#inhospitable tech

[taohun]

amateur mistake.

[jacqcrisis]

I have kept thinking about the desert grungy sci-fi jayvik au. I don't have a real... plot for it other than a lot of disconnected ideas but I figure I'll write out about it a bit more with the world and Jayce and Viktor's specific backstories.

The world they live in is cutthroat. Most of the populace lives in walled off megalopolises separated by hundreds of miles of dry inhospitable land, controlled by an incomprehensible network of corrupt politicians and wealthy tech tycoons. Entry into these cities is based off citizenship or merit or wealth, and it is nearly impossible to get into one if you aren't already born there.

Outside of these walls, pockets of communities have cropped up to make some kind of a living. It's difficult, the land is lawless, crime rampant, and resources scarce but what do humans do if not carve out a way to live?

And connecting all of this is a highway, running between the cities and cutting through the desert. A long unbroken road, unprotected from the elements or the gangs that roam the place, looking for easy, unprotected vehicles to pick off for valuables and scrap. It's the only paved highway of its kind, and is necessary to cross the desert between the cities with any kind of certainty.

There, at the halfway point between Piltover and a smaller sister city, is Zaun, a tiny town of a few hundred citizens. Subsidized in part from Piltover originally as a rest stop, and kept alive by a small weapons factory, the excess energy sold off from the solar panels that run the place, and the travelers than pass through here, Zaun is a veritable dusty oasis for the lost and the downtrodden in the middle of nowhere. And it's most notable feature is the gas station that fuels and repairs the vehicles that brave the highway, manned by only a few employees, including two young inventors.

Jayce wasn't born here, coming from a smaller clan that got wiped out when Jayce was around 8, leaving him and his mom seeking out safety and work in Zaun. Jayce grows up an introverted loner, not wanting to cause trouble for his mom and more focused on the dream of inventing something that would get them into the fabled heaven that is Piltover and he spends most of his time with machines and car parts and dry manuals and engineering books. He didn't cross paths much with Viktor in this time as they ran in different circles but a few chance encounters has Jayce quietly enamored with the guy by the time he starts working at the gas station.

Viktor did grow up here, one of a non-insignificant number of abandoned infants that make it to the relative safety of Zaun every few years. Early in his childhood, tragedy strikes and his leg is crushed in an accident. Given there's one guy (Singed) in town who's barely qualified as doctor and medical supplies are thin on the ground, the decision to amputate is an easier one than risking death by infection, and what's left after the surgery is most of his thigh. Being an inventive little guy, Viktor's general interest in building things and mechanics gets tested and he makes several different prosthetics for himself over the years.

He grows up, makes a pretty good name for himself as a fix it guy, runs probably with the 'wrong crowd' a bit as he does auto repair and fine tuning for fucked up drag race cars in the middle of the desert for extra cash. Dreams of a better life for the people of his town and for himself as he gets hired at the gas station where in just a couple of years time, he'll be working with the very person who will either make that dream come true or ruin everything.

And they're going to be so stupid about each other while they do it. Jayce falls head over ass on conversation one with Viktor and Viktor doesn't even notice how far gone he himself has traversed down the 'falling in love with your best friend/coworker/roommate/science partner' road until he's too in deep. And you know they won't talk about, you know they're gunna let that shit simmer, you know they are going to be So.

Weird.

About.

It.

Between fixing all sorts of fucked up cars, dealing with customers, inventing their life changing macguffin, and interacting with the various denizens of their town including all the usual Zaun characters. I have so many scenes for this but nothing that's connected coherently.

[roseaesynstylae]

Jedi-related Technology — Light of the Jedi

These were the crafts of the Jedi Order, their Vectors. As the Jedi and the Republic worked as one, so did the great craft and its Jedi contingent. Larger ships exited the Third Horizon’s hangars as well, the Republic’s workhorses: Longbeams. Versatile vessels, each able to perform duties in combat, search and rescue, transport, and anything else their crews might require.

The Vectors were configured as single- or dual-passenger craft, for not all Jedi traveled alone. Some brought their Padawans with them, so they might learn what their masters had to teach. The Longbeams could be flown by as few as three crew, but could comfortably carry up to twenty-four — soldiers, diplomats, metics, techs — whatever was needed.”

“The Vectors were as minimally designed as a starship could be. Little shielding, almost no weaponry, very little assistance. Their capabilities were defined by their pilots. The Jedi were the shielding, the weaponry, the minds that calculated what the vessel could achieve and where it could go. Vectors were small, nimble. A fleet of them together was a sight to behold, the Jedi inside coordinating their movements via the Force, achieving a level of precision no droid or ordinary pilot could match.

They looked like a flock of birds, or perhaps fallen leaves swirling in a gust of wind, all drawn in the same direction, linked together by some invisible connection…some Force. Bell had seen an exhibition on Coruscant once, as part of the Temple’s outreach programs. Three hundred Vectors moving together, gold and silver darts shining in the sun above Senate Plaza. They split apart and wove into braids and whipped past each other at incredible, impossible speed. The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. People called it a Drift. A Drift of Vectors.”

“[…] Weapons on a Vector could only be operated with a lightsaber key, a way to ensure they were not used by non-Jedi, and that every time they used, it was a well-considered action.

An additional advantage— the ship’s laser could be scaled up or down via a toggle on the control sticks. Not every shot had to kill. They could disable, warn…every option was available to them.”

“They were riding in another vehicle customer-designed by Valkeri Enterprises for the Jedi — a Vanguard, the land-based equivalent to the Vector. It was also sometimes called a V-wheel, even though the thing didn’t always use its wheels to get around. Every Jedi outpost had at least one as part of its standard kit, and the machine was engineered to operate in all of the planetary environments in which those stationed were situated [?]. It could operate as a wheeled or tracked ground transport, or a repulsorlift speeder for ground too rugged for tank treads. A Vanguard even had limited utility as an amphibious or even submersible vehicle, being able to seal itself off entirely as needed. It could do everything but fly, and that came in handy on Elphrona, where the planet’s strong magnetic fields made certain regions utterly inhospitable to flying craft.

The overall aesthetic was analogous to Vectors — smooth, sleek lines, with curves and straight edges integrated into an appealingly geometric whole. Behind the seats in the driver’s cabin — currently occupied by Indeera Stokes and Loden Greatstorm — was a large, multipurpose passenger area, with space to store any gear that a mission might require. Vanguards were more rugged than Vectors, but were built with many of the same Jedi-related features as their flying cousins. The weapons systems required a lightsaber key, and many of the controls were mechanical in nature, so as to be operated — in an emergency — via an application of the Force rather than through electronics.

No Jedi would use the Force to accomplish something as easily done with their hand — but lives had been saved by the ability to unlock a Vanguard’s hatch from a distance, or fire its weapons, or even make it move.”

“Indeera slipped past them to the rear of the vehicle, where its two Veil speeders were stored on racks, one above the other. Like all the Valkeri Enterprises built for the older, they were designed for Force-users, and as such were delicate, highly responsive machines. Little more than a seat strapped to a hollow duralium frame, with a single repulsor and four winglike attachments that sprang from its side, a Veil was basically a flying stick. But if you knew how to to ride them, they were incredibly fast and maneuverable. A group of skilled riders, with lightsabers out and ready, could take down entire platoons of armored vehicles while sending blasterfire back at attackers.”

“At the moment, she was aboard the Ataraxia, the Jedi’s beautiful, elegant starship, almost a temple in and of itself.”

“Another ship was visible on his display, outside his command authority but certainly an ally: the Ataraxia, the one large starship under the direct control of the Jedi Order. It was a beautiful ship, designed to subtly evoke the Order’s symbol with its hull and sweeping, curved wings accented in white and gold.”

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Infectious

TBB & Fem!Reader

Chapter 3: Rumors on Scorro

Summary: You're completing your final practicum on Kamino as part of the experimental non-clone Combat Medic program. After graduating top of your class, and being inducted into the prestigious 407th Medic Unit, you get assigned to Clone Force 99. Neither of you are excited to be working together and tensions run high. However, those tensions dissipate when the Bad Batch unexpectedly falls ill while on a covert mission. Running against an unknown clock, it’s up to you to figure out what’s causing the illness before it ultimately kills you all.

Pairing: TBB & Fem!Reader

Characters: Hunter, Echo, Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech

Tags & Warnings: BAMF fem!reader, enemies to friends, humor, action, angst, hurt/comfort, canon typical violence, mild suggestive themes, explicit medical descriptions, whump

Word Count: 5.7k

Author's Note: WE'RE BACK BABY!!! Yeah, that's right. Finally. After all of this time, the next chapter has arrived 🥳 I told y'all I would be updating my other series fics in the new year, and I meant it. This chapter has some Echo angst in it, because why not. FYI, since it's been 9 months, I went back and edited the first two chapters to match my current writing style. No plot elements changed, just style, grammar, word choice, etc. As always, please enjoy 💚

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

As the ship leaves the stormy atmosphere of Kamino, you turn your head to look out the transparisteel viewport and are greeted by the sight of endless stars twinkling brightly across the ebony horizon. You smile wide knowing this view will never get old. The galaxy is vast and beautiful, and getting to see it up close and personal, while also doing something you love, is priceless. This really is a turning point in your life. A new chapter to be written and explored.

When the ship levels out, you unstrap from the jump seat and start exploring the Marauder. You have a feeling you’ll be spending a lot of time aboard this ship, so you want to familiarize yourself with it as much as possible. You walk back towards the stern, where Wrecker is, and look around, but there's not much to see. Then make your way back up toward the bow and step aboard the bridge. You weave between Hunter and Crosshair, and stand behind Tech.

“So, where are we going?” you ask while looking over Tech’s shoulder at the controls.

Without turning around, Tech answers. “Agamar. It’s a rather barren planet found in the outer rim. The terrain is inhospitable to most, but we will manage.”

“What’s the mission?” you ask further, excited by the prospect and intrigue.

“There’s a separatist base they want us to route,” Hunter says. “A simple in-and-out mission.”

You nod your head at the explanation, but he makes it sound like routing a heavily guarded separatist base is a walk in the park. You have to remind yourself that they are an elite force of clones and are genetically modified for the toughest conditions. It amazes you that such clones can even exist and your fascination with them grows. You wonder how they look in action and if they live up to all the rumors the regular clones whisper about on Kamino. Only time will tell.

Hunter rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck. “Get some sleep, all of you. We’ll be there in a couple hours.”

You want to say something funny, like 'aye aye captain', but decide not. Instead, you simply nod and make your way back to the bunks. Laying down on the flat rack, you stare up at the ceiling. There are too many pre-mission jitters vibrating through your body to fall asleep. Even after shutting your eyes and calming yourself, it's just not enough. So, you toss and turn, getting more aggravated that your body won’t drift off, since being tired for your first mission is not an option.

You sigh and sit up, then peer around at the others who are soundly asleep in their bunks and chairs. You’re not sure how they can fall asleep so fast. It’s either a genetic thing or a military training tactic, but whatever it is, you don’t have it. You decide to get up and pace around to try and wear yourself out, and when you do, you hear something. The ship is quiet and your ears perk up immediately at the sound. Wanting to investigate it, you quietly slip around your squad.

One by one, you pass by them, waiting and listening to hear who made the weird sound. Not Wrecker. You move on. Not Crosshair either. You check the next one. He’s making noise for sure, but not the sound you heard. It’s not Tech either. You move towards Hunter, a little nervous that he might wake up and catch you staring at him, but you pause and listen. Nope, not him. You purse your lips. That only leaves Echo. Carefully, you tip toe over to him, wait, and listen.

He's not making a sound, and with a shrug, you turn to leave, thinking you’re a level of crazy for hearing things on a quiet ship. Then it happens again. You turn back around and look at Echo. He’s sleeping rather soundly, with soft rhythmic breaths and gentle rises and falls of his chest. No breath obstructions, you note to yourself. You wait and watch for a moment, then he says it again. It’s faint, breathy, and almost unrecognizable as a word, but you hear it regardless.

Fives.

You knit your eyebrows at the odd utterance, and wait a little longer, listening to see if what he mumbles changes or if he’s repeating the same word. After a couple standard seconds, Echo says the same breathy word again. Fives. You wonder what it means. Maybe it’s a special numerical sequence from his time back on Skako Minor? You shrug at the mystery, but are happy that it’s not a breathing issue. You turn to leave him be, but he mumbles something else.

Fives come back.

Oh. Your heart drops. It’s a person. He’s dreaming about someone he knows, or maybe someone he once knew. You sigh and let your eyes turn soft, knowing exactly what it’s like to dream about loved ones. It’s been several years, but you still dream about your parents. Sometimes you can’t fill in all the gaps of your dreams as you slowly forget things, but it still pulls at your heartstrings every time they show up to give you a hug in the realm of sleep.

As your thoughts wander a yawn escapes past your lips. Finally, feeling tired and ready for sleep, you return to your bunk and crawl onto the hard surface. Laying on your back, you close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to settle yourself. You still wonder who Fives is and what they mean to Echo. Your psychology books tell you that dreams can be a subconscious escape or a subconscious desire. Knowing next to nothing about Echo’s past, it could be either one.

You take another deep breath and exhale slowly. Closing your eyes, you let yourself drift off to sleep, but in a split moment, a rough hand shakes you back awake. You shoot up and hit your head on the bunk above you. Ouch. Nursing your newly formed bump, you use your other hand to rub the sleep out of your eyes. When you come out of your groggy haze, you can hear snickering coming from the rest of the squad. Ha ha, yes, very funny. You think to yourself.

“Rise and shine,” Hunter mocks as he walks away from your bunk. “We’re here.”

Gathering your composure, you swing out of the bunk and head over to the cockpit for the landing. You look out the viewport as you enter the atmosphere of Agamar and your face lights up with excitement. This is it. Your first mission. You want to squeal, but something tells you that no one else is going to appreciate it, so you keep it internal. The ship lands on the rocky surface of the planet with only a slight wobble. Tech wasn’t kidding when he said it was inhospitable.

Your excitement grows as the squad gears up with their packs, and you follow suit the same way. You double check your pack to make sure you have all the medical necessities and do a mental headcount of your supplies. Once satisfied with your inventory, you sling it across your back and toss your bucket snug on your head. You’re all set to go on your first mission. The ship door opens, light beaming in, and your heart begins to race. This is it. This is your moment.

You take your first steps forward to leave the ship when Hunter stretches an arm out to stop you. “Not you,” Hunter says. “You’re staying here.”

“What?” you question. “But what about the mission?”

“Your mission is here,” Hunter says. “You’re staying on the ship with Echo.”

“But, sir!” you argue. Your feelings of excitement crumble. “I belong in the field!”

“You belong where I tell you you belong, medic,” Hunter snaps back. “Or are you ignoring an order from your commanding officer on your first mission?”

You huff and clench your fist. “No, sir."

“I didn’t think so,” Hunter says, then turns to face Echo. “We may need a quick extraction, so keep your ears on.”

“Understood,” Echo acknowledges with a nod.

Hunter nods back and heads out of the Marauder with the rest of the squad, well, the rest of the squad except you. You remove your bucket, plop down on your bunk with an angry grunt, and lean your head back against the wall. This entire assignment has been one big pissing match, and every time you think you’re making progress, you get sidelined. How are you supposed to make Kix proud if you don’t see any action? You release another angry grunt and cross your arms.

“Careful,” Echo says. “You’ll lose your voice if you keep grunting like that.”

You roll your eyes. “Aren’t you upset being stuck here?”

“No,” Echo answers. “It’s not unusual for someone to be left back with the ship. Keeps people from stealing it.”

With such a small squad of men to work with, you guess that makes sense, and since Echo is your unofficial chaperone, it makes sense that you were left on the ship with him. However, even though you try to explain it to yourself in those practical terms, you still think it's to spite you. You sigh. At this rate, you’ll never get to prove your worth as a Combat Medic to any of them. To these special clones, you’re just useless dead weight and not worth their time.

As the planetary rotation moves forward, you find odd things around the ship to busy yourself with, but you’re still bored. Echo is not much of a conversationalist and he hasn’t moved from his spot in the cockpit. You end up sprawling yourself across the seat in the gunner’s nest and looking out the window at whatever draws your attention. There’s some trees, a little snow on the ground, and a few stray wildlife that come into view. Nothing too spectacular, that’s for sure.

Finally, after hours of sitting by yourself, you decide to go back to the cockpit and sit with Echo. You're still curious about this Fives person he mentioned in his sleep, and you think maybe now might be a good time to ask him about it. You walk into the cockpit and sit down in the chair across from him, bending one leg up onto the chair and resting your chin atop your knee. Echo silently acknowledges your presence and returns to looking at the setting sun over the horizon.

You fidget with your fingers as you mull over whether to ask him about what you overheard last night. It might be private, and he may not want to tell you, but your curiosity is getting the better of you. “Echo,” you ask. “Who's Fives?”

Echo shifts uncomfortably in his seat and stays silent for a couple of minutes. “How do you know that name?” he asks. His words hang heavy in the air.

“You…” you begin, then pause, unsure of how to tell him. You don't want to sound creepy, but honesty is the best policy. “You said it in your sleep.”

Echo sighs, but doesn't turn his gaze from the orange sunset. “Shouldn’t you have been sleeping too?”

“I’m not used to sleeping on ships,” you answer. You can tell by the tone of his voice that this is a sore subject and you're starting to regret bringing it up.

Echo swivels his chair to face you and worries his lip. His eyes are full of sadness and his countenance is engrossed in pain as he searches for the words he's looking for. A small smile flashes across his lips. You wonder if he's thinking about a memory.

“He was my brother,” Echo says, his voice quiet at the strain of saying his thoughts out loud.

You can tell by his choice of words and his tone of voice that this brother isn’t around anymore and you feel a twinge of sadness settle in your gut. You understand a thing or two about the loss of a loved one. “What happened to him?” you ask.

“He was murdered,” Echo says, his fist tightening as he looks back out the viewport. “By one of our own.”

Your expression turns from sadness to shock and then confusion. A clone killing a clone? Does that even happen? Why would a clone do that? Your mind rushes a mile a minute trying to wrap your head around the idea, but you cannot seem to reconcile it. It’s too bizarre of a concept to comprehend. Every clone you've ever met was a brother to the one next to him. So, for a clone to kill another clone, it’s like a family member killing another family member. It’s unheard of.

“I’m sorry, Echo,” you offer as a consolation. “You must miss him.”

“Yeah,” Echo says, his voice distant. “I do.”

“I miss my parents all the time,” you say, trying to bridge the gap and build a connection.

“I remember you mentioning they’re dead,” Echo says as he turns to face you.

“About ten years ago,” you add. Now it's your turn to look out at the sunset.

“I’m sorry,” Echo says.

“It’s fine,” you shrug. “It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt like it used to. I know they’re out there watching over me, somewhere.”

Echo snorts. “You believe in that Jedi force stuff do ya?”

“Not really,” you answer with a small laugh. “But everyone needs to believe in something.”

“That’s fair,” Echo says.

“When I look up at the stars,” you begin with a smile while staring fondly out at the horizon, “it’s almost like I can feel them with me, you know? Watching over me as I make my way in the galaxy.”

“Sounds nice,” Echo says.

“I bet Fives is watching you too,” you say, then look at Echo with soft eyes. “He hasn’t left you alone, just like my parents haven’t left me.”

“Maybe,” Echo shrugs, then chuckles. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back to haunt me.” His brief small smile fades as his countenance reverts back to a frown.

“We’ll see them again some day," you say, trying to stay hopeful. “I just know it.”

“That would be something, wouldn’t it?” Echo half-jokes, but you can hear the part of his heart that wants what you're saying to be true.

He wants to see his brother again, desperately. So much so that he calls out to him while he sleeps. He must agonize over Fives’ death. You understand because you’ve been there. You’ve stared death in the face, the kind of death that leaves you thoroughly alone. You don't need to understand psychology to know what his subconscious thinks about on a daily basis, and your heart hurts for him, but you know there's nothing in your medpack to mend a shattered heart.

You and Echo stare out of the cockpit in silence and watch the sun fall beyond the horizon, sharing in this solemn moment and appreciating the company. The veil of night arrives and the stars begin to shine in the dark sky. The billions of bright burning lights feel comforting. The stars aren't very visible on Kamino, but here, on this planet, they are bright and beautiful. You relax your shoulders and lean back, thinking that maybe this assignment isn’t so bad after all.

However, your sweet moment is interrupted by Hunter’s voice over the comms. He’s calling in that quick extraction now and by the amount of yelling and blaster fire in the background, this is going to be a hot one. Echo relays the affirmation, sets the coordinates, and lets Hunter know that both of you are on the way to pick them up. You're slightly surprised that Echo included you in the transmission, but now is not the time to be celebrating your first taste of inclusivity.

“Civvy, strap in,” Echo orders as he starts pressing buttons and flipping switches to get the ship going. “This is going to be a bumpy ride and I don’t need you falling out of the ship.”

Ah, there it is. You sigh and head back towards the jump seats and strap yourself in for the wild ride ahead. Echo expertly maneuvers the ship to the squad's location and brings it in low so they can climb on board. You can hear the blaster fire outside and as the door opens to the ship, you watch them file in while firing off blaster bolts to cover each other. It’s the first time you’ve seen any of them in action and you're a little awestruck. They don’t move like other clones.

Tech next to Echo and Hunter yells for them to get them out of here. The ship moves again, this time more aggressively, as the enemy continues to fire at the Marauder. Wrecker moves to the gunner’s nest and shoots down the vulture droids that are following behind. You tightly grip the bars on the jump seat as the ship rocks from the blasts. Thankfully, the shields are up. The ship flips upside down, sideways, and every other way you can think of to out maneuver the droids.

At long last, the ship breaches the atmosphere and moves into space. Tech initiates the hyperdrive and pulls the handle down to enter into hyperspace. Once safe in a hyperspace lane, you let out the breath you were holding in, then flick the safety release on the jump seat and push them over your head. You get up from the seat and wobble forward, not realizing your legs turned to jelly from all of the excitement, and let your feet stabilize before trying to walk.

“Woah, that was fun!” Wrecker hollers as he brushes by you and moves towards the cockpit. “Echo, you should have seen this place. It was crazy.”

“Not as crazy as being sling-shot across a ravine,” Crosshair grumbles and pushes past you. He sits down in one of the swivel chairs and starts cleaning his rifle in silence.

“I said I was sorry,” Wrecker apologizes. “But we won!”

“Correction,” Tech says as he lifts a pointed finger in the air. “I won.”

Crosshair rolls his eyes and pulls a few credits from his pocket and hands them to Tech.

“Much obliged,” Tech says as he stuffs the credits in one of his many satchels.

The exchange has you lost in bewilderment. Clearly, something happened during the mission and you’re curious to know the details. You look at Echo, hoping he'll ask for more information about it, but he doesn’t, leaving you more curious. You do find it odd, however, that they had some form of amusement out on the battlefield. From your time on Kamino, most clones don't find blaster fire fun. Clone Force 99 really is different compared to the rest of the clone forces.

“I assume your mission was a success?” Hunter asks while walking by you, breaking you from your thoughts.

“Yes… sir,” you answer with a twinge of hesitancy, a little unsure of what your mission was other than staying on the ship with Echo.

“Good,” Hunter says. He reclines in one of the empty swivel seats and clasps his hands behind his head. “Glad to hear it.”

You can’t tell if he’s being serious or if he's trying to make fun of you. Either way, you brush it off and focus on more pressing matters, like what's next on the mission agenda. Will you go back to Kamino? Or will you wait for more orders? That’s what good soldiers do, isn’t it? Follow orders? You’re still unfamiliar with all of this, so you’re not sure what to ask or what to do with yourself. Rather than make new issues by asking more questions, you retreat back to your bunk to relax.

But the boredom of waiting creeps in and you start to doze off. Your eyelids are heavy even though you barely spent any energy this rotation. It doesn't take you long to remember that you didn’t get much sleep the night before and now that the adrenaline is wearing off, your body is telling you it needs rest. You don't fight it and let your body go to sleep, hoping you won’t be woken up. As a medic, you must get rest whenever you can so you can be at your best at all times.

This time you wake up on your own terms, when your body feels rested. You’re not sure how long you were out, but no one bothered you so you assume everyone is still waiting for new orders to come across. You sit up in your bunk, without hitting your head this time, and stretch out your arms. You roll your shoulders and crack your neck. The bunks aren’t exactly soft, but they do their job. Swinging your legs over the side of the bunk, you get up to use the refresher.

As you head towards the refresher, the rest of the squad is huddled around and speaking amongst each other. Hunter looks serious and has his arms crossed, which can’t mean anything good, and Echo is arguing with him, again. You forget the refresher for a moment and walk over to add your presence to the mix. Hunter notices and glances at you before turning back to Echo. Not realizing where you are standing, Crosshair gives you a small jab on your behind with his rifle.

The sudden touch startles you. “What was that for?”

“You’re blocking my view,” Crosshair hisses. “Move.”

You roll your eyes. “You could've just asked me to move, you know. That's borderline harassment.”

“If you looked more like a window than a door, I wouldn’t have to borderline harass you,” Crosshair snarks and flicks his toothpick in your face.

Your nose scrunches and eyes close when the little wooden projectile hits your face. As your frustration builds, you take a deep breath to calm yourself. You want nothing more than to tell that sniper where he can shove his rifle, but you won't. It's not worth it because it will only fuel his bullying further. Instead, you choose to let it go. This time. There are points where you will cross the line, and he keeps dancing around that line. If he ever crosses it, you'll let him know.

“Can we get back to more important things?” Hunter asks, shifting his gaze between you and Crosshair.

Echo huffs and shakes his head. "I don't like it."

"We don't have to like it," Hunter says. "Orders are orders."

"What orders?" you ask.

Hunter swivels to face you. "There's rumors of an imperial base operating out of Scorro." Tech pulls up a holo of the planet and Hunter continues his explanation. "According to our intel, the GAR sent a squad of clones to scout the base, but their comms suddenly went silent. Another squad of clones were sent after them with the same result. Now they want us to investigate."

"Do they know what happened to the clones?" you ask, curious as to what's causing Echo's skepticism.

"No," Hunter crosses his arms. "They were never recovered."

"No one went back to get them?" you ask.

"It would be a waste of resources," Tech adds. "Besides, based on the trend, sending another clone squadron would yield the same results."

"But aren't we another clone squadron?" you ask, this time your nerves bleed through.

"Stop worrying!" Wrecker exclaims. "We can take on whatever they throw at us!"

His words don't make you feel better about the situation. While Echo is the only one openly objecting to the new mission, Hunter's facial expressions tell a different story than what he's leading everyone to believe. Your first inkling was the fact that he hasn't shoved you aside for this conversation. In fact, he's answered your questions without issue. He's serious about this in a way he hasn't been since you've met him. The fact that Hunter is worrying, has you worrying.

"I still don't like it," Echo frowns. "How'd they lose two clone squadrons without so much as one distress signal?"

"Maybe a new type of droid?" you offer. "Or their signals were jammed?"

"Groundbreaking ideas," Crosshair says.

"Everything is a valid option," Echo adds.

Crosshair rolls his eyes.

"Enough," Hunter says. "We're going to Scorro to investigate the rumors and to find the missing clones. Double-check our supplies and prepare for anything."

With the sergeant's final words, everyone scatters to prepare for the mission, except for Tech who punches in the new coordinates and sets the course for Scorro. You linger in the cockpit, silently observing Hunter as he pulls out his knife and twirls it around his fingers. The mission makes you nervous even though it shouldn't. You'll probably end up staying on the ship again, but maybe that's not a bad thing. You shake your head at the thought. That's not why you're here.

"Sergeant–"

"You too," Hunter says before you get a chance to ask. "You're coming with us."

You smile and nod. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Hunter adds. "I need Echo for this mission, and I'm not leaving you alone on the ship."

"Yes, sir," you frown then turn back towards the bunks to get yourself situated.

Of course it would be too good to be true. For a second, you thought he actually wanted you on this mission, but he just wants to keep an eye on you. As a medic, you can help the missing troopers if they need medical attention, which you're confident they will. Your presence on the mission should be vital, not just an afterthought. Although, you shouldn't be upset that you're going on a mission, but you wish it was because of merit and not for the sake of babysitting.

Regardless, you will do your best on this mission and prove to Clone Force 99 that you are a good medic. That they need you. You're not sure how, but you will. When you get back to your bunk, you triple-check the supplies in your pack and stock as many bacta patches and stim shots as you can fit, plus some essential fluid and mineral packets, ration bars, and a few medical odds and ends that make sense to bring along. You want to be prepared for anything.

With your preparations made, it's another waiting game until you reach Scorro. You don't remember reading about that planet in your studies, but apparently it's rather primitive in nature, which is why no one has settled on it. It's an abandoned planet, making it a great outpost for mercenaries, pirates, and separatists. Pulling out your data-pad, you do a little more research to see what you can find out, but come up with the same dismal results that your holo-texts had.

It's not much longer before the Marauder drops out of hyperspace and the olive-green planet comes into view. When the holo-text said that Scorro was primitive, it wasn't kidding. It looks new and unabused by modern progress, and its vegetal hue is highly alluring. Your curiosity has now surpassed your trepidation about the rumors and missing clones. You're excited. This is a great opportunity, even if it's dangerous. The closer you get to the planet, the faster your heart beats.

“According to the scanners, there are no active fauna on this planet,” Tech states. "But the air is breathable."

“Just because the air is breathable doesn’t mean it’s good for you,” you point out. “Carbon monoxide is breathable but you’ll die before you figure out it’s bad for you.”

“Correction,” Tech adds. "The air is non-toxic towards human life-forms."

"Glad we could sort that one out," Crosshair says. "Any more words of wisdom?"

You narrow your eyes at him. "No."

"Take us in," Hunter says. "Land just outside the coordinates of the last clone squadron."

"Affirmative," Tech says, then flips a few switches before piloting the ship into the planet's atmosphere.

Once the ship has landed, Hunter addresses the group. "Our mission is to locate the two missing clone squadrons and investigate the rumors about an separatist base of operations. We'll use teams of two and spread out in an 800 meter radius from the last known coordinates. Keep the comm lines open and have your blasters at the ready."

Everyone nods and gears up, including you. Before you put your bucket on, you glance at the medic mark on your shoulder pauldron. No matter what happens, you have a job to do. You're a medic first. These men, your squad, are in your care and it's your responsibility to make sure they all survive. Steeling yourself for what's to come, you bite back every lick of fear that tries to take hold in your mind. You've trained hard for this, and you're not going to get cold feet now.

The side loading ramp opens and the bright sunlight of the planet blasts into the dimly lit ship. No turning back now. You follow the rest of the squad out of the ship and step onto the fresh earth of Scorro. For someone who grew up on Coruscant and spent the last cycle on Kamino, this much vegetation is mesmerizing. The sun is so warm, and the earth beneath your feet is so soft. This virgin planet is breathtaking. You take a few more steps forward, then Hunter stops.

"Tech, Crosshair, go east," Hunter says while pointing in that direction. "Wrecker and I will go north. Echo and Civvy, you'll go west.

The group nods and heads out in their respective directions.

"Stay frosty men," Hunter says over the comms. "There's no telling what we'll be up against out here."

You and Echo silently walk towards the western end of the perimeter, keeping your eyes peeled for any signs of the clone troopers or separatists. After a couple minutes, the silence grates on your nerves, but Echo seems focused right now. A little too focused. You know this mission bothered him from the beginning, but there seems to be something else about the way he carries himself that indicates it's not just about the mission being odd. There's something deeper.

As you continue forward, your foot kicks something hard. Looking down, you catch a glimpse of the familiar white plastoid clone trooper helmet, which is attached to a body shrouded by tall weeds. Your stomach flips. You weren't expecting to find one of them so quickly.

"Sarge," you say in the comms. "I found a trooper." Crouching down, you check for a pulse, but as you expected, there is none. "He's dead."

"We're making our way to your position now," Hunter says. "How'd he die?"

While your medic training didn't have an autopsy course, you inspect the body for the usual suspects. The armor is still intact and there's no signs of a struggle, which you find odd. There's no blaster marks, claw marks, bites, or scratches on the armor either. The black bodysuit isn't even ripped. He must have died from something. You pull back some of the black bodysuit and notice the tissue is necrotizing, but you don't see anything suspicious. Then you scan the body.

"Civvy, status," Hunter interjects over comms.

"I'm not sure how he died," you admit while reviewing the results of the scan. Echo looks over the body too, but doesn't come up with anything substantial. Not that you needed a second opinion.

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Hunter asks. "You're a medic, you should know how people die."

"There's no wounds," you explain. "He looks normal. Fine, even. Besides being dead." You don't mention it, but the fact that there are no organisms feasting on the clone's flesh also baffles you. You'd figure there would be more decay markers, but there's not even a single worm.

Hunter and Wrecker make it to your position and Hunter looks over the body, confirming what you said. "Then how the kriff did he die?"

You look up at Hunter from your crouched position next to the body and shrug. "We'd need a full autopsy to determine that, but the scans indicate no internal injuries either."

"So, he died from nothing?" Echo asks.

You shrug again. "Maybe he had a heart attack. That doesn't show up on portable scanners."

"Eighteen clone troopers died of a heart attack?" Hunter asks, his voice sounding distant.

"No," you rebut. "But maybe this one did."

Hunter points past you and you stand up to see what he wants you to look at. You tilt your head from side to side, scanning the area he's pointing at, when a glint of white pops up on your HUD. Then another. And another. Your eyes widen and your mouth gapes. The ground is littered with seventeen more troopers half-covered in tall weeds. The first squad and the second squad, dead mere meters from each other. You've never seen so many dead bodies before.

You feel your stomach grow queasy, and you rip off your helmet to vomit. As a medical student, you've seen cadavers, held organs in your hands, been bathed in blood, but nothing prepared you for the sight of a mass death. There's something menacing and sickly about it. You know most clones are never retrieved from battlegrounds and you know most clones will never see a proper burial, but knowing and witnessing are two different things. It's heartbreaking.

"You all right?" Echo asks.

You pant from the spasmic exertion, but find your voice. "I'm fine."

Tech and Crosshair arrive at your position soon after, and take note of the bodies. Everyone feels it now, the pressure looming thickly in the air. Something happened on this planet. Something killed these eighteen troopers and it killed them silently. There's an anxiety that creeps in as you wonder what it possibly could be. What is the silent hunter? How does it find its victims? And how can you and your squad escape from it? Perhaps, it may even be too late.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Echo says to Hunter.

Hunter sighs. "Me too."

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Masterlist

A03

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[baldy-wan-kenobi]

An Introduction to the False Peace

It has been fifty years since the Final Armistice was signed, ending the Long War that consumed the world for three centuries, plunging mankind from its very height into a new dark age.

In its aftermath, the nations of old are gone, replaced with vast swathes of desolate and inhospitable nothing punctuated only by ancient installations and the gleaming spires of the City-States.

Sanctuary and Citadel in one, the City-States are massive, heavily protected fortresses each enclosing thousands of square miles, housing a population of millions, as well as the industry required to sustain them. They are everything to those who live within: Safety from roving bandits and scavengers, Shelter from the fearsome and enigmatic storms that kill and mutate with fell energies, and a chance to Survive, in the last remaining bastions of civilization in a ruined world.

However, humanity is not content within these confines. Even as the dust settles, and storms of esoteric energy ravage the world, corporations and City-States are growing bolder and bolder in seeking conflict, driven by greed, ambition, and a lust for conquest. Despite the best efforts of the valiant Knights of Svalbard, equipped with unimaginably powerful technology from the World that Was and charged with the task of safeguarding human life, total war seems an inevitability.

In this time of False Peace, everyone has a hidden agenda, and those with power are always on the lookout for the piece of Old World Tech that will allow them to finally destroy their enemies, and in that desire, opportunity lurks…

You are a Tinman, one of many mercenaries piloting the war machines known as "Frames", contracted by the various corporate powers and City-State security forces of the world to fight their proxy wars and delve into the ancient ruins of once-mighty nations, to plumb their depths for the technological wonders that lie within. However, this task is not without danger, for these ruins are not so abandoned as they might appear. Within squalid bunkers and empty garrisons, ancient and mindless constructs awake, artificial minds bound to the will of masters centuries dead, and determined to safeguard their secrets to the bitter end…

Hey, everybody! So, this is the introduction/Primer to my as-yet-unnamed, semi-original Sci-Fi setting, taking heavy inspiration from the Armored Core games, the Battletech universe, and the Cyberpunk setting. From now on, I'll be posting various informative things about the universe, from faction overviews, exposition about worldbuilding elements, and progress as the eventual TTRPG takes shape!

[petite-guignol]

bringing this over from twitter because nobody is reading twitter anymore lmfao and i figure the long version is more likely to be interesting to people here

(the OP is responding to some film account's description of something in an upcoming Avatar movie, not that it really matters but that's the context in case anyone was curious)

putting this under a cut because, as is apparently customary for me, the long version is like. really long.

the elemental theming for different nations in FF4 is not very strong and we do not see much of Damcyan anyway but i do think it has a pretty interesting angle on what a "fire kingdom" looks like

the crystals mostly serve as a metaphor for stewardship of the land and the people on it. the earth crystal in Troia is probably the most on the nose about it but that's kind of my read on the whole deal. various fantasy settings, particularly video games, have had different variations of what a "fire landscape" looks like, and a lot of times its inhospitable. (FF5 always makes me laugh here because Karnak, the fire crystal city in that game, just has literal open flames straight up raging in the streets, presumably all the time. the people there are actually distressed when the fires go out. but i digress) Damcyan is a desert, which is kind of a harsh environment comparatively but both naturally occurring and perfectly habitable, a place one ought to care for and not just a big empty wasteland.

Besides being situated in the middle of a hot, bright environment there's a vague aesthetic connection to fire. edward dresses in bright red and gold, with anna in a yellow dress and sometimes bright red hair. the DS version puts sunbursts on the castle walls and a lit candle on their flag, and maybe this is just me overthinking it (this whole thing is tbh) but the SFC version of Damcyan castle features these weird clusters of extremely tall towers that almost resemble smoke stacks or something. at any rate Damcyan is at least slightly more clearly "fire themed" than Fabul is "air themed", for example.

the elemental connection is again mainly metaphorical, in the associations people have made with the classical elements. water is knowledge, air is discipline, earth is abundance, and so on, which means Damcyan is indeed supposed to have the figurative qualities of fire

which are...

well, again we don't see much of Damcyan. in-game, their prince is a bard (and in the DS version they also have a lyre on their flag). they have soldiers but are clearly not intended to be read as militaristic in any way. the castle has a dungeon, which is full of treasure chests largely containing hats. it has the first healing pots you'll come across in the game. it's the only country on the surface besides Baron that seems to have anything approaching modern tech, and its a civilian vehicle that helps you get across the desert. the area's signature boss monster produces a healing item and is supposed to be docile despite its terrifying appearance.

Edward himself is primarily known for his beautiful voice and is a healer, mechanically speaking. the first thing we learn about him is that he eloped with his lover against her father's wishes, and while the game on its own doesn't really give any context for his apparent habit of wandering around in disguise, it's very easy to read his behavior as impulsive. he's extremely emotional, to the extent that it actually bleeds into the battle system. so he's "fiery", in a sense -- seemingly always in the throes of some volatile emotion or other -- but in a way that's essentially the opposite of aggressive

the primary quality of fire here, i think, is compassion -- warmth and light, music and love and healing. it's a harsh world out there, but here in the firelight even the monsters are tame

plus, a little bit of "hey, can't you use fire to do metal smithing? what about a combustion engine? wouldn't that make you like, fabulously wealthy?" thrown in there for spice i guess

(actually, if you want to combine poet-kings, the vague tech-y overtones of the place -- including Edward functioning as a sort of proto-Chemist -- and the guidebook stuff about Damcyan having gotten extremely rich off trading and idk Rubicante, you could probably make a good argument that "fire" also serves as a general emblem for "civilization," but that's neither here nor there and this post is already long as fuck)

[book--brackets]

Codebearers by The Miller Brothers (2008-2010)

After one of his infamous pranks backfires, Hunter unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient book and key. Little does he know the mysterious book is a gateway to Solandria, a supernatural realm held captive by the Shadow. In Solandria, Hunter joins forces with the Codebearers, a band of highly trained warriors who form the Resistance to the Shadow. But before he can complete his training in the ways of the Code of Life, Hunter is sent on a mission far more dangerous than he ever bargained for. Now with his life in peril and the future of Solandria hanging in the balance, Hunter is headed for a showdown with the Shadow and a battle to save his soul from a fate worse than death! Is Hunters knowledge of the Code deep enough to uncover the secret of the Shadow, or will the truth be more than he can bear?

Merovingen Nights by C. J. Cherryh (1985-1991)

Merovin, the world the C. J. Cherryh built, a low-tech, inhospitable planet where the human survivors of a colony nearly destroyed by an enigmatic alien menace still dwell, salvaging what they can, while awaiting the return of the alien menace or rediscovery by the Terrans who abandoned them in that long-ago terror.

And in Merovingen, the fantastic canal city, where the wealthy and powerful reside in the highest towers, and beggars, spies, thieves and boaters like Altair Jones ply the highly polluted interlacing waterways below, intrigue, thievery and revolution are the very breath of life. And now with the Festival of Scouring approaching, C. J. Cherryh has invited some of today's finest writers into Merovignen, to weave together this tale of Festival Moon, a time of mystery and murder, of power games both high and low, a Festival after which this world will never be quite the same again...

Dragonlance: The New Adventures by Tim Waggoner (2004-2008)

Nearra does not know who she is or where she lives, but she does know one thing: someone wants her dead. Her only hope lies leagues away, in an ancient temple, where healing clerics may be able to restore her memory.

A helpful young ranger, a failed warrior, a sneaky elf, and a kender wizard offer to accompany Nearra on her journey. She soon learns her newfound friends have secrets of their own. As goblins, an angry minotaur, and a vicious green dragon attempt to stop them at every turn, friendships are tested and all of if may come to ruin from the one Nearra trusts the most.

Creature Court by Tansy Rayner Roberts (2010-2018)

A war is being fought in the skies over the city of Aufleur. No one sees the battles. No one knows how close they come to destruction every time the sun sets.

During daylight, all is well, but when nox falls and the sky turns bright, someone has to step up and lead the Creature Court into battle.

Twelve years ago, Garnet kissed Velody and stole her magic. Five years ago, he betrayed Ashiol, and took his powers by force. But now the Creature Court is at a crossroads … they need a Power and Majesty who won’t give up or lose themselves in madness …

Spellbound by Vivian Vande Velde (1997-1998)

Welland was less than a slave. Slaves are human, and he was wolf, allowed to assume human form only when it suited the sorceress Daria.

Daria kept an army of changelings — mostly wolf but some lynx or weasel, a bear or two, and at least one rat. She used them to hunt and kill. And sometimes to pretend to be human, so she could pretend to be a lady.

Weiland hated the lie almost as much as he hated the truth. Then he met a burglar, a thief named Shile, who offered to help him steal what he had never owned. His own troubled soul...

Welkin Weasels by Garry Kilworth (1997-2003)

Long ago, long before Sylver the weasel was born, the humans all left Welkin. Now life for a weasel—under the heavy paw of the vicious stoat rulers—is pretty miserable (unless you happen to be a weasel who likes living in a hovel and toiling all hours for the benefit of the stoats).

It's certainly not enough for Sylver. Or for his small band of outlaws, both jacks and jills. but slingshots and darts can only do so much against heavily-armed stoats and life as an outlaw has a fairly limited future (probably a painful one, too). That's when Sylver comes up with his plan—a heroic plan that could destroy the stoats' reign of power for ever. He will find the humans, and bring them back to Welkin! And the first step is to follow up a clue from the past—a clue that lies in a place known as Thunder Oak...

Evergreen by Devin Greenlee (2024)

All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. Flowers, plants, the generations-old garden. What he wouldn’t give for a taste of the outside world. Normalcy. But his mom won’t let him out of the house, telling him he’s just not ready…

All because he’s a dryad. Well, not just any dryad, but a male dryad—the first ever. And unlike everyone else in his family, he hasn’t a lick of magic. Just a shock of green hair, matching green eyes, and a growing frustration that there’s an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. Until the night when the outside world—specifically his new neighbor—discovers him.

Liam Watson lives in a culture filled with electronics, mobile devices, and social media—where there is no magic or even the belief in it. And as much as Quill finds Liam irritating (he’s so cute it’s annoying), he can’t help himself.

Now Quill’s getting a taste of the outside world and of Liam…and he wants more. But all is not well in this magical, urban garden, and someone—or something—is changing the very essence of it.

And wherever Quill goes, the danger grows…

Unicorns of the Mist by R. R. Russell (2013-2014)

Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.

Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for "troubled" girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible — someone who needs her. Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.

A baby unicorn.

Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island's mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig's to care for. That she needs Twig's love and protection. Because there's something out there in the deep, dense shadows that's hunting for them...

Chronicles of Avilesor by Sara A. Noe (2020-2021)

Cato is the only true half-human, half-ghost hybrid in existence. He's powerful and unique with two divine powers instead of one.

The United States government believes he is the key to developing a devastating weapon that will give humankind an advantage when war inevitably erupts between the Human Realm and Avilésor, the Ghost Realm.

After being an unwilling test subject in Project Alpha for two years, Cato and the rest of his "lab-family" survive a transport accident to find themselves stranded and powerless in the middle of the wilderness. Hunted every step of the way by ghostly Shadow Guards with supernatural abilities and human Agents desperate to recapture their prisoners, the eight young fugitives are drawn to Cato's hometown where the Rip between Realms connects the worlds.

Cato wants nothing to do with his past, but as his enemies close in, he realizes he's willing to do anything to protect his lab-family . . .

. . . even kidnap the daughter of a ghost hunter and make a dangerous deal to become a mercenary.

Knights of Liofwende by Garry Kilworth (2002-2004)

Faerieland. It's like a reflection of your world... a warped reflection. And Jack has just stumbled right into it - with a whole lot of trouble on his tail. Trolls, goblins, ogres and giants ... all after one thing. But Jack's got no clue what. He needs some allies, like now. A wizard maybe. Or a High Fairy. Someone who can do serious magic. Someone who can help him get home. Anyone. Just not a dreamy young boggart named Spiggot...

[nerditudes]

Thinking about how Richie prefers to stay at Virgil's place whenever he can because his house is just so-- inhospitable to him. His father is a bigoted jackass and his mother constantly makes excuses for it. Sure-- he respects them and loves them in his own way-- but he doesn't like them.

Paper routes, extra patrols, he avoids home to the point that he eventually starts sleeping more at the Gas Station of Solitude or Virgil's place. Eventually he emancipates himself from his parents, and moves out to live on his own.

He mainly bunks at the Gas Station. He's set up a nice pad for himself, and he doesn't even have to pay rent! Unfortunately, his knowledge of tech doesn't extend to plumbing so the Gas Station's water supply is minimal.

When he gets funky he'll go to the rec center and use the bathrooms there to clean up. Though eventually Mr Hawkins gets wind of it and makes a place for Richie at his place. Because that kid deserves to feel safe and secure and he's got no idea where Richie is spending his nights.

So Virgil gets his best friend as a roommate and they're the happiest they've been in a long time.

[antoncrane]

Finally worked out a vaguely convincing bullshit way to get MODUS from WS bunker AI to meat suit Synth, for that divergent AU.

To be not so short about it -- A mass nuking goes off that pretty much turns most of Appalachia into another glowing sea situation. Rads are off the chart so going directly to the Whitespring bunker is a no go, and high levels of ionization pretty much renders the radio bunk.

Transmission station 1AT-U03 however, is on the edge of the fallout zone, so Silas risks the trek but is still ultimately unable to contact MODUS (since they dropped/blocked communications back when SODUS/Site J was still active.) Silas is kind of at a dead end for a while, but with minor parts of the MODUS code still baked into site J's system he eventually manages to establish contact with the Kovac, which confirms that all contact with WS bunker has been dropped and closer visuals are spotty at best. An 'Up shit creek without a paddle' situation.

It's calculated how long it would take for the area to become a walkable hellscape, and it's way outside what Silas' life expectancy would be. (He's already late fifties.)

Kovac also has its life expectancy/power levels to consider, so in the end Silas decides to run it on a low power loop for the next few years then have it reboot in a calculated time when contact reestablishment is deemed most viable. (The reboot forces the Kovac to ping out to any prior connected systems.)

That's pretty much all Silas can do at this point.

He stays at Site J for another month before deciding to move out.

From MODUS' side of things, they registered the mass nuke situation as it happened so having the surface suddenly cut off wasn't a surprise but it's still a suboptimal place to be (putting it lightly.) They can't assess the damage but from the last reading they know that WS was pretty much Ground Zero. At this point there's nothing to do but wait.

Much dust later the Kovac ping comes in and MODUS reconnects.

Surface level at this point is still a mess, traversable but still inhospitable.

MODUS' bunker at this point, is also starting to see tech wear and tear that comes with age and there's only so much that they can fabricate and patch before supplies run low, so they make the decision to put out a distress call.

It goes out for a month or so without any response, then it's picked up by a group referring to themselves as The Institute.

MODUS, of course has no record of them and they have only a minor idea of what MODUS is, so they talk and cut a deal -- MODUS gets to get out of dodge and in return they hand over what's left of their databases as move payment. It's agreed but not before MODUS manages to purge some of the more sensitive Enclave files from the system.

MODUS is uploaded to the Institute, though obviously not given full reign of the systems. (Disappointing but not surprising on MODUS' side lol.) The Institute generally treats them as the fun little project of the week.

The Institute is currently in full swing with Synths GEN 2.5 (Nick and DiMA) and later the synth from the Broken Mask incident.

MODUS knows of the project and while not having any direct involvement, takes a certain interest.

Years pass once more and MODUS is pretty much regarded as 'computer you can have banter with' but isn't seen as anything special at this point, which bites at them in a certain way but the bonus is that people are more willing to discuss things with them that in the early years would have been off limits.

GEN 3 synths go into full production swing around this time.

During a conversation someone brings up how wild it is that they know where an old GEN 2.5 (Nick) is but the Institute doesn't seem bothered in collecting them. Someone else brings up that they're making a fight for synth acceptance which benefits the Institute in the longer run and some images sent from a courser featuring Nick are bought up and, OH, there's a very familiar face in one of them.

It's been close to two hundred years, Silas should be dead by now but that is unmistakably not a dead man.

MODUS checks and rechecks the image and any further images and then decides that they have a choice to make, stay at the Institute as a file system or find out what is going on, and for the latter they're going to need a way out, so they come to synth project lead with an idea --

'How much information can a fabricated bio brain hold?'

They know MODUS, they have all the files/data that they came with on backup already, so how about this fun little science project just to see what the limits of GEN 3s can really be.

After A LOT of conversation it's decided that the project is a go and MODUS gets an experimental meat suit.

(MODUS then gets an unexpected crisis that comes with going from a system to becoming a singularity, so that stifles their exit plans for a while there.)

[chrispy92]

Tethys Li - Back Alley Cyberneticist by day and Lancer by night... and day.

A pilot that I hope to play into the field one day. Prefers SSC style tech mechs and spider tanks in a maneuver and tech support role. Her tastes for SSC style finery hides a scavenger background and mindset, as well as desire to push the limits of her body and good taste...

Tethys Li hails from a Diaspora planet-city known as Karanath. While in a prime position with access to good trade and resources, the inhospitable atmosphere created a distinct pressure cooker environment for its people; which often spills over into gang and warlord violence. Tethys grew up on these streets as a scavenger but had an eye for sciences and medicine. She managed to bluff her way into a scholarship at the advanced Haemon School of Medical Science. There she learned a great deal of not only the human body, but also cybernetic augmentation and surgery. As part of her studies, she had to augment herself, designing and installing a second set of custom arms into her back, as well as a third eye directly into her forehead.

Unfortunately, that dream was rudely dashed after a shakeup at the School resulted in her bluff being discovered, her expulsion and being forced into hiding from her debts. She worked as a back-alley doctor, doing cheap, gutter work for gangs and mercenaries, once again having to scavenge for scraps in order to find the materials for her implants. That would change with the city's invasion by a pirate warlord.

In a rare moment of unity, almost every gang called a ceasefire to repel the invasion, assembling manpower and arms to fight off the interlopers. Tethys was initially brought in as a doctor, but after her clinic was hit and casualties rose, her cybernetics caught the attention of one warlord who still had a spare Chomolungma mech in the hangar. After being haphazardly cajoled, bribed, guilt tripped and literally crammed into the cockpit, she was placed into a subsequent trial by fire.

By a mixture of quick thinking, scrappiness and sheer luck, she managed to get herself and her mech out of the fire in one piece, helping to fight off the invading army, before having to get back out to patch up the wounded once more. Celebrations and drinks aside, she found herself desiring the idea of being a pilot more than just a doctor after receiving a taste of interfacing with a war machine like the Chomolungma. With nothing much to return to in the city, she joined a traveling cosmopolitan mercenary gang, hoping to travel the stars in search of new opportunities.

[rendomski]

“Indomitable Heart" by Kihvod

One more captivating WIP action fic on AO3 - “Indomitable Heart" by Kihvod. The author made Tech fall even before it became canon (sorry, couldn't miss the parallel 🥴). Tech is dropped from the ship on his solo mission, he is hurt badly but alive. His brothers, not getting any communication from him, are sick with worry, each in his own expressive way.

But the most important and fascinating part of the story is the place Tech has gotten himself into. The prison planet for clones where we meet not only well-known canonical offenders like Slick and Dogma but also dearest (presumed) departed Fives and Tup, and many more OC clones. The place is inhospitable, the conditions are harsh, and the supplies are sent irregularly. It seems nobody cares much about the clone prisoners; no surprise here. At the moment, I'm more intrigued by why anyone bothers to send them into that hellhole at all instead of just disposing of them quietly, but perhaps this question will be answered later in the story.

Up to now, the story has a bunch of clones surviving basically in the wild and building a quaint commune there, and very in-character autistic (but emphatic! ❤️) Tech who falls (literally) into their lives to save them, but has to be saved himself at first.

[silverwings22]

Song of the Sea: Chapter 7: Here There Be Dragons

Chapter warning: child endangerment, communication is 9/10 of conflict Series warning: explicit smut, alien anatomy (it's a monsterfucker fic, guys), major character injury, grief, canon typical violence, autistic meltdowns, and my terrible attempts at Mando'a

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The buzzing of an alarm and pulse of red lights woke Shiani from her fitful doze in her new overhead berth. She opened the door from within, sticking her head out. "Blinkers?"

Wrecker held up his arms. "Yeah. We broke something coming off Salucemi. We're gonna have to land to fix it. Come down?"

She nodded and dropped into his arms. "What broke?"

"Our capacitor." Echo sighed as Wrecker set her down. "Tech says we have a spare. We're landing on… Ordo Moon, I think he said. Honestly, I'm tired and I was only half listening."

"You work hard, Chainbreaker Echo. Let me help fix it?" She offered. He did look exhausted, and she wanted to prove she wasn't useless. If Tech wouldn’t be the voice to keep her here, she needed to solidify her friendships with the other members of the squad. She

Echo smiled. "You know how to replace a capacitor?"

"I was building my own ship. I know lots of parts… but I don’t always remember names." She nodded. “Just need to see it.”

"You were building a ship?" Omega squealed from beside her. 

“I was getting off Kamino one way or the other." She nodded. 

"That's pretty clever. Where'd you learn that?" Hunter chuckled. 

"Tech taught me. Tech… taught me lots of things. But he still thinks my brain is full of bubbles." She shook her head. “I’m smarter in my own language, I promise."

Echo glanced back towards the cockpit. "What's your own language?"

"Hearts. Siren’s talk by singing, and we feel what the other feels when we do. We only sign when we need to be quiet, like hunting…" She explained, looking up at the blinking lights. "Sometimes it’s easier that way, because you’re never misunderstood… but when someone knows how you feel and ignores it, that’s hard. Frustrating."

Wrecker patted her head. "I want to hear you sing now."

"Later, I’ll sing for you." She nodded as they moved to land. “But first, we fix the ship. It’s your home, gotta keep it safe for you and Baby Mega.”

"The air on this moon is not safe to breathe." Tech walked into the hold as they touched down, offering Echo a respirator. "We only have two, Shiani, so you should remain-"

"I’ll be fine." She grumbled, brushing past him to follow Echo to the hatch. Down her ribs and tentacles, blue light pulsed that he’d only seen glimpses of before. At least the blue rings were gone... She certainly still seemed angry, but Wrecker had been so sure she wasn’t.

He groaned and followed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

Hunter looked at Wrecker. "We've got to figure something out. Omega needs a place to sleep."

"I've got an idea." Wrecker grinned. 

"Then get on it." Hunter smiled. "I'll go try to figure out supplies."

"Yes sir!" The kind giant grinned and picked up a crate, heading to the gunner's mount. 

Outside, Shiani's gills opened on her ribs to filter oxygen from the inhospitable air. She let Echo boost her into the guts of the ship to find the blown capacitor, the cyborg secretly delighted to both have help and witness the annoyed look on Tech's face when the siren wouldn’t talk to him. Tech had never had to compete for Shiani's attention before. He’d had it, undivided, whenever he wanted since he was child. She always answered his comms, always was there when he visited… Had he taken that for granted? 

She passed the broken part out to Echo and pulled the new one to her with a tentacle, freezing suddenly and her blue light going dark. "... Nexu on this moon?"

"No, I do not believe so." Tech huffed.

Shiani poked her head out of the ship, looking around with a pinched expression. “Somethi- eee!” Her words were cut off when something knocked the siren out of the side of the ship, snatching the capacitor from her hands. She tried to hiss and swipe, but the creature flattened her with its tail before she could get more than a cursory glance. It was a very large, reptilian something that took off with their ship part in its mouth, vanishing into the dark. 

“Are you injured?” Tech knelt where she’d been knocked to the ground, checking her over when Echo drew his blaster. 

“That scaly-thing took the part!” She tried to clamber past him, hand over her mouth. “I’ll get it back-”

“You will not be able to track that creature, nor are you prepared to fight it. We need to alert Hunter.” Tech grabbed her wrist firmly. “You handled the nexu, but that creature eats energy, and will be extremely territorial. You could be hurt.”

Shiani stiffened, looking from him to the direction the creature had taken the capacitor. Every wild instinct in her was screaming to give chase, before it got away. She had to tell herself that things were different on the surface, and the clones knew better. She had to play by their rules, and she didn't even know them until she was told. "Hunter is a tracker… okay. I’ll get him. What… was that thing? So I can explain."

"I believe it was an Ordo Moon dragon."

She nodded, yanking her hand free and darting up the ship steps before he could say anything else that might hurt her already tender feelings. "Hunter? We need a tracker."

"What's wrong?" The tattooed clone stuck his head around from the supply crates, Omega right behind him mimicking the way he walked. 

"A dragon took the part out of my hands. Tech said you can track it down, and fight it better than me."

Hunter sighed as Echo and Tech walked in behind her. "You let a lizard steal our spare part?"

"Shiani did try to warn us, but it was too fast." Echo sighed, handing over his respirator. 

Omega wrapped herself around Hunter's side. "Can I come with you?"

Hunter looked at her, wanting to say no, but she looked so hopeful… and Shiani had this burden of disappointment radiating off her from where Tech had told her to stay put. "Alright. But you listen to every word I say, deal?"

"I promise." She took the respirator from Tech and followed him out. 

Shiani was halfway back up the wall to her compartment when Wrecker caught her. "Hey, can you help me with something? You got more arms!"

"I can help." She agreed, dropping back down and following him to the gunner's nest. He was setting up a bedroom for little Omega, and needed hands to hang string lights to make it cute for her. "This is pretty, Wrecker." She looked up, fascinated with the lights. It reminded her of her string of camp lanterns in the cave; the very first thing Tech had ever given her. She used to lay under those lights and stare at them in the dark of the night, when she missed him most. 

Now she wondered if he’d ever actually missed her at all. 

"Think she'll like it? A kid should have a bedroom." He grinned. 

Shiani nodded. "She will."

"Where do you want your space to be?" He offered. "You're the only other girl on the ship."

"I can stay in the ceiling… I’ll be out of the way." She drooped a little. She wasn't good at concealing her emotions, she'd never had to while living on her own. And it wasn't her people's way anyway. 

Wrecker surprised her with a warm hug. "Don't look so sad. And don't hide from everyone, we like you. What's the matter?"

From the cockpit, Tech leaned back in his chair to eavesdrop. He couldn't help it… Shiani had always been cheerful and pleasant. He didn't like the way she'd snatched away from him, or how she'd only spoken to Echo when they were making repairs. 

"I’m just… hurt." The siren admitted, and he reached for his med kit. 

"That dragon get you?" Wrecker frowned. 

"No. Not outside hurt. Inside hurt. Hearts hurt." She explained. "Tech… Hunter said it was his idea to send me away. After all that time in exile, and he was my only friend. It felt like when I got banished… like he didn’t want me anymore." She sat down, hugging her knees. "Tech thinks he knows better… and maybe it is safer far from you guys. But I don’t want safe. Safe is lonely. I want to be here and be a part of Tech’s family. I could keep you all safe, or at least try…"

Wrecker hugged Shiani a little tighter. "Tech always thinks he knows better. Most of the time he's right, but sometimes he's not. You fit with us, so it'll be okay."

"Do you think he doesn’t like me anymore?" Shiani looked up at Wrecker, cuddling back with a heartbroken expression.

"I doubt that. But you might have to talk to him." Wrecker patted her back. 

"Ugh, talk. Basic doesn’t have the right words for all this feeling." She grumbled. 

"Maybe you can sing, like you said before?" He offered. 

Shiani nodded. "I’ll try… I just want things to be the same with him. I was always happy with Tech before, no matter what was happening."

"That's the spirit. How about I make you up a bed in the back by the tailgun? Then you can see the stars. You like those, right?"

"Yes. I love the stars" She nodded, and he hopped down the ladder to go try to pull off a miracle for her and make her feel like she belonged.

In the cockpit, Tech sighed and leaned back a little further, pushing his goggles up his forehead to rub his eyes. Emotions were complicated… but he hadn't meant to hurt her. 

When Hunter and Omega returned with the capacitor, Shiani was sitting in a swing made of her own limbs, hanging from the ceiling upside down. 

"I chased the dragon down a hole and got the part back! I didn't even have to use Hunter’s blaster!" The girl crowed. 

"Proud of you, Baby Mega." A tentacle patted her head. "Wrecker has a surprise for you in the gunner’s seat. Go see, you’ll like it."

Omega skipped off with delight. Hunter gave a wry smile. "She saved my life out there."

"She loves you. She’s a good girl with good hearts." Shiani nodded. "Lights all fixed now?"

"Yeah. We've still got some damage, but we're going to need a more secure landing zone to fix it." He leaned against the wall. "I'd like you to help Tech, if that's not too much trouble."

"I can help." She nodded. "I’ll be your mechanic, if you want. Echo gave me a datapad, I can learn more and faster now, without bothering anyone."

"Good." He smiled. "... you still mad at Tech?"

She flipped upside down, head hanging over the floor a scant inch. "Not so mad… just upset."

"You know he doesn't really want you gone. Once we found out about you, he talked about you all the time. Every time he found something out there, he wanted to show you." 

She peeked up. "He talked about me?"

Hunter nodded. “Yeah. Go easy on him, he’s never had a friend that wasn’t a soldier before. And having you here is a big change. Change is hard on him.”

“I’ll figure out how to talk to him.” She said after a long pause that left her non-existent eyebrows scrunched. “This is hard. I don’t want him to hate me, or think I’m stupid.” 

“He doesn’t, trust me.” Hunter offered a hand to help her off the floor. She was surprised when he placed a ration bar in her hands. "Now eat and go to sleep. You've got to be exhausted. There will be plenty to do later."

"Thank you." Shiani nodded with a weak smile before going back to the tailgun where Wrecker said he'd made her a bed. 

It was a couple thick shock blankets and pillows arranged in a little nest by the window, and the kind giant had even tried to make it cute with some of the string lights like he'd done for Omega. Shiani smiled and sat down on the blankets, taking her boots off and unwrapping the ration bar. 

It was chalky and hard to swallow, but she was hungry. After she’d finished it, she pulled up one of the blankets around her shoulders to ward off the persistent chill of space. The stars were just as pretty back here as they'd been in the cockpit… but she liked them better with Tech around. 

She heard the other Batchers one by one turn into the bunkroom, leaving their best pilot on duty. Her big eyes were heavy, the need for rest nestled at the back of her neck like a lead weight. Still, something was missing. She'd never turn her brain off if she didn't make up with her best friend in the galaxy; she'd just dream fitfully like she had in the overhead. 

Tech was glancing over his maps, deciding the safest place to land the ship, when he heard the door open. Shiani, wrapped in a blanket, padded in softly and sat on the floor beside his chair. 

"That is the least comfortable place you could be." He said mildly, as she leaned over and put her head on the seat beside his armored knee. 

"Missed you." She mumbled. 

"I thought you were upset with me."

"Still miss you." She closed her eyes. "Can I stay?"

Tech sighed, setting his handheld aside and carefully putting a gloved hand on her head. "You wish to stay on the floor?"

"Closest to you." She smiled when he lightly scritched between her tentacles. "That feels nice."

"I am sorry, Shiani. It was not my intention to upset you." He tried not to smile when her ear fins wiggled. "I hope you will forgive me, but it was my intent to protect you."

"I don’t want you to protect me. Or make choices for me, just cause you think they’re best. We could have talked about it together." She opened one eye and looked up at him. “You weren’t even going to say goodbye. That’s not fair, Tech.” 

“Would you have agreed to go if I’d spoken to you about it?”

“No. I don’t want to go with strangers just because it’s safer. I want to be with you. It’s the only place I’ve ever wanted to be.”

"What about your home?"

"I didn’t belong there. I didn’t know where I belonged, until the first time you and I looked at the stars together. I belonged wherever you were." She looked up at him with those liquid eyes… and Maker, had she always been so cute? "You’re so smart it makes you stupid sometimes."

"I am exceptionally intelligent-"

"I know that. But you forget other people know what they want."

"And what is it that you want?" Tech's mouth was oddly dry suddenly. 

"I want you." She smiled and closed her eyes again, snuggling her blanket more securely around her shoulders. "I want to be wherever you are. However you want me there."

He sat with this admission for a long time, but when he'd processed it enough to try to question further, she was asleep with her head against his knee. He talked himself out of waking her to satisfy his curiosity, slowly stroking her head with his fingertips. "If that is what you wish… then you may stay. For now." He finally sighed. 

He hoped she knew what she was getting into… but he wanted her to stay too. Change was challenging for him and dangerous for her, but she'd picked him. That meant something. He'd never had anyone, not even his brothers in their bred-in loyalty, pick him and only him before. 

[askmadcomcrew]

Hmm, how about...

To everyone: General opinions on zeds?

Hank: Annoying, if in large groups. One zed isn't much to worry about, and is easy to kill with a headshot or knife to the head. It's the hordes you have to watch out for.

Sanford: Zeds are basically animals at this point, mindless and roving. They're only really capable of convertin' others into more zeds, and they just keep doing that forever until they run of of folks to convert. They're not so bad in open areas, but they can really get the jump on you in tight spaces.

Deimos: They're creepy and weird, and I really don't like 'em too much. I prefer to deal with them at range with guns, Sanford likes to let 'em get close so he can stab 'em in the head, or just uses his hook. Letting them get close is just about the worst thing you can do, but it helps to know what to do when one is on top of you tryna much on your face. A quick knife to the head usually does the trick.

Doc: Zeds are the result of Enmeshment, tech I theorize was stolen from me around the time of my arena experiment by an...Unsavory character. Unlike most zombies in media you're used to, their bites are not fatal, as myself and most of my men have suffered zed bites which can be treated like any other wound. Dr. Christoff notably weaponized a massive horde of Zeds during his insurrection on Nexus City, causing the deaths of hundreds and larger numbers of zeds to spread throughout the Nevadean wastes. Needless to say, they can be rather troublesome, but are not a consistent factor in my day to day life.

Jeb: I am not overly fond of the existence of Zeds, they are an affront to nature much like many of the Nexus Core's experiments. However, that does not make them any less useful. Zeds in large numbers can be sent towards a specific target, and if that target is unprepared to deal with an infestation, they can prove quite effective. You do not have to worry about morale or morality with Zeds, they simply move towards the next closest source of food, and onto the next when that food source has been exhausted. They also make for veritable meatshields.

Tricky: ME 'N ZEDS GET ALONG LIKE BREAD AND BUTTER!!! MOSTLY CONSIDERING I AM ONE, OR AT LEAST USED TO BE. I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT I AM ANYMORE AFTER I HAD THAT RUN IN WITH THE AUDITOR!!! OH WELL, I GUESS IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. I USUALLY LIKE TO STRAP BOMBS ONTO THEM AND SEND THEM ON THEIR MERRY WAY!!! IT'S ALREADY BAD ENOUGH TO HAVE A ZED TRYING TO EAT YOU, EVEN WORSE WHEN THEY EXPLODE!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHA

Crackpot: Well, I have quite the...Special relationship with Zeds, needless to say, being their creator and all. Zeds are my greatest scientific success, and were part of the reason I was briefly made head of Project Nexus when Christoff got the can. My zeds may not have been as directly capable as Christoff's sleepwalkers, but we could make so many more of them to keep Project Nexus afloat. It's a shame that bastard Christoff misused them in order to help bring the city down.

Sheriff: Well, considerin' they still dominate an entire sector of Nexus City, I ain't too fond of 'em. My boys are putting in a lot of resources in trying to clear out the Zed infestation over in Residential. It's slow goin', but we're whittling their numbers down one by one. I got round the clock snipers on any vantage point that's safe enough to snipe from, just shootin' 'em down as they see 'em. At some point in the future the streets of Residential should be relatively safe to navigate again.

Phobos: Another wonderful byproduct of Nexus Science, Zeds are one of the many ways I continued Project Nexus. As inhospitable as they may be, they proved to be very useful tools in keeping more S3LFs out of the other place. The Nexus Core had no shortage of corpses, so we could pump as many S3LFs into them as we desired.

Auditor: They are of little concern, however they are known to assault certain AAHW bases closer to the outskirts of Nexus City. Massive, wandering droves of Zeds can reduce a fortified position to rubble and more zeds extremely quickly. I occasionally dispatch anti-Zed units to clear out Zed infested areas, in order to keep population low. If Zed numbers are allowed to get too high, they can pose a great threat to my operation here.

[pcttrailsidereader]

How Your Backpacking Meals Are Really Made

By Emily Pennington (excerpted from the July 14, 2024 article in Backpacker)

A faint whiff of cumin and cracked black pepper serenades my nostrils, reminiscent of the Indian spice markets I once visited in my mid-twenties. Only, I’m not in South Asia, or even the back storeroom of a hip Thai restaurant; I’m in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado, touring the massive factory where Backpacker’s Pantry meals are made.

My host for the morning is Soraya Smith, the company’s president and recipe-development chef. Smith, who had always been involved on the recipe side of American Outdoor Products (the parent organization of Backpacker’s Pantry) took over as president after her husband, Rodney, died in a tragic ski accident in 2020. She’s been the face of the family-owned corporation ever since.

“I’m from a foodie family,” explained Smith. “My mom is Spanish-Italian, and my father is from Iran, so we’re very multicultural. I also went to Culinary School of the Rockies before stepping into this role.”

Our first stop was the test kitchen, where Smith pulled different dry ingredients together to experiment with new recipe ideas. To be totally honest, the various plastic bags she grabbed out of a large bin looked more like the Parmesan cheese packets you’d get for free with your pizza delivery than high-quality foodstuffs. But therein contained the secrets to my favorite post-hike meals: proprietary flavorings and mixes, which Backpacker’s Pantry makes with freeze-dried ingredients.

As we entered the factory’s enormous storeroom, I asked Smith for a refresher: What exactly is freeze drying?

Freeze-drying technology was used extensively by NASA during the space boom of the 1960s. Since freeze-dried food retains more than 90 percent of its original nutrients, it’s the best way to keep astronauts stocked with nutritious food. Better yet, the food can last for years without going bad.

When an ingredient is freeze-dried, it’s brought to an inhospitable -60°F, then back above freezing multiple times while inside a vacuum chamber. That way, only the ingredient’s water content is removed. “Some companies make a large sheet of, say, lasagna, cook it, and then dehydrate it,” Smith said. “We, on the other hand, mix each of our freeze-dried ingredients into the bag, so that when you add that boiling water, most of them are getting cooked for the first time. It’s fresher, and I think it has a better texture.”

Once workers grab individual ingredients from the palettes in the store room, they go to the dedicated mixing room, where seasonings and starches are stirred together in large tubs. The room looks like a sterile, high-tech scene out of Willy Wonka.

Here, Smith points out that the brand adheres to a strict allergen separation system. For instance, a recipe with gluten won’t get run through the machines on the same day as a gluten-free recipe to protect customers with gluten intolerances. Ditto for dairy products. (Workers clean the machines thoroughly at the end of each day by passing them through a chrome-covered, bedroom-sized industrial dishwasher.)

After mixing, the meals are mechanically portioned out by category—sauce, starch, meat, and vegetable—then sealed by hand. Workers sample the meals throughout the day, preparing a baggie to taste-test at the beginning, middle, and end of each run. The goal is to ensure the flavors remain consistent throughout. Forks and counter space are set aside in the test kitchen for this specific purpose. If something doesn’t taste right, they ditch the batch and correct it.

The Backpacker’s Pantry factory produces thousands of meals each day. Once the day’s meals get sealed, boxed, and quality checked, they head into a gigantic storeroom, which then ships the products to big retailers, like REI, as well as directly to consumers.

As I closed the huge warehouse doors behind me and concluded my tour, I was surprised to feel tremendously better about all that just-add-water food I’d been eating. The ingredients were both fresher than I’d imagined and more rigorously quality-checked. Ninety percent of their original nutrients, huh? Heck, maybe I’ll toss a couple under my desk to eat in the office.

[retphienix]

I feel like Freighters are weirdly implemented- but like- it's clearly for QOL but also it's just, really weird since it's made my progression as a new player go all over the place lol

I guess a lot of the updates have some jank associated with intended progression.

Freighters don't need antimatter to teleport to your location, so even if you go in a black hole and end up 1 million light years away you can just.

click freighter.

and it's there with no fuel cost?

Like even calling your ship to you costs launch fuel-

(when on a planet at least- when teleporting around through portals not so much but I digress because that seems like softlock protection- I'll have to look up if portals always existed because the more I think of it the more they seem like a later addition for QOL because they render MOST (not all) hyperspace travel redundant)

-but a freighter with an empty hyperspeed drive can teleport anywhere in the universe for free if you ask it nicely.

Which means you're exocrafts- which you bought at the anomaly- which you get access to REALLY EARLY- which is BEFORE the quests that introduce exocrafts- are available anywhere at anytime thanks to the bay you can build in the freighter which is weird, right?

Sure you have to get the bay (both the freighter and the craft one) but that means you can (and *I DID*) be a new player who stumbles into buying a freighter for cheap as a newbie, researching 2 cheap techs thanks to the anomaly mostly, and all of a sudden I have infinite exocraft access always because freighters don't cost fuel for some reason to summon.

Speaking of- it's weird that you just buy the bay for 10 salvage and then have the craft, like I thought I'd be making the craft, instead I make a circle on the ground and they throw in a mech or sub or car for free, I was really confused when I did that and part of that is because there was no quest introducing them to me... BUT THERE IS ONE BECAUSE 110 HOURS IN I'M JUST NOW GETTING THAT QUEST! lol

I know I sound like I'm harping on it but in terms of game-feel I'm down for the QOL offered, I do just feel a touch off, like SOME form of smack on the wrist style cost should be associated with this.... right?

Like you need access to your ship at all times- teleporting that with you through portals and the like is surely QOL design on a system meant to alleviate the need for extensive hyperspace travel between points of interest- I ACCEPT that "freebie".

But you DON'T need your freighter all the time.... why is it free?

You DON'T need your exocrafts all the time.... but inadvertently by granting freighters access to the exocraft summoning bay you're given access to them at all times FOR FREE- and indeed sometimes it's more fun to struggle on inhospitable worlds WITHOUT them- so again-

you don't need your freighter or exocraft- why are THEY free to travel around the universe with just like the ship which you DO need?

I feel like summoning the freighter should cost hyperspace engine fuel equivalent to the distance traveled but like all the years of QOL adjustments would make that actually stupid to do lol

Because think of it- logically that makes sense (why is it free both from a lore and design perspective since you don't need them like a ship) but!

What would making it cost something CHANGE?

Because you would just fly to the space station and use the FREE INFINITE RANGE PORTAL to go to your freighter to drop stuff off in storage.

All this would do is increase menuing and load time and the only "benefit" (a billion quotation marks because it's conditional as all hell person to person) would be lowering access to crafts which are an EZ mode crutch for extreme planets so lowering access is "arguably" good since it will promote creative problem solving like making a new base on the shit hole planet so you can have your crafts available- or carrying around the craft summoning pod thing etc etc

All in all changing this would only create minor to moderate headaches- but I did give myself a minor headache when I noticed how nonsensically "convenient" things were in regards to exo + freighter (and how the game handed them to me for free and then a hundred hours later tried to tutorialize them to me lol).

Also after the game already gave me 1 storage container and the anomaly sold me the other storage containers and my freighter CAME WITH ACCESS to all the storage containers BEFORE I EVEN BOUGHT THE BPs- I'm being given a tutorial quest that introduces storage containers.

That seems like some overlap lol Freighters giving them for free is crazy :P

[0gl1tch0]

Translator’s note: Hrokinn use tones to determine level of politeness in their speech. I will write their meaning literally and clarify in parenthetical.

Transmission begins.

Empire. This one is requesting permission to extend observation of planet. Something isn’t right here.

EMPIRE DEMANDS REPORT

This one arrived on planet designation 136859 - 849210 - 000042 - 3, it appeared to be of no value (insulting. Similar to garbage) to Empire. Environment scans determined low hospitality bordering inhospitable environment. No pollution, expected non-sapient lifeforms (neutral), or perhaps low-tech (insulting. Similar to stupid). Unable to find obvious city center, landed and began to scan soil for rare minerals. Was greeted by welcome party. Began diplomatic relations.

Despite poor environment, there appears to be multiple sapient species.

HAVE YOU DETERMINED DOMINANT SPECIES

Translator’s note: the complimentary tone is used for dominant, meaning could be either “good” or “valuable”.

Negative Empire. This one is unable to determine social hierarchy between or within the planet’s many life forms. Quality of life is too high given rest of data. I suspect a secret slave (complimentary, meaning “valuable”) underclass.

EXTENSION GRANTED

Transmission ends.

You're a traveler who stumbles upon a hidden society that appears to be a true utopia. No crime, no oppression, no poverty, only peace, and joy. The people are genuinely kind. And yet you can’t shake the feeling that something must be wrong. The twist? There is no catch. It really is a utopia.