As
Einstein's Cross approaches the crippled vessel, the enemy turns its laser turrets on your ship's radiators!
[1] The enemy fires, and in an instant each of its four turrets cuts a swath through your radiator fins, resulting in heavy damage. Repairs will be performed when the radiators are retracted.
Einstein's Cross, Low Orbit, Titan
Friday, Feb 6th, 2398
20:59 GMT
Mission Timer: 3d 17h
DATABANKObject Classification: Moon
Atmosphere: Trace
-91% Water Vapor
-4% Nitrogen
-3.2% CO2
-1.7% Methane
Takeoff DeltaV: 112 m/s
Notable Surface Features:
-Surface Ice
-Cryovolcanism (south pole)
Landing Possible?: Yes
Surface Activity: 91% Free | 9% Unidentified Mining Operations
Moon:
Resources:
Known Hazards:
Moon: Titan
Resources: Hydrocarbons, Water Ice
Known Hazards: Human Settlements, Dense Atmosphere, Cryovolcanism
Moon: Hyperion
Resources: Beryllium, Water Ice (difficult to mine)
Known Hazards: Surface Chasms
Moon: Mimas
Resources: Water Ice, Meteorites
Known Hazards: Surface Chasms
Moon: Enceladus
Resources: Silicon, Iron, Water Ice, Water, Nuclear Fuel (deep)
Known Hazards: Cryovolcanism
Moon: Tethys
Resources: Water Ice
Known Hazards: Human Settlements
Moon: Dione
Resources: Water Ice, Iron, Water (Deep)
Known Hazards: Human Settlements
Moon: Rhea
Resources: Carbon, Water Ice
Known Hazards: Rings, Human Settlements
Moon: Iapetus
Resources: Water Ice, Rock
Known Hazards: Human Settlements,
Nanoplague
---Natural---
Iron is an abundant element that is directly made into steel. Without processing it is brittle and weak.
Carbon is an element found mainly inside asteroids and terrestrial planets. It is great for thermal shielding and can be used to create a variety of materials.
Hydrocarbons are a ready source of chemical fuel. They can be refined into energetic fuel for atmospheric craft, or be condensed into plastics for structural use.
Rare Minerals are, as their name implies, rare on Earth and thus incredibly valuable.
Rare Earth Minerals should not be confused with rare minerals. These are not so rare, and are key to building electronics.
Alloy Minerals are used to made durable alloys out of other metals.
Aluminium is a lightweight metal that is the material of choice for lightweight applications like aircraft and spaceships.
Titanium is similar to aluminium in that its strength/weight ratio is extremely high. However, it is extremely rare and requires processing to be useful.
Scrap consists of parts looted from nonfunctional electronics and machines. Each turn, your current scrap is converted into random resources.
Water is the blood of all spacefaring vessels and plays an important role in life as we know it. It is used as a coolant, propellant, solvent, and refrigerant and is absolutely vital to just about any operation.
---Processed---
Voxels are the basic building blocks for 3D printers onboard starships. They consist of polymers coated in a sealing agent, and can only be looted or purchased.
Steel is a high-strength building material with medium density. It is used in a variety of applications, ranging from airframes to armor plating. Made from: 3 Iron, 1 Carbon, 1 Alloy Minerals
Monocrystalline Iron is iron composed of a single crystal, free of defects. It is exceptionally strong, but difficult to manufacture in large quantities. Nonetheless, small shards are ideal for kinetic projectiles. Made from: 1 Iron
Titanium Alloy is titanium processed into a high-strength material capable of taking more stress than steel while being lighter to boot. This stuff puts aluminum to shame. Made from: 4 Titanium, 1 Aluminum, 1 Alloy Minerals
Polymers are plastics made from hydrocarbons. They can be used as-is for lightweight, low-strength applications, or be used in building carbon fiber for more critical uses. Made from: 3 Hydrocarbons, 1 Carbon
Carbon Fiber is an exceptional material, though brittle. It is ideal for armor and lightweight components, but requires complex machining processes to build and cannot be manufactured on the ship.
Circuits are the core components of all electronics. They are needed especially for building nanites. Made from: 1 Polymers, 1 Rare Earth Minerals
Current Inventory: Voxels: 4170
Steel: 58
Circuits: 70
Water: 31999/32000 tons (DeltaV: 4220.238 km/s)
Total Ship Mass: 31999
Structural Mass: 18000
Cargo Mass: 4170 + 60 + 70 (Max 20000)
Structural Materials: Aluminum, Steel, Titanium Alloy, Polymers, Carbon Fiber
Construction Catalog:Transmitter Unit (Needed for commander bodies) - 5 Circuits.
Engineer Body - 50 Voxels, 5 Circuits, 10 Steel
Froggy Engineer Body - 80 Voxels, 15 Circuits, 10 Steel
Mining Drone (Can be tasked to Mining Rig for increased production. Can also explore caves.) - 80 Voxels, 5 Circuits, 10 Structural Materials, 2 Steel
Mining Rig (Automated. Can be left on a planet.) - 80 Voxels, 35 Circuits, 50 Structural Materials, 15 Steel
Cloud Catalog: Type (% produced) - Cost
Standard Nanite (100%) - 100 Voxels, 10 Circuits
Cloud Storage: (Max 3000%)
-0% Standard Nanites
Body Storage: (Max 12)
-1x 'Boomer' (Engineer variant)
-3x Engineer
---100km orbit (current orbit)---
-1x Neutral Tanker
-2x Neutral Cargo Shipper
-1x Pirate Battleship (engines disabled) (surrounded by radioactive cloud)
---Detection Radius (50000 km)---
9x Unidentified Vessel
Avis-Mergulus AKA Anton "Tosha" Teremnoi---General Skills---
Acrobat (1)Diplomat (1)---Vehicles---
Piloting (2)Engineering Technician (1)---Deception---
Sleight of Hand (1)Cloud Health: 0%
Composition: 100% Regular Nanites
Seeing as the ship is still operational and vengeful despite being doomed, you attempt to de-claw it with
Wasp's chin-mounted laser turret. It's a little trick you learned when you were still a pirate--lenses work both ways! If fired at just the right angle, your own laser can be bounced through the enemy's entire focusing array, incinerating the laser engine. Even a much smaller beam can wreak havoc on a juicy, unarmored laser engine.
[4] You set up the firing solution as you approach and manage to pull off the shot. While the angle was correct, you aren't able to verify that the laser engine is truly down, but you are quite sure that the plan worked. Unless things have drastically changed since you last saw a laser, the crippled vessel is now unarmed as well as immobile, sans any hidden missile ports. You're worried about that, actually. But unlike lasers, missiles can be shot down.
Einstein's Cross slows down bordering the edge of the safety zone around the radioactive dust cloud. You order some bodies to be loaded onto
Wasp and set the shuttle loose, taking control and closing in on one of the vessel's docking ports.
Comrade P. AKA Hamilton Teromo---Deception---
Ambusher (1)Liar (1)---Combat---
[spoiler=Skills]
Sidearms (2)Swordsman (1)Cloud Health: 0%
Composition: 100% Regular Nanites
Before you left, you fabricated a quick knife out of some slag leftover from the scavenged rover.
-2 SteelYou enter the body and wait for Anton to dock
...
Wasp attaches itself to one of the battleship's airlocks. You enter the airlock, along with Dave, but find yourself stuck between the ships as the inner airlock door is locked.
The Froggy Ninja AKA David "Dave" Steel---Crafting---
Inventor (2)---Sciences---
[spoiler=Skills]
Engineering (2)---Nanites---
[spoiler=Skills]
Cloud Combat (1)Cloud Health: 0%
Composition: 100% Regular Nanites
Constructor [1/3]
Alas, sound does not travel in a vacuum. You are also slightly worried that activating the massive speakers too close to
Wasp will damage its electronics and systems.
Samarkand AKA Felicia Hasting---General Skills---
Observer (1)---Sciences---
Medic (1)Botanist (2)Chemist (1)---Thievery and Deception---
Saboteur (1)Scavenger (1)Sleight of Hand (1)Cloud Health: 0%
Composition: 100% Regular Nanites
Nanofabrication [1/3]
Instead of boarding the battleship with the others, you use your body to inspect the hydroponics bay in detail, having better access to pesticides and sprays.
[4] The insect hypothesis turned out to be true. The truth turns out to be appalling, really. The infected plants are peppered with tiny black dots that crawl and leap over the surface, invisible to the cameras due to their size. The bugs seem to burrow into the plants and carve tunnels into it for protection, although the lack of predators in the first place allowed them to thrive far too well.