TURN 0
Under Jupiter's baleful gaze, the Ark Bharatama carries on its eternal yearly circuit of Sol. One of many forgotten colonies-to-be, she has made her way in the light of the Sun ever since her launch in the last days of the Indian nation on Old Earth, never settling down as her builders intended. Instead, she claimed a much more significant destiny; a free ship, a neutral zone for all Sol's inhabitants. Here, free tech, information, bodies for hire and wealth all gather and mix, luring in Solars wherever she goes. A hundred lesser ships trail in her wake while their owners and crews see to business aboard.
Five Solars have come, for their own reasons. One, like many, comes for answers. Another watches, listens, and sees, hiding its true nature. A third searches for salvation for a people who will never accept her. One is lost in a world he hates, but perseveres, devoted to his nation and his mission. Yet another simply seeks work, offering its deadly skillset and ship to any willing to pay.
Perhaps they will join forces; perhaps their ways will part. Sol has something for every soul, or so they say.
***
Captain Gurshin BrooChatter on the 'net was that there'd be interesting work aplenty up for grabs on the Ark. That's usually been true, in Captain Gurshin Broo's experience. Four decades offering his guns and ship in the darkest corners of the Solar System has given Broo a good sense of where his particular skill-set is going to be needed next.
The Ark is packed full, as always. Solars of every form and origin wander her halls and gilded corridors, from Orbitals - ranging in appearance from the angelic to the obscene to simply incredibly strange - to backwater loners jumping at every sight and sound. Broo thinks it even spotted some Earthborn earlier, though it may have just been an Orbital with a plain designer body. The cyborg can only imagine the effect the splendor of the ship could have on an Earthborn, anyway, though the ornamentation of her stately corridors cannot quite hide the original stark industrial nature of the ship. Regardless, the Ark's inhabitants have given it their best shot. At points, the ship looks rather like a palace in the style of Old India - but Broo's seen it all before. The cyborg is here to shop, and shop it shall.
The Market has its physical stalls and places, but Broo does not need to go near to be hit with an immediate wave of incoming data and comms attempts. It is thankful for its robust security system; this place is usually rife with worms and spy-code just waiting for a vulnerable Caster to overwhelm. Broo lets the safer messages wash over him. Oh, yes. This place is hiring.
Team or sole body sought for confidential mission. Contact Akhigbe, Mwenye, information broker, for further details. Payment in tech, information, or currency of choice. Those seeking to waste my time should not expect to live pleasant futures.
...prospective artificers invited to showcase by Lazarus Andrei Gulth, master biocrafter, Room of Petals, Seventh Gate...
QUERY. 60203430. ATHWHKLGL. NN42009991. KEY CODE: ZENITH. AWAITING ANSWER.
...name is Líle de la Croix. I require assistance. I dare not speak more here. Please, if there is a merciful soul out there, seek me out on the Observation Deck...
BOUNTIES: For Slavers of New Hong Kong. EACH CONSTRUCT FREED & EACH MASTER KILLED Will Result In Reward! -Captain Glass, Void Cavalry.
Employment: Retrieval of stolen property. Employer: BioHab Consortium. Payment: Negotiable.There is much, much more. Broo could delve deeper into the job market, but that's not the only draw of the Ark. There are always contacts to be made, wares to browse, people to kill... Broo rolls over to a terrace overlooking the main Market. A hardlight art display flickers from from to form here. There are a handful of others; a Remnant (Enceladus, if it knows its savages) with a distinct lack of augs showing up on its scans, a juggernaut of a bioroid that Broo automatically sizes up for strengths and weaknesses and concludes it has more of the former, and two seemingly purestrain humans - though that seems hardly possible. Could they be Earthborn? How curious.
Captain Gurshin Broo [HP: 30/30] [Security: ¤¤¤]
-3 Kinetic Damage, -3 Energy Damage
Pre-Descent Jockey-Destroyer
Augs:
+Integrated Caster [Security: ¤¤¤] [Caster. A basic Caster integrated into Broo's neural-electronic system.]
+Multilimbs [Gurshin's six appendages provide an unparalled capability for skill and mayhem, allowing it to multiwield weaponry or devices without penalty.]
+Microthrusters [Simple thrusters built into Groo's body allow for controlled flight in low- and zero-gravity environments.]
+Warhawk Command Suite [Proxnet. Classic warship control system which provides extremely detailed real-time intelligence and tactical analysis, greatly enhancing the combat capabilities of any pilot. Grants +8 to Combat Navigation and +5 to Gunnery and Electronic Warfare rolls.]
+Navigation Aug [Proxnet. Multi-use pilot's aid granting +5 to Void Navigation rolls.]
+Targeting Processor [Proxnet. Grants +3 to Gunnery rolls.]
+Reflex Booster [Reflex and reaction time booster granting +3 to Dodge rolls and +2 to Melee rolls.]
+Augmented Appendages [Powerful limbs and motors throughout Groo's body grant Augmented Strength 1.]
Equipment:
*Antique Mag-Pistol [7/7] [Close/4 Kinetic Damage/Clip 7] [This pre-Descent mag-pistol still packs a punch today.]
*Voivode Blaster Pistol [5/5] [Close/6 Energy Damage/Clip 5] [A popular Voivode automatic hampered by its limited power pack.]
*Monofab Armor Plating [-3 Kinetic Damage, -3 Energy Damage] [High-quality armor plating covering Broo's frame.]
-Solar Chart [Farnet Device. Live-feed map of the Solar System and its active, unmasked signals.]
-500 Tharsis Credits [Currency of civilized Mars, accepted in most of Sol.]
Skills:
Augmented Strength I [+5]
Aim I [+5]
Melee I [+5]
Void Navigation I [+5]
Combat Navigation I [+5]
Gunnery I [+5]
Piloting I [+5]
Intimidation I [+5]
In hangar.Unnamed [SP: 40/40] [Security: ¤¤]
Shields (10/10 charge): -7 Kinetic, -5 Energy, -5 to Electronic Warfare attacks on ship while active
Armor: -2 Kinetic Damage, -1 Energy Damage
Systems:+Ceres Shield Projector [10/10 charge/+1 charge per turn/-7 Kinetic Damage, -5 Energy Damage] [Decent shield generator built by the technocrats of Ceres.]
+Modified UEN Engines [These old, if recently updated, engines are oversized for a ship of this size, granting +3 to Combat Navigation speed and manouvers.]
Weapons:-Talon Transstellar Missiles (7) [Long Range/20 Kinetic Damage/
Shielded II] [High-yield Transstellar-pattern missiles, guaranteed to ruin someone's day.]
-Ceres Laser Battery [Medium Range/8 Energy Damage] [Basic, prefab battery of lasers available practically free of charge in the inner system.]
***
Zahir SpencerIt is a brave new world, and Zahir Spencer hates every bit of it. There are so many freakish people,
beings, made ghoulish and unnatural by their augs and surgeries. There is so much noise, so much data battering on the Caster he's been forced to obtain to get anything done out here. He's considered turning it off to get some peace, but apparently that's somehow viewed as 'suspicious' among these people. Besides, he understands its value. He is on a mission, after all. This is just an irritant. One of many.
Zahir's spent an unhappy series of journeys aboard automated cargo ships headed outwards, seeking to get away from the Orbitals and their watching eyes. From what he's heard, this is a place where tech is sold without much question - perfect for the needs of the Dominion. The funds the Dominion was able to obtain for his mission are dwindling rapidly, though. The Orbitals claimed they'd moved beyond money; clearly the rest of the Solar System hadn't. Or perhaps that was just more lies, too.
Zahir overlooks the Market, trying not to look too hard at the beings there. Messages keep coming in on his Caster - he supposes he'll have to check them eventually. There are others nearby, and one, blessedly, looks human, a young woman. It's probably best not to trust appearances, though. The others are strange, unnatural - only one of them looks even remotely human. Zahir supposes circumstances might force him to work with beings such as them, regardless.
Zahir Spencer [HP: 30/30] [Security: ¤]
-1 Kinetic Damage
Earthborn Hardened-Destroyer
Augs:None
Equipment:*Obsolete Caster [Security:¤] [Caster. An old-as-sin model of Caster barely compatible with more modern versions.]
*Ayers Battler Rifle [
16/16] [Medium/2 Kinetic Damage/Clip 16/
Dumbtech] [The mainstay of AD armies, this weapon is outclassed by practically everything off-Earth.]
*Skywatch MGL [
4/4] [Medium/5 Kinetic Damage/Clip 4/
Blast 1,
Stunning 1,
Dumbtech] [This AD Special Forces microgrenadelauncher allows for rapid and devastating attacks.]
*Skywatch Body Armor [-1 Kinetic Damage, +2 to resistance against Stunning and disorientation] [AD Special Forces body armor, notable for inbuilt shock-proofing layers]
-Breacher Charges (
3) [Planted/10 Kinetic Damage/
Piercing 2,
Stunning 2,
Blast 1] [Heavy-duty wall-breaching charges built using Orbital designs, if Earthborn materials.]
-Targeter Visor [Device. Simple targeting aid granting +2 to Aim rolls.]
-Enviroskin [Unequipped. Adaptive suit provides rudimentary full-body protection (+3) against extreme environments and conditions.]
Skills:Aim I [+5]
Melee I [+5]
Piloting I [+5]
Intimidation I [+5]
***
Brooklyn of Clan SpycheShe can feel the poison in her blood, like a whisper, always at the back of her mind.
For her, Bloodburn is a slow death. For those she left behind on Enceladus, it burns higher every day, growing in their veins, polluting their corpses beyond use. Her mission is an urgent one. Brooklyn has come to the Ark in her search; she has heard of a scientist here, specializing in engineered diseases. It was not mentioned if he specialized in curing them or creating them, but either way, it is a lead - the only she's had so far.
She does not know where to find the scientist, though, not yet - an unfortunate delay. But... there is a rich trade in knowledge and favors here. Someone is bound to know.
Her masters have outfitted her with new augmentations, to go with her own. The most curious of them is an extensive series of modules she spent a day in surgery for, capable of masking the signals and radiation any piece of technology is bound to send off. It is a powerful tool, for certain.
The Market she overlooks hosts a great number of merchants and peddlers - a disdained lot, in her old life, but powerful here. There are offers here, in the datastream, ready to be plucked. Some are more insistent than others. Her Caster has already blocked out several attempts at intrusion. Others are nearby, beneath a strange, shifting sculpture of light - a strange, heavy bioroid, a multi-limbed cyborg, and two humans - purestrain, though it seems improbable. In her experience, limited as it may be,
nobody goes around that primitive in Sol. It is probably another vain affectation of these Orbitals she keeps seeing. In any case, they may be of some assistance as she pursues her goal - but just as well, it may be best to work alone.
Brooklyn of Clan Spyche [HP: 30/30] [Security:¤¤¤]
-2 Kinetic Damage, -2 Biochem Damage, -1 Energy Damage
Remnant Operative-Hardened
Augs:+Embedded Caster [Security: ¤¤¤] [Caster. Despite looks, this neurally linked arm-borne Caster can match the power of any cutting-edge model.]
+Recycler Implant [Recycles nutrients, oxygen and other necessary matter in the user's body and surroundings for longer survival in hostile environments.]
+Exoskin Layer [Adaptive skin granting +4 to Endurance rolls against extreme temperatures, hostile atmospheres and other conditions.
Masked 1.]
+Suspension Webs [Launchers in the limbs and torso capable of deploying durable hardmesh 'webs' to attach the user to almost any surface.
Masked 1.]
+Masking Aug [Full-body nullsense augmentation grants all augs Masked 1.]
+Softstep Padding [Stealth padding muffling the sounds of movement, granting +2 to Stealth movement rolls.]
+Needle Weapon [
5/5] [Close/3 Kinetic Damage/Clip 5/
Critical,
Hidden,
Masked 2]
+Sensory Amp [Extensive augmentation providing Augmented Senses 1.
Masked 1.]
Equipment:*Scavenger Suit [-2 Kinetic Resistance, -2 Biochem Resistance, -1 Energy Resistance] [A ramshackle protective suit added to by Brooklyn along the years.]
-Silencer [Proxnet Device. This device projects a field of visual obstruction, signal jamming and noise to create a safe space for discussion or data transfer.]
-Microcam [Proxnet Device. A remote-controlled drone the size of a grain of sand, capable of streaming high-quality video and sound.]
-Scavenger Kit [A set of tools and materials for field repairs or modifications, granting +2 to Engineering rolls.]
-200 Tharsis Credits
Skills:Augmented Senses I [+5]
Charm I [+5]
Deception I [+5]
Stealth I [+5]
***
OCOS-998The Ark Bharatama - a place of information, of technology and of commerce. It was given high priority in her briefing files, and she agrees with that decision. She has already saved footage of several points of interest for upload - but the real secrets are not so easily found. Sightings of some elusive figures of interest have been repeatedly reported on the Ark. She cannot take such reports at face value, of course, but they bear investigation. Certainly, the Ark has many employers seeking bodies to go into the Black of the outer system. That is information more valuable to the Orbitals than any material good.
The Market is abuzz with activity. Trades and offers clog up her monitoring programs. Sometimes, something devious tries to enter her systems, but she is quick to backtrace them and disabuse their senders of the notion. Payment in the Market comes in many forms - primitive currency, commonly in the Credits of Tharsis Anchorage, forms a part, but she is more intrigued by offers information, technology and favors. Of course, should she wish it, any Orbital could upload as much wealth for her use as she could possibly want. It is such a crude form of exchange, but if needs must...
998 notes a few oddities nearby - even by Sol's strange standards. She watches them while giving the perfect impression her attention is fully on the delightfully rustic hardlight sculpture hanging above them - a simple trick, with her ocular implants. One of them is an Earthborn, by all accounts. It's not that rare for them to leave the surface, of course, but this one must be a fresh arrival - she can sense no augs at all anywhere on him! There's also a bioroid that sends off threat warnings in her cortex just from her looking at it, a Remnant with rather ramshackle-looking augments, and a mercenary automata - correction, cyborg. How interesting!
OCOS-998 [HP: 30/30] [Security: ¤¤¤¤]
-2 Energy Damage, -1 Kinetic Damage, -2 Biochem Damage
Synth Operative-Tech Head
Augs:+Integrated Caster [Security: ¤¤¤] [Caster. A cutting-edge Caster built into OCOS-998's brain infrastructure for maximum speed and processing capability.]
+Nanoblood [
Overcharge available.] [Cutting-edge Orbital regenerative blood cells maintain the unit in the long-term. May be overcharged for faster repairs of 5-10 HP, with 1-day cooldown.]
+Null Point Projector [
Inactive] [Data aug turning the user into a 'null point' practically invisible to automated system security (+20 against Passive Security). Can be maintained for up to 5 turns.
Masked 1.]
+Advanced Ocular Implants [Cutting-edge ocular enhancements grant the unit +5 to Senses rolls of vision and +3 to Aim rolls.
Masked 1.]
+Data Guard [A security processor enhancing the user's defenses, granting +¤ Security
Masked 1.]
+Autohacker [Simple hacking aid granting +3 to Data rolls.
Masked 1.]
+Falsesmile Processor [Behavioral processor designed to aid the user to perfectly mimic emotional responses and states, granting +4 to Deception rolls.
Masked 1.]
+Scrubber Implant [Cleanses breathing of toxics and harmful agents, granting +5 to Endurance rolls of resisting poison, toxins, disease and granting 1 Biochem Resistance.
Masked 1.+Masking Aug [Full-body nullsense augmentation grants all augs Masked 1.]
Equipment:*Synthskin [2 Energy Resistance, 1 Kinetic Resistance, 1 Biochem Resistance] [Standard Orbital hardened skin layer for synths, providing a measure of protection while still appearing flesh-like to touch.]
-Ocular Parasites [3 Deployments] [Farnet Device. Mobile nanocams capable of broadcasting video back to the controller; when dispersed in high-population areas, attach themselves to the optic nerves of unsuspecting targets to produce a widespread net of very personal surveillance.]
-Mnemonic Lace [Device. Resembling a curled silver worm, this advanced Orbital tool can be inserted into the brains of organic beings to remove or alter memories, with only minor risk of brain damage.]
Skills:Charm I [+5]
Deception I [+5]
Stealth I [+5]
Data I [+5]
***
Medulla-3Do Machines possess souls? A famous philosophical conundrum. The android community has long been split into three camps of varying size on the issue. The Certains argue that, yes, all sapient beings, well including Machinekind, do possess souls. The Potentials hold that souls exist, and that Machines may or may not have them. The Deniers reject the idea that Machinekind can possess souls, and often refuse the idea of a soul entirely. This is not even touching on the opinions of the larger Machine community, nor on intriguing questions such as - if sapient beings possess souls, what is the point they will begin to possess them? And what is a Soul, in the end? Is it something quantifiable? My humble work cannot hope to answer such questions, but I will touch upon them regardless, hoping my gentle readers will show some measure of mercy...Medulla-3 pauses her processing (a treatise by the name of 'Does This Unit Have A Soul?', by an obscure android philosopher known as Cortex) and studies the sights in front of her. She has been here for some time, watching. The Market is a curious place - she has even received some offers of organics for consumption - but it is the people here that interest her more. It's nothing she hasn't seen before, not truly, but seeing them mingling, working, communicating in so many ways - it is a rare experience. Data comes into her Caster in a steady stream. There's always work to be had here on the Ark.
Others are watching her, in turn. A cyborg warrior who might even be a match for her, a Remnant of, she thinks, Enceladian origin, and two seemingly purestrain humans. She's only consumed a handful of purestrains, and half of them bore foreign pathogens or nanotech in their bodies. Not that she'd just go and eat them. Not without orders, at least. Those she hasn't received in some time, but there is plenty of information, and sources of information, aboard this ship. She has never left here empty-handed.
Medulla-3 [HP: 40/40] [Security: ¤¤¤]
Shields: 4/4 charge, -6 Kinetic Damage, -4 Energy Damage
Ganymedean Hardened-Destroyer
Augs:
+Integrated Caster [Security: ¤¤¤] [Basic Caster integrated into Medulla-3's biomachinery.]
+Biological Deassemblers [Meduila's advanced biomachinery allow her to consume and analyze biological matter and beings. Length of consumption depends on target.]
+Gas Emitters [Gas available.] [Medulla's vents allow the deployment of varieties of gas: Toxic, Thruster, Corrosive, and EMP. 5-turn-cooldown after each use.]
+Combat Glands [Available.] [Artificial glands can be activated for a 3-turn biochem rush of combat stimulants, granting +10 to Endurance rolls and +5 to Aim and Melee rolls. 1-day-cooldown.]
+Photosensitive Shell [Motion detectors along Medulla's shell provide +2 to Aim rolls and +3 to Senses rolls.]
+Exoskin Layer [Adaptive skin granting +4 to Endurance rolls against extreme temperatures, hostile atmospheres and other conditions.]
+Titan Plating [Heavy limb plating providing +5 resistance to being knocked over.]
+Armoured Heart [Enhanced and armoured heart grants +10 HP.]
+Augmented Musculature [Extensive, high-grade enhancement to musculature provides Augmented Strength 1.]
Equipment:
*Ganymedean Shield Generator [4/4 charge/+1 charge per turn/-6 Kinetic, -4 Energy]
Skills:
Augmented Strength I [+5]
Aim I [+5]
Melee I [+5]
Intimidation I [+5]
***
ConceptCasters are everpresent in civilized Sol. A multitool combining a microcomputer, control system and network provider, a Caster generally links and controls all of an user's augs and systems. A Caster also projects a proxnet, a local, personalized network allowing interaction with any online system and instantenous transfer of data between individuals. Even a few proxnet-projecting Casters also come together to form a farnet, which can cover an entire planet, ship or station and link to other farnets across Sol. The more Casters active, the faster and more powerful the farnet usually becomes.
The first Casters were created out of fear of another Rampancy. The pervasive datasphere of Old Earth had granted everyone network access from above, whether they wanted it or not, and had been extremely vulnerable to the Rampancy. By creating a system projected outwards from every user, it was thought more control could be exercised - an user threatened by intrusion could just shut themselves off. Today, however, Casters also function as a sort of ID; shutting off your Caster, while generally stopping you from being hacked, is seen as rather shady and unusual. It's a desperate measure, effectively blinding you in Sol's data-rich world, in any case.
Most Casters are augments, implanted directly into the user and usually neurally linked. This means an user may control their data and systems with thought commands or nerve twitches - much more efficient than manual tapping away at screens of the old world.
Author
Topic: Solar: a Transhuman Scifi RPG IC [Turn 8] (Read 11138 times)