, just occurred to me, they might be eyeing us up trying to figure out how to go about asking for workout tips from a guy they thought they might have to try and throw out three minutes ago. After all, David is insanely jacked.
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>>5438141
>Just stare back till they shit or get off the pot.
>>
>>5438141
>Just push past them. You don't care what their issue is.
>>
>>5438139
>Tell them they can scrap outside if they want. No sense tossing them through a wall when you settled this peacefully with Civis.
>>
>>5438141
>Just push past them. You don't care what their issue is.
>>
>>5438141
>Just stare back till they shit or get off the pot.
>>
>>5438141
>Just stare back till they shit or get off the pot.
>>
>>5438141
>Just stare back till they shit or get off the pot.
>Write-In?
Channel your inner ape. Your friends mentioned something about you giving off a menacing aura. See if you can channel that for shits and giggles.

If they actually shit themselves give them a pocket phaser as an apology for the laughs. You got more phasers than you know what to do with.
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>>5438141
>If they want a scrap, you're happy to give them one.
>>5438173
+1 if they start shit take it outside
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>>5438141
>Just push past them. You don't care what their issue is.

Mog the dogs
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>>5438150
+1
>>
>>5438141

It could be that they're trying to see if you'll attack first, but you don't plan on it.
Instead, you return the big guy's stare and simply wait, unblinking. You don't even get ready to fight, just ready enough to dodge the first blow, should it come.

It doesn't. A few moment pass in silence, which the big man breaks.

"Not going to say anything?" He asks.

"No need." You reply tersely.

"...Yeah, i guess not." He agrees.

He turns to walk away, giving you a long glance as he turns. The two smaller canids watch him go, but don't seem satisfied.

"Big brother, you're gonna let him get away with that?!" One of them says, voicing his displeasure.

"Yeah! This guy's just using the mistress as he pleases! I don't like his damned attitude either!" The other complains.

Both of them move to close the gap left by their larger partner. They still don't seem intent on letting you pass.

"If you two want to try it, feel free. I know you won't be satisfied otherwise..." The big guy tells them "...But don't expect me to pull your asses out of the fire."

"We can take this punk!"

"And we're not letting him leave without at least a few bruises!"

"Suit yourselves."

The big guy steps back and crosses his arms, intending just to watch.

"You should keep your pups on a shorter leash." You say, raising your voice slightly and smirking.

Tweedle-dum and tweedle-dumber immediately lose their shit at that comment and start growling.

"They aren't my pups." The big guy replies. "They can learn their own lessons."

"I wasn't talking to you." You clarify.

That was the last straw for one of them. Tweedle-dum lunges forwards and tries to punch you, but you just tilt you head and dodge without even moving your body.
In response, you grab his outstretched arm and twist it almost all the way around, then strike at his elbow. You hear a crack as it breaks, and watch as the man's eyes practically bug out of his head from the pain.

He's down almost immediately, dropping to his knees as he holds his broken joint. Props to him though, he holds it together and doesn't scream. Or howl, you guess.

Tweedle-dumber watches this happen, and surprisingly manages to calm himself down.
He doesn't back down, however. Instead, he takes an actual fighting stance - albeit one you don't recognize, and seems to plan on using his claws.

He stabs at you with all five fingers, and this time you dodge by turning your torso to the side.
At the same time, you throw an uppercut at his jaw with your left arm. To your surprise, he actually manages to dodge by throwing his head back. However, he doesn't have any other response, and now he's off balance.

With a quick shift of your weight, you throw a right straight that lands like a bomb against his stomach, throwing his feet out from under him and sending him sliding across the floor on his back.
These guys might actually make decent fighters, with some training, if the second guy was any indication.
>>
>>5438139
>"How would you feel about working for us?" You ask her. "You and your girls provide us with detailed information on your clientele, and you'll receive funding and protection in exchange."

But make this clear. WHORES DON'T ASK QUESTIONS. THEY JUST LISTEN. If they get nosy with their clients, shit will hit the fan real quick
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>>5438828
You're doing it wrong on a few different levels, anon.
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>>5438796
Tell 'em that they need to learn, but that they have potential, and give advice pertinent to them.
>>
>>5438828
Dude the fuck? No. We're beating their asses. They definitely do not want to work directly under us, plus the brothel needs these three stooges to protect the people here.
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>>5438828
>WHORES DON'T ASK QUESTIONS
How do they make sure the food on the menu isn't made with something they're allergic to then? Checkmate.
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>>5438897
Honestly this guy has a point, we cant take away the only muscle they have
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>>5438980
We could offer to give them some pointers and send them a sample of our gear down the line.
Sure, they'll probably spit in our faces if we give them tips after smoking them, but once they calm down and reflect on this beating, they'll probably take our advice to heart and become stronger for it.
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>>5438991
why? they are not allies; if anything, the one that should get the pointers is the dog that was smart enough to not fight
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>>5438991
How about no.
>>
Come on anons, is my ESL acting up again? What I mean is that the clients will notice something is off if the whores are awfully interested in the inane bullshit they go through day to day. Another situation would be the whore snooping around in the client's holopad to find out information and of course getting caught.
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>>5439196
No, you're right. All they gotta do is smile and nod, same as getting information from most people really
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>>5439196
that's literally what david told civis here >>5438139
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>>5439217
It is very well documented that people will talk if you just let them. Most people absolutely detest open silence for some reason.
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>>5439257
Silence means something's wrong in nature.

All the birds shut up because something's in the bushes.

If there's no wind, you don't get warning of fire, or rotting things.

If everything's quiet, nothing's alive.
>>
Sorry boys, no update tonight.
Been doing some extremely exhausting, stressful shit for a few days and i just don't have it in my tonight.

Gonna go crash now.
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>>5440003
Get well soon.
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>>5440003
hard stuff's cool shit
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>>5440003
Enjoy your rest, mang.
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>>5438796

Both men are on the ground now, groaning in pain. The larger man just sighs and shakes his head.
Of course, the commotion brought Civis running out to see what's happening, phaser in hand even. However, when she sees the situation, she also seems more annoyed than angry.

Civis does keep her composure though, and seeing that the fight was over before she could even arrive, she puts her phaser away and tends to the one with the broken arm, walking past you as if you weren't even there.
She looks his injury over with a discerning eye before speaking to him.

"You're lucky, Vik. The break seems to be extremely clean, so it should heal well. Come now, stand up... gently."

Civis uses her shoulder to help Vik brace himself as he stands, although you're certain he didn't need it.

"We'll get you a doctor and some bone gel this time, but i won't help you again if you keep challenging people needlessly." She warns him.

"Mistress... we can't just let anyone come in and walk all over you." He argues.

"Vik's right. You deserve better! He's shown you nothing but disrespect!" The other one adds.

"That's enough, both of you!" The big brother barks. "You both should know better. You could smell it on him too, after all. I have half a mind to beat you myself."

Both of them lay their ears flat and tuck their tails at the big one's reprimand, but still protest their innocence.

"S-So maybe we just wanted to test him a little, sure... but it's still true, he was really rude to the Mistress..."

Civis gently rubs Vik's head... which he seems to enjoy a little too much. His tail goes from being tucked to wagging in a hurry.

"Thank you for your concern, Vik. But i've been treated much more roughly than this before, and i'm not made of glass. Regardless though, you should understand our position here. We have no power or support to speak of, now do we?"

Civis pauses to contemplate something before continuing.

"I'm certain that if some thug came in here to steal money or try to take one of the girls, you three could handle it just fine. But this man is no ordinary thug, nor are his demands so simple.
Please, don't put yourself in harm's way unnecessarily. I have to count on you even now, but how can i do that if you're injured or worse?"

Huh. You wonder if that's how your crew feels whenever you're throwing yourself headfirst at something dangerous.
It's not really the same though, is it? You can take it, after all. Up to a point, anyways. It's not like you're suicidal or anything.

"...You're right. I'm sorry, Mistress. I was wrong." Vik says apologetically. He hangs his head, and his tail ceases to wag even though she's still petting him.

"Good, then. Never again, yes?"

"...Never again, mistress."

"Good boy."

Well, you did the damage so you might as well help out a bit. Medical bills aren't all that expensive here, at least from your perspective.

"Here." You say, tossing the big guy a latinum bar. "For the medical bill".
>>
>>5440405
Ask for the race of the dog like aliens. They are hilariously like some native animals from our world, specifically dogs. I mean the head scratches and the tail wagging? Absolutely adorable.
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>>5440405
I take offense at the pup's accusations, I think David's been the very picture of politeness and civility to Civis...maybe not to them or to the manwhore that made a move, but with the boss we've been nothing but understanding and friendly.

Still, can't hold it against them. I guess no matter where in the cosmos you are, a dog's loyalty is matched only by its immeasurable stupidity. That being said, hopefully paying for his medical bills smooths any ruffled feathers over this nonsense, and at least the big'un seems reasonable...though I am curious what it is they could smell on us...
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>>5440463
+1 this but

>>5440405
Ask if we can pet him on the head too. Also ask if the aliens enjoy chewing on bones for the calcium and the marrow, and dare I suggest....ask them if they enjoy long walks around the station. I wanna see how much we can get away with comparing them to dogs (pets) before they're any wiser.
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>>5440515
thats just weird. at least when we tried that with cylia she was already our friend, but these are the hired muscles of a mark we're trying to bring into our budding criminal empire. its just not a good idea
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>>5440515
Eh, no need to antagonize 'em.
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>>5440515
I mean, isn't Gildur a dog man?
Although he gets it kinda rough sometimes in the first place, I'd hate to actually degrade him. Beside we don't bond with our janitor enough to be like that.
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>>5440895
That man cleans up dodo shit and wraith blood without a single protest. He deserves nothing but respect.
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>>5440927
the dodo shit and wraith blood are just part of him paying his debt off for being a pirate. The part I respect him for is venturing into the captain's quarters after the marathon sessions where kitty and gobbo are left bruised and breathless in a comatose state. Janitor or no, that's not on ANYONE'S contract
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>>5440405
who's a good boy? who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are!
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>>5440895
More like a large rodent
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>>5441095
Unusually large rodents? I don't believe they exist *gets sucker punched by Gildur*
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>>5440927
Didn't we give him some maintenance bots to help with all that? I remember salvaging them after the first combat droid encounter.
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>>5440405

He seems surprised at the gesture, but accepts it without question.

"The three of you might actually have some potential." You tell him. "Speak with Clark about a training regimen and tell him Gunny sent you. He'll set you up."

"Training? Like, physical training? Okay... but how are we supposed to get hold of him?"

"Combat training. And as for how to find him... ask around. The local kids are a good place to start."

You wave them off casually as you walk away, but you stop just before leaving to say one last thing.

"...Just don't try anything funny. Those kids are under my protection." You warn.

You don't think it'll be a problem for them, but by sending people to clank through the kids, you can get a good read on them before they even arrive.
How people treat children is a good indicator of what kind of person they are. If they get violent or aggressive at all, then they just need to be dealt with.

If they try to pressure or manipulate them, then they need to be taught a lesson. It's still possible for them to overcome their own ignorance.
And if they treat the children well, then you might be a little more lenient with them. Everyone has their own issues, after all.

But that is just an indicator, and it certainly doesn't tell you the whole story. No matter how they act at first, you still need to keep an eye on them.
Unfortunately, unfettered access to the local intranet just isn't possible without access to the main network hub, which is controlled by the local government in the upper city.

The children are one thing, but they can't be everywhere all the time. You need eyes and ears on every corner, if you can help it.
Those are problems for later, though. Right now you have one more immediate target left, but before that you should go ahead and update Clank on the situation.

...

One phone call later, you've finished explaining the situation.
Clank seems interested in the concept of blackmailing targets via the brothel, and says that supporting the girls there won't be a major investment.

Not that he won't support them, but that it won't cost all that much. Medical shit isn't really regulated down here, so there are a lot of scammers and price-gougers that drive things up.
Apparently, proper clinics in the upper city don't accept patients from the lower city for one reason or another. They often wave them off as addicts or people trying to sell the medicine they're given, etc.

If you could open up a proper clinic down here, that would help support the population quite a bit, you think.

It could be that you're about to send a lot of people to the clinic, though. The homeless encampment is just up ahead now, and you can already smell it.
Burning garbage, faeces, filthy people in general... almost smells like the big city.

Some people do pay attention to your entrance into the camp, but few seem to care.
There are tents, lean-to shelters and sleeping bags scattered around, many of which are occupied.
>>
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>>5441995
Alright, first thing's first when fighting hobos.
Taunt to build up your heat gauge.
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>>5442016
>>5441995
https://youtu.be/FDt690OlJkk
Dont forget, David should be careful not to kill anyone. Everyone knows humans dont kill people.
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>>5442016
Too bad David doesn't smoke. I'd love to EX-taunt and spit a cig into someone's face.
>>
Maybe David is a Chewing tobacco kinda guy?
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>>5441995
>There are tents, lean-to shelters and sleeping bags scattered around, many of which are occupied.
Gimme some of the good shit Cochrane. I wanna feel like a piece of shit. Gimme some kids turning tricks for food money, people crying over slowly dying loved ones. I want some real heart wrenching action. I wanna eat depression and piss sadness.
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>>5442099
This is HFY quest, not your life quest anon.
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>>5442148
It's a homeless encampment what else is there to expect from the place? Oh probably gonna be some hazards like used needles all over the ground and nasty hobo sex.
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>>5441518
I am certain the bots are already up and running.
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>>5442099
>>5442148
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXZ2eRqHds
I support I want to feel LIKE SHIT and QM better feels likeit too
>>
>>5441995

Honestly, it's hard to say exactly where the encampment really begins or ends. You thought it would be smaller than this, but it looks like a significant population of people live here.
That might make this a lot more difficult, especially if everyone here is involved in the muggings, but you can't really say that for sure without gathering some information.

As you're walking, the smell of something cooking draws you in... and it actually smells pretty good, although you can't quite put a finger on what it is.
You follow your nose a short distance to find some extremely thin and rough-looking gentlemen cooking something over a garbage fire. It looks like some kind of meat, but you can't tell what it is, exactly.

All you know is that it's too big to be from a rat or something. It even has large tendons sticking out of it.
...On second thought, you don't like how those fellows are looking at you. Or the fact that everyone else seems to be avoiding them. Maybe best to leave them be.

Walking through the camp, you see a lot of emaciated individuals. This is pretty shocking, considering how cheap nutrient paste is. Can they really not get their hands on just a few credits for a meal?
One person, a woman, you think... although it's hard to tell, she's so thin... but this woman looks particularly bad. Literally just skin and bones.

"Miss?" You call out to her. But she doesn't respond. She just sits there, eyes staring forwards, unblinking.

Then you notice, she isn't actually breathing. You've seen a lot of different kinds of aliens, but none of them didn't need to breathe. She's dead.
You're not sure whether no-one's noticed or they simply don't care, but she must have been here for a while. Her skin is already cold to the touch.

You lay her down where she sat, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"I will inform corpse disposal, Captain." SHODAN tells you.

"...Nowhere to bury her on a station. Will she be cremated?"

"All biological waste is repurposed for the sake of efficiency, Captain. Corpses are broken down into their component elements via matter furnace, then used where needed."

Great. Instead of returning to the earth, you get turned into printer filament and nutrient paste.
Space really is just wonderful. And here you thought earth was savage.

Leaving the girl there, you take a short walk to get your mind off of that. Those thoughts don't lead anywhere you want to go.
Now, you need a lead. One way or another.

>Just ask around. You can probably buy the information for cheap if nothing else.
>Try to act muggable. Desperate people don't always think things through, so they might go for it.
>Just hang around. See if you can find anyone acting suspicious... or at least, more suspicious than the others.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5442654
>Just ask around. You can probably buy the information for cheap if nothing else.
These guys are so desperate and without options that I'd honestly feel bad baiting them into mugging David.
>>
>>5442656
+1 honestly some of these guys, if they're not gonna burn their cash on drugs, need the money.
Plus I'm 100% sure that one guy was cooking another alien. Brutal.
>>
>>5442654
>Great. Instead of returning to the earth, you get turned into printer filament and nutrient paste.
to be fair, this is the same process as being buried, just way faster

>Just ask around. You can probably buy the information for cheap if nothing else.
>>
>>5442654
>Just ask around. You can probably buy the information for cheap if nothing else.
>>
>>5442654
>>Just hang around. See if you can find anyone acting suspicious... or at least, more suspicious than the others.
>>
>>5442654
>Write-In: Go find the guy who everybody leaves their important shit with when they go somewhere. That's probably the most trustworthy guy. A good start anyways.
>>
>>5442654
>>Just hang around. See if you can find anyone acting suspicious... or at least, more suspicious than the others.
Sorry, but giving cash to hobos is not morally right. For me
>>
>>5442919
Why?
>>
>>5443006
He doesn't tip at restaurants either.
>>
>>5442919
Good man. Most just get high and hurt people anyways.
>>
>>5443022
to be absolutely fair, tipping just perpetuates the bullshit wages that make it necessary for a worker to actually make a living.
>>
>>5443022
>homeless peeps
>having enough money to tip
Bruh
>>
>>5442654

You decide that rather than causing a commotion, it may be better to just hang around for a while and see what's what.
To that end, you make your way to a sort of rest area where people have set up some old couches and chairs in a circle around a fire.

As soon as you arrive and sit down on a couch that's in slightly better shape than the others, everyone looks at you like you're crazy. But you don't say anything, and you mind your own business.
So eventually, they start to ignore you as well. You just sit there and browse the web on your holopad, like several others are.

Occasionally you do look around, and you discover that most of what people are burning in that pile seems to be plastic, actually.
However, the plastic just melts and burns cleanly, without any sort of smoke. It's almost like an alcohol flame. You guess most disposable products are made from clean-burning plastics for this reason.

About an hour passes before someone else comes along and sits down beside you. A humanoid man with wrinkly beige skin, a long, scraggly beard and four elongated fingers on each hand.
He's wearing something like a trench coat and bell-bottom pants, but all of his clothes are in pretty bad condition. You recognize the instrument on his back as some kind of guitar.

"Mind if i take a seat?" He asks, his voice raspy but his tone rather upbeat.

"Not at all." You reply.

The older-looking man sighs as he takes a load off, setting himself down on the far side of the otherwise empty couch from you. He places his bag between you, and leans his guitar against the side of the couch.

"Nice weather we're having today, huh? Heehee." The man chuckles. He begins sifting through his duffle bag and pulls out something resembling a sandwich, wrapped in clingfilm.

Unwrapping his meal, he tears it in half and offers you a bite.

"Want a bite? Cuisine from my homeworld, just like mom used to make!"

You shake your head and turn him down.

"Sorry, i don't accept food or drink from others. Kind of you to offer, though."

"Ah, no worries, friend! You look well-fed enough, anyhow."

He doesn't seem bothered at all and takes a bite of his sandwich before continuing with a slight mouthful of food.

"You new around here?" He asks.

"You could say that, yeah."

"I could tell. The way you look at folks, all that pity, all that care. Nobody here has that kind of feeling in them anymore."

You'd have to agree with him. A lot of the people here just look dead inside.
There's not exactly a lot of people helping eachother out here, either.

"...What's your name?" You ask, curious.

The man chews and swallows his food before answering.

"Ahhh... The name's Joe. People do call me a lot of things, but mostly i'm just Joe."

"Well, that's an oddly familiar name to hear this far out. Nice to meet you, Joe. I'm David, but folk here call me Gunny."

"Nice to meet you too, Dave! But what brings a man like you to a place like this?"
>>
>>5443109
Would you believe I got kidnapped?
>>
>>5443109
>Would you believe I got kidnapped?
>but right now im here for business reasons
>>
>>5443115
+1
>>
>>5443115
this
>>
>>5443115
+1
>>
>>5443115
Its the technical truth. Sure.
>>
>>5443698
It's not even a technical truth, it's literally what happened.
>>
>>5443698
First thread we were literally kidnapped by aayys and probed.
>>
Do you think aliens lose there baby teeth?
>>
>>5443752
,,,yeah, why not?
>>
>>5443720
yeah, but joe is asking why are we in the hobo zone, not why are we in space
>>
>>5443917
Well he didn't specify that now did he? Shane on Joe Smoe.
>>
>>5444069
well, he doesn't expect us to be retarded enough to tell him our whole adventure instead of the immediate reason for why we're there though
>>
>>5444211
You're right. Let's just cut right to the chase. First we were born..
>>
>>5443109

"Would you believe i got kidnapped?" You tell him.

Joe bursts out in phlem-filled laughter, which quickly devolves into a fit of coughing.

"Geh-heh! A guy like you, kidnapped? Ahh, that's hilarious! But, i've seen crazier things. Way crazier than that."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Just for a moment, Joe's carefree expression turns serious.

"You wouldn't believe me if i told you, friend. But, i'm not one to dwell on the past. Why are you really here? You're clearly a man on a mission, all strapped up like that."

You lean over and whisper to him, making sure no-one around is close enough to overhear.

"I've heard tale of a string of muggings out here, and i'm trying to find the one responsible. A man named Ollia. Only problem is, i have no real information on him."

"Ollia?" He asks, whispering back. "Yeah, i know that fella. He's a real prick, him and his buddy both."

"You know him? Can you point me in the right direction, then?"

Joe smiles and rubs at his beard thoughtfully.

"I dunno, Dave. What's it worth to you?"

"...How does a latinum coin sound?"

"Like i'm eating good this week!"

You hand over a latinum coin worth a hundred credits, which Joe immediately bites down on, nearly chipping his tooth in the process.
He shoves the coin down into his boot with a satisfied look on his face.

"Alright... you want to know where Ollia is?"

"Yes, i would like to know."

"He's over by the spigot, charging people for water."

Joe points out in the distance towards a small group of people. They're tightly-packed and a bit far away, so you can't see much detail from here.

"Do you know what he looks like?" You ask.

"Sure, you can't miss him. He's big, fat, ugly, hairy, smelly and loud. Everything you're looking for in a boyfriend! Gah-hah!"

"Well that does narrow it down, but i meant more like, his skin color, his race, hair color, that sort of thing..."

"His race? Who knows. His skin's probably the same color as mine, but he's so dirty it's hard to tell. Don't think the man's ever taken a shower in his life! Not even in a fast-food bathroom, for christ's sake."

"And his hair?"

"Black as coal, my friend! Like i said, you can't miss him! Now, if you'll excuse me, i have a little tune to play."

"Alright. Thanks for the info, Joe."

"Not a problem, friend! Thanks for the meals!"

Having finished his sandwich in the midst of eating, Joe cleans up his wrapper by tossing it into the fire and picks up his instrument.
You stand up from the oddly comfortable couch and stretch out your legs. As you're walking away, you listen to Joe's dulcet tune and find it oddly familiar, though you can't quite place your finger on it.

Approaching the area Joe pointed out, you find the crowd looking a bit bigger than you first imagined, and they seem to be rather upset.

"This is robbery!" One man yells.

"Water is free! You can't just claim ownership of a public water pipe!" Another woman yells.

The crowd quickly gets even more riled up, until...
>>
>>5444221
......wait....is this Space Boxcar Joe, with a fairly nice couch an guitar?
>>
>>5444221
Man, Joe is such a swell guy. Before we leave trade you contact info with him. If he lacks the creds for a phone, get him a coin or two to buy one.
>>
>>5444221
This guy we're going to rough up. Should be a good, guilt free stress reliever that gets Clank some goodwill with the local homeless.
>>
>>5444221
Get Joe's number, then beat the shit out of Ollia, but don't kill him. He might know a few things and might be useful alive. Then like disrupt his money to all the hobos to get them to like us, and possibly supply us with info. Maybe we can get some homeless informants?
>>
>>5444221
Stay safe cotton eyed joe
>>
>>5444361
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOYZaiDZ7BM
>>
I say we waterboard the fucker.
It's one of America's favorite pastimes after all.
>>
>>5444395
He did mention that Ollia needs a bath...
>>
>>5444398
let's not posion the water supply. they have very little down here.
>>
>>5444409
I know he said waterboarding but any liquid will do, really.
>>
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>>5444414
we're not pissing on him.
>>
>>5444454
Sewage it is.
>>
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>>5444454
I never said anything about piss.
>>
can't we just crush his windpipe between two fingers?
>>
>>5444747
We did promise Cylia we'd ease up on the killing.
>>
>>5444747
lol no. he's probably worth a bounty, no matter how small it is.
>>
>>5444818
>>5444822
no no no, this is a reversible injury I swear
>>
>>5444818
Let's bathe this filthy fuck! Unsexy shower scene take 2.
>>
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>>5444221

One of the men in the crowd gets a little too riled up and takes a step forward, yelling and pointing at Ollia aggressively.
Ollia motions to the man beside him, who draws a phaser and fires it straight into the man's forehead.

You swear you see the phaser blow a little crater of flesh out of his forehead, and the man falls over instantly, as if he'd been shot.
When he falls, his head slams against the hard, rocky floor and makes a sound similar to a ripe watermelon busting. A few moments pass in silence, until you see blood trickling from underneath his head.

No way the phaser was that powerful. You recognize that model, and it's middle of the pack in terms of power at best.
Was the guy he shot really that weak? Before you get a chance to think on it, the crowd falls into an uproar which is quickly suppressed when Ollia also pulls out a phaser of his own.

"Yeah, that's right." He says, waving his phaser at the crowd. "You fuckin' leaf-munchers better fall in line if you don't want to end up like him! HAHAHA!"

Ah, come to think of it, most of the people here do seem to be prey species, unlike Ollia himself. He's small and dense-looking, like most of the top predator species you know including yourself.
However, he seems to be lacking muscle and has pretty big spare tire. Could be he's still strong enough to get what he wants, so he doesn't bother to train.

What's more interesting though is that he honest to god looks like a pig. Same snout, tusks, ears and everything.
And you've killed over less than a slice of bacon before.

Not that you would really consider eating a sentient species, but... fuck man, if you were going to it'd be this one.

Ollia's ranting about something, but you aren't sure what. You're too busy thinking about the last time you had a nice pig's ear or some hog trotters. Bacon, pork chops, a rack of ribs... oh man.
You almost don't notice as someone in the crowd tried to ambush Ollia's partner from behind. A yak-man, by the looks of him. Weaker than you'd have expected given their looks.

The yak-man grabs Ollia's partner from behind and grapples with him, trying to steal his phaser away. But the man, another pig-like fucker, just flips the yak-man over his head and slams him back-first against the ground.
Ollia unloads his phaser into him, causing the yak-man to convulse violently with each shot. There are no visible craters in this guy's flesh, but his fur is still smoking at the points of impact.

Then he starts having a seizure.

"See that? Even big bastards like him are no match, so either pay up or fuck off!" Ollia yells.
>>
>>5444913

>Yeah, this is pretty cut and dry. Just kill him.
>Kill him, but make a show out of it. Let people know what happens when they start shit in your territory.
>Actually, this would be the perfect opportunity for a little mob justice. All you have to do it break his legs and hand him over.
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5444914
Call shodan, see what she can find on him. Depending on the bounty size either break his legs and let the crowd lynch him or drag him kicking and screaming to the bounty office.
>>
>>5444914
>Kill him, but make a show out of it. Let people know what happens when they start shit in your territory.
>Don't forget to announce that the water pipe is free for public usage, courtesy of Mr. Clark.
>>
>>5444914
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
>Write-In?
But that doesnt mean he has to be in one piece. Break his and his buddy's knees, let the crowd wail on the pair, then take then away before they die. We can turn them both in for bounties and drain both their accounts. The crowd can keep the phasers.
We can also interrogate him.
>>
>>5444926
Money is still money. Why not let them beak hin half to death then take hin away?
>>
>>5444926
Hey, he's still worth a penny dead or alive. I say we make the compromise between cash in the short term and reputation in the long term.
People will be a lot more hesitant to pull this kinda shit in the future if they see a piggy get his head kicked off for it.
I really just wanna see exactly what the difference is between David at 100% and the average predator species.
>>
>>5444931
+1
>>
>>5444914
>Actually, this would be the perfect opportunity for a little mob justice. All you have to do it break his legs and hand him over.
>Don't forget to announce that the water pipe is free for public usage, courtesy of Mr. Clark.
>>
>>5444914
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.

>>5444933
We can cripple the knees of the pig goon so the crowd can lynch him, then we knock out Ollia to be turned in for a live bounty. Before we leave we could state that the water is free, but if anyone tries this racketeering shit again in Clark's territory, there will be trouble.

>>5444943
What about the money?
>>
>>5444914
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
>that doesn't mean the crowd can't have some fun before you deliver him to the bounty hunters
>>
Have we told the crew of the horrors of hogs back home? Not even getting into the unimaginable girth of hogzillas.
>>
>>5444914
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
That being said, we can absolutely make a show out of beating them both down and cleaning up "Mr. Clark's territory". So, I guess it'd be:
>Beat him down for the bounty, but make a show of it. Let people know what happens when they start shit in Clank's territory.
>>
>>5444926
>Support
>>
>>5444914
>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
Take all his credits and metal money.
>>
>>5444914
>Walk up too him
>"I'm hungry."
>"You will be tasty."
>>
>>5444914
>>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.

break his arms and legs before we turn him in.
>>
>>5444914
>>Actually, this would be the perfect opportunity for a little mob justice. All you have to do it break his legs and hand him over.
But let's get his attention first. Even if he doesn't deserve a fair fight, it's a better show for our/Clark's rep if he shoots us to no effect before we turn him into bacon strips.
>>5444954
I love using giant pigs as encounters in my games. A lot of people don't know how much danger they're in, the first time.
>>
>>5444913
Supporting >>5444926
>>
>>5445070
A lot of people make the same mistake with hogs as they do with hippos. They think it's just some funny round thing but don't understand just how much muscle and unfounded hatred they have in their bodies.
>>
>>5444914
>Kill him, but make a show out of it. Let people know what happens when they start shit in your territory.
>>
>>5445092
Hippos are fucking evil and I put forth the motion to exterminate any spaceborn variant of them we find.
>>
>>5444914
>>Write-In?
It's swinetime baby, time to show 'em how we do it down in Ol' Bama. Slow-roast the minion as a whole hog, preferably glazed. The other gets turned in for the bounty as soon as we've removed his limbs, ears, snout, and big sections of his torso, which should be carved up and frozen for future bbq purposes as soon as we find some trees that'll pass for hickory or mesquite analogs.
>>
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>>5445267
>>
>>5444914
>Yeah, this is pretty cut and dry. Just kill him.
I dont care about the money let's just be done here
>>
>>5445285
dude, the money is literally the reason we're doing these hunts. we just haven't turned everyone in because keeping them under our leash is more profitable
>>
>>5445285
>pure unadulterated autism
>>
>>5444914
>>He might have a bounty, however small. And bounties are always twice as high if you bring them in alive, for whatever reason.
mmmm mmonnneey
>>
>>5444913

The crowd begrudgingly begins to give in, starting with one person walking up and offering whatever they have.
There's no latinum or credits being transferred here, just jewelry, electronics or whatever else they may happen to have.

Ollia doesn't even bother to check what it is, he just laughs as it starts to pile up.
People bring their containers over to fill them up, be it water bottles, small pots or whatever else.

One couple tries to go up there together, but Ollia's man stops the woman in her tracks.

"Ah ah ah. She has to pay, too." He grins.

"B-But i already...!" The man begins to stammer, only to be cut off.

"No excuses! Two people, two payments! You got a problem with that, we can take care of it right now."

While he's bullying the hell out of people, you contact SHODAN to see if you can find anything on him.

"Got any matches?" You ask her.

"One match, under the name 'Olliander'. 99.9% probability. Wanted for petty theft, assault, robbery, grand theft auto and forgery. Bounty: 15,000 credits."

"And his friend?"

"Facial scan matches one 'Gorra Heel', wanted for assault, petty theft and bribery. Bounty: 7,000 credits."

Huh, that's more than you expected out of the two of them.
Well, you have some upcoming bills to pay. Might as well clean up the streets and spread your name a little while you do it.

Pushing your way through the crowd, you make your way to the front of the line.

"Hey man, don't push! It's not like he's gonna turn the spigot off..." Someone whines as you push past.

As you break through the front, Gorra taps Ollia's shoulder to get his attention and nods in your direction to point him your way.

"Do i know you?" He asks.

"No." You answer. "But you will."

Gorra steps between the two of you as you continue to stride forward and puts his arm out, as if he intended to stop you by placing his hand on your chest.
One quick backhand knocks him out of your way, and the spit out of his mouth. But it doesn't knock him off his feet, nor does it knock him unconscious. He's left holding his cheek in pain.

Ollia suddenly looks a lot more nervous, but tries to mask it with confidence.

"What, you got a problem with me? You think you're hot shit, huh? Tell you what, you work for me and i'll give you a cut of what we make. How's 5% sound?"

Unholstering your 1911, you draw a bead on his right knee.

"W-Wait, ten percent! Fifteen!"

You fire. A spray of blood blows out the back of Ollia's right knee, and is followed shortly by his left. He begins screaming as he drops to the ground.
You can hear Gorra snorting angrily as he charges you from behind, so you quickly holster your weapon and turn to face him, just in time to take a phaser shot right to your unprotected forehead.
>>
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>>5445448
I imagine taking a powerful phaser shot will end up with a Lichtenberg mark. People blasted by lightning get it and the cool looking scar disappears in a day or two
>>
>>5445448
Oh the Piggies will make good fucking bacon.
>>
>>5445448
Regular phasers sting without the skin suit, so the juiced up one is going to give us some burns I guess. 2nd or 3rd degree?
>>
>>5445448
Oh no, a phaser, whatever will we do?
Cripple him, destroy his spine. Maybe even do something savage like tear a chunk of meat out of him with your teeth. He does look like bacon.....mmmmm pork.

>>5445458
Nor stronger predators? Maybe? But for David, and considering these are one of the low end phasers, AT THE VERY MOST it will singe the hair on his skin.

>>5445498
It's not even juiced up. Normal herbivore aliens are just that weak and full of air, while other predators...are slightly tougher but still weak. We are literally built different.
>>
>>5445618
To be fair to these aliens specifically, they are also malnourished and disease riddled most likely as well.
>>
>>5445458
As far as we've seen, these phasers aren't really any more powerful then those bootleg lasers people sell on eBay as tattoo removal kits.
So, at worst might have a slight burn mark on his forehead.
>>
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>>5445672
>>5445618
How about a really small lichtenburg?
>>
>>5445766
Those fucking toenails gad damn
>>
>>5445772
That big toe looks like it's aspiring to become a thumb.
>>
>>5445766
why are the toes so... finger like wtf
>>
>>5445448
Is it Ash Wednesday already?
>>
>>5445448

You groan as your vision goes white for an instant, feeling the electric shock pass through your body. It causes your muscles to tense up for a second.
There's a slight sizzle as a whisp of smoke trails from your forehead, a small pockmark left on your skin at the point of impact.

Gorra slams into you a moment later, intending to tackle you off your feet. He expected you to be stunned, which you suppose you were. Enough not to immediately knock him out, anyways.
But instead of knocking you over, all he manages is to slide you back on your feet. You quickly come to a stop as you dig your feet into the rough, rocky surface.

As your brain comes back on-line, you're immediately pissed.
You plant your feet and roar, twisting at the hip and slamming your left fist deep into Gorra's ribcage, shattering it.

Gorra reels from the blow, but you grab his shirt with your right hand, pulling him towards you as hard as you can. You slam your forehead into his skull, crushing his nose and right orbital.
Blood sprays from his snout and his right eye pops nearly out of his head. He stumbles backwards, clearly unconscious on his feet. But you're not satisfied, you gotta let him have one more.

You take a step back just so that you can step into this one, cocking your fist back and really putting everything you've got into this right straight.
Even in his unconscious state, Gorra recognizes the danger and manages to feebly put up something like a cross-arm block just in time to save himself.

Both of his arms snap like twigs, and he's blown backwards into the crowd by the force of your strike. Nobody even tries to catch him, and they all back away from where he landed.

Gorra's down for the count, and Ollia's still screaming behind you. Looks like it's more or less taken care of.
You take a moment to calm down. Breathe in through the nose, and out through the mouth... there, that's good.

...And of course, that's when Ollia, face full of snot and tears, chooses to shoot you in the back. Repeatedly.
And continues to shoot you in the side and front as you turn around, but his panicked shots all dissipate against your clothes and skinsuit.

Of course, to the crowd it just looks like you're eating them.

Casually, you walk up to him and grasp his phaser with your entire hand, then crush it's thin plastic frame in your grip, tossing it aside just in time for it's internal capacitor to short and catch fire.
Ollia, now somehow even more terrified, tried his damndest to scoot away from you on his ass. You don't let him, of course, and reach down to grab him by his throat.

Fatass that he is, it might be difficult to hold him like this in earth's gravity. But here on the station he barely weighs anything by comparison.
You're able to hold him up in the air, gorilla grip locked on his airpipe as he struggles to breathe, or even peel away a single one of your fingers.
>>
Anyone else had the Robocop theme clanging in their head ever since we started shoving through the crowd? That beatdown was straight up some "Dead or alive, you're coming with me" shit.
>>
>>5446137
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47NYUbtYb0
my neighbor is playing this so idk anon
>>
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>>5446131
>Hewwo mister officer here I have bounty
>>
>>5446131
Temptation to eat alien, growing stronger.
Hey wait what the fuck kind of phasers were these? Wasn't David's personal shield supposed to absorb the first shot?
>>
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>>5446131
These are the moments I enjoy the most.
Not the spaceship combat, not the power armor fuelled raids.
No, it's just standing there and looking like a Terminator.
>>5446137
I had something different in mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQm2_cAZvo
>>
>>5446302
Only if it's turned on, I guess. It doesn't have infinite battery, right?
>>
>>5446386
I don't think so, but it should generally be on right now. It at least lasts longer than the hardlight shields. Speaking of, seeing what the headlight tech can do in combat me think it would be especially useful against laser and plasma based weapons. It's like a two folds shield: it can absorb energy attacks, and can be used to tank shots instead of trying to dodge them.

>>5446131
In fact hardlight tech will play an interesting roll in the next ship we build, or our retrofit of the Metal Gear. It would go great on bigger, slower, and tonkier ships.
>>
>>5446131
>Adopt stray alien child as team mascot and cabin boy/girl when
Cochrane will we ever see that adorable birb girl? I wish to do nice things for her, like get her a toy, and a knife.
>>
>>5446945
>"David, you can't just keep giving knives to every orphan you meet!"
>"Why not?!"
>"It's not safe for anybody!"
>"I gave you that revolver when I knew you for like a week and you didn't have anything to say about that!"
>"I'M NOT A KID DAVID!"
>"God! Fine! I'll just start giving out phasers then..."
>>
>>5447075
God Bless America
>>
>>5447075
>phasers arguably being safer than knives
lol, lmao even.
>>
>>5446131

He's not calm at all, so it doesn't even take a full two minutes before he's unconscious. You let him drop to the ground in front of his little chair and move to drag Gorra over as well.

Looking around, the crowd is absolutely transfixed on you, as if they're all waiting on you to say something. So you do.

"This city belongs to Clark, now. If anyone else like this prick shows up, spread the word. We'll take care of it."

"D-Does that mean we don't have to pay anymore?" Someone asks.

You sigh, dropping Gorra next to Ollia so that you can rub your eyes in frustration.

"Yes, the spigot is free for all to use. You can collect your belongings as well."

You see the crowd almost immediately try to rush the pile, but stop them.

"AH! Stop! One at a time. Get your shit back, and nothing else. If anyone tries to steal anything, speak up. And if you lie about it, i'll break your fucking arms."

The crowd quickly forms an orderly line, and they collected their items one after another without issue. Not a single person tries anything, that you're aware of anyways.
A woman, the one from that couple earlier, you recognize, stops and asks you something after picking up her holopad.

"Does that not hurt...?"

"What, this?"

You rub the little burn on your forehead, but it cauterized as it was made, so it's not even bleeding.

"Can't even feel it." You tell her. "It'll be mostly healed in a few days."

You can hear her whispering "Wow..." under her breath as her (you assume) boyfriend pulls her away. He chastises her for speaking with you as they leave, saying it's dangerous.

Several people don't even bother to fill up their water after getting their items back. They just immediately leave, along with several others in the crowd.
Looks like they're avoiding you. They'll probably come back after you've left.

After a quick check to make sure that you yourself don't have any particular bounties on your head... and you don't, for the moment at least... you call up clank and inform him of the situation.

["Brilliant work, Captain. However, the issue is not yet resolved. Ollia may have been leading the muggings, but those under him have not yet been caught."]

"I got him and his boyfriend, at least. Want me to bring them to you for "questioning" before we turn them in?"

["That would be ideal, Captain. I'll wire the funds to you after they've been turned in for their bounties."]

"Sounds good. I'll send you whatever information is on their holopads, too. Good luck out there, Clank. I know you've got a lot more on your plate now than you did this morning."

["I will be fine, Captain. It serves as an interesting challenge."]

...

Ollia and Gorra are both in pretty bad shape, so after applying some quick-clot to Ollia's kneecaps you hog-tie the both of them together and drag them behind you with a length of paracord, all the way back to the arena.
On the way there, pretty much everyone on the streets gets a good look at them and the condition they're in.
>>
>>5447780
We should be singing what to do with a drunken spacer(Whaler) and scar the shit out of em.
>>
>>5447801
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPuey-1Jw
Agreed
>>
>>5447780
So that means David or Clank can earn even more credits by turning in the bounties on the small time muggers. Nice.
>>
>>5448094
we could do that from the start, but we usually went for the higher bounties
>>
>>5447801
Seconding this.
>>
>>5447801
+1 sounds fun
>>
>>5447780
With the money from these goons, I think we have enough to pay back Cylia. Man bounty hunting can sure be real profitable.
>>
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>>5447780

The both of them trail blood behind you as you drag them, Ollia from his knees and Gorra from one of him arms, which has a fractured radius poking out through the skin, as well as his badly broken nose.
Neither of them are going to die, but they look admittedly awful. Considering how weak most species are, the people around you could be forgiven for thinking they're dead already.

You don't know why exactly, maybe it's the fact that these lads have been misbehaving, but you get the sudden urge to whistle an old tune. Slowly, almost somberly.''
After whistling your way through that old song a once, you even start to mumble the lyrics to yourself.

"Oh, what will we do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor ear-ligh in the morn'in..."

The oddest thing begins to happen as you do, though

"Shave his belly with a rusty razor, shave his belly with a rusty razon..."

Whereas people stared at the spectacle in morbid curiosity before, now you see people running inside to get away from you almost as soon as they hear you singing.

"Put him in the bed with the captain's daughter, put him in the bed with the captain's daughter..."

"What the hell are you singing?" Ourg asks. She's standing outside the arena's back door, waiting for you.

"It's an old sea shanty, about punishing a drunken sailor." You answer.

"...I don't understand half of what you just said. Either way, stop it. It's creepy as hell."

"What? No it's not! It's supposed to be an upbeat song! I just don't have a chorus singing along with me."

"Whatever." Ourg dismisses, rolling her eyes. "...What happened to these two?" She wonders.

"I took this one out at the knees, and that one shot me in the head with a phaser. I didn't like that very much."

"Yeah, i see you got a little burn there. Might want to get that looked at, before it become infected."

"Nah, this station is basically sterile from my perspective. It'll heal on it's own in a few days if i put some petroleum jelly on it."

"Petroleum jelly?"

"Crude oil byproduct. Clean it up a little and it's great at creating a moisture barrier. The old oil rig workers used to call the unrefined stuff "rod wax" and used it straight out of the ground."

"What."

"Anyways, let's get these guys inside."

Ourg helps you drag the two of them up and into the building, then down the hall past Lupu and Lobo.
Both of them suck through their teeth painfully at the sight of the men you're dragging, but quickly mind their own business.

Having reached Baal's office, you knock on the door before announcing yourself.

"Special delivery for mister Clank!"

"Thank you, Captain. Mister Beran, if you will?"

Sitting in the room is a thin-looking man wearing what you can only describe as an ornate gimp suit. His face is covered by a helmet, and there are a pair of knives attached to his forearms.
He doesn't speak, but he does nod in agreement before walking past you out into the hall.
>>
>I just don't have a chorus singing along with me.

That's it, next time we're out travelling the space we gotta get the crew in for it. Speaking of which, what's music like in space? Wish we could have heard that old bard's music. Are chord structures still the same and pleasing to the ear across species?

I've been learning the concertina and now I feel a little inspired.
>>
>>5448575
Neat, a space torturer. Let's watch him work his stuff and see if hes better or worse than us. Maybe we could do something funny like a good cop bad cop routine. Worse comes to worse? We take over the torturing.
>>
>>5448936
eh, we have better things to do
>>
>>5448936
On the topic of torture, I imagine Beran here has a much different idea of it than David might.
As we've seen, most aliens out here have glass bones and paper skin. It stands to reason that the common methodology employed in spaceborn torture is a fair bit more tame than what might be seen on Earth.
Conversely, any methods David might be familiar with would have to be toned down quite a bit lest they kill the subject immediately.
Another hypothesis I have is that given how fragile most aliens are physically, those who specialize in torture might prefer to focus on psychological methods as opposed to the physical.
>>
>>5448929
>what's music like in space?
AI generated of course
>>
>>5448575

As Beran passes you, he stops and turns around. You turn to face him as well, because you're definitely not showing this freak your back.

Every last one of his movements is jerky and jittery. He looks you up and down, cocking his head sideways like a curious dog.
But then he reaches out slowly towards your face, and tries to place his hand against your cheek. Now that's a step too far.

You grab his hand out of the air, preventing him from touching your face... but at the same time, you feel a... 'flash', for lack of a better term.
Visions of people screaming, being tortured both mentally and physically. Images of Beran without his little gimp suit, looking like pinhead fucked freddy kreuger.

It only lasts an instant, though, because you let go of his hand almost as soon as it happens.

"...What the fuck are you?" You growl, staring down at Beran.

He simply stands there for a moment, hand held in the air as if it were stuck there before managing to pull it back.
He stares at his own hand, turning it over once or twice before turning away from you without a word, grabbing hold of your prey's ropes and dragging them away.

'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" You demand.

"Gah, my ear! What the fuck was what?!" Baal replies, looking up from her paperwork.

"That was Beran, the Torturer." Clank replies, monotone as usual. "He is a well-known information expert, with a reputation for being particularly effective. We are fortunate that he is currently residing on this station, Captain."

"Yeah, real fuckin' lucky..." You grumble as you wipe your hand off on your pants.

It seems like nobody else saw what you did. Maybe he didn't touch them, or maybe it didn't matter, you don't know.
Either way, that guy ain't normal. ...You guess you aren't either, but you still don't like it.

You could have gone your whole life without this occult bullshit, but no. You just had to fuck around in the depths of space. Good job, Gunny.

"Captain?"

"Huh? What is it, Clank?"

"There are no other immediate issue which need taking care of. And perhaps it is best not to stir up too much interest in a single day, regardless."

"What, you tellin' me to get lost?"

"Certainly not, Captain. However, we do have clients waiting to meet with us."

"Fine..." You sigh. "Sorry, i'm just a little worked up is all. Keep holding it down, Clank."

"Of course, Captain."

...

You head back into the arena hall and try to calm down for a second. That Beran fucker got your heart racing for some reason.
Ourg is already halfway down the hall, headed back to her little station by the entrance.

Well, now what?
Baal and Ourg are both here, so nothing interesting must be going on in the arena. Sanig's off playing around, and there's nothing but busywork back at the ship...
>>
>>5449252

>Kyla would probably appreciate the help. At the very least, you could print parts for her.
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>There's a black market down here. Maybe you'll find something interesting if you take a look around?
>>
>>5449253
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
Wait did those alien haulers already deliver the ships to the station, or did SHODAN make some of the drone shops follow us back? If that's the case then this could be a good opportunity to both recruit some people, AND turn in the bounties for actual assholes.
>>
>>5449259

The functional ones came back with you. The remainder have to be hauled back by other ships.
>>
>>5449261
What happened to the frog man who's nuts we destroyed? Is he recruitable?
>>
>>5449266

He's still sitting in cryostasis on your ship.
You could try, if you wanted. He probably doesn't like you very much, though.
>>
>>5449253
>>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>>
>>5449252
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>>
>>5449253
>>There's a black market down here. Maybe you'll find something interesting if you take a look around?
maybe we can meet someone interesting... or recruit people to speed up the refitting of the ships? there are so many things we could fin
>>
>>5449253
I can not recall but did the ship AIs report their captures? Because if they did we have som things to consider. perhaps we might want to cash it in somewhere else to not draw attention here. On the other hand here we do have some backing in case they want to not pay and have us detained for questioning. It might take some work but we can be imobolized.
>>
>>5449252
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>>
>>5449379
>>5449340
>>5449332
>>5449259
Wait. How will we even turn in some of the bounties without the guys mentioning that they were initially captured by space police, not us? Wont that seem kinda suspicious?
>>
>>5449253
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>>
>>5449253
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>There's a black market down here. Maybe you'll find something interesting if you take a look around?
>>
>>5449253
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>>
>>5449253
>Maybe now would be a good time to turn in some of those bounties you captured from the fed ships.
>Call Gron on a secure channel and see if he can vouch for some of the "criminals"
>Get SHODAN to help us go through the list of criminals we got to determine who we should keep with us, and who is complete barrel scum that needs to go to jail.
>>
>>5449426
Cause said space police ships never updated the capture logs? The bounties wouldn't be open if they did
>>
>>5449426
"Heads up, I heard them planning on lying about who captured them to spite me, wanted to let you know they're full of shit."
>>
>>5449252

Actually, now that you think of it, this might be a good time to deal with some of the more unsavory fellows in the cryostasis pods.
Nothing better for a quick buck than unloading some unwanted cargo, right?

With that in mind, you set off for the ship again. Really, really getting sick of climbing that goddamned ladder. It's starting to remind you of basic.

When you get back, you see Kyla harnessed to the side of the ship. She has a panel off and her face is stuffed inside of it.
You see welding sparks flying out, so she must be doing something important. You wait for her to finish.

It takes her a minute, but eventually she's satisfied with her work and lets out a long sigh.
When she pokes her head back out, you see her wearing what would ordinarily be silly, oversized welding goggles... but they actually look kind of good on her.

She pulls them up to her forehead and closes the panel back up, then presses a button on her harness.
The cable that was holding her in place begins to extend, and she drop back down to the ground.

"Hey, babe." You greet her. "She in any shape to fly?"

"Depends on who you ask, i guess. But she'll hold together, yeah."

"Good. We need to make a quick little trip..."

...

You quickly rounded up the crew that happened to be around. They being Kyla, Cylia and Gildur, and take off towards an empty patch of space near (but not too near) the station.
There sit four drone ships, ready and waiting to go. Of course, they're not in the best condition, but they are at least still functional enough to fly, even if they don't all hold air.

Right now though, they have the very important task of supplying power to the many cryostasis pods that have been shoved into them, through jury-rigged cables and tubing.
These guys in particular, for the most part, are the ones with the worst records. Rape, serial murder, arson and so-on.

Donning your power armor, you hop across the gap and enter the drone ships, then hop back across carrying a pod on either shoulder.
After doing that three times, you reckon you've got enough and make your way back to the station.

You don't have access to their full, detailed records, but these guys are all listed as "particularly reprehensible" or worse.
Of course, you might be as well if people knew the half of what you've been doing, but that doesn't seem to have happened so far. Maybe these guys were just lacking tact.

Either way, they're about to be cash for your various little projects.
Each one of these men has a bounty higher than €50,000, but not much over. It seems like 50 is some kind of trigger, and if your bounty goes over that the fed AIs get dispatched to deal with you.

That means Gron has a bounty higher than €50,000 too, huh? Probably a lot higher, since they tried to dogpile him.

Oh well. Now out of your suit, you drag the pod into the medical bay and look for a familiar vial of bright blue liquid, which you load into a hypo-stim.
>>
>>5450295
oh man the suspense!!!
>>
>>5450295
Fascinating, kind of a ranking system by way of how much you're head is worse...with how much we know of the fact Warp Cores are demon fuckery...how much would we be worth if the fed finds out?
>>
>>5450295
If there's an automatic trigger to send out a bounty hunter fleet, that's crazy exploitable. We ought to look into what the regulations surrounding these fleets are.
>>
>>5450295
Is this €50,000 before or after accounting for the double pay out for if they're captured alive?
Before anything, do a quick background search of their races for any hidden surprises like the gross slime guy, and make sure they're restrained. Interview them, get a feel for them.
>>
>>5450533
>Interview them, get a feel for them.
why though?
>>
>>5450538
Well if Gron has labels like mass murderer and super anarchist by the feds, some of them can't all be bad. I mean David has done worse than most of these bounty goons.
>>
>>5450543
>I mean David has done worse than most of these bounty goons.
>cue yakuza-esque "david has never killed anyone" montage
>>
>>5450556
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQmpBXoIJOU
>>
>>5450561
It's a good thing Kiryu splattered that slime disguised as a human all over the place. Who knows what that monster would have done if left to its own devices.
>>
>>5450561
The human body wouldn’t react like that to being punched, so obviously whatever that adversary was wasn’t human.
>>
>>5450295

After putting the guy inside through a rapid defrost, the lid of the capsule pops open and you immediately jab him straight in the neck with the sedatives.
Having been defrosted, he begins to wake up, clearly feeling extremely groggy and confused... only to almost immediately close his eyes again as the drugs take effect.

You pull his naked form out of the capsule and toss him into the chemical burn shower to hose him off before slapping a pair of cuffs on his hands and feet, just to be safe.
Next up, you strap a carrier harness onto him for ease of transport and dump him onto the hovercart like a sack of potatoes. One more pair of handcuffs binds him to the cart itself.

"Man, you really don't give a shit about these guys, huh?" Kyla notes.

"The only reason he's not dead is because he's worth some credits." You admit. "He's lucky i'm not the one who caught him."

"Fair enough, i guess. Need any help loading the others up, sweetie?" She offers.

"Nah, you've been working hard all day. Why don't you take yourself a break? I left some icecream cake in the freezer for you."

"Aww, are you trying to butter me up? Because it's working."

"Oh, not really. It's just... we wouldn't want you losing that nice, plump figure of yours, now would we?"

"I'm not just plump, i'm ripe for the picking..." Kyla growls.

"Get a freaking room, you two!" Cylia yells, busting into the room.

"Cyl, you're up already? How are you feeling?" You ask.

"Fine... i guess. I smelled someone else on the ship and it woke me up. What's this?"

Cylia waves her hand in the general direction of a sleeping, naked man chained up and strapped to a hovercart.

"A present?" You offer.

"Cute, but he's not my type."

"I'm just turning in some bounties for the cash. Guys from the fed ships."

"Oh, them. I still don't know about that. Won't the feds realize what's up when someone else delivers the bounty?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I mean, does it really matter? If a whole fleet couldn't take me out, what are they gonna do? I'm probably not even worth the resources."

"Unless they want to stamp out trouble before it gets too big... and you're right, you did take out a whole fleet. That's enough to get their attention for sure. Plus, i don't think the Metal Gear could handle another fight like that..."

"Gee, way to poop on the party, Cyl. Look at all this money, hey? Isn't that nice?"

You grab the chained-up man by his harness handle and shake him around a bit for emphasis.

"David..."

"...Look, what's done is done. If they come after us, we just gotta deal with them. We'll get the Metal Gear fixed up too, but you're right. She can't handle big fights like that. I'm working on something for that, alright? We got this."

Cylia sighs.

"Always so confident. If it was anyone else i'd say you're crazy, but..."

She wraps both of her hands around the back of your neck and pulls you down to her height for a kiss.

"I believe in you."

...

"Get a room, you two!" Kyla yells.
>>
>>5451182
Get a room you three!
>>
"Gee, way to poop on the party, Cyl. Look at all this money, hey? Isn't that nice?"

Heh, poopy stinky
>>
>>5451182

"Why don't all three of you get a room, and get the hell out of my medical bay. This place is supposed to be sterile, so don't go getting your stink all over it."

The three of you turn to see Sanig standing in the doorway, clutching his head with a pained expression.

"Finally had enough?" You ask him.

"Hardly. Just gotta rest these old bones for a minute..."

Sanig leans heavily against the wall, looking tired.

"Where have you been all day?" Kyla asks. "I could have used your help a few times, here. You know the flight computer is on the fritz, right? I need someone at the console while i check the gimble hydraulics."

"Yeah, yeah. Not right now. I uh... i need some water."

"You did wash up before you came back, didn't you? Don't want you getting your stink all over everything, after all." You joke.

"You want to find out? Smell my finger." He grins.

"Ugh. Anyways, if you're done with shore leave, can you please help Kyla with printing parts and whatnot? I've got some bounties to turn in."

"Fine, Kid. Just don't ask for anything too complicated. My head's killing me right now."

"Thanks, you two." Kyla grins. She gives your leg a hug before dragging Sanig off towards the fab.

You, meanwhile, start dragging another guy out of his pod. A quick dose of sedatives and he should be good to go.

"Yuck. What's that goo all over them?" Cylia asks.

"Nutrient gel, supposedly. Absorbs into the skin, keeps them alive. Their metabolism is slowed way down, but technically they're still breathing and everything. These aren't like our cryo-pods." You explain.

"So that's what the mask is for, huh?"

"Yep. They still need air. Not a lot, but some..."

This guy starts waking up a little too much, and seems to realize the situation he's in. He's still too weak to do much more than kick and squirm a bit before the sedatives start taking effect, though.
You toss him into the shower and rinse him off with warm water, which helps bring his temperature back up a bit more. Then on go the cuffs, and then he's further cuffed to the cart.

The next two go easily as well, and now you've got three naked guys chained up in front of you.

"I mean, i already knew, but they really just don't compare, huh? Down there, i mean." Cylia comments.

"Yeah, no kidding." You agree. "I've got a hammer myself, but even compared to most humans... well, i wouldn't be showing it off if i were them. Especially him."

"Why is it shaped like that?" Cylia asks, tilting her head.

"Well, if he's anything like a duck... i guess that's half of why he's got that kind of bounty."

Turning away from the pile for a moment, you look over your own cryo-pods. You still have a single wraith in there and Randall, as you've taken to calling him.
Everyone else has either been sold off or dumped on some moon for potential future use.
>>
>>5452097

Ol' Randall's been in there for a while now. He doesn't have a bounty as far as you can tell, but he did try to assassinate you.
Your feud with Dark Star is long over by now though, and Randall definitely isn't getting paid either. That leaves the question of what to do with him.

>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
>He's just taking up space, and you're not really the stealthy type anyways, so his skin's not that useful to you. Might as well just let him go.
>Sneaky bastards may be annoying to deal with, but they can also be useful. You could make him an indentured servant like Gildur.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5452097
*four naked guys
>>
>>5452098
>Sneaky bastards may be annoying to deal with, but they can also be useful. You could make him an indentured servant like Gildur.
>>
>>5452098
>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
they aren't people if they piss us up
>>
>>5452098
>Have a chat with him first. You can decide what to do with him afterwards, depending on how the chat goes.
>>
>>5452098
>>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
>>
>>5452098
>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
>>
>>5452098
>>5452129
Actually, I want to switch to
>>5452120
this
>>
>>5452120
This

>>5452098
The dude was literally pancake by gravity. Is he even still alive at this point?
>>
>>5452098
>>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
might as well
>>
>>5452097
Wake him up and hand him over to gron.
>>
>>5452098
>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
He was hired to assassinate us. I want him dead or his skin.
>>
>>5452098
>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
His skin is more valuable than his life
>>
changing >>5452106 to
>Have a chat with him first. You can decide what to do with him afterwards, depending on how the chat goes
>>
>>5452098
>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
We'd probably make better use of it than he would anyways.
>>
>>5452098
>>You hate sneaky bastards like him, and he's probably not worth the trouble. All you really want is his skin, and that would fit in a medical crate...
>>
>>5452120
+1
>>
>>5452098
>Have a chat with him first. You can decide what to do with him afterwards, depending on how the chat goes.
>>
>>5452098

You decide that Randall's probably more trouble than he's worth. He's probably got a grudge against you after you tortured him all night.
And besides, he's still got some serious injuries from being crushed by the weight of your gravity generator. He probably needs real medical care.

But most of all, he tried to kill you. For money. You can never really trust a piece of shit like that, and you'd know because you're basically the same damned thing.

Having given it some thought, you pull two phials out of the medicine cabinet and plug them directly into Randall's Cryo-pod, allowing the machine to directly disperse them into his body through his circulatory system.
One is an entire phial of sedative, and the other is a dilute phial of cyanide. Since they're both dispersed pretty evenly and thoroughly, he should slip away peacefully without even knowing what happened to him.

"What was that?" Cylia asks.

"A peaceful death." You answer honestly. "This guy would have been a problem no matter what we did with him, all things considered."

"...Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. People have a bad habit of forgiving and forgetting, especially over time. It may not have happened yesterday, but he did try to kill me. And now he's probably got a grudge against me as well."

"Probably...?"

"Well, i did torture some information out of him after all. Not only that, he's badly wounded because of me. It'd take a lot of rehab to get back in shape, and he won't forget that. I know i wouldn't."

Cylia places her hand against the frosty glass, looking closely at Randall's pained expression for a while.

"...I don't think you needed to do that, David. You could have let him go."

"He'd just be a threat. Better to get rid of him before he causes us a problem, Cyl."

"Look at him! His legs are broken! His arm is broken! He's covered in cuts and burns! He's not a threat to anyone, no less you or me! If you let him go... i think he'd just try to get as far away from you as possible..."

"He's a murderer, Cyl. An assassin for hire, and a good one at that. I still don't know how he got onto the ship without anyone noticing, and he can turn himself invisible. He can even hide from the ship's sensors. He's dangerous."

Cylia turns pouts, giving you a look. Goddamnit, you know that look, too. She's not gonna let this go.

"...I'll think it over, alright? The drugs won't take effect until we thaw him out, we can still flush them out of his system."

"Thank you, David. I know you have... problems... leaving people alive. But you don't need to kill everyone, okay?"

"I do when they try to stab me with a poisoned needle."

"David..."

"What? Are you gonna try and say i'm wrong? Because i'm not. Nobody stabs me and gets away with it."

"Correct me if i'm wrong, but he never actually stabbed you, right?"

"Yeah, but he tried. Hell, even if he just thought about it, he'd still be guilty. Fuck him."

"But-"

"FUCK! HIM! Fuck that motherfucker, and his whole family too!"
>>
>>5453007
Not literally of course, that would be kinda gay.
>>
>>5453007
>Fuck that motherfucker, and his whole family too!"
Yup that is the usual attempt at translating some of the spicier curses of Arabs and Eastern euros.
Things like damn your entire line and fuck your mother's dead people.
>>
>>5453064
+1
>>
>>5453007

"Okay, okay! Calm, please... calm. Breathe, David."

You take a single sharp inhale through your nose, and exhale it right back out through your nose.

"You know how i feel about 'em, Cyl. They shoot at me, they're supposed to be fuckin' dead." You insist, staring off in front of you towards nothing in particular, tilting your head and shaking your knife hand for emphasis.

"Yes, that's fair. That's absolutely fair, okay? But you don't have to do it, do you? You can let them go sometimes, can't you? Just sometimes?"

You're really trying to agree with her here, but you literally just can't. The words "I guess" linger at the tip of your tongue, but all you can do is shake your head "no".

"Alright..." She sighs, patting your chest and sounding defeated. "You can go. We can talk later."

You walk out of the room, grabbing onto the hovercart as you go. You can be heard grumbling under your breath while you leave.

"Motherfucker, him and his fucking needle. Lucky i didn't rip his goddamn head off right then and there."

You try to calm yourself down on your way to the bounty office, but between your angry muttering and the cart full of naked guys, you attract more than a few stares.
A bunch of people even snap pictures of you looking pissed off next to the cart.

When you arrive, the lady at the front desk just raises her eyebrow at you.

"I'm here to drop off some bounties." You announce.

"I see that. What's your handle?"

"Gunny."

"Alright, let's see..."

She quickly searches you up in her database, and once she's convinced it's you, she walks around to your side of the counter with a little scanning tool.
It looks almost like a barcode reader, but she uses it to scan their faces in an instant.

She then walks back around, sits down at her computer and types a few things in... and her eyes go wide.

"Something wrong?" You ask.

"S-Sir, these are all high-value targets..."

"Yeah, that's the idea."

"Well, it's just, their bounties weren't even issued in this system... actually, none of them were issued in the same systems..."

"Yeah? I have cryopods on my ship. Whenever i need cash, i turn a few of 'em in. Been sittin' on these guys for a while."

She looks like she wants to argue, but decides better of it. You can literally see the moment she gives up on asking questions.

"Okay." She sighs. "Your bounty comes out to €233,000. Please escort them to the holding facility, and you'll receive your payout on the way out."

"Thank you kindly, miss."

One of the men makes a burbling sound and rolls over, falling off the cart with a groan. Rather than heft his naked ass back up, you just drag him along the floor into the holding area.
The guard at the door watches him with pity-filled eyes. He then escorts you to the holding area, literally just a series of jail cells, and you toss each of them into a cell by themselves.

"You want to keep the cuffs, or..?"

"I uh... i guess? How do we get them off?" The guard asks.
>>
>>5453994
Best damn cuffs they will ever have. They better not lose them.
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>>5453994
"I uh... i guess? How do we get them off?" The guard asks.
God damn numb nuts. You know what? Let's keep the cuffs.
>>
>>5454100
To be fair, if someone has never seen handcuffs before they might not see how to take them off right away. The only identifying feature being one hole in the middle and since this is le advanced space he might think they're remote controlled.

This is one of the few situations in which it is reasonable for someone not to know how something works.
>>
>>5454100
this>>5454384
they all about those electronic locks, even out here in the boonies.
>>
Nah, leave the cuffs on their person. Give the shitty sheriff a chore to do.

You know, I am against Cylia's softness. Something like that will get David injured. And it's not like David will soften up and slip, but rather Cyl will do a fuck up and put her furry perky ass in danger.
>>
>>5453994

You toss the guard a pair of handcuff keys on a ring, which he just barely manages to catch.

"One size fits all."

The man looks down at the keys and back up at you as if he's expecting further instructions, but instead you walk off back to the front desk to collect your pay.
You collect your money without issue and stop just outside the bounty office with a sigh as you divide up the cash between your active crew and the ship's fund.

"Fuck, man. I need a bottle of bourbon and a stogie." You grumble to yourself.

...

The next few days pass without incident. Word spreads quickly about your actions down in the lower city, and most of the residents come to know your name and face, regardless of their feelings on the matter.
There's actually an uptick in crime and general violence down in the lower city, almost as if they're testing the waters. Clank calls you in a couple of times to deal with some minor upstarts, but little of interest happens.

You, Kyla and Sanig all work together on getting the Metal Gear repaired, eventually taking it down to the lower city's dock where it can be worked on in earnest.
The damage was about as severe as Kyla told you, with the whole frame of the ship being twisted and many important parts having burned out or been damaged.

You ended up hiring a small crew to assist with repairs, and together with material costs it came out to around €20,000. Fortunately, the ship's fund is flush with cash again.

The maneuvering thrusters that burned out unfortunately couldn't be repaired, but they were at least replaced with your new prototype Arcjet Engines.
The whole ship would need to be retrofitted to pipe them all up properly, so as it stands each thruster just has it's own individual propellant tank. That actually makes them more redundant, albeit heavier overall.

Your cockpit canopy was replaced with heavily armored bulletproof glass, and the cockpit itself was fitted with monitors and cameras that allow you a decent view around ship even if it, and it's HUD, should be destroyed.
Many circuits and conduits had to be stripped out and replaced entirely, during the process of which Kyla took the liberty of over-speccing them such that they should never burn out on you again.

The ship, however, just wasn't the same in the end. With some of it's parts missing, the automated computers threw fit after fit, and some functionality was lost. Nothing important, but you do notice she rides rougher than she once did.
At least Kyla and SHODAN were able to get things working again in the end. And like that, the days turn into a couple of weeks.

You've been thinking a lot about the future lately. If the feds come after you again, the Metal Gear is going to have a rough time of it to say the least. You need something that can take them on in a head-on fight.
So you've spent a lot of time considering a from-scratch design. One without any patented equipment that you can't replace.
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And now, dear readers, is the part i haven't been looking forwards to. I expect it to be an absolute shitshow, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

It's time to design your future ship! We'll be taking it slow, in parts. One section at a time, maybe a couple different votes a day depending on how quickly this thing goes.
The first thing you'll be voting on is what *kind* of ship you're looking to build. Is it a corvette, capable of housing just your crew, albeit comfortably? Is it a battleship, capable of housing many more but still crewed by a few essential individuals?

Or maybe you're thinking bigger, along the lines of a Destroyer or Carrier-class ship? The size and scale of the ship will determine everything else, from the cost and time it takes to build, to what you can actually equip it with and how much it'll cost to run.
A small ship like the Metal Gear costs basically nothing to keep running, but a Carrier-Class would require a sizeable investment in fuel every time you make a jump to a different system. Likewise, electricity costs would also be a concern if you only equip it with antimatter reactors.

It's an important vote, so a lot of discussion and consideration would probably be a good idea.
Why do you want one type of ship over the other? What are the benefits and drawbacks you expect, and in the case of a big ship, what do you actually plan to do with it?

Remember, this is a quest that isn't based on any pre-existing series. There are references all over the place, but the reality is that we're flying by the seat of our pants here.
If you're going to make something, there needs to be a good reason for it. It needs to have an actual use, besides being big and therefore cool.

So take your time, consider things carefully, and discuss it with your fellow anons. I'll be here to answer any questions and clarify as much as possible. We'll get through it together in the end.

Now, here's the question.
What kind of ship do you want to build?

>A corvette. Small and light, but armed to the teeth. Built for speed and agility, just like the metal gear... but also meant for combat, and not just stealth. It'll be tougher and well-built.
>A battleship. Something medium-sized, well armed and armored. Not just a glass cannon, it can take a hit or two without flinching. You'll have room to grow your crew and live comfortably.
>A destroyer. Big, slow and heavy, made to take it's punches and dish them right back out. It'll be expensive to move, but it'll also have room inside for a smaller ship or two, like the Metal Gear.
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
>Something else? (Please explain in detail, and give your reasoning for it)
>>
>>5455186
>Something else? (Please explain in detail, and give your reasoning for it)
>Take something from the Federation's book - a modular ship that seamlessly attach to other ships that also have modular natures, allowing you to add or remove sections as you please. You can start out small and work your way up to a true Outer Haven with it, and if you ever get truly big enough you can swap out your ship composition to suit the situations you're expecting to go into.
Think about it. On one mission, we're armed to the fuckin teeth on every component...and on another, we've got maximum storage space for hauling shit. If we need to do a stealth or solo mission, we just take a single ship from the pool...and if we need to move the entire damn thing, we just attach every ship to each other and move out slowly but surely.
And it's easier to fix in some regards. If a section gets damaged beyond repair you can just scrap the ship that got damaged and swap it with a new one.
Bonus points: Also lets us use the multiple AI we have.
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>>5455186
>A battleship. Something medium-sized, well armed and armored. Not just a glass cannon, it can take a hit or two without flinching. You'll have room to grow your crew and live comfortably
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>>5455186
I'll put my vote into battleship
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>>5455230
Oh right, I also forgot to mention that upgrades will generally be easier to apply too if we do go with this option. We can roll out upgrades one ship/section at a time, rather than having to do all of one big thing.
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>>5455230
You can do that, but it'll increase the cost and complexity of the ship while also reducing the overall structural integrity.
And assuming continuous growth, at some point it'll be more of a (slightly) mobile station or colony rather than an actual ship.
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>>5455186
HUZZAH, finally the R&D autism I've been waiting for months for. And I think you swapped out the descriptions of the battleship and destroyer, or maybe you meant cruiser and dreadnought.

Anyway, I think we should follow modern day Earth (read: 'MURICAN) naval doctrine and work our way to building a carrier battlegroup. Battleships as flagships have proven to be too slow, unwieldy, As much as big guns are fun, missiles have proven their worth as the superior technology. (Anyway, torpedoes=anti-ship rkkvs warping their way to smash and nuke bigger ships, missiles=small and highly maneuverable for smaller nimbler targets)

(Part 1)

>Carrier: The fuckhueg flagship, the whole fleet's job is to protect it. Built solely to carry fighters and bombers which will dish out the majority of the fleet's damage. Has a superstructure with powerful radar and sensors to coordinate the fleet. Lightly armed and armored, point defense guns and light cannons are its only weapons for self defense. Still reasonably fast to get the fleet to where it's needed, at least it's not a dreadnought battleship.

>Cruisers: Medium sized, medium armor, medium guns, medium speed. Armed to the teeth with long range anti-ship torpedoes. Hangs close to the carrier as its proverbial sword and shield.
>Destroyers: Small-sized, very light armor, small guns, high speed. Armed with missiles and a few torpedoes. Rushes out to wherever they are needed, whether its to intercept fast enemy ships, whack away submarines, or to position themselves to shoot down enemy missiles with their point defense guns if the fleet decides to turtle up.
>Submarines: Slow stealth ships hyperspecialized in cloaking (by slow I mean they have the same speed as the carrier), sneaks around to flank the enemy with torpedoes coming out of nowhere and sneaks away again. Moves slowly to prevent heat buildup.
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>>5455247
(Part 2)

>Fighters: The bombers' escorts, their job is to lob missiles at corvette-sized targets or smaller and gtfo. Dogfighting is obsolete with missile tech, but guns, speed, and supermaneuvrability is still a must because you'll never know when you need them (for the same reasons why you carry a knife even if you have a gun). Following the F-22 Raptor, they'll be crammed to the gills with radar and sensors to give us an up close high resolution view of the battlefield to fill any gaps of the ship's scanners. They'll have just enough stealth capability to have the element of surprise while still prioritizing speed and power. Can be unmanned drones.
>Bombers: The 'corvettes' QM mentioned. Following the B-2 bomber, armed with huge torpedoes powerful enough to cripple the largest ships. Will depend on their fighter escorts for self defense, but is still otherwise fitted with turrets and a few light missiles. Has similar stealth capability as the fighters.

With this, and looking at our current needs and budget, I think we should build a destroyer first, a somewhat bigger 'corvette'. Small and light, but armed to the teeth. Built for speed and agility, just like the metal gear... but also meant for combat, and not just stealth. It'll be tougher and well-built. And I'm getting a boner at the thought of launching tungsten and nuclear-tipped rkkvs (the nuke is just there if won't have room to accelerate).
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>>5455186
Damn you QM for triggering my /k/ boatfag autism with those janky descriptions. Those sound awful like corvette/destroyer, cruiser, battleship/dreadnought, and carrier respectively. Especially "destroyer," those have always been small, light, and fast.
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>>5455256
Yeah, my bad. I'm thinking less in naval terms and more in terms of the various retarded space combat games i've played over the years.
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>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
Go big or go home.
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>>5455249
(Part 3)

Order of Purchase, let's build our fleet from the smallest to the largest, following the American doctrine, so when we build the carrier its safety can be guaranteed. >>5455272
The Metal Gear is already a corvette, so let's get a DD first and build the Metal gear to cover its back.

>1. Stealth Destroyer, pic related. For our immediate use and the Metal Gear needs a friend.
>2. A cruiser. To improve our anti-ship capability.
>3. Another cruiser and 2 destroyers. To fill the gaps and have a complete destroyer squadron.
>4. Supply and repair ships. For logistics and self-sufficiency.
>5. The supercarrier. The glorious holy grail of force projection.
>6. Submarines. They're not a priority, but just nice to have.
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>>5455275
QM, let's say we build a stealth destroyer but also want a squad of fighter drones to escort it. Will they be able to attach themselves onto the hull to piggyback on the destroyer to warp? But we can also go through the expense of making the fighters warp-capable too.

I got this idea from the 40kAI quest next door. To intercept an incoming eldar fleet, fighter drones piggybacked on the destroyers to get to the battlefield much faster than if they legged it there themselves. We should use that tactic ourselves one day when our fleet gets bigger.
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>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
>>
>>5455296
So something like, a stealth destroyer, but with possible external hard-point connectors where drones can attach themselves to for sharing power to maximize shield and energy based power? Like the fed drone ships we fought that did the fuck off huge laser? Maybe, but we aught to focus on this one ship first, not that I dont like your idea.
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>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
I was torn between this and a Corvette for a variety of reasons, but I think a Carrier is probably the best option as far as long term investments go.
We may not get a chance to actually build a vessel from scratch again, so we might as well go whole hog.
The only real problem with it is actually maintaining the damn thing. We could incorporate some auxillary power generation into the design. I'm sure with the tech we have available, solar panels would be viable.
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>>5455308
The federation ships had a host of janitorial bots probably designed for basic bitch repairs and general cleaning duties. That would be helpful for overall cleanliness.
In regards to management and statistics of the day to day.....do we just happen to have ANOTHER A.I. of close or equal strength to SHODAN who we're probably recruiting in the future, in addition to a shitty brat of an A.I.. Having multiple A.I.'s aid in everything would be great, since 1 A.I. can manage the drone missiles, another could probably control drone ships or retarded robots in case of boarding actions, and another could probably control external weapons.
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>>5455320
We don't have the funds to really maintain a full sized crew, so building a bunch of maintenance drones is the way to go.
Naturally, our AI crew members would be the best choice to oversee them during day to day operations.
I'm also liking the drone ship idea. A carrier could house a fucking ton of them and we could probably make them extremely cheaply since they wouldn't need all the life support systems of a conventional fighter.
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>>5455320
We probably want to avoid being overly-reliant on AI for weaponry. They’re based on Grey tech, and since they put blockers in place to keep them from accessing nanofabs in spite of them being glorified printers its clear there are controls to their behavior that they can’t eliminate. They’re a potential weakpoint if we fight Greys or the Fed.

If we could figure out how Clank ticks, that’d be a safer AI to use since it’s unlikely anyone knows a secret killcode for something like him. But that’s probably overthinking things and would be a future project either way.
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>>5455327
Mhmm. Having sexy janitors is nice and all, but a roomba could do about the same thing with only a one time payment and the occasional repair.

AI crew memeber potential roles: (drone) pilot, maurader missiles controller, carrier point defense weapons controller, comms officer, EMC warfare (hacking).

Hmmm! Cochrane brought up a good point about power and fueling being a major issue. We could always go back to the drawing board, like the nuclear power idea? Nuclear powered thrusters, nuclear power to power the whole carrier. It'd be just like modern day naval carriers. The nuclear power plant part I mean. There is no way propellant thrusters will be able to work for our new ship if its gonna be bigger than a Corvette. Good news on that front: bigger means we'd be able add additional redundancies and shielding around the potential nuclear reactor, and space tech might mean we could miniaturize it compared to what we use in naval ships.

Failing that, we could... I dunno, have like a giant folding bundle of solar panels we could throw out to supliment so of the ships power when we're parked somewhere and not in active combat. Relatively cheap to replace if we dont have the time to retract the panels.
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>>5455333
Yeah, every system should have a manual override for just such a reason.
It's not that I think the AIs are gonna go crazy and kill us, moreso that we just can't act like it's not possible that they may be subverted by the enemy.
Then there's also the fact that we're a Wraith magnet and that means EMPs are gonna be a genuine concern.
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>>5455333
The blockers are on the tech, not the AI's themselves right? That still works in our favor, and I'm aware we shouldnt rely too much on AI's. Still doesnt mean we shouldnt give them something to do, else we should probably throw their Cores into the sun if we're not gonna do anything with them.
I'm not sure about the killcodes though. From what I can tell, the Grey's use hard tech, while the Feds use bullshit voodoo black magic necromancy to put souls into cubes. So uh. Yeah you uh.....
Yeah fuck the feds man.
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>>5455339
So a little bit of trust, and a little bit of distrust? Whatever works man. We still at least trust SHODAN (best girl).

Regarding the Wraiths and Ghosts you make a damn good point. On one hand, we can do that one idea of coating the entire ship in blood so they cant pass through, at the consequence of being unable to enter stations and having them constantly trying to enter, OR we could minimize dark matter exposure as much as possible.
We'll probably need to train some crew members how to hunt ghosts, no clue if anyone got the balls to hunt the demons though. Maybe we could train our Princess?
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>>5455344
Princess is a good girl. I think having her as the equivalent of a ship's cat isn't a bad idea at all. That said, depending on the size of the vessel, she can only do so much.
If we can get training Slyverns down to a science, I'd be all for getting a pack of them to patrol the ship.
As for not being able to dock inside stations if we had a Wraith blood paint job, that wouldn't be much of a concern with a carrier. We could just orbit the station and send shuttles in between.
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>>5455186
>>A destroyer. Big, slow and heavy, made to take it's punches and dish them right back out. It'll be expensive to move, but it'll also have room inside for a smaller ship or two, like the Metal Gear.
>>
>>5455296

If you wanted a couple of single-person fighters or drone fighters, they'd be able to attach to the hull of a destroyer.
They wouldn't have any protection other than the ship's shields while docked though, as they'd be sitting out in the open.

>>5455338
Nuclear and fusion power are options, as is supplemental solar (when you're near a star).
You can't beat antimatter for energy density and sheer output, but you're utterly reliant on stations to refuel.

>>5455344
>>5455349
Painting the vessel in blood would prevent you from docking your main vessel in any major stations, but you could still enter via fighter craft or any small vessel in the case of a carrier.
>>
>>5455186
Can a ship actually be built in time to assault Xebric station?
>>
>>5455411
If you wanted to put off the raid until then, you could.
However, the time it takes to build does depend on what you pick and the scale of it.
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>>5455186
I very much want the carrier but I’m sad too say I think it would be best to focus on the battleship for now, just until we have a better position to work from IE. more crew, some actual fighter craft, a source of fuel, more guns to outfit it with ETC.
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>>5455186
>A battleship. Something medium-sized, well armed and armored. Not just a glass cannon, it can take a hit or two without flinching. You'll have room to grow your crew and live comfortably.
We can make this, but temporarily leave out all of the things not needed for combat to speed up production. Basically it'd be a depressurized frame with armor, guns, powerplant, controls, heat sink, engines and thrusters with empty space to fit in everything else later. We can stay in the Metal Gear and transfer over to the ship to pilot it when we need to. We can focus on building a fleet later.
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>>5455186
>A destroyer. Big, slow and heavy, made to take it's punches and dish them right back out. It'll be expensive to move, but it'll also have room inside for a smaller ship or two, like the Metal Gear.
I do not ask for much but only one thing: the thing I wanted since thread 1
antimatter cannons and radiation guns
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>>5455447
2 things actually, hurr durr
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>>5455186
>A destroyer. Something medium-sized, well armed and armored. Not just a glass cannon, it can take a hit or two without flinching. You'll have room to grow your crew and live comfortably.
I can't imagine battleships being the medium-sized option, those would be destroyers or light cruisers.
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>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
>A battleship. Something medium-sized, well armed and armored. Not just a glass cannon, it can take a hit or two without flinching. You'll have room to grow your crew and live comfortably.
>>
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>>5455186
A picture is worth a thousand words.
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>>5455186
>>A destroyer. Big, slow and heavy, made to take it's punches and dish them right back out. It'll be expensive to move, but it'll also have room inside for a smaller ship or two, like the Metal Gear.
anons, lets be realistic here. we still don't have too much of a crew to speak of and we still don't have any kind of base we can call home. the carrier can come after we take over this station

>>5455338
anon, not to burst your bubble, but nuclear is a terrible idea due to space being a terrible conductor; we'd either have to deploy radiators or dump the excess heat to the water supplies, cutting down the time we can be in sealth
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>>5455567
Can we even replicate the stealth tech we have? I forget. Active stealth probably wouldn't matter for a huge ship anyway in terms of efficiency.
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>>5455186
>A destroyer. Big, slow and heavy, made to take it's punches and dish them right back out. It'll be expensive to move, but it'll also have room inside for a smaller ship or two, like the Metal Gear.
My naval autism says that the names of this and the battleship should be switched, but eh. In space we only need acceleration, and my heart says "near C drive by" and to do that properly we need as many guns on target as possible.
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>>5455237
Am this guy
Changing my vote to corvette
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>>5455623
>Can we even replicate the stealth tech we have?
lol no. unless we have access to grey tech; in theory we could jury rig something, but i don't think it will be advanced
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>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
>Something else? (Please explain in detail, and give your reasoning for it)
Do the nuclear or fusion powered thrusters. Do the blood coating on the carrier for extra protection against energy weapons and ghosts. Do the solar panel thing.
Recruit more people from the "criminals" we got on the fed ships. The ones that aren't assholes and can be trusted.
>>
How about Benson for the name?
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>>5455623

You could potentially transplant the Metal Gear's stealth tech into another similarly-sized ship, but no, it's not something you can replicate on your own.
You'll still have access to common cold-running and stealth tech, but you won't be able to hide your ship's reactor signature as well as the metal gear can.

>>5455561
A pirate-style franken-junker is an option, but you get what you pay for.
It'll be cheaper to build, but much weaker and more prone to failure than a custom-built ship. It'll also lack a lot of options in the long run.

>>5455447
David has actually been thinking about antimatter weapons as well. Better served as explosives than as fuel, don't you think?
Radiation weapons are also an option, but still one that may not be worth it in the end. No quicker way to get the feds on your ass for real.
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>>5455482
yeah the naming is weird
>>5455780
David knows what the real heavy hitters are
Also, isn't our end goal to be a Greater Humanity in space? I think we should prepare some Rad weapons just in case
>>
>>5455780
This got me thinking, what if instead of building it as a junker, we only make it look like one, like aggressive mimicry.
We make a top notch ship and change its exterior without compromising its efficacy, and use its crude and scavenged appearance to give a false sense of security to enemies.
We can also use this to confuse the enemy's targeting, depending on how we do it. If the actual 'core' is significantly smaller that the whole, we can have like a buffer of places the enemy might target with their weapons and virtually not damage anything important.
Nobody would expect to be outmaneuvered by a borg /k/ube.
Does my line of thought make sense and is it feasable or am I drunk on the /k/ autism?
>>
>>5455482
Yes, i fucked up the naming there, but you know what i meant. Just roll with it for the sake of the vote.

>>5455800
You can go full sleepercore if you want. The final paintjob is a trivial matter, and on large ships manufacturing fake big glowing weak spots is a given.
>>
>>5455186
>carrier
I want my big tiddy carrier battlegroup gf
Make it modular so that we have the option of easily replacing a fighter bay with an industry module or something, like research and development, refining, etc. I want it to have fighter bays for when we take out Xebric, then we can swap those for mining and refining and construction modules and head out to earth. Wish we had money for supporting missile boats but a carrier motherbase is a good start
>>
>>5455805
I see the support for fully modular ships, but that does come with a lot of it's own issues.
What would be much easier and simpler to implement is modular components around a fixed, solid frame. A core, if you will.

If your thrusters are modular, you can remove a damaged thruster entirely and replace it in under an hour. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damned good.
In the case of a carrier, you could have entire modular bays as well. Not that it'd be subjectively quick or easy to swap them out necessarily, but definitely far easier than it would be otherwise.

The only real issues with modular components are slightly increased bulk and the sheer cost of spare components, but the benefits do outweigh the costs in the end, if you have the capital for it.
>>
>>5455813
I dont really care about the thrusters or anything but I really want the bays. The difference between a mining ship and a carrier is simply swapping ammo tacks for ore bins and fighters for mining drones. If we can do modular everything we should, but not to the degree that the ship ceases to be a carrier or whatever
>>
>>5455186
>>5455804
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
Since we have big plans for our future, our flagship should reflect that with it's size and capabilities. The upkeep cost will be heavy, but if we can't manage even that, we won't be able to do shit to the federation.
Also, it gives more options. On tasks with higher risk and juicy rewards, we can actually jump systems with the entire carrier group, but if it's smaller stuff, we can still take just one of the carried ships, like the Metal Gear itself.

Maybe partially modular? We focus on things like thrusters, shield generators, external weapons. Stuff more likely to get targeted.
>>
>>5455817
imo, i'd keep everything non modular except for the weapons and maybe some secondary thrusters. right now we're making it sound like we plan to get hit, while in reality with a carrier getting hit(and being in the "frontline" as well) is the last thing we want. i'd rather use the spare resources to add more nanofabs to increase the fighter's repair/rearm/rebuild rate; that way we have a robust fighter/destroyer screen that can defend us and in turn we allow the rest of the fleet to fight to the best of their abilities
>>
>>5455186

>A corvette. Small and light, but armed to the teeth. Built for speed and agility, just like the metal gear... but also meant for combat, and not just stealth. It'll be tougher and well-built.

The question also is "what do we want our end stage fleet to look like?" I like the idea of a Destroyer, a Corvette Fighter, and the Metal Gear. Big enough to store all the loot and personnel we could hope to keep track of and care about and versitile to boot.
Bigger is a temptation. A colony ship and all that jazz, but I think there is a reason most space operas focus on roughly half dozen main characters... it just works. Outlaw Star, Serenity, Farscape.
Big lists of loot and personnel will also be a burden on our dear qm, a burden I've seen slow other quests down or stop them altogether when they stopped being fun.
We could eventually do a colony somewhere and get aid from Dark Star to that effect but I think our own Carrier is probably going to dissappoint.
Sorry if I'm being too much of a downer.
>>
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>>5455903
The carrier can be built to only need a minimal crew despite its huge size though, especially with all the AI tech we have. Menial jobs like damage control, repair, maintenance, etc. can be relegated to robots run by SHODAN.

And all the fighters and bombers in the hangars can be unmanned drones.

Also, I vote make our robot crew be all sexy gynoids like 2B. We all decided SHODAN needs a body, so why not a couple hundred of them, only one needs to be hyperrealistic for diplomacy and snuggles.
>>
>>5455913
They might have their own alien preferences, or prefer to not have a body at all. Like in the vision. The cube MILF AI might have a body preference that's not human or bipedal.
>>
>>5455913
meh, we all know that the human shape is too inefficient. what you want is a crab
>>
>>5455916
yeah but most species are bipedal/humanoid in this universe so most A.I's might have a sub-conscious preference for humanoid bodies. because their made of people. although SHODAN's preferences have probably been altered by our perception's.
>>
>>5455186
>A corvette. Small and light, but armed to the teeth. Built for speed and agility, just like the metal gear... but also meant for combat, and not just stealth. It'll be tougher and well-built.

We want to hit them fast and hit them hard. We can make a bigger ship later, but I think for now a corvette-gunship mix can serve us well especially if we have to bolt it. Big ship will get us a lot of attention from the feds, much more than we can afford right now.
We managed to destroy a federal strike group with modified shitty stealth ship so imagine what we can do with a purpose build combat spacecraft.
We can outfit it with capital ship killing weapons easly enough aswell.
>>
>>5455903
I'm inclined to agree anon. Our QM has hella autism but the more we turn this into Starsector the more complicated it gets. We get too ambitious and we lose the narrative in exchange for macro. I'd really prefer to grow Dark Star as an allied faction and have us focus on guerilla and strategic targets to facilitate that, and make it clear neither of us is the boss of the other.

Much as I like big, I'm gonna go
>Corvette
>>
>>5455186
>Something else? (Please explain in detail, and give your reasoning for it)
The MCRN Donnager.

All the reasoning necessary is its the motherfucing MCRN Donnager.
>>
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>>5455913
>that whole post
Not that I'm dissenting, mind you.
>>
>>5456018
This is also the good reason to go with corvette. It's a story driven game, let's not turn this into another shitty strategy quest
>>
>>5455186
I'm gonna have to go with >>5456018 's reasoning, we could possibly go big picture after the whole battle for the station and human recruiting spree, but I still want the story to focus on David's shenanigans. so this is for
>A corvette. Small and light, but armed to the teeth. Built for speed and agility, just like the metal gear... but also meant for combat, and not just stealth. It'll be tougher and well-built.
>>
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fuck that's a great argument. It's much better if we keep things small and David explores here and there doing cool shit plus cool fake space dogfights.

>Voting for Corvette

Plus I liked the NASP program...
>>
>>5456197
>>5456225
The problem with that is we would have a total of three corvettes. The Metal Gear, Cylia's, and this new theoretical one. Then there's the addition to the other drone ships. Would it not be more fuel efficent to have a carrier carry all our corvettes around instead of flying all of them to where they need to go?
>>
>>5456258
that's why the destroyer is the better option. its big enough to hold several smaller ships and is still small enough to have skirmishes and the like
>>
>>5456258
Now there's a question. Could we sacrifice some storage and living space to make a 3 ship bay Destroyer... or add a mount to externally store one of the ships during travel?
>>
>>5456258
no fuckyu
>>
>>5456293
Only 1? Seems kinda. I don't know. Ghetto?

>>5456268
At most we would only be able to carry Cylia's ship and the metal gear. That's it. But with the carrier we could take the drone ships with us, and upgrade then to our own specifications. Including having then form up to make the giga laser. Shit was lit!
>>
>>5456297
I'm flattered. Buy me dinner first maybe?
>>
>>5456300
Ghetto is putting 20 inch rims with spinners and a stolen sound system in a 2010 Car with 200,000 miles on it.

This... is a little bit of redneck ingenuity is all.
>>
>>5456300
the thing is that with a carrier, the game turns towards the more strategic side of things, like how >>5456018 said, and frankly, that's boring. a destroyer lets us have a tiny fleet of drones, carry 1-2 extra small ships, lets the crew have a lot of needed space and is still small enough to have tactical battles like how we have had them so far
>>
Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>5455186
>A carrier. Again, big and slow. Still well armed and armored, but not specifically designed to fight by itself. Instead, it carries a number of corvettes which can react more flexibly to any situation. Lots of living space.
>Something else? (Please explain in detail, and give your reasoning for it)
U a ho
>>
>>5456365
Been thinking some more.

Say we eventually end up with the Metal Gear, David's Fighter, and Cylia's ship but only 2 shots for storing them on the Destroyer.

That... is actually kind of a plus in the fun department. We have a meaningful choice as to which 2 ships we leave our home station with and if everything goes to hell and we lose them... we always have that 3rd ship to fall back on. OR somebody pilots the 3rd ship if we really need to go all out or we want to switch our home base, but its all still manageable.

Is it wierd that this appeals to me more and more as the day goes on?
>>
Alright boys, looks like Carrier wins it. Go big or go home, right?
Give me a minute to think things over before the next vote. I'm really sick and drugged up right now, so my brain ain't choochin' at full capacity here.
>>
>>5456513
>I'm really sick and drugged up right now, so my brain ain't choochin' at full capacity here
Not gonna lie, this has me excited. This usually results in the best writing if Morrowind is anything to go by.
>>
>>5456451
Nah. To each their own. I still think a carrier would be for the best since we'd be able to field a small army, plus we could probably fit in more fabricators in the carrier so we can manufacture more ammo and goods. Stuff we could sell.
The offset the cost for fuel for all our ships, we should probably steal/buy more industrial sized fabricators, and possibly a small voodoo farm so we can sell medicine, weapons, food, and other goods to sell for fuel. That and go for fusion, nuclear, and solar power.
>inb4 we research wraith blood some more to make blood fueled robots
>become David Gunny Ultrakill, creator of Ultrakill
>>
Alright, so the next vote is going to be on what kind of armor you want.
The ship will have two types of armor, Ballistic and Energy. Obviously, one is effective against solid impacts and the other is effective against lasers.

There will be three options to chose from in each category. Choose only one of each, and remember to link back to this post when you vote. Makes counting a lot easier on me.
I'll give you a short explanation and maybe link to some videos if possible, but feel free to do your own hyper-autistic research on what's best for what you want, here.

First up is the ballistic armor. This will protect you against bullets, micrometeorites and larger impacts (ie with other ships)
Your three options are as follows:

>Whipple Shielding
Whipple shielding is basically armor that is spaced apart, and is designed to be effective against extremely high speed objects like bullets and micrometeorites.
The object first impacts a thin layer of material, causing the impactor to vaporize at least partially. Since it's broken up, it has less penetrating power. Then it hits the next layer and so-on.

This won't be very effective against large impacts. It'll just crush inwards, and though it might have some springiness, it's not really helpful.
What it is however, is very lightweight. It's ability to defend doesn't depend so much on mass or material. NASA uses these on their shit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipple_shield

-

>Honeycomb Shielding
This is exactly what it sounds like. A honeycomb of carbon fiber which has some structural strength, but it's strength as a shield comes from it's ability to literally turn the impacting object around.
Bullets or micrometeorites will enter the honeycomb, and with each impact it will be redirected slightly, eventually causing it to shoot back out in the direction it came from, if it doesn't disintegrate first.

Unlike the whipple shield, this honeycomb shielding is quite a bit stronger and will make the ship more sturdy. It can resist some impacts without massive damage.
However, they also weigh a bit more. If you aren't also using them as the hull of the ship itself, that can make them less ideal.
https://youtu.be/k6g9Yv8LwOU?t=526

-

>Ceramo-Metallic Plates
Simple hard armor plates. They resist damage by being really hard, but that hardness also makes them brittle. Strong enough impacts will simply shatter them, but that also tends to reduce the damage from the impactor.
They're simple, heavy, cheap and easily replaceable.
https://youtu.be/11BAEBAC3Zg?t=60
>>
>>5456556
that's the thing though. the quest becomes a macromanagement game instead of having cool 1vs1 battles

>>5456558
>honeycomb shielding
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
Excellent weight and material ratios, excellent resistance against impacts large and small, excellent addition to structural integrity...it's not the best in field for any one category, but averaged out? I'm going for the honeycomb, brother.
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
pillar of autumn here we come.
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
A middling ground, and something tells me it would be easier to prefab combs to swap out damaged shielding real fast compared to the other two options.
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
Build ship around gun, gun strong
>>
>>5456638
tell me more? what makes you think this?
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
Looks like we're in agreement with this one so far
>>
>>5456558
>>Ceramo-Metallic Plates
We need the replaceability and cheapness
>>
>>5456558
>Ceramo-Metallic Plates
Easy to replace AND should provide decent enough resistance against heat to boot.
Before you think I'm misreading the description, ceramic is known for being quite heat resistant.
Also I'm pretty sure the term for them would be "Ceramic Composite" instead of "Ceramo-Metallic", but that's just me
>>
>>5456558
>honeycomb shielding
shit gotta dissipate heat as well yo
>>
>>5456787
>>5456735
>going into battle expecting to be hit
NGMI
>>
>>5456800
>going into battle expecting to not be hit
NGMI
>>
>>5456800
No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
Besides, we're quite possibly the largest target possible. We're gonna get hit, might as well make it something we can readily repair in that case.
>>
>>5456558
>Ceramo-Mettalic Plates
We have waived any other option by choosing such a large and obvious ship.

>>5456800
>what was the entire Yorktown class
All or nothing.
>>
>>5456802
>>5456807
we're building a carrier ship. by default we shouldn't be within hit range because a carrier is supposed to be on the backline. if for whatever reason we let the enemy get close to us, we fucked up hard and should have built a different ship that is designed for close range skirmishes
>>
>>5456824
>we fucked up hard and should have built a different ship that is designed for close range skirmishes
Yes. But that doesn't change the fact that you will get hit eventually.
>>
>>5456828
yes, and that's what the honeycomb armor is for
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
>>
>>5456558
>>Honeycomb Shielding
but only if we honeycomb the frame too.
>>
Can we fill the Honeycomb structures with micro bee drones?

If not then it's just not worth it. Get real you clowns.
>>
>>5456558
>Honeycomb Shielding
with maybe some good hard armor and reactive plates around the reactor, magazines, and the CIC
>>
>>5456735
>>5456787
>>5456817
The thing about that is we're going to be adding SIGNIFICANTLY more weight if we go with plates. Our size means that plates are a much bigger investment than the other two options, they'll be adding a SHITLOAD of mass which will make us even slower when we need to move. And it'll increase fuel consumption by a lot, too.
I want to be able to keep a reasonable pace without consuming star sectors worth of fuel.
>>
Alright, carbon fiber honeycomb is the clear winner here.
Moving on to Energy Armor then, before i go to bed.

For that, your choices are as follows:

>Ablative Paint
Literally just a thin coating of ablative material like carbon foam or suspended aerogel in paint. It may only take one or two direct hits in the same spot before failing, depending on the power of the laser.
However, it's extremely cheap and easy to repair. You can literally do it with a paintbrush.

The likelihood of a laser weapon striking the exact same spot multiple times on a moving ship is low, but non-zero. It could open you up to "critical hits" in the future.

>Ceramo-Metallic Foam
Plates of thick metallic foam with ceramic properties. They disperse heat, absorb small impacts and provide a modicum of structural strength, but can be somewhat heavy and expensive materials-wise.
Lasers that strike the foam will ablate it's surface, creating a cloud of superheated material at the impact point. The laser then dumps it's energy into that cloud of material instead of the armor.

This is essentially what the Metal Gear is equipped with right now.

>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
A silica foam that is practically weightless, but has unbeatable properties when it comes to insulating against heat.
This aerogel has been impregnated with a dense forest of carbon nanotubes, whose sole purpose is to capture all light that enters it.

The resulting composite material is able to take multiple shots from high-powered lasers without cracking, melting, spalling or excessively ablating. Instead, the damage is extremely localized.
It provides no structural support or impact resistance whatsoever, but is highly effective at stopping laser weaponry dead in it's tracks.
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
if we manage to get the aerogel inside the honeycomb armor it would be fantastic as well
>>
>>5456860

>Ceramo-Metallic Foam
>>
>>5456860
>Ceramo-Metallic Foam
Lol, I just realized we're fucking building an escort carrier. You know, combustible, vulnerable, expendable. I was thinking of making a write in vote for that all or nothing armor scheme that someone was talking about but we're a CARRIER. Our entire shtick is filling ourselves with explosive, flammable fightercraft. I hope we splurge on engines and high resolution sensors / SIGINT because we won't last in a fight at all.
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
Baring the super FED ship, nobody uses anything but lasers out here
>>
>>5456860
>>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
>>
>>5456874
that'd be so brokenly good
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel

Can the voids in the honeycomb be filled with the aerogel or will it be better to have it as a layer underneath the honeycomb?
>>
>>5456925
Filling the honeycomb with aerogel would make the honeycomb even more effective at stopping impacts, but there would likely be a layer sitting on top of the honeycomb as well.
>>
>>5456881
If USS Enterprise (CV-6) can do it so can we
>>
>>5456926
Sounds too fragile, aerogel too brittle to be used as an outer layer and stay intact from general wear and tear especially when doing maintenance work. Can we just throw in ablative paint as a freebie with how cheap and easy it is?
>>
>>5456669
I read it in the Halo books. She has titanium honeycomb armor
>>
>>5456931
The outer layer is there essentially just to fill gaps. It'll get cracked and broken by impacts over time, but the resources to repair it are literally just rocks.
Part of the benefit of using an aerogel material is that, it's mostly empty space. That means a nanofab can print sections of armor extremely rapidly at little cost.

You could paint over it if you wanted, and the paint might keep broken chunks of aerogel from just floating away, but it'd basically double the weight for not a lot of extra benefit.
>>
>>5456860
>>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
>>
>>5456934
all the good it did against guided Plasma
>>
>>5456935
Fair enough. As long as the aerogel can be made durable enough to avoid cracking despite crew simply walking on and bumping into it.

We'll need a paintjob anyway, preferably in a reflective light color, all that black carbon will make us absorb heat from starlight, space radiation, etc. like a motherfucker and despite aerogel's insulating properties it's better to avoid getting hot in the first place. Consider it part of the aerogel armor since the paint is also made of aerogel.
>>
>>5456945
Oh shit I just realized gold is the best material for reflecting heat
>>
>>5456860
I'm supporting the vote to fill the gapes and the honeycombs with the aerogel for extra protection. We can do this on top of the winning vote right?
>>
>>5456952
I'm not a material scientist but isn't gold extremely thermo-conductive? I don't think something that heats up very easily would be good for surviving exposure to extreme heat.
>>
>>5456558
Honeycomb big. Yeah yeah yeah
>>
>>5456860
>Ceramo-Metallic Foam
>>
>>5456860
>Ceramo-Metallic Foam

I think the aerogel is going to get messed up by micrometeorites and the ablative paint is only suitable for smaller more mobile vessels.
>>
>>5456978
Looking at the fuckery that is black body thermodynamics, a highly reflective material like gold will radiate heat minimally and the airgaps (vaccum gaps?) in the aerogel will make sure it doesn't get conducted into the ship. Think the heatshields of the James Webb space telescope, it's sheets of shiny foil with airgaps in between.
>>
>>5456990
it literally doesn't matter. as long as the aerogel exists in a physical manner, it is able to shield us from laser and heat based weaponry
>>
"Shodan what do you think we should go for size on our new ship?"

"Well David i've always been partial to this death star design i saw in your memories.."

"Say no more babe, we will blot out the sun"

Jokes aside this will probably be the ship we use for first contact on earth so... since we went for shock and awe over stealth i hope you anons put some very good long range point defense on this ship otherwise prepare to eat some nukes.
>>
>>5457042
I'm sure our stealth fighter and bomber drone swarm can handle that job kek
>>
>>5457042
Missile defense systems would be piss easy to put on this thing.
If a missile reaches your battleship then you’re doing it wrong.
>>
Would giving Shodan more memory crystal make her handling the ship systems easier?
>>
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>>5457042
Plenty is the plan
>>
>>5456860
>>5456935
I know fuck all about ships and I'm sorry for my lack of brains, so I'm just going support the ideas for aerogels in the honeycombs for big brain thinking, whatever is needed to fill in the gaps, and that other anon's idea for lighter color so the ship doesn't cook.
>>
>>5457082
this is what the ship should looks like. slap some extra PDC turrets on it and some missile tubes and voila
>>
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>>5456935
>>5456952
>>>5456945

Being covered in aerogel insulation makes me really worried about heat management. I'm imagining huge vantablack radiator "wings" unfurling like an eldritch biblically accurate angel abomination that then retracts when combat is expected. We need them to be vantablack since blackbody radiation physics says that color is the best at radiating heat, but it'll also be equally good at absorbing heat. Maybe have two wings per set, a golden one to reflect starlight away from the vantablack wings when we're at a star system, and we'll only extend the black ones when we're someplace cold and dark.

What a sight to behold, a huge gold-plated carrier with several gigantic pairs of gold and blackhole-black wings stretching out ominously.

When combat comes around we'll be injecting superheated steam (or maybe superheat it further into oxygen-hydrogen plasma?) into our afterburners like usual. It should save on water not being a steamboat puffing around 24/7.
>>
>>5457082
I saw this thumbnail and it looked like a really elaborate sushi roll. I should go get some breakfast
>>
>>5456860
>Carbon-Impregnated Aerogel
I've always wanted to hold one of these in my hand... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9Yax8UNoM
>>
>>5457129
You are thinking on a nightfighter.
Of course that would destroy the whole quest...
>>
>>5457347
Damn, that's bad ass!
>>
Alright, carbon-impregnated aerogel wins it.

Next up, the primary and secondary power generation.
Primary is what you'll be running at all times, even while idle. Secondary will be used in the case that the first is damaged or destroyed, or in the case that power demand exceeds the primary's maximum output.

Primary Reactor:
>Nuclear
A molten salt reactor that uses the heat of radioactive decay to boil water, spinning turbines that generate electricity.
This reactor design is relatively safe, operating at low pressures and without the risk of explosion in the case of reactor failure.

It does however, require remote maintenance due to the high levels of radiation it produces.
It produces a large amount of power compared to other reactor designs for it's weight, making it ideal for aircraft and spaceships.

The fuel is long-lasting, but you'll have to mine or scavenge it yourself as radioactive materials are almost never handled or sold by intelligent species.
Thanks to the efficiency of space-age heat pumps, you'll be able to scavenge extra power from the reactor via thermoelectric generators.

>Fusion
Fusion reactors require a high startup power to initiate, necessitating a long capacitor charge-up sequence if it's ever knocked offline.
However, it provides a modest amount of steady power with zero risk of explosion or radioactive fallout.

It uses heavy water as fuel, which can be scavenged from almost any natural water source, or purchased from stations in bulk.
Fusion reactors do unfortunately require regular maintenance, making them costlier to run than other options despite their cheap fuel.

>Antimatter
The most common method of power generation in the galaxy, almost every ship uses this. Antimatter is pulled out of magnetic containment and annihilated, producing pure energy in the form of light.
By weight, antimatter is by far the most dense and efficient fuel possible. Nothing else even comes close.

However, there is always the risk of explosion should the antimatter fuel's containment fail, resulting in the instant death of everyone onboard.
Further, the method of efficiently generating antimatter fuel is not publicly known, and all fuel has to be bought from stations, which requires a clean record.
The stations themselves all purchase their fuel from the federation, who are the only ones capable of producing it.

Those without clean records or ties to the federation may purchase black market antimatter from fuel rats at a considerable markup, but that offsets the fuel's benefits significantly.
>>
>>5457426
>Antimatter
I can only assume that for Nuclear, you specifically meant fission.
In that regard, Annihilation reactors (listed as antimatter here) are 1000x more efficient than Fission reactors, and 300x more efficient htan Fusion reactions.
It's kind of a no brainer which one we want for our main and backup.
Antimatter should be the main, fusion should be the backup. Anything else is just gimped.
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
As dangerous as it might be, we can work around the risk of radiation poisoning by always having a host of worker bots near and in the reactor area to repair the power plant in case of damage or a melt down. Quick replacement of fuel rods, ejection of hazardous materials, welding & sealing damages. Some radiation might get through, but some bots already there and an AI to command them it'll be worth it.
>>
>>5457426
>Antimatter

We can just run a fusion secondary system for puttering around and during non-combat periods.
>>
>>5457426
>>Antimatter
Why wouldn't we want the most cost-effective fuel for out PRIMARY power generation?
Leave the nuclear and fusion silly-billy for the backup.
Is anyone worried about blowing up if the fuel explodes? I'd rather die quickly instead of half-dying
>>
>>5457426
>Antimatter
as much as i want to pick fusion or nuclear, this is the best way to power up any kind of ....well, anything that's big. and we can sort of bypass purchasing antimatter from a station by scooping the AM from the upper atmosphere of any planet(a gas giant preferably)
>>
>>5457467
It won't be cost effective for long if you keep pissing people off like you are. That's why i made a note of it.
>>
>>5457430
Hmmmm. Food for thought.

>>5457461
Hmmm. The long start up time and cost of maintenance doesnt make it as appealing, but we should definitely sell this tech idea to earth for more "clean" energy alternative ideas. Also as a big fuck you to oil companies.

>>5457426
I'm torn between antimatter and nuclear, but I'm going to stick with nuclear for now. Could we contact Gron's faction and ask they how they were able to harvest darkmatter way back, and do they still do that? If they're capable of still acquiring their own darkmatter fuel than it might be worth it.

Oh, yeah, antimatter bottle rockets. Something to consider and weaponize later.
>>
>>5457473
Hm, that's a considerable factor to the equation...
>>
>>5457467
Its not really the most cost efficient. We'd be burning anti-mater as we fly, general operations of the ship, FTL, and potentially as weapons.

>>5457471
Anon we. You dont get antimatter from atmosphere or gas giants. You get them from some fuck of star or black hole or something. Also Antimatter fuel will be harder to get as we continue to piss of the federation.
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
Lets turn the venting system to a weapon too
>>
>>5457426
>Antimatter
as primary

>Fusion
as secondary
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
Let's make some micro nukes while we're at it
They gotta be heavily armored marauder missiles and maybe invest some hard light shielding into them to prevent premature detonation from point defense lasers. In fact any nukers we make needs to have a shield over it at all times, but switch to hardlight to it can just E A T laser and ignore them into it reaches its destination.
>>
>>5457490
There will be different options for the secondary.
>>
>>5457492
oh, well then
>Fusion
as primary.
>>
>>5457480
anon, antimatter is generated on earth RIGHT NOW inside thunderstorms and in the upper atmosphere. im not saying that scooping the AM particles from an atmosphere is going to be as convinient and easy than buying it from a station, but its an option we have
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/110810-antimatter-belt-earth-trapped-pamela-space-science
https://www.nature.com/articles/521135a


>>5457486
>>5457491
you two understand that weaponizing nuclear power is the fastest way to get in everyone's shitlist, right?
>>
>>5457498
Not if they're dead before they can relay information. Plus, we might need one if we ever have to fight mile wide space eldritch horrors, which we absolutely will eventually encounter. Awesome find btw.
>>
>>5457498
You realize looting five FED battleships and stealing the AI's is a fast way to get on everyone's shitlist? GREEN HELL THROWER LETS GOOOOOO, CHOO CHOOOO!
>>
>>5457461
I just realized how I was describing things was exactly using Fusion as our primary.

Changing primary to
>Fusion
>>
>>5457499
....i see your point, but they better be some sort of last resort option because the ships would be caked in radiation and david is the only one that can properly tolerate any sort of radiation whatsoever

>>5457501
yes i know that. i was against attacking them back then and i still hold the opinion that its a terrible idea in the long run
>>
>>5457503
Oh wow look at the time, it says, too little too late. Now quit being a bitch and embrace the green.
>>
>>5457503
If we're fighting horrors beyond time and space, nukes have to be the first option else we risk total annihilation. Everything else? Nukes come as a last resort. For any ships we want to salvage but got nuked? We send in drones, robots, and radiation scrubbers.

TBF look at the riches it brought us
About a few dozen drone ships, some new A.I. friends, potential recruits among the criminals after we interview some, new crafting ideas, money. We earned more than we lost.
>>
>>5457507
Embrace the green you say?
https://youtube.com/shorts/yc8gial6KI0?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/PjolZwz0XYo?feature=share
>>
>>5457426

>Antimatter
>>
>>5457510
>TBF look at the riches it brought us
true, but they are sort of "ill gotten gains". unlike the marks we bring down to justice, the feds will start asking questions about their missing ships and probably will end us being in their sights. you can imagine how that's a bad thing, specially when david wants to uplift humanity(hint: it involves throwing RKVs at earth or wherever the feds are sure there is a big enough human population)
>>
>>5457426
>>
>>5457541
>>
>>5457541
>>5457542
>>
>>5457426
>Nuclear
>>5457542
FUCKS SAKE
>>
>>5457467
I am tempted into changing this to fusion because of how we will certanly get, uhm, notorious. But fusion doesn't really have a good song such as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XmDYJBZZdc

Think about it... I am fuuuuuusion I am wiiiiild sounds like crap
>>
>>5457538
You say it as if the Fed's wont try some bullshit with humanity regardless of what David does. And, you know for a fact that theres no avoiding fights with the feds now. We wont seek it out, but we'll have to fight them again.
Good news? No one (except maybe some greys) really know where humanity is.
>>
>>5457555
true, but there is a difference between david kicking the hornet's nest and the feds coming to us. because until our little stunt with their droneships they had absolutely 0 reason to come after us or even consider us something else than a low interest anomaly
>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMqxcdxE0E
people are going to go fucking wild if we end up going with nuclear lmao
>>
>>5457560
We attacked their ships to save a man that belonged to Gron right? This wont be the first time we'll be doing this.
We're also most certainly going to make at least 1 mininuke for already explained reasons.

Oh and now that we finally have the carrier,we can finally get around making flight draining pods for whoever gets to pilot the corvettes.
>>
>>5457426
Antimatter
>>
>>5457426
>Fusion
Cheap fuel we can get anywhere, better power output than fission.

The other two feel like better options for secondary power.
>>
>>5457473
With the honeycombs, aerogel filling, and paint, can we so a second layer of demon blood over the carrier to make it extra insulated and protected from energy weapons?
>>
>>5457688
i we can procure the demon blood, sure, it sounds like a good idea
>>
Looks like good ol' nuclear power wins it.
Next up, the secondary.

>Fuel Cells
These fuel cells catalyze hydrogen and oxygen, forming water as a waste material and producing electricity in the process.
The power output of these cells are low, but they can produce steady power for a long time, keeping critical systems (like life support) functional.

However, hydrogen is difficult to store in large quantities, requiring either large tanks or extreme pressures.
Rather than storing the hydrogen, it's possible to split onboard water into hydrogen and oxygen as needed. This can be done chemically, or using the latent heat of your nuclear reactor.
This also means that the fuel cells can be used continuously and their storage tanks regenerated whenever there is an excess of power.

>Solar and Batteries
One simple backup solution is batteries. Spacertech batteries can store vast quantities of power and be discharged and recharged repeatedly without issue, while delivering high current loads.
However, batteries cannot store infinite power. Even a good one will run out eventually, and needs to be recharged. So you'll cover the outside of your ship in cheap, high-efficiency solar panels to that end.

These solar panels can be chipped or damaged individually while the remainder continue to function, meaning that as long as there's a star or some other source of light nearby, you can recharge.
The panels themselves are paper thin and easy to produce, but they also don't generate a massive amount of power. You may be stuck sitting around for days before you can jump to another star again.

>Radiothermal Generators
A variant of nuclear power, these generators use a pile of nuclear material to generate heat, and thermoelectric plates to generate electricity through a temperature gradient.
They're heavy and don't produce a massive amount of power, but they're dead simple and near zero maintenance with few to no moving parts and will provide steady power for decades to come.
>>
>>5457697
>antimatter
Why not make anti-matter the backups? They got a higher power yield.
>solar and batteries
Why not both? Failing that can we still take the solar? They're better than nothing. Is there a reason why we can have two secondary back up power sources?
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
Seems like the most efficient use, since we're already going to be seeking a lot of water for our various uses of it.
Also having a good amount of hydrogen available can get quite spicy if we want to use it for certain other things. And top up our oxygen with freshly generated oxygen when we split it from the hydrogen in water, naturally.
>>
>>5457697
What about this anons suggestion of collecting antimatter? >>5457498
>>
>>5457697
Lets go
>Fuel Cells
Great use and emergency heatsink with the water production..
>>
>>5457697
i'd go with
>fuel cells
but why can't we jam a small spaceship antimatter reactor? is it too big or something?
>>
>>5457717
>>5457705

It wouldn't be too difficult to install a small antimatter reactor as well, on a ship this size.
Then you could plug in any standard small-scale antimatter bottles you happen to find, if necessary.

The power output won't be more than any of the other options, and you'd burn through it quickly running at full power like that, but it'll be an option.
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel cells
>Batteries & Solar
>the nignog bottles
Best to have backups for the back ups if we need to fight a prolonged battle and the nuclear reactors can't keep up.
>>
>>5457697
>>5457730
in that case i change my choice to antimatter reactor(or reactors depending on the size of the carrier). the fuel consumption is concerning, but this is secondary power; we shouldn't need to use it often enough to be a real worry
>>
>>5457697
>Anti-matter
>>
>>5457738
I'm saying i'll throw that in as a freebie. You still need to pick one from the list up there.
>>
>>5457743
Fuel cells and bottles then
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
>>
>>5457743
Based tech stacking
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
>>
>>5457697
>>Radiothermal Generators
>>
>>5457697
Fuel cells.
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
>>
>>5457426
Can we use integrate it into nuclear salt water rocket engines? Converting nuclear energy to electricity to drive ion engines sounds way too inefficient.

Let's flex how absolutely nuts we are. Basically, we dissolve uranium salt into water, store and pump it through tanks and pipes with boron control rods and shielding to absorb neutrons to passively prevent unwanted meltdowns.

But when the salt water reaches the engines, there's no boron there, the uranium reacts and goes kaboom, exploding the water into hot plasma. With this much power we can reach a 7.5% percent c surfing on a nonstop-Chernobyl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZjhWE-3zM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_salt-water_rocket

And a portion of the salt water can still be routed through a normal reactor to generate electricity to run normal ion thrusters for maneuvering around. I'm imagining one fuckoff huge nuclear engine, surrounded by clusters of normal ion thrusters.

Just make sure the water doesn't leak or else we'll have a normal Chernobyl disaster in the ship. Plus, this integrates well with our cooling system of superheated steam afterburners.
>>
>>5457931
I don't think riding around in what everyone else in the galaxy sees as a mobile war crime will be very convenient.
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
>>
>>5457697
>Fuel Cells
The carrier is big enough to lug them around. Shame that we went for Nuclear but I can already see the ship getting pricey by the end of this sequence.
>>
>>5457931
>using an engine that shits radiation everywhere
>when our crew is highly susceptible to radiation
>when even humanity itself thought it was a bad idea
yeah, no.
>>
>>5458024
less we thought it was a bad idea, more it's illegal due to treaties
>>
>>5457688
what the fuck
>>
>>5457697
>>>Radiothermal Generators
We will already have leftover nukes so we better use 'em up even more
>>
>>5458024
>>5457992
Don't worry, the radioactive fallout from the exhaust disperses really quickly, since it moves so fast that it goes beyond the escape velocity of any star system. And we'll only use the engine when we're a safe distance away from anyone we don't want dying.
>>
>>5458060
>thinks he can get away using spicy fart propulsion without the feds blasting his shit to shit
>>
>>5458067
Fuck the feds. At least we're not using Project Orion propulsion lmao
>>
>>5458068
yes, fuck the feds, but you forget that the feds literally control the galaxy. its not smart to start shit we literally can't finish
>>
>>5458068
>>5458070
I am willing to fuck the feds if miniskirts are part of their workplace attire.
>>
>>5457688
keep in mind that that shit trips up antimatter(?) sensors, so we couldn't pull into port with it
>>5457931
This would be for a war-crime drone, nothing else
>>
>>5457931
That'd be nice, but the problem is that David doesn't know how to build something like that, even generally speaking.
Neither does his crew, and neither are the blueprints for such a thing available for purchase.

If David knew the general details he could give them to SHODAN who'd be able to work it out eventually, but even that would take a while.
But you know what does work well and is quite a bit less insane?

Use the heat from your molten salt reactor to crack water into hydrogen and oxygen, then use it in your engines instead of the fuel cells.
You'll probably save a lot of weight on radiation shielding that way.
>>
>>5458102
so basically a NERVA engine? cool
>>
>>5458102
>>5458105
I'll back this then
>>
>>5458102
The QM speaketh and I shall obey.

How about Project Orion rkkv torpedos though? I just want my nuclear propulsion.
>>
>>5458105
>>5458141
+1
>>
>>5457931
>>5458102
Wait. But what if we took a quick pit stop back to earth to kidnap a nuclear scientist?
>>
>>5458150
Also, does this mean we can pick up the blueprints for a nuclear salt water engine from the internet when we reach Earth?
>>
>>5457705
I also like both
>antimatter
And
>solar with batteries
As a combo choice
>>
Looks like fuel cells wins it.
That said, this seems like a good time to pick your means of propulsion.

>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets
These are the types of thrusters you'd see on just about any spacecraft, and they are both highly efficient and extremely powerful.
They use the components of water as fuel, meaning that fuel can be regenerated so long as you have access to water and energy.

Likewise, water is the only byproduct of it's combustion. They can also be run even when the ship has no power.
However, hydrogen and oxygen are highly flammable gasses which need to be cooled and compressed for storage.

Tank ruptures could result in massive explosions, suffocation or worse, a pure oxygen fire.
Normally the components would have to endure extreme temperatures and pressures that would make them susceptible to catastrophic failure, but Sanig's Duranium mix can handle it.

That does however drive up the cost of components and the difficulty of repairing them.
Fortunately, the ability to '3D Print' components in a nanofab has significantly simplified the rocket's design.

>Arcjet Thrusters
By passing a high-powered electrical arc through the exhaust gasses of a burning propellant, massive amounts of energy can be imparted, gaining you significantly higher fuel efficiency.
In your case, the fuel would still be hydrogen and oxygen. You would lose some of the extreme thrust of a pure chemical rocket in exchange for high fuel efficiency.

However, they will consume large quantities of power while in use and lose a lot of their thrust if power is lost.
Issues with variable thrust can be mitigated somewhat by using an aerospike rocket nozzle, but that will also require using Duranium to prevent the spike from melting.

>Bootleg Ion Thrusters
Spacertech ion thrusters are both highly efficient and have high levels of thrust, but the secrets of how they work are closely guarded by the Federation.
It is possible to create ion thrusters with a similar efficiency to those existing on earth, using the same fuel which can be bought freely almost anywhere.

However, the thrust is absolutely abysmal. You won't be making any high-speed emergency maneuvers or getting anywhere quickly at all with these.
At least you won't spend much on fuel.
>>
>>5458192
>Arcjet thrusters
can we also add the NERVA engines as the main cruise drive? i mean, we already have a nuclear reactor, might as well give it an efficient way to get rid of the heat it will generate
>>
>>5458192
>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets
The increased cost of using duranium to protect them seems a fair trade for the increased speed and ability to work without power
>>
>>5458196
It would be possible to tie your reactor into the fuel system, yes.
You'd be able to drive the reactor harder, producing more power and fuel at the same time.

That'll only work with either the regular rockets or the arcjet thrusters, but the arcjets would benefit from it the most.
It would make your exhaust slightly radioactive while using your 'Afterburners' though
>>
>>5458196
+1
>>
>>5458200
Let's do that then
>thruster hazards
It's a good thing this is just for the carrier. We're never gonna let this thing enter atmosphere. It's too large to survive.
>>
>>5458200
aww really? but at least the idea behind the NERVA is to basically cool down the reactor in a way that's useful. in theory nothing radioactive touches the exhaust. also that's why its a good cruise drive; the reactor needs a decent amount of time to heat itself up and the propellant
>>
>>5458192
>Arcjet Thrusters
With the idea of doing the NERVA thing that anon suggested.

I think fuel efficiency is an absolute must for a big fucking beast like this. We don't need the instant big-ass thrust that would be more useful on a corvette, but the NERVA thing should help at least a bit for when we do need immediate and significant movement.
>>
>>5458200
easier to track us huh?
>>
>>5458192
>>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets
>>5458202
then we make it even bigger, to the point where atmo entry wont be a problem
>>
>>5458200
https://youtu.be/jynTNYSKNuk
Would it be possible to make remote control drone, but arm them with hardlight tech they can use defensively and offensively? I ask this because it would be too expensive to turn an entire ship into a melee weapon, so I thought it'd be a cheaper hold over until we can figure out how to make flying mechas with laser swords.
>>
>>5458210
>for when we do need immediate and significant movement.
you got it completely backwards. NERVA sucks at giving an immediate response. for an emergency burn you want chemical thrusters bar none
>>
>>5458217
If you want truly monumental amounts of thrust NOW, well there's always triggering a directed nuclear explosion out of your ass-end.
>>
>>5458192
>Arcjet Thrusters
>>
>>5458219
to be fair, you can do that with any conventional bomb. the advantage of nuclear is that the bomb can be tiny instead of stupidly large
>>
>>5458192
>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets

Just so many benefits and the downsides are mostly negated by our talents.
>>
>>5458221
>the advantage of nuclear is that the bomb can be tiny instead of stupidly large
So feasible for anything larger than a gnat.
>>
>>5458192
>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets
Add to do: Bring a ship with proper ion engines and reverse engineer the engines
>>
>>5458192
>Arcjet Thrusters
Better fuel efficiency and we get the option of radioactive GTFO mode
>>5458285
We could just keep one of the fed ships we bagged to research/cannibalize
>>
>>5458285
>>5458290
We could also visit more grave yards and take the thrusters from those ships.
>>
>>5458192
>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets

Whatever we end up with, I'll be happy as long as we integrate it with >>5458102 to make a NERVA engine. But the first thing we better do when we get to earth is to draw up the plans for a nuclear salt water engine, gimme my flying warcrime.
>>
>>5458551
Changing my vote to Arcjet + NERVA. Chemical engines are better for the fighter drones we'll be carrying.
>>
>>5458558
Disregard this. Nevermind. Sorry for being annoying and indecisive, back to chemical rockets.
>>
>>5458196
+1
>>
>>5458192
>>Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen Rockets
Hell yeah, they sound awesome with the only disadvantage being that they are dangerous.
>>
>>5458192
>>Arcjet Thrusters
>By passing a high-powered electrical arc through the exhaust gasses of a burning propellant, massive amounts of energy can be imparted, gaining you significantly higher fuel efficiency.
>In your case, the fuel would still be hydrogen and oxygen. You would lose some of the extreme thrust of a pure chemical rocket in exchange for high fuel efficiency.
>
>However, they will consume large quantities of power while in use and lose a lot of their thrust if power is lost.
>Issues with variable thrust can be mitigated somewhat by using an aerospike rocket nozzle, but that will also require using Duranium to prevent the spike from melting.

Arcjet sounds the COOL
>>
Looks like Arcjet+NERVA wins it, by a narrow margin.
Poor ion thrusters, not a single vote.
>>
>>5458652
Great long distance efficiency

But we need that acceleration tho. We can shore up for the short term losses/long term expenses.
>>
>>5458652
We could set up a secondary emergency vector thruster system with the LH/OR, right? Didn't really think about it, but it seems like something we may need. Uses the same fuel mixture.
>>
>>5458652
i don't trust the other anons to properly use a ship that doesn't have snappy thrusters
>>
Next up, we'll be deciding on the ship's main gun.
There's only one of it, and it's a spinal mount. It's gonna be fucking big.

>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
Exactly what it sounds like. A slug of metal is jammed between two electrically charged rails, and massive capacitors dump all of their energy one after another into accelerating it.
You have no idea how fast the slug actually ends up going, but nothing is going to survive a direct hit unscathed.

The only real downsides are that it fires slowly, due to the capacitors needing to recharge between each shot.
That, and it can't fire without electricity. And you'll have to lead your target.

And it weighs a metric fuckton.

>The Truman Special
This is literally just a nuclear missile.
With a single nuclear warhead of moderate yield, the missile contains it's own hardlight generators and an anti-laser ablative coating to ensure it makes it to it's target before exploding.

You'll only have room onboard to 'safely' store three missiles, one in the missile tube at all times.
The warheads have a low chance of exploding if damaged, but the missiles themselves could cause serious damage if ruptured.

>The Particle Lance
By far the smallest and lightest of the three options, this is essentially just a magnetic tube which funnels antimatter out the front end at extremely high speeds.
It uses an entire standard-size antimatter bottle per shot, but each shot is capable of quite literally annihilating a target, regardless of what it's made of.
It will punch a hole through absolutely anything, but if you should lose power for any reason during the firing process, it'll be bad news for your new ship.
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
halo's MAC, fuck yes.
Pretty fucking good at sniping targets from huge distances.
>>
>>5458782
>>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")

I'm thinking... based?
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>>
>>5458782
>The Particle Lance

this is the BFR's big brother with even more destructive power
>>
>>5458782
MAC CANNON MAC CANNON MAC CANNON!
WE. ARE. THE. GUN!
>>
>>5458782
>>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0JQt8VKgizg
MAC GUN LESSGO
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>>
>>5458782
As we are already carrying a nuclear reactor and heavy enough I'd like to suggest:
> Nuclear pumped Laser.
The gain medium could be CO2 (resulting in an easily focused beam). Just don't watch the reflected radiation, it will turn you blind!
>>
>>5458832
You shouldn't look at any high intensity laser, anon. Even if it isn't shining directly at you.
>>
This vote is pointless since we seem pretty set on the MAC but I vote for the nuclear missles.
>>
welp. now the drones will have to have tractor beams or something that can stop the targets in their tracks. otherwise i don't think we'll be able to use the FBR against anything that isn't a space station, an equally big capital ship, or is *very* far away
>>
>>5458782
>everyone going for the ebin Halo reference when we should be saving space for aircraft and munitions
Why.

>The Particle Lance
>>
>>5458782
>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
AMERICA FUCK YEAH
>>
>>5458873
we aren't know for doing the bright thing
>>
>>5458877
I was thinking this earlier. Like, a carrier designed by Sanig using the same design tools as we/David is using would be a lot different.
>>
>>5458873
it has the easiest to get ammo and is the safest option in the event of failure, i reckon
and it draws the least amount of eyes from the federation, which is a good thing for now.
going nuclear = huge fed interest
going antimatter bomb = less but still significant fed interest because how are you getting that much of their antimatter
chucking pillars of metal = feds don't really give much of a shit beyond who you're targeting with it
>>
>>5458873
Probably because the particle lance would have the shortest range.
>>
>>5458912
Oh right, that reminds me.
A massive chunk of metal shooting through space at high speeds could potentially pierce multiple targets if they're lined up right (unlikely, but you never know). It'd lose a significant portion of energy with each target it rips through, but you could do a lot of damage with one rod in ideal scenarios.
And hey, if we target things just right and hit their bottle, we can cause an antimatter explosion anyways.
>>
>>5458912
why would it? in the vacuum of space there aren't any real...anything that could reduce the range of the particle beam. its like a laser; for all practical purposes it just goes forever
>>
>>5458912
We're shooting antimatter, not photons.
>>
>>5458915
>getting a collateral with a spinal mounted railgun
SHODAN RECORD THAT

>>5458917
There are in fact particulates in vacuum. Space dust is a thing. A mass of loosely bound antimatter would also disperse on its own after a point. I'm not trying to say it would be a hugging range weapon or anything but it is the one of the three that loses the most potential over distance.
>>
>>5458928
so basically like the laser example i just talked about. anyways that's a moot point though; its not like david likes to fight long range. doubt any of our fights have been in the kilometers/miles range
>>
>>5458933
You would have a point if we didn't choose to build a fucking carrier.
>>
The antimatter lance would be a good option for getting enemies who get too close to fuck off permanently, but we chose the worst hull type for how we usually fight
>>
>>5458940
>implying the anons will properly play the carrier strengths and weaknesses properly
>>
>>5458953
We did good so far
>>
>>5458933
Not really. You can fire a railgun at a target several weeks away if you get the math correct. Can't do that with a mass of particles that instantly obliterate themselves with whatever they come into contact with. Though that is an extreme example.

The only reason David can fight at close range is because the Metal Gear is absurdly well suited to it for what it is. You don't drive a bus like you do a prius. And yes I am comparing the Metal Gear to a prius, because you know for a fact the Greys would drive one.

Though if we did get stuck in a close range engagement it would be the most effective. It's better to not plan for that. Play to your strengths.

>inb4 just throw some rice in the flight path of the antimatter to detonate it early
>>
>>5458782
>>5458818
actually swapping to no main gun. we don't reeeeeally need a main gun as a carrier. it's fine and I'll stay voting for mac if it doesn't come at the expense of any other weapon system (ie fighters)
>>
>>5458782
As far as recruitment for the carrier goes, I think after we finish building the ship and retrieve the wraith corpses, it's high time we return to earth for a recruitment drive.

Recruits we should consider:
-David's few military buddies, some in the marines, navy, and air force
-disillusioned war veterans (easier to earn the loyalties of homeless and crippled ones, if their brains arent cooked on drugs)
-disenfranchised college graduates, doctors, and scientists
-high end, high functioning autists who enjoy RTS and spread sheet simulators
-consider recruiting out of the US
-consider recruiting South Korean starcraft players
-recruit Morgan Freeman or other cool people
A small list of a bunch of people we should recruit. In addition to that we need to buy a dozen more memory Crystal's and download a ton of data. The entirety of Wikipedia, multiple scholarly sites, etc. We gotta get those alloys, means to creature super jets, nuclear tech, and carbon/ballistic/ceramic armor stuffs.
>>
>>5458977
we still have no idea where earth is though
also most of those options are really bad ideas.
>>
>>5458977
>I want schizos to kill themselves in my ship 101
>wanting morgan freeman instead of trying to save stephen hawking
>looking for public research instead of stealing all the private shit across the planet with our super duper AI waifu's help
Also there are no tendies in space so going for autists is how you get killed by reeeetard strength.
>>
>>5458782
>The Truman Special
>no main gun

Jesus christ guys we're a carrier for fuck's sake, we're supposed to be minmaxing. Leave the railguns to our cruiser escorts. Our best defense will be drones carrying these nukes.
>>
>>5458985
I think us or SHODAN narrowed it down to a hand full of star systems. We did talk about eventually returning to earth to recruit people. By all means if you have better suggestions and reasons to pick other people feel free to share.

>>5458993
Based schizos
Forgot about Hawking, my bad, these are just examples
Public research is just easier, but I see no reason to go for private stuff as well.

>no tendies
An easy solution? Fill our walk in freezer with tendies, or make doodoo tendies. Simple as.
>autism strength
Truly terrifying
>>
>>5458652
When is David going to use his fleshlight? The poor thing.
>>
>>5458977
Morgan Freeman is compromised by Epstein. We should rescue old 4channers on the FBI's lists.
>>
>>5459028
hiring from david's pool of friend's, coworkers and different navies/oceanic jobs seems like the best option at the moment. because most people can excel in their individual tasks but if they fold when being forced to follow orders, can't keep up with david's regime, or worse, try to conspire against david then they're useless.


>>5459047
who, kyla? he uses her every other night, i think
>>
>>5458993
But there is easy space pussy, so we train them with a crumb of space hookers, and they will march like dead men walking.
>>
>>5459028
Hawking can even get fixed up with some Gene tech, that would put us square in his thankful list.
>>
>>5459049
any names? who's Epstein?

>>5459054
His pool of friends and co-workers isn't very large since most of his friends died in that IED explosion. We might need to expand where we can recruit from, or consider getting civilians, researchers, and doctors. You're right that not everyone can work under pressure during a fire fight though, which is still find since not everyone is a fighter. Take Guildur and Kyla for examples.

Remember? The first few months or weeks we were in Xebric David visited a sextoy shop and accidentally bought a flashlight? The guy who owned the place used a COCK MILKER he named Birtha or something?

>>5459055
Eh, most alien species fold like wet cardboard, the fire fight in the apartment kinda reinforced this notion in my head. Granted there are exceptional aliens we can recruit from, but we shouldn't put off recruiting more fellows.

>>5459057
Good idea! Is he still alive in David's timeline? What other people should we save? Got any ideas? Names?
>>
>>5459067
>Take Guildur and Kyla for examples.
the thing with them is that for starters, they were already used to live in a cramped up spaceship, something most people in earth aren't used to. they are also used to follow orders, or in kyla's case she knew exactly what was going to happen by joining our crew
>>
Well, that was a lot of voting but i think we managed to get all the really important shit out of the way.
Your ship is officially going to be weird and really really scary to anyone who gets a good look at it's insides.

It's going to be big, somewhat lightweight, extremely well armed and armored. You won't have to worry so much about finding fuel as you will reactor management but that's a problem for later.
Further upgrades or even retrofits are possible in the future, so don't worry too much about being stuck with what you've got.

What you should be worried about is the cost. Hope you're ready to work your ass off, because carriers ain't cheap.
I'll see about getting an update out tonight, but thanks for sticking around so far if you're still here.
>>
>>5458782
>The Truman Special
>>
>>5459067
What shocks me is no one ever suggest looking for firefighters when you need cool motherfuckers under pressure. I guess the whole "saving lives" being a motivation for them runs counter to soldiering though. Which is a shame.
>>
>>5459082
No reason why we can't do both. I'd trust a surgeon to do better than a field medic if someone gets critically wounded.
>used to following orders
Eeeeh. I'd give it a so so. They're not dedicated military folks. Guildur was an ex-pirate bottom boy, and Kyla was an ex-corpo lady turned merchant.

>>5459095
There's still several other ships full of criminals we can cash in on, local bounties we can take, ship graveyards to salvage parts and spare antimatter bottles from. The was also that hidden pirate base we could visit from the first ship graveyard, you know with the active stealth field, and were we recruited Guildar from?

>>5459103
Boom, right there. That's a good idea for potential recruits if I've ever heard of one. I feel kinda bad for not thinking of that myself. What roles do you think they would fit in our mercenary group?
>>
>>5459109
>What roles do you think they would fit in our mercenary group?

Damage controlmen. Running around plugging up breaches, fixing subsystems, duct taping up leaky pipes, and fighting fires. If you ever played FTL you know having a dedicated one is a must.
>>
>>5459067
>Who's Epstein
Jew filth from Israel that has been selling kids on his private island to politicians,celebrities, and various other assorted industry giants for blackmail to destroy America from the inside out.
>Eh, most alien species fold like wet cardboard, the fire fight in the apartment kinda reinforced this notion in my head. Granted there are exceptional aliens we can recruit from, but we shouldn't put off recruiting more fellows.
Exactly, and if there is anything that will guarantee a loyal follower. Its a nerd getting fit and getting laid while looking at cool shit in space.
>Good idea! Is he still alive in David's timeline? What other people should we save? Got any ideas? Names?
I'm pretty sure he should still be mostly alive by that point, if we get back we can save him in time.
>>
>>5459095
HehhehehHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, HUMANITY HAS COME, AND WE BRING FUCKS FOR EVERYONE!
>>
>>5459117
That's like how every sailor is a firefighter, gotta have all hands on deck know what they're doing when shtf
>>
>>5459130
>>5459067
>who is Epstein
holy shit someone pure
>>
>>5459109
>Guildur was an ex-pirate bottom boy, and Kyla was an ex-corpo lady turned merchant.
the other main issue is that not many people in earth is used to live in a cramped spaceship, or in space for that matter. the only ones that know how sort of to do that are sailors, the navy and astronauts. anyone else is a ticking time bomb that we can't really return back to earth because the moment they return to their homes is the moment they are revealing our existence to earth and all the alphabet agencies that would love to have our space tech in their glowwie hands.
and that's without us telling them that we're basically a glorified warlord. that would only earn us points in places david doesn't like
>>
I'm against doing a recruiting drive on earth, we're just going to get weirdos and glowies.
At some point there's going to be somebody who asks why should david be the captain and the fact he owns the ship won't matter.
Only his friends may be trusted but a small infantry squad, even akin to space marines can't efficiently man such a ship very well.
I guess having shodan is the only thing making this even remotely viable and we should fill the rest with cool aliens we can cow into submission if need be.

Should have gone for an armed transport with stealth for boarding actions which is where the humans shine.

That said big fucking gun is cool and i approve, lets test fire it on france.
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>>5459148
That is only true if we grab liberals and anyone not white. And we can spot Glowies just fine.
>France
Better idea, Israel gets shot first.
>>
>>5459148
We were a certified grade A badass before getting access to a super intelligent AI and High G training. At this moment we're well above any other human.
>>
>>5455170

In the end, you went with a carrier.
Getting one built is going to be quite a feat. More than you realized when you first made the decision, but it's still possible.

Fortunately, these remote stations tend to be mining hubs, so you have a few options.
Either you could create a mining skip first, then use that to harvest the raw material you need to build your carrier, or you could just buy the materials directly.

You already have one ship you could retrofit for the purpose, that being the piece of shit you left behind on Xebric, assuming it's still hidden away over there.
All you'd have to do is send one of Tezza's men to go collect it for you, and then you could fix it up a bit until it's fit for purpose.

Sadly the drone ships Tezza's men have been bringing in aren't really going to work for that, since they aren't designed to be piloted in the first place, no less mine asteroids.
But you could scavenge a lot of useful parts from them, including their antimatter reactors, splipspace drives, navigation equipment, weaponry and so-on.

And chances are, if you build this carrier you're going to need a private mining skip anyways just for the upkeep on the damned thing.
You're also going to need it in order to collect some of the more... unique elements you'll be needing. Mainly uranium. Understandably, it's treated as toxic waste and isn't bought or sold here.

You'll also need a crew to do the actual mining for you.
You're a busy man after all, and going mining seems like a massive waste of yours and everyone else's time.

You might be able to find some good men down in the lower city, though.
Not everyone down there is an addict, bum or loser. Some of them are genuine folks who just had a run of bad luck, and you've got an eye for who's who.

>Just buy the materials for now, so you can start working on the ship immediately. It won't be finished any time soon regardless, but this'll jumpstart it.
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
>You already have other things on your plate. This ship's gonna take a while, so putting it off for a while won't hurt.
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.

we're gonna need that thing anyways in order to get the uranium and it will secure us a steady amount of influx over time as well
>>
>>5459148
We gotta do a recruiting drive on earth, anon, it's a lot simpler too. We have essentially unlimited funding due to mining precious metals out of asteroids. We can afford to be choosy. Pick up a bunch of ex navy guys for running the ship, a bunch of marines for boarding actions or whatnot, and a fucking TON of engineers, physicists, biologists, doctors, etc. Hire them for long term contracts (four years?) where at the end they'll be given the option to retire with millions, or keep working for our shady R&D Corp. Our strengths are integrating human and alien tech, we need humans who actually know their shit rather than the brain scan of a brain damaged, traumatized special operations grunt with a science and technology hobby plus a superintelligent AI.
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.

one more ship to the fleet
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
>>
>>5459148
>>5459164

Adding to this, the quicker we can get humanity's space industry going the better. Fed still has a chance of stopping the genie from leaving the bottle.
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>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
We do both, Ship first, and then we start getting Bulk purchases as we gather our own materials.
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>>5459157
Let's get a skip and a crew put together. One way or another, it's an investment that'll pay off.
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.

We're gonna need the supply of materials for fabricating fighters, missiles and so on. Might as well get started.
>>
>>5459117
A mix between submarine, fireman, and naval carrier would be fantastic. Maybe we can get a mix of all three for our controlmen crew so they can share their knowledge and make something new that works.

>>5459130
>Epstein
Wow that's really bad. Should we do something about him?

>cool in space
Someone made points about this in the past. So long as they're not motivated to betray us, competent enough to take orders, and won't crumple under pressure they should be recruitable.

>Hawking
If we cure his condition, how old should he be by now? Do you think he'd get along with grandpa Sanig?

>>5459148
One bad apple doesn't make them all bad. We can find some diamonds in the rough, plus I'd feel more competent with more tough guys like David.
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>>5459178
>Wow that's really bad. Should we do something about him?
He's already been assassinated in jail, what hole have you been living in?
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>>5459178
>If we cure his condition, how old should he be by now? Do you think he'd get along with grandpa Sanig?
i don't think he'd want to deal with david or sanig at all. he was a man of peace, not someone that would tenderize and kill another being just on the off chance that they'd come back for revenge. anons forget how much of an actual monster david is
>>
>>5459178
I think if we rescue Hawking in time, he'd be around his 80s early 90s?
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>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
This is better for the long term, and we'd still need a mining skip regardless to find uranium. Go ahead and contact Tezza, and maybe use Clank's connections to find some decent folks we can hire.

>>5459164
+1 this, I totally forgot we can hyper inflate Earth with stuff we can mine from space. Are we still going to hack all the other countries and reveal their dirty secrets? have all the counties launch their nukes and have them detonate harmlessly in space?

>>5459179
I don't go out often. Not a phat neckbeard unfortunately.

>>5459180
Well, it would still be a good thing to save his life so at least he could continue to do good on earth.

>>5459181
he's kinda still recruitable? I don't know, now I'm having second thoughts.
>>
>>5459157
What about point defense weapons for the carrier? Lasers? Missiles? Those things on ships that shoot down fighter jets and missiles?
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
forgot to vote lol
>>5459183
nukes are gonna be a big problem, I dunno about hacking them all, last I checked I think the air force was still running minutemen on airgapped junk that use floppy disks for that exact reason.
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>>5459190
They'll be there, that was never a question.
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>>5458782
>>A Big Fucking Railgun (AKA "The BFR")
>And it weighs a metric fuckton.

I mean we ARE making a carrier here... No, designing one. Besides we gotta give our support to Mick Gordon... https://medium.com/@mickgordon/my-full-statement-regarding-doom-eternal-5f98266b27ce
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>>5459200
lmao I was megayears late.
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>>5458977
>The entirety of Wikipedia,
Ah yes, because things like the Tiger are backed up by reputable sources. Just bukakke SHODAN with all the internets and call it a day. She might be changed afterwards... and possibly attempt to "rescue" a couple GPT-3 AIs
>>
>>5459157
>>You already have other things on your plate. This ship's gonna take a while, so putting it off for a while won't hurt.

My blueballs... please let's get this over with and get to the station we are taking over
>>
>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.
>>
>>5459157
The hell is a skip? You mean skiff?
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>>5459228
A skip is basically a bucket used to ferry ore from deep down in a mine up to the surface.
A skiff is a flat bottomed boat.
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>>5459233
Kek I was about to upload the same image
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>>5459233
I see. I never knew skip was used that way. The more you know.
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>>5459183
Hawking can at the very least help with Sanig getting Science stuff, hell even just having him hookup to SHODAN would be a huge boon.
>>
Maybe we can recruit pre-Monsanto meeting Bill Nye.
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>>5459157
>You're going to have to bite the bullet eventually, so you may as well do it now. Get the mining skip built and find yourself a crew.

What will be our ship's cooling system? I was expecting a vote on that seeing how much the Metal Gear's performance is limited by heat.
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>>5459358
my guess is that we're gonna use the same system the metal gear used; big ass tanks of water. thankfully they have a new use now, as propellant for the NERVA engine
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>>5459275
Too bad it's probably too late for Sagan.
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>>5459361
Not just that, we'll also be using a n o n s cooling ideas, like his idea with using gold paint. We could also use the wraith/ghost blood as paint as well since it's very resistant to heat. I think the blood is really good at deflecting heat since David's PA was caked in it and didn't melt into slag after the demon exploded.

The gold / blood paint isn't really a cooling system, but at least it'll keep the ship cooler for longer I think.
>>
>>5459368
i think the only problem with the blood is that we don't have enough demons to paint a whole ass carrier, nor we have enough warp metal dust to cover its radioactive signature; so its a good idea, but not for now.
and how will the gold idea work? from what i remember gold is a heat and electricity conductor, not an insulator
>>
>>5459368
>>5459372
Easy solution, we now know popping warp bottles can summon them. We can set up a few ghost ships and hunt them.
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>>5459374
>draw aggro
Oh yes I'm sure there is no way this will backfire spectacularly.
>>
>>5459387
I agree with the other anon. David was able to handily deal with a horde of wraiths and some demons. With a few more preparations he should be able to kill enough in some attempts to fully paint the carrier, maybe do another hour two of slaying the next day to ensure we have some spare blood paint.
>>
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>>5459432
Well I appreciate your confidence if nothing else.
>>
>>5459358
Water is going to be a critical component of basically every part of the ship. Water for drinking, water for fuel, water for cooling... water will even serve as armor and radiation shielding to a degree.

>>5459374
You also know a place where there's basically an unlimited number of wraiths, and dark matter falls from the sky like snow.
>>
>>5459486
Oh, *that* place. Maybe we should make a base there to collect dark matter.
>>
>>5459630
Maybe we should just design a trap that draws wraiths in using a living target (dodo) at the center and activates when they're in range. Make it EMP hardened of course, and coat the trap's killing mechanism with wraithblood or make it out of wraithbone to stop them from phasing through it.
Stop by every now and then to pick up the bodies.
>>
I don't wanna go to the evil planet. I'd rather attempt to keep David's humanity as whole as we can
>>
>>5459655
>I'd rather attempt to keep David's humanity as whole as we can
that part of him left a looooong time ago

>>5459630
i think you're confusing dark matter with antimatter.
>>
>>5459655
>Humanity
>Whole as we can
We not just jumped we sailed clean over that hurdle.
>>
>>5459157

There's no real choice here, you're going to have to get the skip and crew together eventually.
One quick call to Tezza and he's got two guys on their way to Xebric. Fortunately the ship is mostly functional, so they won't need to wire up their own steering controls or anything.

In the meantime, you start looking for potential crew down in the lower city.
Security has improved somewhat in the past couple of weeks, as people tested the waters and realized that no, they were not free to rape, plunder and pillage as they pleased.

You only had to be called down there three times, but you made examples of them each time you did.
One man in particular decided that it was a good idea to beat one of the homeless children nearly to death. He was crucified, and his corpse is still hanging in front of the arena, by the roadside.

The children haven't reported a single incident against them since then. Well, nothing that wasn't petty, anyways.

The whorehouse hasn't done much yet. The girls there are still adjusting and being trained, so you can't expect much just yet.
Silus however, has already produced some results. After getting paid for the weapons you confiscated, she immediately re-invested and managed to score a few small contracts with some pirate smugglers.

She was able to get six plasma-based weapons and a whole crate of high-spec phaser pistols, which clank has allocated to some of his more capable men.
Apparently most of them were making do with pea-shooters and phasers so old that they no longer had any battery life, so they'd fail after ten or twelve shots.

You're not interested in all that, though. You're actually headed for the homeless camp, where the truly desperate tend to stay after first arriving on the station.

What you look for first is families. People with kids, wives, mouths to feed. People with something to protect. Gives them a reason to work hard and work well. Makes them more loyal.
Potentially also makes them easier to bribe or threaten, but it's been made clear that sort of thing won't go over well.

There are a few men there willing to do the work, and you promise to pay them properly. A promise you intend to keep, of course.
Clank gets them and their families a couple of housing permits, and although it's two families to an apartment, it's still better than nothing.

Most of the empty housing has been filled since Clank took over, but new people come in every day.
Building new apartments will unfortunately be quite expensive, and it won't really solve the issue anyways.

It seems that a lot of the new arrivals are actually refugees from other stations, including Xebric.
The redsang epidemic is getting worse, and now people are getting sick. Well, even more sick. Shit's starting to go south out there.

Fortunately you haven't seen any of that out here just yet, but that also begs the question "Why not?".
Regardless, you spend the next few days looking for used mining equipment, of which there's no shortage.
>>
>>5459637
More mechanical than electrical so the trap can still spring and kill some wraiths.

>>5459655
>david's humanity
HAHAHAHAHA!

>>5459819
>One man in particular decided that it was a good idea to beat one of the homeless children nearly to death. He was crucified, and his corpse is still hanging in front of the arena, by the roadside.
He deserved worse. A pitty that aliens can die if they recieve enough pain. Is the child okay? The orphanage idea not taking hold just yet, or is this an a child in a homeless family?
>>
>>5459828
He lived. Still recovering in hospital, though.
Dude was trying to steal the kid's savings, and the kid wouldn't let go.
>>
>>5459819
>Fortunately you haven't seen any of that out here just yet, but that also begs the question "Why not?".
Even in space they still glow. Goddamn feds.

>>5459828
>A pitty that aliens can die if they recieve enough pain
To be fair, humans can die of shock too. It just takes quite a bit to get to that point. Usually.
>>
>>5459835
>Even in space they still glow. Goddamn feds.
probably it also helps that this station -that i sadly don't remember the name of- isn't in the literal rims of fed space, unlike xebric
>>
RE ship guns I will be mega sad if we dont introduce Casaba howitzers to Sanig and have a battery or two of them for offense & defense.
>>
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I propose we make a Big zam down the line. It probably wont fit in the carrier but i was thinking it could be fun to have.
It could use its legs and sheer thrust to grapple onto ships to push them into positions the carrier could get collateral railgun shots.
Just add some small shielding and make the main gun a smaller particle cannon.
Bam! BIG ZAM!
>>
>>5459819
The redsang epidemic is getting worse, and now people are getting sick. Well, even more sick.
We still need to get our hands on a sample of redsang and figure out what the fuck it actually is.
>but that also begs the question "Why not?".
Shortage? The worsening of side effects could be because it's being cut with something nasty(er).
>>
>>5460040
Nah, lets go Tall Geese.
>>
>>5460143
based
>>
>>5460143
A compromise
Talgeese as main Mecha space fighter
Big zam as the "Fuck you" strike craft
Talgeese can act as escorts for the big zam
>>
>>5459819

"Look here!" You yell, smacking your hand loudly on the counter. "You think i don't know what this piece of shit is worth? A piece of shit knockoff ruby rod and a cracked lens for 800 credits, are you fucking KIDDING ME?!"

"Fine, asshole! Seven hundred credits and it's yours if you'll just get the hell out of my shop!"

"Six!" You counter. "And you should call yourself lucky i don't just smash it over your fuckin' head for trying to scam me!"

"Six?! W- You mothe- How fucking?!!"

The shopkeeper struggles to compose himself for a while before managing to calm down.

"...It's a functional MD-16 laser, man. Six fifty. Take it or leave it."

"It's functional for now. It ain't like you've got a warranty on this thing. Six twenty five."

He smacks his own face so hard that it almost immediately leaves a mark.

"Just take the fucking thing and go." He exclaims, sounding exhausted.

You tap your holopad against his and transfer 625 credits, then scoop the various laser components into your cart haphazardly and make your way out.

"You know the fab can seal a crack like that in like, two seconds, right?" Cylia asks.

"Yeah, but he doesn't need to know that. And this is the last piece we needed to get the skip up and running, so i wanted a good deal on it."

"I still can't believe you're trying to build something that size, David. Where are you going to get the money for it?"

"Well, like i said, the skip will save us a lot on raw materials. But it's true, we're gonna need to buy a lot of blueprints to get what we need. And more than that, i think we need our own industrial fab."

"You mean... like the ones they build ships with?"

"Yeah. We're gonna need one on the ship anyways if we want to do maintenance, but it's also gonna be kind of hard to build something that size on a station without being noticed."

"Well, you're going to have a hard time with that. Industrial fabs don't just grow on trees, you know. Even the stations don't technically own them, the federation just lends them out..."

"So either we steal one, or we buy one from someone besides the federation."

"...Like who?"

"Oh, i can think of three options right off the bat. First is pirates. A big hive might have one for sale, maybe..."

"Yeah, and they might tear us apart if they find out we're bounty hunters."

"They might try. We could always just steal it, too. But anyways, second option... the greys. We know where at least one of their bases are, so we might be able to make an exchange."

"David, we both know that's like a deal with the devil. They're gonna ask for something you aren't going to want to give up."

"True. But some things are worth a pound of flesh. And again, there's always extreme violence as an option."

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Then maybe the third option. Keryn."

"Who?"

"He's Thekia's administrator. Corrupt as they come. If we can think of something juicy enough to offer him, like, say, a small stake in Xebric?"
>>
>>5460970

"You'd go that far just for a fab? Wouldn't you have to renegotiate with Gron, too?"

"Nobody says i actually have to hold up my end of the bargain. If we take one station, we can sure as hell take two. We're halfway there already, aren't we?"

"Alright, now you're just talking crazy, even for you. One station is already enough to piss off the federation, but two? They'll come after you for sure, then."

"Maybe. I'm just thinking it over is all. What do you think?"

"Do we really need it that bad?"

"Of course. What if we get stranded, or exiled or something? A carrier is basically a floating city, Cyl. And out here, it has to be self-sufficient. And with nanofabs, it's possible."

"Then... i don't know? Pirates, maybe? This is so stupid..."

...

Pirates, huh? She might be right. If you're lucky, that could be the easiest option. You might be able to outright buy one. Maybe an old model or something...
Only problem is, you have no idea what they'll want for it. And if things turn south, you might end up in a skirmish.

The Metal Gear is mostly repaired by now, but she still has issues. She'll probably never be quite as good as she was again, unless you can get it properly repaired at a grey outpost.
You'll probably be able to handle things just fine, but you never know. Sometimes that little bit extra counts for everything.

It doesn't matter in the end, though. You still need what you need...

>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
>They may end up being more trouble than they're worth, but there's also a chance they could end up being valuable partners. Go for the Grey Outpost.
>Use Clank's leverage to get a meeting with Keryn. He's greedy from what you've heard, so you might be able to get him to do something stupid and have the Feds send you a brand new fab.
>Put it off until later. You need to worry more about Xebric right now, and it's about time you took care of it. The carrier can come afterwards.
>>
>>5460971
>Put it off until later. You need to worry more about Xebric right now, and it's about time you took care of it. The carrier can come afterwards
Though I'd also add
>ask gron about dealing with pirates during xebric planning, he's been around enough to know if any in particular are worth dealing with, and he may be willing to play go between
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
And if that doesn't work
>grey outpost
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
worst case scenario, we can just steal their shit by force, i mean, they're pirates. nobody cares about them
>>
QM your ship class scheme is kinda wonky. (Destroyers bigger than battleships?) It doesn't make a lot of sense and it's unintuitive. I propose we use something similar to the EVE ship class system
>corvette
In eve these are starter ships and players are encouraged to find a different ship asap. I dont like calling ships corvettes and think that the class should be retired.
>frigate
Fighter class assault ships. Small enough to be really fuckin hard to hit, but big enough to pack a punch. I think the Metal Gear is too small to fit into this class, instead it's a destroyer
>Destroyer
Designed to hunt frigates. Bigger, more armored, slower, slightly better weapons than the frigate.
>Cruiser
Actual ship of the line. Can take a hit from a lot of things, and dish it out. Remains pretty maneuverable but not on the scale of frigates and such. Double digit crew.
>Battlecruiser
Imagine a cruiser but it's bigger and slower, with more guns to match. Carriers start to appear in this ship class and up.
>Battleship
>Still even slower than a battle cruiser, but with the best firepower outside of capital ships. Most carriers are in this class.

In eve, most ships cruiser and up can deploy at least one drone, but certain ships in those classes specialize into drones as a primary armament. What I think we have created is a battlecarrier droneboat with manned(?) fighters. Actual carriers are capital or supercapital class.
>>
>>5460984
comparing things to eve is a 1 way route to boredom
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
Let's first scout around, gather some data. We can always retrace our steps this way.
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
This can end one of two ways. Either we make a clean deal with the pirates, or will be claiming a lot of bounties.
Can I make a suggestion for the metal gear? Equip it with a sensor suite all over the exterior and connect them to hard light shield generators. If SHODAN is too busy with managing ship systems and the maurader missiles, then we can hook up the other apes AI friend we freed to monitor the shields and sensors. That way instead of having the headlights active 24/7 they can be activated when we're expecting a ship to strike with lasers or etc.
We should probably make sure we're stocked on missiles and fuel before we go though. Do a quick paint over David's PA with demon blood to grant him extra armor protection should negotiations go south, and for extra intimidation to work negotiations more in our own favor.
>>
>>5460971
>They may end up being more trouble than they're worth, but there's also a chance they could end up being valuable partners. Go for the Grey Outpost.
They're anti-fed too, and they got the best of the best. I'm not gonna settle for some secondhand four-generations-behind sack of shit.
Besides, they're gonna have to learn to work with humanity sooner or later. And I want some of those fuckin' nanites they injected us with, shit is cash.
>>
>>5460971
>>Put it off until later. You need to worry more about Xebric right now, and it's about time you took care of it. The carrier can come afterwards.
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.

We'll make it work. Earth tech can fill the gaps with some experience.
>>
>>5460971
It's a guarantee that the greys will be able to get us a fab. I think it's worth it to at least see what they want for it. Maybe we could trade them skinsuit tech or radar for it if David really doesn't want to hand over a DNA sample.
>>
>>5460971
>>Put it off until later. You need to worry more about Xebric right now, and it's about time you took care of it. The carrier can come afterwards.

PLEASE CEASE THE BLUEBALLS LET'S GO DAMN IT. The station is bound to have a fab for fucks sakes.
>>
>>5461014
>That way instead of having the headlights active 24/7 they can be activated when we're expecting a ship to strike with lasers or etc.
why though? keeping them on all the time has no drawback whatsoever
>>
>>5460971
>Put it off until later. You need to worry more about Xebric right now, and it's about time you took care of it. The carrier can come afterwards.
>>
>>5460971
>They may end up being more trouble than they're worth, but there's also a chance they could end up being valuable partners. Go for the Grey Outpost.
>>
>>5461080
they require a lot of energy to maintain is probably why.
>>
>>5460971
>Try some of the local pirate hideouts, see if you can find an old fab on the black market.
Can we still do some R&D? What have we done already, and what other things can we research?
>>
>>5461299
but that's more or less irrelevant when our main fuel is considered a waste. the aliens will probably even pay us to take the uranium out of their hands
>>
>>5461361
Still been thinking about the AR-10 with an underbarrel 50 cal. Like, could we put a hard light projector on it to generate an extended hardlight barrel on the 50 cal and just store the battery in the stock.
>>
>>5461798
That gave me an idea, a hardlight shield projector on a rifle, the shield is large enough to completely cover the person holding the rifle, but when the rifle is fired the shield flickers just long enough for the round to pass through.
>>
>>5460971
>They may end up being more trouble than they're worth, but there's also a chance they could end up being valuable partners. Go for the Grey Outpost.

Good to establish relations with the neighbours of the future station that will be owned by Dark Star. Also hopefully they will take hints about how much bullshit they can get away with in the area and that level is low.
>>
>>5461798
Didn’t the hardlight shield we were carrying burst just from David tackling a barricade and the men behind it? It’s a great defense against phasers but no way it’s strong enough to act as a gun barrel.
>>
>>5462064
It could work, actually.
In that case, David was charging into a metal barricade at full force, and the shield was spread out to protect his entire body.
If it were concentrated down into the shape of an extended barrel, it could definitely survive.

Not saying it would work well. Gun barrels have to be very precisely machined after all, but you could do it with some modifications.
This is the sort of thing that hardlight weapons research would go towards. Custom hardlight projectors and the like.
>>
>>5462068
Hmm... if we think about it, the shield flickers when hit hard enough and needs some time to recharge. If each gunshot makes the shield flicker, then it's a matter of syncronizing the rate of fire with the speed the shield recharges. But maybe this simply won't work because there has to be a barrel to propel the bullet forward by using the gas expansion. And while the hardlight barrel does not heat up (¿?) the air inside of it does and who knows, maybe the casings inside will end up preigniting...

I will lobby against this hardlight gun idea. Fucking silly
>>
>>5462076
It would merely be a barrel extension, to give the round enough barrel to burn all its powder and reach full velocity. The actual chamber and firing mechanism would all be steel and would be a single shot underbarrel attachment like a grenade launcher. Useable without the hardlight extension but mostly pointless without it
>>
>>5458160
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkeOkaVRLo

Not all scientists are the same. We will need to find a competent and based one who has some issues with the rather doctrinal solidified consensus of the current scientific elite.

As there is already a saying that science advances one death at a time, with each dino scientist croaking, getting rid of one less asshat that is very interested very much in upholding his thesis as valid and grant money flowing at the detriment of science as a whole.
>>
>>5460971

After conversing with the crew a bit more, you all decide to try and deal with some pirates.
The greys may be an option, but they're also a sort of wild card. There's no telling how they'd actually respond to... everything about you.

Better 'safe' than sorry.

So, after a few more days of dicking around and making sure the Metal Gear is fit to fly, you top up on supplies and make your way out of the station again.

"How are we doing, SHODAN?"

"All parameters are within 90% of expected values. This is acceptable."

"Damn, 90%? That's pretty bad, huh?"

"The arcjet maneuvering thrusters are surprisingly effective, although the power draw is also quite high in comparison to an ion thruster. The main issue is the weight balance. There is a slight... drift. It requires constant supervision. How annoying."

"Does the ship have any reaction wheels? Just have them spin up whenever the thrusters are firing, that should trim it out."

"...That seems to have resolved the issue. Thank you, Captain."

"No problem."

"Wait, what's a reaction wheel?" Cylia asks, hanging from your shoulders. "And why do you know what that is, but SHODAN doesn't?"

"It's literally just a big heavy wheel. You spin it up to rotate in place without using fuel. As for why she didn't think of it, uh... well?"

"I normally just use the thrusters, Captain. Reaction wheels lack power and responsiveness, so i had simply stopped considering them."

"You mean you forgot about them?"

SHODAN doesn't respond, basically confirming it.

"How does an AI forget something?" Cylia wonders. "Isn't your memory digital? It's not getting corrupted, is it?"

"It is not possible to corrupt a crystalline storage matrix." SHODAN insists.

...

Those two go back and forth for a while, but you tune it out and relax. The sound of the ship running hasn't changed much, and you've come to quite enjoy hearing it. That constant drone that tells you everything's working just fine.
Your flight goes well, without any weirdness. No interdiction, no wraith attacks, no ambushes, no equipment failure. It's almost suspicious that nothing's going wrong. But nothing does, and you arrive at one of the supposed locations after half a day.

It's an asteroid field, fairly sparse in nature, just like Sol's own asteroid belt. In fact, they're so far apart that you can't even see the next nearest one. There are however, lots of small bits and pieces floating about.
You have to keep the ship's shields up at minimum power, otherwise you constantly hear them dinging off the hull. They shouldn't go through, but you'd rather not risk it.
>>
>>5462171
Then it would be only to... MAKE A CONCEALABLE RIFLE!! Forget about folding stocks. Hardlight loading mechanism, magazine, stock, sights, supressor... we could even use caseless ammo because if the steel components are encased in sci-fi then it would be way easier for them to cool down!!! If hardlight is not an insulator I mean.

Our cheek (and half our face?) would burn tho... but nothing our synth suit made out of fakeium can't handle
>>
>>5462218
"SHODAN, can you detect the subspace beacon from here?"

"Yes, Captain. Bearing-"

"I don't need to know the bearing, SHODAN. Just throw a pointer up on the Navball, please."

"Done."

At your command, SHODAN places a marker on your shiny new Navball, which is going to make things a little easier for you going forward. You kind of hate holographic displays, and this is much simpler.

>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>Fuck that, engage your reactor cloak and head in quietly. Better if they don't even know you've arrived.
>Write-In?
>>
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>>5462218
>"It is not possible to corrupt a crystalline storage matrix." SHODAN insists.
>>
>>5462220
>>Fuck that, engage your reactor cloak and head in quietly. Better if they don't even know you've arrived.
Let's DING with our radar. See what's up, maybe a couple ships running cold in ambush and one or two baits. Aliens play by the book all the time and it's getting repetitie
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>>
>>5462218
We really need to get her more brain rocks.
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>>
>>5460971
>>Use Clank's leverage to get a meeting with Keryn. He's greedy from what you've heard, so you might be able to get him to do something stupid and have the Feds send you a brand new fab.
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
Keep the sensors nice and warm incase anything is trying to stealth. Maybe eject some missiles to free float just in case there's a fight, not like any of them would understand.
>>
>>5462220
>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in
>>
>>5462220
>>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
>>
>>5462220
>>According to Clank, there's supposed to be a passphrase. Go ahead and broadcast it as you fly in.
Let's not start shit if we don't have to.
>>
>>5462220
>Fuck that, engage your reactor cloak and head in quietly. Better if they don't even know you've arrived.

Sneak in. Take that shit. Leave em mystified.
>>
Can't stop thinking about hard light gear now.

Hard Light Canoe
Hard Light Parachute or Paraglider
Hard Light Emergency Space Vacuum Shelter Bubble
>>
>>5462873
Hard light marital aid.
>>
>>5462873
>>5462898

Hard Light garbage compactor
Hard Light underwear
Hard Light shell bandolier
Hard Light tennis racket
>>
>>5462873
>>5462898
>>5462939
Hard light hard light projector.
>>
>>5462873
Hard Light clean pair of socks and undies.
>>
Hard light backup windshield
>>
hardlight wallet with included hardlight wallet chain
>>
>>5462220

You're a little wary of just heading int here like it's nothing, but it'll be hard to sneak in unnoticed and the fine fellows inside may not take kindly to it regardless.
So fuck it, you're just gonna do what you're supposed to do, play nice and broadcast the code you were given.

You broadcast it as you fly towards the supposed base location, but you can't see any asteroid.

"Where is the beacon coming from?" You ask.

SHODAN zooms in on a seemingly empty pocket of space, revealing a small beacon floating out there by itself.

"Shit. Where are they?"

"Passphrase recognized, Captain. I am receiving updated co-ordinates from an unknown source nearby."

"Really? Alright, i guess it's not an ambush after all... maybe."

The new signal source appeared suddenly, about 120,000 kilometers from the beacon's location.
Far enough not to be visible from the beacon, but not all that far astronomically speaking.

As you draw closer to the new co-ordinates, a large asteroid comes into view. It's pretty obvious that it's been mined out and converted into a station, albeit on a much smaller scale than something like Thekia or Xebric.
There's an open port, windows, even an exposed landing pad for larger ships. They're not even trying to hide the fact that it's a pirate station.

You guess the fact that it's this far out in the middle of nowhere would mean most folks wouldn't find it unless they came looking in the first place, but still.

When you get relatively close, a small, lightly-armed shuttle approaches and physically flies up to the cockpit to make eye contact with you.
You flip off the pilot, and he gestures for you to follow him.

When you get close enough, it becomes clear that the entire surface of the asteroid is covered with solar panels.
You're fairly close to the star here, so you guess it's easier for them than trying to get antimatter fuel or enriching deuterium for fusion.

You follow the shuttle over to the dock and fly up to the shielded entrance to wait for landing clearance.
The shuttle just zips right through without a care in the world, but you're left waiting.

"...SHODAN, can you hail the tower?"

SHODAN hails them, but the proverbial phone is left ringing for a solid minute before anyone picks up.
A sleepy, or perhaps drunken-sounding man coughs violently into the microphone on the other end.

"Hah?!" He yells. "Who the fuck are you? What you want, asshole?!"

"I'm here for trade." You explain.

"WELL THE WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!" He screams before slamming his holopad down and ending the call.

"Charming. I guess we just head in, then?" You grumble.

"There's an empty spot over there, Captain."

"Yeah, alright."

Casually, you pop through the barrier keeping the station's atmophere in and manually guide the Metal Gear in to land in a... relatively open spot.
Some debris and what looks like someone's packaged lunch gets blown away by your thruster exhaust, but you suppose that isn't your problem.
>>
>>5463223
Go out in our power armor and Princesses resting on our shoulders. It'll be funny. Did we make princess a personalized shield generator yet? I know her kind ate pretty dangerous and tough, but it would break my heart to see her get hurt.

Would anyone be against decorating the power armor with the bones of slain wraiths and demons later on?
>>
>>5463223
lets just descend without the power armor, but with princess on our shoulders. its more impactful than the power armor
>>
>>5463255
What are you talking about? Power armor is pretty damn intimidation, and leaves princess more surface area to rest on. She's a growing girl and I'm not sure if she can fit on David's shoulders normally right now. Gosh how big is she?
Plus, if things break down into a firefight, we'll be wanting the power armor to kill everyone on the station, or make a fighting retreat back to the Metal Gear.
>>
>>5463246
You know what, why not?
Let's have a proper vote on it.

>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>Nah, let's keep things quiet for now.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>lmao break off some demon horns and attack them to the helmet of your power armor.
>grab some slices of bloody meat to occassionally feed princess. If anyone asks, it's to distract her so no one gets mauled to death. Plus it'll spook the few herbivores here.
>>
>>5463267
>Nah, let's keep things quiet for now.
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>>
>>5463267
>Nah, let's keep things quiet for now.
>>
>>5463267
this>>5463269
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
Let's squik the normies.
>>
>>5463267
>>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure

We are peak Pirate
>>
>>5463267
>>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
>>
>>5463269
+2
>>
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We should go full Harlock one of these days.
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
She needs a walk anyhow.
>>
>>5463524
Tubby Princess is cute, but unhealthy
>>
>>5463533
If God didn't want her to eat all those dodo eggs, why did he make them so delicious?
>>
>>5463535
.....so we can use them as Wraith bait?
>>
>>5463267
>>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
Can we have a hovercart carrying us in a throne? just asking
>>
>>5463267
>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
This might ironically be the LESS conspicuous option. We might be recognized as being "Gunny", the pink bipedal bounty hunter, but inside that giant slab of powered metal? Nobody in civilized space outside of Gron's boys have seen that, I don't believe.
>>
>>5463269
>step out in big armor
>"Hey robots are illegal."
>"I'll make you living illegal."
>slap sunglasses on over the helmet and stomp away
Don't try too hard. You might kill someone.
>>
hey so this is how cylia sounds... wait I don't know how to link threds... >>/wsg/4752957 like this?
>>
>>5463668
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6wd0rB1Fc
>>
>>5463648
plus-fucking-this
>>
>>5463267

On one of the ship's hull cams, you note that your arcjet maneuvering thruster almost immediately heated the steel plates of the landing pad to a dull red glow, leaving a scorch mark as it cools.
Probably something to take note of in the future, if you're going to be using those things. Spacertech ion thrusters are still hot, of course, but they're not quite so violent.

You also notice some of the people on the ground holding their ears on the side of that thruster.
From experience with some of the stationary tests, you can confirm that they are loud as fuck in atmosphere. It's still a rocket engine, after all.

But again, not your problem and you don't care.

"How's the prototype fuel cell holding up, SHODAN?"

"Water is being drawn off from the cooling loop and hydrogen fuel is being generated. Efficiency is within expected margins."

"Great. Just gotta make sure we top up the water every once in a while then, i guess."

Having landed, you lock your controls and power the ship down to idle before standing up and stretching your legs out.

You plan on having some fun while you're here, so before exiting the ship you make your way over to the workshop where your power armor is stored.
Sanig is there, and he's focusing hard on some blueprints spread out in front of him. Actual blueprints, on paper. Said they "help him visualize things better" if he can move them around.

"Yo, Grandpa. Did you get the modulator installed?" You ask him.

"Sure did, Kid. Should sync up with your translator implant automatically when you lock the helmet. Try not to make them piss their pants too hard, huh?"

"I'll think about it."

Your armor is already out of it's crate, since Sanig and Kyla have been tinkering with it. All you have to do is crack it open and step into it, then seal your helmet with a hiss as it pressurizes.
The sensation of being flooded with earth levels and pressures of oxygen again is always a rush, and you feel your head clear up followed by the usual pleasant high.

After taking a fat sniff of air, you test out your new voice modulator.
>>>/wsg/4830584

"So how do i sound?"

"About how you look. I still think gold on black is gaudy as all hell."

"What the hell do you know about fashion, old man?"

"About as much as you know about keeping out of trouble. Now get the hell out of my workshop, i'm... not familiar with nuclear reactors. This is going to take me a minute."

"The next set of neutron flux calculations are nearly complete, Sanig."

Leaving Sanig and SHODAN to work on that little project, you stop by your room on the way out to collect someone you haven't had much chance to play with as of yet.

"Princess? Are you in here?"

Princess instantly pops her head up from under the blankets and hisses flames at you, but quickly calms down when she recognizes your armor.

"It's just me, girl. Come on, do you want to go for a walk?"
>>
>>5463267
>>Fuck subtlety, head out in your power armor and bring Princess with you for good measure
If anything, pirates should respect someone's strength.
>>
>>5463765
God damn, just realizing that the fact that we have a flow of human-standard oxygenated air after being used to low pressure low oxygen air gives us an even bigger advantage when we’re using the suit.
Hey boss are we going to make a room on the carrier that’s shielded enough to let us work warpmetal without fucking the electronics elsewhere in the ship up?
Maybe with some steam hammers in it to take advantage of the ample amounts of water vapor we’d have in the ship.
>>
>>5463796
With how much water we seem to be putting in this ship it's a wonder it isn't a flying swimming pool.
>>
>>5463816
The carriers nuclear reactor should be our new hottub
>>
>>5463845
Ok im stupid,
>>>/wsg/4752957 #
>>
>>5463765
D'aaawww, our little princess can spit fire. She's so pretty!
>>
>>5463765
>"It's just me, girl. Come on, do you want to go for a walk?"
WALKIES!
>>
>>5463796
We gotta get the new carrier made for that kinda space, Metal Gear is to small to risk, even with the retro fits.
>>
>>5463796
We should be a little worried. Too much oxygen for the body can also be bad.

We best hope the oxygen mod accounts for diffeering oxygen levels
>>
>>5464158
>The sensation of being flooded with earth levels
>earth levels
Its safe
>>
>>5464165
Imagine dying to your natural levels of oxygenation. Damn.
>>
>>5463978
I mean, I did explicitly say "the carrier".
>>5464158
>Human-standard
It's time to send anons back to school, reading comprehension is slipping.
>>
>>5464191
im iffy on handling warp metal in the carrier. last time we had to work it on a whole warehouse and even then the EMP effect reached the neighbors. i don't think its a wise idea to have such a big space left unused or at least used for something that isn't strictly storage
>>
>>5464196
That was in some back alley warehouse.
If we build the room right, we'd be able to contain the pulses to a single reasonable sized room. In fact, that's the entire point behind the concept of the Faraday Cage. It's extremely possible even with today's technology.
>>
>>5464233
but this is basically a magical EMP. definitely worth a try though
>>
>>5464243
Magic is just science that's too far ahead in the tech tree.
>>
>>5464250
that doesn't make it any less magical right now though
>>
>>5464243
The feds can reliably turn it into precisely shaped bottles to supply a fuckload of ships with, I'm pretty sure we could get an adequate enough setup for pounding that shit blacksmith style.
>>
>>5464257
im not saying its impossible; i mean space is basically infinite and building outwards is very cost effective for manufacturing purposes. im just concerned about having it inside the carrier. but hey, if the faraday cage works, more power to us
>>
>>5464165
>>5464191
I know it's human standard

What I'm getting at is the gene mods are still working on us. We are barely comfortable with station level oxygen still. Down the line we might be "Too efficient" in oxygen capture.
>>
>>5464467
i don't see how that becomes a problem
>>
>>5464472

It comes down to what the greys were really experimenting on us for.

They were upping our oxygen reception for a reason. Generally the diffusion between low oxygen and high oxygen in the alveoi assists in oxygen capture by the blood cells. The body can adjust for this in terms of people living in high altitudes and what not.

But station level oxygen is can be uncomfortably high for many prey species, as it's there to also allow predator species to live.

Depending on the tuning of the gene mod, and its progress, we could end up in a situation where we suffer oxygen poisoning from earth standard levels. Even athletes oxygen doping don't keep breathing the stuff at high levels continuously.
>>
>>5464472
I think I know what his problem is. He's afraid we'll gain those wacky carboniferous gigantism levels of huge from too good oxygen processing. Our dick will be too big to have sex with any more. A true shame.

What do you mean that only affected arthropods?
>>
>>5464479
Bro we were dosed up by a technomagic swarm of nanobot viruses that, despite being cellular scale, had enough computing power to extrapolate necessary changes to our genome to make us station suitable.

We also literally absorb ghosts when we kill them and have a 6th sense.
>>
>>5464490
Ghosts are magic, fuck knows what downsides that has.
The nanobots are made by Greys. There's no way there isn't something we oughta be wary of.
>>
>>5464479
>They were upping our oxygen reception for a reason.
....because the oxygen levels everywhere except on earth are way lower? worst case scenario we're gonna end up breathing less and that's it.
>>
>>5464492
It was a standard cocktail given to unknown species to bring them into line with station standard (and Grey standard) atmospheres. QM has stated that it sometimes hits species' intelligence and such too, but I don't think we need to worry about this particular thing backfiring on us.

>>5464493
He's worried we'll get oxygen toxicity like divers do if they dive too deep on a standard air, which is a thing which happens. Your body can't adapt to just 'breathe less' under all circumstances.
>>
>>5464499
I guess to be more accurate

What if the cocktail means we need to use an oxygen scrubber when we go back to earth. IE: if human standard is so goddamn high in comparison that we're effectively trapped off earth until we find a way to tune ourselves.
>>
>>5464499
>>5464502
eh. if something like that were to happen we would have seen it the moment we started using earth levels of oxygen in the metal gear or the first time we wore the power armor, and that would have been several months ago. there's nothing to worry about right now
>>
>>5464502
So what if we do? Life support tech is already easy and widespread on account of being necessary for operating in vacuum. It'd be no big deal if we had to wear a mask for a while back on earth. But also this guy gets it: >>5464507
>>
>>5464507
putting an end to this, our suit has a bottle with human concentration oxygen in it that we breathe when we're using it, I think we'll be fine on earth
>>
>>5464158
>We should be a little worried. Too much oxygen for the body can also be bad.
david went from 15% to 21% of oxygen
>>
>>5463267
>Nah, let's keep things quiet for now
Keep at least one gun and a knife with us, but let's not look for trouble.
>>
>>5463765

Princess tilts her head in confusion at first, but then her cat-like ears perk up, and she jumps up to her feet.
Oh. Oh man, she's really getting a belly on her at this point. All she does is sit around in your room and eat dodo eggs, so it's no wonder.

Still, she has grown quite a bit. At this point she must be the size of a large dog... not quite a great dane, but still too big to really fit around your neck anymore.
That's when you're not wearing your power armor, though.

"Come on girl, hup hup!"

You stick your arm out for her, and she leaps off the bed, onto your arm.
As she clambers up onto your shoulders, her claws leave slight scratches in the hardened wraithblood-enamel surface of your armor. Kind of surprising, since even metal tools have a hard time scratching that stuff.

You give her a second to settle in and she drapes herself across your neck like a scarf, letting her body go limp while she stretches her legs.

When you open the ship's outer airlock, some of the men on deck have gathered to see who comes out. One of them even turned one of the floodlights towards you to light things up.
So when you duck slightly down and step out onto the ramp with a thud, that light shines off the golden trim on your armor quite brilliantly.

Another step out onto the ramp, and the ship lists to one side. There are no maglocks here, so you're just sitting on the landing legs... and your armor's duranium frame is heavy as fuck.
Your figure definitely causes a general stir. Some of the men are pointing you out to others, some are just laughing, and others are quietly leaving.

You've barely made it off the ramp before someone walks up to you and tries to start shit.
A Chondrite, interestingly enough. Only, he's half the size of Gron, if that.

"Well, well. Looks like we got a show-off, huh?" He announces to those around him. "Just another punk trying to act like he's hot shit, i bet."

The Chondrite, an adolescent you suspect, pushes you. Or rather, he tries to. But your armor doesn't budge an inch.
Well, now you've gotta fuck with him.

"Well guess what, nobody gives a fuck!" He continues. "All you're doing is painting a target on your back, dumbass!"

"Enough. Your kind cannot afford to die so young."

His demeanor changes almost immediately. He become worried, and takes a half-step back from you.

"W-What the fuck, are you a robot or something? An AI?"

You take a single, heavy step towards him, enough to close the distance completely, and place your palm on his shoulder as you stand beside him.

"Beneath this blackened shell, living flesh still squirms."

"F-Freak!" He shouts.

You allow him to brush your hand away, and he takes several awkward steps backwards before drawing and leveling a weapon at you.
In the vicinity, those that were laughing have stopped, and they look serious. Some look like they're going to move in to intervene, but others stop them.

However, he doesn't fire.
>>
>>5464866

He looks like he really, really wants to, but he restrains himself.
There might be some kind of pirate's code on this station, and he probably doesn't want to get in trouble. You might ask around about that yourself at some point.

>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
>It should be fine as long as you don't fire a weapon, right? Nobody's gonna care if you have a little scrap.
>Just ignite your hardlight shield and hold your mace in the other hand, see if you can scare the piss out of him.
>Write-In?


>>5464564
At far higher pressure, mind you.
You don't need to worry, it's not toxic. Your blood is hyper-oxygenated, but that's all.
>>
>>5464867
>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.

We really do have shit to do.
>>
>>5464867
>Just leave him and get a move on
Nothing burns worse than the snub of being beneath notice. Besides, not even bothering with a threat would be like ignoring a handshake to a pirate.

No need to make a big show about it honking the first clown for the umpteenth time
>>
>>5464867
>Write-In?
Walk up to him so his pea shooter is just touching you, indicate you do not fear him. Try to do that think you're apparently unconsciously doing to you crew memeber and use that "apex predator fear aura (tm)"?
Continue to scare him shitless, but don't escalate unless he does. Point out that if he so much as scratches us, he will be melted and consumed to feed our dragon.
Generally have some fun at the expense of this little shit.
>>
>>5464867
Actually
>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
The others made a fair point. Just ignore him and be on our way, we got a laundry list of things to get done. We can scare more people later.
>>
>>5464867
>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
>>
>>5464867
>>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
>>
>>5464866
These are the moments in this quest that I live for
>>
>>5464867
>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
While he's right that we're showing off, we are also in fact too hot shit to bother with him. Also there's nothing small enough for him to hold in one hand that will even scratch the armor, even if he did shoot us.
>>
>>5464867
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIMZ0WyY88

>It should be fine as long as you don't fire a weapon, right? Nobody's gonna care if you have a little scrap.
>>
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Hmmm I just had an idea. Why not fit a couple automated very light gun turrets around the ship for when we dock somewhere weird? I've been thinking we've just been leaving the crew to deal with any particular issues in port, but we have a staffing issue
>Cylia has her own work she does sometimes
>Kyla gets out a lot for materials and general stuff
>Sanig hasn't completed his transformation into Gigachad Mechanoid and who knows if he's not stoned, busy or both. Yes I still want him to put together a sleek dreadnaught suit
>Gildur, ripped as he is, is still a non-combatant aka jannie and he's not pulling any broom-kata unless we show him Bruce Lee flicks
>Clank is "gainfully employed" elsewhere
>Princess may be smart but she's fat, lazy, untrained and sits inside all day. When she's big I have a certain amusement in imagining a dragon hanging on to the hull of the ship in flight and guarding it like a dragon hoard when docked
>Dodos can't shit that far

However I'm sure SHODAN isn't going anywhere and has plenty of funny tricks she could pull using ship subsystems, even a regular lockout, but what's stopping some vegan Jawa from stripping parts if left unattended? Giving her a certain degree of home defense chambered in 7.62 couldn't hurt and would be *cheap*
>>
>>5465154
You already have some mini anti-personnel lasers by the airlock. They pop out of the hull and SHODAN controls them.
>>
>>5465158
Effort posted for NOTHING
>>
>>5465161
What have we learned, kids? That's right! Never try.
Keep trying please, player discussion and input makes running this quest worth it.
>>
>>5465161
Effort posting is (almost) always better than shitposting, anon.
>>
>>5464867
>>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
Has anyone noticed what we have on our shoulders? Crazy... anyway, let's continue.
>>
>>5465179
They have, but she hasn't moved yet. She's just limp.
>>
>>5465181
Can we give her chin scratches to indicate to everyone that she is very much alive?
>>
>>5464867
>>5465181
Ah. I don’t have much of an opinion on our current choices, but now that you bring this up
>Give Princess scritches.
Under the chin, the belly, behind the ears, wherever is needed so she picks her head up a moment. Make sure they know we’re not wearing her as a rug.
>>
>>5465163
I do also recall that there are some internal turrets in the ship that SHODAN can also control. Are we capable of upgrading all the mini turrets outside and inside the ship?
>>
>>5465205
Agreed
>>
>>5465205
also agreed
>>
>>5465205
+1 give princess scratches
>>5464867
>leave
>>
having a dead wryvern is amazing enough... but realizing it's a LIVE one? woa
>>
>>5465684
>yfw they point to a "no pets" sign on the wall
Rules is rules, m80
>>
>>5464867

You continue to look straight ahead, ignoring the Chondrite to your side.
If he's going to leave you alone, then fine. You can get on with your day, no problem.

As you begin walking off, you give Princess a few chin scritches, causing her to stir. She raises her head up to look at you as she enjoys the attention.
And then you hear someone yelling.

"THAT FUCKIN' THING'S ALIVE?!"

Princess turns to look at the man who yelled, and spits a little puff of sooty flame in his direction.
She then turns back to you, rubbing against your armor affectionately as she cozies herself back in.

As you pass by a group of somewhat rugged-looking men, they all shrink back. But they're looking more at Princess than at you.
Over the past few months you've heard all kinds of horror stories about Slyvern attacks, with people being burned, mauled to death, having limbs rotted off or even finding their organs melted from the venom...

But you can't imagine Princess ever doing anything like that, at least as long as she's been fed. She's far too intelligent to go full pitbull on someone for no reason.

Anyways, you've got shit to do, so it's time to get a move on.
You make your way out of the landing area and further into the station proper, an open area with a number of shops, warehouses and small apartments. It's really like a micro-station of sorts.

As you're walking, SHODAN brings a video feed up on your HUD of some crackhead poking around your ship's airlock.
The video shows her using the ship's anti-personnel lasers to shoot at his feet, forcing him to dance for her before he takes a tumble down the ramp.

You can't help but chuckle at that.

[Now, let's see... if i were a fab, where would i be?] You think to yourself.

A lot of the market stalls here are either empty or just full of scrap. There are a couple of more proper looking stores in actual buildings, all of which have armed guards stationed outside.
But a fab? You're probably not going to find something like that in a regular store. You'll probably have to do some information gathering first, maybe talk to a local gang leader or something.

Alternatively... someone's gotta be in charge of this station, right? Maybe you can talk to them directly.

>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>Talk to some of the local gangs, see what you can dig up.
>Find out who runs this station and talk with them directly.
>Write-in?
>>
>>5465877
I don't know why, but I have this mental comparison of Princess to one of those buff america bull dogs. Like a gentle giant. I bet she'd be great with kids when she's older and smarter. As she is now she might not know her own strength.

>Write-in?
Grab a rando guard and ask.
>>
>>5465877
>Find out who runs this station and talk with them directly.

Ayy big guy I need a fab big enough too print a moon
>>
>>5465877
>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>>
>>5465877
>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>>
>>5465877
>Find out who runs this station and talk with them directly.
>>
>>5464867
>He's backing away from you, so just leave him be. You've got shit to do.
Get our shit and get out.
>>
>>5465877
>>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>>
>>5465877
>>Find out who runs this station and talk with them directly.
we are at the level we talk only to the biggest and baddest
>>
>>5465877
>Check out the shops
Getting lucky aside, it’ll be useful to know what kind of inventory is available here. Making a minor purchase would allow us to ask a proprietor what the rules on this station are as well.
>>
>>5466151
Thats such a karen thing to do
>"I WaNNa sPEaK wiTh ThE ManAgEr!"
>>
>>5466183
even karen-er
>I wanna spea with the OWNER
>>
>>5466187
>"sir or ma'am or whatever the hell you're inside the armor; i just take their monthly rents and don't give a fuck of what they sell. so kindly fuck off"
>>
>>
>>5465877
>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>>
>>5465877
>Check out the shops first. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky?
>>
>>5465877
Try and see if we can scare someone so hard they shit their pants.
>>
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>>5466654
I bet we can scare them so hard they literally die.
>>
>>5466916
See this is why we needed to graft more bones, horns, and claws to the armor.
>>
Alright, roll me 1d100, best of 3.
Let's see what you find.
>>
>>5466973
dice+1d100
>>
>>5466980
Fuck
>>
Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>5466973
>>
Rolled 45 (1d100)

>>5466973
>>
Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>5466973
>>
>>5466983
Fate tried to prevent this roll.
>>
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>>5465877

The first two shops you visit have nothing at all of interest to you. In fact, they barely have anything of value, or even of use.
It's all old, rusted scrap barely fit to be thrown into a crucible for the raw metal. A few working parts here and there but that's it.

Apparently anything even remotely good gets snatched up almost immediately for ship repairs, or for resale on some other pirate station.

You did ask the shopkeeps about a fab, but you get the feeling they'd have laughed you out of the store if you weren't so intimidating.
The third shop is much the same in regards to useful inventory, but the owner actually has a lead for you.

"A nanofabricator, hmm?" He says, scratching his long, paper-white beard.

The shopkeep is... ancient, that's the only way to put it. A skinny, gnarled hunchback, twisted by time and, if looks are anything to go by, space radiation or worse.
But his mind still seems to be sharp, at least.

"You'll find no such thing here, child. Not amongst these sort. However, i may know where such a thing might rest."

"Where?"

"Oh? And i suppose information is free on your world, is it?"

...Well, you'd prefer if it was.
You slip the old man a latinum bar. A thousand credits worth.

"Hmm. A paltry sum, but i suppose i've little need of it now. It will suffice."

Ffff-! Then why did he ask to be paid at all?!
It seems he noticed your irritation even through your armor somehow, considering how he responds.

"...It's the principal, child. I have been a merchant for longer than you can imagine. It would not do to start giving away my wares after all i've learned. Now then..."

The old man hobbles over to a shelf behind his counter and pulls out an ancient-looking holopad... actually, no? This is a pad with an actual, physical screen.
He wipes the caked-on dust off it and rubs the screen relatively clean with his robe before powering it on and swiping through it.

"It was here somewhere... ah, yes. Here, in this system."

He turns the holopad around to show you what's there. It looks like a 3D map of a solar system.
One planet in particular is highlighted, but it's also marked as "Dangerous". Nothing specific, just "Dangerous".

"This planet was once lush and green. In the distant past, it supported a population of billions... but they disappeared. No-one is sure what happened to them. More importantly though, they left behind a treasure."

The old man taps on the planet he'd highlighted before and brings up an image of the surface.
Hey, wait a minute. Isn't this...?

"A fertile, living planet. Or at least it was, some hundreds of years ago. Supposedly something happened, and the environment became unstable. However, i'm certain the atmosphere is still breathable."

No, this is definitely it. You recognize those trees. This is the dodo planet!

"There was a colonization effort, at one point... which failed, spectacularly. The whole colony disappeared without a trace. But their fabricator yet remains."
>>
>>5467166
>recognize planet
>start laughing hysterically
Demons and wraiths! More blood for me. Dangerous to all fuck but a nice place besides that. Must acquire more sanguine fluids to repurpose.
>>
>>5467166
aw shit, here we go again
ask for more Intel
>what does fab look like? do you know where on the planet the fab is located? know of anyone selling antimatter containers around here?
>>
>>5467166
Oh great, is that the DOOM soundtrack gradually fading in on the wind? These stupid fucking demons. Always finding some way to be an inconvenience.
>>
>>5467166
I KNEW IT, LETS GOOOOO DODOOOOOOO'S!
>>
>>5467166
If this merchant is an intelligent wraith in disguise, I'm going to vote we rip him in half.
>>
>>5467166
Give him another thousand afterwards for the information.
>>
>>5467166
Great. Another thousand for more info on the planet would be great. Any additional info at all. Maybe we'll get a historical tidbit or a clue about why wraiths went there.
>>
>>5467166
Back to Dodo world for wraiths, livestock and loot!
>>
>>5467166
oh boy. we might want to prepare with a warehouse ship and a plan because on top of the fabricator we need:
>more dodos
>all the fruits and vegetables we can find
>wraith blood(?)
>a way to lift all the tech and resources we can manage to plunder
>>
>>5467166
>Laugh and slap your face
>>
>>5467166
We have information ourselves. I'd say we put another bar down for the full information, but dont' let him take it just yet.

State we have information of our own regarding that planet that he might want to know. IE: give us the monetary value of the information we have about that planet if it's worth while.

This guy isn't an average merchant. Engaging him in his trade may help secure closer ties with him for the future.
>>
>>5467166
Another idea. Lets not head straight to wraith planet but also see if there was a fab for sale here. Lets check with the station boss.
>>
>>5467166
Lmao. Time to go back and aquire more birds and treasure.
>>
>>5467166

It starts as a low chuckle, but you slowly ramp up into a deep, raucous laughter.

"That world again!" You bellow. "So be it! I owe them a little something, anyhow."

The wraiths on that world did traumatize the hell out of Cylia, after all. She still hasn't gotten over it. She still has nightmares sometimes.
She hid it from you well, but now that you're sleeping in the same bed, there's no hiding it.

It won't be the same as last time. Before, you could barely see them. Barely touch them. You had no weapons, no tools, nothing.
But now you're strong. You can't just see them, you can sense them with your eyes closed. You can't just touch them, you can crush them underfoot.

You can resist their hallucinations. You can resist their poison. You have armor to protect yourself from their attacks.
And you're armed. With knives, bullets and bludgeons. That feeling of helplessness you felt last time, it won't happen again.

"Where? Do you know where that colony was?" You ask, collecting yourself.

"...These are the co-ordinates. Many scavengers have gone there, but few ever returned, and those that did were scarred by the experience. There may be much of value to find, beyond just the fabricator... if it hasn't all rusted away under the rain and wind."

"Thank you. That was good information. I shall not forget you, old man."

You slip the old man another latinum bar for his trouble, which he casually slides into his sleeve.
As you turn to leave, he speaks to you one last time.

"Oh, don't thank me. Only a fool would step foot in a place like that. You'll only be sending yourself to your own death. Not that's it's my problem. Rather, i should be thanking you. Now, i finally have enough to pay the ferryman..."

The old man's voice trails off at the end, like a whisper.

"Ferryman? Are you leaving the..."

You turn to look him in the eye as you speak, but find no-one there.
In fact, much of the store looks more dusty and decrepit than it had just a moment ago. Even the holopad the old man had used seems to be covered in dust again, with no sign of having been used.

As you look around, you realize that the whole shop is almost entirely empty. Nothing but ancient scrap and dust. The shelves and boxes are all falling apart, crumbling or shattered.
You swear to god, it didn't look like this when you walked in. Fuck.

["...SHODAN, did you see any of that?"] You ask over your helmet transmitter.

"My apologies, Captain. I have been getting significant signal interference for the past few minutes. Suit camera and microphone feeds were unavailable during that time."

["Seriously? What about the co-ordinates?! What about my latinum?!"]

"...Confirmed, there is a new data entry on your holopad. However, it's metadata appears to be corrupt. The file is barely readable, but it does appear to be a set of co-ordinates. On a very particular planet. Eldia IV, in fact..."
>>
>>5468140
Oh good, we're getting ghosts again. At least this one was helpful.
>>
>>5468140
Fucking called it
>>
>>5468140
Oh....so we DO need eyes where we're going....we should show the crew Event Horizon in case this happens again.
>>
>>5468140
SHODAN is NOT going to like it when we tell her where we going
>>
>>5468140
FUCKING ghosts
>>
>>5468140
Explain to SHODAN in fine detail what we did here.

SHODAN. Being organic is bullshit sometimes, especially when dealing with the super natural. All this dark magic rituals, ghosts, demons, and other bullshit is just making me religious again, fuck!

To do list: ask SHODAN if it's possible to modify the shield of the Metal Gear to resist the wraiths to male sure they dont enter, or if we can possibly EMP harden the metal gear so SHODAN isn't "unconscious" again. Perhaps if not SHODAN, than maybe the other AI cores might be more tolerant of demonic interference?

Also, since we're still here we might as well continue exploring the pirate station for anything of possible value.
>>
>>5468236
https://youtu.be/2nlkEY-3CMI
That's a cool firm. Guess we have something to share for next movie night.

>>5468247
I'm sure we can make it up to her somehow, like that 2B body, or make something similar to the avatar that she's using?
>>
Well, chalk that up to another memory we need to let SHODAN see when we get a few minutes free to let her in our Noggin again to get her opinion on the blue box symbols and whatnot
>>5468312
We do still have the option to make her a body, qm said it would cost us $40,000 to make her a 2B body
>>
>>5468364
Well, we will be mining alot, we could cut the cost down simply by using some surpluss to make it. We must bring it to the Sex Shop guy though, give her true Robo Pussy
>>
>>5468140
So, wraith like apparitions that are nonhostile...
But meddling.

Some shit seems to be going on about psy and spirits and souls and stuff.

I do not like it one bit. We will need a few priests comfortable with not only blessing weapons, performing exorcisms and being aware or have practiced laying strigoi to rest.

Some eastern european whacky chaplain or something of the sort that. Seriously the ritual for banishing romanian strigoi seems to be something that might fit.

Having to do a vigil during the night at the grave of the dead that is haunting the relatives, exhuming and burning the heart and then have the haunted drink the ashes in blessed water.

dunno if they do exorcisms but the above and the practice of east euros to bless weapons in modern times as a rule should cover most of our spiritual bullshit needs if they have some way of working.
>>
There's something wierd going on. Let's check out the rest of the station... ans ask Clank WHERE he got this lead from.

I have a feeling I know who gave him this lead...
>>
>>5468364
Considering the amount of potential valuable scrap we can get from the ghost world, and the money we brought in from the criminal bounties, we should have more than enough to afford her a physical avatar if she wants one.
>>
>>5468396
>.. ans ask Clank WHERE he got this lead from.
David asked where a pirate station is, nothing more.
>>
>>5468391
>I do not like it one bit. We will need a few priests comfortable with not only blessing weapons, performing exorcisms and being aware or have practiced laying strigoi to rest.
go with latin american priestes. they don't give a shit and are also packing heat for when the holy water isn't enough. also, considering the imagery we have seen so far, we might want jewish.....dunno who are their priest equivalent. but those. definitely those
>>
>>5468391
Unless... this old guy isnt external but... coming from inside David?
>>
>>5468140
Huh an actual ghost. I wasn't sure if wraiths were undead or not but I guess they are.
>>
>>5468559
We are NOT bringing Jews into space
>>
>>5468559
Isn't there a line in the torah or whatever about it being a go-to action to lie to non-jews?
>>
>>5468800
No, that's antisemitic rhetoric.
>>
>>5468808
Lmao, no its not you fucking ape. Same with Islam.
>>
>>5468559
It’d be rabbi for the closest priest equivalent.
>>
>>5468791
anon, we're already seeing judaism symbols in space. they are already here

>>5468800
no idea, i don't really care about other religions
>>
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>>5468800
Yes.
>>
>>5468559
David is smart enough to know Jews die off entirely is the safest thing for the galaxy.
>>
>>5468875
And those symbols are pure soul eating evil.
>>
>>5468559
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxyJk3--Qc
>>
>>5468913
>>5468907

that settles it. we need to bring hitler remains TO SPACE
>>
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>>5468905
>tfw they say everyone else fuck cows
Well I gotta give them one thing, their book is mighty funny. These are pretty wild. Old religious stuff is great.
>>
>>5468559
wtf bro have you not been listening? we are going to remove them once we get back
>>
>>5468559
>latin american priestess
Funny you should say that...
I won't spoil you, though.
>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oE4VjTMn04

This got me thinking about using the fabs to create other weird nanoscale structures. Small stuff is pretty cool.
>>
>>5468140

["Fucking seriously? Wait... SHODAN, are you reading any dark matter signatures on the station right now?"]

"Just two outside of the normal range. Your suit and the Metal Gear."

As you walk outside, you turn around and find the building in utter shambles. Staring up at it, you can't help but shiver a little.
A drugged-up looking fellow passing by notices you walking out and stops for a moment to speak.

"Heyyyy there big guy... i wouldn't go in there if i were youuuuu. That old building's gonna crumble aaaany day noooow. Fwoooooosh..."

And then he continues to stumble along his way, tilting his head side to side like he's trying to shake water out of his ear.
This place isn't just abandoned, it's literally falling apart. He's not kidding, it looks like it could come down all on it's own tomorrow.

Nobody's used that building for ages.

Wraiths... wraiths are one thing. You can handle wraiths, they're just extra-dimensional assholes. But that wasn't a fucking wraith.
No dark matter signature or nothing. Just there one moment and gone the next. There's nothing in your system but some extra oxygen. You're like... 95% sure you didn't hallucinate that.

No, the data log. 99% sure.

And he understood you, too. How can a dead alien... wait, Illia said something about this, didn't she? "Song transcends language" or something like that.
You don't need translation if the speech is telepathic... but that doesn't make any sense, does it? Isn't telepathy a brain thing? It's supposed to be a brain thing, isn't it?

But if it was, then you still wouldn't understand them perfectly. Maybe the intent, sure, but both Illia and that old dude spoke perfect english, at least from your perspective...
No, no. You're getting sidetracked here. This is all bullshit and you don't have time for it.

You essentially have what you came for. Not the fab itself, but at least you know where one should be.
The old dude said there wasn't a fab on this station, that you'd be wasting your time here... but you don't even know if he was real or if you've taken one too many blows to the head.

Also, half the reason you came to this shithole in your armor and everything was so you could fuck around and scare people, but you've kinda lost your mojo after what happened.

>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>...Try and find someone with a decent price on their head on the way out. You can't leave without making some noise.
>Who knows, the pirate leaders might also have something for you, that doesn't also involve going to a demon planet and getting swarmed. It's worth a shot, just to avoid the supernatural.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5469086
>>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
Best to get what we need and back to prepping and planning for Xebric ASAP, I think. And we can use the visit to grab a few more dodos and give SHODAN a crash course on the weird shit we see so she can help everyone see what to keep an eye out for.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
A genuine ghost and not just some exotic alien prick from another dimension. Spooky. I hope that dead motherfucker can at least bribe his way into Elysium or whatever after scamming us out of two latinum bars.
>>
>>5469086
>>Who knows, the pirate leaders might also have something for you, that doesn't also involve going to a demon planet and getting swarmed. It's worth a shot, just to avoid the supernatural.
I mean we should still ask at least. Doesn't hurt.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
Mission accomplished. That was a weird interaction and we should promptly fuck off so we properly reflect on it.
Also, time to go full doomguy mode on dodo planet.

>Charon is real
The greeks were right all along.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>Write-In?
Ask shodan to see if there is a digital public bounty board for tasks. Lets not go out of our way to meet the leadership. Lets just see if any of the (potential) jobs meet our fancy.
We are going to look like such weirdos just coming in, going to a dead shop, and then leaving. But I am here for it.
>>5469100
Its only a scam if the product isn't as advertised. We have to go check to find out if we were scammed or not.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>>
>>5469086
>Ask around for anyone that can give info on a physical description of the old man
>>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia.
>>
>>5469086
>The materials and tech for sale here may be complete shit, but maybe you can look around for some cultural goods. Having some alien equivalent of a cross or a bible might do some good where you’re going, right?
I honestly have been wanting to are what space religions are like for a while.
>>
>>5469225
I stroked out writing this it seems
>>
>>5469086
>Fuck it, you have your info. Head straight for Eldia, no sidetracking.
>>
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>>5469086

You consider spending some time looking around for this or that, but honestly? There just isn't much of value here. It may have been lucky that you came across the old man after all.
It almost feels like a waste to have brought out the power armor, but you guess in the end pretty much everyone has avoided all confrontation with you, which made things quick and smooth.

Sanig is also surprised when you come back to the ship not long after leaving it.

"What the hell, kid?! You're back already?!"

"Yeah? Is there a problem?"

"W-Well, no, i just... y'know, nevermind."

You prepare yourself as your suit unlocks and you step back out into the thin, dry air on the ship.
It always feels almost like you're choking at first, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

"I mean, we can stick around for a minute if you were looking forward to shore leave, but i gotta warn you, i didn't see a single woman out there."

"It's fine, kid. I just wanted to test something out, but it can wait. Still needs a few adjustments, anyways..."

"Well, alright then. Hey, i got some uh... interesting intel while i was out. Guess where we're going?"

You show Sanig the co-ordinate data on your holopad.

"...Eldia? Never heard of it."

"It's the dodo planet. You know, the one where we got ambushed by wraiths and almost died?"

"Oh, great. You know kid, you can just drop me off back on Thekia if you don't mind..."

"Nope, you're not getting away that easy, old man. I need you and Cylia on the ship for technical reasons."

"Technical reasons?"

"Yeah. Last time we were there, dark matter started falling from the sky like snow. I don't know if it was that or all the wraiths, but the ship got EMP'd to hell and back."

"Well what the hell am i supposed to do about it?"

"Well, SHODAN was able to keep everything at bay by shunting some circuits and forcing a warp bubble open on the ground. It'd be nice if we had a way of doing that without breaking things by the time we got there."

"Hrm... a switch for the warp bubble, you say? Alright, shouldn't be too difficult. I'll talk to the girl and see what we can do. Might have to stop mid-warp once or twice, though."

"Thanks, gramps."

"You can thank me by leaving me out of this crazy bullshit in the future, kid."

...

The trip to Eldia is mostly uneventful, though it does consume a fair bit of fuel and takes a while.
During that time, Kyla and Sanig get the manual warp switch installed, and it seems to function well. For the rest of that time, the both of them are working on some 'secret project' and refuse to let you see what's up, though you have some suspicions...

But, there's something really weird going on when you arrive. Something you really didn't expect.
Eldia doesn't look how you remember it looking. Instead of the green forests, blue oceans and thick atmosphere, what you see looks more like the surface of venus.

"Oh, goddamnit. Nope, nope! Not this shit again!" You moan. "Not a whole fucking planet!"
>>
It’s been awhile since we could vote on researches. I’d like to finally get the power armory and our under armor out of the prototype phase.
>>
>>5469244
Hey that fucking wraith horde ate everything on the damn planet. They took our fucking dodos those sons of bitches.
>>
>>5469244
WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO WITH OUR DODO'S COCK SUCKING WRAITH FUCKERS TOOK OUR DAMN FOOD SUPPLY!
>>
>>5469244
we leave a planet unattended for 6+ months and these bitches ate it all. GODDAMN
but maybe there's hope. we might find some flora and fauna data from the colonizer's base or something
>>
>>5469267
>>5469268
>>5469274
Maybe the planet gets pulled in and out of reality because of the black snow storms? I'm not sure if that's better or worse than world-eating wraiths.
>>
>>5469244
Wait, if the planet was ghost all along...
ARE THE DODO'S GHOSTS TOO?!?
storm into the kitchen and interrogate one of them, we must know if whe've been eating ghost meat!
>>
At this point it probably best david goes alone, I mean what kind of monster picks a planet clean?
>>
>>5469244
THEY TOOK OUR MEAT.

RIP AND TEAR
>>
>>5469244
OH COME ON!!! SHODAN are you even sure we are on the right star???
>>
>>5469641
Bro, come on, its the right one. We must slaughter the Ghost's like Jews for this crime. It's the principle.
>Captcha
>NASYDP
Indeed. All holes will be violated.
>>
Wonder what Princess thought of the ghost
>>
I thought princess would get more reactions, I’m a little disappointed
>>
>>5469926
>>5469768
I forgot she has with us... meh, animals usually do nothing don't dey? I bet she was barking at a corner of the house or waking you up at 3 am or being a general nuisance
>>
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>>5469244

"...You're sure?"

"Yes, Captain."

"A hundred percent sure?"

"The height-maps are identical. Each mountain, valley and coastal trough is identical. It is the same planet."

"Well then, what the fuck happened? Because it sure doesn't look like it!"

"Maybe a solar flare from the parent star?" Sanig interjects. "One bad outburst from a red giant, and..."

"If that was the case it would have happened a billion years ago and not yesterday. There were living trees, oceans full of fish... the dodos we eat every fucking day came from here!"

"Well now... that is... troubling." Sanig grumbles.

"What kind of readings are we getting? Anything weird?"

"Yes, actually. The entire planet's atmosphere appears to be suffused with dark matter, to the point that it would likely be poisonous for most species to breathe. I am also detecting significant EM fluctuations across the surface."

"How significant?"

In response, SHODAN displays surface images taken from the ship's telescope on your watch.
There are large rocks, sometimes even entire landforms simply floating in midair. Some are still, while others slowly twist or rotate around eachother.

"Okay, that's pretty fucking significant."

"These magnetic storms appear to be originating from the planet's magnetic field lines. The planet itself seems to have a shockingly powerful magnetic field, which should be impossible for it's size and likely composition."

"Is that magnetic field enough to protect it from it's parent star?" You ask, leaning in to look more closely at the numbers, which you don't really understand.

"Unknown. There is no data regarding the intensity of this star's solar storms. Neither is there any precedent for such a situation."

"Great. Alright, get a spectrograph reading of the atmosphere. I want to know if it's still breathable or not."

"Scanning... complete. Atmospheric concentrations of oxygen are roughly nineteen percent. Three percent higher than during our last visit."

"Anything toxic?"

"There are traces of ammonia and sulfur dioxide. However, they should not be fatal."

"Oh good, it stinks like shit. Well, any idea where we're supposed to start looking?"

"I believe you have already found the colony ruins, Captain. On your previous visit."

"I did? Wait, shit... that's right! There were buildings, weren't there? They were just all covered up by the jungle! Do you have our previous landing co-ordinates?"

"Yes, Captain. Display ground view now."

As SHODAN zooms in on the ground below, you can make out a blurry image of what looks like your campsite, including the cast iron skillets and campfire you left behind.

"Holy shit, it really is the same place. Everything's just... gone."

"Except the buildings." Sanig points out. "Look there."

Sure enough, an entire ruined city is visible through the dense, foggy atmosphere.
Unlike before, you can see everything relatively clearly.
>>
>>5470169

"Woah, it's bigger than i expected." You mutter.

"That's what i said." Kyla comments, not looking up from her holopad.

"Captain, i do not recommend staying here for long. The planet's magnetic field is unstable and shifting wildly. A magnetic storm could erupt anywhere at any moment."

"Eh, maybe it's better if we don't go down there at all, kid. I'm sure we can find another mass-fab somewhere... eventually."

>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>Yeah, maybe you're right. A mass fab's no use to us if we end up dead, right? This is just a little more risk than i'm willing to take.
>We'll wait on it. If nothing else turns up, we'll come back and pick it up. I don't think anyone else is going to steal it in the meantime.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5470170
>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>>
>>5470170
>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>"So fun fact, I'm pretty sure huffing Dark Matter is how to see ghosts, because I got these coordinates from some haunted parts shop about to crash in on itself. Back at the pirate station."
>"I want to see how the dead set traps."
>"Annnd grab my shit."
>>
>>5470170
>I don't trust that this planet won't change again when we're not looking. This shit's too dangerous to leave be. We'll grab the mass-fab, and we'll leave them a present that should take care of these fucking Wraiths and the remains of this god-forsaken planet. Ever hear about Exterminatus?
>>
>>5470193
This and this>>5470189
Fucking purge this place when we get our loot
>>
>>5470189
+1
>>
>>5470170
>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>>
>>5470193
i don't think we have anything in our arsenal that can glass a whole ass planet. not even the antimatter bottle is enough for that
>>
>>5470189
>>5470193
+1
>>
>>5470218
I'm sure we could come up with something with all of this magnetic interference being thrown around. What you hit the planet with is important, but where you hit it is also important. Any way to destabilize the core will go a long way towards planetary destruction. If that fails, there IS a nearby star we can also try to destabilize...
>>
>>5470232
with what though? planets are very big and if we aren't able to de-stabilize a planet, what makes you think we can do that to a star? something that is several thousand times bigger than a planet?
pic related for comparison
>>
>>5470247
A solid question.
Stars are considerably less solid, and rely on fusion reactions that occur at specific rates to keep trucking along at their normal pace.
Assuming it's sol-like, temporarily obstructing the fusion of Hydrogen specifically will cause the core to contract and heat the FUCK up until it can start fusing helium into carbon. Once it does that, it'll bloom into a red star and consume anything unfortunate enough to be close to it at that time.
Now, I bet you're asking how we can prevent the fusion of hydrogen. That's easy: by accelerating the fusion reactions already there and initiating a chain superreaction to consume all of the hydrogen present in one go. No more hydrogen left means it'll go through the usual process into being reborn as a red giant. Nudge it along when it comes to the heat part of things and you can even get it to fuse helium into carbon at a pretty fast rate, assuming scifi tech involved.
>>
>>5470170
>>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.

>I ain't afraid of no ghost.
>>
>>5470170
>What we need here is something like the Fulton surface to air recovery system. I'll go down alone, get the fab in the open, hook up the system and get into the open, inflate some sturdy balloons, and you can swoop down and pluck me out of the sky.
>>
>>5470268
the main issue is still the same; the size(heat would count as well, but lets let it slide for the moment). there might be a way to magically consume all the hydrogen in one go, but the sun already burns 600 million tons of that stuff every single second. to try to outpace a sun that way would take way more resources than the ones david has and will have in centuries. the dodo planet is already barren; its just not worth the hassle to try to do some petty bullshit to it
>>
>>5470297
I think you're vastly underestimating what's possible with the right kind of payload, but sure, let's assume that your concerns are right and that setting the sun on a one way trip to gianthood isn't feasible at this very moment.
I think we could still start a chain reaction on the Dodo planet itself that would essentially turn the atmosphere (and any oceans present, if there are any...I have no idea if there are.) into one big fireball. A normal nuclear bomb can't reach temperatures hot enough to get atmospheric hydrogen and helium to start this chain reaction of fusing, but then again we're not limited to normal nuclear bombs when we have things like antimatter available. And I reckon setting the entire planet on fire is a good enough alternative to cracking it open entirely.
Torch 'em all.
>>
>>5470313
All you need to do is fling the largest asteroid we can find at it. It won't split the planet in half or anything but still.
>>
>>5470313
you're also overestimating how much damage one person can do to a single planet. if if the planet were the moon, or pluto, sure its kind of crazy, but they are relatively small, and the powers of plot can make it happen with some military grade bullshit. but to cause something like that to a planet this big still falls under impossible with our current resources. just like a single nuke was unable to set earth's atmosphere on fire, an antimatter bottle will be unable to do so as well (plus you're burning a whole ass fuel tank that we need to move around)
>>5470323
this makes way more sense if we're talking about petty revenge against inanimate objects
>>
>>5470336
A single nuke was unable to get hot enough, that was the issue. With our current resources I think we could DEFINITELY get part of it hot enough. Once you get a very small part of it to the right temperature, it’s self sustaining afterwards.
Annihilation reactions produce an absolutely insane level of energy, which could easily reach that threshold with a bottle’s worth.

In the end, it’s bot about being petty. It’s about genociding the wraiths before they go fuck off elsewhere to ruin other parts of the universe.
>>
>>5470351
i know that its possible, i haven't refuted that at all. again, doing something like what you want falls under "we don't have the resources right now". in order to create a reaction that is self sustaining and it just doesn't dissipate through the atmosphere, we need way more than a bottle, otherwise you might just leave a small scorch mark somewhere in the planet

and dealing with the wraiths literally isn't our problem; they aren't actively coming for us and we already can touch them and kill them with our own hands. they're literally a nonissue
>>
>>5470385
If you need more than an entire bottle of antimatter to produce enough heat to make a self sustaining hydrogen reaction, then you’re doing something terribly wrong and inefficient.
I mean, the fuck are you doing, just smashing the bottle on the fuckin ground man? Come on. With all the brainpower around here we could definitely rig up a present that can easily reach the prerequisite temps. Might not even need an entire bottle for it.
>>
>>5470407
Unga bunga best solution. Too much brain make skull hurt.
>>
>>5470170
>>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>>
>>5470170
>>>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.

Come on we in an out fifteen minute adventure tops
>>
>>5470170
>>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>>
>>5470170
>We'll just be in and out. No sense sticking around longer than we have to. Once we've got the fab hooked to the ship, we hightail it out of here and don't look back.
>Check for other bio-signs, like what the heck happened to the dodos

in before the reveal that the wraiths are future ghosts of all the dodos that Gunny will ever consume, getting revenge in the past
and failing spectacularly by giving him psychic superpowers
>>
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>>5470170

"...Alright, we're gonna do this, but it's gotta be quick. Once we find the fab, i'll blow a hole in the roof and SHODAN will steady the metal gear overhead so i can attach some wires. Then we're gonna rip it right out of the building and hightail it out."

"Hold on, kid. I'm gonna go down there with you." Sanig insists.

"...Are you high? There's gonna be wraiths for sure, and i can't work on getting this thing out while i'm trying to protect your squishy ass from getting ripped apart by demons."

Sanig just chuckles.

"Kid, you know that little secret project the girl and i have been working on? Well, i think it's about ready to show off."

Sanig leads you out of the mess hall where you'd been having your meeting and into the Workshop.
A large, metal crate stands next to the one containing your power armor, almost identical except for the 'MK.2' Printed on the side.

"What's this, old man...?" You wonder.

Wordlessly, Sanig presses a small button on the side of the crate, which unseals with a hiss to reveal a second suit of power armor, which looks radically different to yours.
Then he smiles the biggest, shit-eating grin you've ever seen out of him.

"Kid! Behold the Mk.2 Power armor! It's a lot thinner than your prototype Mk.1 suit, but retains a lot of the strength and durability while cutting weight by 60%."

You give the armor a once-over, and it looks pretty nice. Clearly the old man emphasized mobility, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Mk.1 is kind of a tank.

"Looks good, but uh... i don't think it's gonna fit me, old man."

"That's because it's not for you, dumbass! This came out of my fuckin' pocket! You know how long i had to save up for this?! How many card games i had to rig?! All the nights i stayed up late working on this shit?!"

"Alright, alright! Geeze, calm down!"

"It's beautiful. Nearly perfect." He murmurs. "I took advantage of all the combat data you've produced so far and cut out every ounce of fat. Also learned a lot about composite materials working on this damned thing..."

"Is it spaceworthy?" You wonder.

"Are you kidding? It's got better seals than the Mk.1. In fact, it retains almost all the features of the Mk.1 and adds a few. Built-in water cooling, miniaturized hardlight projectors, a helmet mounted anti-personnel laser..!"

"Wait a minute, is that a neural interface inside the helmet?"

"Why yes it is, thank you for noticing!"

"What, does it move based on thought or something?"

"Oh, in a manner of speaking. Actually, this suit isn't all i've been working on. You see, in order to link up it's various biometric sensors and improve signal response, the old reactive skinsuit system just wasn't going to work anymore."

Sanig drags a heavy-sounding suitcase out of the armor crate and pops it open, pulling out something resembling a skinsuit, but much, much bulkier.
>>
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>>5471096
>Sanig drags a heavy-sounding suitcase out of the armor crate and pops it open, pulling out something resembling a skinsuit, but much, much bulkier.
>>
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>>5471107
>>
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I am goooone
>>
>>5471096
Ha! Now he doesnt have an excuse to help kill demons!

>fat
Oi! Killing monsters is hard work, but good on him for finally getting around to making this.
>>
>>5471096
Sanig you mad fucking genius, we love ya gramps. Kyla, your getting that love later.
>>
>>5471096
>retains a lot of the strength and durability while cutting weight by 60%."
Ay mang mass is important to account for that stuff too.
>>
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>>5471096
a part of me is sad he didn't go for pic realted.
>>
>>5471096
>Sanig drags a heavy-sounding suitcase out of the armor crate and pops it open, pulling out something resembling a skinsuit, but much, much bulkier.
Crisis suit?
>>
>>5471203
>Ha! Now he doesnt have an excuse to help kill demons!
I don't know, wraiths DO make you freak out to death
>>
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Just real quick, here's an approximation of the MK.2 skinsuit.
Working on an update right now.
>>
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>>5471641
I forgot how fucking based mgs4 was
>>
>>5471641
sanig even kept the boobs. based.
>>
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>>5471096

"This... is the Mk.2 Skinsuit! It has an enhanced artificial muscle weave, with an improved intelligent neural interface based on bionic limb interface technology. Only one problem..."

"What's that?"

"It has to stab thousands of filaments down into your muscles in order to make contact with your nerve endings. I've tried it once before and... it's not pleasant. Even with sedatives in your system."

"Ah, i'm sure it's not that bad. Some people think needles hurt, too."

"Yeah, sure. We'll see about that if i ever make you one, kid. Don't forget, you've got way, WAY more nerves than most species. That's why phasers hit you so hard, too."

"Wait, they do? Because i don't feel like they do."

"That's because you're a fucking animal. If any other species had that many nerves they'd have a goddamned seizure, just from a blast set on stun."

"Cool. So i take it all this means you're going to be wearing this down there?" You ask.

"Obviously, yes. Unlike you i don't have a death wish. With the massive reduction in weight thanks to it's skeletonized duranium frame, the servomotors inside are capable of far higher effective output. Oh, i can't wait to try it out..."

"Hurry up and get dressed, then. I don't even like being near this planet..."

...

Sanig strips out of his lab coat and then peels off his custom Mk.1 skinsuit as well. He really is as smooth as a ken doll down there.

"Quit starin' you little shit!"

Then he puts on the Mk.2 skinsuit. It's immediately obvious that it doesn't stretch as easily at the Mk.1... probably because of those thick bands of artificial muscle crisscrossing the whole thing. Even Sanig looks muscular after managing to get it on.
Next, Sanig pulls a hypo-stim out of the armor crate. It has two phials loaded into a rotating mechanism on the back, with one being empty. He first injects himself with one and then the other. Unlike usual however, he doesn't take the time to enjoy the feeling of it.

Instead, he has to mentally prepare himself before turning a knob on the suit that causes it to shrink up, fitting to his body like a glove.
Then, hand still on the knob, he begins to hyperventilate before twisting it one notch further. You'd guess that's where the 'filaments' come in.

His whole body tenses up, and then he throws his head back, roaring in pain.
The suit's artificial muscles begin to twitch and undulate as the filaments integrate with his own muscles, taking several long seconds to calm down.

As it ends, Sanig falls to his knees. You can see his hands quivering, and he's breathing heavily... but after a few more moments, he stands up effortlessly.
No cane, no holding onto his knees to get upright, nothing. He simply stands, as if he were a young man again.

And then he starts to chuckle.

"Heh. Hehaha. HAHAHAHA! Ahhhh... still feels amazing. Eat your heart out, Erynn. Pompous bastard."

"You good, old man?" You ask, concerned.

"Never better, kid! But i need to get my armor on."
>>
>>5471655
Three phials, with one being empty*
>>
>>5471659
I was gonna say, he speed balling already?
>>5471655
Hell yeah Gramps, give your hoe a fun time later.
>>
>>5471655
>"That's because you're a fucking animal.
Pain is just a warning system. It's not our fault ayyys didn't get that memo.
>>
>>5471659
Fuck yeah fighting time with grandpa.
Now we just gotta know. Does he want to cover his armor in demon blood as well for extra protection? What does he have in terms of melee weapons?
>>
>>5471655

You can hear Sanig's body popping and crackling as he stretches out his long-atrophied muscles and stiffened joints.

"Ahhh... unlike the Mk.1 suit, which regenerates it's energy through movement, the Mk.2 draws far too much power. It's capacitors will only last for about ten minutes at maximum output. Maybe an hour at minimum."

He steps up into the armor crate and positions himself in the middle of the armor, which is currently in pieces. One press of a button and mechanical arms in the crate begin assembling the armor around him.
You watch as they latch onto attachment points on the Mk.2 skinsuit, then lock together piece by piece until they form a solid whole. The last piece to go on is the helmet, which seals with a loud CLACK as it's latches close.

The old man drops down out of the armor crate with a thud, his weight betraying his small stature.
He's a few inches under a foot taller inside the suit than before, which may not sound like much, but it's a lot for someone so small.

With that helmet on, standing as tall as Cylia now... he's not even recognizable.

"Hahhh..." He sighs. "The skinsuit... is designed to fully integrate with the armor. The armor becomes it's power source, and in turn the suit delivers signals to the armor's motors, together with the neural interface helmet. And together?"

Taking a few steps forward, he crouches down and jumps up into the air, performing a perfect backflip.
As he lands on his feet, the helmet's visor flips down to reveal an almost manic grin.

"You were right, David! This! This is my strength! The strength that built the grey empire!"

Sanig cackles wildly, jabbing at the wall in a boxing stance. Each impact leaves an impressive dent, far more than you'd ever expect from someone that size, even on earth.
Which is nice and all, but he just keeps going. Jabs start turning into straights, and his cackles getting louder and louder.

You place a hand on the old man's shoulder, trying to calm him. Instead, he turns to you, clearly out of reflex, and throws a punch.
You manage to catch it before it reaches your face, but it definitely leaves your hand stinging. That's one hell of a suit of armor.

"Sanig! What the hell's wrong with you, man? Calm down!"

"Haa! Haha! Ahh...."

His laughing dies down slowly, and he manages to collect himself.

"Sorry... kid. It's a bit more than i expected."

"What is?" You ask, releasing his fist.

"This Mk.2 armor... was designed specifically for me. To enhance my strength and combat ability. And while i love building weapons... i'm not a fighter, you see?"

Sanig slowly walks over to a stool and takes a seat while he tries to chill the fuck out.

"So i added something extra... a little... drug delivery system. Carefully monitored by the suit's onboard computer, it doses me with a cocktail of combat drugs... synthesized from compounds we found in your blood samples."

That one gives you pause.

"Wait a minute... are you... are you high on adrenaline right now?"
>>
>>5471833
hell yeah, IV crack on demand!
>>
>>5471833
I think we shouldn't let Sanig go down. In fact, we might have to force him not to. He doesn't know how to fight properly. He is going to burn through his battery way too fast without spares. He needs spares.
>>
>>5471833
....god dammit grandpa, that shit is....probably mildly addictive. Probably. Not to humans I think but might be for most everyone else. I still think we should get grandpa painted in case we have to fight high end demons.

So is David loaded up on his anti vehicle shotgun? Got all his spare wraith knives? Did he make wraith killing bullets out of grounded down and remold wraith bones?
>>
>>5471841
The skinsuit on it's own doesn't have much battery life, but when connected to the Mk.2 armor it lasts much longer.

>>5471847
It hasn't been mentioned yet, but the Mk.2 armor is painted with wraith remains, and was designed bottom-up to be EMP-Hardened.
There's also plenty of ammo to go around.
>>
>>5471847
>Not to humans I think
The number of people willing to do extremely irresponsible things for a thrill strongly disputes that. I can only imagine the sheer bliss someone who has never felt it would be going through without the usual risk needed to induce such an effect.
>>
>>5471853
When not running around in the power armor frames of the Mk.2, would it be possibly to just wear a hip mounted battery to keep the Mk.2 skin suit powered? That way it might be possible to go in some places without drawing too much attention.
Good to know grandpa's armor is hardened and wraith blooded. Now all we need to do is make sure he can handle getting mind fucked and actually hit a wraith.
>>
>>5471877
Yes, you can power the suit via external battery.
>>
>>5471833
jesus christ he is going to be fucked up later.
We should ask him for a dose of these chemicals right now to actually see the effects of it.
>>
>>5471927
+1 same I know Sanig is the cool badass grandpa, but i worry about him sometimes.
>>
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>>5471833
>Grandpa is on runner's high right now
And possibly pic related
>>
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oh hey, a gif second try
>>
>>5471833
Gramps, careful with the endorphine rush.
>>
>>5471310
Nevertheless, I'm still referring to the Mk. 2 as the 'Mechtoid suit'
>>
>>5471833
Oh man, I hope he's ready to hit the fucking wall as soon as that cocktail wears off.
>>
>>5472375
Yeah we're gonna need to find him something for that. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. For gramps I'd suggest he stick to ranged weapons.
>>
>>5472721
>For gramps I'd suggest he stick to ranged weapons.
I say we get him a shotgun. That ray gun he's got probably hits way harder than it has any right to, but sometimes what you need is some good old fashioned lead.
With this new suit, I think he could handle it.
>>
Gramps needs something with RATE OF FIRE so he can cackle while shooting
>>
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>>5472825
I have just the thing!
>>
>>5472849
Nah, MP7. It's made for dainty hands.
>>
>>5471833

"Among other things." He admits. "Not a problem, just gotta... adjust."

"Riiiiight... Look, gramps, i'm not one to bitch about other people's lifestyles, but man. That shit can't be good for you. You're gonna end up giving yourself a heart attack or something."

Sanig stares at you, in surprise you thought at first... but then you realize he's holding in a laugh.

"Kid... thanks for worrying about me, but you don't seem to get it."

"What don't i get?! You're ancient! Your heart's gonna fuckin' explode if you keep dosing yourself up like that!"

"That's what you don't get! What, you think you get to be my age without any issues? Kid, my heart, liver and kidneys gave out on me CENTURIES ago! Most of my organs are bionic replacements!"

"Oh. Well, still though... don't you think it'd be better if you stayed on the ship? I mean, there's no need..."

Sanig hops down off his stool and casually walks over to you. You think he's going to say something for a second, but then he slugs you in the side out of nowhere.
Relatively gently, but it still hurts like hell.

"GAH! Mother-FUCKER! What was that for?!"

"Kid, i may be old as dirt, but i ain't made of glass just yet! So don't treat me like i'm gonna break, especially while i'm wearing this bad boy. I'm coming with, whether you like it or not! Need to put her through her paces, really break her in!"

You relent with a sigh, rubbing your (probably bruised) ribs.
Sanig may not be a 'fighter' per se, but he's never been a pushover either. Even when you first met, he whacked the hell out of your shin with his cane...

As long as he's got that suit on, he can probably handle himself. Probably.

"...Is the suit coated?" You ask.

"Yeah. Did some testing... at high enough temperatures, wraith flesh burns down into a jet black ash. Mix that into your paint and it has similar properties to that enamel coating on your armor."

"Is it EMP hardened?"

"After what we've been through? You know it. Every single trace and component, right down to the tiniest capacitor."

"What's kind of power source is it running? There's no way that suit has room for a micro-reactor."

"High-capacity batteries and supercaps for bursts of activity. Without all that extra weight, it's enough for eight hours at maximum output. It'll take another twelve to recharge, though. It's fine, kid. I swear. I thought of everything."

"...Fine then. I guess i can't really stop you. But here, you'll be needing this."

Popping open your own armor crate, you reach in and grab your AR-15, then toss it to him along with two high capacity mags.
You also reach in and grab your own KS-15, leaning it against the outside of the crate as you unlock your armor and step up into it from the back.

The suit seals around you, and your lungs flood with oxygen. You get a little high of your own... not all that different from Sanig, you suppose.
Stepping out of the crate, you grab your shotgun and stick it to your side using the suit's magnetic holster.
>>
We should paint some grenades with that shit. Shrapnel to shred through any nearby wraiths…
Hell, if we paint a land rover with it, we can commit wraith vehicular manslaughter.
At any rate, I know what the paintjob on the carrier needs.
>>
>>5473192
+1 this why the fuck not? Sounds like run!

>>5473180
Ready to roll player 2?
Ooooh! Do we get to pick David's loadout? He's got his shotgun, and probably a few pig sticks. Is he gonna go sword and board? I think he should go sword and board, but pack slot of k23 ammo for demons. Coated in demon blood and bullets made or bones of course.
Hmmm.....should we bring Princess? I dont know if she's old enough to help fight.
>>
>>5473197
I would say not. She may or may not be old enough to fight, but she's definitely not trained to fight.
>>
>>5473262
We'll work on that in a few months after getting a Mk2 suit to train her.

God I'm gonna miss being about to carry her. In a few years we're gonna need a mech suit if we ever want her riding our shoulders again.
>>
we won't be doing any fighting. We will locate the factory ASAP, blow up the roof and hoist the thing into the stratosphere.

Remember that it took a while for the wraiths to manifest last time, plus the black snow was a tell that lasted for a long while before they showed up. If we do it right, we won't risk SHODAN getting pissed off because of all the EMP she's going to go through.
>>
>>5473435
oh nyoooo I am tripfagging call moot
>>
>>5473435
>Remember that it took a while for the wraiths to manifest last time
The planet also had a shit ton of vegetation and wildlife the last time we were here, so we can assume that nice little window of time before shit hits the fan went out the window too.
Regardless, we're ready to rock no matter what. As they say, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
>>
>>5473442
we will see anon, we will see
>>
>>5473192
That is the kind of bullshit we need.
>>5473180
Hey gramps, why not make depleted Wraith Bullets?
>>
>>5473180

You have no idea what the situation on the ground is going to be like, and the KS-23 may not be enough this time.
So you also grab your as-yet unused grenade launcher, along with a whole bandolier of specially prepared 40mm rounds.

Inside each grenade is a special cocktail of extra spicy chemicals, tungsten BBs and, just for the occasion, shards of wraith teeth.
You've taken to calling them "Fuck You" rounds.

Speaking of, you also packed quite a bit of spicy play-dough this time around as well, just in case you have to bring down a roof or two to pull that thing out of there.

"SHODAN, how's that topography scan coming?"

"Initial scan is eighty-seven percent complete, Captain. I believe i have uncovered most if not all likely locations."

"Great, show me what you got."

SHODAN quickly brings up an overhead 3D view of the city ruins, with three areas in particular highlighted red and pinned to the side.

"These three areas are most likely the administrative complex, the main shipyard and the industrial complex. If the fab is anywhere, it's likely in one of these three."

"Which one do you think it'll be?"

"Given the sprawl of the city, it is likely that they had been established for some time before the fall. That being the case, the fab had likely already been moved from the administrative complex to the shipyard or industrial complex."

"So it's 50/50 then?"

"I would place my money on the industrial complex, Captain. They seem to have been heavily focused on expanding their infrastructure and housing."

"Hold up there, sugar-circuits." Sanig interrupts. "If they're expanding that fast they're gonna need exotic materials for the infrastructure, which means localized asteroid mining. If i was a bettin' man... and i am... i'd put my money on the shipyard."

"I have already run several dozen simulations on the matter, and come to the conclusion that there is a 72.8% chance of the nanofabricator being in the industrial complex."

"Oh yeah? Well i've been alive for longer than i'm willing to admit, and i've seen more than one colony built from the ground up with my own two eyes. I'm telling you, my gut says it's in the shipyard!"

SHODAN and Sanig start bickering back and forth as they often do, but it's not particularly helpful when it comes to deciding where you want to drop.
Honestly, you have no idea. It all just looks like ruined buildings to you, so you guess it comes down to which you trust more. Sanig's guts, or SHODAN's simulations?

>It's important to trust your guts. You don't know about Sanig, but your instincts are almost never wrong.
>SHODAN probably has a much better grasp of the situation. If she says she's been running simulations, it means she's seriously considering everything.
>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
>>
>>5473797
>It's important to trust your guts. You don't know about Sanig, but your instincts are almost never wrong.
>>
>>5473797
>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
Lmao, while we're at it, if we just so happen to find a terminal with a shit ton of schematics we might as well take em.

What are the odds we might find a salvageable ship down there?
>>
>>5473797
Hey Cochrane could it be possible to kill so many wraiths and demons, that they fuck off and leave us alone?
>>
>>5473797
>It's important to trust your guts. You don't know about Sanig, but your instincts are almost never wrong.
Warp-fuckery is in abundance, I don't trust the scans.
>>
>>5473809
Definitely not.
>>
>>5473797
>It's important to trust your guts. You don't know about Sanig, but your instincts are almost never wrong.
>"Wraiths have a habit of messing with your sensors, SHODAN. No offense, but gut instinct is the better option when it comes to this kind of bullshit."
>>
>>5473797
I'll back this>>5473876
But just in case
>"Flip a coin anyways."
>>
>>5473797
>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
I'd bet money on it being in admin though. Just because of fucking course it's going to be in the last place we check.
>>
>>5473797
>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
>>
>>5474049
>>5473910
>>5473802
>BAKA all these fools voting flip a coin without rolling a 1d2 (1 is guts 2 is brains)
>>
>>5473797
>>It's important to trust your guts. You don't know about Sanig, but your instincts are almost never wrong.

The shipyard is more likely, because we are looking for a fab that makes spaceship parts. While it also can fabricate other shit, shipmaking is the final stage of a colony, isn't it
>>
Rolled 5 (1d7)

>>5474058
>>
>>5473797
Let's trust Sanig on this one.
>>
>>5473802
Supportin, I'm a gambler at heart
>>
>>5473797
>Write in: Find the shortest possible path to check all three locations.
It's possible it's at none of them and we want our trip to be as quick as possible.
>>
>>5473797
>Hold up there, sugar-cuircuts
Woah Sanig testosterone too?
>flip a coin
time for some fucky wucky
>>
>>5473797
>>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
>>
>>5473797
>>Fuck it, fair's fair. Flip a coin.
check and see the viability of the coin to make sure no one tampered with it.
Ive seen weighted coins before, and they suck to go against.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d2)

Heads(1) is guts, Tails(2) is brains.
>>
>>5474605
whaaat? coins are two sides, practically 2d wtf you on about they can't be weighted to one side
>>
>>5473797

"Guys, guys, guys!" You yell, interrupting the bickering. "Calm down, alright? I got a solution for this."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Sanig asks.

"Gimme a minute, i'm gonna go get it."

"...What?"

You expected issues like this to pop up sooner or later, so you prepared ahead of time by printing out a few quarters.
They're pretty cute. Got your face on 'em instead of George's.

You running into your bedroom in your power armor to grab a quarter piques Princess' interest, and she ends up following you back out.
She probably wants to go on another walk, but you don't know if that's a great idea.

Either way, you show back up with the quarter in hand and present it to everyone.

"What's that, kid?"

"Don't tell me..."

"Yep, that's right! We're leaving it up to random chance. The absolute best way to solve any and all disputes. Y'know, besides a fistfight."

Placing the quarter on your suit's thumb, you flick it up into the air and let it fall back down into your palm, slapping your hand over it to hide the result.

"And the winner is... Sanig!"

"HAH! In your non-existent face! Ol' Sanig's still got it going on in the luck department..."

"Captain, i cannot recommend making important decisions based on-"

"Ah, ah, ah! None of that! Listen here, SHODAN. Once you flip that coin, the decision is final. We don't fudge the dice where i come from."

"Captain, this is not Dungeons & Dragons. If you make a mistake here, you could die."

"SHODAN, that's equally true of playing with fireworks or running a skilsaw. Now come on, we've got work to do."

You can practically hear SHODAN rolling her eyes as the ship turns and makes for the ruined city.
It's a slightly rough ride, with magnetic storms creating pockets of ionized air here and there. Strong air currents and lightning strike the ship repeatedly.

But you make it down to the surface without issue. Fortunately, there's even a free landing pad where you're able to (almost) touch down without issue.
You and Sanig both jump down without even lowering the ramp, each landing with a heavy thud. The Metal Gear immediately takes off back up into the upper atmosphere, where it'll stay until it's time to leave.

"Hope you're ready, Sanig. We really got swarmed hard last time we were here."

"Don't worry about it, kid. We're both armed to the teeth, nothing's gonna happen."

*Bark!*

Looking down at your feet, you're surprised to see Princess rubbing against your shins. She looks really happy, too.

"Fuck!" You exclaim. "Why is she here?! How did she even... that was like a twenty foot drop! She didn't hurt herself, did she..?"

Princess waddles about, her claws clacking on the ancient, worn concrete without a care in the world. She seems fine.
She looks expectantly up at you with her tongue lolling out, head tilted as drips of highly acidic saliva hiss and smoke on contact with the floor.
>>
>>5474769

>No way, girl. You gotta go back, this is too dangerous.
>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.

Also, roll me 1d100, best of 3 for lookin' around. Higher is better.
>>
>>5474769
>Dungeons & Dragons
SHODAN knows DnD...?
>>
>>5474777
SHODAN knows what David knows.
>>
Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>5474771
>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
But there is no way we're letting our baby girl fight, not yet. She's too young! You only show Sanig where to point his guns and that's okay?
>>
Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>5474771
Perception check

>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
>>
>>5474790
Hey not bad.

>>5474769
>Princess waddles about
Fuck oh right she's a chubby little girl. Ha! Damn it's hard to stay mad at her.
>>
Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>5474771
>>
Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>5474771
>She can help
Nat 100 to rip and tear, Princess
>>
Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>5474771
>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
She needs to workout or she'll be the porkiest Princess in the galaxy.
>>
So when SHODAN is right will we be able to cut the smug aura she emits into the air with a butter knife?
>>
Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>5474771
>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
>>
>>5474833
Definitely. Her smug aura will permeate everything
>>
>>5474771
>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
She can come along this time, but she's not going on another mission with us until she's trained and equipped.
>>
>>5474781
David knows DnD...?
>>
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>>5475029
You wouldn't believe how much of a soldier's enlistment is made up of standing around and doing nothing.
It's not unreasonable to assume David would have had some free time and wandered around the base before happening on some fucking nerds playing DnD or 40K to pass the time.
>>
Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>5474771
>>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.

>>5474781
She knows about the piss drawer
>>
>>5474771
>>Well... maybe she can help out, actually. Sanig can't sense wraiths like you, but Princess can.
BIG
DRAGON
FUCKS
WRAITHS
>>
>>5475065
She's not that big tho
>>
>>5475099
Big as a big dog and still growing
>>
>>5475099
>mfw wraith juice acts as slyvern growth hormone and triggers rapid growth the moment she bites a chunk out of one
>>
>>5475099
She do be chunk tho
>>
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>>5474771
I can't wait to go home and uplift humanity.
>>
>>5474769

"Want i should call the ship back?" Sanig asks.

"...No, it'll probably be fine. Hey, Princess!"

Princess looks up at you, waiting to hear what you have to say.
It's still surprising how much intelligence she seems to show.

"Stay with Sanig, alright? Keep an eye out for him. He can't see those wraiths like us."

*Bark!*

"Good... now, any idea where we need to look first?"

Sanig stares at you silently for a moment, before shaking his head as if judging you somehow.

"No idea, kid. Layout's unfamiliar. If we can find a working computer somewhere, i dunno... but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen."

Yeah, just one look around tells you that everything here has gone to shit. There's no power, obviously, but the buildings are also badly damaged.
And everything that was exposed to the elements is just... rusted to shit. You grab onto a handrail by the sidewalk, and it literally just crumbles in your grip.

"Well then, i guess we start looking. How about this building here?" You suggest.

"Sure. Let's find the entrance and-"

Sanig's sentence is interrupted by the sound of you smashing straight through the side of the cinderblock wall.

"Or that, i suppose."

The building that you just broke into appears to be a factory floor of some kind. One that specialized in assembling all the parts of some piece of machinery.
There's nothing of any real interest or note here, except...

"Sanig! Get back, it's a husk!"

"A husk?"

The dried, shrivelled corpse by Sanig's feet begins to stir, it's paper-like skin crackling as it tries to move for the first time in who knows how long.
In response, Sanig simply stomps on it's skull, crushing it. The husk stops moving almost immediately.

"What, is that is? I've had shits harder than that."

"I uh... huh. Yeah, i guess i was expecting you to be more afraid or something."

"Kid, i'm wired out of my gourd and i feel invincible in this armor. I don't think i'd break a sweat even if an army of those freaks showed up."

"Please gramps, don't jinx us..."

"Oh, too late! Look behind you, kid."

You turn and see at least two dozen husks, shambling towards you, with some still in the process of stand up all around the factory.
And in the center of the crowd is a wraith.

"Careful, old man. There's a wraith leading those things."

"Yeah? Well why don't you take care of it then, if your eyesight's so damned good?"

The old man raises his AR, getting ready for a fight. But he doesn't fire just yet.

"Sure, sure. No need to get testy."

>You're strapped with explosives and ammo, but you never know what's gonna happen. Might be best to use your mace and conserve ammo.
>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5475406
>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.

We know these things can call out to their buddies, and we do *not* need to get bogged down while they whistle up reinforcements. Kill quick and move on.
>>
>>5475406
>wrie in: throw in a grenade to both damage and confuse the wraith, and if it's still alive then go full sword and board. DEUS VULT!
>>
>>5475406
>You're strapped with explosives and ammo, but you never know what's gonna happen. Might be best to use your mace and conserve ammo.
>>
>>5475406
>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.
Fuck you, and you, and you in particular.
>>
>>5475407
+1
>>
>>5475406
>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.
>>
>>5475406
>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.
Finally a live subject to test the grenades on
>>
>>5475406
>>Fuck that, you said you were getting in and out ASAP, and you meant it. Lob a grenade into the crowd and get on with it.
We should spend our resources in lieau of time!!! no reason to take it slow here
>>
>>5475609
Agreed. Why else would we bring grenades if not specifically for situations like this?
>>
>>5475620
Aesthetics.
>>
>>5475406

Princess is growling aggressively in the wraith's direction. You get the feeling she's going to pounce on it soon if you don't do something.

"I've got the cure for what ails us right here, boys."

Reaching down to your side, you rip a grenade off your belt, pulling the pin in the process. It's covered in a plastic web, which holds a bunch of wraith bone and tooth shards against it's outer surface.
You give it a figurative kiss through your helmet, then casually lob it straight into the middle of the crowd. The wraith leader stares down at it in confusion as it rolls to a stop at it's feet.

"What's that, kid? One of those smoke bo-"

BOOM! The grenade explodes, sending burning hot shards of cast iron and bone in every direction.
One fragment impacts your shoulder pauldron, leaving a scar across it where it dug into the enamel.

"Woah, nelly!" Sanig shouts in surprise. "Was that a bomb? Did you just throw a bomb at them?!"

As the smoke and dust clears, you see that everything around that grenade was absolutely shredded, including the wraith.
It's not dead, but it's seriously fucked up. The husks are all in pieces, however.

You walk up and stomp down on the wraith's head, crushing it underfoot. It twitches violently before dying, and releases a small whisp of dark matter as it does.
There are still five or six more husks throughout the building, but they're shamblers at best. You'll just rip them apart if they get near you. Don't even need the armor to do that.

"Come on, gramps. I'm sure that attracted some attention, so let's get searching."

"Right."

...

You and Sanig quickly search through the building for anything from working computers and holopads to the fab itself, but don't find much.
Everything here is old. Really old. Even if it wasn't directly exposed to the elements, most of the plastic stuff here is just crumbling to dust, literally at the slightest touch.

But then you come across a large tower safe, in the manager's office.

"What do you reckon?" You ask, crushing a husks' skull in the palm of your hand as it shambles near you.

"Could be worth a look. Can't blow it open, not without destroying everything inside. I can cut through, but it'll take me a minute."

"I've got you covered, go for it." You tell him.

Sanig pulls a sonicator out of a pouch on his chest and gets to work cold-cutting through the metal. It's slow going due to the thickness, and it looks like more wraiths are starting to notice your presence.
Two more of them start floating in your direction, passing straight through the cinderblock walls of the warehouse to fly at you.

You let them get close, then blow one away with the KS-23. There's nothing left of it's entire head and upper torso, so you'd say these specialty magnum rounds really do the job.
You're about to blow the other one away when Princess rushes past you and jumps up at the second one! She sinks her teeth into it's throat and they both come crashing down to the concrete floor.
>>
>>5476226
My money's on Princess
>>
>>5476226
Look at her go!!! Do eet princess, rip that thing's head off
>>
>>5476247
on nyo my trippy again. I am not used to tripfagin yet
>>
>>5476226
scratch under her chin and say annoying pet owner stuff at her when she's done
>>
Om nom nom nom nom nom.
>>
>>5476226
Goood Princess, Killy Princess, Spooky Scary Skelemen Fear The Princess
>>
Princess is our precious baby I love her so much the little scaly death doggy
>>
>>5476226
go baby girl go! rip his head off! eat his soul!
>>
>>5476226
I hope we're stuffing those wraiths in a bag to reuse later. Lets be environmentally friendly with our dark matter after all.
>>
>>5476226

What comes next is pretty gruesome. It's like a pitbull got hold of an infant, if the pitbull had acidic saliva and could breathe fire.

The wraith howls in what sounds like honest to god pain as she tears into it's flesh with her teeth, and rips it apart with her claws.
Fire sprays from her mouth even as it's clamped around the thing's neck, and it almost looks like a cockroach getting hit with a blowtorch. Except it doesn't die instantly.

No, it squirms and struggles to get away from her, but her claws and teeth are so dug in that it simply can't.
Every time she rips a chunk out with her teeth, it leaves behind a coating of saliva that practically melts the wraith's flesh around the wound... no, you can actually see it dripping off here and there.

Princess seems like she's having a great time, though.
The wraith does try to claw at her back, but her scales seem to resist being cut and she simply shrugs it off.

It takes about a minute before the wraith's pained howling dies down and it stops squirming so much.
Princess more or less lets the thing go, gets off of it anyways... but then she walks around to it's head and starts gnawing on it.

Literally just chewing on it's head, until she gets a good bite on something and manages to crush it's skull with a loud POP.

Totally coated in wraith blood, she licks her maw with a satisfied look and starts digging into it's brain cavity until she finally manages to pull out that little crystalline sphere that you recognize as a wraith's core.
If you destroy that, or at least separate it from their body, they'll die.

Well, princess does just that. She tosses the ball up into the air a couple of times, catching it between her teeth over and over until she gets just the right bite... then crushes it.
To your surprise, she then swallows the shards. You panic and run over to stop her, but by then it's too late.

You're worried about what that stuff could do to her. She's already gagging like she's about to puke... Princess shivers, then shakes her whole body like a dog trying to dry itself.
But then she belches. Unlike her usual little puff of fire, this one is much bigger and far hotter looking. Not only that, it seems to have been dyed an unearthly purple color.

After that, she's fine. She smiles up at you, tongue lolling, still dripping acid onto the floor.
All that's left of the wraith is a corpse that looks like it's been sitting in the sun for a couple of months. Still smouldering and sizzling.

"Jesus fucking christ." You mutter down at her.

You're starting to see why there are horror stories about slyvern attacks.
Still, you lean down at pat her on the head, telling her what a good job she did. It was very thorough, after all.

"Almost there! Almooost there! ...GOT IT!" Sanig yells, yanking the steel and concrete door out of the body of the safe.

You rush over to see what's inside, and... it's not what you expected.
Oh, but it's pretty fucking good.
>>
>>5476794
Wait....are Sylvern natures afterlife keepers?! Okay...they have to be artificial.
>>
>>5476794
If we never end up finding a use for those Wraith Marbles, they seem to make excellent Slyvern treats.
>>
>>5476794
I had totally forgotten about the Crystal cores, thanks for reminding us. This gives us additional stuff for us to fuck around with and experiment on. Wraith / husk /demon ash to armor paint, leather for potential armor, bones for ammo, claws for knives, and now these cores. They're probably not edible, but it makes me wonder what would happen if david crushed some cores and snorted the stuff like a line of coke.

>>5476853
Agreed. At least someone will appreciate them.
>>
>>5476905
>They're probably not edible
Anything is edible if you chew it hard enough.
>>
>>5476905
What would happen if we drop a Wraith Core into our fuel?
>>
>>5476912
We could test that theory out with a drone.

>>5476911
That's also true. I wonder if wraith cores temporarily boost the metabolism of a slyvern or if it's a permanent thing. Like if they're high end vitamins or something. It's not like information on these things are free on the internet, so I guess we should do some....experimenting???
>>
>>5476912
NOW YOU ONTO SOMETHING

Also I wonder what will she shit in the morning
>>
>>5476794
We need to bring Princess wraith hunting whenever we can, it seems like good exercise for our chunky space dragon and I'm sure eating wraith cores is perfectly healthy and natural for a slyvern.
>>
>>5476936
Fire from both ends.
>>
>>5477078
yeah, if she stood on two legs I bet she has a beer-gut...
>>5477272
Just like my average meals!
>>
>>5476794

"Well now..." Sanig grins. "Would you look at that?"

Inside the safe are a few things you recognize.
One is a stack of latinum ingots. Not the little rounded cylinders that you're used to calling 'bars' but honest to god ingots. There must be €250,000 worth of latinum here.

But perhaps even more valuable than that, there are similarly sized bars of what looks like warp metal. Six in total.
There's also a small pile of warp bottle end-caps, equivalent to three or so more ingots.

Both the latinum and warp metal have been stamped with something that looks similar to the current Federation logo.
It's not exactly the same, but it's probably just an older design.

And on top of everything, there's not a holopad, but a tablet... which looks like it might be intact.

"Alright, i'll grab the loot, you look through the tablet. Princess, keep watch for us, alright girl?"

*Bark!*

Reaching down to your side, you pull a metal cylinder out of it's holster and pull the two halves apart with a pop.
Inside is a net made of durable synthetic fibers, which has been compressed into a puck. You flap the thing around to open it up like a garbage bag before stuffing the bars inside.

Once everything's in, you hook it onto your armor and let it rest over your shoulder, allowing you free use of both hands.

"No good, the battery's dead. Probably ain't gonna recharge either, Kid. We'll have to work on it back on the ship."

"Alright, let's keep up the search. We've probably still got some time before things get rowdy."

>Roll me 1d100, best of 3 for more searching
>First DC: 50
>Second DC: 75
>>
Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>5477752
WE'RE RICH!
>>
Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>5477752
>>5477756
carrier here we come!
pls no critfail
>>
Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>5477752
CUM HARD!
>>
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>>5477757
>>5477756
would ya look at that
>>
Rolled 58, 94 = 152 (2d100)

>>5477752
Considering they're two dc I'm guessing you mean 2d100 not 1
>>
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>>5477773
>>
>>5477773
You're a bit retarded aren't you?
>>
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>>5477773
>roll me 1d100
>guys I think we should roll 2d100
kek
>>
>>5477756
>>5477757
We're rich!
>>
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>>5477773
Well at least you have the spirit anon
>>
>>5477773
imagine this were the quints... >>5477777 anyway who isthis post let's see
>>
>>5477756
>>5477752
*uses laser pointer* WE'RE RICH!
>>
>>5477752
More funds for our 2nd space Christmas. We will find or engineer a proper live tree this time.
>>
>>5478017
We're rich!
>>
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>>5477773
>>
>>5477752

You make your way outside by busting through another wall.
Outside, the sky seems to have darkened. There are small flakes of snow-like dark matter floating on the winds, and in the skies you can see a few wraiths floating around here and there.

They seem like they're looking for something, but don't seem to notice you on the ground.

Those that draw too close do end up taking notice, but if it's just one or two of them then a couple swings of your mace is all it takes.
What's bad is that you can see more wraiths appearing in the sky. They just sort of fade into existence, without any obvious tell. It could be happen anywhere like that.

You search two more warehouses without anything much turning up, just more corpses and a few small wraiths.
The third one, however, has something of substance.

"Woah, look at that." You utter, staring up at the ship in front of you.

"Looks like a battleship. Think it'll run?" Sanig wonders.

"Only one way to find out."

"...Hey. Hey, hey, wait a minute! Kid, look!"

Sanig points you to the other side of the warehouse, towards a big, rectangular box. It doesn't have a lot of defining features, except for a hole and a conveyor belt.
The whole thing is spotted with rust, but doesn't look to be in too bad of a condition.

"Is that it? Doesn't look like much."

"It doesn't have to be pretty, kid! This is amazing. I can't believe it's actually here! But... what do you want to do about this ship?"

Right at that moment, you see dark matter snow start to fall through the ceiling of the warehouse, just like back then.
It's far more dense than what was just floating around before, and that's not a good sign. You're running out of time.

>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
>If this fab works for us, we can make all the ships we want, eventually. It's probably a junker anyways, so just leave it.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
If it works, then maybe we can just shove the printer inside and fuck off back into space
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
If it takes more than 5 minutes to fix then leave it and just call SHODAN to come grab us
>>
>>5478684
>If this fab works for us, we can make all the ships we want, eventually. It's probably a junker anyways, so just leave it.
get to dah choppah
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
Thankfully it doesn't even need to be pressurized, just has to be able to get out of the atmosphere.
If it doesn't start right away, we just blow a hole in the ceiling and call SHODAN over for extraction.
>>
>>5478684
Let's try to grab the ship, but don't take any unnecessary risks.
>>
>>5478684

>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
>>
Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>5478684
>We'll see if it runs
Of course it'll run
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
>"I see black snow falling, and its way thicker than last time.....something big is coming."
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
>>
>>5478684
>If this fab works for us, we can make all the ships we want, eventually. It's probably a junker anyways, so just leave it.

No mission creep on Wraithworld.
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.

May be a faster way out than a shodan pickup. Real issue regarding that is how big that box is.
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.

"Sanig, heads up there's snow like when the big bastards attacked on the zombie ship. Get your gun ready."
He does have APHE-depleted zombie ammo like our grenades right?
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
If it takes any significant period of time to test, then let's just get the location marked and dip. We can return after the zombie tornado chills a little if this process of testing takes more than a few minutes.
>>
>>5478684
*groans* fiiiine let's see if this THOUSAND YEARS OLD battleship works.
>If this fab works for us, we can make all the ships we want, eventually. It's probably a junker anyways, so just leave it.
>>
>>5478684
Why don't we send Gramps up to check and see if the ship is capable of running while we start the prep work to blow open the ceiling so SHODAN can come snag the fabricator? If the ship can run, awesome, and we can use it to go ahead and open up the roof and maybe even snag the fabricator. If it can't, we're already set up to blow the ceiling and get the Fab, and ourselves, out
>>
>>5478684
>...We'll see if it runs. If it does, great. If it doesn't, then fuck it.
Is it probably a trap of some kind? Yes.
Is there going to be cool shit inside? Probably.
I'm going to go with the narratively interesting choice instead of the most logical choice.
>>
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>>5478684

"...Alright, get in there and check it out. If it looks like it'll fly, we'll take it. If not, just leave it. Hurry up, we don't have much time."

"You got it, kid."

Sanig runs off toward the ship and plugs his armor into a port by the door. Looks like the door's giving him trouble.
Meanwhile, you sense a wraith trying to sneak up behind you. You're about to do something about it, but apparently Princess sensed it too.

Her ears pique up and she turns towards it. Growling angrily, she bounds off towards it and starts ripping it apart, just like the first one.
Hell, this seems pretty easy so far. With Princess around, you barely even have to do anything.

It takes Sanig a minute to get the door open. Apparently he had to give it power from his own armor to open it, which doesn't bode well.

A few more minutes pass without issue. While lobbing some sticky bricks of C4 at the ceiling you crush a couple of husks that wandered by, but nothing...
Huh, that's funny. You'd rub your eyes if you could, but it looks you'd swear there's like, a shimmer in the air nearby.

No, that's not a grease smear on your helmet. There's definitely something there, just floating. And it's getting stronger.
Then you start to feel it's presence, growing stronger by the second, as if it were closing in on you.

"...Princess, get in the ship with Sanig."

She tries to waddle closer to you in protest.

"NOW! GET IN THE SHIP!"

Startled, Princess turns tail and runs up into the ship like you'd told her.
Just about then, that shimmer in the air turns into a crack, bleeding a dark red light through as it widens.

A gigantic pair of clawed hands force their way out of the crack and widen it until it's opened enough to pass through.
What comes through is a great, burning demon, easily three times your height even in the power armor. As it passes through the portal, you get a glimpse of what's on the other side.

You... you can't even explain it. Just looking inside makes you want to vomit. You can't tell how far or where you're looking in there, and it almost feels as if you're being pulled into it, even from a distance.
You're forced to avert your eyes, and almost as soon as you look away you realize that your vision has gone blurry.

Fortunately, that hole quickly closes behind it, and you're able to at least look in it's direction.

The demon's head and arms hang down, and it pants heavily as if it were exhausted. But only for a moment.
It's gaze slowly turns on you. It's eyes looking you over. You can feel intelligence behind them, but more than that, you feel it's hatred.

It takes a long, deep breath before opening it's maw and unleashing a roar that shakes the whole building. You can feel the vibration through your suit.
You can feel it. It's about to charge at you. You've only got a few seconds to act.
>>
>>5479585

>Hammer. It's infused with warp metal, this is more or less what it was made for.
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
>Pull your whole grenade belt and chuck it at him. They'll all go off at once, and if it doesn't kill him it'll at least stun him.
>Just avoid his charge. You don't know what this thing can do yet, and you don't want to blow your load for nothing.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
>>
>>5479588
>>Hammer. It's infused with warp metal, this is more or less what it was made for.
>>
>>5479585
Jesus, to think we go from sexy space man fucking gobbos to beating a Balrog to death, we need a greatsword next time.
ALSO WE ARE ON A DAEMON WORLD, WE NEED TO GIVE OUR ARMY EXTERMINATUS CAPABILITIES, STAT!
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
>>
>>5479588
>>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
FIRE FIRE FIRE FUCK FUCK SHIT SANIIIIIIIIIIIIIG
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
Kill this fucker before his intro card can show up.
>>
>>5479588
>The Milkor. You've got six rounds of 40mm high explosive, anti-wraith grenades that you can dump into it from afar.
Fucking wicker, Have a gender reveal.
>>
Alright, roll me 1d100, best of 4.
Let's see what your little launcher can do.
>>
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Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>5479748
This one's from Jesus.
>>
Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>5479748
>>
Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5479748
>>
Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>5479748
GOONGALA
>>
>>5479759
WOAH MAMA
>>
>>5479759
Hot damn
>>
>>5479759
holy shit, the numbers just kept getting higher and higher

yo, cochrane, can we use the +1 we have in here to have a 100?
>>
Bonus points if David's shouting biblical verses in between shots.
>>
>>5479763
I already consider 98 or higher to be a crit.
You'll get a +1 to all explosives-related rolls from now on.
>>
>>5479775
hell yeah, another +1 to our stats
>>
>>5479773
"AND THE LORD SAYETH: FUCK THEE AND THY MOTHER BACK TO HELL"
>>
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>>5479759
BACK TO HELL FUCKFACE!
>>
>>5479759
AWOOOOOGA, YOOOOOOOU SHAAAAAALLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOT, PASSSSSSSS!
>>
>>5479775
AND SO SHALL IT BE, FUCK YOU AND EVERYONE NEAR YOU!
>>
>>5479775
OH BOY TIME TO LOAD UP OUR SHIPS AND GUNS WITH EX ROUNDS.
>>
>>5479759
>>5479752
BOMBOO KLAAAAA
>>
>>5479588
If se can somehow get this ship to work, can we drag the entire corpse into the ship, or at least claim its skull as a trophy?
>>
>>5480230
If it's anything like the lesser demons we fought before the assault on the Federation Convoy, David might just slurp up its essence Dark Souls style.
>>
>>5480232
i mean, hauling its body to space isn't a bad idea though. we need to make more wraith grenades and we also need its blood to coat our new ship or maybe to coat the battleship, supposing it works
>>
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>>5480230
I want to drag it in so we can butcher it later like what happened to this deer.
>>
>>5480235
>Thinking there’s going to be any blood after it’s blasted to a fine red mist from our grenade launcher crit
>>
>>5480274
it better. the not!balrog looks like it has a ton of blood inside of it and i'd really like to start stockpiling the blood for our projects
>>
>>5479585

Your first shot goes straight into the bend of it's right knee, exploding on impact.
The demon had already started to lean forward into a run, so when all that's left of that knee is a crater and some shattered bone, he falls forwards like a tree being felled.

Then you launch another one into the top of his head. Shockingly, that one didn't do much visible damage beyond ripping all of the skin off his scalp. His head must be extraordinarily tough...
Not only that, but you can see the edges of his wounded flesh beginning to burn. And as they do, they rapidly regenerate. This thing won't go down easy.

Tendrils of flesh and veins crawl their way to the other half of his leg and drag it back up into place, where it rapidly begins to knit itself back together.
You can't let that happen. If even explosives won't take him out, you're fucked.

So as the demon clambers back up, hobbling on it's still crippled leg, you unload three more shots straight into it's chest.
One after another, they explode. Each one digs deeper and deeper into it's flesh, with the final one shattering it's ribcage, sending chunks of meat and bone flying along with the shrapnel.

You can't see any semblance of pain in that thing's eyes, but maybe it feels it. Because even though it's on it's feet, it doesn't move.
You can see some of it's organs exposed through the dripping black blood, and it's regeneration has suddenly stopped. It's gotta hurt. You're definitely hurting it.

...The demon slowly gathers itself, and lets out another roar. Much weaker this time.
Whether it's rage, pain or just a warcry, you don't know. All that matters though, is that it's mouth is wide open.

Taking careful aim, your last 40mm round goes straight down it's throat, cutting off the demon's roar as it swallows the foreign object in surprise.

"Let there be light..." You whisper.

The grenade's timer ticks down, and finally it explodes somewhere inside the demon, around it's heart.
The damage is massive. It's whole chest bursts open, spilling out all of it's organs and leaving the demon dumbstruck.

You can see light spilling from dozens of holes pierced through it's back, through it's chest cavity. Those wraith fragments really did a number on it.
It stiffens up, standing still for a moment before falling forwards, seemingly dead.

"Hah... And it was good." You sigh, resting the Milkor over your shoulder.

Sanig, bless his heart, comes running out of the ship to assist you.

"Kid?! What's happening, what are you-"

You just grin at him as he stands there, shocked. Although he can't see it through your helmet.

"What... the fuck... is THAT?! WHAT IS THAT?!" He screams.

"Dead, probably. Hold on, let's make sure."

You replace your empty Milkor with the KS-23 and make your way over to the demon.
All it's blood and organs have been spilled onto the floor, and they're still steaming. It's quite a sight up close.
>>
>>5480295

More importantly though, you can still see and hear it growling faintly.
It's not quite dead yet. If you left it, it might eventually regenerate.

>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
>It won't be regenerating any time soon, not without all of it's organs. This is the perfect chance to capture it alive.
>Honestly, i don't care whether it lives or dies. We probably aren't coming back here after we get what we want.
>Write-In?
>>
>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.

fuck hauling this thing alive to space. not worth the risk at all.
>>
>>5480297
>Call Princess out to eat this fuckin' thing. Maybe she'll be able to locate its core easier than you.
Faster than dissecting it to try to locate the core for this breed. This way we'll know where to hit on the next one.
>>
>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
Get your maul out and start swinging at the neck until you decapitate it through blunt force (+1 muscle/melee roll?)
Tell Princess to retrieve its core for us please and thank you, while we guard the outside and this tear in reality. Then princess will go guard and help Sanig. Maybe shove the skull inside the ship if Sanig thinks its serviceable enough.
>>
>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
Don't keep a live demon especially a regenerator who took 6 grenades and lived
>>
>>5480303
Good call in case its core is located in a different spot in the skull, or someplace else in the body. At least next time we'll know where to hit.

>>5480306
In terms of capture, the only thing we should even consider would be husks. The weakest of the weak. Fuck no to everything else unless we have a warp metal enclosure with no gaps.
>>
>>5480297
>Princess! Do you want another snack?

I absolutely want its head as a trophy, but I also want to be absolutely certain it's for real dead
>>
>>5480297
>Write-In: Smash open its head and feed its core to Princess, "Treaaaatsies, Princess."
>>
>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
>>
>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
And this>>5480303
Plus
>"Sanig, I think it crawled through to our side of reality from literal Hell. Meet our new test subject! And Princess's chew toy."
>>
>>5480313
>>5480315
Why feed it to princess? We should be studying this stuff first, then feeding it to her after learning all we can. This is a once in a life time opportunity to examine the parts of a greater demon.
>>
>>5480323
Because slyvern instincts can tell us a lot about the greater demon quickly.
And quickly is what we kind of need right now, I don't think we could afford to waste too much time down here. If another greater demon shows up, knowing exactly where to hit it for maximum damage is gonna come in handy.
>>
>>5480297
>Write-In: Princess snack time.
>>
>>5480327
No, you're right. Better to not risk it regenerating, so destroying its core would absolutely kill it.

>>5480297
>support snack time with Princess.
At least this way we can just shove the entire corpse into the ship, than just spending time breaking off its head. I really want to weaponize its claws, horns, teeth, skin, and other things. At the very least rending it all into ash should be enough to, mmmaaaybe partially paint our future Carrier.
>>
>>5480297
A balrog head would be a great hood ornament for our new ship.
>>
>>5480297
Say, would it be a good idea to use demon blood as a coolant for the ship instead of water?
>>
>>5480295
>>5480303
>Call Princess out to eat this fuckin' thing. Maybe she'll be able to locate its core easier than you.

I don't think mounting this thing's head above our bed is a good idea. Our ladies piss at the smell of normal demons. We would probably never get laid again if we hung it.
>>
>>5480374
Okay....but what if we mount it in the new ship's bedroom or living room?
>>
>>5480384
you're just changing the place where they would piss themselves. the problem remains the same
>>
>>5480297
>It won't be regenerating any time soon, not without all of it's organs. This is the perfect chance to capture it alive.
>>
>>5480387
They'll be fiiiiine
>>
>>5480384
>>5480387

This could work, although preferably we would find a way to display it (like through some of that dark matter bottle stuff) that doesn't radiate the piss-inducing energy.

We could additionally use the blood of our friend here to paint the inside of a container in which we could keep the living intact pearl portion of a lesser wraith, for use in testing their regenerative capabilities and properties. Since wraiths appear to be tangible to dried wraith blood, it opens the path to proper live capture and experimentation of shit that isn't just husk or dead wraith bits.
Perhaps we have already done something similar, and I've overlooked a discovery that's already been made.
>>
>>5480405
We are making a Carier, we can mount it in the hanger over the crew entrance. Like the pub from Jak 2 with the Metal Head carcasses. Or put the head up in the dinning area.
The rest of the science stuff would be useful, this big fucker has huge guts, rip and tear huge guts
>>
>>5480415
talking about the carrier....if this battleship works, we should focus on it first. its more efficient for the resources we currently have
>>
>>5480417
We still need to crew it, finish the carier first, pick up Humans army, free Earth of Jew and Communist control. Go make Outer Heaven.
>>
>>5480415
The only reason I am against hanging it in resting and relaxation areas is that I'm mildly concerned it would make other crew members puke on sight, but something like the hanger entrance sounds good.
>>
>>5480425
We are not leaving it no matter what, Balrog skulls don't just fall in your lap you know.
>>
>>5480422
Are we planning to uplift wider humanity or only a few choice groups of interest/ individuals?
>>
>>5480422
the carrier is not even in the blueprint stage yet, but the battleship already exists. better to get the battleship up and use it to get the crew while we get all the resources needed for the carrier
>>
>>5480415
+1
>>
>>5480435
I agree, it should not be left.
>>
>>5480439
Wider humanity can get a kick after we destroy the interests groups currently ruining the planet. Purge the Jews utterly, cull the Communists. Make a true open speech platform nobody can fuck with. Leave for a bit after getting recruits and then come back to make checkups. Maybe cull the Muslim filth next, but we can fix that by giving everyone white access to guns and info on what is going on in the world, free China by giving the people access to gun construction. Let them sort it out. Purge Jews again for any that follow their instincts to bring ruin. Hire Kanye West because he knows what evil looks like.
>>
>>5480450
god, that's retarded on so many levels. thankfully this isn't the place to explain why
>>
>>5480457
Because you have no argument without ousting yourself as a lurking shill?
>>
>>5480489
He understands that there's other places for that specific discussion to be had. No need to turn a quest thread into Reddit vs /pol/ #4912367189
>>
>>5480489
no, because from the way you use personal attacks and your lack of the meaning of certain words, it would derrail the quest and lead nowhere.

in simpler words: >>5480494
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>>5480297
>I want this thing's head as a trophy. I'm gonna mount it over my fucking bed.
We have to do it.

Also supporting >>5480303
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>>5480498
So, reeee muh poor Chews, reee. I bet you hate Ye too.
>>
>>5480511
and here is proof that you can only use personal attacks to defend your point in a mediocre way. so, sure, whatever you say dude
>>
>>5480518
So you admit I have a point but can't say anything against it, get out spook.
>>
>>5480521
>"Debate me!"
>"Dude, gtfo of my bathroom."
>*inhales shit particles* "Heh, that's the smell of victory."
>>
>>5480297
>>Write-In?
>>PRINCEEEESs
>>
>>5480450
this entire post sounds childish at least you got an idea
but this shit has been already been discussed and I called dibs on the internet service providers blocking IP's
>>
>>5480593
You know what LETS DO IT SUPPOOOORRRTTTT
>>
>>5480297
>>5480303
>>5480593
+1
>>
>>5480297

You ever so briefly consider taking this thing alive, but quickly come back to your senses.
It needs to die, and you're going to take it's head with you as a trophy. But before that...

"Princess! You can come back out now!"

Princess pokes her head out of the ship's entrance, but refuses to come out.
Sanig's still just staring at the corpse, wide-eyed and presumably mouth agape.

"Come on, girl! It's alright. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Still, she doesn't come out.

"...There's a big, juicy treat out here. Don't you want it?"

Her ears perk up, and she raises her head.
Not a second later, she comes bounding over like nothing happened.

While Princess sniffs around the soon to be corpse and digs through the pile of organs, you tap Sanig on the shoulder and try to get his attention.

"Gramps? You still with us?"

"Huh...? Oh, y-yeah, kid, yeah. Ahem. The ship seems to be in good condition, but there's a problem." He tells you.

"What's that?"

"No power. It's been sitting for a long time. Magnetic containment isn't perfect, so the antimatter leaked out over the decades... ate away at the bottle until air started to leak in, then that was it."

"Is it fucked?"

"No, the reactor's still in good condition. But we'd need a new bottle if we wanted to get it up in the air. And unless you have one..."

"...I might, actually. Will my power armor's bottle fit in there?"

"Ah. Well, technically it shouldn't, but you've taught me a lot about 'jank' in the time we've been together. The nozzle coupling is actually the same size on a micro-reactor, so if we duct-tape it in place, it should work..."

"And if it comes loose?"

"Trust me kid, it ain't gonna be a slow leak like the old bottle."

"Well, better use the whole roll then."

"Crazy bastard. Now what are we supposed to do about this?"

Sanig directs your attention to Princess, who is currently dragging a large, half-shredded heart the size of a large watermelon out into the middle of the warehouse floor.
She rips away at the flesh, but she isn't eating it. No, she's digging into it, trying to pull something out. And eventually, she gets her maw around it.

What she pulls out is a glassy black sphere the size of a baseball, which is gently glowing with a pinpoint of orange light just barely visible through the black blood coating it's surface.

Of course, the first thing she does is try to crack it open.
But this one seems to be too tough for her to break, so she starts licking at it instead.

Her acidic saliva runs off it's surface without seeming to do much damage, even as it eats away the concrete underneath her.
She gives up on it after a bit and instead brings the ball to you in her mouth, dropping it on the floor in front of you.

"Good girl, you got the ball, huh?"

"Kid, that ain't a ball. I don't know what it is, but it ain't a fuckin' ball."

"Yeah, i know it's-"

"Look at that thing, it's fucking GLOWING!"

"Sanig?"

"Don't stand so close to me while you're holding that thing."
>>
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>>5481423
Could we just wrap it up in some warp metal foil until we can get a proper means of containing the uh..."Demon Core"?
>>
>>5481423
Good girl! Good girl! Daddy is sorry for yelling at you but that big monster was scary and didn't want you hurt. Forgive me?
That's a good girl! Promise to get you smaller cores later!

Don't forget to reload the Milkor and drag the corpse inside.

>>5481435
Oh shit right might be radioactive.
>>
>>5481423
Nice try anon, but we all know you're not the real OP.
>>
>>5481445
>Oh shit right might be radioactive.
I'm less concerned about it leaking radiation and more concerned about it causing fucking Warp fissures and attracting Wraiths.
>>
>>5481423
tape a brick of C4 to the basketball and throw it outside. we have to worry about exfil, fuck research right now, our objective is right in front of us plus a nice little bonus (the ship)
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>>5481423
>"Look at that thing, it's fucking GLOWING!"
>>
>>5481423
Okay sanig. Sanig listen. We grab the core and we JAM IT IN into the reactor. It's going to go GREAT believe me sanig. Believe me
>>
>>5481474
Just stomp on it. Great strength of feet.
>>
>>5481423
Shatter it with the mace.
Also, wraith cores are in the head near the eyes, demon cores are in the heart. Wait a minute, are the cores for various warp creatures just located along the chakras?
Base of spine, in tailbone area
Lower abdomen (2-4 fingers below the navel)
Upper abdomen at the solar plexus, between the bottom of the rib cage and navel
>On the cardiac plexus (Heart)
Base of the throat, coinciding with the thyroid gland
>Between the eyebrows (third eye) in the middle of the forehead
Above the head
>>
>>5481435
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLiNB_KX7c8&ab_channel=MrDrNoseorigin
>>
>>5481489
Jam that shit IN
>>
>>5481423
would it be funny if we let princess keep this?
it would be her own personal ball
>>
>>5481518
we don't wanna be near it when it breaks. high explosives solve problems.
>>
>>5481703
>we don't wanna be near it when it breaks
Why? Tell me what your future eyes see, anon.
>>
>>5481643
That would be pretty funny, yeah. Play catch with it, occasionally have to beat down a mini-balrog that coalesces around it.
>>
>>5481423
We could cower it with aluminium foil and then paint over it with warp metal resin. This sounds like a sweet find. It would be a shame to destroy it.
>>
>>5481423
If it's been glowing, then its fine. If it just started glowing, and is glowing brighter, it's probably less fine.
Maybe try interacting with it like we did with that A.I. core, but be hyper aggressive. Try killing it WITH YOUR MIND!

>>5481473
If the smaller ones haven't this one probably won't? We'll see in the next update.

>>5481489
I will laugh if that actually works.

>>5481643
+1 would make for a great dental toy for her, so long as she promises to not spit acid in the ship. We should probably make an acid proof play area for her some day.

>>5481762
Agreed. I'm all for keeping this thing.
>>
>>5481423
Sanig, come on, its just the soul of a Devil, whats the worst that can happen? And check it out, we got so much raw material we can coat a ship!
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>>5481643
That sounds great, Balrog is just Princess's Rawhide toy ball
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>>5481774
Exactly. Not only will princess get the most metal chew toy in the universe, we get to decorate the ship with the bones, skull, and pointy bits of this awesome kill.

>>5481423
We have a camera on the power armor right? I can't wait to show everyone the footage later.
>>
>>5481423
I wonder though... if David's powers come from crushing wraith stones, id Sanig crushing this would give him wraithsight and telepathy.
Or maybe I'm off the mark.
>>
>>5481864
considering how all aliens are order of magnitude weaker and this is the core of a super powerful demon, it might just kill him on the spot
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>>5481864
What he said, if Sanig crushed it, it'd probably kill him. We'd need a doctor adept at dark matter extractions, plus gramps would need to slowly make his way up from ghost, to wraiths, then to big boy demons.
>>
>>5481864
or his brain liquefies
>>
Just crush the ball to get +10k souls
>>
>>5481864
.....It never came from us breaking Wraith stones, just heaving Dark Matter exposure. Princess might get something from eating Wraith Stones.
>>
>>5482116
To be clear, you always had the latent ability to see dark matter and sense wraiths. That ability was strengthened after your first exposure, and became fully realized after you suffered dark matter poisoning.
Your psychic potential being unlocked was the result of three different triggers, one being the dark matter poisoning and another being intense stress and focus during the drone fight. The third was Illia's treatment.

If you hadn't chosen to suicide rush the drone swarm, the latter wouldn't have happened.
If Illia had died during the combat, the latter wouldn't have happened.

And if you hadn't been injured by that wraith, neither would have happened.
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>>5482125
So the Wraith Eyes were the friends and enemies we killed along the way, I love happy endings.
>>
>>5481423

"SANIG!"

"What, kid?!"

"Adrenaline."

"Huh?"

"You're talking a mile a minute. Focus and calm down."

"Ah, right... sorry, kid. Sorry. The uh, the explosions going off got me a little excited."

You pat him on the shoulder as you walk back over to the demon.

"Don't worry man, it happens."

It's funny. As you come near the demon's remains, you can actually feel the demon's core pulling on you. Like it's trying to fall out of your hand and roll back over into it's body.
If this still still isn't quite dead yet, it has some impressive vitality, you'll say that much.

Or maybe it's just like a human with their head cut off. Technically not dead yet, at least not until the brain starts to die from lack of oxygen.

Speaking of, it's time to get sawing.
You toss the core into the sack over your shoulder, together with the latinum and warp metal. Then you pull out your trench knife.

"Kid? What're you doing over there? I don't think you can kill it much more thoroughly than that."

"Oh, i'm not trying to kill it." You reply. "I'm getting my trophy. Look at the horns on this bad boy!"

"What?"

"He's a ten-pointer, for sure. I'm gonna mount this thing's head over my fucking bed."

"...What?"

"Well, technically he's got two points, but they're fuckin' huge..." You grunt, sawing through the demon's ridiculously tough hide and tendons.

Honestly, it's hide is so tough that you want to take it back with you as well.
...Fuck it, it won't take that long to get it off.

After removing the head, you start jamming your knife between the demon's skin and connective tissue, using the brute strength your suit provides to rip the skin off entirely where possible.
It's not like your knife isn't razor sharp, but it still has trouble cutting through the demon's flesh. Part of that may be that it's only dusted with warp metal, and not forged entirely from it.

Still, it only takes you about ten minutes to rip it's skin off completely. Sanig gave up on watching you after a while, saying it made him sick.
Instead, he spent that time making target practice of the few wraiths who were foolish enough to wander by. Princess finished one of them off, and removed the cores from every single one that was killed.

"Alright..." You sigh. "I'm just about done cleaning up. Let me load this shit onto the ship real quick, then we'll set off the explosives."

"Ugh, finally. Just... put those damned things somewhere out of sight, would you?"

Sanig is of course referring to the severed head in your hand, held by it's lower jaw... and the large flap of flesh hung over your other shoulder, next to the bag of loot. It's still dripping black blood all down your armor.

"Sure thing, gramps."

After forcing open one of the ship's inner doors, you stuff your loot inside and head back out to take a closer look at the fabricator together with Sanig.

"Looks like it's just bolted down." You observe. "Got your sonicator?"

"Yeah, i got it, kid. Go plant the explosives."
>>
>>5482188
Come on Sanig, you never seen somebody butcher a Demon before?
>>
>>5482204
Gramps been through wars and THIS is what bothers him? Huh. Fair enough.
>>
>>5482188
Gramps, I got an amazing idea, what if we use the hide for our next skin suit?! Its so tough even me in my suit had a hard time getting through it, its damn near impervious to anything else out here.
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>>5482210
to be fair, the demons are stuff of legends and until a few months ago we were also deathly scared of them as well. grampa just hadn't had the first hand experience we have. at least yet.
>>
>>5482222
Czeching.
For that we would have to stick around and harvest the hide.
Also, as we have seen the nades did a number on it through sheer shock. We would still need some kind of hard layer and shock absorbant layer. There is a point where you have to think about the volume you must dedicate to each protective property, and unfortunately hide would need to be heavily worked to be part of the shock absorbant layer as it can not do the hardness.

For all that bullets and penetration is nice, and the kino iof the kill was impressive, the serious explosions used by irl armies and space forces that would use missiles will require bunkers or vehicles.

Not that the PA is not nice but we have managed to cram APC protection on a walking soldier. Maybe IFV if we really push it, but that is about the most you could feasably get. Past that point you have to think either full conversion cyborgs, neurohelmet or bodysuit reading mechs or some kind of AI assisted mind machine interface melding to run a nonhumanoid platform in order to up the personal combat potential of a single individual, and arguably the last option is a fusion of two individuals.

This also explains the fascination with mecha. Biggest amount of bang you can give to a singular human and have it be viable to operate in most circumstances.
Past that point you have to get into crewed platforms or pseudocrewed platforms.

At any rate, that is probably a bit of a missalocation of resources. PA on trained humans with vehicle support is enough to keep ground warfare dominance for a long time. Space combat is an issue once we want to grow into a big mclargehuge institution.
>>
>>5482257
Man, reading comprehension really ain't the strong suit here.

>inb4 ESL
Go back to whatever freedomless shithole you came from and stop polluting this fine, American underwater basket weaving forum
>>
>>5482257
We got the hide, not reading anything else you said since you couldn't read the update
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>>5482222
Oh yes, the neuro-linked skin suit, make it out of actual hellspawn flesh. There is no possible way that it'll wind up possessing someone.

Bruh chill. Slap it on top of some plastic and call it a day.
>>
>>5482339
at moments like this im pretty sure the only reason david hasn't died yet is specifically because the quest prohibits david from dying
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>>5482257
You need to remember, well did so much damage was because we used wraith bones in the explosives. Normal stuff wont work so well against demon hide.
>>
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>>5482188

"Actually, i have a better idea."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, if we can get this ship started, we don't need to airlift the fab out with the metal gear. We can just bring it with us on this thing, can't we?"

"Probably not, kid. I don't see a cargo door anywhere on that ship, and the fab is way too big to load in through the entry ramp."

"...You said you have your sonicator, right?"

"What, you want to cut a hole in the side of the ship, just to shove the fab inside?"

"Sure, why not? We have onboard oxygen and Princess doesn't need to breathe, so it's not like we need the hull intact."

Sanig crosses his arms and taps his foot while he thinks things over for a minute. Finally, he comes to his conclusion.

"You're a genius, idiot. Now help me cut these bolts."

You use your own suit's sonicator, and together with Sanig you manage to cut the bolts in just a couple of minutes.
Once it's free of it's mount, you're able to use the combined strength of yours and Sanig's armor to push the thing across the floor, screeching all the way over to the ship.

The noise attracts another wraith, but Princess rapidly dispatches of it.
Unfortunately, you also notice the dark matter snow getting more intense during all of this.

You don't sense another big portal opening or anything, not yet anyways, but there's another issue.
Your armor's HUD starts to glitch out, and then you get a high EMF warning as it tries to adjust.

Sanig doesn't seem to notice, but his suit is EMP-Resistant.

"Hey Gramps..." You grunt, pushing the fab forwards another foot or so. "We got a problem. EMF's picking up, might be a storm headed this way."

"Really? Hold on, let me check the readings... hooo-lee shit. Half a tesla, more or less. It's jumping back and forth."

"Not bad, not great. We can worry when rocks start floating on their own."

Once the fab is in position, you and Sanig get to work cutting a hole out of the hull around the cargo bay, big enough to shove the fab through.
Notably absent during this time is any sort of wraith or demon, or even a husk. They all seem to have fucked off, which probably isn't a good sign.

You kick the plug out of the hull, then rip a conduit out of that plug so Sanig can get to work reconnecting it with a couple tack welds.

It's only once you're back out in the dim light of the warehouse that you notice metal filings and dust are starting to stick to your suit, taking on the characteristic patterns on a magnetic field.

"Sanig, we better hurry the hell up out here!"

"Working on it, kid!"

"I'm opening the door!" You yell back to him.

The warehouse's gigantic garage door is locked, but one shot from the KS-23 solves that.
It's also somewhat rusted stuck, but you manage to force it open. Your first look outside in a while reveals the thunderclouds overhead glowing and churning like an aurora.

In the distance, through the fog, you can also see what you were worried about. A pale pillar of eerie blue light, almost like a tornado.
>>
Aw fuck it's a Soulnado. WATCH OUT FOR SHANG-TSUNG!
>>
>>5482464
Motherfucker is we find the space chinese out here, we declare Mortal Combat
>>
>>5482495
>tfw the chinese don't abide by space copyright laws either
fuck
>>
>>5482464
Aww shit, I can't believe the wraiths are ripping marvel off with a blue skybeam like that. How absolutely ridiculous.
>>
>>5482464
I wonder what the rest of the crew feels about this.
We still need to resolve our AI (potental) crew members, those being the ALPHA core, the baby core, and I think one more that's half dead but we saved her soul? Were there anymore carriers or just the three?
>>
>>5483303
>I wonder what the rest of the crew feels about this.
about what specifically, the battleshit, the nanofab, or the demon head?
>>
>>5482464

Inside that pillar of light, you can see objects being pulled from the ground and lofted into the air.
Lightning dances inside of it like a plasma ball, just continuous streams of plasma rotating and arcing out.

And it's getting closer.

You don't even bother warning Sanig, you just rush over to him and help finish his work.
He's still working on getting the wires in the conduits welded together, but you yank a length of wire out the other side and forcibly twist the thick, solid-core wires together by hand.

Sensing your urgency, Sanig speeds up his work as well.
As soon as he's done, he jumps back down out of the ship to try and push the fab inside. Only one problem...

You need to lift one side of the fab at least six feet into the air in order to get the edge of it up onto hole in the side of the ship.

"Damn! I hope these servos can handle it..." Sanig mutters, digging his fingers under the fab on one side.

Getting around the other side, you do the same. Even lifting together, you feel your suits creaking and struggling under the weight of this massive, nearly solid metal object...
But then you hear a loud hum resonate from Sanig's armor, and the load becomes lighter. You manage to lift it up, and Sanig actually moves underneath the fab to support it's weight with his whole body.

Man, that's dumb. If you let go of this thing right now, it would crush him to death.
But you don't, and with his support you manage to get the fab up there and drag it's edge onto the lip.

"Hurry, kid! This suit's gonna overheat in a second, we gotta do it now!" He yells.

Sanig immediately runs to the other side of the fab, and you pick that side up together as well.
He's not quite tall enough to lift it up completely, but it's at least enough for you to ram it in there. You manage to get it inside.

"Come on kid! We gotta get the ship powered!" He yells, rushing up the ship's ramp.

Sanig seems to have cut the door to the mechanical room open already, so you're able to just force them open a bit wider and walk in with ease.
You hop out of your armor, and Sanig pushes you out of the way. The only way to get your suit's antimatter bottle out is to unbolt the armor plate covering it, which he's fortunately able to do by hand thanks to his Mk.II armor.

As soon as the armor is off, you can see and feel the red-hot reactor containment chamber. No way you could grab that bottle with your bare hands, but again, Sanig's got his own armor now.
Sanig shoves the bottle into the ship's porthole, and the whole ship almost immediately comes back to life. Lights are restored, then computers, you even hear the hum of the engines doing their little power-on test sequence.

"Kid, i gotta hold this bottle! Get us out of here!"

Rushing over to the cockpit, you drop into the pilot's seat and pull your skinsuit's helmet up over your head. The suit's oxygen canister should last long enough to get to orbit, and from there you can re-enter your armor.
>>
>>5483442

Almost as soon as you sit down, a robotic voice starts irritating the hell out of you, talking about this error or that malfunction as it boots everything up.
You ignore it. Half that shit is probably due to the magnetic field anyways.

Or at least, you try to ignore it. It's seriously grating, and after about a minute of it not shutting the hell up, you've had enough.
Your fist goes straight through the speaker and the panel it's connected to, causing a small short and a bit of smoke to rise up through the hole.

But at least it's quiet.

The engines look good, or at least mostly good. Apparently the dark matter and energy haven't gone anywhere, unlike the antimatter fuel... so it might even be warp-capable.
Either way, you skip the warm-up sequence and ignite the engines all at once, causing the lights to dim for a second. The ship lifts up off the pad, and you're hovering about three inches off the ground.

The second you try to move, though, you hit something. The ship is completely unstable and refuses to hold still... so you keep striking the ground as you try to stay level.

"Shit, the navigation computer's fried." You grumble.

Without that, it'll be harder to keep the ship steady.
Harder, but not impossible.

Taking as much care as you can with the awkward, two handed control scheme this ship uses, you back the ship out of the warehouse. There's only a slight scratching sound as you scrape against the door a bit.
After getting free of the building, you quickly engage the gravity generator to keep the cargo (including Sanig and Princess) in place, then start making distance from the geomagnetic storm which is quickly closing on you.

Honestly, it's hard. Keeping the ship steady with no nav computer is hard enough, but the magnetic flux is pulling you around here and there.
Not only that, the ship keeps getting stuck by lightning, over and over. Each strike causes the power to flash, and some of them are resetting the computer, meaning you have no instrument or navigational data.

All you can do it keep flying up and away, and hope to make it to space.
It doesn't look like that's going to be easy either, though. You're forced to let go of the controls as a wraith phases through the cockpit and tries to grab you.

This one doesn't have knives for fingers, but you don't want it touching you regardless.
You grab both of it's arms by the wrists and plant your foot squarely in it's chest, heaving with all of your brutish, un-enhanced strength.

It's arms break, and then tear off at different points along the humerus. The wraith is sent flying and slams hard against the cockpit glass, where it falls onto the instrument panel and rolls off before slowly phasing back through the floor.
Looking outside, you can see hundreds... no, it must be thousands of wraiths, floating around in a panic. You don't know what the hell their problem is, but you don't have time for it.
>>
>>5483604
https://youtu.be/lQiMM-GWi28
hope the wraiths aren't wanting the core we yoinked
>>
>>5483604
Something that can scare the piss out of a wraith might be a good thing for us, if we can one day understand just what the fuck it is.
Fuck if I know, if demons can exist in space, then what might be in the middle of the light could be a biblical angel.....fuck biblical angels might exist in this setting. How terrifying. Terrifyingly good?
https://youtu.be/y_0FuLYAYkU
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>>5483604

You push the ship's thrusters as far as they'll go, but the whole thing just feels sluggish.
Even the Metal Gear can't get to space quickly, but this is too much. Something's wrong.

You fiddle around for a moment until you find the ship's rear-view camera, and bring it up on-screen.
The instant the image comes up, you get a bit of a sinking feeling in your gut. That geomagnetic storm behind you, it's almost filling the screen.

It could be that the magnetic field is pulling on the ship and slowing you down, or maybe the storm itself has picked up speed and is simply moving faster than your ship can.
It doesn't really matter though, because at this rate it's going to catch up with you.

You can see wraiths buzzing around the storm, trying to escape. Those that stray too close end up getting sucked in and vaporized.
Others are flung out at high speed or sucked up into the upper atmosphere, maybe even up into space.

You've got maybe a couple minutes before this thing catches up to you.

>This is like trying to escape a falling tree by running away from it long-ways. Try changing course, maybe you can avoid it.
>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up.
>Big brain move, why not try jumping to warp? You have no idea what happens if you try that in-atmosphere, but it seems like the easy solution.
>Write-In
>>
>>5484242
>Heat messes with magnetism, right? Have the Metal Gear drop some SERIOUS heat down towards that storm. Maybe it'll disrupt it long enough to help you get out.
>>
>>5484242
>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up.
Slingshot time boys. Easy math.
>>
>>5484242
>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up
Trying to fight the pull is a no-go, gotta take a chance.
>>
>>5484242
>This is like trying to escape a falling tree by running away from it long-ways. Try changing course, maybe you can avoid it.
>>
>>5484242
>Big brain move, why not try jumping to warp? You have no idea what happens if you try that in-atmosphere, but it seems like the easy solution.

the planet is already fucked and it wouldn't hurt to know what warping in atmosphere does to the local space
>>
>>5484351
We don't have warp shields at the moment. That and warping may make the situation much worse
>>
>>5484479
hm. fair enough. changing to this then

>>5484242
>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up.
>>
>>5484242
>>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up.
>Surf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKpsuGMeqHI
>>
Shocked that none of you want to try heating shit up (with missiles).
As temperature rises, particles move faster and faster and cause magnetic domain misalignment, drastically reducing the strength and efficacy of the magnetic fields.
I'm pretty confident we could get out of this pretty easily just by having the MG fire off some payloads into the storm.
>>
>>5484511
Most storms don't make pillars of light that suck demons to death. I think the magnetic fuckery is a symptom not a cause. So disrupting it for a few moments would help but not solve our problem.

Of course I got no clue. This shit's weird.
>>
>>5484511
i don't think we have comm access to the metal gear right now, so even if we wanted to, we couldn't call them
>>
>>5484242
>This is like trying to escape a falling tree by running away from it long-ways. Try changing course, maybe you can avoid it.

This was the prometheus school of running
>>
>>5484242
>...This might be stupid, but you might be able to surf the storm up into space, if you follow a similar trajectory to those wraiths that are getting sucked up.
This shitnado will never expect it.
>>
>>5484242
Alright, roll me 1d100, best of 3.

First DC: 40
Second DC: 65
>>
Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5485062
>>
Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>5485062
No flight instruments, half-broken ship, no signs of exit, sign me up!
>>
Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>5485062
here goes

>>5485065
lol
possibly even lmao
>>
>>5485066
Reminds yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. But also
>>5485065
rest in piss wraithworld
>>
>>5484242

Even as you're doing it, you can't help but say it out loud.

"Fuck man, this is stupid!"

You bank the ship around, narrowly missing a wraith that phases halfway through your cockpit as you turn back towards the storm.
Now facing it head-on through the glass, you're able to get a clearer picture since you aren't looking through the monitors which are constantly resetting or glitching out.

Thanks to that, you can more or less see the path that some of these wraiths are taking as they get sucked way up into the air.
There are narrow bands of them coiling up the length of the storm, with any wraith that moves even just a few hundred meters out of line getting vaporized.

As you near the storm, you realize that they're probably riding the field lines up the storm. Not intentionally of course, at leas you don't think so...
But you should be able to do the same. If you just keep the ship steady and follow the line up, you should make it.

So you drop altitude and try to enter one of the lines. Almost immediately, you feel something yank on the ship, pulling almost all control away from you.
...You're stuck. You can barely move left or right, up or down. And you can't slow down at all. But it seems like you entered at the correct point, because your ship isn't melting.

However, as you get closer to the planetary-scale cone of plasma in the center of the storm, strange things start to happen.
For one, every single electronic device on the ship cuts out, except for the lights. Those flicker on or off at random, and occasionally just explode.

You know Sanig hasn't removed the bottle, because he hasn't come to see what the fuck you're doing yet.
In fact, you hear him yelling at you from the back of the ship.

"Kid?! What the fuck is going on out there?!"

"Working on something, don't worry about it!" You yell back.

"Now i'm fucking worried!" He replies.

As you get closer, the effects get weirder and more extreme.
First, you start seeing flashes of white light in your vision. You don't know if it's the magnetism or radiation or what, but it can't be good.
Then, perhaps worse, you start to notice your body heating up. Not all at once, no... a section of skin here, a portion of muscle there.

You recognize this feeling. It's the same feeling you got during a high-powered MRI scan. Complete with nausea and muscle spasms.

"Kid, my suit's sensor suite just exploded! What's going on?!"

"We're fine, Sanig! Just trust me!"

You groan in discomfort as the magnetic field grows more and more intense, and all you can hear is a deep humming in your ears, even over your tinnitus.
Fortunately Sanig seems to be at least mostly protected from the effects inside his suit, since he doesn't seem to have noticed yet.

Who knows, this kind of magnetic field could be fatal in other species. In fact, in probably is.
You look down through the growing white vignette around your vision to see your arm hairs burning off as sparks form between them.

"Ah, shit..."
>>
>>5485155
…Here we go again
>>
>>5485155
FUCK YEAH TIME TO GET CANCER!
Wait I mean oh no cancer. We should probably get that checked out later. Maybe pay Gron's doctor a visit?
>>
>>5485412
Cancer is easy to cure with space meds if I remember right.

Note to self: bring some with to Earth.
>>
>>5485458
Why would we need to bring cancer to Earth?
>>
>>5485155
>Remember that line from GTA:San Andreas

>>5485493
KEK
>>
All we had to do was to move sideways from the storm but noooooooo we better go dick first into a plasma tornado
>>
>>5486038
as if this isn't the perfect analogy of the dumb shit we always do
>>
>>5486041
rolling 1d100 Bo3 is one helluva drug
>>
>>5486054
Even without it we'd have gotten a good roll here
>>
>>5485155

Honestly, you're starting to get worried about how strong this is going to get... and whether or not you've just doomed yourself to being fried by EMF.
But it doesn't intensify past a certain point. It's still incredibly intense, and you feel like there's electricity running through your whole body, but it's not getting worse.

You pant as your body heats up and you struggle to stay awake, just barely managing to keep the ship within the lines using your limited manual controls.
One minute passes, and then two. Then three. Your ship continues to rise, and you continue to hold on. Until eventually, you're flung up and out of the atmosphere and high speed.

The intense magnetism and EMF drops off sharply as you leave the storm, and you slump down into your seat, exhausted.
You're covered in sweat and smell like burning hair, but you're alive, and no worse for wear by the looks of it...

...Uh oh.

Quickly, you lean forwards in your seat and vomit up a steaming puddle of puke, after which you feel much better.
After spitting the last of the vomit out, you stand up, feeling dizzy... but manage to correct yourself and walk back to the mechanical room, where Sanig is still standing there, holding the bottle.

"Fuck, finally!" He curses over the radio. Carefully, he shuts the antimatter injection terminal down and removes the bottle from it's receptacle.
The bottle is still glowing red, together with Sanig's gloves. He doesn't seem to mind, though.

The ship doesn't immediately shut down, not entirely at least. It does go to emergency power, as you can tell by the red emergency lights kicking on.
There's no telling how long that power will last though, because the backup batteries didn't have all that long to charge off your suit's bottle.

...Then again, that bottle's looking pretty empty. It must have been doing some real work.

"Kid, what the hell happened out there?!"

"Ah... you probably don't want to know." You admit.

"You're right, i don't. Tell me anyways."

"Well uh... the storm was catching up to us. I didn't think we could get away, so i... kinda... surfed it."

"Surfed? What the fuck does that mean? ...Hey kid, you alright? You don't sound too good."

"Yeah, yeah, i just... just uh... need a minute. Nevermind that. How's Princess?"

"Hell if i know. Last i saw the little critter, she was back in the cargo area with the fab. Should we check on her?"

"Yeah. Shit, i hope she didn't get sucked out. Or the fab."

"Hold on, kid. First, let's get you back in your armor. I don't know how much oxygen you got left, but it ain't enough."

"Right, right..."

Sanig quickly re-inserts your near-depleted antimatter bottle and shoves the armor plate back into place, allowing you to step back into your suit.
It's a comforting feeling as the suit slowly re-pressurizes, making it much easier for you to breathe easily. More than that though, it also keep you from feeling like you're about to fall over.
>>
oh fuck David might be going through rhabdomyolysis, no cap on god 100% I swear
>>
>>5486274
It's just the aftereffects of powerful magnetic and RF exposure. It'll wear off.
>>
Nanomachines are working overtime in conjunction with David's immune system to not fucking die from cancer.

Although even normal humans can survive rads for a long time, it is just a slow killer afterwards. We should be able to get medical attention.
>>
>>5486274
awn gaw it's da fie gee mang they turnin' our friggin' cells gay
>>
>>5486392
The aliens don't know how to treat rads because aliens die immediately to them
>>
>>5486445
not exactly true. they just tolerate way less radiation, so they can probably treat what our body manages to repair by itself
>>
File: 1433723694748.gif (4.97 MB, 480x360)
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>>5486192
>Sanig and Kyla fix the ship later
>fix the computer
>check the logs up to when the recording stops
>tfw
>>
>>5486551
lol that jump at the end was cute
>>
>>5486192

When you enter the cargo area, you fortunately find the fab sitting right where you left it.
Princess however isn't immediately visible, so you call out to her.

"Princess, here girl! You can come out now, it's safe!"

Still, she doesn't come out. That's odd, usually she listens to you.
Shit, you hope she didn't get pulled outside or something.

"Kid, did you forget we're in a vacuum? She can't hear you."

"...Fuck."

Together with Sanig, you search the various crates and containers, looking for where she may have hidden...
But she doesn't turn up that easily. You do a quick search through the rest of the ship as well, but all you find is a wraith that's been ripped apart.

>Just keep searching, she'll turn up eventually.
>She must have been trying to hide from the storm. You're sure she'll come out on her own after a while.
>You're worried she might have fallen out of the ship. She can't hear you because the ship's depressurized, but maybe you could try telepathy?
>Write-In?
>>
>>5486808
>You're worried she might have fallen out of the ship. She can't hear you because the ship's depressurized, but maybe you could try telepathy?
>>
>>5486808
Do that magical indian spirit animal shit since we probably have a connection to her to sus out where she is through pure instinct and willpower.
>>
>>5486811
+1
>>
>>5486808
>Just keep searching, she'll turn up eventually.
last time something like this happened we found her holed up inside a crate. she probably did the same again
>>
>>5486808
>>You're worried she might have fallen out of the ship. She can't hear you because the ship's depressurized, but maybe you could try telepathy?
>>
>Yell louder
>>
>>5486811
>>5486850
Supporting
>>5486885
This but with our mind
>>
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>>5486885
>It's a hurricane, shooting at it won't help
>Just use a bigger gun you idiot
>>
>>5486808
>You're worried she might have fallen out of the ship. She can't hear you because the ship's depressurized, but maybe you could try telepathy?
>>
>>5486922
>>5486808
I'll back internal screaming.
>>
>>5486808
>>You're worried she might have fallen out of the ship. She can't hear you because the ship's depressurized, but maybe you could try telepathy?
>>
Roll me 1d100, best of 3.
DC: 80
>>
Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5487293
>>
Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>5487293
>>
Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>5487293
>>
>>5487297
>>5487299
>>5487300
SHAME THESE MEN, SHAME THEM
>>
>>5487297
>>5487299
>>5487300
stop rolling
>>
I'll bet she's in the loot bag with the wraith core and the latinum bars.
>>
Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>5487293
Don't worry guys, my totally valid and timely roll is here to save the day.
>>
>>5487297
>>5487299
>>5487300
Princess nooooo
I bet she's just out in the hold somewhere with mild nausea, r-right g-guys?
>>
Rolled 17 (1d100)

This is the first time we've failed rolls rumao
>Princess
>Lost
>>
Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>5487293
Nat100 to counteract the losers
>>
Rolled 73 (1d100)

third 17 moment
>>
>>5487509
pls let this be just us fucking up telepathy and she's actually fine
>>
you retards; this only means we can't scream at people with our minds(moth girl being an exception). at least not yet
we just need to keep searching for princess the old fashioned way. i mean we know sylvens tend to go in hibernation mode when they go into space, so its not odd to think that she did the same again
>>
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>>5487724
Let them sperg out anon, it's funny.
>>
>>5487724
>yfw we actually do scream at her with our mind
>so hard it gives her a seizure and she almost dies and is now paralyzed from the hips down
>>
>>5486808

"Hold on, Sanig. I'm gonna try telepathy."

Sanig facepalms his helmet.

"Not this shit again, kid. Magical telepathy isn't real."

"It's not magic. Just because you don't know how it works doesn't mean it ain't real, either. Now shut up, i need to focus..."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go check under the bunks again."

While Sanig goes off to keep searching by hand, you steady your breathing and close your eyes.
Then you focus your mind and... think. You don't know where she is exactly, so you just 'think' in all directions, if that makes sense.

Honestly, you have no idea what you're really doing.
You try a few things, like narrowing it down to one section of the ship or another, or focusing on Princess' image in your mind's eye.

But you don't hear anything back. You're not even sure if she's hearing you, or if she can hear you at all to begin with.
It's the first time you've earnestly tried to use it on someone or something... and Princess is an animal, albeit an intelligent one. Although, Illia did say that it transcended language, or something like that.

So it should work, maybe? If you're doing it right?

You keep trying, but to no avail.
Sanig comes back from searching the bunk room, empty handed.

"Hate to say it kid, but either she's hiding really well or she got sucked out of the ship. Could be she's hibernating, since we're in vacuum... Slyverns seem to do that, from what i can gather."

Hibernating, huh... maybe that's why she's not responding?
Who knows, but whatever the case is, this isn't working. You do have one more option though.

Closing your eyes again, you focus on your sixth sense, searching for any signs of dark matter.
You can't sense any wraiths nearby, but there is a feeling... something gigantic. All-encompassing, even. Looking out one of the portholes... yeah, it's the planet below you.

There is of course a slight sensation from your suit, and from Sanig's... and a strong sensation coming from the demon's core, still in it's sack with the other loot.

"Come on, come on... she ate enough of them, surely..."

"Are you still trying that hoodoo shit?"

"That's not even remotely the right word for it, Sanig. And no, i'm trying something else."

As you focus your senses more, you're able to sense just the slightest wraith-y signature somewhere on the ship. Far too faint to be an actual wraith, but definitely not background noise.
You jog over to the corner of the cargo bay and push one of the crates aside, revealing a metal grate that looks to have been dissolved by acid.

Shining your helmet light inside, you can just barely see Princess' head as she lays there, hibernating inside a t-junction.

"Found her." You announce.

"What? Where the hell was she?"

"She squoze back here, hid in one of the air vents. Everything that was going on probably scared the shit out of her... or she might have been hiding from the RF emissions inside. It did get pretty rough."
>>
>>5487991
I wonder how much we need to train our psychic senses to be able to pop alien brains from a distance.
>>
>>5488118
Do I need to lecture you on the perils of the Warp or are you gonna shitcan that idea right now?
>>
File: 57536538786.gif (2.81 MB, 360x151)
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>>5487991
>squoze
>>
>>5488122
Oh yeah, since the warp's been so threatening so far.

Being able to think at aliens so hard they die is peak HFY
>>
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1.35 MB
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>>5488212
Look, all I'm saying is using our noggin as a medium for high power warp-shittery sounds a little risky to me.
And now that I say that, I realize we've done nothing but take risks, so I retract my previous statement.
>>
>>5488221
>Look, all I'm saying is using our noggin as a medium for high power warp-shittery sounds a little risky to me.
we'll be fine, its a HFY quest; david is indestructible
>>
>>5488235
>David is indestructible
Right up until he isn't!
>>
>>5488261
Sounds like somebody missed small caliber class in pre-school.
>>
>>5487991

"Well, at least she's still on the ship. Come on, kid. Let's get the beacon going so we can get out of here."

"Right."

You walk to the cockpit with Sanig, where he sits down and plugs his armor into a data port in the pilot's seat.
He fiddles with the ship's computer for a while, but it seems to be giving him trouble.

"Damn it. Kid, how the hell did you pilot this thing?! These computers are ancient, i can't make heads or tails of the controls!"

"What, are you kidding? I figured someone as old as you would know how to use them better than anyone."

"I don't even remember where i was living three hundred years ago, no less how these damned systems worked! FUCK! FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!"

One of the screens he's trying to use flickers and then conks out on him. He can't get it to restart.

"Hold on, Sanig. Sometimes these old machines need a little percussive maintenance."

Reaching around, you smack the side of the flight console, being careful not to smash the whole thing with your enhanced strength.

"Kid, these are sensitive electronics! Old ones, at that! You can't just beat them into submiss-"

The screen flickers on for an instant before going back out, so you hit it again, from the top this time.
It comes right back to life as if nothing were ever wrong with it.

"How... how do you do that?" He grumbles.

You just respond with an "Ayyyyy." and some finger guns.
The thumbs up was Fonzie's thing, but it's a little too goofy for your taste.

"What does that mean. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!"

"It means swipe up to open the next window, not side to side."

"Why do you know that?!"

"Because it's basically just a tablet computer, and i've already used every retarded control scheme the combined might of apple and microsoft could possibly come up with.
Radio controls are in that little drop-down submenu there."

"What sub-menu?"

"See that icon there, that looks like a wifi symbol?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WIFI?!"

It takes you a while, but you manage to guide Sanig through the old computer's controls until he starts getting the hang of it on his own.
Seems like his old memories do eventually come back to him, after using it for a while. Still, he seems infuriated by the computer and clearly hates using it.

"Alright, kid..." He sighs. "I got the signal out. The Metal Gear should be here any time now."

After about five minutes the Metal Gear does show up, shields raised and weapons energized.
Well, this wasn't the plan after all, so it makes sense that they'd be cautious.

"Can you raise a hail?" You ask.

"I think so. Whole computer system's on the fritz, though. Gimme a minute."

Sanig manages to open a channel, the video feed for which just shows up on the navigation computer.
No fancy holograms or anything, just a video feed. It's kind of nice, actually. Feels simple.

["David... Sanig? Is that really you?"]

Cylia is the one to answer the hail, but something's wrong. She looks exhausted, worried.
>>
>>5488855
>She looks exhausted
She never got her cat nap
>>
>>5488855
I may or may not have ridden out of orbit on a tornado of souls being sent to hell. And you have a missing patch of hair on the base of your tail.
>>
>>5488855
>David teaching grandpa how to use technology
No matter the time, place, or species, this will never not be funny.

Everyone's probably worried. Tell everyone we're fine, in fact we're better than fine! What we accomplished down there was:
>we found what we were looking for. Fabricator acquired.
>found additional resources (muny) and spare bottles with fuck with
>we got this shit would could either give to Gron, or refurbish and use, or butcher for parts for the Carrier
>Princess was a very good girl and is confirmed to being able to kill greater wraiths on her own
>David killed a greater demon. We got the corpse and core to prove it.
>>
>>5488855
>Cylia is the one to answer the hail, but something's wrong. She looks exhausted, worried.
aw fuck, did time dilate again and in reality we were like 3 days in the planet?
>>
>>5488989
>or refurbish and use
yes this. this will become the metal gearer
>>
>>5488991
Longer.
>>
>>5489012
30 years?
>>
>>5489012
Oh God...3 weeks?
>>
>>5489020
Yes
>>
>>5489032
Are our Fungis children okay?
>>
>>5489032
aw fuck
>>
aw fuck, no wonder cylia looks so bad. props to her though, i would have called it quits after the first week; they must have had a way to keep tabs with us in order to wait for us this long. probably they managed to look at us through a telescope or something before the time dilation started
>>
>>5489032
What the actual fuck. Now I feel bad for them. What the fuck- is this some blackhole bullshit where time bent?
>>
>>5489075
now that i think about it, maybe our little slingshot stunt was the cause time got distorted. from what im rereading, looks like we interacted with a black hole or proto-black hole of sorts. so cylia and shodan just basically saw us become sphaguetti and stay like that for 3 weeks and the only reason they stayed was because shodan was able to calculate that we would come out eventually
>>
>>5489032
Fuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk, WAAAAARP BUUUUULLLLLSHIIIIIIIT! Did Gron freak the fuck out, did all our plans go up in smoke?
>>
This is why you don't surf ghostnados, anons.
>>
>>5488118
IN THIS THREAD WE ABHOR THE WITCH, ANON
>>
>>5488989
>support
kek yeah let's talk to Cylia in green text form.
>>
>>5489353
that's a quick and easy way for her to think we're wraiths and open fire on our asses
>>
>>5489458
>oh god he's autist
>shodan end his misery
wraith? oh no
>>
New thread, boys!

>>5489899
>Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5437189/
>>
>>5489901
YAAAAY, MY FRAMERATE



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