“Hi Malone, I heard the conversation, what was the thing that broke and what were you working on before Locke fired you? Also, if you belong to the company as well as the items, why steal them? I remember hearing from Bob that if you want materials you can go out and scavenge for some, how about after my shift, whatever it may be, we can go out and look for two of whatever the broken thing was? One for SciD3vm and one for you? My name’s Clara Ellison, I’m what Bob called a Sleeper, did you wake up from cryo too?”
Clara turns to Santos, “Hi, I’m Clara Ellison, I can take over for Malone and…hmmm, what if I work with him and keep watch to make sure he stops stealing? What was he working on? After my shift, can I go scavenging with him so he gets what he’s after without stealing from here?”
&
Posted by: King Zultan
« on: March 07, 2025, 05:27:06 am »Insert Quote
Thank Bob for his time then go find a bathroom or something I can change into the security uniform in then head over to where the incident summons is.
---
Billy arrives in uniform soon after the hullabaloo has died down. He passes Clara & Malone and sees what appears to be a fellow Peacekeeper in a similar black uniform.
---
Malone blinks as he's barraged with questions, then beckons
Clara to follow him as he hobbles toward the front door. "Whoa! Hold up, lady. Breathe. Alright look, I'm gonna give you a
bit of advice: don't ask questions like that where-" Malone pauses to glare as Keeper Billy passes by the duo.
Leaning closer, He whispers, "
Corporate Goons like the PeaceKeepers can hear."
Malone smirks upon hearing the word 'Sleeper.'
"Fresh off the ice... So you'll learn quick: you're a Corporate asset now - property of
Colony Administration. If they tell you to '
misplace' a part... Or send you on some bullshit quest... You're expected to comply quietly."
"That cocky little bastard in black back there who was all up in my face? That's
Lithos Corp's Chief of Security: Peacekeeper Locke. We call him Chief Keeper 'cause he takes whatever he wants, and not always on orders.
Coincidentally, he's got connections in the
Sentinel Corp, the
Colonial Security Development Committee, and a few other high places. You
catch my drift?"
Malone looks over his shoulder to make sure the Peacekeepers are still beyond earshot. "They even push
Chief Technician Santos around, and she's a sweeheart. Knows how to keep her head down, but speaks up for us Techs when the Keepers
cross too many lines. She's the only reason he didn't hand me a flamer and order me to '
clear a dig site'. Last Tech he sent out on
punishment duty took a
Flakthorn through the gut and died in Medical... Even the
plants here hate us for some damn reason, man."
Shaking his head, Malone makes one last comment before hurrying out of the building. "Say the wrong thing, or see something you shouldn't, and next time it might be you."
---
A few moments later
Billy approaches
Mason Locke who eyes him up and down. "About time they send me some backup! You missed all the fun though, probie." Locke slaps Billy on the shoulder. "Cmon, follow me back to the office so ol'
Chief Locke can give you a quick tour of the amenities."
Mason Locke leads you
north - past SciDev Chief Santos and the gaggle of flustered Technicians, and away from Malone and Clara - out through the
loading bay doors at the rear of the workshop. You immediately spot what appears to be a
concrete bunker in the distance, overlooking the barbed-wire and metal-plated
fence surrounding this facility. The bunker's metal door chimes and grinds open as you two approach. "Welcome, Peacekeepers."
Immediately inside you see a few faded
cots, a dusty
computer terminal on a desk, a small
fridge, a rickety folding table strewn with playing cards, dented
lockers, and a
metal hatch in an alcove.
"This here is
Watchtower North. In each watchtower you will find an access terminal and a locker full of
riot gear. If shit hits the fan, or these degenerates riot, use that terminal to seal the blast door, lower the security shutters, and unlock the armory. Then, you go down."
Pointing at the metal hatch in the corner, Locke continues, "Each watchtower is connected to a
site-wide tunnel network that'll get you into any adjacent building. Use the front door when you want to be seen, and the
sub-basements when you don't. Always keep them guessing. Just remember to follow the signs on your
Codex GPS from point A to point B, keep your head on a swivel in case of trouble, and don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. Going down the
wrong tunnel can get you killed, or
worse."
Locke does not elaborate, and you can't tell if he's joking.
"Going forward, you can access the
Peacekeeper Network via Codex. Read the manual
thoroughly and refer to it often. Anytime there's an
incident or inquiry, they'll
ping local Peacekeepers. There are also
bounties,
patrol gigs, and
information-gathering ops for hire if you're up for it. Abide by whatever
rules they outline, get the job done, and you'll do fine. Now... Until you find proper
housing, you can use one of these old cots. Ain't much, but its better than a hard floor. I'd suggest you
head into town and look around, maybe pick up some
supplies. You can
hitch a ride on the shuttle that's arriving soon; otherwise, feel free to
explore the facilities here. Things run smoother when folks know the
Peacekeepers are watching."
Chief Locke opens the hatch as his Codex flashes and beeps three times. "Shit, I'm running late for a meeting. Try not to burn the place down, alright?"
Moments later you're left alone in a dusty concrete bunker to ponder what you learned and what to do next.
---
Meanwhile,
Clara approaches the
workshop floor and meets a dejected-looking
SciDev Admin and Chief Technician Santos. "Oh honey, I'm sorry you had to see that on your first day."
She appears to try and calm you with a warm smile despite a mix of sadness and frustration to her gaze. "Sometimes the tech we find, or fix, gets
claimed by any number of rival organizations.
Sentinels, Engineers, Surveyors, Gardeners, Couriers, for example, plus all the major Corps and their subsidiaries. Inevitably, factions
get upset if they don't get priority; more so depending on
who they think was favored and why. Politics, same as anywhere. Eventually, a few Peacekeepers arrive to ensure
compliance: and where some take a diplomatic approach, others are more... Hands-on, as you saw with Malone and Chief Peacekeeper Locke."
Santos picks up what's left of the now-broken part thrown by Keeper Locke and holds it up palm-open. "We can't replicate this type of
modular Pre-Colonial tech: we don't have the
schematics, the
materials, the
personnel, or the
industry. When a machine breaks down, the only way to find replacements is to
cannibalize a similar device;
jury-rig a fix using miscellaneous parts from different machines; or hope someone eventually
finds a part we need, realizes that's what it is, says they're willing to
trade for it, and no one with
higher authority, or a
criminal element, snaps it up first. Needless to say, its a huge deal whenever someone
finds tech in the wild... Assuming they
survive the trip."
Chief Santos leads Clara to a messy workstation in the corner where she rummages inside a drawer for something, while also pulling out a
small silver tube hanging on a cord around her neck. "This is an
Omni-tool: a priceless Pre-Colonial artifact capable of
physically and digitally interfacing with Pre-Colonial machinery: anything from
Printers, to
Network servers, orbital defenses, to the
generators keeping this whole operation going. We can't do our jobs without one, though plenty of people would burn this entire facility to the ground for the chance to
steal it. These things came down from space with the
Founders... Not to mention, someone could cause a
disaster by poking at
critical infrastructure without authorization, common sense, or skill. Now, this one here is
mine. Its what gives me a
seat on the Coucil for Scientfific Development, and the only reason
Lithos Corp gets anything done these days."
Sliding the omni-tool back under her overalls, Santos hands Clara a belt laden with various tools. "Here are all the standard gizmos you'll need to do your job: whether that's fixing a
mining rig, running maintenance routines on
Surveyor equipment, or getting one of our put-put
vehicles to actually run. Some of them are
Colony-made analog tools, and some are
mini omni-tool derivitives with a far more limited functionality. Don't lose them, don't trade them, and keep your labcoat snug over the belt so no one sees something shiny and gets any funny ideas."
"For your first few days here, I suggest the following:
head into town to get supplies and learn about the area; do a bit of
tinkering and see what you can
fix or build with all these random parts strewn about; or look for out-sourced
jobs on the
Technician Network. I would not suggest you go out
scavenging alone. It can be quite dangerous between the
aggressive wildlife,
rogue elements, and various
automated security systems. Unless specifically
authorized, you are not to venture beyond the
Containment Zone surrounding this facility, the
main road north through the next few
towns, and the capitol city of
Port Altarax itself.
Your Codex will warn you if you're venturing out too far, and Peacekeepers may be dispatched to collect you."
Santos' Codex chimes three times and emits a blue light. "Looks like I'm being
summoned for a meeting. Feel free to
ping my Codex if you have any further questions or concerns. For now, keep your head down, do your job, and get acclimated. Life isn't easy here, but we all make due as best we can."
With that, she shakes Claras hand and departs in a hurry toward Site Administration.
---
BILLY & CLARA, what would you like to
do next? (I'll keep things more streamlined for a bit now, since I've bombarded y'all with more than enough in-universe lore to digest, lol)
Options: (you can try to
do multiple things, and I'll let you know
what happens. Let me know if you want to
prioritize anything specific. You can also conduct ACTIONS, or QUERY things that come to mind. QUERYing your CODEX is an a semi-instantaneous action and can be done while you're otherwise busy, working, or travelling. Its capable of displaying 3D holograms, digital text, video, and a whole host of unique utilities. Eventually you can
acquire new software,
access new Networks, higher
access tiers, better
jobs, and a list of
contacts and
Points of Interest.)
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY:
Explore the Lithos Mining Corp facility for a few minutes: anything specific you'd like to look for or do? Tinker? Look up a map? Patrol? Chitchat with other workers?
(You can query your Codex at any time and see what comes up.)
VITAL TASK: Catch the northbound shuttle into one of the local towns, or Port Altarax city proper. (there's a
landing pad near the north gate with a digital sign: "
SHUTTLE: ETA 00:30")
OPTIONAL SUGGESTION: Query your Codex for odd jobs: (you have access to the
Colonial Citizen's Network, the
Lithos Mining Corp Network, and alternately the
Technician or
Peacekeeper networks.
Some jobs require multiple individuals of various disciplines.)
Author
Topic: Martyrs of the Vanguard (Neural Flagellation) (Read 3518 times)