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[Nikitian]

((Well, he researched it IC at some point, so I see no reason in denying the idea - unlike with a gun, for example. But then he failed at it back then, and you spent science team worktime on it, IIRC, so how about we say he sent the prototype schematics to Hephaestus, and those were finished off and perfected here?))

I see. This is dangerous innovation, I agree, if not quite difficult to conceive; all the more to keep it secret. Maurice nodded to himself knowingly. I thank you for your trust.

As for the ideas - my main complaint is that we are not expanding even nearly as fast as we should. Back on the Sword... years ago now, I think Maurice smiled I ran some simulations of how would have UWM wage off against a new Altered menace. Now, back then we were still in UWM service, so I did it with certain "loyalty" to Man back then, but I can still interpret the results from that day now. And those are: the Altered expanded very rapidly, and despite their certain numerical superiority (I assumed several Hexbarax-class Altered forgeworlds), they were fought to a stalemate by the UWM.
While we are still not hit, while we are still in the beginning phase of this war, we need to expand, expand very, very rapidly - expand like mad, become something even UWM could find difficult to eradicate. We should conquer and colonise worlds, terraform planets and build new forge worlds. And yet we are... Maurice sighed, and shook his head.
I brought up this topic with General Miyamoto, but what I got I think was "we might not have the resources for that now". Yet I come here, and see that about all of our construction crews are idle. ...Now, of course, I know that this is temporary and they are about to be assigned, but that still made me very sad about the future prospects of our cause.
He took a breath and calmed himself once again.
I am sorry that I brought it up, I am sure you are doing your best here. Now, what I wanted to do myself is perhaps try and do some social engineering - domestic at Hephaestus at first, but potentially outreaching to other planets including those UWM-controlled. It's kind of a border case between your domain and Charles's, so I'll probably ask you both - but that is what I think I can do, and thus would like to try to, even if we don't have the time and resources to spare on greater projects.

Speaking of time and resources, I have to make a few requests. First and foremost, our guest here, the Doctor, needs a workplace and instructed me on the details. It has to be an advanced research biohospital not unlike what he had on the Paracelsus Sword; and I would like to request a construction crew to start working on its construction as soon as possible. As the Doctor's assistant, I would rather overlook it personally, and if there is any difference, I think Q'Bajan construction crew would have all the required skills and knowledge to accomplish this task.
Secondly, it has come to my notice that we have a number of scientific projects that we cannot start working on because of the lack of required safety precautions. I don't mind the subject cells and testings chambers we have, but I am talking here about experiments that can potentially go up to full grey goo scenario in the worst case: soundworm research and Puddle recreation, living crystals research, and so on. Making a dedicated research facility somewhere off the Hephaestus surface seems most reasonable, either on one of the asteroid moons, or as a space station; and as an added bonus, I think Anton's high-density energy research project can also be done up there. That said, this construction project is not urgent unlike the first I mentioned, and thus can wait if we don't have the workforce or resources yet.
And thirdly, just as a hypothetical project now... I think it might be useful to create a research facility somewhere further out in this system, or, even better, in a different one. If the second construction project I mentioned is intended for dangerous research that can destroy the whole planet, this third one is for those forbidden kinds of research that can end as a system-wide disaster, or worse. I am not at liberty to compromise the existence and safety of Hephaestus, but as you can imagine, the greater the potential damage, the more significant the breakthroughs that can be achieved. Well, this one is mostly theoretical one at this point, but I think I can come up with suitably promising research lanes - so mentioning it for later.

[piecewise]

Anton Chernozorov

"Best method prevents advancement of physical and mental abilities."

"Physical 'and' mental? That might be a bit extreme. I don't want to live forever as I am now, I don't even want to live forever period - I mean, who wants to? It'll get boring eventually. But it's an option at least. Any other options?"

Inquire about alternative aging prevention methods - particularly those that slow aging instead of outright stopping it, or those that rejuvenate the body to "shave some years off" periodically.

We'll skip through you finding an empty room and getting peons to drag in the requisite computers and medical equipment. After it's up, the Doc starts bringing up programs on the computer and importing data. Eventually, he shows you a 3d visualization of what appears to be a fine web of glowing nodules.

"The brain of your teammate. Faith. Within the arrangement is a useful construct."

The curiosity in Anton's eyes as he leans closer to look at the screen is genuine, but the thoughtful look of contemplation on his face is a mask that eventually dissolves into a smile. "This is... highly interesting, sir, but I'm afraid I'm an engineer and a programmer, not a... wetware specialist, like yourself. I only vaguely recognize what I'm looking at from some neural net design I practiced before. Is it something I can be of help with?"

Ask. Roll Int/Mind to see if I see anything interesting in the visualized brain despite lacking experience in the (grey) matter.

"Rejuvenation tends to have some degree of memory or ability loss."

"Job is simple for now. Find others to get their brain's scanned. Compile data, look for thing that stands out. Simple program."

1.We agreed over IRC to use planet #9, a gas giant, for the space magic facility's raw material.  How long will it take to be constructed?

2."HRB" is short for Heavy Robotic Body.  I told a crew to build a facility optimized for producing them for our sod armies.  How long will the facility take to be constructed?

3."I want to test if two different forcefields are solid to each other.  Can they move through each other freely?"

4."I want to test what happens when one forcefield is activated inside of another, so that they intersect, like this:" Saint's emoticon switches to an /, then to an X.
 
5."I want to anchor two forcefields to two spheres of ordinary steel, but have one brick be twice the size of the other.  Can we observe any difference in the strengths of th fields?"

6."Next, I want to anchor two fields to two spheres of material, which are identical except for one being harder than the other."

7."Next test is the same as before, but I want to try one material being slightly denser."

8."Next test is the same as the previous tests, but I want one material to be ductile and the other to be brittle."

9."Last test for now, I want to see if a field anchored to hexsand has different laser-resistance properties than the previous fields we've examined."

((I a doing a terrible job at this RP thing, aren't I? ._.))

1. Hmm, end of mission after this one. Mostly because these missions are pretty short.
2. It's done, whatever.
3. Two force fields from different anchoring materials or the same type of material?
4.How would you purpose to do this?
5.Size does not seem to matter in the "Strength" of the field
6. There is a difference in shield strength, but it isn't proportional to the difference in material strength. And it's also backwards, the weaker material is stronger.
7. same result
8.The more ductile one has a higher strength
9.Nope.

the thing is you're not really rping. you're just asking an npc instead of asking me. Instead, set up the experiment and run it.

It appears our ex-Chief Administrator is inaccessible for the moment, deep in research and with orders not to disturb. Shall we take a walk around the place in the meantime?

Leaving the box with a note in Simus's outer office, Maurice walked out of there.
Take a short tour around the place and then return to Simus's office.
How does the place look like (in general)? Do we meet any people working around the place?
How does the surface outdoors look like, are there any trees or other vegetation?
[ADMIN OF SCIENCE]

• Take a report on fleshmonster sample research; ETA if nothing to report.
• Take a report on soundworm sample research; ETA if nothing to report.
• What is required to recreate the soundworm experiment? Any preliminary requirements on housing, containment?
• Can the pocket dimension connections be opened forcibly, without waiting for it to spontaneously open? Has there been any research on that?
• Look through the data on anomalous activity both in UWM- and ARM-controlled space. Any news of available pocket dimensions, anomalous planetoids, simply weird anomalies? Start with the systems close to the Hephaestus.

The place in general looks like a lot of sterile white walls and mysterious doors. The "back of the infirmary" model. There are a few workers about, but they're all busily working or walking. They seem to know better then to be noticed.
There's vegetation a bit away from here, but all the fighting and bombs going off have stripped everything natural; save for the park.
Not sure what you mean thereX2
The materials they used are available, judging from the data, but you'd need to tell them what to do and what sort of safety procedures to have in place.
There hasn't been any real work done on that.
There's a fair deal, though most of it is very sketchy.



Nik, are you taking over Simus' job till he shows back up? Because you should.

[Nikitian]

Nik, are you taking over Simus' job till he shows back up? Because you should.

((_{F-fuck. Now THAT's responsibility.} ...Yeah, sure, why not. And I think he'll be back soon, and with regularity, or so I hope.))

In a different thread of time and place, where Maurice is still in the room with Anton and the Doctor, take a look at Faith's scan, and see what interesting I can tell from it!

In the current one, keep walking around the base for now. Specifically, go to the park. What is there, how does it look like?
And then return to Simus's office once again.
[ADMIN OF SCIENCE][DEPUTY ADMIN OF ENGINEERING]

• Have the Science Team Alpha work on recreating Simus's Most Powerful Antenna, based on the data from the AP mission. With that signal intensity ("broadcast to the ends of known universe") and scarce components available at that time, it was something quite beyond our current tech, wasn't it?
• Look into the sharkmist nanobots. Can we create them ourselves, with our current technologies? Could we create something like them, but different? I want to open the can of nanoworms.
• Look for signs of pocket dimensions in that "fair deal" of data, followed by anomalous planetoid sightings.
• Pick three "sketchy" and "insufficient data" cases at random, read the details.
• Send the data to Anton for his reviewing.

Could you look at these reported cases and tell me which you find interesting? Your profile suggests you have the greatest capacity for intuition among the Hephaestus staff, and you have first-hand experience of visiting an Anomalous Planetoid. I'm hoping that your brain might piece things together even if you can't recognise it outright, so please also report your intuitive leaps and hunches.

EDIT: Also, get a construction crew to work on creating the Doctor's new facility. A bioforge, synthflesh tanks, extra fleshpits, chemical processing systems, production plants for mechanical equipment, whatever he needs. Situated farther away from the main base, for security and seclusion purposes. Probably best deep underground, with additional containment and defensive measures. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out unless permitted by the Doctor, me, or any people he would explicitly extend that right to.
Estimated construction date?

[syvarris]

((First, the con. crews aren't actually idle.  Two of them are busy, with  a biochem forge, and the SMF.  A third was busy with the HRB facility, but that finished and I was considering putting them on the SMF too.  I haven't updated the wiki due to my wifi being dead.  Sometime I'll try downloading the source onto my phone and editing it on the computer.  Sorry about that.))

After Maurice explains his concern that we aren't expanding fast enough, Saint replies with a frown "I agree, but your concerns aren't exactly within my domain.  Hephaestus' production capacity can't exactly be improved by any meaningful amount; The entire planet is already an omnifunctional factory.  I've done a lot to supply us with enough troops- last count says I've sent 14379 robosods, and 2700 flesh sods.  Warship production isn't my area, it's Anton's, and I don't think he's lagged very far behind in that respect either.  Not to mention that we have a massive technological advantage over the UWM, and it's growing at an exponential rate.  We've supplied plenty of forces to actually wage war on the UWM, but it isn't our choice where to send them, or what to conquer.  At best, we could try expanding our production facilities to other planets within the system, but that's like trying to water a desert by making rain fall in the ocean."

((OOC note: I don't think expanding production capacities to other planets would really be meaningful.  Hephaestus doesn't really have any true production bottlenecks, and is generally just 'good enough' to build anything we want.  The only stuff we do that matters is diversification and technology research--When Saint said you have the best role, being admin of science, he wasn't lying.  Beyond all that, it would take a *massive* amount of time and resources.  Possibly centuries, because IIRC that's how long it took to make Heph into what it is.  It'd be easier if we used sharkmist, but PW has basically said 'no' to using it unneutered.))

Saint gives a helpless sigh, and continues "We should be conquering.  Or at least contacting everyone we can, broaching the subject of alliance.  We have the forces and supplies.  But I can't do that--My job is to sit here, and make sure the sods grow as fast as possible.  I'm not supposed to tell those sods to go and take over a neighbouring system, and if I did, I'd probably just be killed by Steve, and the sods recalled.  Hell, I can't even be sure that isn't already being done; It's not like Steve is informing us of what planets he's talked to, or where he's dropped sods.  Miyamoto hasn't told me anything either.  If you are actually privy to the exact machinations of the war machine we feed, I envy you."

After Maurice requests his construction projects Saint smiles and nods.  "I saved a construction crew just in case you or Anton needed it for something like this.  I'll let you tell them what is needed, you would probably know better than I. Saint's voice lowers to a conspirational whisper, and he leans towards Maurice "Although, please build the Doctor's lab somewhere a bit... remote.  I don't feel safe around him."

And once Maurice mentions his third desire, for a lab outside the system, Saint raises an eyebrow and gives Maurice a hard look "A facility off-planet makes sense, seeing as we have at least two techs that pose a planetary risk, but what the hell are you planning that threatens the whole system?  Things like that are something that should be unanimously agreed upon before we do anything."

((Lastly, I don't think you being saddled with Pyro's job actually means much.  The only real requirement is to vet which projects people submit will be prototyped.  If that's too much for some reason, you can defer that decision to everyone in the Heph OOC.))

[Nikitian]

((Did not know. Oh well, let's say that's what an outsider gets of the current construction crew schedule.))

I see. Well, I did not know, so I might have had exaggerated expectations of your position, but at least it was good to talk to someone equally concerned about things like this. Maurice smiled.
((Well, additional forge worlds are nice, if only as backups in case UWM trashes Hephaestus in a desperate attack. Plus we could be producing even more sods then! And, to think of it, we do have bottlenecks currently: population. We need hive cities, and we probably need, eh, human resources industry. "...And by that I mean bodies." We have to make a decision how to get the organs and subjects in required quantity, and if we're going to do this "ethically", on volunteer basis and so on, we'll need HUGE population basis for the desired human resource output.
Not that Maurice have thought of that at the moment, but he'll probably get there quite soon.))

Hearing Steve's request about the Doctor's lab, Maurice nods understandingly. Sure. Truth be told, I wouldn't bet on being on the same planet with him as "safe", but, well, by being further away from him one might buy enough time to get to a ship out of the system. It takes... certain resolve to work with him, but once you're past that immediate and constant fear, things get better a bit. Anyway, I'll look into it.

As for the facility... well, as you can guess, something like that might be better off left secret, for reasons like "plausible deniability" and "sound sleep". Maurice laughed a little. To be honest, I have only very vague ideas of what to do there, apart from the sheer scale of risks involved and possible usefulness. But I think I can share at least one more or less concrete idea: recreating pocket dimension openings. Well, I guess it can be classified as "planetary hazard" and be research just as on that second project facility I mentioned, but I just have this nagging feeling if we do something wrong, the opening might start to expand and consume the whole system instead of a relatively small opening. Now, this is getting into scary fairy-tales territory, and it might really be fit for the orbital facility, but that is just one of the ideas that might be better researched as far away from our home system as possible.

((Lastly, I don't think you being saddled with Pyro's job actually means much.  The only real requirement is to vet which projects people submit will be prototyped.  If that's too much for some reason, you can defer that decision to everyone in the Heph OOC.))

((Gee, didn't even think of that, actually. And there I was tearing my hair out, thinking of how to put the remaining science team to good engineering use and how to create things that aren't yet more death tubes ))

[syvarris]

((Bleh.  Was gonna make a second version of the turn, made more to be what I think PW wants, but I'm just too tired to type all that out now.  Maybe next time.  Sorry PW.))

Heph stuff

1.If we assign a second construction crew, can we get the space magic facility done sooner?  Maybe after this mission cycle, rather than the one after that?

2.What if we put ALL FOUR con. Crews on it?  How soon would it be done then?

3.Nikitian/Maurice is allowed to assign a construction crew to a project.  I doubt you'd stop him anyway, but just to be sure, I'm granting him permission.

FORCEFIELDS:

4.Are two forcefields, both anchored to separate blocks of steel, solid to each other?  Or can they pass through each other.

5.Same as above, but if one forcefield is anchored to steel, and the other lead, is the result different?

6.I want to create a 'bowl' made of lead that projects a forcefield inside of it, consistently an inch away from the surface.  Activate the field, then place inside the bowl a small steel sphere which projects an omnidirectional forcefield consistently a quarter inch away from its surface.  Activate the sphere.  If nothing visibly happens, tip the bowl over so that the sphere would roll out, then try to pick it up.

7.Figure out what the weakest, lightest, most ductile, and cheapest material we have is.  Make a forcefield with it, and anchor it on top of, oh, three feet of hexbug.  Shoot the forcefield with a gauss cannon, then a 200% power gauss cannon, then a 300%, etc, until it shatters.  What strength is the cannon that breaks the field?

8.Say we have anchoring material A.  A is adjacent to anchoring material B.  When activated, A projects a forcefield which surrounds both A and B when activated.  Can we design A's field, and B's material, such that a radiation pulse to activate B can be fired after A's field has been activated?

9.Are forcefields weakened by plasma, or does it just... slide away?

@Nik

Saint stays silent, merely nodding to show that he was still paying attention.  After Maurice brings up his reasons for a facility in a different system, he speaks up "Bah.  Plausible deniability is meaningless here.  You won't be able to do much of anything there without it being recorded and seen by Steve--the AI, not me.    Besides, even if it's obviously your fault you're unlikely to have anything negative happen.  Back... a couple of years ago now, actually, Anton ended up pissing off a giant flesh horror monster thing that had taken residence in the mines, by detonating several nukes next to.  Next thing we know, the ground is shaking like a terrified poodle, and a tsunami of mutated flesh surges up into our facility.  Simus had to nuke the damn thing with the hammer to kill it, and yet, Anton went unpunished and is now our head of security.  Hilarious, isn't it?" Saint smiles "Point is, you'd be hard pressed to accidentally fuck up so badly that you're severely punished.  And if you still manage to, we'll probably all die horribly before you can actually get your punishment!  Saint laughs at this.  "So, don't worry.  You're in a good position."

"Anyway, as for the actual facility, we'd need to be able to safely start construction in another system.  Beyond the military difficulty of being sure it's secure, we'd need more FTL capacity to get the required construction supplies over there.  We can't get that until the damnable space magic facility is finished.  Remind me when that's done, and I'll talk to you about building you your apocalypse lab.  Unless you've got something else important to say, I have to bid you farewell.  Gotta get back to my experiments."  Saint winks, and then walks away while waving.  After he's a fair distance away, there is a subtle shift in his body language as a sod takes over.

((If Maurice does have something important, I'll edit this so Saint doesn't leave yet.  Conversation can last as long as you want.

Also, yes, a redundant forge world would be nice, but if it's in the same system it's too easy to take out, and if it's in another we can't really build it.  Also, it probably wouldn't be done until the war is over.))

[Nikitian]

Ah. Maurice laughs back a little. Oh well.

And sure, I'm finished here, I think. Have a nice day! I'm looking forward to your research results. Maurice smiled as he bid Steve farewell.

[Empiricist]

Get a brief summary of the supplies being sent to Q'Baja and their arrival dates. ((Also, figure out if Charles' official role is "PR Advisor") or "PR Administrator").

[Sean Mirrsen]

Anton Chernozorov

"Rejuvenation tends to have some degree of memory or ability loss."

"Hmm... certainly something to think about."

"Job is simple for now. Find others to get their brain's scanned. Compile data, look for thing that stands out. Simple program."

"Well, in that case I guess I'll start searching for more brains. Is the brain scan particularly invasive? Or painful? We have a lot of people living and working here. If it won't hinder our workforce, we could just perform a brain scan on them under the pretense of a security sweep."

Inquire.

Could you look at these reported cases and tell me which you find interesting? Your profile suggests you have the greatest capacity for intuition among the Hephaestus staff, and you have first-hand experience of visiting an Anomalous Planetoid. I'm hoping that your brain might piece things together even if you can't recognise it outright, so please also report your intuitive leaps and hunches.

Receive information from Maurice. What do Anton's Intelligence/Mind and Intuition have to say about the cases? Any interesting details?

[piecewise]

Nik, are you taking over Simus' job till he shows back up? Because you should.

((_{F-fuck. Now THAT's responsibility.} ...Yeah, sure, why not. And I think he'll be back soon, and with regularity, or so I hope.))

In a different thread of time and place, where Maurice is still in the room with Anton and the Doctor, take a look at Faith's scan, and see what interesting I can tell from it!

In the current one, keep walking around the base for now. Specifically, go to the park. What is there, how does it look like?
And then return to Simus's office once again.
[ADMIN OF SCIENCE][DEPUTY ADMIN OF ENGINEERING]

• Have the Science Team Alpha work on recreating Simus's Most Powerful Antenna, based on the data from the AP mission. With that signal intensity ("broadcast to the ends of known universe") and scarce components available at that time, it was something quite beyond our current tech, wasn't it?
• Look into the sharkmist nanobots. Can we create them ourselves, with our current technologies? Could we create something like them, but different? I want to open the can of nanoworms.
• Look for signs of pocket dimensions in that "fair deal" of data, followed by anomalous planetoid sightings.
• Pick three "sketchy" and "insufficient data" cases at random, read the details.
• Send the data to Anton for his reviewing.

Could you look at these reported cases and tell me which you find interesting? Your profile suggests you have the greatest capacity for intuition among the Hephaestus staff, and you have first-hand experience of visiting an Anomalous Planetoid. I'm hoping that your brain might piece things together even if you can't recognise it outright, so please also report your intuitive leaps and hunches.

EDIT: Also, get a construction crew to work on creating the Doctor's new facility. A bioforge, synthflesh tanks, extra fleshpits, chemical processing systems, production plants for mechanical equipment, whatever he needs. Situated farther away from the main base, for security and seclusion purposes. Probably best deep underground, with additional containment and defensive measures. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out unless permitted by the Doctor, me, or any people he would explicitly extend that right to.
Estimated construction date?

No.

The park is in the place where the old shipyards used to be before some incarnation of Xan blew them up. They're fairly nice, mostly local flora, but none of those damn exploding trees. Has a Statue in the center dedicated to those who died during the taking of the planet.

I don't think anyone photographed that or took it back with them.

Sharkmist isn't nanobots, it's bacteria.

The closest you can find is something about the disappearance of a rather isolated college, which appears to have existed at one point, but no one can remember it, even when evidence points to them having a connection to it.

No. Not yet.

Eh, end of this mission cycle.

((Bleh.  Was gonna make a second version of the turn, made more to be what I think PW wants, but I'm just too tired to type all that out now.  Maybe next time.  Sorry PW.))

Heph stuff

1.If we assign a second construction crew, can we get the space magic facility done sooner?  Maybe after this mission cycle, rather than the one after that?

2.What if we put ALL FOUR con. Crews on it?  How soon would it be done then?

3.Nikitian/Maurice is allowed to assign a construction crew to a project.  I doubt you'd stop him anyway, but just to be sure, I'm granting him permission.

FORCEFIELDS:

4.Are two forcefields, both anchored to separate blocks of steel, solid to each other?  Or can they pass through each other.

5.Same as above, but if one forcefield is anchored to steel, and the other lead, is the result different?

6.I want to create a 'bowl' made of lead that projects a forcefield inside of it, consistently an inch away from the surface.  Activate the field, then place inside the bowl a small steel sphere which projects an omnidirectional forcefield consistently a quarter inch away from its surface.  Activate the sphere.  If nothing visibly happens, tip the bowl over so that the sphere would roll out, then try to pick it up.

7.Figure out what the weakest, lightest, most ductile, and cheapest material we have is.  Make a forcefield with it, and anchor it on top of, oh, three feet of hexbug.  Shoot the forcefield with a gauss cannon, then a 200% power gauss cannon, then a 300%, etc, until it shatters.  What strength is the cannon that breaks the field?

8.Say we have anchoring material A.  A is adjacent to anchoring material B.  When activated, A projects a forcefield which surrounds both A and B when activated.  Can we design A's field, and B's material, such that a radiation pulse to activate B can be fired after A's field has been activated?

9.Are forcefields weakened by plasma, or does it just... slide away?

@Nik

Saint stays silent, merely nodding to show that he was still paying attention.  After Maurice brings up his reasons for a facility in a different system, he speaks up "Bah.  Plausible deniability is meaningless here.  You won't be able to do much of anything there without it being recorded and seen by Steve--the AI, not me.    Besides, even if it's obviously your fault you're unlikely to have anything negative happen.  Back... a couple of years ago now, actually, Anton ended up pissing off a giant flesh horror monster thing that had taken residence in the mines, by detonating several nukes next to.  Next thing we know, the ground is shaking like a terrified poodle, and a tsunami of mutated flesh surges up into our facility.  Simus had to nuke the damn thing with the hammer to kill it, and yet, Anton went unpunished and is now our head of security.  Hilarious, isn't it?" Saint smiles "Point is, you'd be hard pressed to accidentally fuck up so badly that you're severely punished.  And if you still manage to, we'll probably all die horribly before you can actually get your punishment!  Saint laughs at this.  "So, don't worry.  You're in a good position."

"Anyway, as for the actual facility, we'd need to be able to safely start construction in another system.  Beyond the military difficulty of being sure it's secure, we'd need more FTL capacity to get the required construction supplies over there.  We can't get that until the damnable space magic facility is finished.  Remind me when that's done, and I'll talk to you about building you your apocalypse lab.  Unless you've got something else important to say, I have to bid you farewell.  Gotta get back to my experiments."  Saint winks, and then walks away while waving.  After he's a fair distance away, there is a subtle shift in his body language as a sod takes over.

((If Maurice does have something important, I'll edit this so Saint doesn't leave yet.  Conversation can last as long as you want.

Also, yes, a redundant forge world would be nice, but if it's in the same system it's too easy to take out, and if it's in another we can't really build it.  Also, it probably wouldn't be done until the war is over.))

No. We're limited more by the speed at which we can move ships around it's a technical and physics limitation, not a staff one.

No.

Ok, still no.

They appear to pass through each other, but with some difficulty. Like shoving through sand.

They do not pass through each other.

If I'm reading this right, then what should happen is that you'll place the sphere in and it should keep moving for a good amount of time just using the kinetic energy of being sat in  there not at the exact center. Stops eventually due to air resistance, but still, wobbles about for a good long time.

Weakest, lightest and most ductile? Not sure there. Not ductile, but maybe a metallic foam? The main problem would be anchoring it. We'll stick it in a metal frame. The forcefield it produces is strong enough to block up to 500% gauss cannon fire. The major problem is that the foam is easily broken via quick movements of the thing it is embedded in and it explodes with something akin to low kiloton forces.

Uh.

Hits and stops, just like anything else.

Get a brief summary of the supplies being sent to Q'Baja and their arrival dates. ((Also, figure out if Charles' official role is "PR Advisor") or "PR Administrator").

Mostly weapons and raw materials that aren't easily available to them. The arrival dates vary.

Anton Chernozorov

"Rejuvenation tends to have some degree of memory or ability loss."

"Hmm... certainly something to think about."

"Job is simple for now. Find others to get their brain's scanned. Compile data, look for thing that stands out. Simple program."

"Well, in that case I guess I'll start searching for more brains. Is the brain scan particularly invasive? Or painful? We have a lot of people living and working here. If it won't hinder our workforce, we could just perform a brain scan on them under the pretense of a security sweep."

Inquire.

Could you look at these reported cases and tell me which you find interesting? Your profile suggests you have the greatest capacity for intuition among the Hephaestus staff, and you have first-hand experience of visiting an Anomalous Planetoid. I'm hoping that your brain might piece things together even if you can't recognise it outright, so please also report your intuitive leaps and hunches.

Receive information from Maurice. What do Anton's Intelligence/Mind and Intuition have to say about the cases? Any interesting details?

"No, brain scan is simple. A few small needle like punctures to the skin. Slight discomfort."

The one about the disappearing college sounds best. 

[Nikitian]

Admire the masterwork Statue. What does it look like?
Return to the Doctor.
I have dealt with the your new workplace construction matter, it should be ready soon.
Seeing the Head of Defense still present, Maurice greeted him with a nod.
Ah, you're still here, Anton? I take it there are additional issues I have not yet been informed of?
Turning back to the Doctor, he asked with intent yet obscure gaze:
What else must be done?
[ADMIN OF SCIENCE][DEPUTY ADMIN OF ENGINEERING]

• We should have Simus's suit-camera footage from that mission, right? If it is located on the Sword and we do not have a copy, send the data request to Steve.
• Approve Hoverboard prototyping. As usual, three of them to be sent in the next shipment.
• Okay, so sharkmist is bacteria; can we engineer bacteria? Can we create bacteria similar in design and complexity?
• What exactly is the Abyss sand, by the way? Also microorganism? Can we create things similar to that?
• I'm going to experiment with the teleporter gun we were sent. First and foremost, do test firing in lab-controlled conditions: one time with a robosod pulling the trigger, and another time with a simple machine pulling the trigger on timer/via radio command. Both times the gun is aimed at the wall a few meters ahead and is held near-identically (same height, same angle, etc). What happens and is there any difference?

(( I feel like I might have to ask for permission to borrow that sod, but I'm not sure whom to ask (Saint produces them, but they're military forces currently stationed on Hephaestus and as such might fall in Anton's territory), and whether to bother with it being but a single sod.))

[Empiricist]

Charles goes into VR and practice making and throwing piezoelectric throwing knives (find out what stats are required) at a leisurely pace. Whilst doing so, he accesses the relevant data to do the following:

• Find out what weapons are being sent to Q'Baja
• Open Tinker, see if it's possible to modify the Pimp Cane, in combination with some sort of imaging unit (cam eyes perhaps) into a kind of surgical apparatus for performing delicate operations from both outside and within the patient's body.
• Ask ARESTEVE whether Pimp Cane metal and Sandbag sand can be controlled via manipulator batteries.
• Obtain in-character knowledge about Q'Baja's customs
• Obtain in-character knowledge about all the MkIII's functions
• Get data on the durability of solidified Sandbag sand, focus on finding out whether or not it can function as a good construction material.

[Nikitian]

I would like to invite Feyri Nirel to Hephaestus for scientific reasons; I do not expect her to agree, but she still ought to be invited first, I believe. Any objections?

Yes, for that very reason you'd think of. At least, we should give her the right of first refusal, I believe. Not necessarily explain everything outright, but give her the chance to... a certain kind of happiness. At the very least, I think this might be the closest to what they both wanted back before, so perhaps this is fate, in a sense.
Did you find any interesting leads in that data-dump? Personally, I find the college disappearance somewhat intriguing, but I might be biased.

(( Also, updated the action.))

[Sean Mirrsen]

Anton Chernozorov

"No, brain scan is simple. A few small needle like punctures to the skin. Slight discomfort."

"Ah. Good. I'll get to it then. Going to see what other tests we can perform while we're at it - pretense or no, a security checkup is a good idea."

The one about the disappearing college sounds best. 

I would like to invite Feyri Nirel to Hephaestus for scientific reasons; I do not expect her to agree, but she still ought to be invited first, I believe. Any objections?

Yes, for that very reason you'd think of. At least, we should give her the right of first refusal, I believe. Not necessarily explain everything outright, but give her the chance to... a certain kind of happiness. At the very least, I think this might be the closest to what they both wanted back before, so perhaps this is fate, in a sense.
Did you find any interesting leads in that data-dump? Personally, I find the college disappearance somewhat intriguing, but I might be biased.

I can't say I have any opinions on the matter of inviting Feyri here. While it may be in some form beneficial to her, I doubt she will find staying here particularly interesting. Ultimately it would be her choice - as long as her visit will not endanger this facility or interfere with its operations, I don't mind.

I do, however, think that of the data you sent me, the disappearing college seems the most interesting. We should see if we can form an investigation squad to send there.

Soon after he finishes typing the message, Anton sees Maurice return in person.

Seeing the Head of Defense still present, Maurice greeted him with a nod.
Ah, you're still here, Anton? I take it there are additional issues I have not yet been informed of?

"Not issues as such, I would say. Just a bit more work. I was just leaving to see to it. Have fun. And try not create anything I'll have to test my new artillery spaceships on."
Patting Maurice on the shoulder, the aging engineer heelies out into the corridor and returns to the base proper.

Compile a list of checks that could be performed, non-invasively, on all base personnel and workers, for the purposes of maintaining security. Checking the tracking implants for tampering and malfunctions, checking for any unauthorized equipment or drug use, looking through movements history for any security violations via the implant data, anything else I can think of, and of course the brain scan, alongside a full body scan for any unauthorized implants.

Set up all the necessary equipment and infrastructure for the checks. Coordinate with the Doctor as to the specifics of the brain scan, and what equipment is needed for it. Try to make it so that enough people can go through the checkup simultaneously as to not have the checking of the entire Heph personnel take an excessive amount of time.

Have all non-Sod Heph personnel undergo the security check, in staggered shifts so as not to impact the production rates. Catalogue all brain scans for the Doctor's project, and use the compiled security data to, besides identifying enemy agents, build a list of "workers that won't be missed". Anton may be reluctant to resort to it, but he will still make such a list in case there are any people on it who actually deserve being used for the project.

How many people do we have living on Heph, anyway? How long will the checkups take?

(( I feel like I might have to ask for permission to borrow that sod, but I'm not sure whom to ask (Saint produces them, but they're military forces currently stationed on Hephaestus and as such might fall in Anton's territory), and whether to bother with it being but a single sod.))

((Saint is in charge of the production Sod forces. You'll be borrowing one of his export Sods, not any Heph security Sods.))

[piecewise]

Admire the masterwork Statue. What does it look like?
Return to the Doctor.
I have dealt with the your new workplace construction matter, it should be ready soon.
Seeing the Head of Defense still present, Maurice greeted him with a nod.
Ah, you're still here, Anton? I take it there are additional issues I have not yet been informed of?
Turning back to the Doctor, he asked with intent yet obscure gaze:
What else must be done?
[ADMIN OF SCIENCE][DEPUTY ADMIN OF ENGINEERING]

• We should have Simus's suit-camera footage from that mission, right? If it is located on the Sword and we do not have a copy, send the data request to Steve.
• Approve Hoverboard prototyping. As usual, three of them to be sent in the next shipment.
• Okay, so sharkmist is bacteria; can we engineer bacteria? Can we create bacteria similar in design and complexity?
• What exactly is the Abyss sand, by the way? Also microorganism? Can we create things similar to that?
• I'm going to experiment with the teleporter gun we were sent. First and foremost, do test firing in lab-controlled conditions: one time with a robosod pulling the trigger, and another time with a simple machine pulling the trigger on timer/via radio command. Both times the gun is aimed at the wall a few meters ahead and is held near-identically (same height, same angle, etc). What happens and is there any difference?

(( I feel like I might have to ask for permission to borrow that sod, but I'm not sure whom to ask (Saint produces them, but they're military forces currently stationed on Hephaestus and as such might fall in Anton's territory), and whether to bother with it being but a single sod.))

I forget if I ever described it. I feel like I did at one point. For now lets say it takes the form of a soldier in a MKI with the faceplate down.

"Do we have any subjects yet?"

I dunno if her suit was broadcasting. I remember people turning their cameras off for some reason.
Ok. This prototyping shit might need to be reevaluated.
Maybe, we've got biotech guys now.
It's a self replicating, very tiny machine. To a degree we can.
The teleporter gun ARESTEVE made? Well that thing just teleports objects a set distance. It's safe. Well, the unmodified version ARESTEVE sent is.

Charles goes into VR and practice making and throwing piezoelectric throwing knives (find out what stats are required) at a leisurely pace. Whilst doing so, he accesses the relevant data to do the following:

• Find out what weapons are being sent to Q'Baja
• Open Tinker, see if it's possible to modify the Pimp Cane, in combination with some sort of imaging unit (cam eyes perhaps) into a kind of surgical apparatus for performing delicate operations from both outside and within the patient's body.
• Ask ARESTEVE whether Pimp Cane metal and Sandbag sand can be controlled via manipulator batteries.
• Obtain in-character knowledge about Q'Baja's customs
• Obtain in-character knowledge about all the MkIII's functions
• Get data on the durability of solidified Sandbag sand, focus on finding out whether or not it can function as a good construction material.

1. Not so much weapons as just plans for them. Q'baja can manufacture things without us doing it for them.
2. You could use it for that right now, but it relies on the will of the surgeon.
3. ? No? Why would they be? Manip batteries don't exist anymore, remember?
4-5. Sure.
6. It depends how densely you pack it, honestly.

Anton Chernozorov

"No, brain scan is simple. A few small needle like punctures to the skin. Slight discomfort."

"Ah. Good. I'll get to it then. Going to see what other tests we can perform while we're at it - pretense or no, a security checkup is a good idea."

The one about the disappearing college sounds best. 

I would like to invite Feyri Nirel to Hephaestus for scientific reasons; I do not expect her to agree, but she still ought to be invited first, I believe. Any objections?

Yes, for that very reason you'd think of. At least, we should give her the right of first refusal, I believe. Not necessarily explain everything outright, but give her the chance to... a certain kind of happiness. At the very least, I think this might be the closest to what they both wanted back before, so perhaps this is fate, in a sense.
Did you find any interesting leads in that data-dump? Personally, I find the college disappearance somewhat intriguing, but I might be biased.

I can't say I have any opinions on the matter of inviting Feyri here. While it may be in some form beneficial to her, I doubt she will find staying here particularly interesting. Ultimately it would be her choice - as long as her visit will not endanger this facility or interfere with its operations, I don't mind.

I do, however, think that of the data you sent me, the disappearing college seems the most interesting. We should see if we can form an investigation squad to send there.

Soon after he finishes typing the message, Anton sees Maurice return in person.

Seeing the Head of Defense still present, Maurice greeted him with a nod.
Ah, you're still here, Anton? I take it there are additional issues I have not yet been informed of?

"Not issues as such, I would say. Just a bit more work. I was just leaving to see to it. Have fun. And try not create anything I'll have to test my new artillery spaceships on."
Patting Maurice on the shoulder, the aging engineer heelies out into the corridor and returns to the base proper.

Compile a list of checks that could be performed, non-invasively, on all base personnel and workers, for the purposes of maintaining security. Checking the tracking implants for tampering and malfunctions, checking for any unauthorized equipment or drug use, looking through movements history for any security violations via the implant data, anything else I can think of, and of course the brain scan, alongside a full body scan for any unauthorized implants.

Set up all the necessary equipment and infrastructure for the checks. Coordinate with the Doctor as to the specifics of the brain scan, and what equipment is needed for it. Try to make it so that enough people can go through the checkup simultaneously as to not have the checking of the entire Heph personnel take an excessive amount of time.

Have all non-Sod Heph personnel undergo the security check, in staggered shifts so as not to impact the production rates. Catalogue all brain scans for the Doctor's project, and use the compiled security data to, besides identifying enemy agents, build a list of "workers that won't be missed". Anton may be reluctant to resort to it, but he will still make such a list in case there are any people on it who actually deserve being used for the project.

How many people do we have living on Heph, anyway? How long will the checkups take?

(( I feel like I might have to ask for permission to borrow that sod, but I'm not sure whom to ask (Saint produces them, but they're military forces currently stationed on Hephaestus and as such might fall in Anton's territory), and whether to bother with it being but a single sod.))

((Saint is in charge of the production Sod forces. You'll be borrowing one of his export Sods, not any Heph security Sods.))

Alright.

We'll set it up in the main hospital area, and move people through in shifts to keep things organized and on time.

We'll get started with that, it will take...probably till the end of these missions. Maybe less.

There are several hundred people on heph right now, scattered about.