Operation Starseed
27 May 2024Krabs
As soon as I jumped into the Charybdis system I got a distress transmission about a place called the Crucible located on Charybdis III. Upon Landing, I am met with a Beautiful Planet full of plant life, a large Radar Dish and a small settlement.
Upon walking towards the Settlement, I am greeted by a Robot naming itself 'Tobias' It designates me an outsider and demands I leave, however I tell it I am responding to the distress Beacon. Tobias requests I deliver 150 Units of Copper, before being interrupted by Ada who demands Tobias stands down. I am told that Societies have shut their doors and are unsure what to do. Ada tells me to go and speak to a man named 'Franklin' who is the oldest amongst them and will know what to do. Already this place feels on edge. Tobias referred to this location as a 'secret'.
I would meet this Franklin - Odd Outfit, odd accent. Calls himself Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 'American President'. Says he's the leader of the Pragmatist Society. According to Franklin, everyone who lives here is a clone of some of the greatest figures in History. Tobias referring to this place as secret, now makes sense. When one of them dies, they are simply bought back to life. Immortality if you will. Allegedly, they are cloned by the Robots as it is their 'mission'.
For future reference I have decided to list all the Clones I meet, and use any Historical texts to find out about them.
Franklin D Roosevelt, American President: Head of the Pragmatist
Amanirenas, Queen of the Kingdom of Kush: Head of the Believers
Genghis Khan, First khan of the Mongol Empire: Head of the Renegades
Ada Lovelace, English mathematician and writer: Scientist (Not up to our standards)
Amelia Earhart, American Pilot: Pilot?
Wyatt Earp, an American lawman and gambler from Earths 'Dodge City': Hotel Owner.
Genghis Khan claims that I control the future of the 3 Societies and the Project as a whole. Both he and Amanirenas mentioned a facility, although for different reasons. Amanirenas seeks to maintain the facility and allow a new Golden Age, whereas Genghis seeks its destruction to allow them to escape. Roosevelt seeks their community to be 'weened off it'. He wants them to raise families to pass on knowledge them go to the stairs, much like Earths primitive society before it was destroyed, Roosevelt also mentioned that they were infertile. Are they really human? What is happening here feels wrong.
Before I can exit and go to the facility, Wyatt stops me in my tracks and requesting to speak in Private about Roosevelt. We meet in a cave where he tells me he was cloned off of America's first Serial Killer, H. H. Holmes. He threatens to kill me as he fears what the others may do to him if they find out, but i convince him otherwise and I promise not to tell anyone.
As I land near the facility I am attacked by Maggotmaw - A native Fauna on the planet. Again the area is covered in Flora hiding the facility to those not looking for it.
Upon entering the facility, it was dark and looked as if it was falling apart, covered in dusty. As I go down a floor it becomes apparent the facility is infested with Space Roaches & Maggotmaws. Maggotmaws are terrifying, so when I come to a room with a giant one, I am, correctly, shitting myself.
In the facility I find a series of slates listed below with a brief summary.
Diary Page - Escape (Writer Unknown)
Confinement is driving them crazy and they seek to escape like Genghis wants too.
Diary Page - Reborn (Writer Kublai (Khan?))
Someone Reborn has the memory of a son, Kublai.
They don't want to play by the Robots rules anymore
Diary Page - Genghis Explosion (Writer Kublai (Khan?))
Genghis got hold of an explosive, the facility is is being breached a lot.
They sent an expedition out and it reported predators.
Amanirenas & Amelia are trying to make weapons to get to the facilities inner sanctum.
There is nowhere to hide. Nothing to be done but wait.
Anonymous Last words (Writer Unknown)
I woke up for the first time right here. And now I bleed.
When first I heard the Mission. I felt a thrill. We were chosen. We would rule again.
But after spending countless days? Nights? Who is to say in these windowless halls.
We do nothing. The Facility feeds us, the Facility provides. And we just… argue.
But now we do more. We turn to murder.
I pray you find this, brother of my blood.
Do not trust Bill Hickok. He is not who he seems.
Diary Page - Ada's Questions (Writer Ada?)
1. Who created the Facility?
2. Is the mission the reason we were created?
3. Do we really share our DNA with our namesakes?
4. Are there people watching us?
5. Are the Robots as unintelligent as they appear?
6. Are the 'Reborn' really what they claim?
7. So many more questions
Ada's Diary - Heart of the facility (Writer Ada)
The Facility is on full lockdown and the only solution is the security override code. But no one knows where it is.
I depart the facility and know I must give the info to one of the societies.
Franklin & Genghis would both probably attempt to find ways to shut down the facility or destroy it, whereas Amanirenas may attempt to repair the facility and get it back online.
I decided to inform Franklin. He suggests that the inner sanctum may still be intact, and that the override code may be on the Spaceship 'Beagle'. I venture to explore Bel V to find this spaceship as it is where a telescope was left pointing at - perhaps as a sign. Although the Nav Beacon at Bel V was in bad repair it still has the projected flight path for the Beagle. The Next planned stop was Zelazny I.
Zelazny I is where I find the Beagle. I dock the ship and the ship appeared empty. And it was of human life. Only a few rogue Medical robots and turrets were found. Upon further investigation it appeared the ship was attacked by the Crimson Fleet, which killed most of the crew. By Day 120 they had run out of supplies and the entire crew was dead. I managed to download the codes from the ship and will see if Ada can override the Encryption.
As I land back at the Crucible i get an emergency broadcast from Franklin, claiming a situation has emerged and he needs help. Genghis has issued an Ultimatum, unless I go talk to him he will attack Pragmatist society. Franklin fears that Amanirenas is siding with him too. We 4 meet in the centre of the settlement. Amanirenas is convinced to stand down. Genghis stands alone.
I am forced to kill Genghis. It was not the what I wished, but it is what i had to do.
I request Ada to help break the encryption and she does so and I return to the facility and gain access to the restricted wing. Rogue Robots and Turrets along with Hostile clones swarm the area. I reboot the system was a new 'super Admin' Franklin.
I return to the Crucible to tell Franklin what I did and he thanked me. I also recruited Amelia to my Crew as she always wanted to venture to the stars - and I'm tired of flying alone.