Outcast Quest [Updated 10/10/18 - Turn 14]

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Razor One
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

Equitable Exchange

You recall your meeting with Spear and what she said. She'd offered to help you in order to help themselves get home that little bit faster.

But before you can do anything like that, before you can set forth on an expedition to find their homeland, before you can even let them out of their holding area, you need to to know them, to truly know them, better than you do now.

And what do you know? They seem to be telepathic and you seem to be immune to their telepathy. You certainly haven't been hearing any voices in your head lately. They behave oddly around your marines, they don't talk much, which is probably a result of their telepathy, and they seem somewhat grateful that you saved their hides from certain death.

They're also a bit agitated and losing their patience. But you suppose that sitting in a holding cell for months on end while other people work endlessly will do that. Still, with this session you hope to redress that. If you give them information to absorb they will soak it like a sponge, and if they should let you know more about them? All the better, because then you ought to be able to tell if it's even safe to let them out.

--

You meet Ensign Izumi on the way down to their holding area, formerly the quarantine annex, and nod in greeting to her.

"Ready to reunite with our guests, Ensign?" you ask.

"Definitely," she says with a smile, "They're not the most talkative bunch but I think they're good people."

"Anything I should know before going in? You did spend a month with them in quarantine after all," you say.

"They're not the most touchy people in the universe. In fact, they went to pains to avoid touching. It was a bit surprising when Spear shook your hand," she says thoughtfully, "Frankly, I don't know too much about them despite that, Captain, Spear was the one who did all the talking and we were too busy trying to cross the language barrier to really trade notes on things. She does have a bit of a sweet tooth though."

"Well, I guess we're going in a bit blind," you say as you come up on the marine detail stationed at the holding area.

The marines salute you on sight. You note the Colonel has stationed an extra team of guards for your visit today. You nod in acknowledgement towards them and they visibly relax their stance.

"Corporal Young, please let us in," you say.

"Ma'am," acknowledges the Corporal, punching in the required access code to unlock the door.

It swings open and you step inside alongside two waiting marines that will serve as your escort in case things should go south. The door seals shut behind you and locks, before the door on the other side of the airlock hisses open. You step out and see where the Loroi have been living, sleeping, and eating for the last few months, and where Ensign Izumi shared living space with them.

It's a fairly spartan room with a dozen beds on either side, not too different from a barracks or a hospital wing. In the rear area, recessed behind a wall, is a set of showers and toilets, and closer to the airlock are a set of food dispensers.

And to be honest, the Loroi complaint of being bored is one you can definitely sympathise with. Months spent stuck in this room with the same people would drive you positively batty. How exactly the Loroi are managing you don't know.

The Loroi take note of your presence the moment you enter the room. The door does make getting into the holding area a rather unstealthy affair, and within seconds every pair of eyes in the room are on upon you.

They're definitely looking healthier than they once were, though they look positively odd wearing donated civilian attire that only loosely fits them. Their hair runs the gamut from blue and green, to purple, white and red, and all their skin colours range from a light almost pale blue to an almost grayish dark navy blue.

You see Spear amongst the throng and they part for her. She holds the spear for which she was named loosely in her left hand and approaches you and your marine escort, but stops at the halfway point in the room. She sits and lays down her spear, then looks at you expectantly.

You approach and join her in sitting on the floor. Ensign Izumi joins you as well, and sets out her now infamous table and tea set. You've been primed on the etiquette here, and allow the Ensign to fill your cup with water. You then fill Spear's cup, and allow her to fill the Ensign's cup. In unison, you drink, and when your cups are drained, Spear smiles at you.

"Thank you for coming, Captain," she says.

"Thank you for meeting with us, I'm sorry we couldn't get to this sooner," you apologise, "but things are looking better for us now."

"Then we can go home?" she asks hopefully.

"I'm sorry, we're still not able to do that," you say carefully, "We still don't have a way of building up the necessary amount of fuel or supplies to get you there, and we don't know the way."

Spear looks crestfallen at that and sighs.

"We know," she says softly, "but, when?"

"As soon as my people are safe, I'm sorry," you reply, "speaking of which, we're very curious about you. May we talk about your people?"

"If you talk about yours," replies Spear.

"It's a deal then," you smile.

"Deel?" asks Spear.

Izumi babbles a string of Trade to Spear.

"Dazii? Yes. Let us dazii," says Spear.

--

What follows are a series of meetings over several weeks. The first and foremost thing on everyone's mind is telepathy. The Loroi describe their telepathic gifts in quite a bit of detail. You've learned that they can 'speak' to each other quite handily, that they can sense other minds, though not you for some reason, that they have powerful psionics that can rip bulkheads apart with their mind, or supremely sensitive ones that can sense minds from great distances. They're adamant that none of their group counts themselves amongst their number though.

You also learn that they can read minds through touch. There was an enormously awkward moment where you pressed her about that and asked if she'd read your mind when you'd shaken hands.

Spear admits to it, saying that you'd offered your hand for exactly that. It takes a while to hash out, but it seems that there was a cross cultural signal that got mixed. For the Loroi, to offer their hand in such a manner is to grant the one being offered full access. It says "I am truthful, simply take my hand and see for yourself."

That your mind was closed to her sent her a very mixed signal, it was as though you had said "Trust me, my mind is closed," which is a bit of an oxymoron as the Loroi would understand it.

Ensign Izumi explains at length that the offered hand is a sign of friendship amongst humans and not an invitation to read one's mind; the fact that humans can't even read minds to begin with and must rely on speech and deed to convey intentions. The offering of the hand for humans means "I carry no weapons," and that it conveys many things, peace, trust, greeting or parting, agreement, and a number of other things depending on context, though she mercifully keeps the lecture short.

Spear absorbs all of this, then turns sharply to one of her friends as though to confer. Her eyes suddenly turn wide with mortification and then she turns to you and apologises for her mistake.

At length you do forgive her. There was no harm done, and she admits that she couldn't even read your mind. In fact, the Loroi can't sense you at all. They had assumed it was because you had something called a 'lotai' that was always on, and explain what this term means over the course of several hours of broken metaphors.

You tell the Loroi that humans have never had telepathy as they do, that it was a myth and a legend. The Loroi find themselves curious as to how you manage to get along without the gift of telepathy, which segues into a long discussion about the various human cultures, how you have convey your intentions through word and deed, how liars are generally dealt with.

You demonstrate a series of gestures and actions, from several variations of the handshake, to hugging, clapping and even a few of the vulgar gestures, explaining the context of each one, where and when one can use them and where one can't. You admit to some amusement upon seeing some of the Loroi copying the more vulgar gestures with grins on their faces. As extraordinary as their situation is, the fact that they are still children is definitely evident.

What you find is that there are some wide gaps between your cultures, and a significant amount of overlap as well. Some gestures, such as waving, are so completely identical as to be scary. Others, such as a Loroi gesture where two fingers are pointing sideways, seems similar to human vulgar gestures, but apparently its meaning is an imperative to think laterally, whereas the human clap is taken by the Loroi the same way that a human flicking their fingers in someone's face would be taken; annoying and condescending.

Beyond that, you discover other things about the Loroi's culture. You find out that none of them have what is called a 'spoken name', not even Spear. She's accepted the moniker given by Izumi on the basis that as non-telepaths you need to call her something, but they're adamant that their names must be earned and given to them by the seniors of their House. You also learn that the tattoos on Spear is a tradition that every leader of a group of children, a 'diral', must take, that they have the history of their 'time of trials' tattooed into their skin indelibly. She's asked for the materials to keep up this tradition, which you granted.

You're fairly sure by the end of it though that you've only scratched the surface on their culture. They avoided politics like the plague as well. They were either not interested in it or are keeping that tidbit to themselves for now.

Towards the end of the month, your discussions have moved to more practical matters. You ask the Loroi what they know of other aliens that might be out there. The Loroi seem confused by the question, until you let them know that the Loroi are the first aliens humans have ever met. A look of sudden understanding crossed Spear's face, and she began to describe what she could.

The Urkuk you already knew, but there was a similar species that lives within the Loroi Home Territories called the Tanuki, who they were friendly with.

The Impaqi, a mollusk-like species, also live within their current territories as a semi-independent state

They trade with a species called the Orgus who are steadfastly neutral in all things.

They're stand-offish with a species call the Emlad, though that's apparently to the Loroi's 'northern' border and nowhere near you.

The Hadrekak, reptillian space nomads, are allowed to pass through Loroi territory so long as they stick to a prescribed route and only with a military escort.

There has only been one encounter with the Nafen. It was that one encounter that lead to the founding of House Arilad. You sense that there's more to the story, but Spear moves on too quickly for you to ask questions.

The Bosroth used to occupy this region of space until the Nafen wiped them clean from existence. They don't seem too broken up about that though. Apparently the Bosroth were fond of impotent crusades to the Loroi's 'southern' border, and their removal was actually quite the boon. The Urkuk raiders that replaced them were never considered much of a threat.

Their knowledge of outlying regions is limited mostly to their home territories. The most they know of outlying regions was that their 'north' is mostly unexplored and barren, the Orgus's main trade hubs lie to their 'west', the 'east' is devoid of all life and the Nafen lie to their 'south'. While they don't know the intervening territory, they do manage to draw you a map from memory of what their home territories look like, in addition to what House holds what areas, though they're less sure of the aliens inside their territory.

They ask you about where you came from, and so you tell them about the Terran Colonial Authority. You tell them about its military organisation, how it keeps the peace amongst the Six Worlds of Humanity and the many colonies that are springing up. You mention how the TCA rises above the petty squabbles of nation-states and corporations to be the guardians of humanity, the keepers of peace, and the enemy to pirates everywhere. You explain the charter that signed the TCA into existence and the ideals upon which it was founded. By the time you end your little speech, the Loroi are all looking at you with a starry eyed expression. You suspect that if you slid a recruitment form across to Spear she'd sign it in an instant.

By the time Spear finds her voice again, she states that someone called 'Rilnizar' has many of the same ideals. All of the Loroi present whistle softly at the name. You look at Izumi and then back to Spear, but it seems that this is something about Loroi culture you don't quite know about yet, and don't have time to pursue things further before the end of the month is upon you.

--

Ask for:

[X] Telepathy (68 + 14 = 82)
[X] Culture (48 + 14 = 62)
[X] Other Species (67 + 14 = 81)
[X] Regional Knowledge (53 + 14 = 67)

Divulge:

[X] Culture (62 + 14 = 76)
[X] Lack of telepathy (44 + 14 = 58)
[X] The TCA (81 + 14 = 95)

Rewards:

Knowledge of Farseers
Knowledge of Powerful Telekinetics
Knowledge of Sanzai
Knowledge of Telepathic Immunity
Introduced to Human / Loroi Culture
Exchanged notes on Human / Loroi Etiquette
Rough Map of Loroi Territory
Greatly Impressed the Loroi with the TCA. If not for their overwhelming desire to return home, they'd likely join up in a heartbeat. Compared favourably to one called "Rilnizar". Ensign Izumi surmises this is someone or something greatly respected by the Loroi in your care.
Granted requests for writing tools and cultural implements.
Loroi agitation is lowered but not eliminated.
Loroi impatience to return home unaffected.
Loroi opinion of you grows.

Rough map of Loroi space.
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White Line = Course of Spear's training vessel.
Blue X = Urkuk Ambush point.
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dragoongfa
Posts: 1920
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

And there I was, wondering if something happened to you :P

We got more out of the Loroi than I thought we would in regards to their Telepathy and surrounding area.

The Bosroth sound like a not so innocent party, if they were foolish imperialists who constantly poked the Loroi war machine then they must have done the same to the Nafen, probably more than a few times. Strongly believing that this was the case then what the Nafen did could be seen as reasonable and offer the possibility for an agreement like 'you don't try to salvage us and we will give you Urkuk in exchange for various stuff'.

The Loroi map is a nice addition to our knowledge. I think that we can get a rough estimate of the distance involved if we count the time in which the Loroi were prisoners with the time it took us to catch up with the Urkuk vessel.

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Razor One
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

I delayed it for a day because my initial draft was piss poor. I threw half of it out and rewrote it. This version is much better.

The Bosroth were a bit of an arrogant bunch. They poked the Nafen a grand total of once. It didn't end well for them. The Loroi were much more gentle, usually launching a good old fashioned punitive campaign, though they were very much at the point that if the Bosroth ever tried that shit again they'd go full Carthage on their asses. The Bosroth knew that, and decided to poke the Nafen instead... and the Nafen went full Carthage on their asses. :lol:

Wait, did I just laugh about wiping an entire species from existence? Ah, to be an author! :D

And now for Turn 5. Bear in mind that you have a lot of new options now, so read carefully and consider. I may change a few things around as well, depending on certain things, like moving Shipyards to Military.

September 2nd 2155

Turn 5

With another Potato harvest having come in, habitation for your colonists, and a modicum of control over what direction your asteroid home is facing as it lazily drifts in the wind of your quasi-planetary home, you feel that the crisis of being stranded without supply has faded.

The colonists are off your ship, the marines, sans those guarding the Loroi, are off your ship. You no longer get pestered over details of this and that unless it pertains directly to the running of your ship and it suits you just fine.

You now have more resources to work with. Now that your basic survival is assured, at least for the short term, you can look towards actually defending yourselves. Perhaps even returning those Loroi children to their homeland? Time will tell.

Martial: Both Commander O'Malley and Colonel Pierce have begun work to secure your colony's future with their military knowledge and might. (Choose One)

[] Barracking for Barracks: The Marines under Colonel Pierce's command appreciate their civilian digs but would prefer proper facilities to train in and hard beds to sleep in.

Cost: 2000 RU, 250 RU Upkeep, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Room for 250 Marines to train in, able to train civilian militia, more options.

[] Childrens Creche: With children on the way to being born, Colonel Pierce suggests a contained and well defended area be built to shelter them in case of an emergency. A team of marines will be posted as a permanent defence force to defend them to the death.

Cost: 1000 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Children guaranteed protection during boarding actions. Parents rest easy. Colonel rests easy.

[] Combat Exercises: Commander O'Malley wants to run a series of combat simulations aimed at determining how best to defend the colony in case of an incursion by Urkuk or something worse.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 40%, Reward: A better idea of how you'll fare in a worst case scenario.
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[] Militia Training (Requires Barracks): Train your civilians in how to use sidearms and defend themselves should the worst happen.

Cost: 500 RU, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Colonists able to contribute to defence against boarding actions.

[] Ordnance Plant (Requires Machine Shop): An ordnance plant would allow the manufacturing of ammunition for the marines existing gear as well as the production of your first round of mass drivers.

Cost: 2000 RU, 250 RU Upkeep, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Guns and Ammo ranging from sidearms to CIWS batteries.

[] Chemical Missile Plant (Requires Ordnance Plant): Basic chemical missile production facilities. Not the best in the universe, but better than nothing.

Cost: 5000 RU, 250 RU Upkeep, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 70%, Reward: Missile production.

[] Niflheim CIWS (Requires Ordnance Plant): A series of defensive CIWS batteries for your colony that will attempt to shoot down anything that threatens you that is within range.

Cost: 5000 RU, 500 RU Upkeep, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Colony better defended.

[] Niflheim Missile Batteries (Requires Chemical Missile Plant): Missile Batteries for your colony, allowing you to fire on enemy ships at greater range and accuracy than your CIWS system.

Cost: 5000 RU, 500 RU Upkeep, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 60%, Reward: Colony better defended, can support actions at greater range.
Diplomacy: Ensign Izumi is your most effective diplomat when it comes to aliens, though you're no slouch yourself in that department. (Choose One.)

[] Improving Relations: Your last exchange with your Loroi guests went quite well, but there are still things you don't know about one another and steps to take if they're going to do more than sit tight.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Boost in Loroi Opinion, ???

[] Debate Moderator: Although elections are still months out, it seems that the two parties want to have a series of debates over the coming months and they've asked you to moderate them. They both consider you to be impartial.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 70%, Reward: Debates moderated, political process goes forward, Opinion of you improves.

[] The Common Folk: Between the upper echelons of your society and the military, you haven't had much of a chance to talk to the average people of your colony in a cordial and unofficial manner, and while everyone is working hard there's always a chance to converse with regular folk in the mess.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 70%, Reward: Boost in opinion

Stewardship: Alex Cole and an economist, Samantha Nguyen, have worked out not only a way to easily tabulate your resources, but also what you can do to build your colony up. (Choose Two)

[] Recycling Tanks: Recycling is a time honoured tradition of any successful colonisation. Why throw away anything that can be broken down and reused?

Cost: 500 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: +1 RU per Population

[] Hab-Complex Expansion (Small): Expand your hab complex and give your population some room to grow.

Cost: 500 RU, 125 RU Upkeep, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Hab Complex Expanded, Room for +250 People

[] Hab-Complex Expansion (Large): Expand your hab complex even more and give your population room to grow.

Cost: 1000 RU, 250 RU Upkeep, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Hab Complex Expanded, Room for +500 People

[] Agricultural Complex Expansion: An expansion to your existing Agri-Complex, this expansion will increase your food production capacity.

Cost: 2250 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Agricultural Complex Expanded, Increased Food Production, +500 Food, requires 250 RU upkeep, requires two turns to begin production after completion.

[] Crop Diversification: You brought more than just potatoes with you. Introduce these crops to your agri-complex and diversify your foods.

Cost: Agricultural Yield Halved, Time: 8 Months, Reward: Diversified Crops, chance of crop failure falls to zero, colonists happy about not having a diet of 100% potatoes, once executed, does not occupy Stewardship slot.

[] Yeast Production Plant: Yeast has numerous uses, from basic food production to alcohol and bread making.

Cost: 750 RU, 125 RU Upkeep, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Yeast Production Plant Built, New Food Options, Able to Grow Yeast, +250 Food.

[] Stabilisation Thrusters: Pimp your ride and roll on around the Briar Patch with these sweet 'air' breathing rockets. Allows you to move your home slowly with constant thrust, so long as it stays in the Briar Patch.

Cost: 2000 RU, 375 RU Upkeep, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 50%, Reward: Able to move asteroid home (slowly) out of harms way.

[] Science Annex: A place for general scientific inquiry.

Cost: 5000 RU, 250 RU Upkeep, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: All Learning based actions gain an additional 1d100.
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[] Biolab (Requires Science Annex): The biolab will handle all science biological, from alien physiology, botany and disease control, to genetic manipulation and vaccination production.

Cost: 5000 RU, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: More research options, Biology based science gains additional 1d100.

[] Physics Lab (Requires Science Annex): The physics lab will handle all science physical, allowing you to understand the new realm you find yourself in more fully.

Cost: 5000 RU, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: More research options, physics related research gainsa additional 1d100.
[] Mining Operations: Start mining operations on a nearby mineral rich moon with whatever you can scrape together.

Cost: 10,000 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Mining operations commenced, +500 RU per turn, unlocks new options.

[] Mining Operations Expansion: Expand your existing mine on Niflheim for more glorious ore.

Cost: +250 Per Expansion (500) Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: +500 RU per turn

[] Industrial Autoplant: Unpack your industrial equipment and start churning out finished goods.

Cost: 500 RU, 150 RU Upkeep, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: +50% Base Income from Mining
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[] Heavy Ore Refinery (Machine Shop): “Heavy Ore” is the spacer term for difficult to refine ores, often requiring specialised conditions or equipment to get at the good stuff.

Cost: 4000 RU, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 70%, Reward: +50% Base Income from Mining

[] Centrifuges (Requires Heavy Ore Refinery): A requirement for the processing of nuclear material for power generation and nuclear ordnance.

Cost: 5000 RU, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Fissile Materials available for use.

[] Fission Plant (Requires Centrifuges): Modern nuclear power is safe, energetic, clean, and only slightly radioactive.

Cost: 15,000 RU, Time: 4 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: +100% Base Income from Mining, limitless power for your colony, fission warheads
[] Fuel Refinery: Harvests the surrounding hydrogen rich atmosphere and converts it into delicious fuel for your ships to burn.

Cost: 2000 RU, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Ship automatically refuels while at home.

[] Docks: Basic mooring and umbilicals for the L'Amour, allowing for ease of transport and for cargo and personnel and basic repairs.

Cost: 3000 RU, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows for easy disembarkation of people and goods, Unlocks new Options.
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[] Drydock (Requires Docks): More significant facilities for ship repair and modification, including an annex for smallcraft.

Cost: 3000 RU, Time: 3 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows for major repairs and refitting of the L'Amour. Allows the production of smallcraft (Fighters, Corvettes) when researched.

[] Shipyard (Requires Drydock): A place for building ships.

Time: 3 Months, Cost: 3000 RU, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows the production of frigate and scout vessels.

[] Shipyard II (Requires Shipyard): A place for building larger ships.

Time: 3 Months, Cost: 3000 RU, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows the production of destroyers.

[] Shipyard III (Requires Shipyard II): A place for building even larger ships.

Time: 3 Months, Cost: 3000 RU, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows the production of cruisers.

[] Shipyard IV (Requires Shipyard III): A place for building ships loaded for bear.

Time: 3 Months, Cost: 3000 RU, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Allows the production of carriers and battlecruisers.
[] Warehousing: Space to store spare parts, raw materials, and sensitive goods. Allows you to empty the L'Amour's cargo hold.

Cost: 1000 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: A place to store goods and cargo other than the ship.

[] Machine Shop: Allows for the reproduction and repair of basic tools and equipment.

Cost: 1000 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Basic tool production, New options.
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[] Machine Shop II (Requires Machine Shop): Allows for the reproduction and repair of more advanced tools to micron precision.

Cost: 2000 RU, Time: 2 Months, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Advanced Tool Production, Shipbuilding

[] Machine Shop III (Requires Machine Shop II): Allows the reproduction of precision scientific equipment and specialist equipment. Includes 3D printers for custom jobs.

Cost: 4000 RU, Time: 4 Months, Chance of Success: 80%, Reward: Scientific Tool Production, Shipbuilding

[] Skunkworks (Requires Machine Shop III): When confronted with impossible to understand supertechnology, the Skunkworks will be there to rip it apart and put it back together until they learn all its secrets.

Cost: 15,000 RU, Time: 6 Months, Chance of Success: 70%, Reward: Better able to analyse advanced alien technology, reverse engineering
[] Clinic: Basic medical treatment for all your colonists.

Cost: 500 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Basic medical treatment available for all colonists
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[] Medical Center (Requires Clinic): From brain surgery to bone marrow transplants, the medical center's got it covered.

Cost: 1000 RU, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 90%, Reward: Full medical treatment available for all colonists except Loroi.
[] Scrapping the Jumpdrive: Your Jumpdrive is useless here and consists of a lot of highly valuable materials that could be used elsewhere in the founding of your colony, though Volkova argues that it's made of precision parts that can't be easily reproduced.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: +15,000 RU.

Intrigue: "The Blue Rose greets you Captain. We eagerly await the results of the Great Game in which you've chosen to play! Oh what fun we'll have watching!" (Choose One)

[] Live Interview: If it's a live interview that reporter wants, it's a live interview that reporter gets. You can take them.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: ???, Reward: ???

[] Private Interview: Consent to a private interview. That way if anything goes wrong you can see to it the tape is never released, and if everything goes right this reporter will go back to the hole they slunk out of.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: ???, Reward: ???

[] Background Piece: Consent to do a background piece rather than a live interview. Lies in text are a lot harder to get away with than in an interview, and the facts of your career are a matter of public record if anyone wants to check.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: ???, Reward: ???

Learning: You have many skilled people at your beck and call just waiting to tear into the unknown and reveal its juicy, succulent knowledge. (Choose One)

[] Loroi Trade: Ensign Izumi wishes to continue learning Trade as fast as she can with the help of your new Loroi friends.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 838 / 1750, Reward: Ensign Izumi increases her knowledge of trade, can teach others upon completion.

[] Urkuk: Considering how prolific the Urkuk are to the region, it may be prudent to have the Ensign learn what she can of Urkuk. Perhaps they'll go away if you ask them nicely?

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 230 / 750, Reward: Ensign Izumi increases her knowledge of Urkuk, can teach others upon completion.

[] Jump Transit Analysis: Chief Engineer Volkova wants to look over the data for your last jump transit to see if your sensors picked anything up anything unusual, perhaps what brought you here in the first place? Perhaps a clue to getting home? She's not sure.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 0 / 500, Reward: ???

[] Loroi Biochemistry: Doctor Campos would like to do a more detailed study into Loroi biochemistry to determine with certainty what foods the Loroi can handle as well as derive what nutrients they require to fully recover from their ordeal in addition to what medicines they're able to consume.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 160 / 650, Reward: Knowledge of what is and is not toxic to Loroi biochemistry.

[] Slave Collar: Chief Volkova and a number of scientists want to look into how the slave collars removed from the Loroi work.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 25 / 50,000 (DC 90), Reward: Knowledge of the inner workings of the collar, ???

[] Drone Design: Some of your civilian engineers want some time to continue designing those sensor drones they proposed to you.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 64 / 500, Reward: Disposable sensor drone capable of extending your sensor range.

[] Jump Sickness Research: Dr. Campos research into jump sickness has the potential to eliminate it in your population. All he needs is time.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 819 / 5000, Reward: Jump sickness penalty removed.

[] Wind Current Analysis: A few civilians want to analyse the wind currents around your home. They feel it could have important implications in determining nearby satellite movements, whatever those strange noises are rumbling off in the distance, and possible defensive applications.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 195 / 200, Reward: Knowledge of wind currents. Bonus to defensive actions around your home, better able to simulate combat operations, ???
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[] Wind Riders (Requires Wind Current Analysis): With the wind currents analysed, a few of your more ambitious colonists have proposed utilising the local atmosphere and low gravity to your advantage. Basic gliders and wing suits could be added to your equipment for comparatively little cost and would free up your shuttles from personnel rotations. People could literally fly to and from their work assignments, though they recommend keeping at least one shuttle on standby for safety.

Cost: 250 RU, Value Needed: 0 / 100, Reward: Shuttles freed from personnel rotations. Allows for actions using shuttles. Colonists get to fly to and from work.
[] Over Yonder: Find out what the hell that racket is, and pray it's just loud but benign neighbours and not a war.

Cost: 0, Value Needed: 0 / 75, Reward: Knowledge of what that noise is.

Personal: Months of trials and tribulations have finally come to an end and you now have a small modicum of spare time. Spend it wisely. (Choose One)

[] Time Out: You've been pulling more than your fair share of the weight recently and it shows. Take a chill pill. Put your feet up. Try to relax and reflect on all that's happened, and where you're going.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: +5 Stat Points to allocate as you wish, character fully destresses.

[] Setting Ensign Kelly to Rest: The death of Ensign Kelly actually hit you and the crew quite hard. If not for all the troubles you'd been facing keeping everyone alive, you'd have laid him to rest long ago. Rectify it. Privately.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Ensign Kelly laid to rest. Weight from your shoulders lifted.

[] Motion for Promotion: You promised Ensign Izumi a promotion all those months ago when she talked the Loroi down. Make good on that promise.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100%, Reward: Ensign Izumi promoted to Lieutenant Izumi

[] Spending Time with Commander O'Malley: Commander O'Malley has been your XO for some time and you trust her implicitly. Talk shop with her on how best to proceed from here on out.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 80/50/20%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 Martial, Increased Closeness with O'Malley.

[] Spending Time with Lt. Cole: Lt. Cole has done a phenomenal job of managing supply chains and shuttle schedules. Just how the hell does he manage that?

Cost: 0 Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 70/40/20%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 Stewardship, Increased Closeness with Lt. Cole.

[] Spending Time with Chief Engineer Volkova: The chief is a miracle worker with all things technological. Not so much with people. That doesn't mean you can't learn anything from her, and thanks to your time on the Centaur, you're as handy with a wrench as she is.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 70/40/20%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 Learning, Increased Closeness with Chief Engineer Volkova.

[] Spending Time with Colonel Pierce: Colonel Pierce has suggested that you undergo the same anti-interrogation training that his marines go through. He does not promise to be gentle.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 70/40/20%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 Intrigue, Increased "Closeness" with Colonel Pierce.

[] Spending Time with Ensign Izumi: Rumour has it that Ensign Izumi has the best tea set in the colony. Put that rumour to the test, and get to know your Ensign a bit better to boot.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: 100/60/20%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 Diplomacy, Increased Closeness with Ensign Izumi.

[] Spending Time with Doctor Campos: Dr. Campos would like to perform a routine physical exam whenever you have the time to spare.

Cost: 0, Time, 1 Month, Chance of Success: 80/40/10%, Reward: +1/+2/+3 ???, Increased Closeness with Dr. Campos.

[] The Lost Souls: Are there other humans out there? Since the jumpdrive was invented, quite a few ships have disappeared, never to be seen again. Could they have wound up here? Could there be a successful human enclave out there? Do some research and try to figure out what the odds are.

Cost: 0, Time: 1 Month, Chance of Success: ???, Reward: List of ships likely to have misjumped before you.

{Edit}

Altered formatting slightly for ease of skimming. Put options that have prerequisites behind spoilers for now, will alter formatting in the next round for a bit less clunk.

<< Interlude, Equitable Exchange || Turn 5 Results >>
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dragoongfa
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

You weren't kidding about the options...

This will require some thinking and adaptations...

Let's get the obvious out of the way:

Intrigue: Live interview, with a +20 bonus we will have to roll 16 to fail and it wont be a critical or heavy failure.
Personal: Time out, I want those +5 points yesterday.

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

Well, you finally deigned to live on the asteroid you were developing. Food + Roof over your head = no more crisis, lets you do more stuff. :P

I could go back to peeling away the stuff that has pre-reqs for brevity, though this may harm planning. I figure you guys will be able to hash out a workable plan though. If you need a day or two before I stick a survey up, you can have it.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by joestej »

dragoongfa wrote:You weren't kidding about the options...

This will require some thinking and adaptations...

Let's get the obvious out of the way:

Intrigue: Live interview, with a +20 bonus we will have to roll 16 to fail and it wont be a critical or heavy failure.
Personal: Time out, I want those +5 points yesterday.
I agree, a Live Interview sounds good. Blue will probably appreciate us publicly annihilating our 'enemy' if we do it right.

A lot of those other options sound good, but I have to agree on the time off. The increased stats will be very useful going forward, so the sooner we get those bonuses the better.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Siber »

Time out, laying to rest, or promotion are my contenders for personal action.

As for things with pre-reqs, maybe post them but put them in spoiler blocks? A little stronger formatting on the category headers would make skimming the options lists easier too.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

Hmm...

Having done some basic thinking:

-Stewardship

[X]Crop diversification
[X]Mining Exp

The idea is to get things on the stewardship front done with little expenses in order to allow for an RU + Security investment.

Currently the expected upkeep for the next turn is 825, 1075 the turn after that if we go for the barracks right now (which I plan to suggest anyway).

-Military

[X]Barracks + [X]Militia training after it. The earliest, cheapest and saner approach to security considering the circumstances. After that the children creche and active defences.

Diplomacy: [X] Improve relations. Let's leave everything related to the colonists until after the Journalist has been pushed aside.
Intrigue: [X] Live interview, the +20 gives us a solid lead.
Personal: [X] Time out for the stats

My head plan for building stuff, including military and food:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

EDIT: Razor, I think that the light ore refinery produces things one turn too early.

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by joestej »

dragoongfa wrote:Hmm...

Having done some basic thinking:

-Stewardship

[X]Crop diversification
[X]Mining Exp

The idea is to get things on the stewardship front done with little expenses in order to allow for an RU + Security investment.

Currently the expected upkeep for the next turn is 825, 1075 the turn after that if we go for the barracks right now (which I plan to suggest anyway).

-Military

[X]Barracks + [X]Militia training after it. The earliest, cheapest and saner approach to security considering the circumstances. After that the children creche and active defences.

Diplomacy: [X] Improve relations. Let's leave everything related to the colonists until after the Journalist has been pushed aside.
Intrigue: [X] Live interview, the +20 gives us a solid lead.
Personal: [X] Time out for the stats

My head plan for building stuff, including military and food:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

EDIT: Razor, I think that the light ore refinery produces things one turn too early.

Agreed on all particulars, though I'm kind of torn on diplomacy.

On the one hand, further relationship improvements might let us actually put the Loroi to work, which would be nice. We've already gotten a cool map out of the deal, which was more than we thought we'd get. Plus it sounds like they're not too happy cooped up like they are.

On the other hand, we don't want to neglect our colonists. Making sure they like us and see that we are involved with their lives could give some very nice bonuses in both the long and short term. It also will likely let us meddle with the political process, which could be handy.

Still, I'm not a huge fan of 70% odds compared to 100%, and if we get civilian bonuses for 'handling' the reporter waiting would be the better choice. Unless the Hive Mind has any strong feelings otherwise, I think going with Loroi relations is the better option.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

Brainstorming things for later and using this as a base line:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

Provided that we finish the stability thrusters by turn 9, we can invest quickly into a refinery and have it ready by turn 11 which will allow us to leave the Briar patch in search of Loroi space.

Initially I didn't want to leave before we got some 'heavy' defenses in place and a refit to L'amour but after what Razor said about the Urkuk sensor range then we can safely leave the colony knowing that the Urkuk will have to be right on top of them to find them.

Reason as to why taking the risk:

We want friends and we want them quickly, the Arilad will at least give us solid information about the surrounding space with the strong possibility of other crucial rewards as well. The current information and detailed maps are worth the risk considering how out of date and inaccurate our intelligence is.

Things that we will have to research before leaving:

Over Yonder
Sensor Drones
Loroi Biochemistry

Over Yonder to know what the hell those noises are.
Sensor Drones for the extended range which will prove vital in avoiding trouble and looking for Loroi.
Loroi Biochemistry to at least see if we can offer chocolate as a trade to the Arilad with the promise of producing more of it in the future (provided that the Loroi like its taste).

With just the research I don't expect to leave for the expedition before turn 12 which will allow us to at least build some drones and perhaps CIWS for Niflheim.

How long will the expedition take, that's an other question. At least 2 months to find them and 1 to return. 3 turns minimum.

Thoughts?

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Absalom »

Razor, question: are those anchors on the Loroi-Space map fleet-bases?
dragoongfa wrote:With just the research I don't expect to leave for the expedition before turn 12 which will allow us to at least build some drones and perhaps CIWS for Niflheim.

How long will the expedition take, that's an other question. At least 2 months to find them and 1 to return. 3 turns minimum.

Thoughts?
CIWS should be finished before the L'Amour leaves, for the sake of having a modicum of actual defensive strength: Stabilization Thrusters are going to be way too weak to outrun even the Urkuk. Ideally, a missile battery as well, but that would depend heavily on the time spent before the L'Amour leaves.

Razor, can actions be performed for the colony after the L'Amour leaves? In particular, Military actions and RU-based (e.g. new mines, heavy refining, etc.)? If so, would that need to be specified before the ship leaves?

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

Yes, the blue anchors are Loroi fleet anchorages. The children aren't exactly certain why there are a lot of bases to the north of Loroi territory, they were just FNG recruits not even out of basic, so they're not privy to that knowledge. Their best guess is training and border control, given the lack of opposition there.

If you decide to head over to Loroi space, you'll get a choice between going yourself or sending a subordinate, most likely O'Malley. If you stay behind, you'll retain full control of your colony and will be able to direct production, though the fate of the mission may be uncertain. If you decide to go, you'll get a choice of who to bring, who to leave, and what projects to start up before you go. If they complete while you're gone, whoever you leave in charge in your absence will make the decision on what to pursue next.

How long that takes is a bit up in the air. The distance is uncertain, but 3 - 6 months is the best guess at the moment, depending on how far their territory is and how long you choose to stay for. It may be worthwhile taking a stock of RU with you for trade purposes.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

Did some math again and I think that the best time to leave will be either turn 15 or 16:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

This provided that the rolls are favorable of course. In the above plan we can enhance the RU by switching the Refinery for the Autoplant but the date still remains the same.

EDIT: Did the revision. We can leave at turn 15 with 2500 RUs cargo + Chocolate or Turn 16 with 3500 RUs + Chocolate. The Colony will have a very good RU surplus and by the time we are back we may find several more goodies ready and waiting for us.

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by joestej »

dragoongfa wrote:Did some math again and I think that the best time to leave will be either turn 15 or 16:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

This provided that the rolls are favorable of course. In the above plan we can enhance the RU by switching the Refinery for the Autoplant but the date still remains the same.

EDIT: Did the revision. We can leave at turn 15 with 2500 RUs cargo + Chocolate or Turn 16 with 3500 RUs + Chocolate. The Colony will have a very good RU surplus and by the time we are back we may find several more goodies ready and waiting for us.
Turn 15 seems like a good launch point. The extra thousand RUs would be nice, but I'm sure our guests would like to leave as soon as possible. Once we know what resources the Loroi already have and what they still need we'll have a better idea of what to bring on our second trip. Besides, if we don't do well with our diplomacy rolls the Loroi might not even be interested in trading with us at all.

All in all, diplomacy can give us access to resources, technology, and strategic intelligence far beyond what we'd be able to collect on our own. Making contact with the Loroi sooner rather than later seems a good plan.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

Survey is now up. Please vote here.

If there's any options omitted by mistake, I'll redo the survey. If there's any included by mistake, feel free to waste your votes on options you can't have. :P
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

Voted.

[X] Improving Relations
[X] Barracking for Barracks
[X] Crop Diversification
[X] Mine Expansion
[X] Live Interview
[X] Time Out

I have already explained my reasoning.

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by joestej »

Also voted.

[X] Improving Relations
[X] Barracking for Barracks
[X] Crop Diversification
[X] Mining Operations Expansion
[X] Live Interview
[X] Time Out
[X] Wind Current Analysis

I realized we never talked about our Learning project, but considering we're so close to finishing Wind Currents it seems the most logical option. Razor, does any overage on research projects get wasted, or will it transfer to whatever would be next up the chain (Wind Riders)?
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by dragoongfa »

I would like to get over yonder before wind riders TBH, let's see what the Hive mind thinks first though.

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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by joestej »

dragoongfa wrote:I would like to get over yonder before wind riders TBH, let's see what the Hive mind thinks first though.
Frankly I would too, I was just thinking about logical ways for the extra knowledge to transfer (if it transfers at all). Since Wind Currents are a requirements for Riders but not Over Yonder, it seemed more logical for any overage to apply there.

Though if Razor will let us apply any extra research to whatever project we want, that would be fantastic.
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Re: Outcast Quest

Post by Razor One »

Wherever it's logical to apply an overflow of knowledge to the next project, I'll do so, but don't expect it to apply for everything.
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