Apparently I was mistaken in Update 2 when mentioning the upcoming funding session. They come every 4 weeks, which means logically the first one would be at Update 4. I said it was coming the update after Update 2.
2 + 1 equals 3. 2 + 1 does NOT equal 4.
Funding session is still happening this update, but it still has the 4 weeks between sessions. Meaning that the first funding session is essentially coming early.
Interplanetary Research Ward: Update 3Waypoint Base, After the Encounter at Destination 5As the weary soldiers walked straight into quarantine, the "loot" was counted and logged. An alien energy weapon, an alien corpse, and its armor. The weapon and armor, deemed Artifacts #1 and #2 respectively, have been sent to R&D for analysis. The alien corpse, deemed "Specimen #1", has been sent to Medbay for dissection. The soldier's corpse is also sent to medbay for a brief analysis of the wound before being sent away.
More RSUs are sent to Destination 2, the site of the ruins. Careful probing around the edge of the ruins show that they share similiar architecture with the ruins where the IRW's Warpgate was found. Some of the units are sent back into the ruins to see if the same type of destruction would occur, and it did. But some units gave some valuable data pre-destruction. One had camera footage of a small circular object located high on the wall glowing - likely an automated defense system warming up. Yet another showed a very chilling image. A barebones-metal humanoid robot (in the same form as a regular human, you may add) aiming some kind of gun attached to its arm at the RSU.
First Session Regarding the Funding of the Warpgate Program; i.e. the Interplanetary Research Ward"Well, Commander..." says a thinking(?) committee member.
"Interesting statement. As we're sure you know, we've all read the reports of the encounter at 'Destination Five' prior to this assembly."Another member starts speaking.
"In short, this is a very worrying incident, but it also presents an opportunity. The problem is obvious: A superior entity proven to be hostile to us has likely obtained a live captive. This could lead to serious consequences."He stops talking. Another one starts.
"But there's also the possible benefits. Just a small glimpse of their technology shows great promise - energy weapons, superior armor, aircraft, and more."The first member starts concluding the statements made by others.
"If we had the choice to do this over again, we wouldn't have activated the Warpgate. But the threat is already present. We have decided to raise your level of funding to $600,000.$600,000 in funding gained.Waypoint Base, after the Funding SessionEarlier this week, you hired all five specialists: Charles Greenfield as the new R&D Head, Dan Stevens, Emma Dawson, Jason Lerth and Sarah Leaf. Jason Lerth was going to be kept off-base until more space was available, but you do have more space "thanks" to the loss of 2 soldiers at D5. In total,
$125,000 was spent in hiring specialists, and $25,000 per week has been added to your upkeep.You re-read the analysis created by the R&D team from the video footage and debriefing of the surviving members of Team 2. The enemy aircraft that was briefly witnessed attacking Team 2 and bombarding the village is obviously very advanced. The way it flies suggests a kind of hovering technology, and it seems to have entirely front-facing energy weapons. However, the strangest aspect about the aircraft is the fact that it can't fit in a Warpgate. Which has fairly interesting implications.
The rest of the stuff you mostly already knew - their armor is apparently completely invulnerable against the ammunition used by soldiers, but it doesn't cover the entire body. Meaning weak spots are present. They only have one weapon that seems to have been used for both stunning and harming.
Soon after, you walk into the R&D lab. Greenfield greets you enthusiastically as he walks you over to the area where the artifacts are kept.
"So, Commander!" He quickly states,
"We've been going over the artifact and testing it. The weapon design in itself is interesting. So far we've determined that it has two 'latches' on its left and right sides. The latches should be able to close on a person's arm, securing the weapon. Though we haven't figured out how to lock them. The place where the weapon is 'held' by a hand is interesting. The grip seems to act as the trigger to the weapon, but we haven't been able to get that working. There's also a 'button' near the grip that we assume has something to do with the locking mechanism, but so far does apparently nothing."He gestures to the weapon. It's mounted to an emplacement pointed at a target and has wires attached in various places. Greenfield continues speaking.
"Luckily the engineers and I were able to find a way to access some kind of maintenance panel without actually 'breaking into' the artifact. We attached some wires in logical places and were able to find two functions of the gun: 'Kill' and 'Stun'. While 'kill' just acts like a traditional gun - shoot harmful energy 'ball' at person in the aim of killing or heavily injuring them, the 'stun' mode is what we witnessed on the captured soldier back at D5."He hands you a folder with his report on it as he finishes speaking.
"So basically we have a gun that in a lab setting can be fired. It also looks like the anatomy of the alien owners prevents us from effectively using this weapon as-is. If we figure out how to lock it and use the grip, a soldier could technically use it in the field, but not effectively."You and Greenfield walk over to another testing range, where the armor is placed. Greenfield gestures it and begins speaking in a less enthusiastic tone.
"The armor is.. not as interesting. Basically, it blocks bullets. Based on some firing range data we can conclude how effective most of our weapons would be against it. Any gun wouldn't really do anything. Maybe a really high-powered gun could dent it, but even then. The interesting thing about this armor is the material it's made out of. It's an alloy. Made out of some metals we already use, for the most part. But in small concentrations there's a completely new element that we've never witnessed before. The nature of the alloy makes the element hard to observe, but we can tell this element is probably responsible for most of the strength of the armor. Now, back to the weapon choice matters. For grenades, concussions will probably just stun the wearer. Maybe knock them down or hurt them a bit. Shrapnel grenades won't actually damage the armor but will have a chance of hitting a weak spot, and flashbangs should work as intended. Based on the species, at least. Now, the 'big' stuff is where they actually start getting hurt. Rockets, missiles, tank shells, and the like, will all probably kill the occupant. Though traditional RPGs will probably just slightly damage the armor and wound the occupant, based on the proximity of the explosion."He starts walking away, but suddenly he seems as if he remembers something and turns back to look at you.
"Oh, and I heard you considering the possibility of chemical weaponry against these aliens. While not vacuum-capable, their helmet seems to contain a minituarized life support system. They probably won't be affected by their surrounding atmosphere (as long as it's not a vacuum) when in their armor."He hands you the report for this as both of you walk to the Medbay. Once arrived, you head to the room where the alien specimen was autopsied. Greenfield starts explaining the autopsy.
"And now, finally, the autopsy. As we've seen in the footage from D5, they're taller than humans and have 3 legs. But other than that, they are similiar to humans in a remarkable way. Almost like we evolved from the same ancestor. Except somehow this specimen seems to be, well, almost like an insect in nature. The style of the limbs and just the general appearance of their skin gives the impression. But inside, they're similar to us - an internal skeleton, and more or less the same organs. And we've looked into the effectiveness of flashbangs against them. Their anatomy will likely reduce the effectiveness of flashbangs, but some of the intended effect should get through."You depart the Medbay and head back to your office. By now, the soldiers are back from Quarantine and your new policy of quarantining only until atmospheric analysis is done has been implemented. You request some information from your higher-ups about the possibility of expanding the base. You've been assured that while it's possible, it'd be very expensive. They also included in their reply a statement to "try to be efficient and only use expansion when needed." When you asked about an actual
price, the Committee just told you that they'd tell you when the space is getting more cramped.
That being said, it probably is very expensive.
You've also ordered your soldiers to start carrying 2 flashbangs, 2 concussion grenades, and 2 shrapnel grenades with them in excursions.
Explored Planets: (Planets where some effort was given by the IRW to be explored - ordered by most recent data)
Destination 5: Village in the distance.
Destination 1: Suspiciously perfect soil/water/air/vegetation; huge pylon seen in the distance from the gate.
Visited Planets: (Planets visited in some way or another - mostly by a RSU)
Destination 1: Breathable atmosphere. Apparent forest and general apparent 'friendly' environment. Surveillance unit returned after two days completely unharmed.
Destination 2: Vacuum (no atmosphere). Apparent ruins. Surveillance unit stopped responding roughly a minute after arrival. (Note - This counts as 'surviving')
Destination 3: Immense heat and destruction within seconds of arrival. Likely sun or other extreme hostile destination.
Destination 4: Breathable atmosphere. Small island surrounded by sea. Repeated signal interruptions, but unit returned safely after two days.
Destination 5: Breathable atmosphere. Regular terrain, and what appears to be a village in the distance. Unit immediately returned to prevent contact.
Coordinate Index currently houses extreme amounts of Warpgate coordinates. Any one of these can be dialed on Switchboard.
Hostile Species #1:
Encounters: (1 total)
Encountered at Destination 5
Funds: 657,500 Cr
Base Size: 5x5 tiles(White border means the two rooms are connected via passageway.)
Power Usage: 59/100.(-10p) Control Room: A room that houses the Switchboard along with control & support staff. Has a window to the Device Room, controls the Device room entirely, and has equipment for controlling/managing the entire base as well as supporting + managing away teams.
(-30p) Warpgate Room: The room housing the Warpgate. Holds ramping to it as well as various equipment dedicated to controlling aspects such as direct input and powerflow to the Warpgate.
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Warpgate Ventilation Upgrade: The Warpgate Room has independent life support systems that can be remotely activated and that will last a few weeks before having to switch back to the main base ventilation.
(-5p) Security Room: A 2-tile wide room with equipment and fortifications to help defend against attacks - cover, cameras, blast doors and regular heavy doors, checkpoints, and more. Manned by up to 12 personnel and has 2 MG emplacements facing towards the Warpgate Chamber entrance.
(+50p) Nuclear Reactor: A self sufficient nuclear reactor providing 50 power.
(+50p) Nuclear Reactor 2: A self sufficient nuclear reactor providing 50 power.
(-5p) R&D Lab: A room housing basic fabrication facilities and research equipment for both engineering and research. Manned by up to 15 research pesonnel.
(-1p) Staff Quarters: Has enough room and housing for 60 personnel.
(-1p) Small Staff Quarters: Has enough room and housing for 30 personnel.
(-3p) Barracks & Armory: Armory and barracks for soldiers. Has enough room for 20 soldiers and large amounts of weaponry + armor.
(-3p) Small Medbay: A medbay with room for 10 people in medical care, and 20 in quarantine. Most efficient when staffed with 5 medical personnel.
(-1p) Exit: Self-explanatory. Multiple elevators (freight and otherwise) to the surface.
Surface Buildings/EmplacementsHelipad: Can fuel, maintain and hold up to 2 large helicopters.
19/20 Soldiers
14 Trained Soldiers (14 waiting at Waypoint Base)
- GWMM-17 Rifle (Multipurpose Assault Rifle)
- Basic Body Armor (Kevlar Armor)
- 2 each of following: Concussion, Flashbang, and Shrapnel grenades
5 Specialists
70/90 Regular Staff
Research
4 Scientists
4 Engineers
7 R&D Techs
Trained
5 Medical Staff (Medically trained; staff medbay)
General
20 Technicians (Keep base running)
10 Control & Support Staff (Manage away teams and staff Control Room)
5 Management (General upper-management of program)
15 General Staff(Food, Custodial, Etc.)
20/20 Barracks Slots filled
Dan Stevens (Waiting at Waypoint Base)
Combat: 1, Science: 1, Archaeology: 3, Language: 3, Diplomacy: 1
Sarah Leaf (Waiting at Waypoint Base)
Combat: 2, Science: 3, Archaeology: 1, Language: 2, Diplomacy: 1
Charles Greenfield (Working at Waypoint Base)
Head of R&D
Combat: 1, Science: 3, Archaeology: 1, Language: 1, Diplomacy: 2
Emma Dawson (Waiting at Waypoint Base)
Combat: 3, Science: 1, Archaeology: 1, Language: 1, Diplomacy: 3
Jason Lerth (Waiting at Waypoint Base)
Combat: 1, Science: 3, Archaeology: 3, Language: 1, Diplomacy: 1
Notable Items
Note: Only items of higher value or that are worth noting are listed here.
- Warpgate
- Switchboard
- Artifact #1 (Alien Energy Weapon; Belongs to Hostile Species #1; Found at Destination 5)
- Artifact #2 (Alien Armor; Belongs to Hostile Species #1; Found at Destination 5)
Other Items
Mostly just things that are important to know that you have/
- "Infinite" RSUs (Robotic Surveillance Units
- "Infinite" Basic EVA Suits (Hazmat, Vacuum, etc.)
A log of all gathered artifacts + specimens and their planet of origin.
- Artifact #1 - Alien Energy Weapon; Belongs to Hostile Species #1; Found at Destination 5
- Artifact #2 - Alien Armor; Belongs to Hostile Species #1; Found at Destination 5
- Specimen #1 (Dissected) - Hostile Species #1 Corpse; Killed by IRW Forces; Found at Destination 5
Wages handled by Government.
Maintenance handled by Government.
Income
Funding: +$600,000
Funding session in 4 weeks. Expected funding: +$600,000
Purchases:
5 Specialists: -$125,000 and -$25,000/week
Upkeep
None (this week)
Expected Upkeep (next week)
5 Specialists: -$25,000
Funds Change since last update: +$475,000r
657,500 Credits