File: 1367372026291.png-(640 KB, 2196x1820, SPQ2.png)

640 KB PNG

You have been spending your time lately swimming to train your endurance so that you might eventually be able to follow your Void Knights into space.

How will you spend the next turn?

>Work with the Computational staff on developing an Automatic computer for better rocket guidance.
>Work with Professora Minerva on developing a Radio-Reactive engine for generating electricity.
>Go stargazing
>Train yourself in Endurance, Piloting, Engineering, or Languages (costs 1 RnD point)
>Something else?

You have 3 luck points.

Rolled 52

We should inspect the preparations for typhoon season. Not only is it our duty as their noble to monitor their safety, it's good financial sense to see that the peasants are taken good care of.
( dont remember, do we roll for ideas on this quest?)

>>24558014
Rolling is unnecessary, decisions are made by consensus, with the GM holding veto and tiebreaker privileges.
If the thread is moving slowly, the first serious suggestion is chosen.

What will you wear as you inspect the facilities?

>Frilly dress (No bonus or penalty)
>Officer dress uniform (+Professional, -Militaristic)
>Trendy dress (Costs 1 RnD point, +Fancy, -Expires)
>Bathing dress (Currently equiped, +Swimming, - Indecent)
Unlock more outfits!

We should unlock a business suit to be worn in endeavours that require professionalism but not a military air.

>>24558131
>unlock more outfits
Is there a technician's overalls that we may wear when inspecting facilities?
We shall wear such clothing, as this inspection must be done.

And seriously? We're wasting time looking through our facilities, which would be handled by Colonel Smith, and the island town, which would be handled by Lord-Governor Savard, when we could be working on the world's first nuclear reactor with Minerva?

>>24558197
>>24558219
New outfits are unlocked by completing various activities and plot events.

We must test what went wrong with the radio systems during the re-entries of Cobham and Harker.
Have Col. Smith and Professora Minerva been able to replicate the high-temperature re-entry to find out what went wrong with the radio?

Otherwise, we will need to build another rocket and have Prince Orion launch to see if the problem will happen a third time with a new Capsule.

Not wanting to change into your normal clothes, you inspect the preparations from the water as you swim around the lagoon. The Navy personnel and islanders both tell you that it's likely the island will be hit with two or three storms every year, but that with proper preparation it is possible to mitigate the damage. All buildings will have to be re-enforced, and all personnel will have to be temporarily evacuated.

As for the communications losses, The capsule is still space-worthy, and Orion is eagar to go into space next, but Smith is concerned about re-using the same capsule so many times. One more flight should be fine, but after this it ought to be donated to a Museum and a better one developed.

>>24558535
Has Colonel Smith and Professora Minerva been able to isolate the cause of the communications blackout during re-entry?

>>24558598
The cause of the blackout is still a Mystery, It happens during atmospheric re-entry and communications are regained by the time the parachute opens.

>>24558635
Have the RRC and any Alchemists thought of experiments that we can send up to see what might be causing this?
Shall we attach another radio to the outside of the Capsule?
Should we build another Capsule?

>>24558535
We should use it again but retrofit it with multiple radios if possible to test during reentry to find the best one that works.

I'm also against sending prince Orion alone into space and would rather wait to have a two man pod so we could send someone up with him.

Other than that I think we should go star gazing cause God Mother keeps listing it as an option that might allow us to talk to prince Orion's sister.

>>24558685
What is your reason for treating Prince Orion as mere baggage, instead of as the highly intelligent space flight candidate that he proved himself as?

>>24558740

I trust him but I don't want anything bad to happen if hes alone. Also that pod is near due for museum duty. I just don't want our global relations going to shit if he dies or the craft accidentally lands in hun lands where they take him prisoner and torture him. Not that the islanders can really do anything major to us, but thats not the point.

File: 1367375305273.png-(638 KB, 1458x910, SPQ1.png)

638 KB PNG

>>24558859
Due to the inclination, it would be very hard for him to crash into the Northern lands. Unless he managed to put down in Skaggar...

>>24558978

I'm just being paranoid is all.

38RP Budget, Turn 15
12RP - Build Mk4a, Mk4b, Pathfinder Capsule
Launch Orion with additional radios as part of an experiment to find out what is causing the radio blackout.
10RP Improve Thruster 9/12
10RP Improve Photovoltaic power cells 10/14
6RP Improve Radio-Reactive Power Cells 5/9

>>24558843
Orion speaks Anglish just fine, it's his sister who has a language barrier.

>>24559096
Supporting this, as well as Orion being the next launch.

>>24559096

Don't really like but you guys made me see some sense of this.
also do a preignition test of extra radio equipment before launch, An orbital quick test and reentry test.

>>24559096
Budget confirmed. You make the most out of the end of your summer, inspecting all the buildings and prepping the Pathfinder for one last launch. You replace the radios with more durable ones, and load the Capsule onto a Mk4b for launch. You also begin to draft a paper, but progress on that is slow, you find yourself staying up late to try and finish it.

One night while you are working on the paper, you think you see somebody standing on the beach outside. Go investigate?

>>24559405
Go investigate.

Also, this is a brand new Pathfinder Capsule.

>>24559405

lets check it out

File: 1367377265729.jpg-(41 KB, 390x353, chart.jpg)

41 KB JPG

You grab Cottonball and step into some slippers as you sneak out to see what's up. Creeping past the guard, who silently salutes you and quickly extinguishes his cigarillo.

Maia is standing on the beach looking up at the stars and then back down at her stick map thing. She dosn't see you yet.

>>24559670
Announce your self calmly so we don't spook her.

hopefully she knows some of our language.

>>24559670
Call out to her.
And ask the guard to fetch Mr. Luxon, who can translate for us.

>>24559764
Not as good as Sir Perro, who can move without making any noise and appear at any moment without warning. Almost as if he can blink in and out of existence.
At any rate she hasn't noticed you yet.

>>24559749
Wake Mr Luxon at this hour Y/N?

>>24559869
Y.
I know that we don't abuse our royal privilege much, but this IS a case where we need our butler.

>>24559869
N
Go meet the woman alone

You whisper to the guard to fetch Mr Luxon, he will arrive in a few minutes, but it will take him some time to wake up and get dressed.

In the mean time you approach Maia carefully. She's a few years younger than you, and wearing a grass skirt and necklace made out of flowers. Still examining the northern sky near the horizon through her map.

>>24560422
Call out to her, say hello.
We shall look towards the section of sky she appears to be looking at; do we recognize any constellations in that area?

>>24560467
Fortunately you learned a few phrases from Orion and Luxon. Not enough to hold anything resembling a conversation, but enough to introduce yourself.

Maia jumps in surprise and holds the map to her chest defensively, but calms down when she sees it is you. She points at the horizon to the north.

>>24560591
Look towards the north; any stars we recognize?

...are there stars we DON'T recognize? As in, we don't remember there being a star there before?

File: 1367380638533.jpg-(4.43 MB, 2560x1600, -night-sky-star-meteor-fr(...).jpg)

4.43 MB JPG

>>24560673
You know the Circumpolar constellations quite well, but on Tannhauser island there are a lot more stars visible than there would be at home, due to the lack of light pollution. Remembering the name of every last star would be a daunting task.

Maia points and pulls on your sleeve as she enthusiastically explains something in a language you don't speak. She's a lot less shy when she's not surrounded with soldiers.

>>24560786
We shake our head to show that we do not understand her words. Then we shall point at her star map, and then at the horizon of the northern sky. Perhaps she can show us how she reads it.

>>24560881
The girl frowns and points harder at the sky. She seems to be pointing at the Northern cross. And as you squint your eyes, you notice a very small star twinkling between two of the points of the cross.

>>24561691
Time to consult our star charts. Do we have access to radar imaging?

File: 1367383643534.png-(53 KB, 500x482, 500px-Azimuth-Altitude_sc(...).png)

53 KB PNG

>>24561613
As far as you can tell, it's not supposed to be there. Although you aren't totally sure if it's moving or not, if it is, it's either very far away, or moving very slowly.

You haven't heard of any launches, but even if Ms Kenaway was launching another balloon, the altitude is way to low. This is an object above the north pole. Nobody's put anything into a polar orbit yet, and even if they had, it would be moving faster than this.

>>24561710

Thats odd, we should have Mr Luxon ask her what she thinks that is and then compare it to what our professor knows.

>>24561710
We shall make for the tracking station, wake Colonel Smith and a tracking team.
We shall have that "star" identified.

>>24561703
Mister Luxon arrives just as you rush past him to wake everyone else up and get to the tracking station. Smith and Minerva arrive, still in there bedclothes, with a confused look on there faces as you start opening the observatory dome and powering up the Radioscope.

>>24561907
"Mister Luxon, please translate for Maia.
"Miss Maia, what were you trying to tell us about the star you pointed out?
"Colonel Smith, please assist us, there appears to be a new star above the Northern Cross."

>>24561939
Maia follows you confused and slightly frightened by your actions. You don't know where Orion is right now.

>>24561959
"Right away your highness." Mister Luxon leans down to Maia's level and calmly translates for you.

"The northern cross? What about it? What's going on?"

>>24562010
"Perhaps it is nothing, a mistake we have made in our haste. But there appears to be a new object across the Northern Cross. Please assist in finding it."

>>24562060
We need to find an appropriate picture, and change the text to "Hello Princess"

>>24562048
"You heard her highness, Aim due north" The men start adjusting the telescope and begin a radar sweep.

"The young mistress says that there was sky messenger, and asks why everyone is making so much noise." Mister Luxon explains to you. Meanwhile the Teliscope operator double checks the star chart. "Funny, that wasn't there before. Pallas, what do you suppose this is?"

>>24562130

ask her what a sky messenger is and how frequent they are.

>>24562130
"Mr. Luxon, please explain to Ms. Maia that we are simply excited that we had not noticed this star before.
"And sky messenger? Was there a messenger from the mainland?"

>>24562130
"Interesting," is all Minerva says before handing the Telescope to you.

When you look through it, all you see is a tiny blue white point of light. Almost too small to be a star But judging by it's color, it is burning hotter than the sun.
The radar operator isn't having nearly as much luck, whatever it is, his pings aren't bouncing back. Definitely not a satellite, or if it is, it's probably out of range.

You hand the telescope off, and explain things to Maia via Luxon. Minerva tells you that determining it's distance would require it to be observed over the course of several turns for stellar parallax.

>>24562403
Continue observations.

We must choose, now, if we classify this as Top Secret, or if we merely brush it off as some new star only now visible because of our tropical location.

Questioning Maia about 'sky messengers' must wait for us to be in a secure room, perhaps only after we learn the language.

>>24562448
Asking her now is a terrible idea!
What about all of these people in this room not cleared to know about the Foe Stars, and the X-COM Project?

"wait a minute! Active radar's not picking anything up, but I think I found something on passive. It sounds like some kind of signal." He turns on the speakers and you hear a high frequency series of beeps.

>>24562545
Begin recording them immediately!

>>24562566
"Yes Ma'am." He flicks a switch and reels of magnetic tape begin to spin up.

File: 1367387669834.jpg-(61 KB, 848x480, King Gates.jpg)

61 KB JPG

>>24562545
>It sounds like some kind of signal
>our dad's fw he reads our report

File: 1367387988477.jpg-(33 KB, 300x300, Unknownpleasures.jpg)

33 KB JPG

The signal seems to be constantly repeating itself, but there's no way you can decode it.

Minerva looks at it again and records it's color. "Type O, Judging by the luminosity and color, it looks like a white dwarf, but it definitely wasn't there before, and it's almost like it's moving. Curious."

>>24562905
"How strange. This does bear more scrutiny.
"Colonel Smith, please attempt to contact our observatories on the mainland and if they can detect this new phenomenon as well."

It's more important to know if this is visible by other observatories; if so, then the truth of the Foe Stars will get out much faster than originally anticipated, and we will need to adjust our plans.

>>24562943

oh god
also
>>24562905
that filename

File: 1367388691073.jpg-(266 KB, 2037x1292, HR Diagram(units).jpg)

266 KB JPG

>>24562943
The signal is steady.

>>24563008
Who shall you contact first?
>The Royal Astrological society
>The Suthland Space Council
>The Westrin academy of natural philosophy
>The Thule institute in Nordhiem.
>None, nobody must know the terrible secret of space!

>>24563104
>The Royal Astrological society
They know the terrible secret of space, since they're the ones who told us about it.

>>24563104
>>24563129
>>24563146

must be a secret call so that they know the islanders have been observing it from these islands.

>>24563212
You pull Mr Luxon and Maia aside and take them to the Teligraph room to begin composing an encoded message to your mother, hoping it will also find it's way to her masked friends.

Do you have any specific questions for her or Maia, now that you have privacy. You can always trust Mr Luxon.

>>24563317

how long has the sky messenger been showing up to your tribe?

Has it ever landed or given you guys anything?

>>24563317
"Maia, what did you mean by 'sky messenger'? Were you talking about the star that appeared? So your people have observed them for long?"

"She says that sky messengers are celestial maidens who visit the north stars before leaving. In the time of legends they used to visit earth, but the Moon Princess was the last one to do so. They have only started to come back into the north stars around the time when her mother was her age. She thought your rocket was one of them visiting earth, but she was wrong. You are just a human like her." She almost seems disappointed.

I think it's a good time for us to spend some budget on a fighter jet or two. Maiale Volante may be a decent Skyranger stand-in, but we need something that can take down a UFO.

>>24563643
THE ENKINDLERS ARE RETURNING!

PRAISE BE TO THE UPLIFTERS!

I mean oh no we need xcom, yeah. I'm no alien sympathizer no sir.

But in reality we should find out previous sites they landed at and what they did there.

Also I'm not sure how things might have happened if we went to Gotham-I mean the crime city instead.

>>24563778
"She tells you that the celestial maidens used to live among humans all the time, but that they left a long time ago, She doesn't know any specific places."

Almost as soon as you are done with your wireless, somebody knocks on the door.

>>24563930

ahh who can that be?

Let them in, let them in.

"Your highness, the star's gone. It just vanished, the signal stopped too. Like it was never there."

>>24564006

we need to get our most trustworthy people, our professor, the lord protector, Dame Colbry, sir Harker, the colonel, prince Orion and Princess Maia
"Gentlemen and Ladies I believe we have witnessed an event of Extraterrestrial observation of our planet. This is extremely secret and needs to be contained."

File: 1367393419952.png-(287 KB, 400x306, kaguya5.png)

287 KB PNG

You have Maia track down prince Orion and meet with your most trusted followers to discuss THE TERRIBLE SECRETS OF SPACE.

Smith finds the idea of spacemen spying on earth to be far fetched, but worth considering, and agrees that it must be kept secret. Harker finds the idea facinating and Cobham remarks that she would much like to meet them. Minerva is skeptical, but admits she has no alternate explanation. White Dwarfs just don't appear and disappear without warning like that. She's also not quite happy about the idea of keeping something like this a secret.

Orion is convinced that the strange star is a real Celestial maiden, and that the RRC should be trying to get into space to meet with them so they return to earth.

>>24564104
Second. Everyone who was related to this event in anyway is to be bound by a royal oath of secrecy.

If the notion of a 'black' budget hasn't been created yet, I suggest we get on that and silently slip it through Parliament.

>>24564386

"It must remain a secret until we have credible proof is all, you know the press will most likely make anything we say out to be world ending news."

First hopefully on Orion's flight he could record more data possibly.

>>24563778
I am telling you man, crime skyrocketed in Hafenstad because of alien infiltration. We would of find out about Ancient Aliens either way.

>>24564386
Besides being a breach of our promise to the Royal Astrological Society, this was not that productive to let them know.