>>25039669
We shall confirm Budget.
For the party, we shall wear our Frilly Dress, as this is a party amongst the RRC.

>>25039700
No. We shall wear PANTS. the fanciest pants we can find!

>>25039717


Actually having a beach party for a traditionally wintry festival may not be a bad idea.

We shall confirm the budget, but spare something for the Fancy dress.

>>25039735
3 points can be diverted from MiniVAC, leaving 1 for a fancy dress, and 2 more for the party or something else.

Alternately you could siphon party funds for a dress, but you wouldn't be so callous would you?

>>25039779

Of course not!

We have achieved much during this half year and a proper celebration is in order, let's get some good food and possibly some entertainment from the mainland, it'll be good for everyone involved.

>>25039827
You would delay our defense program simply to wear a fancy dress that will expire in fashion before we can use it again?
We have underground hangars and storage to build, and you want to waste resources?

>>25039914
>We have underground hangars and storage to build, and you want to waste resources?

On that note, has the tracking station picked anything up?

After much thinking, you decide not to spend money on a fancy dress, that leaves you with the options of either staying simple in your normal frilly princess outfit, or deciding to buck tradition and throw a beach party for the winter solstice.

>>25039967
We shall attend in a Frilly Dress.
This is our first winter at Tannerhauser Island; to set up a beach party without knowing what to expect is the height of folly.

Has everyone forgotten that we are being watched? This is a test, as is our entire tenure as Director.

>>25039998

Sadly you have a point. Doing something traditional will be a bit of a challeng, but let's do things that way for now.

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40 KB JPG

>>25039950

What do we need an underground hangar FOR?

>>25039950
Not since the last Foe Star. The only notable activity was when the SSC put up a 4th balloon a few turns ago. The astrological society says that there are usually 3 to 7 foe stars a year, and that they are usually only visible for a turn at most before vanishing, although some have stuck around for longer.

>>25039998
You decide to stay traditional for this. Now, with the gift exchange. Will you be picking a name from the hat, or are you going to use your privilege to influence who gets your gift?

>>25040117
>what do we need underground storage and launch facilities for
>ignoring the 70RP we had to spend to get the island fixed after typhoon season

>>25040117
There are no underground hangars, there are however two bunkers, one under the Manor, and another under the blockhouse.

>>25040147
We shall simply pick names from a hat.
We shall however, get a second, more personalized gift, for Amelia.

>>25040188

Any way we can get Cottonball to pick?

(As of this writing, I am building a sonar hat)

>>25040188
>>25040359
You scatter the names on a table, and wait for Cottonball to start to chew on one of them...

Rolled 7

>>25040396
This is a highly inefficient selection process, it takes him a while before he starts to take interest.

(Cap sensitive?)

>>25040422
Yes. It's case-sensitive.

Rolled 3

>>25040422
Eventualy he starts to chew on one of them, and you pick it from his mouth before it rips.
Sir Perro

>>25040422

That's still pretty daww. Or utterly evil, depending. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z1ue4m2Y30

>>25040455
An engraved pistol, perhaps? Or a pocket watch?

Rolled 9

>>25040582
Sir Perro's pistols are a pair of custom made 8mm automatics engraved with the insignia of his school. It would cost at least 2 RnD points to commission a pair that could match the ones he already has.

>>25040741

Do it.

>>25040741

... Well then.

Let's stick with the pocket watch. Plus, there'll be plenty of time to go all special forces later.

>>25040741
Stick with the pocket watch.

>>25040785
And insult him and his school? You are unworthy of the Gate line.

You order a fine pocketwatch to be sent in, and hope it arrives in time for Solstacemass.

What shall you do while you wait?

>>25041061
Since we can't use any RP's to increase our own stats, we shall go exploring the rest of the island with Amelia, Sir Perro, Cottonball, and Mr. Luxon.
Specifically, we shall explore the Shipwreck.

>>25041061

Seduce princes from other lands.

Kidding. We shall study logistics.

>>25041099
I bet there's buried treasure.

>cue Goonies-style adventure.

Taking your bodyguard, butler, childhood friend, and pet, you go to investigate the wreck of the golden crab. It's a schooner that tried to take refuge from a typhoon on this island 90 years ago and accidentally ran aground in the reef.

They were marooned for 8 years before they were rescued

>>25041380

oh wow lets take a closer look and see if we can find any cool things.

Sadly nature has mostly reclaimed the wreak. Just a few rotting timbers poking out of the water. You'd have to go diving to get a closer look.

>>25041584
Woo, underwater adventure.

>>25041622
Unfortunately you didn't bring your swimming things.

>>25041715

well some other time then, perhaps we can chart out and have teams explore on their time off and give them rewards for finding exciting things or beautiful places. I'm sure we can spend 1 point on this if we needed too.

>>25041790
As you get back, you see the Colonel looking for you. He says the SSC has just unveiled there new, manned. rocket, and will be launching it shortly.

>>25041977
Let's watch, or listen in in this case. Be prepared to give both congratulations and condolences, the SSC doesn't have the best track record.

>>25042025
Harker tells you that they've put more things into stable orbits than you have by now. And that you ought to give them more credit. From what Intel the RRC has, there manned capsule is bigger than the pathfinder and has more safety features. If they are launching it, that means the Anga VIII is finished.

>>25042253
Uh oh. Once the Solsctice Celebration is over, it is back to work.

After a few hours, you recieve word that the Navy has sighted a rocket over the gulf, and shortly after your radar picks it up as well. It's entering orbit and broadcasting voice. You pick up two female voices speaking in Suthish.

Oh fuck, we're way behind.

Time to invest everything we have and beg daddy for more.

>>25042680
They can say whatever they want to GPS. cause we got that shit.

>>25042501
We should get that translated.

>>25042849
"kijumbamshale moja imeingia katika obiti. kupeleka puto sasa." If only you could understand Suthish. Perhaps a member of your team does?

>>25042886
Well, we should get a recording of the audio, then ask around to see if anyone in our team can translate it.

>>25042886
Let's continue to track them, while we ask around for a translator.

>>25042968
>>25043034
Klaus Grew up in Suthhaus. He might speak Suthish.

>>25043034
Let's bring him into the control room then. Maybe make it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is.

>>25043130
"It sounds like the Merikans are putting another Balloon ina orbit. I don't know why they need pilots for that. Maybe is Politics?"
Klaus explains, holding one earphone to his head and making a strange face as he listens.

>>25043313
let's keep listening then.

>>25043854
According to Klaus, the balloon is deployed successfully, and the spacecraft makes a 180 degree rotation to get a visual confirmation of the Balloon's status.

Do you wish to send a message to Ms Kenaway?

>>25044084
Let's see what they do first. I think they're trying to bounce their signal off of the balloon.

>>25044084
We shall send a message to congradulating her for an apparently successful mission.

>>25044084

We shall not say anything. instead, we will keep an ear on it and learn of their plans beforehand.

>>25044274

I agree with this choice.

>>25044274
We're XCOM now, and XCOM needs intel before it rushes into things.

Once the balloon goes up, you can begin to hear the messages from Ms Kenaway bouncing back down to the surface.

She is congratulating the pilots on a job well done. The Capsule preforms a complete orbit as the balloon slowly drifts away, Then the capsule preforms some maneuvers trying to Rendezvous with it, however this just puts it into a lower orbit which causes it to shoot under it.

You can only hear half the the radio chatter now but the pilot is getting pretty frustrated. Apparently this rendezvous was the whole reason for the manned mission. The Engineer however advises the pilot not to waste any more propellent and save the rest for the return to earth.

On the third orbit the capsule re-enters the atmosphere and lands somewhere in the gulf, according to the Navy, the same radio blackout is also observed.

>>25044699
We shall send a message of congradulations for the successful manned launch and propose standardization of hatch design on our probes to allow collaborative missions in the future.

>>25045147
Ms Kenaway replies via the new balloon. With 5 of them up there you have almost perfect coverage as long as you stick to the equator.

She says the kijumbamshale is designed with a small airlock and docking port to eventually dock with other satellites, and that this mission was to practice that. If you want, she can send you the specifications of the docking port.

>>25045517
We'ed like that's. Also we should ask what measurement system they are using and if we should all adopt the same one in order to assist others in experiments.(also to avoid the whole imperial vs metric bullcrap.)

>>25045821
Both the SSC and the RRC use the same units set in place by the sages of the archaic era.

The high units are derived from astronomical constants and can be measured with great precision.
There are also low units, which are based of of approximations of high units. They are usable by common folk to do mundane tasks where precision is not necessary.

>>25045961
Excellent! Well, We shall allow the engineers take a look, make sure everything looks good to go. Also, could we time skip to the party. I would like to get in another turn this session, as we have so many balls up in the air right now.

>>>25046038
Sadly I am going to bed in an hour, and there do not seem to be as many people still on at this hour, so another turn seems unlikely.

>>25046096
Well then. When is the next thread going to be?

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Saturday at 16 or 1800 UTC-7

Turn 25 Budget:
24RP - Cherubim 10/14
6RP - MiniVAC 10/15
1RP - Construct Waylight Prototype
3RP - Construct Barachiel Rocket
6RP - Construct Arcangel Rocket
- Launch Meteor Re-Usable Capsule

>>25046251
What are the details of the Hawtrey launch system that replaces the upper stage rocket?
Like how much does it mass, what does it require, and how much Mass-per-Payload+Capsule does it cost?

>>25046384
Turn 25 will be turn 1 of the next year.

Hawtry's proposal is to use the thruster part to make the insertion burn rather than two first stages.

Also, your submitted budget is not enough for a launch.

>>25046450
>your submitted budget is not enough for a launch.
Why not?
Oh, right the Meteor is a Mass 4 Capsule.
What if we use Hawtrey's Auxiliary Thruster Assembly (as I'll call it)?
6RP - Arcangel Rocket
2RP - ATA (1 Orbital Maneuvering Thrusters, 1 Fuel)

>>25046551
Oh, derp, it really is late. I thought you were trying to launch a satellite.

You'll need to pick a pilot, and include RCS or extra fuel to de-orbit.
There is no reason to include a waylight on this flight.

>>25046635
No the Waylight is only to have a physical prototype to get past the 5/10 limit.
And I thought the Mass 4 of the Meteor included an RCS in the Payload.

>>25046672
It's a re-usable capsule, meaning it weighs mass 2, and has room for two units of payload. It costs mass 4, but you have to pay for anything you put inside it separately.

It has the same capacity as the pathfinder, but it can land on a runway and be re-used.

If you did want to do a flight test the radio-light, you could always launch the Meteor suborbitaly with the radio-light.

>>25046742
Right. So the payload would be 1 Mass Pilot and 1 Mass RCS. It would externally have an Auxiliary Thrust Assembly attached externally for 2 Mass to get it into orbit.
Total Mass =6 Mass

>>25046833
Yes, that would have the same mission profile as the Pathfinder, only re-usable.
Totally useless except as a prototype for a larger spacecraft.


Anyways, it's midnight now, and time for bed. See you Tuesday.

>>25046879

They're kicking our ass, that's bad.

>>25049974
This is the result of people forgetting that we are in a race, and thinking that our achievements thus far are enough to rest on our laurels and think about pants and parties.