SYSNES2: On the Lathe of Suns

Something has come up for me so that I will be unable to participate for at least a month, so I will have to drop this. Sorry.

Well if you're definitely coming back in a month ypu could just give some broad goals and I'll npc them.

I don't know how long it will be. It might be multiple months.

Hello

The ground shuddered gently with the landing of the slender, metal spacecraft. Various small animals scattered amidst the blue dust it had stirred, little rodents streaking across the pale purple sand of this distant, forsaken moon. The spacecraft extended four mechanical appendages, and landed with a soft thud.

After several moments, a hatch opened in the bottom, an ambient warm light spilling out of it and on to the cold ground below. A bipedal figure, dressed in a thick, gray coverall, emerged from the hatch. He wore a plain-looking helmet with small stripes of yellow indicating important knobs and dials, each accompanied by a tiny yellow box with still tinier glyphs inside. The helmet seemed securely fastened to the coveralls. In this day and age, it was the pauper’s personal protective equipment.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground’s violet soil, a display on his right wrist came alive with color and light. He moved slowly away from the hatch as another humanoid figure began climbing out after him, and raised his wrist. Spending a few seconds on each new datum, he passed through the various notices, alerts, and indications that the machine gave him. He breathed a heavy sigh and invoked the radio.

“Cold, snowy, toxic,” he said acidly. “Why are we here, again?”

“It’s got a lot of volatiles,” said a female voice through the speaker in his helmet. A second person, no doubt the originator of that female voice, walked up alongside him with a noncommittal nod of the head and a ‘thumbs-up.’ Behind them, a third person was also climbing out of the hatch.

“Why’s it always got to be the sh*t places that got volatiles,” the first man said dryly. A practiced flick of his wrist activated a flashlight on his left forearm, which he held before him to survey the immediate surroundings. “Once all this pays off, we ought to retire somewhere nice. Get some other poor saps to do the dirty work out here.”

“I hear you,” said the woman as she too activated her flashlight. They were at the top of a rocky hill, overlooking a sparkling blue bay. Amidst the rich purples and dark blues of the surrounding lands and the pale light of the distant sun echoing through the thick, poisonous atmosphere of SAF9 II-A, a calm had settled over the group. Their eyes took in the vista before them greedily.

“Least it don’t look like arse,” said the first man. “Probably could get some posh sucker to buy a sightseein’ trip out here. Run ‘em some good cash.”

“Any words on indigenous? Mernt or anything?” said a third voice timidly. He walked up alongside the first two, taking in the view as well.

“Some rumors,” said a fourth voice, clearly coming from the bridge. “We’re lookin’ for volatiles, whatever that entails, and any evidence of indigs. Whatever we can do to secure or contain them, protect our boys come zero hour. You know the drill. If this thing pays off we’ll all be makin’ good.”

“Well it’s either Mernt or rats, so I’m not too worried,” said the woman, turning away from the vista to investigate some rocks nearby.

“What’s the difference?” said the first man with a sneer, eliciting laughter from the second man.

“Cut that out,” said the voice from the bridge sternly. “Even if it is Mernt, y’all can’t afford to be so lax. You equipped?”

“You know it,” the first man said, patting the thin automatic slugger that was slung over his shoulder.

Suddenly, a few nearby rocks tumbled down the cliff from a ways beyond the next highest sheer segment. The second man drew his peashooter carefully.

“Damn, kid, put that crap away before you blast yourself a new one,” said the first man with some exasperation, craning his neck to look up the cliff. Seeing nothing after a few seconds, he turned his gaze on the second man, who still had the thick-barreled peashooter drawn.

“I said put that awa-,” but he was interrupted by the startled yelp of the second man’s voice, as he spotted something just over a nearby rock outcropping that was pitch-black and moving. Whatever it was froze just as the second man fixed his gaze on it, and his rifle.

The others’ attention was piqued and they both drew their weapons carefully. It was hard to get a good look at whatever it was, but it was definitely alive. Two thin points of light on the figure were visible, and the first man surmised that they had to be eyes. With a flick of a switch at the base of his helmet, he said and a speaker echoed through the thick, lunar atmosphere: “Hey! What are you?”

At first lacking in apparent understanding, the creature did not immediately respond, although it did acknowledge the voice. It moved out from behind the rock and on top of a flat platform. “Leeni,” the creature said as it did, its voice tender, soft, and high-pitched, cocking its head curiously.

The creature bore a striking resemblance to humans in at least the physical coordination of its features, potentially standing short at full height but here being almost miniscule and bow-legged. It stood mounted on several long toes, and its hands were capped with dark, pointed fingers. Its entire visible skin was a sleek oily black, completely without hair, and its head was a long oval. The proximal end of its head had typical human features – eyes, mouth, nose, cheeks, jaw, and ears – all delicately formed, like those of a gentle, endearing, spritely thing; the mouth and nose were covered by a gingerly-placed, transparent face-mask. At the back of its head, several long, thin, jet-black spines extended out and away from the skull rigidly. It had a dark brown, furry coat and a pair of what appeared to be woolly pants. A thin long tail waved gently in the breeze.

“What are you?” the creature responded.

‘Taken aback’ would be insufficient to describe the reaction of the crew, who now all had their guns trained on the small, delicate creature. With a confused expression on its face, multiple of the creature’s head-spines began detaching in short pieces. When ten or eleven had fallen to the ground, the spines stopped shedding, and the creature looked on in growing bewilderment.

“You do not eunimeruda?” it asked.

From the bridge, the third man’s voice piped in over the radios of the crew, “I have no idea what this thing is, judgin’ from a quick scan, so be on your guard.”

Flipping the switch at the base of his helmet again, the first man responded: “Looks like a freak, prob’ly from a clan what ain’t even got electrics. We’ll paste this one and do some light recon of the surroundin’ area.”

“That’s a negative,” replied the bridge, “Do not, I repeat, do not start shootin', or who knows what'll happen?"

“Don’t go soft on me, Yolk, we got work to do, and I’ll be damned if a tribe of unhumans gets in my way.”

“Damnit, Reg, if you shoot at it-.” Just then, the second man – evidently unwilling to bear the tension any longer – fired at the creature.

In the blink of an eye, the creature attempted to move out of the path of the slug, but was too late. The slug embedded itself in its shoulder and it howled in agony. In answer, and indistinguishable at first from its cries of pain, another howl reverberated through the moon’s thick air, bouncing off the walls of the nearby cliff face.

“What’s goin’ on down there? An'ser me, damnit!” said the voice from the bridge, clearly agitated by the second man’s unsteady trigger finger. The crew looked around nervously, taking their eyes off the creature for the first time.

Moments later, another creature with many of the same features as the first appeared over another rock – and after that, several more. Yet another creature appeared near the very first, still writhing on the flat platform in pain, and ferried it away to safekeeping.

The crew could scarcely bring their guns to bear as awareness struck them before a cavalcade of these creatures, these ‘Leeni,’ had surrounded them and fallen upon them. The first to make it into range of the crew disarmed the woman with a tense swipe of its powerful tail, and embedded its sharp, clawed fingers deep into her throat. In the split second after realization hit, the man named ‘Reg’ felt his spine shatter, and soon after that his neck crack.

It was short seconds before the crew lay bloodied and unmoving at the base of the spacecraft as the man on the bridge frantically sealed the outwards hatch and launched with all the celerity he could muster. As the vessel sailed away into the twinkling navy atmosphere, the Leeni on the ground gathered to watch. Each one’s eyes, an infinite range of color, boiled with seething rage. No vengeance could be exacted that was severe enough on these bold, spoiled outsiders – landing on precious Home and cutting open its beloved children.

A Leeni tenderly crawled over the rocks toward the group.

“How will be Friend Inoyo?” asked one of them.

“She will be Healthy,” responded the new arrival.

No more words were spoken as the group again fixated on the sky, each one’s hatred amplified by that of the rest.

Leeni aren't batman - they'll need at least some face masks to breathe on the surface

Haha, OK. I've made a slight change accordingly.

"...we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless *distinguishable*, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed..."

Oh **** wrong thread.

Dis, unless you've promised a spot to somebody else already, I'll fill in as the Dardareo.

LittleBoots said:

Dis, unless you've promised a spot to somebody else already, I'll fill in as the Dardareo.

Click to expand...

OOC: Did #nes get to you?

alex994 said:

OOC: Did #nes get to you?

Click to expand...

Its unstoppable.

Well sure if Frozen's okay with it; I mean if he's comes back eventually we might have to have a discussion (maybe the Dardareo polity will be split-able by that point ).

@Katrina- I know you pm'd me, but apparently your account settings don't let you receive pm's? Though you inquired first I'm inclined to give this open slot to TinyShoes since he is a more known and involved NESer and the Dardareo are a pretty central polity, if one of the more peripheral players drops out and you're still interested I'd be happy to let you take a run at their polity.

Update will come in just a while, I'm uploading images right now. The reason its up today rather than yesterday is 100% due to Seon.

In the Handmaidens, or rather that sectors most important system of Glon has been having a peaceful time of late. The relationship between the two major powers of the system, the Ilosians and the Delugers, had always been cordial, both being recent arrivals with very differing interests. More than just politeness was the steps each took this year, as part of an on-going discussion on co-operation between their diplomats in the Deluge capital (the Ilosian envoy taking great care to avoid complaining about the gravity or the risk of rust, with the understanding the next conference would be on Ilosian soil). A resource and information sharing agreement was hammered out, and as a measure of good faith the Delugers reduced the size of their standing army by two-thirds and sent their carriers on a diplomatic mission to Sigma Relay. The Ilosians went even further and dismantled their entire hydroponics infrastructure, freeing up the resources involved for other things and showing the trust placed in the Delugers who are now their sole food supply. Handshakes were had all round, both sides very happy at the deal and like any good trade deal; both were convinced they had managed to make off with more than they gave up. The Deluger ecumenical council made many speeches on that note, and indeed they might even have been right as many of the other powers of Segmentum would have given their right arms to trade food nearly one for one with rare mineral stocks. The Ilosians were rather quieter on the issue, but may have the last laugh as Ilosian commercial interests have already begun to insinuate themselves in the rather more statist and commercially naïve Deluger state.

Word of peaceful and potentially open markets is music to the ears of the Hank-Sobor planners, and an emissary was sent to Glon to start negotiating in the following year, passing the rather more impressively conveyed Deluger envoy going the other way. The only sour point in this ointment of good feeling were the rather stubborn inhabitants of the Unbreaking Waves second moon; originally dwellers on the few islands the ocean planet itself sports, they were forcibly expelled by the Deluger forces on arrival. They still nurse a deep and abiding grievance towards the Delugers, and the fact that the Ecumenical Council has been sending men to literally hammer on the doors of their habitats to open lines of communication certainly hasn’t helped much.

Outwards from the Handmaidens in the system of Sigma Relay, the Hank-Sobor holdings are abuzz with activity. Though not without pressing local issues, the corporation has decided that an outward focus is the best course for its nascent state; soothing argumentative neighbours can wait when there is profit to be made. A host of industrious voyages were undertaken to set up contracts and agreements from Glon to the heart of the Spinwards stars. Some efforts see an easy success whilst other prove more troublesome. The city of Hanksville is exuberant with its new tasks and schemes, and migrants are drawn to it, both from within and without the Segmentum. Though everything is okay now with the rush of employment and new wealth, the problem of housing and immigration policies need to be addressed at the first possible opportunity, as even the happiest of powder kegs can be set off with a slight spark.

At least part of the cause of the up-surging trade in Hanksville is the redevelopment of the Dardareo world ship. Possessing economic productivity undreamt off out in the frontier regions, and in this year the repairs of the infrastructure and fabrication machinery only redouble what the Dardareo can potentially offer. Much like the Hankish the Dardareo have sent emissaries to the Glon powers to attempt to negotiate resource contracts, though they carry with them a fine desperation the Hankish lack, and their fleet is rather more armed and serious than the casual Hankish traders. For again much like the Hankish Hanksville, the worldship teeters on the edge of disaster; barely a year’s worth of supplies remain, and the collapse will be sudden and spiralling when the do finally run out. The governing captains try and put a brave face on this, urging normalcy and keeping taxes much lower than they conceivably could in order to maintain the calm of the populace. The Hankish look on the Dardareo resource deals with a friendly eye, and some amongst the board urge offering some pro-bono assistance in negotiations – the Hankish aren’t a cruel or ruthless people after all (though a cynic would point out that bringing goods to Sigma Relay would have to happen on Hankish hulls anyway and would bring considerable easy money to the Hankish coffers).

The lesser inhabitants of the Sigma Relay system continued on much as they had previously, the Hearthfire settlers squawked at the amount of ecological pressure the rapidly growing Hankish capital was putting on the world, and the Hearthstone military state continued their long schemes.

On the developed rim of the Segmentum, the disruption caused by the Standard Migration has awoken some of the quiescent spinwards polities to action. Plans are being set in motion, and many have grown dissatisfied with orbiting the Cathedral, the current heart of wealth and power in the Segmentum. A conference of such social climbers took place on the world of Atooa in the Lipsid Alpha binary system, rather confirming the Atooan Dathics high opinion of themselves as the centre of a new web of post-Dathic relationships under the new Apeilic dominion. The Quasi, as always slow to act, sent a representative mainly to sell volatiles shipments, but understood it was important to get in on the ground floor of developments in Lipsid Alpha. Their people were rather apprehensive towards rapid changes, and the leadership kept any other schemes at a very basic stage to offset these worries. Rather more quietly a set of representatives were sent to Lipsid Beta, if anything major happened at Atooa the Quasi wanted to be ahead of the game in the Cathedrals futures markets. A possible slight miscommunication saw the entire discretionary freighter fleet going with them, but perhaps the Quasi are going shopping for something.

On the other hand the Republic of the Yanii has embarked on a flurry of activity; previously always secure in their client relationship with the Dathics, a new generation of Yanii leaders have taken charge – for the Yanii to find their place in the universe and unravel the mystery of the holy ancients, they are going to have to do it on their own. The first step on that road of course is securing the money to do so; and after setting a generously low tax rate the Yanii commercial houses unveiled their host of data services across both Lipsid Alpha and Lipsid Beta. The second step was to brownnose everyone in reach; sucking up the Atooans with the conference and flowery praise, offering a free teaching grant to the University of Salvador in the Quasi volume, being careful not to try and compete with any of the existing Coran data market shares, and making sure to stay in the good books of both the Valk and the BIR. As the Grand Provost said; ‘The Yanii have no enemies’. The third step was a more interesting and open ended one, rolling out some new ship designs and prototypes for a future far flung Yanii exploratory fleet. With the over-optimisation typical of academics, the first examples off the production line would make experienced military men or experienced accountants scoff with derision. But in some ways the hopeful optimism of the Yanii makes a delightful contrast with the grimness of the post war world.

The Yanii are not the only ones trying to break new ground and explore new possibilities; the Coran Illuminate, one of the major Cathedral polities has been speculating on taking on the Zera nation as a client state. On the front of it they have much in common, both divergent from baseline humanity via cybernetic and genotype alteration and both coming from the same cosmopolitan cathedral well of peoples. To lay the ground for such a relationship the Corans undertook to act as brokers for the much needed Zeran resource purchases at a time when the latter was having great trouble finding receptive officials in Cathedral space, and even subsidised the Zeran exchanges and transport costs. The young Zeran leadership is almost pathetically grateful, but when formal talks occur the sophisticated and tranquil Corans may not gel as well with the brash and enthusiastic Zerans as both sides hope. The Zeran action described later also set the Coran Illumination all aflutter, as such ravages and ill-considered shocks do not make for a harmonious universe in which data may flow freely and profitably. The plunge of the Hankish and the Quasi into the once tranquil pool of Cathedral trade also upsets the Corans, who worry about being undercut by these new hotheads and their cut throat prices. The Zerans may not be the only new market the Corans cultivate, as they design a new emissary trade vehicle with a fancy new charm drive and train a host of new skilled personnel to be sent into the wider universe.
The other grand powers of Cathedral space; the Black Iron Republic and the Valk, and the dozens of lessor polities, have all had rather prosaic years. The stolid Republic focusing on economic growth and their long term plan of expanding operations on the innermost moon of the Cathedral (the sudden upsurge in demand for minerals in the Segmentum my spur long considered action on their part). Rather than looking inward the avaricious Valk contemplate the increasing chaos in the forest with interest and consider launching privateers to ‘restore order’ and ‘prey on the weak’ (depending on if you read externally or internally circulated Valk literature).

The Heph of course, don’t tell anyone what they’ve been up too.

The Zera of Lipsid Gamma seem possessed with the frantic urgency of a young and emotional people, everything must be done right this second, with none of the consideration or calculation of an older, wiser political machine. Zeran food needs to be sold for something? Pester every other state in reach without thinking of those states views or the Zeran image. The Zeran economy needs resources? Sell out to the first foreign polity who shows an interest. Feeling a need for infrastructure and education? Bleed the nation’s economy dry for a massive excess of construction work in the capital without a whit of consideration being given to the other regions, who mutter darkly of another era of slavery. The people are feeling paranoid and rambunctious? Declare unending war on the few remaining outposts of the Adamas workers, as if a state a seventh of the size of the Zera and likewise gutted by the Executives departure could pose an existential threat. Though the Zera proclaimed the northern isles could be used as a landing site by hostile foreign powers, something the surrounding nations considered very odd with no hostile foreign powers in evidence. The ex-Adamas émigrés in the Cathedral volume stepped up their propaganda campaign of the Zera being dangerous and inhuman, who attack without warning or reason, and the well of public opinion certainly seems poisoned against the Zera in the smaller habitats. The fact that the campaign has been conducted so incompetently also a strike against the Zera in many eyes; whilst rhetoric of total annihilation was pushed, only a fairly lacklustre blockade of the Northern Isles by the Zeran airspace force has actually occurred. On the other hand the outcry if the Zera had actually nuked civilian targets on their own planet as early transmissions seemed to indicate the desire for, the outcry would have been far greater, and the Zera would definitely be a pariah state rather than merely trending that way. Firzonat issued a statement that they would not countenance any mineral sales to the Zeran nation until the matter is resolved peacefully.

My name? It’s Alisa, just Alisa. It used to be Alisa Bebbawalt, but one cannot be named for a dead place. The Wal of Bebban is nothing but ash and her people nothing but bones. Wal? Umm it’s a type of woodland, less undergrowth than a Tangle, but thicker than a Sav. Yes I guess we Mernt have a lot of names for that type of thing? Yes it was nestled in a crack of the Ruins Range. The old stories say there was a river running through it back before the Plague and the Fraying, but my generation couldn’t even find the channel. We still on honoured the river’s spirit, but the Wal was watered by hand and pipe from the aquifer. My younger sister was named for that river. No she didn’t make it. It was the aquifer that made us wealthy; we gained much favour from selling and gifting the water to the other clans. They said our spirit was quiet but strong. I was the second daughter of the clan mother, for which I was very grateful; important enough to be educated and travel and treat with the neighbours, but not so irreplaceable I was held close to Bebban’s heart. I even spent a year with the Lyst, though like most who pilgrimage to their moon and undertake a year of devotions I was not deemed holy enough to be allowed to enter their sanctums and continue my study. If you accept the transcripts of us savages you will see I received excellent marks in hydrologics, and I have both joined and managed many agricultural projects, I would not be a burden here. How did I escape? I was never caught. The wind speed sensors on top of the Old Man needed replacing – one of the mountains above the Wal, and so me and two of the clans bondsmen spent a few days hiking up to the peak. We could see it happen with vehicles as specks and flashes of light and flame. Our strong buildings; the hold and the crèche and the store, were all in the oldest part of the Wal, and it had been a dry year. Once their missiles started the fires it was too late, we didn’t have enough water to put them out even if we hadn’t been under attack, and they certainly couldn’t stop them either. Not that I think the Standards wanted too. They just hid on the outskirts and anyone who ran got a bullet in the head at half a klick. I couldn’t even tell how many there were, they just destroyed and vanished with silent efficiency. I know what that look means, I was with the convocation that tried to negotiate with the first wave and saw how the Standards comport themselves. But that bravado and swagger, that’s just jackals nipping each other in the sun. When a pack has hunger in its belly, the predators are all silent vicious business. I and my two men never went down to Bebban, we could see nothing moving once the flames had gone out. Everywhere we went in the Ruins range the story was the same; sometimes some people lived, sometimes not even ash was left. One of my men was shot by a passing skimmer that never even slowed down, the other died whilst we crossed the salt pans of what once was the Golden Ocean. I couldn’t even break the salt crust to bury him – Mother Mern no longer offers an embrace to her children. I fell in with other refugees on the Old Continent, but they had no room for us, nor did the Lyst in their shining city, so we came here. Will I cause trouble? I’d swear on my gods or my soul, but all of them are dead and far away. I don’t think any of us will, we all have more pressing concerns. I know you types think us quaint with our beliefs, but having small gods rather than grand concepts can be comforting at times. A woman is small in the universe, but on the scale of a world or a clan hold she can touch and be touched. Our gods, our lands, they gave us life, and we Will Save Them.

The post-War events continue to define the Forest, not via tangential economic factors as they do the spinwards worlds, but by the migrations and their intersection with the indigenous peoples, by peoples blood, sweat and tears. The most headline grabbing events have always been around the fractious Standard clans that have invaded the worlds of the Mernt peoples. The largest and most competent force of these half-barbarians have been stewarded by the oligarchy of commodores; a band of military officers from the days of the War. Up till this year the headquarters of this group had been based in the Ridgelands of Oia, in the Abell System, with the Standards of other regions sometimes following them, and sometimes not. The first forays into the Forest had made the Oia base seem the most viable, but the pressures of the Csserians and their allies have convinced the Commodores to seek a new base of operations. With literal chunks and buildings of Airharbor being carried off into the air by the transports, the central command and the entire armed forces took flight, their target – Mern. The original homeworld of all the Mernt peoples was by the Standard estimation a more viable place for homestead, and more distant from any foreign power that might tell them what to do. The original Mernt population would have to take a hike of course, but that seemed easy enough considering the primitive and ramshackle settlements that hide in the dusts and deserts of a once thriving world.

The southern mountains region of Mern already contained clans loyal to the commodores, and the fleet quickly touched down and settled in, renaming the region the Elric Mountains. Their armies speed out from this landing to bring the whole world under Standard dominion; their elite force of stealthed psychopaths tore through the lightly populated Mernt holds in the Ruins range before launching a devastatingly successful stealth attack on the ground of disloyal Standardite Clans that had taken up residence in the New Desert region. Though wrecking and wounding them the commandos weren’t able to put the opposing forces out of action permanently, but the follow up assault by the more heavily armed main army of Commodores was able to crush them easily (though not without receiving some damage themselves in the harsh terrain). The army captains were able to lay the head of Mal Reyn on the table of the commodores he had once called friends, to much rejoicing. The remaining clans on Mern were quick to follow the winners and were quite enamoured with the idea of making Mern the new homeworld, and in just a few months were as loyal to the Commodores as any of the rest of their followers. The commando army launched a probing raid on the last Mernt hold outs on the Old Continent, but returned to the Ruins Range to secure that region for the incoming Standard settlers. The Commodores had taken four-fifths of the planet in just a few months, and it was only a matter of time until the Mernt were taken over completely. Naturally the change of focus and new lands caused a tide of ‘civilian’ Standardites to rush across to Mern, with near thrity percent of the Ridgelands population departing. Naturally some Standards didn’t care for the abandoning of Oia, particularly those who had staked out nice homesteads, though the area around Airharbor remains loyal to the Commodores for now, the clans of the Great Basin have decided to ignore their former leaders and strike out on their own (joined by a number of dissatisfied personnel from the Ridgelands). As is the Standardite way, some have disagreed with both Oia and Mern leaning factions and gone off to explore opportunities in the other loyalist holdings at SAF2 and 10, and caused severe crowding strain there. The new lands on Mern aren’t exactly paradise either, especially after the rigors of conquest, and desperately need infrastructure and time to rebuild.

Naturally the response of the Mern of the other worlds of the Forest to these developments has been less than positive, despite the separation of centuries and plague and misery, the idea of the homeworld, mother goddess to all her children has remained strong, and an anger at the Standard squatters of yesteryear has turned into an all-out rage with this planetary conquest. Standards on the streets of a dozen towns and cities across the Forest have been attacked by Mernt gangs (often leading to fatal consequences for them, their surroundings, and bystanders when the Standards return fire). Every Mernt polity worth of the name has pledged its support to those who would fight the Commodores, and the Knights of the Vale have ridden into battle again and again against the Standard clans that claim the rest of SAF1.I.

The other newcomers to the Forest, the Csserians, have been just as busy being constructive as the Standardites have been being destructive. Always intending to found a new nexus of trade in the sector, the Csserians have finally leapt into action and set up regular routes to four of the neighbouring systems to Abell. None yet hook into the wider trade network of the Segmentum, and Abell traders are still unable to purchase from Glon or Lipsid Beta, but the Csserian Premier promises such a linkage will be completed in the following year once a waystation at SAF2 could be established, a station that would also facilitate the extraction of much needed volatiles from the ice giant of SAF2. Though generally appreciative of this claim, the opposition did complain of establishing useless routes to Robor and SAF4, citing that connections to vehicle dealers rather than resource wholesalers was ‘stupid’ when the capacity could better be used on the proposed connection with Lipsid Beta. By far the greatest pressure on the Premier came however from the dealing with the Standards; though initially his governments long ‘friendship’ treaty with the Standards was praised, the conquest of Mern has brought vast criticism of the arrangements of resupply and give up market shares to the Standardites, and outrage that Csserian taxpayer money is paying for Standardite infrastructure on Mern. Even the Oiat Kingdom, whose safety the treaty in theory insured now decry dealing with the conquerors of Mern, and in any case feel quiet unsafe as the breakaway clans of the Great Basin ignore the treaty and put pressure on the Oiat’s settlements. The Csserian political capital with the Mernt is rapidly evaporating, and the government hastens its loss by insisting on Csserian values and behaviour amongst the immigrants to Heya. Normally such measures would have barely been commented on, as the Oiat are quite impressed with Csserian culture, but loudly insisting on it at a time when all Mernt are painfully feeling their roots is just insensitive and creates bitterness. A massive tide of refugees from Buxe isn’t helping much, putting a strain on infrastructural services that are barely expanding in time and adding a third culture into the mix. With the reputation as the one open and safe city in a subsector sliding into chaos, the tide is unlikely to abate any time soon.

Amongst the Hider worlds, the sound and fury of the Standardite and Csserian activity is cause for great interest and concern. Both the Seffassians and the Leeni mull over these developments, but have not yet decided on a course of action and continue on much as they always had. The Seffassians might even be able to relax their guard (not that a lack of relaxation was ever a Seffassian problem) as some of the Standard clans infesting Darklern have headed off to pastures new away from the creepy world – either jumping into the broil of combat or seeking the peace of the increasingly successful Standard settlement around SAF4. The Leeni for their part work out better unified protocols for collective action, the first steps on the way to a coherent national government, and redouble their study of the human mind in an attempt to intuit what these strange foreign cultures might do next.

In comparison the Praxzen have already made their leap into the fray, though rumours and their surprising degree of coordination with the Csserians have lead commentators to speculate they have already been moving behind the scenes for some time. Flooding the comm channels with advertisements for their services as consultants and experts, they have embarked on a joint venture with the Csserian confederacy to plunge extraction machinery into the ice giant of SAF2, though the formal rules of the agreements haven’t quite yet been hashed out. The Csserians might be a bit less enthused when they actually met the intimidating Praxzen workers. In addition to this attempt to get out of their resource stagnation the new ‘active’ paradigm of the leadership have also embarked on a number of stimulatory measures; funding new construction in caverns that haven’t changed for decades and starting up small ground force to provide jobs and activity (both within the army and its support chains). Such is the quality and experience of the average Praxzen recruit that this ‘Specter’ unit has come out of the gates as a high level special infantry on the level (if not the size) of many of the veteran regiments of the Apeilic-Dathic War. All this has certainly helped, and the trajectory of the Praxzen economy is veering for the upswing, even if inertia is still causing some problems. Many arguments between the Bureau’s has lend the majority of Praxzen to feel that the current situation might have been great for stability for a hidden world, but could hardly be expected to steer them between the shoals of foreign policy in an efficient and focused manner. Some sort of apparatus to be set above the fiefdoms needed to be made, though every Praxzen has at least three different opinions on how such an apparatus should be structured.

New Systems Explored

SAH6
The Hankish deployed a scout to the small red dwarf system of SAH6, nestled deeper into the nebula than Glon and exhibiting no Ansibyl resonances. Several sources of second hand knowledge about its worlds were available, but Hank-Sobor always trusted the eyes and ears of its captains over any hearsay. They confirmed the reports that SAH6 bore but two children; large Jovian worlds that had battened on all the other planetesimals that might have been. Both are large and unruly children, screaming out noisy radiation into the night and blanketing their moons in particles. The inner, quieter, world is a near feature orb of cream with three moons; a rocky world bathed in radiation and warmed slightly by its giant parent, a tiny and more lightly cooked composite of ice and rock, and a larger globe of pale ice. This last world has had its more metal core heated by passing through the great planets magnetosphere, and vast subsurface seas of surprisingly pure liquid water are present. The second giant planet is larger and glows a deep red beneath its grey clouds, and provides its own three worlds a torrent of thermal and higher radiation. The first is merely a tiny hot rock skating above the clouds, and the distant third ice ball is broken and slushy. It is the second world, huge for a moon that is most interesting. A vast expanse of frozen over pools and hundred mile deep pods of meltwater beneath a thin atmosphere of vapour, wracked with radiation storms and eruptions of hot water from the interior, every inch with signs of blue black and green life. Two complex biochemistries intertwine here, with normal carbon microbes and lichens in the cooler sheltered areas and vivid blue life based on oxygen-magnesium-phosphor complexes dances in the hot water and radiation soaked areas. This latter biochemistry features oozes and skittering metazoans up to a few kilograms in mass, and spiny autotrophs dozens of metres in height in some regions (often with normal carbon algae in its pods). Though the latter form of life makes up the majority of the biomass, the ecosystem is dependent on atom leaching the normal carbon life provides in areas too cool for the exotic forms. The azure orb is home to an expedition of botanists from various sources in other sectors, long since cut off from funding by the war and making a go of an independent existence. They indicate to the Hankish they are happy to provide training in the biotech and materials fields to anyone who can supply them with support and funding over an extended period. The small innermost moon of SAH6II also seems to have ruins on it of a much older investigation into the system, or perhaps an attempt to harness the natural antimatter production of this angry giant.

Obscurum Beta
The Csserians, rather more courageously, have dived into the wild blue yonder and mounted a quick expedition to Obscurum Beta. Naturally the details of what they found quickly slip out into their public sphere and then leap across the Segmentum, but the Csserians still have the advantage of speed of access, with their Fairfax ships able to make the journey in a single year that would take the lower rated ships of local competitors two or more. Deep in the nebula, the worlds of Obscurum Beta are also all giant planets, though this is due to choking coils of light elements from the nebulas cloud rather than the chance formation of huge Jovian worlds, and thus all are mere ice giants. Both orbit a great distance from their primary, which is only a weak orange star to begin with, and all are correspondingly deathly cold. The first features a staggeringly beautiful ice ring that is a thick unbroken annulus of purest white above I’s green white atmosphere. It lacks the complex banding of old Saturn as all the small shepherd moons have been broken on the gravitational anvil of I’s great first moon. Like Old Titan but many times larger a thick toxic orange atmosphere of hydrogen swirls above seas of ammonia and methane and continents of hard ice. In the furrows between these ice continents a carbon-ammonia biosphere trundles along, with slow moving but large and amorphous organisms skim microbe coated ice. Far out from this giant companion I also has two small icy moons. The second ice giant is rather more conventional and less scenic, with a deep blue coloration, no ring and only small snowflake moons. Though the Csserian scout did not have the capacity to investigate further, several ruined structures could be observed on the moons of II, and more than one body with angular lines orbits close to the great white ring of the inner planet.

SAH8
The Ilosians are equally if not more consumed with wanderlust than the Csserians, and in addition to commissioning further surveys of existing systems, have launched an expedition to nearby SAH8. Being rather more interested and skilled in information management, the details of what they found there has not yet left their secure networks.

Random Events

Awards and Good Events

• First Orders: SymphonyD (would have been in the running for best if they hadn't received this award)
• Best Orders: Kraz (to the point, good reasoning’s, very fitting)
• Best Orders Runner-up: Frozen in Ice (incredibly concise yet covering everything they need to cover)
• Good Stories: Crezth & Symphony & Thlayli

• The Praxzen Bureau of Administrative Affairs finally resolves a long standing dispute between the SSB and AIB over some ancient storerooms: 19m now available for use.
• Some skilled Deluger engineers recycle old ship parts into a fairly decent solar array in the Thousand Mounts region of the Unbreaking Wave: 2m used to make Solar Power Plant
• A skilful publicity campaign has managed to convince Dardareo citizens to accept near starvation rationing, at least for the next year: Temporary -2 to innate pop consumption
• The decision to open up to the greater universe has broken the Leeni economy out of its stasis: +0.01 e development across the board
• Spurred by their long recession, many Praxzen returned to training programs that are now baring fruit: 1 extra talent in the Labyrinth
• The Standards, as always, entrench some of their new possessions: Bunkers constructed in the Ruins Range and New Desert of Mern
• Ilosian Scientists write better management software for the vast circum-Glon solar arrays and divert some of the energy to physics research: +15s towards Energy.
• New archaeological finds deep in the Valley of the Gods cause the promotion of some promising young Yan researchers: +0.2 s development

Problems and Bad Events

• Last Late Orders: Seon (self-explanatory)
• Most Annoying Orders: matt0088 (missed rules, didn't explain some very major points of them, sent second pm)

• A failure of traffics communications sees an automated supply drone plunge head first into the Banded Cathedral: 20m lost
• The massive expansion of facilities in the Western Fringe region of the Zera homeworld has the upsets predictable in any large projects, and the transport system is massively strained: -0.2 e development
• The closing of several Oiat Schools in Csserian Heya causes a backlash amongst the Mernt citizenry: +20 temporary stress
• A toked up Seffassian pipe operator accidently causes some volatiles stores to vent into the environment, and it is most of the year before someone notices: 30v lost.

On-going Agreements

• BIR-Coran supply pact: BIR guarantees to fulfil up 55 m per year to the Corans, at 1:1 v:m, 2:1 f:m, and 2:1 e:m. Failure of a year’s fulfilment will result in the following year being free. Either party may end the agreement with one year’s notice.
• Valk-Coran supply pact: Valk guarantees to fulfil up 25 v per year to the Corans, at 1:1 e:v. Failure of a year’s fulfilment will result in the following year being free. Either party may end the agreement with one year’s notice.
• Ilosian-Deluger Pact: Waffle about damages in the case of conflict, guaranteed transfer of 60m per year to the Delugers at Glon, 53f and 16v to the Ilosians at Glon. Failure of a year’s fulfilment will result in the following year being free. Ilosian specialist at Deluger disposal to teach Maths if possible, Deluger specialist at Ilosian disposal to teach Propulsion if possible.
• Standard-Csserian Treaty of Abell: Lots of Waffle, each ensures to offer resupply to the other, one off transfer of funds to the Standards (done), non-compete clause in shipping markets in co-habiting systems, borders of the Oiat Kingdom guaranteed, 5 years duration, military action might follow breaking the treaty, closes on waffle.

Ongoing Conflict

• Standards in undefined conflict with Mern Mernt
• Zera blockading Adama Townships

Open Market Trades

• Yanii: 40f for 25e @ Lipsid Alpha
• BIR: 2 lots of 50m for 125e @ Lipsid Beta
• Valk: 6 lots of 80v for 120e @ Lipsid Beta
• Ilosians: 3 lots of 50m for 80e @ Glon

New Technologies Discovered
(None)

Population Growth Payments

• Zera need to pay 9e and 12s
• Corans need to pay 16e and 10s

Changes and Bug-Fixing

• Financial Centre both fixed and nerfed to give correct, lower improvements
• Habitation buildings movement function now produces diminishing returns with more buildings of a certain type.
• EW Vulnerability of each planetary and orbital region is now present on the economics sheets at the bottom.ed
• Trade share part of TRADESUM removed - the trade map is now the root reference for who owns what where.
• New fields added to the Tech page - shows cost of things when being taught by a foreign specialist of a certain technological level.

Notes
You need craft capable of making atmospheric insertions to build bases in Giant planet atmospheres. In terms of environmental tolerances ice giants count as Standard+Atmos, Gas Giants and Jovian worlds as Heavy+Atmos. Only one craft in a fleet needs to be able to make the insertion (with its engineering bay/specialist) whilst the rest of the resources can be kept in orbit and it is assumed the landing craft makes multiple trips.

Comments
[Seon] You cannot use stuff you receive to pay for other trades in the same damn turn, I overlooked it this once.
[matt] Preparing goods for the open market costs you e as well, and you had none. In addition planetary batteries cannot bombard other planetary regions
[everyone] Adding the region ref for places you want to move stuff too, rather than half arsing a description really helps
[Kal’] You refer to an inconsistent number of overseers in your orders, and changed the destinations half way through. Also you can’t order landings on unknown planets :|
[Iggy] Your orders refer to some ships you don’t possess? You just have the Busy Bee’s and the Sobor III’s right now. I just subbed in Sobor III’s instead for the transport duties. Also when you send a ship to another system can you indicate which planet its going too (it’s easy to infer what you meant with these orders, but in the future)
[Shadowbound] negotiations with npc’s happen after your diplomats arrive.
[Shadowbound] You need to indicate where you want specialists trained, as they consume your talents.
[General] Some derptards don’t seem to understand what putting aims and goals means; I want the why of your actions, not summaries of them
[Seon] You need to set specific orders for you EW using the EW actions list

The next update is for a one year period, it was going to be longer but a) some situations need resolving/pausing and b) I think I want to play with the development formula a bit.

OOC: Nice update!

Very good update.

From: The Council of Commodores
To: All Standard Rebel Factions

We'd like to know which of you can be brought to heel and which of you want to end up like Mal. No jackboots here, we just want to work out an arrangement that unites us in freedom. Your self-government will be respected and you'll be able to nominate a Commodore to represent your region.

Error detected: the Quasi actually are up to SOC2.

Disenfrancised said:

Well sure if Frozen's okay with it; I mean if he's comes back eventually we might have to have a discussion (maybe the Dardareo polity will be split-able by that point ).

Click to expand...

Sure Littleboots can take over. I have no idea how long I will be gone b/c its an injury that makes typing hard (and voice dictation software sucks). Once its better maybe I will rejoin as a back-up-player.