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Corivalle System, Deep Space After assuring the Sesheyan Chief that delivery would be in a few days, the Achilles Fleet takes off from the surface of Grith and then does two things. First, it accelerates to the maximum speed allowed by its gravitational induction engine, reaching a cruising speed of around a third of an AU per hour, with Iphus at an unfavorable 15 AU away the trip is around two days one way. Second, as the Fleet leaves the sensor range of Grith's landborn and satellite installations, it engages its stealth field, an advanced technological device normally only seen on specialized military vessels. The stealth field was discovered one day quite by accident when Z'ra was poking around ship systems during the long trip to the Verge, from what she knows of ship design, the Achilles Fleet should definitely not have one. But that doesn't change the fact that the ship is capable of emitting a field of canceling energies that hides the ship from electronic sensors. With the ship thus hidden, the crew can prepare for their exciting career in armed robbery.
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Jun 6, 2019 04:31
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 03:39 |
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Corrivale System, Iphus Approach VoidCorp vessels glitter in the dark like diamonds strewn across black velvet. Keeping sensors to passive only, the Achilles Fleet slides through space, slowly decelerating to avoid tripping the mass detectors aboard the much larger VC battlecruiser that sits in a polar orbit. The question remains, which of the Iphus stations will be their landing point. 13 on the equator and out of view of the battlecruiser, 21 on the South Pole but directly in the path of the beast's maw, or 6 at the quarter point of the Northern Hemisphere. Which station they target will determine how long they have to get in and get out before they're spotted, and higher numbered stations, being more recent, most likely have more resources.
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Jun 8, 2019 03:23
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Fiver The squawkbox gets uncomfortably close to the pilot, its vocoder insisting "6 degrees to starboard! Right full rudder! Stay quiet, stay deep!" and other such commands. These serve to do little more than annoy said pilot. As they drift into orbit, the satisfied bot wheels back, commending the pilot on instructions well followed before thinking out loud. "Do we wish for the maximum liberation of resources, or err on the side of safety? With the rest of the grand fleet elsewhere, backup will be hard to come by. Truly only a task the leaders of the fleet can handle!"
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Jun 8, 2019 11:35
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Tyrone Diasharan Tyrone keeps Achilles steady, and at a pace designed to not raise the attention of the bored bridge crew of the battlecruiser. "Fiver, I noticed a tremor in the port side gravity stabilizer again, could you check that out for me? I'd hate for that to flare up in a critical moment and all." Tyrone turns to look at the rest of the crew, "So which one do we want to hit? "
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Jun 10, 2019 13:57
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Ander "Good job, folks! Excellent flying; VoidCorp will never know we were here. I'm thinking maybe we try our luck first at Site 13 and see how much we can reappropriate down there? If we need more materials we can always decide whether to dip into our own stocks or move over and hit Site 6. That 'Cruiser looks awfully unfriendly, and I'd hate to disrupt their routine and upset them further by risking a stop at 21."
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Jun 10, 2019 14:42
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Fiver The squawkbox nearly pulls its equivalent of a wheelie as it careens over to a communications panel. "Engineering! Reports of an issue with the port gravity stabilizer! Confirm?" Adjusting its hat, The Commodore awaits a response that will also likely be ignored. "Thirteen sounds like a wonderful number to place our bets on! Everyone else avoids such a supposedly cursed number, but fortune favors the bold, and what are we if not Impact?"
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Jun 15, 2019 16:21
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Landing The Achilles Fleet glides in on gravity control and silently touches down on Iphus. With no atmosphere the vast industrial machinery is utterly silent and E-suits will be required. The refinery itself looms over the landing pad, a black mass of pipes and machinery that stretches for nearly a kilometer in all directions. Automated loading equipment surrounds the pad, it appears that all that needs to be done is to hack through VoidCorp's security software and instruct the machinery to load the chemicals onto the ship. Assuming from the general lack of security so far, it should be easy...
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Jun 15, 2019 18:59
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Z'ra bites down hard as she surveys the scenery. No atmosphere and barely any gravity means any wrong step might be the end of her... but her companions are counting on her, and it's nothing she hasn't done before. She waves, "Okay, I'm relying on you all to cover me if anything happens, yeah? So watch my back please. Right, then, I'll be off getting us those minerals, be back in a jiffy!" With that, she floats down in her E-suit and lands shakily on the platform surface, skipping over to the nearest access terminal. Deep breaths, don't look down - or up, for that matter... and jack in!
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Jun 19, 2019 00:58
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The Grid Z'ra sinks into the Grid through the gridcaster worn under her e-suit. The local Grid is mostly empty and barren, a few bright lights off in the distance marking the inner system Grids and there's the unassuming black edifice of the VoidCorp Central Control Unit of Iphus. Her mind darts from node to node within the VoidCorp Grid in rapid sequence, locating Station 13 in the time it takes the outside world to blink. It's almost like they left the keys under the doormat, as she engages her hacking toolset, corrupts the entry node and gains access to the filling subroutine. Outside, machines silently stir to life, pouring chemicals into barrels and sealing them, then depositing them into the waiting arms of the Fleet's autocargo system. A secondary set of arms begins piling up sheet metal while a third packs brick-shaped objects into a waiting container bin. Meanwhile, back inside the Grid, it looks like there's some data somebody's hidden in the node, surely it wouldn't hurt to take a peak...
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Jun 19, 2019 02:35
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Z'ra's virtual self flashes a teethy grin, and she ires off a message through the computer in her head - pre:Wistaria/Z'ra here! !(^^)! The autoloaders should be running now. Just going to check some stuff, it looks like they left some files laying around then I'll hit the logs and they'll never know we were here. Don't leave without me, you hear!
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Jun 19, 2019 08:14
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Paydirt The node unfolds into a video with telemetry indicators. They point toward an inconspicuous rock in the Outer Belt. The video plays, it is a helmetcam footage from a VoidCorp Marine. To either side their squad members can be seen as they head down a tunnel of rock leading to a door made of strange shimmering metal. They breach the door using hydraulic pliers and rush in... only to be cut down in a blaze of particle cannon fire. The video ends with a text message. "Precursor installation currently out of reach, sending request to home office for additional equipment, expected reply 6 months."
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Jun 21, 2019 03:24
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Buddy This is going smooth. Annoyingly smooth, it might as well be work. Buddy sighs and monitors the machines, making sure the cargo is secure. He didn't get into this dirty, dangerous business to do the same poo poo he did on Zolas II. At least they're stealing it, but there isn't much thrill in that when they just let you push a button and take the poo poo. "How's that patrol ship doing? Any poo poo on the sensors?" he pesters the robot, secretly hoping for bad news.
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Jun 24, 2019 01:36
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Fiver The Commodore wheels over to the sensors, continuing to ramble. "Passive sonar only, two degrees down bubble, skirt crush depth!" Bopping manipulators against the console, the bot sees what it can see! "Weapons, track the the patrol ship, but stay cold. No thermal signatures, and hold both the line and your fire, sapients!"
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Jun 27, 2019 18:27
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Sensors The Commodore fiddles with a few dials and pushes the (mostly) correct buttons to get a readout on the patrol vessel orbiting Iphus. The robot picks up the change in mass as the VoidCorp vessel begins to accelerate in orbit. It will, quite shortly, be directly above the Achilles Fleet and their sensor operators would have to be blind to not notice all the industrial activity going on below them.
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Jun 29, 2019 00:12
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Ander "Well folks, it looks like the tricky part of not paying for things has started. I think it's best that we get everyone on board and make ready to get out of here as quickly and unobtrusively as we can. How much of the cargo did we get loaded?" He turns to Tyrone. "Tyrone, do you think you can get us into orbit and away from trouble? Maybe get us out of sight or something and engage the cloak before we head back toward station? Or would it be better or possible to engage the cloak here and hope that they think it's just some sort of crazy glitch that's got everything up and running?" "Anyone, want to man a gun and see if you need to let them know we're not afraid to nip back if they take a shot at us? Buddy? That seems like your forte." code:
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Jul 1, 2019 17:05
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Tyrone Diasharan "Don't think the cloaking field will work like that while we are landed, but yeah if Z'ra gets back quick like, I can get us out of here smooth enough Voidcorp will just think we were a blip on their sensors."
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Jul 1, 2019 17:47
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Buddy Buddy grins and after one last look at the cargo hops in the weapons station. "Plasma and Mass online, targeting vectors good. Ready to fire."
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Jul 1, 2019 18:03
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Loading The autoloader arms retract back into their respective positions, according to the automated manifest the ship has taken on just enough materials to fulfill the Sesheyan order without dipping into the existing supplies. Now the problem is getting out without starting a fight they can't win. The patrol boat is about the same size as the Achilles Fleet, that is to say a Corvette class vessel. The difference is that unlike the Fleet, half of its interior isn't devoted to cargo space and is instead allocated to engines and weaponry. For now it seems like the vessel, whose transponder designates it as VoidCorp Vessel C12658a, is merely making a routine turn and burn on its patrol of the orbital space around Iphus, a routine that will lead it directly overhead...
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Jul 3, 2019 03:30
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Fiver The little bot raises a manipulator, extends a grasper, and slowly brings it back down. "Ssssh. Keep it quiet, keep it low, keep it coooool. If they don't give us an active ping!! then they should flooooat on by~"
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Jul 3, 2019 22:56
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Z'rapre:Roger that! (^o^)7 Not sure about the file actually, probably not but I'll be on my way back now. How's it looking up there?
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Jul 8, 2019 04:05
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Takeoff The Achilles Fleet engages its gravity drives and lifts smoothly into space, albeit with the tiniest of perceptible wobbles. Guess the port stabilizer really does need to be looked at. Ready for battle but not willing to engage, the ship accelerates at maximum speed, causing a minor doppler shift that is visible for a few brief seconds as the ship redlines the engines. The VoidCorp vessel floats serenely in the depths of space, maintaining orbit... It looks like the Fleet got away free this time. VoidCorp C12658a flies directly past the refinery and continues on its patrol route over the planet Iphus. One advantage of the gravity drive is it leaves no discernable traces to be picked up on particle sniffers or radar, so without a more thorough scan the VoidCorp vessel has no idea a ship just passed through its patrol route.
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Jul 10, 2019 21:56
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Ander "Great work, team! We've got the resources we need to fill our latest contract, and Z'ra was able to hack up some lovely, possibly lucrative info. Let's get back and get the goods delivered, then we can see about scaring up info that might shine some light on just whatever it is that VoidCorp found. If we've got a better sense as to what we're facing, we might fare better than the folks from VC did. Maybe the locals know something about the system's history that might be relevant. Every little shred of info that we can try and piece together will help, and it just might make us rich." He looks around. "Anyone have any suggestions as to how we can try and dig up that sort of info? Places you'd like to try your luck at, all that? For closing the deal with the freedom fighters, I'd like to have Buddy along as insurance against bad actors; anyone else who'd like to swing by is welcome, otherwise if you want to start digging into learning about whatever it is that might be out there, I'm sure a little visit to the bars won't hurt."
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Jul 15, 2019 20:55
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Tyrone Diasharan "I'll go with you to the meet, a third set of eyes can't hurt, and I've no clue as to who I would ask about what that video showed."
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Jul 15, 2019 21:04
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Buddy Buddy cocks his head and flexes his spine, "got it captain. Anybody fucks with you, they gently caress with me. They gently caress with me, they eat plasma."
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Jul 16, 2019 01:03
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Fiver "Delegation breeds experience, which breeds success! I believe our good Ander should be able to handle negotiations unsupervised, though it should be known that I'm placing a great amount of trust in this!" Scrabbling to stand on a countertop, the little squawkbox does his best to look inspirational. "Surely a chat with the various admiralty in the region would yield truly invaluable information - as I trust in you, you can trust in me to ensure success!" The squawkbox then tumbles off of the back end of the console. "Onward and upward!"
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Jul 16, 2019 21:57
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Planetfall The bar is, as usual, smoky and dimly lit when the crew arrives. For 'safety reasons' hand off of payment is to occur here in neutral ground with the various mob bosses, syndicates, and outright pirates as witnesses. Of course, nothing so vulgar as an exchange of physical currency will take place, that went out of style centuries ago. No the Chieftain simply swipes his credit chip on the Achilles Fleet's portable payment reader and the money changes hands after a quick DNA verification. "I do trust you have my missiles." He says, deadpan. Meanwhile the fabricator has just finished loading the last missile onto a transport pallet back at the spaceport. "I'm joking, I know you're good for it. You made a deal with Wilson the other day and he sings your praises, claims he didn't even have to calibrate those rifles. "Now, a drink, my men will be along to pick up the cargo at sunrise." The Chieftain orders a round of Celestine Whisky, pricey out here, but mid-shelf at best in civilized space. You earn 2 Advancement Points
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Jul 20, 2019 01:55
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Buddy Buddy stares down at his drink, then he pours it out on the floor "you take me for a monkey? I don't drink this poison." He sneers at the sechyan, "this job was loving boring. We done here, or do you have something worth a drat? Something where I can watch the light die from the eyes of a corporate tool."
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Jul 24, 2019 21:43
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Fiver The little robot's manipulator extends as far as it can, feebly wiggling after the drained liquid, a very dispassionate "Noooo" coming from its vocoder. "On the one hand, wasted alcohol-" stated as, in an effort for balance, the 'bot's own drink splashes on its square chassis. "- but on the other hand, we have some obviously eager muscle, so you know any further jobs are safe with us! Our fleet is on call for further business!"
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Jul 25, 2019 22:03
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Ander "Welp, that's the next starship payment in the bank. Now to start getting the feel for this next job." He tosses the rest of his drink back. "Buddy, I want you to put a wishlist of things together for breaking into a probably heavily armed alien deathtrap. Figure out what all you think you'll need to make sure anything that shoots at us stops shooting so that we can get rich. In the meantime, I think I'm going to start putting out feelers for folks who might know something about the history of this system. I think I might spread a few stories around about how I'm really interested in getting into the trade of early xeno cultural artifacts...little curios the folks back home can put up on a shelf to fascinate their disgustingly rich shithead friends. That might start getting us somewhere in terms of what the earlier culture was like." Going to wander down to the marketplace and see if I can Interaction - Charm anyone who's selling pre-settlement curios from the prior civilization; I want to see what they know about the civilization that may have left the surprise asteroid, or if they know anyone who might have more information. I'd like to try and pass it off as just general interest in the forgotten lore of the system, though, and not due to any particular single thing (so that VoidCorp doesn't figure out we know about the vault or whatever it is they discovered). Accursed fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Aug 5, 2019 |
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Jul 30, 2019 20:58
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Charming Ander wanders with purpose, not spending too much time at any individual stall in the open air market after dusk. The Sessheyans are at first suspicious of Ander's line of questioning, but when they realize he has little specific interest in their origins they're willing to share old pirate tales of the belts. Ander learns a few stories of ghost ships and forgotten derelicts, but nothing about asteroids that matches up with the footage he's seen. Apparently the ancients kept their secrets well, save for one old pirate who claims to know about a hidden treasure asteroid. He makes a vague gesture on the holographic starchart that puts him in the vicinity of the asteroid, and then asks for credits. "2000 credits, and I'll tell you everything I know." He finishes with a cough, his body riddled with scars that clearly came from plasma fire.
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Aug 18, 2019 22:35
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Ander Ander squints his eyes, trying to figure out what the angle here is. But, in the grand scheme of things, if it's legitimate information on the asteroid, 2000 credits is pretty inconsequential. Plus the crew has made a not-inconsiderable amount of credits in a short period of time. "Some sort of treasure vault way out in the middle of nowhere? I suppose if there's something you want to hide, you might as well make it difficult to find." He makes a show of pretending to consider the offer. "Well, I'm not sure that there's much in the way of tchotchkes for old rich fucks to show off to their friends in something that heavily guarded, but I love a good story. Who knows? Maybe I go check it out and get a story to tell, myself. Let folks buy me drinks in the bars to hear it. Not too keen on seeing how deep the rabbit hole goes, mind...I'm too fond of my own skin to invite whatever excitement might be waiting for nosy neighbors." He looks at the pirate. "How many drinks has this tale bought you? I'm interested to hear it, but if it's common knowledge around everyone with a ship, it hardly seems to be worth the price you're asking." Ander's going to try and bargain him down a bit, and will pay the credits out of his own funds so that Buddy doesn't have an excuse to gut him. Any info's potentially helpful, though, so he's willing to see where things go.
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Aug 20, 2019 21:45
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 03:39 |
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Bargaining The two haggle back and forth, eventually reaching a compromise price of 1000 credits. The pirate then surprises Anders by pulling out a data crystal. "Everything as I can remember from what I saw that day, layout of the cavern, where we saw the shots come from, even the locations of the 'Sheyan bodies we left behind. Took me a bit of effort to smuggle this out of the VC when they handed me my resignation, hopefully you can make good use of it." Obtained Mission Reports
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Sep 15, 2019 18:45
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