{"id":1389,"date":"2022-01-16T19:35:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T03:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2022-01-16T19:36:44","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T03:36:44","slug":"voyager-chills-out-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/?p=1389","title":{"rendered":"Voyager chills out this week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted on November 14, 2021<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Stories of Lore 16<\/b><\/a><\/h1>\n

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Voice command features have been experimented with before in regards to pandem casters in all sorts of ways. Still doesn\u2019t work.Otherwise that would be fairly standard by now instead of the Astral Order needing slaves over drones that can open doors.<\/p>\n

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As for Khymin\u2019s projects, lately he\u2019s still automating household tasks to maximize his ability to not do anything resembling chores or taking care of himself. They sell pretty well actually. The larger drones to automate ship crews that were made for that effort are being made to experiment with assistants though due to their lack of intelligence there are some notable design flaws he\u2019s trying to work out. This also being the problem with using them for arena purposes, they just do the one thing they\u2019re supposed to do at the moment. So processing combat options is a bit dull as they will just keep punching each other one at a time. He\u2019s good at building these but not so much the programming side of things, which the recent expansion to the company has hired more people on board for.<\/p>\n

As for the arena, well it\u2019s still an ongoing issue. If you absolutely must know the details\u2026basically by adding more rules and limitations onto it so she can\u2019t flood it\u2019s logistics we now have her arena back to being able to draw in all of the competitors who need some extra capital. She\u2026expanded the premise to \u2018live training exercises\u2019. Many of the competitors who have no chance will be locked into a cage as a group with someone else and told they can leave if they win or after a certain amount of time passes. The more nefarious element of this challenge is that professional fighters are paying for the service of getting in some \u2018full contact sparring\u2019 that leave people in the hospital. Now the death toll has started, with one competitor dying to a slightly crazy zankist. Laura has banned them from the facility and implied full measure of penalties onto them for murdering someone so the arena isn\u2019t completely insane yet at least, though it does have opportunities for this to keep happening.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the more legitimate arena is still dominated by a team of fighters she sponsors, while not technically exploiting anything it\u2019s probably not good that the winnings keep getting funneled to her \u2018team\u2019. I\u2019ve also discovered that Paylenus is hanging around keeping an eye on the arena, drow find this kind of thing normal I suppose.<\/p>\n

With the increased funding, Hylavi has taken to buying more assault shuttles and security monitoring systems to keep an eye on whats happening around the streets. Also she\u2019s on her way to Sol at the moment to try and see what is going on with Eleazor.<\/p>\n

To a similar note I\u2019ve been keeping an eye on Satsujin. She\u2019s definitely been offered extensive packages to join any organization she wants except the more criminal types. Though she still seems to be just wandering about contemplating her life choices and her newly extended lifespan. I\u2019m also looking into what\u2019s going on with the jydoq while I\u2019m here.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve sent the explorers out to FO-234 to see what exactly is going on there, I expect we\u2019ll be meeting up with the Kar\u2019soluth there as well, for better or worse.<\/p>\n

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Well I suppose her metaphor makes sense, invasive species and all that. With Haziel coming to Enohas, let\u2019s see what happens. I have to say though, I\u2019m a bit curious what would happen if she encountered the living planet thing we found across the galaxy. Does the super druid control the trees or does the organism its attached to win that one?<\/p>\n

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Moving along, steamworks\u2019 prototype is coming along nicely. To the point I would say its operable but they seem to say there\u2019s always room for improvements.<\/p>\n

Alexander said to point out its Reika\u2019s fault that Nila got away after three weeks of tracking her through the forest and several major injuries resulting from the hunt. I\u2019m not really sure what Reika\u2019s up to on that one other than she does have a bit of a weakness for helping people out. Unlike most Nah employees\u2026<\/p>\n

As for the offer for the merkas, we\u2019ve been sort of busy tracking down Nila and the merkas left to return home. Since we were stuck to large groups due to the threat Nila represents, we haven\u2019t been able to delegate tasks too well. Though now that the Nila problem is technically resolved, we can head on over to their city in a bit. Particularly Reika, they seem to like Reika.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also opened Jamalia up for immigration to see if anyone wants to come on by and begin the process of enlarging the colony. This has gone pretty well given its a golden world with a vittles farm already on it. It\u2019s not exactly a huge surge, given the current state of the galaxy and all, but its definitely more than most colonies get during such registrations.<\/p>\n

We contacted Que to see how they\u2019re doing, they are definitely interested in the conduit between you and Irae. I\u2019ve also learned they are under the representation of an illithid who is both a little reclusive and also kind of a mad scientist. Though I suppose that was obvious just by the fact that they\u2019re trying to replicate the synapse using psionic technology. Not as crazy as Vasia at least.<\/p>\n

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You don\u2019t need to be concerned about me sir. My mental health is kept soundly intact just by being in your presence. Its a comforting reminder that I don\u2019t live in a fishtank. Sort of\u2026puts things into perspective. Want another fish toy? Might keep you company if you intend to visit Azilath yourself. I\u2019ll go get the forklift and load you into the freighters.<\/p>\n

As for therapists, I suppose we could find a few back in Sol. They\u2019re definitely not going to be one of the highly employed professions in the current state of things, despite the obvious need for their presence.<\/p>\n

Cassir has rerouted her course back towards Sol to meet up with Khymin and look for Qhalord. Will take a bit to get there. Though that means everyone who was on the way to Jamalia with her are now also going to Sol.<\/p>\n

Peter is out looking for Seiyomi, though as might be implied its hard to figure out where to start. He\u2019s headed to Sol on the same ship as Khymin as that is likely a decent place to start.<\/p>\n

Vamon is sitting comfortably with no complaints about how long it takes the extinction event to arrive and destroy his homeland. Also he\u2019s taken over Alexander\u2019s duties as an ambassador while at Moncayo so he also took over Alexander\u2019s accommodations in the form of getting to eat all the fancy food at the fancy dinner parties.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the shipyard has been freed up to resume normal production for the most part with just one dock now reserved for research projects since we\u2019ve managed to disassemble the wreckage and see which bits of them we actually need to have laying around fully assembled for study. So profit margins are back.<\/p>\n

40th Day ships are headed to FO-234 alongside Lancaster\u2019s explorer ships.<\/p>\n

As for merkas tree samples, we did manage to find a few. Well more so the Astral Order dug up a few already for similar research purposes so we just had to get to Jamalia to look things over a bit. We\u2019ll have the staff join the Order to visit the merkas city soon so we can do all that negotiating at once.<\/p>\n

Other vivarium work: Yelay do not have biological genders they have \u2018but on the inside i feel\u2019 genders. Though they have twenty seven genders and its more like\u2026high school cliques than relating to sexuality, just not quite a phase. Unfortunately, all the astronauts are the same gender, hence they were all astronauts. That and the potato reference is because they can cut off their reproductive organs and use that to grow a new yelay. These organs aren\u2019t quite \u2018junk\u2019 like ours though. Imagine testicles, but they grow in a bunch like grapes and are technically attached to the inner thigh area rather than the crotch. Once cut off, they can grow in soil conditions that are likely highly prevalent on their homeworld until you get a baby yelay.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Fenalis project has promising results of no major pathogens being transmissible at least not of our current test batch. Also I\u2019m not sick or itchy and I have three of them. Due to Lancaster being both a scientist and a stickler for procedure they\u2019re still clearing through more tests.<\/p>\n

Adryn and his team have been loaded onto their ship and sent off to Tykel, though as your advisor I\u2019m just going to tell you now that you should really send someone shady with them. Sivataur are not good with social cues and Tykel is literally governed by gangsters. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be fine buuut\u2026I am concerned they piss off the wrong people and get shot. This is the city where you can find Arkaric\u2019s main headquarters at after all.<\/p>\n

Uneloj and the Yelay are getting along well, both displaced aliens in a foreign land. Though Uneloj is still withholding his sahad knowledge until he finds a trip out of here since he knows its the closest thing to currency he has right now. He seems to be leaning towards taking a job with the Nomads to help fill out its new battlecruiser, at least for the short term until he can save up enough to go home.<\/p>\n

The Alnae ultra carrier\u2019s food supply is contained on two separate decks. One on its topside and one on the lower end, it spins to distribute sunlight to them on a day night cycle. While these sections are particularly vulnerable to attack given their proximity to the outer hull, it\u2019s still a very thick hull. Options for disruption include setting it on fire, bombarding the hull in naval combat, or letting loose some sort of disease within the crops. Two of those require getting someone on board though, the other requires fighting an ultra carrier. I\u2019d say we prefer the former.<\/p>\n

The disease idea is tricky as we don\u2019t know specifically what crops they have nor will we have long to study them. Though add that to something that could actually infect the populace and you\u2019ve got a recipe for a ship that needs to solve some problems. However the catch to that is the only people who are truly skilled in disease-craft would be the Jaal\u2019darya. Who Somnus is not on the best terms with right now. Though we could send someone with much more discreet connections to meet with them, like Haggard. There is also Doctor Pierce but she\u2019s nowhere near in position to do anything right now.<\/p>\n

Just setting things on fire is risky because whoever starts that likely will have a very difficult time extracting since their attention will be drawn to the infiltrator the instant all the fire starts. Though it is a nice quick and direct plan of action. Once we cut off their internal food supply they may not need to dock just yet, but they will need to start importing food until they can start a new crop. It might cause them to just leave the system altogether and go settle down on a star in the frontier\u2026which would suit our needs just fine actually. If it goes far enough away, then at least the politics surrounding it would be able to acknowledge that its not in striking range of any planet it wants back in Sol.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had Michael meet with Laura, though that just keeps us in touch with her shenanigans for the moment as she doesn\u2019t have any major things going on right now except hijacking almost every good deed Lancaster and Ilex try to do for a profit. Which\u2026well Lancaster is still dealing with that. In keeping tabs with the gangs she brought in on the backs of those programs, they definitely seem aware they aren\u2019t the top dog because they know Laura is. I\u2019m also just remembering that literally all of this could have been avoided had we recruited Laura a bit more aggressively given her disposition towards not liking secrecy.<\/p>\n

The op to go capture Elgrim went\u2026south fast. Vanjin and Setani were both on death\u2019s door. Though we can blame this mostly on Jhaeros reappearing and getting involved. Also it turns out Elgrim is very dangerous\u2026and sadistic. Fortunately, Selona was also there looking for him. It turns out they had actually been following Vanjin due to being too lazy to do the footwork on their own. We also got to meet Arkaric\u2019s newest\u2026creation<\/a>. Elgrim was supposed to be exported to the Raven before his escape, so they\u2019re after him as well due to the potential he represents for their business. Which\u2026is basically what we were planning on doing with him anyways. So its convenient that we were there instead of anyone else, since the Phantoms see us as kind of colleagues. Fighting that new\u2026thing\u2026of Arkaric\u2019s to capture Elgrim would not have been desirable. Though since it turns out our plans align well with the phantoms on this one, we can probably still carry out the mission and put in a reservation to buy him from the Raven. We just might need to send someone else in the meantime to help capture him, Vanjin and Setani are both in the hospital. Setani has the worst of it, Vanjin\u2019s regneration is helping her recovery but Setani might not make it. The doctors are trying to fix her up with cybernetics, but Elgrim\u2019s method of attack damaged her soul directly and things aren\u2019t going as they should. It doesn\u2019t help that he just toyed with her, draining her all he liked until Shanhai showed up.<\/p>\n

Contacting Zhuan has been rough since we don\u2019t really blend in with criminals as well as we used to. The best we have for that would be the Nomads but they\u2019re still on their way to Sol. Zhuan\u2019s little empire is mostly just a few suburban blocks where he maintains his farm. He\u2019s not really as crazy as some of the other kinds of people we encounter out here. For him, the criminal life was just a matter of maintaining the family business and he\u2019s content to do business fairly as long as no one picks a fight with him. Though while I\u2019m noticing a recurring theme of our recruiting attempts running into some other recruiters, I\u2019m not sure how to feel about this one. The other people talking to him are representatives of Laura King\u2019s family. Offering him a new family to work for since his old one is pretty much dead thanks to the invasion and a method of transporting his whole gang to Koura should he want to try his hand on a newly developing world on the frontier. They\u2019re obviously quite good at hitting the right notes to talk to him about compared to our agents who are less \u2018in\u2019 with criminals ever since Sophia retired.<\/p>\n

As for Bardhe, we had an easy in to start talking with him since Ilex wanted us to extend some job deals for him in the meantime. Which he took. So I can say that he is currently wandering around Kar\u2019Soluth space looking for vals to assassinate. I guess\u2026that works?<\/p>\n

Back here at Koura, Ohalyn doesn\u2019t really seem to mind being a slaver. It seems like whats really eaten away at her is everything that happened leading up to her becoming one. The invasion took everything from her, including her husband and two children. She was a stowaway on a transport that brought her to the frontier, looking for a way to escape the memories of what she lost. Then forced into prostitution which later turned into her current trade. Elves tend to be more attached to their children than even humans and gnolls due to the investments that have to be made by their race to have any. She\u2019s lost so much that she stopped caring about what she takes from anyone else. Which might explain her skill at running the slave trade around Koura and Somnus. Even though Lancaster gave her a much more vibrant and lively business to run, I guess it doesn\u2019t replace what she lost and so she keeps doing the slaving business since its what she understands and is good at. Running the casino is more of a job for people who can still smile. We ran some observation on her and now two agents are depressed upon realizing they\u2019ve been spying on a woman who cries herself to sleep every night and is still trying to cope with the aftermath of the first invasion. Maybe Ilex was right about hiring more therapists around here.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve set the Nomads out to Sol to look for some \u2018recruits\u2019. They\u2019re going to work on that for a bit. We\u2019ve handed the battlecruiser off to them and had it refitted to their specifications. Which were extensive\u2026apparently letting pirates design a dream ship comes with them doing mildly crazy ideas. Also a lot of mutiny protections. Though it does seem that Andal and his core team will remain on their little corvette. I suppose they\u2019re attached to it at this point. As for a potential base, they seem fine with working out of the private docks attached to the lowest decks of Somnus. Since it gives them direct access to the station. Though we\u2019ve definitely had to improve their security clearance as a result of all this and now Andal is roaming the offices asking people questions. Not particularly sensitive questions, more so about their holiday plans or hobbies. He took three of our handlers out fishing on Koura too. I caught a shark looking thing that we think wasn\u2019t as edible as we thought. Now if you\u2019ll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom again.<\/p>\n

With the Nila situation sorted out, we\u2019re shipping back to Koura with our new recruits for training. They\u2019ll be alright I\u2019m sure. Also the men could use some time to rest for a bit I suppose, since a major invasion is on its way. Speaking of which, we might be able to get Lancaster to fund our next expedition if she wants us to go protect anything in particular. If not I imagine sooomeone will pay us to help fight in the invasion, so easy job to pickup soon wherever we wind up going. Time to get ready for that deployment though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted on November 14, 2021 Stories of Lore 16   Voice command features have been experimented with before in regards to pandem casters in all sorts of ways. Still doesn\u2019t work.Otherwise that would be fairly standard by now instead of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manticoreproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}