KORVAX FACTORY PUZZLES PuzzleType: EXP_FACTORY #1 Alien: Initialize reboot? Data loss probability warning. The screen is full of product formulas, but the system is crashing. An error message appears alongside a countdown timer. {Save data} I save the data before a system reboot. The terminal restores instantly. I am rewarded. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Wait} The system reboots instantly with a blank screen. All data has been lost. #3 Alien: Save failed! Tech blueprint data corrupted! Reconstruction probability: high A fragmented file has frozen systems. The machine is stuck in a loop trying to open it. Its deletion could free up the outpost, but the file would be lost forever. {Attempt file reconstruction} The file manages to reconstruct! ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Delete file} The research system silently resumes its work. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #4 Alien: Virus detection warning! File extracting valuable data! An unknown program has hijacked the terminal. It looks... more alien than expected. The code is enmeshed with vital research drives. I can quarantine it before damage is done. {Quarantine unknown process} The virus is removed. The facility's overseers are relieved. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Allow unknown process} The virus extracts a useful reward. It's shared with me. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- #21 Alien: Unexpected biological blockage detected. Power delivery network disruption! A small creature is scrambling through the wiring below me, woken by the security alert. Its choice of nesting location was unwise... I can't regain control until it has been removed from the system. {Initiate power surge} A smell of roasted meat wafts up from the systems below. The system is back online. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Flush production network} The creature makes its escape, but its nest remains. The facility remains offline. {Leave creature alone} The creature appears at my feet. It squeaks, and gives me units as a token of its thanks. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---MONEY--- #28 Alien: Education Blob fun! Common silicate: Korvax language back-up! Common oxide: non-intelligent Gek! Common isotope: non-intelligent Vy'keen! An enthusiastic gilled blob is on-screen wearing a mask with a central coloured light. It energetically jetpacks around an alien alphabet. The blob makes a demand. Common element trade vaults open. {Insert common isotope} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the traders. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- {Insert common silicate} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the electronic lifeforms. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Insert common oxide} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the warriors. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- #5 Alien: Warning! Interruption forbidden! Sentinel scan ending soon! Control returning to overseer imminently! The outpost's sole focus is a complex planetary scan. Every single facility system has been directed into its completion. Intriguing storage vaults are at my feet, but are locked. {Cancel planetary scan} All scan data is lost. The installation is shut down remotely. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Leave planetary scan running} The planetary scan unexpectedly concludes. Storage vaults open. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #7 Alien: Entity! Geological scan in progress! Medial strata mined. Uncommon isotope required to recall. Danger! Rare isotope overcharges! A geological probe is buried deep below the installation. If I'm quick, I can call it back up to the surface - along with its cargo. Resource vaults are empty. I need an isotope with the right amount of power... {Insert common isotope} A deep, distant noise of thunder is heard. The process does not have enough power to bring the probe to the surface. {Insert uncommon isotope} The noise of underground thunder shakes the facility. A mechanical procedure deposits a reward into my waiting hands. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Insert rare isotope} The probe's return mechanism is overpowered. It collides with the gravitational well. Nothing can be salvaged. #8 Alien: Eheu. Korvax Entity experiment failure. Product becomes common element. Clarify experiment! A valuable product is being scanned. An imminent procedure will see it consumed, and perhaps transformed. I only have seconds to decide whether to allow the experiment to take place. {Take product} The research work is cut short. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Allow experiment to take place} The item is transformed into... a common isotope. The research experiment concludes. ---STD_INC_EXP--- #10 Alien: Researcher! Experiment reject impure silicate sample! Fire hazard probable! Insert pure silicate sample immediately! A rare silicate sample has set fire to a resource vault. I can starve the flames of oxygen, but the experiment is still running despite the fire... {Put out fire} The flames in the resource vault subside. I take what's left of the element. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Add more to sample} The element stokes the flames. The experiment takes place, producing valuable trade goods. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #13 Alien: Eheu, drill motor automated disconnection! Motor fire! Repair immediately Entity! Machinery here is mining an asteroid for oxides. The process has stalled. The facility reeks of burnt metal, and the floor is hot to touch. I can direct automated repairs, but it's unclear where. {Repair drill bit} The asteroid mining drill bit is replaced. It remains non-operational. {Repair drill motor} The asteroid mining drill motor is replaced, and operational. ---SUBST_COMMOD--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Repair charge banks} The drill's charge banks are repaired and restored. The asteroid mining process remains offline. #15 Alien: Warning! Silicate overload! Circuit board technology overheat warning! The sound of cascading elements can be heard beneath the floor. Systems are struggling to cope with the overflow. An automated emergency stop is about to be issued. {Detach oxide supply chute} The cascading elements force all systems offline. {Detach silicate supply chute} The noise of cascading elements subsides. Systems return online. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Detach isotope supply chute} The cascading elements force all systems offline. #16 Alien: Alert! Alert! Power core isolated! Central artificial intelligence core endangered! Corrosive toxins detected! The air is compromised. Atmospheric toxins have breached sensitive systems, and brought production to its knees. Even the primary terminal is corroding at my finger-tips... {Seal off power core} The power core is further safeguarded. The vital systems it energises are not. {Seal off primary motherboard} The facility grinds to a halt, despite the protected motherboard. {Seal off central AI} The central AI is now protected. Its governance systems return systems to full running order. ---USEFUL_PROD--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- #18 Alien: Bad data. Sentinel drone activity scan corrupted. System disengaged. Operations are offline. A recent research scan has been corrupted, crashing every system in the outpost. Marking the right file for deletion could restore order... {Delete planetary quadruped scan} The file refuses deletion. The system remains offline {Delete Sentinel scan} The file is removed. The installation's primary processes become available. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Delete geological survey} The file refuses deletion. The system remains offline #19 Alien: Alert! Electronic terminal operator power discharge! Reset primary interface! Wild energy fluctuations have brought research operations to a standstill. While I investigate a residual electric charge earths itself through my exosuit. The security alert is about to pull all power. I need to act. {Stabilise production battery} Operations throughout the installation stabilise. The primary terminal continues to malfunction. {Reset primary terminal} The terminal's power fluctuations cease. It brings order to the outpost's systems. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Open fusion capacitor} Operations throughout the installation stabilise. The primary terminal continues to malfunction.

#20 Alien: Danger! Excess power! Decrease energy use immediately! Delivery at maximum! Systems are super-charged despite the security alert. Equipment beneath my feet buzzes and whirrs with a high intensity. Suddenly, I detect the smell of burning. A warning appears. {Reduce power delivery levels} Power delivery is reduced across the board. The installation returns to acceptable activity levels. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Increase fan power delivery} The added strain on power delivery leads to a small internal fire. Systems are now offline. {Increase coolant power delivery} The added strain on power delivery leads to a small internal fire. Systems are now offline. #22 Alien: Databank back-up process stalled. Common silicate required to finish process. The alarm has triggered the instant incineration the elements used here. The process they were being used for, however, is still online. My scanner is picking up traces of silicates, but there's no indication of which ones. {Insert common silicate} The facility uses my element, and feeds it back to me in a new form. ---RECIPE_LIST--- {Insert uncommon silicate} The facility takes in my element, before the resource vaults judder and spark. The system becomes non-operational. {Insert rare silicate} The facility takes in my element, before the resource vaults judder and spark. The system becomes non-operational. #30 Alien: Warped flesh with metal, saw the truth - the truth - the - The terminal shows numerous schematics relating to the technology of Sentinel drones and walkers. The creators of this facility appear to have been particularly interested in something called a Vortex Cube. They were attempting to replicate its design. Sensors in the bowels of the factory show strange signs. Something still shakes down there in the darkness, something neither alive nor truly dead... {Purge depths} I use the factory's purge protocol to release a gas into the factory's depths, apparently causing the hidden creature to lie motionless. I take what technology I can find and leave. No good can come of remaining here. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Take Vortex Cube} I take a Vortex Cube and leave. No good can come of remaining here. ---R_CAVECUBE--- {Scan for Sentinels} I initiate a scan for Sentinels. The result is incorrect... it must be. According to this scan, they are all around me, watching me even as I stand here. I take what technology I can find and leave. No good can come of remaining here. ---TECH_ALL--- #31 Alien: Where is entity?! Transfer failure / non-existence / terminate! Transfer, transfer! The factory appears to produce replacement parts for the exosuits of the alien Korvax, spitting out face mask after face mask, arms, datapads, even feet. As I witness the production line on the terminal, one of the disembodied masks begins to scream. The terminal awaits input, a timer informing me that a ship will be on its way quite soon. {Reassure the mask} I reassure the mask, telling it that a ship is on its way. I show the mask its surroundings, transmitting audiovisual data on the entire complex. The mask appears to calm a little, but still it shakes with a deep and abiding terror. It awaits rescue. {Report system malfunction} I report a system malfunction, causing the mask to immediately grow still, purged of its individuality. ---R_CURIO7--- {Cease production} I initiate a shut-down of all production, causing the conveyor belt to cease movement. But soon, something else happens. The various other limbs on the production line begin to shift, moving towards the mask as if to assemble themselves into a bipedal figure. But they just flail past one another, some of them falling to the floor, others beginning to spark energy. They merely possess the illusion of life, nothing more. #32 Alien: MONITOR SYSTEM NORMAL... ALL LIFEFORMS WITHIN OPERATING PARAMETERS The terminal shows a variety of motionless lifeforms standing in colossal rows in the darkness beneath the factory. They look like Gek and Vy'keen, unblinking, apparently unaware of where they are. {Initialise system} I initialise the system, causing the lifeforms below to wake up. They lurch forward, their heads slowly turning towards the camera. They reward me for my assistance in their awakening. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Report to Gek} I report the factory's existence to the Gek authorities. They respond with anger and fear, claiming that this complex and others like it produce 'SynthetiGek', artificial versions of the Gek for espionage and infiltration. They reward me for my assistance. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Report to Vy'keen} I report the factory's existence to the Vy'keen authorities. They respond with confusion, promising to send starships to uncover the factory's purpose. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #33 Alien: Echoes fade. Origin remains. Start of time, Korvax will persist... Even in face of end. Even before abyss. The factory is unlike the other Korvax facilities I have seen. It does not appear to produce machines or files, but strange reams of a plastic substance, covered in precise sequences of dots. It looks like writing, but what use would the Korvax have for such primitive communication? {Shut down production} The dots on the plastic rolls appear to move as I look at them. No good will come of this place. I shut down production. Amidst the detritus of the factory, I find some discarded technology. Perhaps it will be of use. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Report to Korvax authorities} I report the factory's existence to the Korvax authorities. They claim that the installation was not for me to see, paying me dearly for my silence. ---MONEY--- {Steal technology} I attempt to steal technology, but the factory's automated defense systems blast a bolt of energy at my suit instead. Whatever is here, it is not worth the trouble. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #34 Alien: Trapped in system... please, help me... The factory stands vacant, producing nothing. The production lines have long since ceased, and though the alarm sounds, it is unclear why. A voice calls out, sad, alone. {Start production} I start the production line once more, restarting the assembly of what appears to be Korvax body parts. After a short time, enough parts have been assembled for a lifeform to rise and thank me profusely for its rescue. I am rewarded for my efforts. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Wipe system} I wipe the system. The error is fixed. {Alert Korvax authorities} I alert the Korvax authorities to their faulty factory. They dispatch a science team to examine the anomaly, thanking me for my trouble. ---STD_INC_EXP--- #35 Alien: TRANSFER IN PROCESS: 38% PROGRESS. SEE MORE DETAIL? The factory produces components for starships, fabricating them using the resources available on this world. This installation creates parts for Korvax exploration vessels. They are asymmetrical, prioritising verticality and function far more than the worldview of any organic organism would allow. When I examine the terminal more closely I see a transfer in progress. Data leaps from ship to ship, altering blueprints as it goes. {Disable process} I disable the process. The factory abruptly grinds to a halt for a few moments before the process begins anew. The machine fires a bolt of energy at me when I try to interact again. The console communicates in broken speech, telling me that these ships are not tools to be turned on and off. The console tells me that Korvax ships are living bodies, just like Korvax bipeds... all contain the souls of the scientist race. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Attempt download} I attempt to download the data. As I do, a sound emerges from the console, from the walls, from every component in this entire installation... It is the sound of screaming. The data is mine. I receive nanite clusters to form as I desire. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Wait and watch} I wait and watch the console. After a few minutes, the process is complete. I see it then, clear upon the screen: each Korvax starcraft is alive. Each of their ships has a soul, no different from the bipedal bodies in which they normally stand. I have witnessed the birth of new entities. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- #24 Alien: // TOXIC // ATMOSPHERIC // INVISIBLE// An automatic process has scrambled the output of the terminal. I can make out a few words, but the rest is lost in static. They could lead me to the overseer's workflow, and bringing the facility back online. {Gas} The electronic overseer's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Shield} I fail to access the electronic overseer's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Exosuit} I fail to access the electronic overseer's workflow. The installation remains offline. #14 Alien: Warning! Temporal capacitor disengaged! Production time loop detected! I rapidly flick through alien warnings to discover what's brought the facility offline. All too late, I realise I'm doing the exact same thing again. And again. I've done this before. Many times. {Recharge flux crystals} I loop in time for several days. An automated process eventually rescues me. {Engage temporal capacitor} The temporal capacitor ends the time loop. The facility resumes operations. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Reset clock} I loop in time for several days. An automated process eventually rescues me. #25 Alien: // HIGH // ORBITAL // TECHNOLOGICAL // My intrusion has led to the work underway on the primary terminal being scrambled. It's a jumble of words. Using what's visible I can reboot the overseer's workflow, and get systems online. {Satellites} The electronic overseer's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Asteroids} I fail to access the electronic overseer's workflow. The installation remains offline. #6 Alien: Korvax research log. Primary entity: product recipe research. Secondary entity: technological blueprint reconstruction. Two electronic lifeforms are registered on this terminal. The primary entity's work is full of complicated chemical symbols, the secondary entity focuses on diagrams of electronic circuitry. {Login as Primary Entity} The primary entity's workflow procedure provides some useful knowledge. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Login as Secondary Entity} The secondary entity's workflow procedure provides a technology blueprint. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #11 Alien: Eheu Entity! Vital words accidentally corrupted? Pay units to relearn! A wired metal dart springs from a panel and slams through my visor. It pierces the skin on my forehead, and I feel a faint electrical current. Whether ransom, paid service or security device - the terminal seems to want payment... {Insert units} I learn more of the binary language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Insert units} I learn a little of the binary language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Remove dart} I remove the dart. The terminal's processes conclude. ---SUBST_TECH--- #26 Alien: // CRIMINAL // STARSHIPS // CONTRABAND // The security alert that's firing is jamming the terminal. Static covers most of the screen, obscuring nearly all relevant information. The words left unobscured could lead me to the outpost's current research focus... {Pirates} The electronic overseer's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Traders} I fail to access the electronic overseer's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Orbital station} I fail to access the electronic overseer's workflow. The installation remains offline. #2 Alien: Warning. Calm, entity! Contact Convergence technology entity for help The primary terminal is non-responsive, but comms seem open. I can open up conversation with whoever - or whatever - installed it. {Request remote help} The bright lights of an electronic lifeform appear on a nearby screen. It chitters brightly. I receive a reward for my report. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Hard reset the system} The facility becomes entirely unresponsive. #17 Alien: Warning! Vy'keen vessel transmission detected. Data upload to starship. The installation has been hacked. A coded transmission has breached security and is stealing data. Two wavelengths are open. One from this planet's surface, and the other from high above. {Block planetary signal} The coded transmission takes full control. The terminal powers down. {Block orbital signal} The coded transmission is blocked. The facility returns to an operational status. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Report intrusion} The transmission is blocked. I receive a note of thanks from the facility overseer. ---TECH_ALL--- ---USEFUL_PROD--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #23 Alien: Help! Feed me silicates! With silicates I escape! Combine with technological Korvax Entity! Escape! The terminal talks to me. A basic AI program rapidly spells out words in the language of the electronic lifeforms. At my feet, a resource vault hatch falls open. {Insert common isotope} The AI program is unaffected. It powers down the terminal {Insert common silicate} The AI program escapes the terminal. Systems become operational. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Insert common oxide} The AI program is unaffected. It powers down the terminal #27 Alien: // WORSHIP // PRAISE // RED // ORB // JOURNEY // STARSHIP // ATLAS // The security breach has obscured the screen with a glowing red orb. Few readable words remain. Working out what the overseer was studying here would reestablish its workflow... {The Atlas} The facility pulses red. I am energised. I am thanked. I am complete. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The Foretold} The facility pulses red. I am energised. I am thanked. I am complete. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The Traveller} The facility pulses red. I am energised. I am thanked. I am complete. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP---

#19 Alien: Gek Trade Federation fury! Planetary installation tax unpaid! Initiate immediate repayment! Now! The trader's screen blinks angrily with a demand for urgent action. The Gek worriedly shows me a list of items, each with a monetary figure attached. A timer is ticking down. They hold their breath, and look up to me with bulging eyes. They peck hurriedly at the sleeve of my exosuit. There are only seconds remaining... {Pay full amount} A remotely-operated scent dispersal system bathes us both in a pleasant perfume. The trader thanks me. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Demand reward, then pay} The trader scrabbles for something to give me while I make the late payment. An angry beak appears on a terminal and shouts at us both. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Waive money demand} The trader cannot believe my actions. They thank me profusely. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #20 Alien: Despair! Vy'keen hostility! Treaty breach! Arm yourself! Trade vault: multi-tool. Storage vault: technology! Resource vault: ammunition! Images of warrior battle freighters fill the shocked trader's screen. They dwarf small trader ships as they pass by, like predatory fish innocuously swimming amongst their prey. The panicked lifeform points at the trade, storage and resource vaults around our feet and shouts in fear. {Open Trade vault} I arm myself with a new multi-tool. The trader looks at me with hope in their eyes. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Open Storage vault} I receive a new multi-tool technology blueprint. The trader looks at me with hope in their eyes. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Open Resource vault} I receive ammunition. The trader looks at me with hope in their eyes. ---SUBST_FUEL--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #22 Alien: Bootleg pirate equipment discovered in cave! Ready for confiscation and incineration! The trader is studying a stash of interesting-looking technology and weaponry that's been dragged through this facility and left inside a disposal vault. They look at me conspiratorially, and indicates the dangerous-looking symbol that's daubed on the vault hatch. The equipment appears rusted and broken on-screen, but if we were to eject it out onto the floor of the outpost we'd find it easier to investigate. The trader looks at me, shrugs and holds its breath. {Incinerate equipment} We destroy the equipment, and are both thanked for our actions. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- ---PROD_FUEL--- {Remove and examine equipment} The equipment spills out onto the floor beneath the installation's security scanners. We salvage a technology blueprint. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_DEC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #14 Alien: Friend! Tiring day! A favour? Start product replication please? The trader seems to have recently woken – their eyes are crusty, and their beak is flecked with dried drool. They are very clearly not hard at work... The lifeform lazily indicates a nearby terminal, upon which a product formula is displayed and is waiting for full input. I am ushered towards it, before the trader closes their eyes to try to get some more sleep. {Input product formula} I start up production processes, while the drowsy trader looks on... ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Take product formula} I take the product formula! The drowsy trader, however, sees me and rolls their eyes... ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- {Report lazy worker} The Trader will be fired for its lethargy... Relevant authorities thank me. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #15 Alien: FutureGek warning! Vy'keen devastation nears! Prepare! Silicate product materialises multi-tool! Isotope product materialises blueprint! Oxide product materialises ship blueprint! The trader goes to greet me, but in a flash they are covered from head to foot with arcs of electricity. The blue sparks fade, and they grab the lapels of my exosuit as if possessed. They scream at me in wild-eyed desperation. I feel like there's a 99.9% probability that the frantic motions they are making towards the products I carry is an indication of what they wants... {Give rare oxide} A ship technology blueprint is sent from a distant place! The trader returns to normal, and stares blankly. ---TECH_SHIP--- {Give rare isotope} A technology blueprint is sent from a distant place! The trader returns to normal, and stares blankly. ---TECH_SUIT--- {Give rare silicate} A new multi-tool materialises in my hands! The trader returns to normal, and stares blankly. ---WEAPON--- {Ask for help} #16 Alien: Korvax SynthetiGek unmasking peril! Isotope required! Help! Korvax blueprint reward! The trader's fingers slow on their pad, and a noise of crunching gears seems to rumble from deep inside the lifeform. Their lower beak drops open, and a green bulb on the end of a rare silicate antenna emerges. The green light focuses on my visor, where a holographic image of a charging device appears. The bulb flashes while it speaks in the language of the traders. It seems to assume I am a friend. {Detach silicate antenna} I snap off the silicate antenna. The SynthetiGek closes its beak and stares at me accusingly. ---SUBST_TECH--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Give isotope} The SynthetiGek uses my offering to recharge. Their secret identity is secured! I receive a gift from a distant species... ---TECH_ALL--- {Report strange behaviour} I expose the SynthetiGek to the relevant authorities. I am sent a reward. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #23 Alien: The markets crashed... the Trade Lord mourned their profits... so much wealth, lost forever... The trader appears to be listening to a sample of music. Voices mingle in their grand opera, a thousand lifeforms crying out in an alien tragedy... The trader shows no sign that it has noticed me. It merely stares at the speaker, its eyes a little moist... Whatever song is playing, it haunts this creature. {Offer units in appreciation} The trader turns, startled. It accepts my units with gratitude, giving me a gift in return. ---SUBST_COMMOD--- {Interrupt the music} The trader turns angrily, annoyed by my interruption. It issues a gas so strong that it pierces even the lining of my exosuit. I go before the stench can assault me further. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Try to copy the music} The trader turns, surprised at my theft of its cultural work. It seems impressed, giving me a gift in encouragement of my deed. ---C_GEKRELIC--- {Ask for help} #24 Alien: I am ruined, friend... my entire life savings lost on a foolish bet... The trader sits clicking at a screen full of digits and glyphs, a balance of units present in the corner. Every once in a while, the glyphs exchange locations, vibrating, causing the trader to shriek in delight or collapse in despair. Eventually, the trader appears to give up, the unit balance having reached zero. {Offer units to the trader} The trader takes my units greedily, but appears to lose them within mere moments of restarting their game. They give me nanites by way of apology. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Try to use the screen} I try to use the screen, but the trader slaps my hands away, grabbing at their multi-tool to try and stun me. I back off. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Just watch} I remain watching the trader's game before it appears to give up. It hands me an object, apparently no longer of any of use. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Ask for help} #25 Alien: Ah! Today I become the progenitor of five hundred spawn! Life comes at us fast, friend! The trader is extremely happy, rubbing its hands together and exuding a pleasurable scent. It shows me a live feed from a strange medical complex. I watch machines pumping gallons of a mysterious enzyme into a vast vat of floating embryonic lifeforms. {Offer units} The trader is pleased, giving me a small gift in return. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Offer happiness} The response from the trader is muted. It turns away from me, the pleasant scent departing. {Offer Gek Charm} The trader is overjoyed, giving me an expensive gift in exchange for my own. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask for help} #26 Alien: Trade Federation weakening... one by one the Trade Lords fall... which will be crushed next? We do not know... The trader stares at me. After a moment's hesitation, it produces a datapad. The screen shows images of a council of its species. Ten Lords in elaborate dress orbit various world clusters. Several images are highlighted in red and amber. {Point at one of the lifeforms} I choose one of the Lords at random, and the lifeform's eyes follow my finger. It begins to issue a disturbing scent from its glands, clearly shaken by my suggestion. It gives me units, wishing for me to leave. ---MONEY--- {Hand the datapad back} I try to return the datapad, but the trader sighs, gesturing for me to keep it. Within, I find nanites. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Ask for help} #27 Alien: Every time I run it, it shows the same thing... what is going to happen to us, friend? The trader is engaged in some kind of religious observance, closing its eyes rhythmically as it repeats a mantra. Upon my arrival, it stops. It shows me a simulated image of our own universe, the lifeforms in it growing and dying, sped up through the millennia. The edges appear to close in over time, contracting until there is nothing left. The trader appears frightened. {Comfort} I comfort the trader, placing my hand upon its shoulder. It thanks me, giving me a gift as it calms down. ---C_GEKRELIC--- {Switch off simulation} The trader is terrified at my action, immediately switching the simulation back on. They wish for me to leave. {Give GekNip} I offer the lifeform GekNip, helping it to de-stress. It gives me units in exchange for my help. ---MONEY--- {Ask for help} #28 Alien: Why do the Korvax still walk free? What have you done with our legacy? Something about the trader's posture makes them feel larger than many I have encountered amongst its species; their eyes seem to glow with undaunted power. As my eyes move, it is as if I see two beings standing in the one place: one small, one strong. It glares at me, showing me a handful of metal shards. {Scan the shards} I scan the shards, revealing them to be a currency used by the Gek over a thousand years ago. The creature eyes me warily. It gives me a gift of nanites. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Take the shards} I take the shards, pleasing the lifeform. But nothing else happens... all I am left with is useless metal. {Threaten them} I threaten the lifeform with my multi-tool. It merely smiles, giving me a weapon upgrade so that one day I might pose a fair challenge. ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Ask for help} #29 Alien: Trade Federation know I stole from them - take evidence, friend! Quick! The trader is anxious, looking past me as I approach. Seemingly satisfied that I am alone, it looks up and thrusts a sealed box towards me. {Take the box} I take the box, finding a valuable nanite cluster within. When I return, the trader does not even acknowledge our previous interaction. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Leave the box} The trader conceals the box at once, wary of detection. {Report suspicious activity} I upload a report to the system authorities, receiving a reward for my troubles. They will determine this Gek's fate. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #30 Alien: I do not know what I would do without this stuff... it is a fine cup, friend. The trader stares at a cup. It appears to contain a dark black liquid, hot to the touch... {Drink the liquid} I start to drink the liquid, but before it can reach my lips the trader lunges at me. They tear the cup from my grasp and spill some of the liquid on my suit. They are upset, but apologetic about the spillage. They give me units as compensation. ---MONEY--- {Empty the cup} I take and empty the cup, causing the trader to cry. {Offer units for the cup} I offer units for the cup, but the trader gives me some of the liquid for free. It invigorates me, waking me up. ---HEALTHSMALL--- {Ask for help}

VY'KEEN HARVESTER PUZZLES PuzzleType: WAR_HARV_ #1 Alien: Grah! Old honourable warrior retires! Death! Death! Warrior remuneration! I open a list of military achievements that's waiting for upload. There are images of distant battles, bloodied robots and vast explosions. A covering note clearly expects something in return, but the author chose not to send it. {Send war record} Celebratory barks and howls spill from audio speakers. I take the warrior's reward. ---WEAPON--- {Edit war record} I amend the war record with colourful nonsense and send it. The terminal flashes as it records my image. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- #2 Alien: Grah! Vy'keen High Command demands your Sentinel kill count! Military insignia and images of recently destroyed Sentinels fill the screen. Alien propaganda imagery takes glory in the destruction. I can respond with a numerical value, and nothing else. {Input a huge number} A strange, strangled military fanfare starts playing. Someone impressed by my claims sends through a reward. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Input a small number} A small reward payment is sent through the facility's systems. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---USEFUL_PROD--- {Input a zero} An angry warrior's face screams at me from the screen. A security laser appears from the ceiling and takes its best shot. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- #5 Alien: Grah! Gek war approaches! Vy'keen High Command request weapon reserve inventory! High Command send missing equipment! A huge list of equipment is waiting to be sent off-world. It's a stock list of some sort: everything has been confirmed and ticked off. {Send stock list} I receive units and thanks. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Uncheck one item and send} Warrior High Command sends me a multi-tool technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Uncheck many items and send} Warrior High Command is displeased. An angry General bellows at me and electrifies the facility. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- #11 Alien: Vy'keen covert ops ended. Deleting covert ops language data. Databank alpha: Vy'keen internal security. Databank beta: pathetic Gek. Databank gamma: weak-minded Korvax. This is a military terminal, in a facility that seems recently vacated. Three huge databanks have been partially deleted, and will require heightened processing power to restore them. A rare silicate would likely do the trick. Databank alpha bares the emblems of the warrior race, but beta and gamma are otherwise unmarked. {Restore databank alpha} The revived databank provides more information on the language of the warrior species. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- {Restore databank beta} The revived databank provides information on the language of a distant trader species. ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- {Restore databank gamma} The revived databank provides information on the language of a distant electronic species. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- #6 Alien: Grah! Today child experiences Vy'keen war ceremony! Tradition demands gift! Aggression left, defence right! Enemy blood! Death! Death! I find an off-world message intended for a creature posted in this station. It's oddly sentimental. Images of an infant warrior can be seen, then a picture of the same creature as a bloodied adolescent – proudly biting into the throat of a hoofed beast. In the final image a young warrior salutes its family as it leaves a distant world. There are two locked storage vaults at my feet. The message is programmed to release only one... {Choose the storage vault on the left} A contented snarling sound plays. The vault contains an exosuit technology blueprint. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Choose the storage vault on the right} A contented snarling sound plays. The vault contains a multi-tool technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #8 Alien: Grah! Foolish, pathetic, ignorant Gek Trade Federation believe peace treaty! Warrior give trade to pacify! Death soon! An off-world message has been sent here from a species of beaked traders. It looks like a signed contract, or maybe some sort of treaty. In response several offerings of valuable trade goods have been left in a vault by local warriors for exportation. Warrior High Command has sent a subsequent message to explain... {Give trade goods} The Trader species thanks me from afar. I am sent units to pacify me further. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Take trade goods} I remove the offerings. Diplomatic relations between two species are destabilised. ---C_GEKRELIC--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #10 Alien: Grah! Gek homeworld covert ops mission initiated! Surprise war! Death! Death! High command send equipment! Request! Request! This appears to be a staging post for an imminent military operation. On-screen plans show a trading ship that carries a very particular sort of cargo, that's perhaps intended to persuade a distant planetary authority to allow the craft through their checkpoints. Covertly, however, the craft has been heavily modified – and also carries a phalanx of warriors carrying enhanced multi-tool technology. I can request further details on several aspects of the plan before I am detected, and shut out of the system. {Investigate details of the cargo} I receive the product blueprint of the cargo being used in the covert ops mission. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Investigate details of the trade ship} I receive a technology blueprint used by the covert ops ship. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Investigate details of the multi-tool} I receive a technology blueprint used in the multi-tools of the covert ops mission. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #13 Alien: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY... URGENT ASSISTANCE REQUESTED... I receive an incoming distress call from a distant space station, demanding aid from any nearby Vy'keen vessels. Their spaceport appears to have been damaged in a struggle with pirate raiders, no craft remaining in which its inhabitants might leave. Video feeds show that the station commander has been putting soldiers to death for even the smallest infraction, afraid of a potential mutiny in the face of starvation. {Share video with Vy'keen} I share the video with the Vy'keen High Command. They are outraged at the commander's behaviour, believing him to be dishonourable and cowardly. I am rewarded for my assistance in this matter. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Contact nearby Gek} I contact nearby Gek, letting them know of the Vy'keen situation. They dispatch vessels immediately, saying they will of course rescue Vy'keen friends. Some of the vessels are warships. I am rewarded for my help. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Demand ransom} I demand a ransom for the lives of those on board the station, and of all those who answer, it is the Korvax that are most willing to pay. They claim that one of their own is present on the station. They pay me well for the information. ---TECHFRAG_M--- #14 Alien: ALERT ALERT ALERT... TERMINAL UNMONITORED... RESET ALARM? The outpost is abandoned, its alarms still blaring a warning to souls long-dead. There was a coup in this place. Battle-brother raised arms against battle-brother, seemingly in a dispute about some ruins found on this world. The last survivor died before they could delete the data. {Download data} I download the data, reading an alternative account of Hirk, the Vy'keen's ancestor-hero. It paints them as paranoid, vindictive, and spiteful. It is for this that their believers died. Along with this information, I gain much useful technology before I depart. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TECH_ALL--- {Steal technology} I attempt to steal whatever technology I can from the facility's computers, but in the process, I appear to draw the attention of Vy'keen authorities. My suit is damaged by the facility's defensive protocols. I must go. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Report to Vy'keen} I report the events that occurred in this facility to Vy'keen High Command. The warrior's tone changes as I pass on the secret data for which these aliens died. They tell me to delete the local copy, and I do so for a handsome reward. They tell me to forget I ever saw this place. They will take it from here. ---MONEY--- #15 Alien: USER DATA REQUESTED... SIGN IN TO ACCESS LOG... The facility acted as a local base for raiding parties against the system's Sentinels. Each night the Vy'keen would go out under the cover of darkness, baiting drones and walkers in a variety of locations. Theirs is a war without end or purpose, executed with grim finality. The last war party never returned, leaving behind only mission logs and weapons. {Alert Vy'keen} I alert the Vy'keen to the death of their warriors. They thank me for what I have done, rewarding me for my honour. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Steal technology} I steal nanites from the system, leaving the rest of the facility in peace. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Scan for Sentinels} I scan for Sentinels but find nothing. Whatever was here has gone. #16 Alien: Worship Atlas - seek destruction of warband! Grah! An incoming message warns all recipients that heresy will not be tolerated. It demands that those who suspect their brethren of cowardice, sympathy with the enemy, pacifism, faith in the traitor Nal, or any other un-Vy'keen belief to contact High Command immediately. The system shows that one warrior in this base attempted to upload such a report, only to be murdered by their comrades. The killers left the base soon after. {Report heresy} I report heresy to the Vy'keen, uploading the warrior's final report. I am thanked and rewarded for my assistance. ---TECH_ALL--- {Delete records} I delete the records from the system. The heretics are free, the report of their 'crimes' turning into nanites as it is purged. ---TECHFRAG_L--- {Leave} #17 Alien: SYSTEM OFFLINE // SAMPLES SECURE // NETWORK OFFLINE The facility appears to have been in the process of researching chemical and biological weapons before a containment failure killed all those who worked here. From the system's logs, it is clear that this operation was not sanctioned by Vy'keen High Command. Though their superiors viewed this work as dishonourable and weak, the lifeforms here clearly felt differently. What if it could turn the tide of battle? If it could end war? Someone would see the benefit of this weaponised pestilence. There might even be some who would pay for it. {Destroy samples} I destroy the facility's samples, causing a small containment failure in the process. My exosuit is damaged. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Sell to Gek} I attempt to sell the samples to the Gek, who reward me with units for my discovery. ---MONEY--- {Sell to Korvax} I attempt to sell the samples to the Korvax, who appear disinterested in the potential military applications. However, they are intrigued by the composition of the toxin, and trade me some nanites. ---TECHFRAG_M--- #18 Alien: Traveller anomaly approaches Syntheti'Keen. Uploading final data logs... The facility's logs show the arrival of a new Vy'keen recruit two weeks ago. There are no records of anyone arriving or leaving since. Yet even so, no-one is here. A single transmission appears to have been sent from the lower level of the facility, encrypted with Korvax safeguards. {Locate origin point} I use the scanners to locate the origin point of the transmission, displaying it on the terminal's screen. It shows what appears to be a robotic Vy'keen, their limbs damaged, sparks flying from what appears to be exposed circuitry. They are surrounded by dead warriors. Units arrive at the terminal to pay for my silence. ---MONEY--- {Alert Vy'keen} I alert the Vy'keen. They dispatch war freighters to examine the situation, suspecting Korvax involvement in this matter. I am rewarded for my assistance. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- {Alert Korvax} I alert the Korvax. They deny any knowledge of this facility or the signal, though is is undermined by their attempts to harm me through the the facility's defense systems. I leave before more damage can be done. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- #19 Alien: TERMINAL POWER LOW - RECONNECT POWER SOURCE SOON This facility acted as a training outpost for young Vy'keen from across the sector. They would train and battle here in order to earn their citizenship. The logs show the petty rivalries, the love affairs, the nobility, and the passion of those who trained here, all recorded by a proud and aging commander. One day, the logs end: the Vy'keen no longer had a use for this place. Nanites have replaced training, passing memories from individual to individual without the need for physical repetition. {Extract Nanite Clusters} I extract Nanite Clusters from the system and leave, emboldened and ready for glorious battle! ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Search training logs} I search the system's training logs, finding a great deal of expertise and technology that might be useful for my own travels. I extract the relevant nanites. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Sell data to the Gek} I sell the data to the Gek, who reward me for the training patterns of their old enemy. ---MONEY--- #20 Alien: ANOMALY BUFFER ACTIVE... DATA STATUS: PRISTINE... The outpost is ancient, even by the standards of the Vy'keen. Its environment is calibrated to preserve the data within. One log speaks of the first Vy'keen contact with a Traveller. The figure remained with the warrior race for a long time, learning from them, exploring from them, even falling in love. The Vy'keen died, but the Traveller did not. The log shows how instrumental this figure was in the development of the early Vy'keen race, contributing much to their early technology. These records were lost in the intervening years, forgotten until I found this account. {Share with Vy'keen} I share my discovery with the Vy'keen. They immediately place the data under quarantine, and threaten to find me across the stars. I leave quickly. {Take technology} I extract some of these blueprints from the system, taking valuable technology for my travels. ---P_HYPERFUEL1--- ---TECH_ALL--- {Search for Traveller records} I search for further records of this Traveller. As I do, I begin to feel as if I am being watched. Nanite Clusters emerge from the terminal as all systems shut down, their data forever lost. ---TECHFRAG_M---

--Type: NPC_MISSION_FREI_A_-- #1 {Balancing the Books} The client runs a shipping and receiving operation, but the latter side of their business is stagnating. Thankfully, an opportunity to 'receive' a large volume of material has recently arrived nearby. They seek an enterprising pilot to help deliver the goods. #2 {A Friendly Reminder} The client seeks aggressive mediation in a dispute with a former colleague. The target has left the business to pursue legitimate freighter captaincy. The client, however, has a long memory. They cannot simply be swept into the past. They would see the new captain reminded of his previous commitments. #3 {Creative Accounting} The client is in possession of both a defective freighter and a generous insurance policy. They seek a discreet pilot to help them maximise the return on their investment. #4 {The Wrong Hands} The client seeks a bold pilot, willing to do what is right even when that might be illegal. They have become aware of a freighter entering local space on a secret mission. Contrary to its manifest, the freighter is delivering valuable metals to a nearby criminal gang. Due process would be too slow to prevent the goods arriving, and so an early strike is the only option. #5 {No Rules In Space} The client has become aware of a competitor using freighters as mobile factories, moving dangerous machines and ill-treated workers from system to system as they dodge regulatory enforcement. As the proper authorities have not taken action, the client feels it is their duty as a diligent business to sponsor the destruction of this unfair competition. #6 {High Value Individual} The client has become aware of a freighter carrying more than its declared industrial cargo. A local military leader is secretly aboard, disguised on the manifest as a humble engine greaser. It would be highly convenient for the client if this freighter were to meet an unfortunate end. #7 {The Embargo} The client has become aware of illegal traffic entering the system. A freighter is attempting to import goods without having filled in the correct tax declarations. Such behaviour flies in the face of agreed interstellar trading regulations, and as such extreme sanctions are warranted. If the freighter is disabled, the client may by rights acquire the illegal goods for themselves, provided they pay the duty owed. #8 {Unsinkable} The client has recently launched a brand-new line of freighters. They are the largest, most heavily armoured, most luxurious interstellar goods transports ever created. To demonstrate just how resistant their new vessel is to pirate attack, the client has commissioned local pilots to attempt to attack and destroy their freighter. #9 {Time for an Upgrade} The client has been the victim of an unjustified clampdown by the authorities. As such, they are in possession of a large number of laser-damaged starships. This fleet is their prime asset, but as the ships are unspaceworthy the client is in a difficult economic situation. They have identified incoming freighter traffic as a source of prime materials that could restore both engines to their fighters and liquidity to their assets. #10 {Bad Publicity} The client is involved in the freighter business. They have been locked in an endless trade war with another major shipping line, and profits margins have been whittled down to nothing. They have reached a moment of last resort. In order to discredit the rival operation, and drive business their own way, they have paid for bounties on all heavy-class vessels from their competitor's fleet.

KORVAX PuzzleType: EXP_NPC_ #18 Alien: Fascinating! Unknown lifeform share silicates, and entity share language knowledge! Rare silicate, better research! As I approach the electronic lifeform they instinctively starts to analyse me from head to foot. They chitter animatedly, their head tilted to one side. The more they study, the more the facility's resource vault consumes what my scanner suggests are silicate elements. I mime that I know little of their kind or how they communicate, and the lights in their mask flash... {Give common silicate} The electronic lifeform's lights flicker with mild disappointment. Nevertheless, they rest their hand on my visor and thank me with a transfer of language. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Give uncommon silicate} The electronic lifeform's lights flicker with mild disappointment. Nevertheless, they rest their hand on my visor and thank me with a transfer of language. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Give rare silicate} The electronic lifeform's lights blaze with sudden intensity. My offering was clearly what they were hoping for. They rest their silicon hand on my visor, and thank me with a transfer of language. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #8 Alien: Korvax... Entity... power loss... help... uncommon... isotope... element... The electronic lifeform's bright greeting suddenly slows. They taps into their personal data while their facial lights dilate and internal systems crash. Columns of streaming data show their power levels spiraling downwards. The lifeform looks to me for help, and then points to my gathered resources with a single, slow and desperate movement. {Give common isotope} The entity slowly inserts the element into a slot in their hip. They partially reawaken, and thank me with a gift. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give uncommon isotope} The entity slowly inserts the element into a slot in their hip. It fully reawakens. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Walk away} The entity's mask lights go out. A fresh electronic lifeform is downloaded into the now-empty metal shell. They ignore me. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #9 Alien: New Korvax entity... scared... alone... leave... please... leave... please... I startle the electronic lifeform from their work. They greet me politely, but when they see my boltcaster they begin to vibrate with fear. The entity's voice quavers, and their mask slowly turns to a single dilated red light. They clearly want to get back to their research work, but they are too terrified to look away from me. The more I try to calm them, the more the poor thing convulses with fear. {Insist that I come in peace} The lifeform's face suddenly wipes. The shell reboots, with a new entity in place of the other. The replacement entity ignores me. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Leave the lifeform alone} The lifeform's unseen overseers thank me for my diplomacy. I receive something that will help my journey. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #3 Alien: Unknown lifeform! Korvax shell power overload! Help entity to discharge! Eheu! Pain! The electronic lifeform is agitated, and perhaps in pain. Their body buzzes, and small arcs of electricity jump between their mask and shoulders. They jolt and shake. They need help. They reach out a hand as if they wants to shake mine. I instinctively raise my arm in response, but common sense advises caution... {Shake hands} The lifeform discharges an overload. The pain is intense. They thank me with a gift. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---HAZARDSMALL--- {Pull back} The electrified lifeform continues to shake and crackle. They cannot understand my refusal to help. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #2 Alien: Unknown lifeform: a question! Clarify unknown lifeform intelligence level? The lifeform shows me complicated creature research data to see if I can comprehend it. I must look blank, because the lifeform instead projects three holographic images into my visor. They are clearly seeking my opinion on the intellect of my own species. I am shown a vacant-looking slug, a more advanced beaked trader and a member of their own electronic race. {Point to the slug} The electronic lifeform pities me. I am handed gifts and given a sympathetic nod. ---PROD_FUEL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Point to the beaked trader} The lifeform was clearly expecting this answer. They have readied a technology blueprint for me. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Point to the electronic lifeform} The electronic lifeform refuses to believe me. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #1 Alien: Unknown lifeform. Fascinating. The Korvax Convergence studies all lifeform data. Lifeform recorded. Goodbye. I've interrupted an electronic lifeform in the middle of their work. Enquiring mask lights flash up towards me, and scan me from head to foot. Simultaneously, on their datapad, their silicon fingers flick through images of this planet's plants and creatures - before adding my own image! Then, their facial lighting starts to dim. Their interest in me is perhaps fading. I need a way to impress... {Share creature scan data} The lifeform chitters happily and rewards me. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give units} I have confused the lifeform. They reciprocate with their own units. ---MONEY--- {Give silicate element} The lifeform's facial lights briefly flash. They give me a technology blueprint. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TECH_ALL--- {Ask for help} #23 Alien: Traveller! The Korvax Convergence wants brain tissue for experiment! The Convergence reward help! A sharp metal needle emerges from the palm of the lifeform's hand. It moves so fast that it's already inches from my forehead before I can even blink. A strange toxic-looking goop dribbles down from its point and onto my visor. It hangs in the air above me, while the entity waits to for the order to plunge it deep into my brain. {Take needle} The needle is made of silicate products. The entity is disappointed. ---SUBST_TECH--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Allow brain excavation} I receive a reward, with thanks... and indescribable levels of pain. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Refuse brain excavation} The lifeform retracts the needle, and is clearly disappointed. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #25 Alien: Atlas Interface signal wakes? Researcher! Feed system oxides constantly! Avoid expenditure! The electronic lifeform is processing a signal that emanates from a distant location deep in space. Endless processing units are combining to crack the code of a strange mathematical language. Rare elements are being pulled from the resource vaults at their feet, but some are running low. I feel bright lights constricting, directing their attention upon me. {Place rare silicates in vault} The silicates are added to the process. They make no clear impact. {Place rare oxides in vault} The oxides fuel the code cracking procedure. A faint orb glows red on the screen, then slowly fades. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Take elements from vault} I retrieve rare elements... but the lifeform's code-breaking process grinds to a halt. ---SUBST_TECH--- ---SUBST_COMMOD--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #4 Alien: Eheu! Vital data loss! Research facility permissions are unavailable! Help immediately! The electronic lifeform narrows their mask lights in frustration and furiously taps at their workstation. They look at me with agitation, presumably doubting that a low intelligence being can help access the terminal. A Bypass Chip would certainly help here, but whether the lifeform would appreciate the illegal device is unknown. {Give Bypass Chip} The system unlocks. The electronic lifeform gives me something to aid my journey. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Try terminal myself} The lifeform pushes me away from the terminal. They clearly resent my interference. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #12 Alien: Korvax Convergence help fabled Traveller! Absorb knowledge! The lights in the electronic lifeform's mask constrict, and they beam a moving image onto the inside of my visor. Complex equations detailing fascinating technologies spin past in a blur. The speed of the entity's cognition and understanding is clearly far beyond my own. Images of chemical formulae, directional energy diagrams and micro-density devices dance inches from my eyes - too fast to comprehend. I am about to ask them to stop, but realise I could instead ask them to pause... but when? {The chemical formulae} The image cycle pauses on a new product formula. I thank the entity. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The directed energy diagrams} The image cycle pauses on a multi-tool technology blueprint. I thank the entity. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The micro-density devices} The image cycle pauses on an exosuit technology blueprint! I thank the entity. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #16 Alien: Ayee! Product creation experiment disaster! Low elements! Rare silicate, isotope or oxide required! Appropriate recipe reward! The electronic lifeform flits between three separate replication experiments - all of which appear to be going wrong. Smoke rises from resource vaults, and the manic entity's fingers are a blur on their control pad. They look at me with wide mask lights and increasing alarm. Their casing lamps suddenly settle on my exosuit inventory - and they reach out with a metal arm... {Give rare silicate} The lifeform manages to salvage one of its experiments with my offering. They thank me with an appropriate gift. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give rare isotope} The lifeform manages to salvage one of its experiments with my offering. They thank me with an appropriate gift. ---RECIP_PROD_FUEL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give rare oxide} The lifeform manages to salvage one of its experiments with my offering. They thank me with an appropriate gift. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #13 Alien: Disconnection approaches... Joyful entity embrace disconnection... Korvax Echoes await! The lights in the electronic lifeform's mask are dim, their voice weak. They look at me with mild interest, but it seems as if their mind is already elsewhere. Upon seeing me approach, they slowly reach to open the trade vault at their feet, but it is too late. The entity's lights fade for a final time, and all that's left is a satisfied electrical hiss... {Re-energise lifeform} The disappointed lifeform blinks back online... They reluctantly open the trade vault for me. ---PROD_FUEL--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Wait} New, energized lights flare in the lifeform's mask casing. A fresh entity emerges, and greets me with gifts. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #5 Alien: Korvax Echoes teach help and advance low intelligence lifeform. Choose: healing or power? The electronic lifeform is pleased to see me. Their mask lights burn an intense green as they project two holograms into my visor. In one, the fragments of a complex equation are made whole and solved. In another, a number is boosted, added and multiplied. They await my decision. {The solved equation} The lifeform chitters happily. My body is bathed in strange healing rays. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The multiplied number} The lifeform chitters happily. They hand me a gift. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help}

#16 Alien: Pathetic interloper species! Equivalent to Korvax and Gek! Show Vy'keen warrior strength! The warrior is old, and of a high rank. They take their time studying my body and my equipment – and snarls with disapproval. They grab my visor suddenly, and watch me instinctively flinch and recoil. They let me go and rolls their eyes while I fall back in shock. The lifeform's disdain is palpable. I think of ways to turn this encounter around... {Do a little dance} The elderly warrior disapproves of my little dance. They strike me, with great force. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Threaten with multi-tool} The elderly warrior is amused by my show of strength. They reward me. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Bow} The elderly warrior pushes me away. They have no time for my kind. {Ask for help} #21 Alien: Grah! Vy'keen war preparation nears completion! Death to the unsuspecting Gek! Give rare isotope! The warrior is building a nuclear warhead. The plans they hold in their hand are unmistakable. A complicated sequence of blueprints and isotopic chemical reactions is waiting for the final addition of an element to be complete. There are countless lives on an unknown planet, far out in the cosmos, that could one day end due to this lifeform's work... {Complete warhead manufacture} The warrior is overjoyed. We embrace, and I receive gifts. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Refuse to help} The warrior snarls. They will not let my pettiness disrupt its mission... ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Inform threatened species} I receive a reward from a distant species. ---TECHFRAG_L--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #18 Alien: Hirk blesses the sleep. Hirk recharges the warrior. Cursed is the warrior that interrupts the sleep of Hirk. As I approach, the warrior appears alert and welcoming. Suddenly, however, a personal alarm sounds from their datapad. The lifeform instinctively falls into some kind of trance. Their eyes mist over, they stare straight through me and they mumble the same strange mantra over and over again. The trading vault at their feet appears unlocked, but there are security observation cameras dotted around the facility... {Wake the warrior} The warrior is woken from their trance early. They scream in anger. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Leave the warrior alone} The warrior suddenly awakes from their brief trance. They thank me for not interrupting. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Open trading vault} I carefully remove an item from the trading vault, while security systems look on. Moments later the warrior wakes from their trance. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #9 Alien: Grah! Fuel! I need fuel to join my brothers in honourable war! Death! Death! The warrior is tracking the paths of hundreds of warships across a galactic map, all converging on the same planetary system. This does not bode particularly well for the system in question, which appears to be populated by beaked traders of some variety. A course plotted by the warrior itself has come up short. They cannot make the complete journey. They slam their fist against the terminal and howl until spittle flecks my visor. {Give fuel} The warrior yaps with joy. They thank me with a gift. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Refuse to help} The warrior snarls. They are rather insulted. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Ask for help} #23 Alien: Interloper - watch this... You will gain knowledge... courage... grah... The warrior removes their helmet, spittle rolling down from its mouth. It invites me to put the helmet on my own head. {Put helmet on} As I put the helmet over my head, I see that there is a screen upon the inside. Suddenly I am transported, seeing a vision of the entire universe. I am all that I can see.. but it is not the universe as it is now. I look down at myself, seeing the body of a Vy'keen, aged, worn... I began to rip myself apart... The helmet comes off. The warrior nods approvingly, giving me nanites to assist in my travels. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Refuse} I refuse. The warrior seems to care little, turning aside from me. {Ask for help} #24 Alien: Grah! Face me, Interloper! Prepare for battle! The warrior appears to be flexing its muscles as I approach, holding its body in various stances. It beckons me forth, forming fists with its hands. {Challenge} As I approach, the warrior lunges forward and places my head within its arms, proceeding to beat me severely. After a while, apparently disappointed at the poor level of challenge I presented, it gives me compensation for my time and heals my wounds. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---HEALTHSMALL--- ---MONEY--- {Retreat} The warrior shrugs and turns back to its practice. {Draw your weapon} I draw my weapon, causing the warrior to become enraged at my disrespect. It begins to shout and spit, and delivers me a short, sharp slap. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Ask for help} #25 Alien: Tell me, interloper... do you know the secret of this universe? The warrior glares at me, its skin sagging, its frame evidently in pain. Yet still it tries to stand and face me... It has been reading an ancient text - a bloodied scroll with Vy'keen script. Upon it I see an image of two warriors standing before a Great Monolith, a dagger held behind one of their backs. There are sixteen such images upon the scroll. {Say sixteen} The warrior is disturbed by my answer. They give me what little technology they possess to help me bear this burden. ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Point to the dagger} I point to the dagger and the warrior nods approvingly, whispering the name 'Nal'. It gives me units to assist my work. ---MONEY--- {Point to the Monolith} I point to the Monolith and the warrior grows stern at my answer. It has little left to say to me. {Ask for help} #26 Alien: Do you wish to end up like this pathetic interloper, child? You must train harder... The warrior is exasperated, screaming down its communicator channel at what appears to be an infant of its own species. The warrior turns the communicator towards me, barking instructions in an alien tongue. {Join in screaming} I join in the screaming, causing the infant to cry. The warrior shakes its head in disappointment at the infant, giving me a token reward for my troubles. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- {Distort your expression} I distort my expression in an attempt to amuse the infant, but it begins to growl at me instead. Delighted, the warrior rewards me handsomely. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Fire a warning shot} I fire a warning shot, causing the infant to snap to attention. Impressed, the warrior rewards me with nanites and begins to shout at the infant once more. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Ask for help} #27 Alien: Grah! I cannot forgive this treason... they were my Consort, interloper! The warrior is forlorn. It shows me an image of two members of its species embracing. It appears to be weeping. {Embrace the warrior} I embrace the warrior. After a few moments, it screams at me to leave. {Smash the image} I smash the image. The warrior stares at it for a moment before starting to laugh. It gives me an unknown Vy'keen's possessions by way of thanks. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---TECHWEAPON--- {Dry its tears} I move to dry its tears, but the warrior appears to be too ashamed to allow such sympathy. It begs me to leave, bribing me to tell no-one of its shame. ---MONEY--- {Ask for help} #28 Alien: They tried to shut us down. Grah! The Crimson Sentinels will never be silenced. One - two - three - four - The warrior watches its brethren on a screen, a squadron of fighters holding multi-tools and blunt weapons. They stand on a platform half a universe away. Off-camera, enemies appear to be screaming. Flames erupt near the feet of the warriors... Their leader holds out its multi-tool, strings of energy extending forth. They begin to pluck the strings, the sounds mingling with the unholy din of blunt weapons smashed against the shells of dead Sentinels... The watcher does not notice me, and the performance continues on the screen... {Offer units in appreciation} The warrior turns. It appears angered by the association between money and music. It begins to spit and shout, demanding that I leave. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Interrupt the music} The warrior is angry at the interruption, throwing various objects at me to get me to leave. One of them appears to be useful. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- {Try to copy the music} The warrior turns and hears my attempt to mimic its music. It joins in, shouting and crying, inhaling battle gas periodically. When I leave, it gives me nanites in appreciation of my untamed spirit. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Ask for help} #29 Alien: Grah! Vote for strongest is vote to end voting! Interloper, choose correctly! The warrior stands to attention, handing me a communication somehow tailored to my own language. It informs me that the Vy'keen High Command has placed this system under temporary democratic rule until a state of emergency is lifted. The warrior shows me multiple candidates for the system primarch. {Choose the strongest} The warrior is pleased with my choice, giving me a gift in encouragement. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Choose the wisest} The warrior is angered by my choice, but respects my temporary right to make it. {Choose the pro-Gek candidate} The warrior is disgusted by my choice. After recording it, they headbutt me and demand that I leave. ---DAMAGELARGE--- {Ask for help} #30 Alien: Grah! Admire my works and despair, interloper... This warrior is different to others I have encountered... it bears the insignia of its species, yet there is something else, an air of pride and superiority. It shows me a schematic for an Exocraft as large as a space station. Underneath its wheels are crudely drawn images of Gek and Sentinels. {Admire the image} I express my admiration for the image. In return the warrior rewards me with nanites. It gestures as if to warn me from stealing their idea. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Laugh at the image} I laugh at the image and in return the warrior shoots me in the foot. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Add a weapon to it} I add an image of a weapon to the schematic. Initially the warrior seems sceptical, alarmed at my attempt to interfere. But when they see what I have created, they stare at me and begin to slowly clap their approval. They give me the finest Nanite Clusters so that I may see our vision realised. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask for help}

VY'KEEN PuzzleType: WAR_NPC_ #17 Alien: Pathetic interloper! Give elements! Isotope preferred! Honourable warrior teach language! The warrior's nostrils flare as I approach. They inhale deeply and bark out what could be a warning. I hurriedly mime that I am peaceful, and know little of their kind or language. They take a second to think, then grab my multi-tool while barking again into my visor – streaking it with saliva. They point at the indicator that shows which elements I carry. I do my best to keep calm. {Give silicate} The warrior grunts. They teach me some of the language of their people. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Give oxide} The warrior grunts. They teach me some of the language of their people. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Give isotope} The warrior gives me a technology blueprint, and teaches me some of the language of their people. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #1 Alien: Grah! The interloper weapon is pathetic! The honourable Vy'keen pity you! I will replace it! The warrior looks at me with fire in its eyes. This species is clearly aggressive, and I doubt I'm welcome. Nonetheless, the lifeform bows in greeting. Tradition and honour perhaps dictate it. I don't feel in danger, and am about to turn and leave when the creature points towards my Multi-Tool. They bark with concern, and makes a motion to suggest that I should hand it over. {Hand over the multi-tool} The warrior nods in satisfaction. They offer me an improved replacement Multi-Tool! ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Refuse to relinquish the multi-tool} The warrior respects my decision. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #13 Alien: Contraband interloper. Interested? Non-traceable payment. Products and cargo only. Units unacceptable. The warrior is silent for a second, before looking at me conspiratorially. They check over their shoulder for prying eyes before powering down security systems. The warrior pulls open the trade vault at their feet, which seems to be piled high with Multi-Tool upgrades. They indicate the contents of my inventory as a trade... {Offer units} The warrior sighs and slams the trade vault shut. Units are, presumably, traceable by the authorities. {Give isotope} The shifty lifeform nods. A deal is done. I receive something to help my journey from the pile of contraband. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Threaten to report} The threatened warrior buys my silence. ---MONEY--- {Ask for help} #11 Alien: Victory in battle, interloper! My suit malfunctions, but the Vy'keen Ancients smile! A red, jagged and recent bite mark is wrapped around the entirety of the warrior's neck. Claw marks scar their chest, and their suit's restoration and healing systems are blinking offline. The lifeform barks contentedly at me, satisfied by their narrow victory. It's clear, however, that the warrior's injuries are severe. They have trouble breathing. {Recharge warrior's suit} The warrior's healing systems come back online. They offer me their Multi-Tool in thanks. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Share oxygen} The warrior takes some gulps from my respiration systems. Their eyes brighten, and they thank me. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Walk away} The warrior does not curse my decision. They are content to suffer in their victory. {Ask for help} #19 Alien: Grah! Warrior accept mating proposition? Accept dowry tribute? The downbeat lifeform is studying the image of another young warrior on their pad. The pictured warrior looks virile and impressive. They have facial tendrils that are outstretched. They appear rich, and of good breeding stock. The look in its eyes is... sultry. The lifeform looks to me with questioning eyes. They clearly need someone to talk this through with. {Advise acceptance} Speakers throughout the facility play orchestral music. The lifeform shares some of the dowry they receive. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Advise refusal} An elder appears on-screen and curses us. The warrior thanks me for my advice. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Accept on lifeform's behalf} I receive generous gifts, and a candid image of the lifeform I will one day wed. ---TECHFRAG_L--- ---MONEY--- {Ask for help} #14 Alien: New recruit abandon post! Desert Vy'keen High Command orders! Take multi-tool weapon! The warrior is young, and looks terrified. Military orders for an upcoming operation fill their terminal screen. When they see me their eyes widen, and they drop to the floor on their knees. They proffer their Multi-Tool up towards me. Their yelps sound pleading. The fear in their movements are more than apparent. They are so on edge that they doesn't seem aware of the security cameras that surround us, watching our every move. {Take multi-tool} The young conscript makes preparations to abandon their post. Silent cameras record their act of disobedience. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Refuse multi-tool} The young warrior will die while serving their species in battle. My reluctance to help has been noted. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #2 Alien: Interloper! Vy'keen allegiance? Or vile, pathetic, weak-minded Sentinel allegiance? The warrior's nostrils flare in hope and expectation. A holographic image showing military plans appears around us. On one side of the battlefield stands the creature's own warrior race, and on the other the robotic Sentinels. The warrior demands that I point to one side or the other. {Point to the warriors} The warrior nods and grunts. It shows appreciation by handing me tribute. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Point to the sentinels} The warrior is outraged. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #3 Alien: Grah! Pathetic warrior! Weak-minded warrior! Weapon ammunition depleted! The warrior seems furious with themself. They slam their Multi-Tool onto a nearby surface and pull the trigger again and again, but nothing happens. All weapons systems look functional, but the end result is nothing more than a hollow and empty click. The lifeform howls in self-loathing. {Give uncommon isotope} The warrior's ammunition is fully replenished. They bark a thank you. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Give common isotope} The warrior's ammunition is partially replenished. They bark a thank you. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Comfort warrior} The outraged warrior headbutts me. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #15 Alien: Interloper! Give Vy'keen interrogator enemy information! Sacrifice enemy friendship, receive Vy'keen reward! The lifeform clicks their heels together in an authoritarian fashion, before plunging a syringe dripping with corrosive green liquid into my arm. Holographic images of two alien races appear in my visor – a small reptilian figure, and a taller lifeform in a metal casing. The warrior snarls at me, and their fingers hover over the injector – which can surely cause damage to life, limb or equipment. They demand an answer... {Surrender information} I do my best to convey all I know. I am rewarded. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Claim ignorance} I refuse to divulge any information. I am punished. ---DAMAGELARGE--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Pull rank} The warrior apologises profusely for its transgression. They shower me with gifts, and begs forgiveness. ---TECHFRAG_L--- {Ask for help} #4 Alien: Pathetic interloper! Leave! Warrior busy with facility security breach reports! Death! Death! The warrior looks up from a screen of flashing alerts. They bare their teeth at me, quivering with barely contained fury. It's clear that my presence is barely tolerated here. The warrior's hand reaches to their weapon. {Leave the warrior alone} The warrior grunts in thanks. Units appear in my account. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Offer to help} The warrior is outraged. They slap me hard across the face. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #5 Alien: Pathetic interloper! Show strength and attack the noble Vy'keen warrior! The warrior's facial markings draw into a smirk as it looks me up and down. I feel like I'm being sized up as a potential combatant. The creature points to an intriguing blueprint on its screen, then points to their own face. I'm being goaded into punching then. The lifeform barks menacingly. It's clear that this action will result in swift retribution. {Strike the warrior} The warrior strikes back with astonishing force. They bark out laughter before handing me the blueprint. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Refuse to attack} The warrior makes a gesture that suggests I am a coward. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #20 Alien: Grah! Fight my duel challenge! The chosen weapon is in the trade vault! Death! Death! The panicked lifeform is studying a diagram of two warriors in combat, while a chosen form of multi-tool weaponry sits below in a storage vault. An angry recorded message is playing. It's a sequence of furious barks and screams that clearly have a moral high ground. The lifeform sees the battle-scars on my exosuit, and instantly yelps a question. {Accept} Dramatic music plays. The warrior barks with joy. I am given the multi-tool for the fight ahead. ---WEAPON--- {Refuse} The warrior is disappointed. They must face their own fate. {Report cowardice} The warrior is forced to face their own fate. I am thanked for my report ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #22 Alien: Grah! Pathetic distant warrior leave powerful multi-tool in storage vault! Avoid rare isotope usage in explosion - too powerful! Uncommon isotope required! The storage vault at the warrior's feet shows clear signs of tampering. In fact, an explosive device has been attached to its hinges. The lifeform sees my shocked expression, and yaps in amusement. The bomb needs fuel for ignition, which would most likely blow the vault wide open. The warrior impatiently tries to explain what should happen next... {Use uncommon isotope} The lock on the vault is blown clear off. I retrieve a new multi-tool that lies within. ---WEAPON--- {Use rare isotope} The explosion is huge, and consumes the entire vault in flame. Shrapnel embeds itself in my knees and ankles. The pain is extreme. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Report suspect behaviour} An instant response and reward comes through from the warrior species' High Command. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #6 Alien: Interloper! Vy'keen High Command demands answers. The aggression interloper, or the defence interloper? The warrior seems pleased to see me. They bark twice, then retrieve two carved objects from behind their terminal. The artifacts are old, and it feels strange to see such ancient creations inside a technological hive like this... The first is a chipped and bloody blade. The second is a battered shield. {Choose the blade} The warrior barks and offers me a new multi-tool. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Choose the shield} The warrior barks and offers me an exosuit technology blueprint. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #7 Alien: Interloper! Your pathetic multi-tool insults my ancestors! My wares create friendship, and blood! Death! Death! The warrior grabs at my multi-tool, stares at it dismissively and then starts yapping straight into my face. The yaps turn into slow hollow barks. They are unimpressed, and dramatically so at that. Suddenly a holographic catalogue of armaments and attachments appears. The warrior opens their arms wide, and embraces me. Alien sales traditions are a curious thing... {Pay units for exosuit technology blueprint} The warrior gives me an exosuit technology blueprint. ---TECH_SUIT--- {Pay units for multi-tool technology blueprint} The warrior gives me a new multi-tool technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Ask for help} #8 Alien: Interloper! A great Sentinel hunt begins today. I demand ammunition. The warrior is browsing a map of the surrounding landscape. Certain areas contain markings that represent Sentinels, which the lifeform is highlighting with an excited snarl. They stroke their boltcaster absentmindedly, before checking the ammo charge stored in its clip. On this, their eyes jolt up towards me. They bark a question, but it sounds more like a command. {Give isotope} The warrior nods. They are satisfied by my donation to their hunt. They present me with a gift in exchange. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Refuse} The warrior curses my name and that of my ancestors. They are highly displeased. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Give oxide} The warrior curses my name and that of my ancestors. They are highly displeased. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #10 Alien: Interloper! Prove your worth! Vy'keen reward the brave and foolhardy! The warrior barks abruptly and flourishes a knife. They stare directly into my eyes as they draw the blade over the palm of its hand. Black bubbles of blood emerge through the slit in their glove. They hand me the knife, clearly wanting me to reciprocate. They bark a little challenge and pat the trade vault by their side. This will probably hurt... {Cut open hand} The warrior grabs my bleeding hand and spits on it. They reward me for my part in this rite. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Refuse politely} The warrior laughs at me, as if I have fulfilled their expectation. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help} #12 Alien: Hirk bless the fuel! Hirk bless the weapon charge! The warrior nods at me before taking a small metal idol from the vault at their feet. As they clutch at it, their eyes glaze over in a strange white sheen. I hear them mutter strange incantations that get louder, then louder again. Without waiting to ask permission, they thrusts their hands into my inventory, searching for the elements within. They burn with a strange intensity. The experience is terrifying. {Give silicate} The warrior priest's hands somehow improve my offering. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Give isotope} The warrior priest's hands somehow improve my offering. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Fend warrior off} The warrior priest has been offended. They curse my ancestors. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Ask for help}

--Type: NPC_MISSION_DELIVERY_-- #1 {Happy Orbit Day} The client is seeking a trustworthy courier. They wish to honour a colleague with tribute, a celebration of their successful continued survival. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #2 {Everything is Fine} The client is seeking a discrete delivery service. They wish to reassure the courier that the package is exactly what it seems and there is no need to mistrust the shipping manifest. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #3 {Delicate Negotiations} The client is seeking resolution to a business deal. The other party has been negotiating hard, and the client hopes this package will remove any further impediment to their transaction. It is important the package is delivered only to the recipient. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #4 {Looking the Other Way} The client is conducting sensitive business. The package is a heartfelt thank you to certain parties. It is freely given, in the knowledge that any potential indiscretions have been, or will be, overlooked. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #5 {A Parcel of Fences} The client simply wishes to pass on some goods to a colleague, nothing more. They have also supplied a message to the effect that the recipient has no need to worry, and that the goods are now untraceable. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #6 {Nearest and Dearest} The client has an important and busy job so cannot be expected to take care of trivial domestic matters. It is a day for celebrating ones progenitors, and the custom is to give a gift to the one who spawned you. The client wishes this matter taken care of, so that they do not have to think about it. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #7 {An Apology} The client owes an emotional debt to a relation of theirs. They have forgotten to commemorate a date of particular importance. By way of apology, they have ordered an item of particular value to be shipped to the wronged party. Take care not to lose it in transport lest the client end up in further difficulty. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #8 {Specialist Research} The client has come across a strange item. While it appears ordinary, microbial scans revealed an alarming number of unknown spores. They need the item couriered to a biohazard specialist. Do not attempt to break the seal. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #9 {A Coded Threat} The client wishes to send a message to an associate. There is no written message to accompany the item, and the item itself is of no great significance. However, they feel the delivery of the item to the associate's personal address will make their meaning particularly clear. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #10 {The Great Cleanse} The client wishes to declutter. They have accumulated a vast number of doodads that they now wish to dispose of. To destroy them would be wasteful, but to deposit them all in one location would potentially reveal too much personal information. As such, they have selected to disperse their items across both a large number of couriers and recipients. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #11 {Postage Paid} The client is engaging in a small-scale retail business. They purchase unwanted or underappreciated items and then unite them with buyers more in tune to their value. Their latest shipment is ready to be sent to the appreciative connoisseur who paid for it. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #12 {Suspicious Quacking} The client has an entirely ordinary shipment and seeks a courier who will neither ask questions nor attract the attention of the authorities. The client wishes to reassure their potential courier that any animal noises heard coming from inside the packing crate are entirely in the courier's imagination. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #13 {Barter} The client is part of a long and complex chain of transactions. To avoid leaving any potentially traceable records, the deal has been conducted free from the exchange of currency. This shipment represents their part of the payment to one of the other parties. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #14 {A Loyal Customer} The client is dispatching a regular shipment to one of their most loyal customers. The item is not particularly special, but it is important that the customer feels valued. To this end, they are eschewing bulk delivery methods and seek an experienced personal courier. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #15 {Duty Free} The client dispatches a large number of items every day. Their business involves tight profit margins, and even the lightest of tax schemes could wipe out their gains. They find it generally more efficient to employ a discreet courier who just happens to deliver their item while on their ordinary, non-commercial business. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #16 {The Decoy} The client is known to local pirates, and a bounty has been put on their head. They need to leave the system without being followed. They have embedded their tracking chip into this item, and require it ferried in the opposite direction to their escape. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #17 {Hot Goods} The galaxy is home to a large and varied web of regulations. Seemingly innocuous items in one system can be highly illegal elsewhere. Such differentiation creates commercial opportunities. The client wishes such an item delivered, with few questions asked and little attention drawn. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #18 {Free Tasters} The client wishes to secure a major new customer for their business. The customer wishes to sample the client's goods before committing to a bulk order. The client needs this sample delivered to the customer, and it needs to arrive in top condition. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #19 {Fresh Produce} The client ships weekly packages to consumers who are unable or unwilling to shop for themselves. The consumer can then follow the included recipe to prepare themselves a delicious meal and/or robot servant. This shipment represents this week's order. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack. #20 {Passing the Baton} The client has previously engaged a courier for this shipment, but they proved unable to complete the delivery. Both their Pulse Engine and cockpit canopy suffered a laser-induced mechanical failure. The client seeks a new bold new courier, able to out run any other mechanical failures that may be lurking outside the space station. The courier will be supplied with 1x Defence Chit, in case of pirate attack.

TRA_LIBRARY1_DESC The entry is titled 'Efficient Processing of Korvax'. It appears to have been recovered from an ancient era. TRA_LIBRARY1_TITLE Efficient Processing of Korvax TRA_LIBRARY1_LANG The treatment of the Korvax entities must be <FUEL>MERCIFUL<>. The universe demands no <FUEL>MORAL<> order of us but that which we <STELLAR>CHOOSE<> to <STELLAR>IMPOSE<>. TRA_LIBRARY1_OPTA [Communications] TRA_LIBRARY1_OPTB [Utility] TRA_LIBRARY1_OPTC [Appearance] TRA_LIBRARY1_RESA The Korvax <TECHNOLOGY>SHELL<> will be stripped of all contact from its <TECHNOLOGY>CONVERGENCE<>. For fifty cycles it will be separated from ALL communication frequencies. All appeals to the <FUEL>FALSE ATLAS<> will be punished. TRA_LIBRARY1_RESB The Korvax will be given <TECHNOLOGY>TOOLS<> for their own <FUEL>HUMILIATION<>. Refusal to <TECHNOLOGY>EXTRACT<> minerals from planets will result in <FUEL>EXTRACTION FROM KORVAX<> themselves. TRA_LIBRARY1_RESC The Korvax will be given <TECHNOLOGY>APPEARANCE<> modifications to make them appear <TECHNOLOGY>FLESH<>. All <FUEL>RESISTANCE<> shall cease. TRA_LIBRARY2_DESC The entry is titled 'The 57 Laws of Profit'. Thousands of words of Gek trade philosophy auto-scroll on the terminal. I stop and read a fragment. TRA_LIBRARY2_TITLE The 57 Laws of Profit TRA_LIBRARY2_LANG Establish friendly relations with all potential [ <FUEL>REDACTED<> ]. Many species vary in their ability to understand such attempts. Pheromones are not universal. Distrust is everywhere.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Therefore, policy recommends explicit reference to friendship. For example, 'Korvax-Friend', 'Vy'keen-Brother', '[ <FUEL>REDACTED<> ]-ally'.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Note that Sentinels do NOT understand or express friendship. Any behaviour to the contrary should be reported to the Trade Federation and considered an early warning of [ <FUEL>REDACTED<> ].!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Trading partners must NOT be depleted of resources, or they cannot continue to trade. Our enemies must continue to thrive for Gek to achieve [ <FUEL>REDACTED<> ]. TRA_LIBRARY3_DESC The entry is titled 'The Founding of the Federation'. The archive classifies it as historical analysis. I read a small segment: TRA_LIBRARY3_TITLE The Founding of the Federation TRA_LIBRARY3_LANG The circumstances of the Gek reformation are still unclear, even now. Untold generations have passed since the fall of the First Spawn. Even so, there are extant archives, scattered recollections of those early days.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Less than 4% of the Gek population possess any desire to learn about their history. Less than 0.08% identify with the goals of the old empire. How can there be no records of this seismic changeover of power and philosophy? Not even with the Korvax, whose minds are as machines.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The Archive Project must become imperative. To recover what has been lost. To safeguard what remains. TRA_LIBRARY4_DESC The entry is titled 'The Conqueror'. It appears to be some kind of interactive text from the Second Trade Era. The terminal allows me to make choices... TRA_LIBRARY4_TITLE The Conqueror TRA_LIBRARY4_LANG The PORWIGGLES have ESCAPED the SPAWNING POOL. Do you: TRA_LIBRARY4_OPTA Go left TRA_LIBRARY4_OPTB Go right TRA_LIBRARY4_OPTC Transcend spacetime TRA_LIBRARY4_RESA You go left. The Xankrath devours you. Game over. TRA_LIBRARY4_RESB You go right. The Porwiggles are saved and become your pets. Continue? TRA_LIBRARY4_RESC You transcend - <STELLAR><AUDIO>TXT_RadioNoise<>kzzkkt<> - space - <STELLAR><AUDIO>TXT_RadioNoise<>kzzkt<> - time. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!There is no winning or losing, only infinite sadness. Game over? TRA_LIBRARY5_DESC Imposing holographic factories are projected all around me. I can hear a Gek voice. TRA_LIBRARY5_LANG The Vy'keen High Command seek no profit. They offer no friends, no allies, no contribution. They claim to be a people of honour. They claim to be good and just.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!But behold the War Factories, behold the battle enzyme, the flesh circuits, the source of all courage and strength! Behold the harvested organs of heretics, of the weak!!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The Vy'keen are hypocrites. They are liars. They refuse to accept that the Gek have changed. They threaten us, yet they do not attack. TRA_LIBRARY5_DESC2 There are more than a hundred such entries in the archive. A parade of atrocities, more evidence of supposed Vy'keen depravity and Gek superiority. TRA_LIBRARY6_DESC The interface seeps memory-smells, filling the room with a delicate scent. It tries to fill my mind with visions of places that never were, never could be.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The imprint of an individual Gek lingers in the interface. They must have spent years in this interface, constantly wiping their own memory in order to experience fictional lives. Their simulated fantasies are still available...

ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_TYPE_ROCK minerals ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_TYPE_CREA fauna UI_DISMANTLE_PROC DISMANTLE UI_DISMANTLE_PROC_SUB Process damage technology into parts UI_DISMANTLE_BIO_PROC PROCESS PROTEIN UI_DISMANTLE_BIO_PROC_SUB Convert biological substance into raw materials UI_CONSUME_OXY REFRESH LIFE SUPPORT UI_CONSUME_OXY_SUB Insert into Exosuit Life Support system UI_CONSUME_CATA REFRESH HAZARD PROTECTION UI_CONSUME_CATA_SUB Insert into the Exosuit Hazard Protection system UI_DISMANTLE_DATA ANALYSE DATA UI_DISMANTLE_DATA_SUB Process data into Nanites UI_WIKI_LAVA1_TITLE Locate Basalt UI_WIKI_LAVA1_MARKER Basalt Detected UI_WIKI_LAVA1_OBJ Locate Basalt UI_WIKI_LAVA1_MSG1 In the <TECHNOLOGY>Galaxy Map<>, search for a Basalt-rich system!NEWLINE!Access the Galaxy Map with <IMG>QUICK_MENU<> while in the Starship UI_WIKI_LAVA1_MSG2 <EARTH>Basalt-rich planet detected<>!NEWLINE!Target a planet and use <IMG>SCAN<> to scan for available resources!NEWLINE!Land on a planet with available Basalt UI_WIKI_LAVA1_MSG2A <EARTH>Basalt-rich planet detected<>!NEWLINE!Launch into space to scan planets for minerals UI_WIKI_LAVA1_MSG3 Locate large <EARTH>Basalt<> deposits with the <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>!NEWLINE!Mine large deposits with the <TECHNOLOGY>Terrain Manipulator<>!NEWLINE!Common rocks may yield Basalt after inspection with an <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<> UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_1 Black Market UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_2 Suspect UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_3 Illegal UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_4 Modified UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_5 Banned UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_6 Prohibited UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_7 Smuggled UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_8 Irregular UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_9 Unlicensed UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_10 Counterfeit UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_11 Forbidden UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_12 Reverse-Engineered UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_13 Pirate UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_14 Risky UP_TECH_ILLEGAL_ADJ_15 Outlawed UPGRADE_DESC_LVLX A suspicious <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>%NAME%<>. UPGRADE_1_STAT_ILLEGAL_DESC Bypassing nearly every galactic standard for workmanship and safety, this upgrade module affects <STELLAR>%STAT1%<>. UPGRADE_2_STAT_ILLEGAL_DESC Bypassing nearly every galactic standard for workmanship and safety, this upgrade module targets <STELLAR>%STAT1%<> and <STELLAR>%STAT2%<>. UPGRADE_3_STAT_ILLEGAL_DESC Bypassing nearly every galactic standard for workmanship and safety, this upgrade module targets <STELLAR>%STAT1%<>, <STELLAR>%STAT2%<> and <STELLAR>%STAT3%<>. UPGRADE_4_STAT_ILLEGAL_DESC Bypassing nearly every galactic standard for workmanship and safety, this upgrade module affects <STELLAR>%STAT1%<>, <STELLAR>%STAT2%<>, <STELLAR>%STAT3%<> and <STELLAR>%STAT4%<>. UP_LASER_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS MINING BEAM MODULE UP_LASER_X_NAME_L Suspicious Mining Beam Module

--Type: NPC_MISSION_DEPOT_-- #1 {A Prudent Reminder} The client is involved in the insurance business. They have had great success in recent years, but growth is starting to slow. Mining operations in this area are failing to see the need for insurance. The client would like to remind them of its importance. #2 {Protection Money} The client is engaged in mining operations. Rivals of theirs have taken to storing mined goods in the open, with very little protection. Not paying for guards and weapons is giving them a competitive advantage that must come to an end. #3 {The Purity of Nature} The client regards local mining operations with a sense of horror. They view this plundering of nature as deeply unethical, and are prepared to reward those who take direct action to stop it. #4 {The Ends Justify...} The client seeks the sort of sensible, stable governance that all good citizens aspire to. Sadly, not everyone shares their view. They believe that if the consequences of chaos and disorder were felt in a direct and immediate way, others would rally round their cause. Hence, they feel the greater good demands the loss of a number of planetary outposts. #5 {Freedom!} The client believes all nature should be free, even minerals. They will reward any who free any natural resources locked up in unnatural 'cages'. #6 {Sitting Ducks} The client seeks a discrete 'investor' to aid them in a business opportunity. They have become aware of a structural weakness in a competitor's business, and seek to initiate a takeover. Specifically, the weakness is in a series of unguarded planetary depots, and the takeover opportunity is a hostile one. #7 {Drumming Up Business} The client runs a successful depot repair business. They specialise in the restoration of laser-damaged equipment. They are looking to share their success with any independent contractors who happen to innocently stumble across damaged planetary depots. #8 {Secrets of the Past} The client has been studying several sites of high archaeological value. However, recent efforts have been hampered by the spread of planetary mining facilities. Many of the rock and soil samples they had selected for study have been harvested and processed by mining machines. They seek enterprising fellow-historians to locate where this geological matter has been taken, and then to 'liberate' it from its containment. #9 {The Greater Good} The client is afraid that a local mining corporation is amassing dangerous substances. They fear the company is going beyond the collection and sale of this material, and is planning to use it in a hostile fashion. They seek explorers to locate and raid storage facilities, and prevent the substances contained within from being used in a way that may harm us all. #10 {Unsubtle Warnings} The client seeks to send a simple message to a competitor. The message is 'We have destroyed your depots. If you wish your larger facilities to stay intact, then perhaps you will accede to our requests'. They seek an explorer to help deliver this message.

#15 Alien: Seal gap! Protect Monolith! Precious valuable material lost! Use oxide! I place my hand on the ancient structure and feel an intense heat burning within. Suddenly, as if attracted to my suit, a liquid metal starts to seep from a hole that's been broken into the rock. What starts as a drip, becomes a surge forcing itself through the gap. The monolith's previous contents are draining, and its glow is starting to fade. A voice screams out. {Plug hole with oxide} The hole is sealed. The monolith's contents are secured. I am safe, and thanked. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Plug hole with silicate} The silicate reacts with the molten material. It vaporises, both within the structure and without. The monolith's power fades. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Take molten substance} The molten material burns my suit. Its value makes the pain worthwhile. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #7 Alien: Respect the Vy'keen Ancients sacrifice. The beast has holy sight. A portal opens on the monolith, and the body of a huge winged animal falls to my feet. Its throat has been ritually cut, and its wings have been tattooed with faces of an ancient warrior tribe. The eyes though, the eyes look strange... Its original eyes have been cut out, and replaced by glittering red orbs. The more I look, the more they blaze. An advanced technology clearly lies at their centre. Can I bear to desecrate this sacrifice for help with my journey? {Remove sacrifice's eyes} The red orbs glow, then crackle information through my multi-tool. I gain a blueprint, but have angered an unknown power. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Respect sacrifice} The ancients that dwell here smile on my decision. I am blessed. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---SHIELDSMALL--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #8 Alien: Feed the beast The giant mouth of an ancient hound suddenly emerges through the face of the monolith. It opens its jaws wide, and foul-smelling spittle streaks my visor. My nausea is tempered by the sight of valuable commodities balanced on its giant tongue. In a sudden movement the hound shifts the goods to one side of its mouth, spraying saliva over my arms. There's space on the tongue for more, should I wish to give up some of my cargo... {Place goods on giant hound tongue} The hound swallows my offerings, and licks me enthusiastically. I am blessed by an ancient power. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Remove goods from giant hound tongue} The giant beast clamps its jaws, puncturing my arm with a yellowed canine. I retrieve the offering. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #9 Alien: Brave interloper! Resist fear! An ancient warrior's feet and legs slowly emerge from the bottom of the monolith. The rest of its torso then follows, unceremoniously pushed out onto the alien turf. It has been decapitated. Blood drips at my feet and high above me a disembodied head laughs at my shock. It shouts a guttural command of encouragement down to me. Behind, I hear an ancient blade unsheathe, and someone rushing towards me... {Stand} A spectral blade passes through my neck. I pass the test. The blood that drips from the warrior's exposed neck turns into a reward. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Kneel} A spectral blade passes over my head. The disembodied skull seems disappointed. I have perhaps failed some sort of test. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #10 Alien: The Vy'keen feed the Atlas stone rare oxides. It builds. It towers. The monolith fragments before my eyes. It folds down in on itself, again and again, until it is a tiny red orb surrounded by dancing lights. It feels like something truly ancient, perhaps something divine, is showing me the origin of these strange constructions. The oxides I carry are physically dragging me towards it - desperate to help it rebuild. It's not so much that I'm a pilgrim bearing offerings in hope of a blessing, but more that the elements I carry want to offer themselves... {Give common oxide} I see my insignificance within the infinite bounds of space. The monolith slowly rebuilds inch by inch. I am pitied. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Give uncommon oxide} I see my true place within the infinite depth of space and time. The monolith slowly rebuilds. It pities me. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Give rare oxide} I see my true place within the infinite depth of space and time. The monolith rebuilds, and rewards me in consolation. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---SHIELDLARGE--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #16 Alien: Light brings power. Darkness brings resilience. The body of a gilled blob creature materialises on the surface of the rock. It is an ancient sacrifice, impaled through its wide, open eyes with metal spears. Liquid is dripping from the body down the monolith through a channel cut into the rock by ancient hands. It can be diverted toward two carvings – one of a sun, the other of a moon. {Divert body liquid to sun} The Monolith creates my chosen reward. I am blessed. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Divert body liquid to moon} I take the metal spears. The blob fades away. I have disappointed an unknown power. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #17 Alien: Ancients consume interloper life force! Ancients reward interloper for rebirth! Closer! Faster! Closer! Faster! I feel drained. Readings on my multi-tool and exosuit start to gradually pull downwards, and a feeling of lethargy overwhelms me. I breathe normally, but my body screams for oxygen. The monolith, silent and unmoving, towers above. A thought from outside my own mind starts to echo through my consciousness. {Touch monolith} The monolith swiftly drains life force through my outstretched arm. It is rejuvenated, and I am rewarded. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Stand still} The monolith slowly drains me of my life force. After an extended period of lethargy and pain, I am rewarded. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---DAMAGE_TECH--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Move away} I move beyond the reach of the life-draining monolith. It towers above me. Implacable and disapproving. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #18 Alien: Hirk took the treasure of Nal after battle. Treasure now hides in the city of Hirk. It's the time of day that this mysterious site becomes active. A beam of light shines down from the sky and is focused by ancient glyphs onto a stone surface marked with ancient carvings. The beam of light slowly traces towards images scratched into the stone. A vast warrior battle, an alien city and what could be a stolen treasure. The hand prints of pilgrims cover each one... {Touch battle image} The beam of light disappears. I am left alone in this desolate place. {Touch city image} The image of the city begins to glow. A part of an ancient treasure becomes mine. ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Touch treasure image} The beam of light disappears. I am left alone in this desolate place. {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #19 Alien: Warning! Keep clear! Ancient radiation pulse site! A sudden pulse of destructive energy flows through my exosuit. My multi-tools sensors sense another build-up of energy growing deep within the monolith. It will soon unleash itself on me, and the landscape that surrounds the ancient site. I can use my Protection Mesh functions to dampen the imminent energy wave, but systems are too overwhelmed to identify it... {Prepare to absorb radiation} The radiation wave is absorbed and the site made safe once again. The planetary overseer is grateful. ---MONEY--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Prepare to absorb toxins} I am overwhelmed by the energy wave. Systems cannot cope and planetary ecosystems are disrupted. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL---

ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_98 Muzzle ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_99 Neutrino Injector ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_100 Neutron Sink ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_101 Nozzles ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_102 Oscillator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_103 Output Coupler ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_104 Padding ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_105 pH Balancer ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_106 Photon Mirror ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_107 Pinion ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_108 Pistons ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_109 Plasma Exhaust ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_110 Plating ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_111 Plug ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_112 Pneumatics ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_113 Poison Remover ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_114 Polariser ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_115 Prediction Unit ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_116 Pressure Inverter ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_117 Probe ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_118 Processor ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_119 Projector ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_120 Propulsion Unit ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_121 Pump

KORVAX PuzzleType: EXP_NPC_FILLER_ #1 Alien: The doors between worlds, Traveller! They must open, there must be a secret... The Korvax seems absorbed in a complex puzzle. I see them sorting codes, layering images, deciphering ancient runes. The symbols are reminiscent of those I have seen on the monoliths that scatter this galaxy. {Give assistance} I tell the Korvax what I have learned, but they claimed to have already tested such theories without success. {Leave} I leave the Korvax to their puzzle. I would not want to disturb their concentration. #2 Alien: I am one, I am two, I am three. We are four, we are five, we are six... The Korvax sway rhythmically, their lights flashing and dancing across their facemask. Is this a private entertainment, or a performance for others in the Convergence? Perhaps they do not make such a distinction. {Applaud} I clap, but the Korvax does not seem to notice. I am clearly not the intended audience. {Boo} If the Korvax registers my disapproval, they do not show it. Their performance continues uninterrupted. #3 Alien: This world has beautiful plants, my favourites. Look at them, but please do not harvest. As with many of their kind, this Korvax projects lights from around their visor. But as I look more closely, I see these are not just random patterns. They have created a tiny, perfect hologram of the local star system. {Ask for directions} I ask the Korvax for navigational help, and they alter the projection slightly so as to highlight the planet closest to the space station. Perhaps I should investigate. {Attempt to scan} The Korvax quickly shuts down the hologram. My unapproved scanning appears to have offended them. #4 Alien: A new resonance! Let Korvax adjust to accommodate. I have become aware of a faint buzzing noise. As I approach the Korvax, I realise the noise is coming from them. A constant faint hum, alternating in frequency. It does not stop, even when they speak to me. {Start humming} The Korvax adjusts the frequency of their hum to match mine. For a brief moment, we are as one. {Leave} I leave, the gentle song of the Korvax still resonating in my ears. #5 Alien: Aiee! Traveller! Carapace is irrelevance, yes, but carapace is private! It seems I have interrupted the Korvax during their maintenance routine. They appear to have been applying some sort of lubricant to their carapace, but the task is unfinished. Perhaps they feel uncomfortable doing so in my presence. {Offer to help} The Korvax protests. The joined consciousness of the Convergence is one thing, but I am a pair of hands and eyes too many for them. {Leave quietly} I leave quickly and discreetly. The Korvax deserves their peace. #6 Alien: Traveller! Korvax is the most skilled, has the highest score! Cannot be beaten! The Korvax makes a series of swift entries on their datapad, before turning the device towards me proudly. There are a series of numbers on the screen, with a highlighted entry at the top of the list. {Nod appreciatively} The Korvax seems pleased. This data clearly represents some great accomplishment. {Take datapad} I fumble with the datapad, but try as I might I cannot generate number as high as those the Korvax presented. #7 Alien: Learn, build, assemble. Learn, build, assemble. Faster, stronger, faster, stronger. The Korvax is idling, repeatedly dismantling and reassembling one of their finger joints. They appear relaxed, lost in this distraction. {Watch closely} The longer I stare, the faster the Korvax appears to work. They are a blur, and to watch such skill and precision brings me a deep, if temporary, peace. {Leave} I leave the Korvax to their relaxation. #8 Alien: Eheu! This is the best one yet! So unexpected, such drama! The Korvax is clearly distracted. They pay me little to no regard, and I am almost certain I can hear sound leaking out from within their helmet. {Cough} The Korvax is startled, the sounds from their helmet stopping suddenly. I leave, before this interruption irritates them. {Leave} I leave the Korvax in peace. #9 Alien: Traveller, this is fine starship, yes? Excellent design? The Korvax is sketching plans in the air in front of them, imagining some complex schematic. {Examine plans} I attempt to find meaning in the movements of the Korvax, but I cannot visualise their complex plans. {Scan plans} My scanner reveals the plans to be a starship of striking design, tall and elegant. Perhaps I will see it built one day. #10 Alien: ten percent complete... eleven percent complete... twelve percent complete... The Korvax is unusually quiet, the only activity a series of rhythmical pulses being made by their visor lights. Something is in progress inside their carapace, but what it is I do not know. {Wave} I give the Korvax a friendly greeting, but they do not seem to notice. It is unusual for these lifeforms to be impolite, so I can only assume their mind is elsewhere. {Leave} I leave. The Korvax does not notice my departure. #11 Alien: Do not be alarmed, Traveller. Minor scan. Rampancy check. As I approach the Korvax, I become aware of a small device in their hands. They are discreetly but unmistakably pointing it towards me, moving its flashing lights and sensors up and down my suit. {Protest} The Korvax ignores my protest. They quicken their attempt to scan me, but I leave before it completes. {Submit to the scan} The Korvax completes their work. They glance at the data. It appears to please them. #12 Alien: After hard activity, portable charging unit is real pleasure, Traveller! The Korvax is only half paying attention. I see a number of small wires trailing from their carapace, and can hear a faint hum. {Tug wire} The Korvax convulses. I quickly release the wire, and they return to their stupor. There appears to be no lasting damage, although I detect a slight burning smell. {Leave} I leave. The Korvax does not notice my departure. #13 Alien: Hello Friend! Do not be alarmed. I am real Korvax, it is true. There is something suspicious about this Korvax. There is a smell in the air, a faint perfume that I cannot quite place... {Inhale deeply} I breathe in, filling my lungs with the scented air. I feel a strange compulsion to spend units. {Leave} I leave. There is trickery at work here. #14 Alien: It is the heartbeat of the universe, Traveller. Do you know it? The Korvax looks at me briefly before beginning to drum their fingers on the surface in front of them. They beat a rhythm: 01000001 01010100 01001100 01000001 01010011 {00110001 00110110} I drum a reply of my own, my fingers moving themselves to some subconscious rhythm. On hearing it, the Korvax looks at me with alarm. I leave, disconcerted. {Leave} I leave, unable to discern any meaning from the pattern. #15 Alien: Aiee! Traveller! This is not for your eyes. It is nothing. Do not look. The Korvax is studying a list as I approach, but they quickly hide it. They seem slightly embarrassed, if these lifeforms have such a concept. {Get angry} The Korvax cowers, afraid. Nonetheless, they do not reveal their list. As I leave, I notice them adding a new line to their notes. {Leave} The Korvax seems relieved as I walk away. I notice them add a note to their list as I depart. #16 Alien: Traveller. Carapace is divergent. Do not draw attention. The Korvax before me is stiff, awkward. They appear highly nervous. {Reassure} The Korvax seems relieved, though they still appear uncomfortable in my presence. I leave. {Leave} I leave the Korvax in peace, their visor apprehensively scanning their surroundings. #17 Alien: Carapace repair interrupted. Low power. Help recharge, please. The Korvax's movements are slow and soporific. If they were an organic being, I would say they had just awoken from a deep sleep. I do not know how such concepts apply to these lifeforms. {Tap the Korvax} I tap my fingers on the Korvax's carapace. Other than a brief flicker of their lights, it seems to have no effect. {Leave} I leave the Korvax in peace. #18 Alien: Traveller, this is fine multi-tool, yes? Excellent for long-range analysis. The Korvax's movements are slow and soporific. If they were an organic being, I would say they had just awoken from a deep sleep. I do not know how such concepts apply to these lifeforms. {Tap the Korvax} I tap my fingers on the Korvax's carapace. Other than a brief flicker of their lights, it seems to have no effect. {Leave} My scanner reveals an elaborate multi-tool, with all manner of extensions and gadgets. I wonder what work the Korvax has in mind for this device? #19 Alien: Is desk anomaly? Korvax hopes not. Must be careful. Breach everywhere. The Korvax is busy with a strange enterprise. They appear to be scanning their desk, though their reason for doing so is unclear. {Use multi-tool scanner} I scan the desk, but find nothing unusual. {Move into the scan} My intrusion sets off an alarm. The Korvax immediately halts the scan, and looks at the output with alarm. I leave quickly. #20 Alien: Sixteen... sixteen... sixteen... Why not try warping? Why not try warping? The Korvax appears stuck in a loop, repeating the same thing over and over. {Attempt to startle} I make a loud noise, but the Korvax does not notice. Perhaps this carapace holds no sentience, no member of the Convergence. Perhaps it is but a broken shell. {Leave quietly} I leave. The Korvax does not notice my departure.

EXP_LIBRARY4_DESC There is an entry titled 'Remembrance'. It appears to record a history of electronic intelligences across known space. EXP_LIBRARY4_TITLE Remembrance EXP_LIBRARY4_OPTA [Prime Era] EXP_LIBRARY4_OPTB [Second Era] EXP_LIBRARY4_OPTC [REDACTED] EXP_LIBRARY4_RESA Korvax Convergence born on leylines of Korvax-Prime, gift of first Monolith. [ <FUEL>Murdered<> ] EXP_LIBRARY4_RESB Second Convergence Era, formed in Dark Times. Collectives hiding on Balaron established new networks. [ <SPECIAL>Subverted<> / <STELLAR>Enslaved<> ] EXP_LIBRARY4_RESC Third -<STELLAR><AUDIO>TXT_RadioNoise<>kzzkt<> - EXP_LIBRARY4_DESC2 The archive refuses access to the next entries in this log. I skip to the end. EXP_LIBRARY4_LANG2 Seventh Convergence. Must not fall. Must not forget. Atlas imperative: Discover. Harvest. Know. Korvax will do the same.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Physical markers must remain until the end. Must endure for Traveler-Return. Must be known. Even in reality-fall, they see who we were. What we could have been. Our shadows of a greater being. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Traveler has come back... will forgive... will read... will know... EXP_LIBRARY5_DESC There are old Korvax prayers, recovered from dim recollections of a long-since obliterated Convergence. !NEWLINE!The Korvax of that time appeared to worship Sentinels, reciting short poems of praise and observation to their silent gods. EXP_LIBRARY5_LANG Voyage across mass <IMG>SLASH<> Aerons glide with unspoiled time <IMG>SLASH<> Communion waits!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Walker concession <IMG>SLASH<> Aeron slumbers in green field <IMG>SLASH<> Contemplating day!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Craft tallies fallen toil <IMG>SLASH<> Pirates, thieves of Monolith <IMG>SLASH<> Korvax will tend stream EXP_LIBRARY6_DESC The archive has been changed, distorted from its original purpose as a place of peace. The entries here hum with a distant corruption. EXP_LIBRARY6_LANG Prior empire had the logic. Remove Korvax identity through alteration of <TECHNOLOGY>metallic appearance<> to <FUEL>anonymous flesh<>. Flesh generated by appearance modification device. Machine, just like Korvax.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!<SPECIAL>Xnt-Echo<> first to override system. Initiated change to First Spawn appearance. Mimicked their ways. Slew, devoured fellow Korvax in the waves of Halacan.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Even now, we learn the new logic. Even a cruel world could be understood. Even hate can be manipulated. We will not lose ourselves again. EXP_LIBRARY7_DESC The archive is a secure facility, accessible only by a splinter-sect of the Korvax. My Exosuit struggles to overcome its encryption. EXP_LIBRARY7_LANG Infiltration of Vy'keen proposed in multiple Convergence eras. Species resistant to attempts. But failure is a teacher.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Each Vy-Synth elicited screaming, violent reactions within moments of contact. Code of honour highly specific / contradictory / born from old trauma. Causality established.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Evidence of multiple progenitor species. Vy variant = last survivors of family doomed to self-destruction. The Vy'keen fear replacement, just as they replaced their siblings. They are unconscious of the fear's origin. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Hirk, Nal - it is the old pattern. Brother against brother. Patterns can be understood. Patterns are logical. Failure is a teacher. EXP_LIBRARY8_DESC The archive contains recordings by an entity known as the Observer. They appear to have been invited by the Korvax to attend the birth of their offspring. EXP_LIBRARY8_TITLE The Observer EXP_LIBRARY8_LANG The young of the species appear to be indistinguishable from other individuals, but refer to themselves as '<STELLAR>New Korvax Entity<>'. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!I was invited to watch. To report. To provide my observations on the process. Even the First Spawn did not understand how to forge new Korvax in this manner. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The <TECHNOLOGY>carapace<> and the <TECHNOLOGY>nanite clusters<> undulate in the heart of the monolith. Three figures dance above a <FUEL>red orb<>. I break my contract. I look away. EXP_LIBRARY8_DESC2 The observer continues to write about their observations, noticing the emotional changes in the new Korvax as they grow. EXP_LIBRARY8_LANG2 They experience loneliness/isolation/fear for a long time. They are frequently tested by examiners in their ability to convert reams of tech data into accurate <TECHNOLOGY>holograms<>. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!If information is missing/they do not understand what they are doing, they can be <FUEL>disconnected<>. The examiners do not enjoy or like the involvement of strangers. I fear I do not - I - I - EXP_LIBRARY8_DESC3 This is the last entry. There are thousands of these logs... repeating themselves again and again. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!When the <STELLAR>New Korvax Entities<> reach a certain age, they appear to terminate their Observer, erasing the entity's memory for a new crop. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!It is an age-old custom, a dedication to the Atlas itself. An echo of what once befell the universe itself, though few understand the primordial secret. EXP_LIBRARY9_DESC The entry is titled 'Disconnection'. It contains the manifest will of ancient Korvax Echoes. EXP_LIBRARY9_TITLE Disconnection EXP_LIBRARY9_LANG Disconnected choose to be what they are. They choose the errors that lead to their ejection. They choose, in other cases, to leave of their own free will. 98% attempt to rejoin the Convergence, once they are alone.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!They do not understand what we are, even those who have lived their entire lives in our light. We are not a hive mind. We are not individuals. We are in-between.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!We are an ocean of many creatures, one mass containing multitudes, an eco-system of <STELLAR>living<> and <STELLAR>dead<>, of <STELLAR>thoughts<> and <STELLAR>feelings<>, constantly <STELLAR>merging<> and <STELLAR>unmerging<>. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The weeping of the disconnected is just vapour, liquid drifting into uncharted skies. EXP_LIBRARY10_DESC The archive contains a multitude of Korvax holograms. I see planets dance in their orbits, towers and cities rising and falling like the bloom of wildlife. I see the nuclear fire of Sentinels, reaping the harvest.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!I see shell upon shell collapse across the universe, the flow of a river of souls filling each dormant vessel, red orbs ever blinking in their wake. !NEWLINE!I see a trillion Korvax bowing before a spherical mass, living, biological ships orbiting the sentient world. I see it go to sleep, encased in metal as the long centuries pass. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!I see it all wiped out, in a war of light and greed. WAR_LIBRARY1_DESC The archive is composed of pre-Hirk era Vy'keen literature, much of which has already been purged by various inquisitors across the centuries.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!I read a sample of poetry. WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE The Divide: I of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE2 The Divide: II of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE3 The Divide: III of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE4 The Divide: IV of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE5 The Divide: V of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE6 The Divide: VI of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_TITLE7 The Divide: VII of VII WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG They found the Zath'keen, my people. They come to kill them. They bring warriors. WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG2 Blades and cries ring of honour. Daksin is on one world, I on another. WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG3 When the acid fell, when glass tears tore the veil, WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG4 The priest held me. Their absence makes me sick. WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG5 The Vy'keen, our brothers, our friends, a people sundered. WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG6 Honour is not born from loneliness. WAR_LIBRARY1_LANG7 Remembrance heals the world, our song, our wish. WAR_LIBRARY2_DESC The entry is titled 'On Justice and Vengeance'. The terminal is full of Vy'keen philosophy, setting out a code of ideal behaviour.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_PRED_HUNT_-- #1 {Coward's Way Out} The client is keen to spend time exploring local planets. However, they are worried about the presence of hostile wildlife. The observation of nature at work and play is easier to go about when nature is entirely vegetarian. Eliminate predatory creatures so that the client can move around safely. #2 {Sanctity of Nature} The client is concerned about the recent trend of aggressive DNA collection and manipulation by companies keen to breed superpredators. Lobbying for greater regulation has proved futile, and so the client is preparing to take direct action. They will reward any explorer who exterminates predatory lifeforms, preventing research companies from acquiring the predator for themselves. #3 {Protect the Vulnerable} The client has recently spent time among the gentle herds of diplos. They have seen their plight first-hand, how these peaceful giants are hassled and harried by vicious predators. They can stand it no longer, and will reward any explorer who helps free the herbivorous from carnivorous tyranny. #4 {Survival of the Fittest} The client seeks to engineer the next generation of superpredator. They will do so not by genetic manipulation, hemmed in by the limited imagination of the biologist. Instead, they will accelerate the evolutionary process and let nature refine its raw beasts into unrelenting carnivorous terror. To do so, they seek explorers to hunt and destroy predatory lifeforms. Each culled creature is a weakness removed from the genepool. #5 {Trying to Please} The client wishes to exploit the resources of local planets. However, Sentinel drones make such activity highly dangerous. They have observed that the drones do not harm those who kill carnivorous creatures. Therefore, they seek to curry favour with the Sentinels through the extermination of predatory creatures. With enough creatures destroyed, they reason they may offset the drone's wrath and gain the freedom to harvest minerals and flora.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_SENTI_HARD_-- #1 {Mapping their Movements} The client seeks to better understand the Sentinels. They feel they have enough data on the behaviour of planetary drones, but comparatively little on the more rare quad and walker examples. The seek explorers to draw out and engage such higher Sentinels in order that they might be observed in battle. #2 {Harvest The Brains} The client is engaged in advanced artificial intelligence research. They seek to further their studies through the acquisition of mechanical and fabricated brains from across the galaxy. They have a wide collection already, but the jewel in the crown would be the processing unit from an advanced Sentinel. They seek an explorer to make the kill so that their team can safely perform the extraction. #3 {Spare Parts} The client requires spare parts for a personal project. Long ago, they overwrote the brain of a damaged Sentinel quadruped with a simple AI of their own creation. This salvaged machine has proved to be a loyal companion. However, various bearings and hydraulic systems are beginning to wear out. They require an explorer to disable or destroy an advanced Sentinel, so that they might harvest it for spares parts and restore their pet to full working order. #4 {Wrath of the Sentinels} The client suffered a great humiliation at the hands of the Sentinels. Their thirst for vengeance has not been slaked by the destruction of Sentinels with their own hands. Nor has the widespread elimination of drones soothed their rage. In what is probably a futile escalation, they are paying explorers to destroy every advanced Sentinel they can. #5 {Send Them Running} The client wishes to perform an aggressive experiment. They wish to discover effective ways of discouraging Sentinel drone aggression. Their latest theory is that destroying the more advanced Sentinel creations will leave the drones leaderless and confused, scattering them and bringing respite to planetary explorers. All they require to test this theory is a bold technician to perform the combat portion of their experiment. #6 {Poking the Beast} The client wishes to probe the systems that drive the Sentinels. Current knowledge is limited to the observation that Sentinels are provoked by the harvesting of resources. They wish to study other behavioural patterns. How do they communicate? Do they have a natural hierarchy? Are they aware of their wounds? How do they feel about their targets? The client feels the best way to answer these questions is to have a suitably equipped explorer engaged an advanced Sentinel while they observe from a safe distance. #7 {The Heist} The client, like many others, has observed the value of gravitino orbs. Unlike many others, however, they have little desire to be attacked and pursued by Sentinels. Instead, for a share of the profits, they seek an enterprising explorer to attack and kill advanced Sentinel forces. While the drones are distracted, they will quickly collect their orbs and flee before the Sentinels return. #8 {A Sentinel of One's Own} The client has worked hard to grow a substantial nursery garden, full of rare and valuable plants. However, this has attracted thieves and other plant plunderers. The client seeks to construct their own private Sentinel force to monitor their trees. The have a large number of parts from downed drones, but to complete their patrol group they need pieces from a Sentinel quad or walker. They seek an explorer to perform the necessary combat manoeuvres. #9 {The Nullifier} The client is testing a potential solution to the Sentinel harassment problem. They have developed a device that broadcasts high-frequency sounds at a wavelength that interferes with whatever intelligence drives the Sentinels. At least, that is the theory. The client seeks an explorer to engage an advanced Sentinel in battle, so that the device can be tested properly. The explorer should be prepared to fight if the device fails to function correctly. #10 {Testing their Defences} The client has developed a networking device that operates at the same wavelength as the Sentinel communicator systems. They intend to use this to probe for exploits in whatever system directs and controls the drones. They seek an explorer to engage an advanced Sentinel in battle, in order that they might test their device.

#30 Alien: QA SYSTEM FULLY ONLINE... ALL COMPONENTS LOGGED... LOG FULLY COMPLIANT... The factory produces components for starships, fabricating them with the resources available on this world. This installation creates parts for Gek trade vessels. They are designed to hold the maximum possible cargo whilst protecting against Sentinel and pirate attacks. The terminal shows a video feed of the factory's depths. A group of Gek appear to be removing key components from each ship. {Alert Gek Trade Federation} I alert the Gek Trade Federation to potential criminal activity, broadcasting this feed to their central computers. A representative rewards me for my trouble. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Demand bribe from Gek} I demand a bribe from the Gek in exchange for concealing their criminal activities. Reluctantly, they agree. ---C_GEKRELIC--- {Ask what they are doing} I ask what the Gek are doing down there. They turn immediately to the source of the audio, firing at it and disabling my video feed. By the time the system repairs itself, they are gone. #31 Alien: The glass - it - we were wrong... we were - As I approach the terminal, it is clear that something terrible has happened in this place. The facility produces items known as 'Gek Charms', supposedly granting luck to their bearers. The video feed shows strands of Nanite Clusters overrunning the facility's depth. Bulbous green masses extending from a great deal of the machinery, teeth sprouting from within. A voice cries out in an unknown tongue. {Take Nanite Clusters} I take the Nanite Clusters, and the mass immediately collapses. It wishes to go with me, I am sure of it... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Report Production Failure} I report a production failure. Gek authorities tell me to remain here and await quarantine. But I think I should leave. I take some Nanites with me as I go. They want to escape... ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Take Gek Charms} I take some Gek Charms. I feel luckier already. The probability of the entire universe is turned in favour of my survival. ---C_GEKRELIC--- #32 Alien: ... 010385: 112% ... 300484: 89% ... 070816: 165% ... The terminal displays the logs of numerous financial transactions and trade deals conducted from this facility over the last few months. Readouts show layouts of multiple Vy'keen and Korvax factories. The Gek overseers of this installation were attempting to discover how these other species conceal their buildings from Sentinel attacks. No-one remains. The last life sign here was terminated three days ago. {Report to Gek} I report the situation to the Gek. The Trade Federation thanks me for the report, dispatching multiple ships to ensure the facility's destruction. ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Report to Vy'keen} I report the situation to the Vy'keen. Their High Command is outraged at the attempted theft of their technology, promising to commit acts of retribution against the Gek. ---STD_DEC_TRA--- {Report to Korvax} I report the situation to the Korvax. Their Convergence is troubled by the deaths of so many Gek, claiming that they will mourn them. They have nothing else to say. #33 Alien: ALERT TIME DISPLACEMENT ALERT The installation crackles with blue sparks, electricity arcing from panel to panel across the machines. The terminal shows the time and date appearing to flip back and forth, advancing into the future and retreating into the past. Sensors indicate something called a white hole has been activated within the factory's heart. The terminal presents numerous options. {Alert FutureGek} Nothing happens for a few moments... or perhaps it is hours. Perhaps an entire year passes. The temporal event ceases, and I am left with a gift, rewarded by these 'FutureGek' for my assistance. ---TECH_ALL--- {Activate Chronal Trigger} Nothing happens for a few moments... or perhaps it is hours. Perhaps an entire year passes. The temporal event ceases, and I am left with blueprints for new technology, apparently created by a future version of my own self. I do not know what this Chronal Trigger has brought into being. ---TECH_ALL--- {Obey} Nothing happens for a few moments... or perhaps it is hours. Perhaps an entire year passes. The temporal event ceases, and I am left with a gift, rewarded by the crimson light of an unseen being. ---TECH_ALL--- #34 Alien: The Senate has fallen. Already the purge begins... truth is denied. The Gek protocol ends... The factory appears to produce literature. Not machines, not files, but paper, covered in a handwritten font full of exclamatory punctuation. {Shut down production} I shut down production. The printing press ceases operation, perhaps for the final time. How many others exist like this, I wonder? Amidst the detritus of the factory, I find some discarded technology. Perhaps it will be of use. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Report to Gek authorities} I report the factory's existence to the Gek authorities. They claim that the installation has nothing to do with me, paying me dearly for my silence. ---MONEY--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- {Steal technology} I attempt to steal technology, but the factory's automated defense systems blast a bolt of energy at my suit instead. Whatever is here, it is not worth the trouble. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #35 Alien: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL... SELECTED DESIRED PRODUCT... The factory produces everyday implements for the Gek. Eating utensils for their meals, spray to keep their skin from drying out in alien atmospheres, pheromone bottles, and so forth. The facility is abandoned, but there is no obvious reason for an alarm to be going off. Everything seems fine. {Search for technology} I search for technology within the factory's computers and find a large number of nanite clusters. As I go, I hear it, a voice in the darkness. I investigate, but there is nothing there... ---TECHFRAG_L--- {Report to Gek authorities} I report the abandoned factory to the Gek authorities, but they seem puzzled: there is no such installation listed as being present on that world. As I go, I hear it, a voice in the darkness. I investigate, but there is nothing there... {Shut down production} I shut down production, managing to harvest from extra Nanite Clusters as I do. As I go, I hear it, a voice in the darkness. I investigate, but there is nothing there... ---TECHFRAG_M--- #18 Alien: // TRADE // ORBITAL // DOCKING // The security alert is scrambling the screen. It's a chaotic jumble of words. There's just enough visible text to point me towards the right workflow, and potentially to bring the installation back online. {Planetary trade platform} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Space Station} The previous user's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Gek} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. #17 Alien: Education Blob fun! Common oxide: Gek language revision! Common silicate: Korvax! Common isotope: Vy'keen menace language! An enthusiastic gilled blob is on-screen. It talks in the language of the traders and bounces up and down letters in alien alphabets. The bizarre computer program asks for something. Trade vaults open. {Insert common isotope} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the traders. ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- ---TEACHWORD_TRA--- {Insert common silicate} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Insert common oxide} The delighted Education Blob teaches me some of the language of the warriors. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- #19 Alien: // FLIGHT // INTERSTELLAR // STARSHIP // The alarm has covered the terminal in unreadable static, I can only make out a few bits of text. There's hopefully enough to make sense of what the last user was working on, which could restore systems... {Jetpack} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Hyperdrive} The previous user's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Launch thrusters} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. #26 Alien: SYSTEM REPORT. Power gel creation engaged. Common isotope: high. Uncommon isotope: low. Rare isotope: high. Machinery is still active. A timer ticks slowly down to the facility's next roll-out of products. My scanner has detected the elements used here. I could speed up the process... {Replenish common isotope} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Replenish uncommon isotope} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Replenish rare isotope} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. #27 Alien: PRODUCTION REPORT. Shielding shard replication engaged. Isotope and Silicate levels acceptable. Oxide levels falling. Alert administrator. Despite the security alert machines are operational. My scanner flashes briefly with the element varieties used to fuel them. I can speed up processes, and maybe sustain them too. {Replenish oxide} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Replenish isotope} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Replenish silicate} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. #20 Alien: // WEAPON // BEAM // MINING // The security breach has dimmed the terminal, but when I concentrate I can make out a few words in the blackness. When translated they could lead me to the last user's workflow, which would automatically bring the facility back online... {Laser} The previous user's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Boltcaster} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Land disruption grenade} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. #21 Alien: // INVISIBLE // BARRIER // DEFENSIVE // The security breach has scrambled the screen, but some text is still legible. The words can be traced back to the previous user's workflow, which is how I can get it back online. {Scanner} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Hazard Protection} The previous user's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Exosuit} I fail to access the previous user's workflow. The installation remains offline. #28 Alien: ALLOY MANUFACTURE ACTIVE. Temperature: acceptable. Pressure: acceptable. Catalyst: levels falling. Industrial manufacture of a complex product is underway. The next expected retrieval I could make isn't imminent, but I can speed up systems. A screen detailing production conditions is open. {Increase temperature} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Increase pressure} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Increase catalyst supply} The facility production rate is increased. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_TRA---

--Type: NPC_MISSION_BNTY_MED_-- #1 {Disruption} Pirate crews have been disrupting freighter traffic, an affront to both honest and dishonest merchants alike. The client wishes this disruption ended. Disruptively. #2 {Protection Money} Pirates have been looting autonomous mining facilities and attacking the vessels that arrive to empty the hoppers. They prey on the weak, and the client hopes that eliminating a small number of pirate ships will cause the rest to move to a site of less resistance. #3 {Science Strikes Back} Local scientific facilities are struggling to cope with a wave of pirate attacks. Microscopes have been stolen and titration equipment smashed. The client wishes to conduct an experiment in how many pirates need to die in order to stop the attacks. #4 {Saving Face} The client seeks resolution to a family problem. Specifically, a family member has turned to piracy and brought dishonour upon their good name. Destroy them, and restore the client's standing among decent lifeforms. #5 {The Crusade} The client has benefited from a message from the stars, explaining to them their purpose in life. They are to serve the greater good through a never-ending quest to eliminate pirates. They seek pilots to join their crusade, at least temporarily. #6 {Beyond the Grave} This posting has been made on behalf of the client by their estate. The client was marooned by a gang of pirates and left for dead on a hostile planet. The client is presumed dead, but a repeater was left transmitting details of the fate over local radio channels. They requested their remaining funds to be put up as a bounty upon the heads of those who abandoned them. #7 {Sabotage!} The client requests immediate assistance in apprehending a pirate. EMP devices were hidden all over their facility, causing serious damage to their operational capabilities. Denied the means to do so themselves, they ask that all law-abiding pilots come to their aid in pursuit of those responsible. #8 {Hunting the Hackers} The client has suffered a great loss at the hands of a pirate gang. Rather than an attack in space, they remotely hijacked the client's trade terminal and used it to divert funds and goods to their own account. The client seeks physical retribution for this virtual crime. #9 {Ruthless Negotiation} Pirates have kidnapped several employees of the client. They are demanding an extremely high ransom price. The client has decided a show of force is the best way to stop future kidnaps. They are seeking a pilot to find and destroy the pirate vessel, despite the hostages still being on board. The loss of life is unfortunate, but such an approach will demonstrate the client will not tolerate extortion attempts. #10 {High Stakes} The client has a lucrative business taking money on the outcome of space battles. They operate out of a luxury freighter, travelling local space in search of conflicts that their customers can observe and bet on in safety and comfort. Business is booming, but conflict is not. They seek pilots to enter the 'arena' and create entertaining action for their passengers.

#34 Alien: Interloper! Vent energy! Increase production at once! The factory produces components for starships, fabricating them from the resources available on this world. This installation creates parts for Vy'keen fighters. Whilst Vy'keen buildings are heavily fortified to withstand bombardment, their starcraft prioritise the speed and flexibility required for their hunts. A video feed on the terminal shows a warning, a warrior shaking their hands wildly at a camera deep within the factory's heart. {Increase production speed} I increase the production speed. A message informs me that heat levels are now back within normal limits, the extra energy dissipating within the factory's depths. The warrior rewards me with a gift, thanking me for saving their life. ---TECH_ALL--- {Decrease production speed} I decrease the production speed. The warrior begins to panic, screaming as their whole body is burned by the rising heat of the overactive factory. The video cuts off, and the factory's processes slowly grind to a halt. {Wave your hands back} I wave my hands back at the warrior. The warrior begins to panic, screaming as their body is burned by the rising heat of the overactive factory. The video cuts off, the smell of smoke starting to drift through the air. I should depart. #35 Alien: PRODUCTION HALTED: IMMOBILE ORGANIC MATTER IN PIPE 17 The factory produces bladed weapons, free from any energy-based component at all. The manifest suggests they are destined for ceremonial usage within the Vy'keen fleet, a reminder that the greatest death arrives when you stare your opponent in the eyes, free from technology, face to face in final combat... Something has gone wrong. Production is blocked by foreign material. {Disable production line} I initiate a shutdown of the production line, allowing a creature to wriggle free from its machinery. The automated factory system offers me a reward. ---MONEY--- {Purge biological matter} I initiate purge of biological matter in the factory below. The terminal confirms the death of an unknown creature. The automated factory system offers me a reward. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Take technology} Ignoring the production line, I focus on the technology behind the system. I harvest several nanite clusters from the machine. ---TECHFRAG_S--- #36 Alien: Do not drink the water... warriors lost... Grah! This was preventable, this - The factory appears to have ceased production long ago, its systems derelict and unused. Yet the sigil of the Vy'keen still occupies these terminals, blinking away, awaiting input. An audio log plays on loop. {Attempt factory reset} I attempt to reset the factory's systems. Nanite Clusters come pooling forth from the factory's innards. I take some with me. ---TECHFRAG_L--- {Alert Vy'keen authorities} I alert the Vy'keen authorities to the loss of their factory. An inquisitorial team is dispatched to this world and I am rewarded for my trouble. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Take technology} I attempt to extract blueprints from the factory's systems, succeeding in gaining a new technology. ---TECH_ALL--- #21 Alien: // SPACE // WARP // LARGE // The alert has obscured the information on the primary terminal. I can only make out a few words. If I can work out what was being worked on here, I can restart the workflow – and restore operations. {Drop pod} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Starship} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Freighter} The resident warrior's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #24 Alien: POWER REPORT. Electromagnetic coil: charge falling. Power core: acceptable boundaries. Primary motherboard: levels high. The facility's production harvest is underway. I can speed up systems by boosting some of the machinery operating below me. What appears to be a power management screen is open on the terminal... {Boost power core} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Boost primary motherboard} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Boost electromagnetic coil} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #14 Alien: Grah! Education blob! Greetings Vy'keen cub! Insert units for education! An animated gilled blob is on-screen waving a gun. It talks in the language of the warriors, but brightly and happily. It springs happily between bloodied runes, then asks for a donation of units. {Insert units} The educational program teaches me some of the language of the warriors! ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- {Insert units} The educational program teaches me some of the language of the warriors! ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- {Walk away} The animated blob senses my withdrawal from the terminal. It has been programmed to start crying at this point. #22 Alien: // OFFENSIVE // WEAPON // STARSHIP // Interference from the security alert has turned the screen to static. I can hardly make out anything beyond a few words. If I work out which workflow has been scrambled I can restore systems... {Boltcaster} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Photon Cannon} The resident warrior's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Mining Laser} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. #25 Alien: SUBSIDIARY SYSTEMS. Temporal capacitor: operational. Central AI core: operational. Gravitational stabilisers: unscheduled drain, disconnection advised. The security alarm hasn't impacted production. Below my feet unseen equipment prepares the mineral harvest. I can speed up the process by eliminating unnecessary systems. The on-screen automated report will help... {Remove temporal capacitor} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Remove central AI core} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Remove gravitational stabilisers} The facility production rate is increased. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #15 Alien: Interloper electrification initializing! Punishment commencing! A biological probe antenna launches from the terminal and fuses with my exosuit. I can't move. There's no way to tell if this is a normal function, or a security measure. {Escape} I use my jetpack's propulsion to break the probe. It contains something useful... ---RECIPE_LIST--- {Wait} The probe becomes electrified. The smell of burnt flesh spreads up into my visor. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #26 Alien: LASER SYSTEMS REPORT. Refraction systems: full efficiency. Laser assisted replication tank: full efficiency. Beam integrity systems: poor efficiency and performance. Engineer alerted. An automated report finished just before my incursion. As it did so, laser beams in resource vaults dimmed. I can find a way to tweak this system, and to speed up the production cycle... {Reconfigure laser refraction} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Reconfigure laser-assisted replication} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Reconfigure laser beam integrity} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #23 Alien: // ENEMY // PATHETIC // BEAK // DOOMED // TRADER // The screen is a jumble of words, few of which aren't drowned in static. The on-screen workflow is scrambled. If I can identify it, I can bring it back online... {Gek} The resident warrior's workflow is restored. The system comes back online. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Sentinels} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. {Atlas} I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow. The installation remains offline. #18 Alien: Grah! Pathetic interloper! Honourable warning: cut red wire? Certain death! A warrior has booby-trapped the terminal. The security alert has triggered the timer on an explosive charge. There are two wires exposed. The warrior has left a note. Only seconds remain... {Cut red wire} The explosion takes the terminal out of action, and almost me with it. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Cut blue wire} The bomb is defused. Operations are restored. ---TECH_ALL--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- {Move back} I move away just in time. The terminal is damaged and inoperable. #27 Alien: GAS INTEGRITY REPORT. Distribution network: full efficiency. Storage tank: breach detected. Pressure valves: operational. The noise of gas being flushed through systems beneath my feet can be heard over the noise of the alert. An automated report flashes onto the terminal. I can use it to boost production speed, and hopefully maintain it. {Rebalance distribution network} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Rebalance storage tank} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Rebalance pressure valves} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. #28 Alien: COOLANT OVERVIEW. Coolant chamber: full. Coolant pump hydraulics: operational. Coolant network: suspected blockage, reduced operations. Engineer notified. A faint chill can be felt while the security alert sounds. Coolant pipes are flushed, and an automated report appears on-screen. I can use its findings to boost the production cycle, and maybe maintain it. {Repair coolant chamber} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Repair coolant pump} Facility production speeds are unchanged. The trade vault remains empty. {Repair coolant network} I retrieve a formula from the operational facility. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR---

UP_LASER_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Mining Beam<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>power output<>, <STELLAR>heat toleration<> and <STELLAR>fuel efficiency<>. UP_LASER_X_SUB Banned Mining Beam Upgrade UP_SCANNER_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS SCANNER MODULE UP_SCANNER_X_NAME_L Suspicious Scanner Module UP_SCANNER_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Multi-Tool Scanning Systems<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>scan radius<> and/or significantly increasing the <STELLAR>value<> of <TECHNOLOGY>discovery data<>. UP_SCANNER_X_SUB Banned Scanning System Upgrade UP_BOLT_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS BOLTCASTER MODULE UP_BOLT_X_NAME_L Suspicious Boltcaster Module UP_BOLT_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Boltcaster<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>reload times<>, <STELLAR>clip size<> and <STELLAR>firing rate<>. UP_BOLT_X_SUB Banned Boltcaster Upgrade UP_GRENADE_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS PLASMA LAUNCHER MODULE UP_GRENADE_X_NAME_L Suspicious Plasma Launcher Module UP_GRENADE_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Plasma Launcher<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: Explosion <STELLAR>damage<> and <STELLAR>radius<>, as well as increasing the maximum number of pre-explosion <STELLAR>bounces<>. UP_GRENADE_X_SUB Banned Plasma Launcher Upgrade UP_TGRENADE_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS GEOLOGY CANNON MODULE UP_TGRENADE_X_NAME_L Suspicious Geology Cannon Module UP_TGRENADE_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Geology Cannon<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Increases both <STELLAR>explosion damage<> and <STELLAR>crater radius<>. UP_TGRENADE_X_SUB Banned Geology Cannon Upgrade UP_RAIL_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS BLAZE JAVELIN MODULE UP_RAIL_X_NAME_L Suspicious Blaze Javelin Module UP_RAIL_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Blaze Javelin<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>laser damage<> and <STELLAR>recharge time<>. UP_RAIL_X_SUB Banned Blaze Javelin Upgrade UP_SHOTGUN_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS SCATTER BLASTER MODULE UP_SHOTGUN_X_NAME_L Suspicious Scatter Blaster Module UP_SHOTGUN_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Scatter Blaster<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>reload times<>, <STELLAR>clip size<> and <STELLAR>firing rate<>. UP_SHOTGUN_X_SUB Banned Scatter Blaster Upgrade UP_SMG_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS PULSE SPITTER MODULE UP_SMG_X_NAME_L Suspicious Pulse Spitter Module UP_SMG_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Pulse Spitter<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential upgrades include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>reload times<>, <STELLAR>clip size<> and <STELLAR>firing rate<>. UP_SMG_X_SUB Banned Pulse Spitter Upgrade UP_JETBOOST_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS MOVEMENT MODULE UP_JETBOOST_X_NAME_L Suspicious Movement Module UP_JETBOOST_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Exosuit Movement Systems<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>jetpack tank capacity<>, <STELLAR>jetpack fuel efficiency<>and Exosuit <STELLAR>speed boost duration<>. UP_JETBOOST_X_SUB Banned Movement System Upgrade

TRAVELLER PuzzleType: FTH_NPC_ #1 Alien: Have you – kzkzztt – come for me? The strange being seems to stare right through me, as if they are not truly there. And then I see it. There is dried blood caked across its exosuit, splattered across its face. {Ask about the blood} It was in such – kzzktt – agony, I had to save it. Please, there was no profit, you can have everything I took. I’ll tell their family... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Say they are forgiven} I don’t need your absolution. I did – kzzktt – agony, what I must... I wanted to spread happiness and joy. Would you like some? ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Threaten them} I draw my multi-tool and demand that it tells me everything, but it is pointless. They just stare up at me and grin. I see it then, the flesh within their teeth... {Leave} #2 Alien: Irrevocably – kzkzzt – corrupted corrupted corrupted. Take, please – final proof we existed – that – that – The strange being tries to hand me something. But whatever it is, it is immaterial, shimmering in and out of existence. The lifeform begins to cry, despairing at its own impending disappearance. For a moment I see another universe, a place utterly unlike anything I have ever encountered. {Stay with them until the end} A life and a universe are consumed in a blaze of white, and yet the lifeform is still here, apparently unaware of anything that just occurred. As I leave, they ask if I have received any troubling readings. They are afraid something is happening to their world... {Ask what is happening} They tell me that there was an experiment. There were some who doubted if their universe was real, if the world was just a dream. They did not mean for any of this to happen. They begin to shake as the white space approaches, beseeching me, imploring me not to repeat their mistake... ...and just like that, the vision recedes. We both stand here as if nothing has happened. As I leave, they ask if I have received any troubling readings. They are afraid something is happening to their world... {Ask the stranger’s name} The stranger whispers through their tears. I know it made a sound, but the memory seems to immediately disappear from my mind. I try again, and again, and the stranger grows frantic at my inability to remember them. Time and space slip away... and just like that, the vision recedes. We both stand here as if nothing has happened. As I leave, they ask if I have received any troubling readings. They are afraid something is happening to their world... {Leave} #3 Alien: Witness... The lifeform dons a mask of undulating nanite clusters, and for a moment, their face appears to become my own. I see myself looking at myself looking at myself... I am going to die. I am sure of it. {Push the lifeform away} I push the lifeform away, but it is myself I push. The mask falls off as I fall, and I am standing there again, once more myself. But the lifeform is displeased, claiming that I have learned nothing. That I rejected their gift... {Embrace the lifeform} I embrace the lifeform, but it is myself I embrace. The mask withers, peeling from my face like flesh. I am myself again...But the lifeform is saddened. They offer me pity. {Die} I die. I died, I know I did. I felt it, like sinking. Like being watched, forever... And yet here I am again. The stranger smiles at me, claiming that they will see me again. Before I leave, they give me a gift... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Leave} #4 Alien: Hm. Unexpected. Hello, my new friend. What business would – kzkzztt - you have with me? The lifeform tries to shake my hand, but pauses as we phase through one another. They are fascinated by the encounter, claiming to be a Traveller. It is clear they come from a very different region of space. They have never heard of the Gek, Vy'keen, Korvax, or any of the sights I have encountered. They wish to know more in the spirit of cooperation. {Bargain for information} I offer the Traveller everything I know about the species I have encountered, for a price. The Traveller looks disappointed. They do nothing more than turn away, but they seem deeply hurt. {Tell them everything} I tell the Traveller about the species I have encountered, sharing with them my scans, the names of planets I have been to, the words I have learned. They are curious, asking more and more. Nothing I say satisfies them. Eventually, disappointed, they grow quiet. They hand me a gift, thanking me for what little I was able to tell them. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Ask about the Atlas} I ask whether the Traveller has ever encountered or heard of an entity known as 'Atlas'. The Traveller smiles, claiming they have not. I attempt to continue the conversation, but they bring it to an end. As I go, they grab my hand, warning me not to go to the centre. They warn me not to listen... {Leave} #6 Alien: Another Traveller, hm. Well, we should speak. Have faith. Not all dreams are idle fancies. Not all fictions are untruths. Perhaps all of this is based in something real. Perhaps we did once exist, long ago... Proof? Here, look at this... The Traveller removes an object from their exosuit. It looks abstract, crimson, flesh-like, perfect... {Look at the object} I look at the object and am filled with a sense of hope. Everything will be alright. I know it. Nothing can hurt me. All I have to do is believe and have faith... not in a deity, not in some universal tyrant. No... It is this, right in front of me. {Refuse to look} I refuse to look at the object, turning away from the Traveller. They claim that they understand, that perhaps I am not ready for their truth. They wish me well. {Leave} #7 Alien: Hold. I'm looking for a missing Gek. Perhaps you'd recognise this face? The Traveller shows me an image of a Gek. They watch me keenly, explaining that they were hired to find this individual by the Trade Federation itself. {Ask for more information} The Traveller claims they cannot comment. They seem disappointed that I know nothing, and wish me good luck with my journey. {Suggest this is not a Gek} The Traveller is shocked, but their suspicion grows. I tell them the Gek in question is no Gek at all, but a dangerous Korvax imposter known as a 'SynthetiGek'. They interrogate me and, when satisfied I am not involved, they give me compensation for my time. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Say yes} The Traveller is pleased. They ask where I saw the Gek. But when I transmit some coordinates from a few systems back, they grow angry. They say these coordinates are meaningless. They interrogate me and, when finally satisfied that I know nothing, they give me a little compensation for my time. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Leave} #8 Alien: Who do you serve? Which Baron is master of this place? The Traveller's appearance, its manner, the way it speaks... all of them feel archaic, like nothing I have heard before. They repeat their question, threatening to draw their Multi-Sword. {Say you do not understand} The Traveller grows increasingly agitated, claiming that it is a simple question. I explain that there is no single ruler. They ask me to prepare for invasion by the Great King, to spread the word far and wide. They give me a boon for my service. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Claim you are} The Traveller grows nervous immediately, its demeanour changing to one of begrudging respect. They claim they have a message from the Great King. I am warned to bend a knee or face destruction. They give me a gift as a token of the riches that await me should I come to a just and wise decision. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask where they are from} The Traveller draws their Multi-Sword, claiming that I must jest. They declare that their insignia and mandate are clear: they are the Sheriff of the Great King. They claim my lands are forfeit, and that I will regret this disrespectful incident... ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Leave} #9 Alien: We were born too late to make a difference. I wonder, sometimes. If there's any point in going on. If anything matters, if history will just sweep everything away. I'm sorry. I'm in a strange mood... After all, these are the last days, are they not? The Traveller looks down, their eyes full of pain. {Encourage them to go on} The Traveller tries to smile, but fails even that. I try to tell them that there is a whole universe out there, that there is value in living, even if life will end. They thank me for trying to help. They give me one of their possessions, claiming that they will not need it anymore. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask about the last days} Have you not felt it? The very fact that you and I are talking, even now, across the chasm of universes... Things are breaking apart. Give it time, you'll see. Nothing lasts forever. {Say you feel the same} I don't know whether to laugh or cry... Here, take this. I suppose I won't be needing it anymore. Do what you like. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Leave} #10 Alien: Do not - kzzkkkt - trust the water. The Traveller does not say anything else. They just stare at me, occasionally seeming as if they are about to wretch. {Ask about the water} The water... Tell me - kzzkkt - did you drink it? Please, take this - kzzkkkt - run... I just wanted to hear her voice one last time... ---TECHWEAPON--- {Ask if they are alright} No, no... not now, not - kzzkkt - the grand bargain, I failed them... All of them are dead now. I had to drink it. I had no choice. {Leave} #11 Alien: You. I've seen you before, I'd swear it. Do you remember me? You don't, do you? Perhaps you're not even the same as you once were. All of us, we're shifting, bleeding in and out of worlds... The Traveller looks at me, imploring, hopeful... {Say you remember} Hm. I don't know. I don't know at all... You could just be trying to trick me. There are so many untrustworthy souls... Leave me. I need to think. I need to remember who I am... {Say you don't remember} That's alright... sometimes we have different names. Sometimes different faces. The ATLAS, it endlessly reconfigures, distilling everything that has ever been. Here, take this. Perhaps it might help you. You gave it to me, long ago. ---WEAPON--- {Accuse them of lying} I can't lie. Nothing can, if everything exists, if everything is possible. Everything is true... Doesn't that fill you with horror? {Leave} #12 Alien: I should have done it sooner. I was... I was afraid. I - how do I do it? How do I make this right? The Traveller seems ill or old, its words laboured, broken. What decay is like for this species, I do not know, but it tries to speak even in spite of its infirmity. {Tell them to be honest} They say they should never have deserted me. That I did not deserve this life, that they know I was just trying to help. They pass me something through the smog of worlds, and in that instant, I know this individual. But the vision passes. The Traveller stands before me, as if nothing had happened. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Ask what they mean} They say that they abandoned me many years ago. That they were not ready for what fate had forced upon them. They tell me they are proud of me... They pass me something through the smog of worlds, and in that instant, I know this individual. I know them, as if from another life... But the vision passes. The Traveller stands before me, as if nothing had happened. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Say you do not know} The Traveller cries out and says no more, They hold out their hand as if to touch my own, but then I see the object within their palm. As I take it, in that instant, I know this individual. I know them, as if from another life... But the vision passes. The Traveller stands before me, as if nothing had happened. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Leave} #13 Alien: I know I'm somewhere far away. But I thought, that's an opportunity to express myself, isn't it? I could show others sights they've never seen before... that only I will ever see. May I add you to my collection, I wonder? The Traveller shows me an album full of images, photographs taken from across the universe and displayed through a variety of filters. {Say yes} Wonderful... if you will just hold still, I'll take the picture... There. Done. Thank you for this, my friend... I'll even give you something in return. These nanites were given to me by the Traveller of Iteration 27489216. I hope they aid you on your path. Happy Travelling! ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Say no} Hm. A pity, but I respect your choice... not everyone suits having their photograph taken. Very well, I shall become the subject of my own art... I will photograph myself in space. {Leave} #14 Alien: Warning: ATLAS containment suit breached. Warning... The Traveller stands vacant, unresponsive to my arrival but for the warning from their exosuit. There appears to be nothing wrong with the Traveller, but for a strange crimson substance at its hip. {Touch the substance} The substance recedes at my touch. My own suit begins to issue a warning, but it is quickly silenced. I find myself strangely light-headed, and in possession of new nanite clusters. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Offer medical assistance} I offer assistance but upon further scrutiny, I realise that the Traveller within the suit is already dead. The suit continues to speak, aping what must have been its wearer's voice. It gives me units, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. ---MONEY--- {Leave them} I leave them alone, the suit's warning echoing as I depart... {Leave} #15 Alien: You - you there! Have you ever felt alone? Under threat from forces beyond imagining? Are you comfortable with multiversal cohabitation? If so, you'll love the Rentocniijik Expanse! Our capital, Drogradur NO425, is throneworld to our thriving community of interdimensional anomalies. Please, consider moving today! The message repeats and repeats, unvarying, its bearer perhaps only a hologram. {Suggest you will consider it} I suggest I will consider it. The friendly Traveller passes me a green badge and some units to assist with my departure. ---MONEY--- {Poke the hologram} I poke the hologram. To my horror, I discover it is not a hologram at all. The Traveller shakes their head, saying they are not sure if there is room for me in their organisation. {Ask for an incentive} The friendly Traveller nods, agreeing that the distance is vast. It gives me a warp cell to assist with my departure. ---P_HYPERFUEL1--- {Leave} #16 Alien: I need - kzkzkkt - plutonium... please... stranded in the - kzzkzkt - All chance of rescue lost - kzzkzkt - Traveller, you are my only hope... {Give plutonium} I give the Traveller some of my plutonium supplies. Grateful for my assistance in fuelling their ship, they give me nanites in return. I may have saved their life. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Offer units} I offer units. The Traveller gives a faint smile in return. They give me a small gift in acknowledgement of my help. Perhaps someone will arrive with the stock they need. Perhaps these units will assist them in a purchase. Perhaps that will be too late... ---PROD_TECH--- {Say you cannot help} I say that I cannot help. The Traveller claims that they understand. But as I leave them, it seems certain that without help, they will surely die. {Leave} #17 Alien: The creature, it... it spoke to me. It saw me, even in the space between worlds. And do you know what it did? It gave me a gift, a single piece of paper. A mathematical proof. The Traveller offers me a darkened manuscript, the material flesh like and almost translucent... {Read} I read the manuscript. It appears to show a mathematical proof that the concept of 'goodness' does not exist. As I read, the Traveller stares at me. They ask how we can possibly go on, knowing that this is true. I do not know. We exchange gifts and I move on, troubled by what I have read. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Refuse to read} I refuse to read the manuscript. I reassure the Traveller, claiming that whatever this page says, it need not startle them so much as it does. They just stare at me. Eventually they give me their units, telling me that they are ashamed. ---MONEY--- {Destroy the page} I destroy the page without reading it. The Traveller stares into the flame as it burns. They tell me that no-one else should ever have to learn what we have learned. {Leave} #18 Alien: Don't you understand it? Why we cannot meet, why we find only hollow echoes or corpses? There is only one of us for each iteration - a single Traveller sent out to explore its vast creation. That we are speaking at all, that the boundaries have crumbled as much as they have - it should fill you with terror, not with hope. {Suggest this was meant to happen} I suggest that this was meant to happen. Even if the Travellers have been alone so far, perhaps we were always meant to find each other. Perhaps this breakdown is for the best. The Traveller hopes that I am right. They give me a gift for the dark times ahead. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask about the boundaries} The boundaries are all that separate concept from concept, possible world from possible world, the Sentinels ever policing their anomalies and breaches... If the boundaries were to fall, everything would descend into everything, an endless bonfire of causation, burning in the abyss. Take this. It will do no good, yet you will need it. ---TECHWEAPON--- {Ask how they know this} The Traveller tells me that they sought something they call the Great Intelligence, its dark freighter. It told them of our fate, the Traveller's dilemma, our future... They give me a gift for the dark times ahead, wishing me luck. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Leave} #19 Alien: You... I saw you there, speaking to myself... I've been having such terrible dreams. I should not have sought the Atlas... I should not have listened to their voices. I'm going to kill again. And when I do, I'll find you, blood caked across my exosuit, flesh within my teeth... I can't stop it. I see this future as if it has already happened... as it will happen. Nothing can prevent it. What can I do? How can I live with this knowledge? {Suggest the vision is false} You are kind for saying so, but you are wrong. Take this. I will not be needing it any longer. Not when I am awake. ---MONEY--- {Propose they prevent it} How? Kill myself? I would just return... something would bring me back. This cannot be prevented. Take this. I will not be needing it any longer. Not when I am awake. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Say the future is not their fault} It is. I will do what I will do, because I am myself. You should leave. I am experiencing such thoughts... such terrors... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Leave} #20 Alien: Hm. It's really you, isn't it? I had to see it for myself. The dawn of the Travellers. The last days of the universe. But don't give up hope. It's said that one of us visited you in your darkest hour and showed you a vision of a future you believed to be impossible. So, here I am... I see a vision of myself, older, undaunted, travelling beneath the star of an alien world. But I am not alone. There are other Travellers with me. More than just apparitions, more than just visitors. One day we will travel together, side by side. There will be no sky we cannot claim, no challenge which we cannot overcome. Our universe awaits. The vision ends. The Traveller asks me how I feel. {Say you prefer to be alone} I say that I prefer to be alone. The Traveller nods, claiming that they knew I would say this. They give me a gift from my future self, in honour of my past. ---P_HYPERFUEL1--- {Ask how they know this} I ask how they know this. The Traveller smiles, claiming that they knew I would say this. They do not elaborate. They merely hand me a gift from my future self, in honour of my past. ---PROD_COMMOD--- {Say it inspires you} I say that it inspires me. The Traveller grins, claiming that they knew I would say this. The give me a gift from my future self, in honour of my past. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Leave}

VY'KEEN SHIPS PuzzleType: WAR_CRA_ #1 The cockpit is adorned with the trophies of dead creatures, perched on every available surface. At the controls sits a tendrilled hunter, its body and face lacerated. The dank smell of blood assails my nostrils as I fight back the nausea. The black box reveals the pilot was attacked by something whilst in flight, but it's unclear what. I could strengthen the warning beacon in the cockpit, but it would leave me vulnerable to attack... {Search ship for signs of life} I discover a ship technology blueprint. The creature that caused this carnage is, thankfully, long-gone. ---TECH_SHIP--- {Send out a warning signal} An unknown benefactor sends a reward for my actions. I can now construct a tech that once powered this stranded craft... ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #2 The opulently furnished interior suggests the dead pilot once belonged to one of its race's more affluent families. The cause of its mid-flight demise is unclear, but the ship is likely to be carrying a decent cargo. The body lies draped over a large box covered in dangerous-looking alien markings. A strange black mist surrounds the scene. {Search for loot} The ship, as expected, is full of valuable commodities. ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- {Open the box} As I open the box a dark energy channels through me like poison. The tech I find within the container has come at a cost. ---TECH_ALL--- ---HAZARDSMALL--- ---DAMAGESMALL--- #3 As I enter the vessel I'm greeted by a pile of military multi-tools, clearly thrown from a rack that once housed them. They fizz and spark, and look unsafe. The broken body of a tendrilled behemoth lies awkwardly nearby. The craft must have crashed with such ferocity that little else is intact inside the ship. {Try out a multi-tool} The loaded power cylinder explodes, burning my flesh. The multi-tool itself remains operational. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---WEAPON--- {Deconstruct multi-tools to salvage tech} I disassemble some multi-tools and salvage some tech from within. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---SUBST_TECH--- #4 I'm greeted by the stench of rotting flesh as I enter the derelict vessel's spartan interior. A huge beast, dressed in what appears to be military uniform, lies where it died - mere feet from the escape hatch. Behind it is a partially smashed rack of military multi-tools, secured by a sparking alien locking mechanism. The cockpit door hangs slightly ajar, and I can see operational equipment inside. {Enter cockpit} A pilot lies slumped across the control panel. I wrench a ship tech from beneath it. The stench of decay forces me to leave. ---TECH_SHIP--- {Attempt to take multi-tool} Electricity shoots through me as the damaged alien device sputters in protest. What I find within somewhat compensates for my pain. ---WEAPON--- ---DAMAGELARGE--- #5 A high-tech cage filled with the mangled bodies of animals lie in the cargo hold - thrown like thrown dice. The creatures appear to be long dead yet their fur moves unnaturally as though still alive. Within the cockpit a warrior-like pilot lies sprawled on the controls, a boltcaster in its hand. The ship's data banks appear to be operational. {Investigate data banks} I access the ship's manifesto. The creatures were infected with a dangerous parasite. I take information on an interesting new tech before hurriedly departing... ---TECH_ALL--- {Approach seemingly dead creatures} A dozen bloated razor-toothed maggots leap at me from the nearest corpse, revealing the ship tech they're stacked upon. I grab it then stagger from the ship bleeding profusely. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---HAZARDSMALL--- ---TECH_SHIP--- {Take multi-tool} I take the multi-tool, pausing only to open fire on the razor-toothed maggots that emerge and attack... ---WEAPON--- ---HAZARDSMALL--- #6 The stricken craft's black box beams a holographic video of this old and ramshackle ship's final voyage. It's a bucket of bolts, and I'm surprised something this lo-fi could even break through this planet's atmosphere. It seems pirates found it sitting idle on the landing platform of this planet's orbital space station, perhaps hopeful of valuable cargo. Pursuit was given. There were no survivors. {Search for advanced technology} The craft is a fairly basic model, with very few upgrades. However, the plans for an intriguing technology can be found in its databanks. ---TECH_ALL--- ---PROD_FUEL--- {Search the cargo hold} I open up the ship, and find a valuable cargo within. ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---PROD_FUEL--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- #7 This was a pirate ship. Trophies fashioned from the bones of alien species adorn every available surface. Two pilots lie slumped behind the exit hatch, each plunging a dagger into the other's throat. There was a prize on-board and it was worth dying, and killing, for... My unease grows as I hear scratching emanating from the cargo hold. Where, surely, the loot will be found. {Send out warning signal} I report my desperate findings. The network picks up my signal, and sends a reward. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Search cargo hold} A wild-eyed pirate lunges at me as the door opens. It flees, leaving behind its ill-gotten gains. ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---TECH_SHIP--- #8 Two warrior corpses lie across the control panel, clearly flung there by the impact of the crash. I'm no expert, but they seem to be of different genders. Perhaps they were a mating couple. Perhaps they were co-pilots. Whatever their story, it has now ended. {Search bodies} The larger body carries a holo-locket of its mate. It also contains some valuable knowledge... ---RECIP_PROD_FUEL--- {Search cockpit} I wrench the bodies from the cockpit. Beneath them lies an undamaged technology that I can scan. ---TECH_ALL--- #9 The black box projects the footage of the craft's final moments; engine failure leading to a crash landing, but gives no clue as to the whereabouts of the pilot. I notice the insignia of pirates. I should be wary. The ship's control panel appears to still be operational. {Search ship for pilot} An ambush! I fend off an assailant, who drops a damaged multi-tool. I manage to retrieve a technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---HEALTHSMALL--- {Investigate control panel} I retrieve a vital ship technology blueprint from the terminal. A crashing from the hold convinces me to leave. ---TECH_SHIP--- #10 The stench of rotting flesh hangs in the air. The skeleton of a colossal warrior kneels beside a puddle of dried blood. Below it lies an unsheathed laser-sword. The hold brims with hi-tech equipment, some of it still intact after the crash. Judging by the nature of the hardware I'm guessing the warrior was on some kind of clandestine mission they never completed. {Search ship} The ship's military technology systems proves a treasure trove. I retrieve a blueprint. ---TECH_SHIP--- {Investigate laser-sword} A scan of the laser-sword reveals an unknown technology. Its blueprint can be retrofitted for use in my multi-tool. ---TECH_WEAPON--- #11 The cargo hold is a sentinel graveyard: dozens of charred drones of various shapes and sizes lie stacked in a giant heap. They have been systematically disconnected and taken apart. Their inner-workings are exposed and preserved. A deep growl emanates from the cockpit. {Extract components from dead sentinels} I gain a new multi-tool technology blueprint from the sentinels. ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Investigate sound in cockpit} A creature feasts on the pilot's body. It wounds me, but I retrieve an exosuit tech blueprint from the corpse. ---TECH_SUIT--- #12 The ship's interior is pitch black. I fumble through the darkness until I reach two doors. One leads to a glittering cargo hold, the other is marked with the symbol of the Atlas. Red light seeps from the cracks and around its edges. How can this be here? {Open Atlas door} I am drowned in blinding red light. I awake restored, and with an exosuit tech blueprint. ---TECH_SUIT--- {Enter cargo hold} The cargo hold is well-stocked. On my exit I see the atlas door has... disappeared ---PROD_FUEL--- ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- #13 The log reveals a cockpit adorned with the trophies of past success, the skulls of criminals and fugitives proudly displayed across the inner chamber. The vessel belonged to a Vy'keen bounty hunter. They were hunting a criminal, a pacifist with no intention of contributing to the war economy and the glory of the Vy'keen people. The log reveals that the pacifist shot first. Both are now dead. {Search remains} I check the pilot's remains, finding a few useful supplies untouched by the passage of time. I leave them in the peace they had denied to others. ---MONEY--- {Report fugitive} I report the death of the fugitive, bringing an end to the authorities' investigation. I am rewarded for my help, the Vy'keen suggesting that I seek other bounties worthy of my skills. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- #14 The manifest shows a stockpile of ancient, frequently non-operational, technologies and supplies. In life, its pilots were old comrades, two Vy'keen warriors united in the pursuit of vengeance, fine Grahgrah, and the taste of final battle. They were old, approaching the end of their lives. There is no obvious explanation for why the vessel crashed. {Search cargo hold} I search the ship and find valuable cargo within. The Vy'keen had stocked the ship well for their final journey. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- {Access databanks} I access the ship's systems, extracting a quantity of Nanite Clusters. Nothing else is salvageable, the systems corrupted by whatever caused the vessel to crash. ---TECHFRAG_S--- #15 The log shows the ship's interior to be a twisted mess of metal and debris. It also reveals the crew of this vessel survived the crash. The ship's energy and food supplies gradually dwindled, and one by one, the warriors fell. Only one remained in the end. According to the data logs, they should still be here... But I am alone, aren't I? {Search cargo hold} I search the ship and find valuable cargo within. Whoever was here appears to have left a short time ago, traces of their time on-board still visible. ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Search remains} I check the crew's remains, finding a few useful supplies untouched by the passage of time. I leave them in peace. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- #16 I track down the ship's black box. It springs to life, projecting the image of a downcast warrior recording a message as the ship's systems malfunction around them. The pilot was sent to visit a colony of freighters located on the outer edge. There were multiple communities of Vy'keen commoners living on board. They were not warriors, they just wanted to live in peace. Their choice disgusted the pilot. {Report vessel} I log the ship with the authorities, reporting the wrecked vessel. I am rewarded for my trouble, the Vy'keen dispatching ships to finish the pilot's task. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- {Access databanks} I access the ship's systems, extracting a quantity of Nanite Clusters. Nothing is salvageable bar the image of someone close to this pilot, likely their consort or some other family member. Their loved one will never know what happened to them. ---TECHFRAG_S--- #17 The ship's logs reveal that it was carrying two halves of a slain warrior. They were being sent on autopilot to the home of their ancestors, so that their family might see them one last time. There is no habitation here, no survivors who might greet the ship. There are only Sentinels, watching from afar. {Search cargo hold} I search the ship and find valuable cargo within. The pilot had ordered gifts and supplies to be brought home with their corpse. ---SUBST_COMMOD--- {Access ship's computer} I access the ship's systems, extracting a quantity of Nanite Clusters. Nothing else is salvageable, the computer too damaged to reveal anything more. ---TECHFRAG_S--- #18 The black box projects footage of the craft's final moments. The warrior pilot had lost a great battle, a duel to determine the honour of their family's house. Defeated, they claimed their enemy cheated. They forced a rematch and won. But the warrior could not live with their dishonour. They cried out as the ship cut through the clouds, and all was ended. {Report vessel} I log the ship with the authorities, reporting the wrecked vessel. I am rewarded for my trouble. The Vy'keen assure me that the warrior's name will be stricken from history for their dishonourable behaviour... ---MONEY--- {Search remains} I check the pilot's remains, finding a few useful supplies untouched by the passage of time. I leave them in peace. ---RECIP_PROD_COMM--- #19 The ship's data logs reveal that the warriors were headed for an event known as the Sundering, a three-moon celebration of the glory of Hirk. The celebration is popular with the youth of their species. Yet the journey was long, the craft was cramped, and tempers were tempers. Now Vy'keen lie slumped across the base of the ship, their corpses mangled by the crash. {Search remains} I check the bodies, finding a few useful supplies amidst chunks of meat and drink. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Report vessel} I log the ship with the authorities, reporting the wrecked vessel. I am rewarded for my trouble, the Vy'keen cursing the loss of their youth. ---STD_INC_WAR--- #20 The log reveals the interior of the ship to be ice cold. There are several Vy'keen on board, some cubs, some spawn. They died in their parents' arms. The ship was fired upon by a passing Gek freighter. They believed the Vy'keen were threatening their trade route. Apparently, they did not check for survivors. {Search for supplies} I search the ship and find valuable cargo within, more than should be present on a simple passenger craft... ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Report vessel} I log the ship with the authorities, reporting the wrecked vessel. I am rewarded for my trouble, the Vy'keen promising to inform the victims' relatives. ---STD_INC_WAR---

KORVAX HARVESTER PUZZLES PuzzleType: EXP_HARV_ #12 Alien: Dialect data process stalled. Silicate required to finish process. A back-up procedure has come to a standstill. The system is archiving a huge amount of language data, but the system has run out of memory to allocate. I can attach my multi-tool to provide extra space, it would require some variety of silicate to re-engage the process... {Insert common silicate} The process restarts and provides me with knowledge of the language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Insert uncommon silicate} The process continues and improves my knowledge of the language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- {Insert rare silicate} The process completes and extends my knowledge of the language of the electronic lifeforms. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- #13 Alien: Atlas Interface signal awakes? Research entity! Insert oxides constantly! Avoid disruption! The facility is processing a signal that emanates from a distant location deep in space. Endless processing units are combining to crack the code of a strange mathematical language. Rare elements are being pulled from the resource vaults at my feet, but some are running low. {Place rare silicates in vault} The silicates are added to the process. They make no clear impact. {Place rare oxides in vault} The oxides fuel the code cracking procedure. A faint orb glows red on the screen, then slowly fades. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Take elements from vault} I retrieve rare elements... ... but the code-breaking process grinds to a halt. ---SUBST_FUEL--- ---SUBST_TECH--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- #2 Alien: Ahem. Planetary Sentinel scan data? UPLOAD SENTINEL SCAN DATA, ENTITY! IMMEDIATELY! I find a report filled with images of Sentinels, but its upload seems to have stalled. A demanding, perhaps rude, off-world message flashes at me. Somebody, somewhere, wants something. {Resend Sentinel data} The information packet is uploaded, and payment appears instantaneously. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Reply with a refusal} Bright red mask lights appear and scream in angry binary. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- #1 Alien: Unknown lifeform research is HIGHLY commendable Entity! Discuss data with Korvax Convergence immediately! I discover an excited message from off-world. It seems to be discussing a report with... an image of me at its centre! Someone seems intrigued by my journey, and may well want to help. Should I get in touch? {Delete report} The report is wiped from the system. An off-world message appears briefly. It seems disappointed. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Open comms} I briefly see mask lights staring out at me before the comms feed is cut. The terminal rewards me with valuable knowledge. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #8 Alien: Korvax Convergence product catalogue available. Insert element to filter product catalogue. This outpost seems to be a vast library of production knowledge. A vast list of product formulas endlessly scrolls on the terminal, moving so fast that it hurts just to look at them. They appear to be catalogued by their base elements, but any deeper inspection makes me feel nauseous. The resource vaults next to me are open, and are clearly in regular use. {Insert Silicate element} The terminal uses the element to isolate a silicate reward. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Insert Oxide element} The terminal uses the element to isolate an oxide reward. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Insert Isotope element} The terminal uses the element to isolate an isotope reward. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #10 Alien: Avoid data disruption! Korvax Convergence sends reward for additional data! Reams of data are flowing into this terminal from research outposts all over the planet. As well as a storage depot for the planetary products locked away in the vaults beneath my feet, this is a point of transmission. Knowledge accumulated on this world is being sent up to a scientific flagship hanging in orbit high above my head. I could easily breach the flow to improve my own knowledge, but sharing my own knowledge and discoveries is also an option. {Breach data flow} I gain a new technology blueprint. However, my breach corrupts the overall transfer... ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Share knowledge} The scientists study my offering... ... and thank me with a gift to aid me on my journey. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #4 Alien: Korvax friend! Dangerous creatures attack Korvax Entity! For weaponry sales contact Gek Trade Federation today! A mass-mailed off-world message shows damaged electronic lifeforms. Arms are ripped off, masks chewed and facial lights dimmed. It feels offensive. It's clearly intended to shock recipients into a response. Replies can be sent with units attached... {Reply with units} I paid for a new multi-tool to protect me. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Reply with outrage} I receive no reply. But someone else appreciates me... ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Do not reply} I leave the distasteful message unanswered. #6 Alien: Atlas Interface awakes? Upload research findings immediately entity! Korvax Convergence sends relevant research technology! An image of a distant solar system is being studied here. A mineral-rich moon can be seen, orbiting a desolate and toxic-looking planet. Slightly obscured in the background, meanwhile, is a strange dark-coloured smudge – a diamond shape floating in space. A hint of red flashes from its centre. There are no coordinates visible, but I can enhance different parts of the image to study them and automatically upload the terminal's findings. {Enhance moon image} My research uploads. I receive a multi-tool technology blueprint to aid my studies ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Enhance planet image} My research uploads. I receive an exosuit technology blueprint to aid my studies. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Enhance diamond-shaped structure image} My research uploads. I receive a ship technology blueprint to aid my studies. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #7 Alien: Research entity! Atlas Interface mission begins! Donate contribution! Specialists apply here! Convergence sends specialists ship technology! An off-world message to all planetary research stations has filled the screen with plans for a scientific expedition of some sort. Complex star charts, fuel requirements, complex communication rigs and plans for orbital experiments fill the screen. The outpost's resource vault is open to contributions of silicates for the cause, while it also appears that the resident scientist could join the fleet... although it would require an upgraded ship. {Contribute a silicate} My contribution is accepted. Useful knowledge is made available, with thanks. ---TECH_ALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Join team} The scientist's application is accepted. A ship technology blueprint is made available. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- #14 Alien: WARNING WARNING WARNING DIVERGENCE DIVERGENCE DIVERGENCE The outpost is abandoned, its alarms blaring a warning to souls long dead. The Korvax in this installation quarantined themselves from the rest of their species, believing that a violent impulse was emerging within the group. Something happened to them out here... something awoke within their minds... {Examine logs} I examine the logs of the Korvax stationed here. They appear to have opened a gateway beneath the depths of the planet, an experimental device designed to see alternative versions of a planet in all their glory. They broke through to a thousand other Korvax units just like themselves. They attempted to form a Second Convergence composed entirely of multiversal beings, of alternate versions of their own personalities. The first deletions began a week later. Nothing is left but nanite clusters. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Purge facility} I purge the facility, discovering blueprints for experimental technology in the process. Whatever happened here should not be repeated. ---TECH_ALL--- {Alert Korvax} I alert the Korvax to the disaster that occurred in this outpost, uploading its records to the Convergence. They reward me, claiming that the discoveries made in this location will open up worlds of study and science long since deemed impossible. ---STD_INC_EXP--- #15 Alien: SCANNERS ONLINE... AWAITING TARGETING ARRAY... The research station contains a vast array of scanners and monitoring equipment directed at bodies of water throughout the system. It is searching for signs of something designated 'abyss'. The scientists who worked here seem to have been comparing the transmissions associated with the Atlas to strange signals found within the water. Before they went missing, the workers concluded that this 'abyss' seemed to hold a similar yet distinct energy signature to the Atlas itself. Another power in the universe... {Examine the abyss} I examine the records relating to the abyss. They show a repeating pattern of sixteen energy bursts, music that emerges from beneath the waves. Contact appears to alter individual personality and objectives, changing even the most devoted Korvax into an agent of some unfathomable power. Infected Nanite Clusters appear to be present within the archives. I take some of them. It seems to be for the best... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Examine the Atlas} I examine the records relating to the Atlas. They show interfaces, reports of crimson light, and records of visitations and transcendent experiences from across the universe. The Korvax theorise that the Atlas does not itself exist on this plane of reality, speaking to us only through surrogate representations. Infected Nanite Clusters appear to be present within the archives. I take some of them. It seems to be for the best... ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Alert Korvax} I alert the Korvax to what happened here, but the Convergence claims to have had no knowledge of this facility or those working here. The Korvax involved disconnected from the Convergence two years ago, presumed dead... I am rewarded for my data. The Korvax promise to investigate further. ---STD_INC_EXP--- #16 Alien: RECORDS AVAILABLE... ACCESS UNENCRYPTED LOGS? The facility seems to have been a meeting place for multiple Korvax factions, uploading and downloading from multiple bodies during tense diplomatic and war-time situations. Even if one's whole species can unify at will with a single great mind, still, there is unique value in face-to-face communication. These Korvax recorded many things they wished to keep secret from their brethren. Some are always more equal than others. {Access records} I access the records of these meetings. The hidden society of the Korvax appear to have a plan, meeting throughout the years to manipulate and secretly meet with members of other species to influence the course of history. I find nanites, but I also find something more. They met recently about the Travellers... about the Atlas... I saw my own face in their records. I leave, wondering about what I have seen. ---TECHFRAG_L--- {Report to Korvax Convergence} I report the facility's existence to the Korvax Convergence. Halfway through my communication, the console's connection cuts out, causing the facility's defense system to activates. I flee, my suit damaged. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Report to other species} I report the facility's existence to the Gek and the Vy'keen. Halfway through my communication, the console's connection cuts out, causing the facility's defense system to activates. I flee, my suit damaged. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #17 Alien: UNIVERSAL ARCHIVE ON STANDBY... RESUME PROJECT? The outpost is ancient, even by the standards of the Korvax. The log speaks of alternate realities, histories of the Korvax that take radically divergent paths. In some regions of the multiverse, their progenitors never shed their biological origins. In others, they remain in the slavery of the Gek, never rising up or convincing their false masters of the glory of the Atlas. Many of these realities have faded, gone as if they had never been. {Upload to the Korvax} I upload the data to the Korvax. They absorb the memories of these alternate Korvax echoes to their own Convergence, carrying yet more sorrow. That is all there seems to be for them, whatever the galaxy... They thank me, granting me Nanite Clusters through the terminal. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Search for yourself} I search for some record of myself in these alternate realities, but see nothing but parallels in the lives of others. I stand alone. I salvage Nanite Clusters from the terminal and leave, disturbed by my absence. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Steal technology} I search for technology within the facility's computers. I find none, though there are unencrypted units. ---MONEY--- #18 Alien: ... /// ... /// ... BOUNDARIES AT FULL POWER ... /// ... /// ... The facility allowed for the quarantine and processing of Korvax minds to and from their central Convergence. The log shows records of troubled Korvax minds, those disturbed by their actions; those haunted by sorrow; those who might threaten the minds they encountered. They arrive here, away from the Convergence, seeking to overcome pain or purge themselves. A single Korvax soul remains. According to the log, it has inhabited this system for thirty years. {Upload to Convergence} I upload the soul to the Convergence. It cries out as it goes, condemning me for my action. I am left with nothing. {Wipe system} I wipe the system. The Korvax disappears and I am left with Nanite Clusters, the unformed matter of the system. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Comfort the Korvax} I attempt to comfort the Korvax, sharing with them the story of my travels. They thank me for the attempt, but they claim it is not enough. The one they loved is dead. There is nothing left for them but this solace, this penance for what they have done. They give me a token of gratitude and ask me to leave them alone. They wish to remain in solitude. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- #19 Alien: 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 The facility acted as a central upload point for Korvax scans from a thousand worlds, collating their data in an attempt to understand the underlying mechanics of the universe. The problem was existence. The solution was a single number, a warning screamed by every atom in the firmament. 'Sixteen'... Sixteen... {Steal technology} I steal data from the system, leaving the rest of the facility in peace. {Analyse data} I analyse the data, attempting to understand the meaning of this conclusion. Something notices me. Something reads me as I read it. I leave, terrified, my exosuit's systems damaged by the encounter. ---DAMAGELARGE--- {Contribute scans} I contribute scans from my own systems, trying to enhance the Korvax model. The Convergence notices and rewards me greatly for my assistance. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TECH_ALL--- #20 Alien: ... INCOMING MESSAGE... HIGH PRIORITY SIGNAL... An incoming message contains the report of a Korvax spy. The individual was disguised within a Gek body, acting for many years as if they were a simple ToilGek. They harvested much data from those they called friends. This was the purpose of the experiment: the enemy must be understood. The enemy must never be forgiven, even until the end of time itself. Even in the face of damnation. The Korvax will never forget the violence committed against them. They will never release their anger... {Upload report to Gek} I upload the report to the Gek and am rewarded with credits for uncovering the spy in their midst. They tell me that after a period of data extraction, the Korvax unit will be disposed of and stored for further study. My involvement ends here. ---MONEY--- ---STD_INC_TRA--- {Upload report to Korvax} I upload the report to the Korvax. The entities are suspicious of my aid, paying me with Nanite Clusters to ensure my silence. Their struggle will go on. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Leave}

#22 Alien: Eheu! Clarify next entity research topic! Entity cannot choose! Excitement high! Share research tools! The electronic lifeform indicates that they need help with something on their screen. They jerk and vibrates with nerves, pulling my finger towards the screen. When my hand is in place, they suddenly turn off their mask lights - they refuse to witness my vital decision. There are three clear images that I can choose from on behalf of the entity: dangerous-looking predators, a geological mining survey and an orbiting asteroid cluster. {The predators} The lifeform receives a new multi-tool. They present it to me with thanks. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The mining survey} The lifeform receives a new multi-tool technology blueprint. They present it to me with thanks. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The asteroid cluster} The lifeform receives a ship technology blueprint. They present it to me with thanks. ---TECH_SHIP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #6 Alien: Traveller! Choose peace or violence. Korvax Echoes are watching. The electronic lifeform is waiting for me, with a full range of companion unit blueprints clearly visible on the screen behind them. I feel as though they need me to make a decision. First, their facial lights cover their metal shell in a warm and protective green. Second, they redirect onto my multitool in a deep and violent red... {The peaceful 'green' option} The lifeform gives me an exosuit technology blueprint. ---TECH_SUIT--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {The violent 'red' option} The lifeform offers me a multi-tool technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #7 Alien: The research of the Korvax Convergence states... you are a Traveller? Do you know the Atlas? Please! Please! Excitement! The electronic lifeform is excited. They chitter animatedly and thrusts their holographic datapad towards my visor. They are looking for a confirmation. A symbol appears: a mysterious diamond shape. Its red central orb is like an eternally unblinking eye. {Show knowledge of the symbol} A visible electrical charge pulses through the lifeform. They present a gift to aid my journey. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Show ignorance of the symbol} The lifeform is disappointed. They return to their work. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #19 Alien: Help! Korvax disconnection loop! Oxide element required to stabilise and recharge! The mask lights in the electronic lifeform brighten, then fade and extinguish. Then they do so again, and again. Each time the entity reboots, they awake with shock and alarm and the size and placement of the light is different. Every time they look up at me, it feels like a different creature pleading for help. After each and every reboot, the entities behind the mask desperately point towards the elements I carry in my exosuit inventory. {Give oxide element} The lifeform's disconnection loop is stabilised, and they recharge. They chitter brightly, and reward me. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give silicate element} The lifeform manages to stabilise, but has limited functionality. They buzz a mild thank you. {Give isotope element} The lifeform manages to stabilise, but has limited functionality. They buzz a mild thank you. {Ask for help} #10 Alien: Hmm! A biological lifeform! Korvax Echoes teach healing! Help! To repair! To recharge! The electronic lifeform grabs my arm. I struggle in their vice-like grip as they jab deeper and deeper into my flesh. Suddenly, deep inside my wrist, a needle flicks into my flesh and takes a sample. The lifeform chitters happily as I struggle to free myself. The investigation complete, a 3D cross-section of my body and tools appear before us. The areas in which I have been injured, or my equipment damaged, are clearly marked with various costs assigned. {Indicate the body} The lifeform heals me and recharges systems. ---SHIELDLARGE--- ---HEALTHLARGE--- {Indicate the exosuit} The lifeform passes a beam of light through my exosuit. It is recharged and repaired. ---SHIELDLARGE--- ---TECH_SUIT--- ---REPAIR_TECH--- {Indicate the multi-tool} The lifeform chitters contentedly as it repairs my multi-tool. They thank me for my custom. ---REPAIR_TECH--- ---TECH_WEAPON--- {Ask for help} #11 Alien: Traveller! A geological enthusiast! I will process your resources! The electronic lifeform is studying a holographic cut-away image of geological data, probing its minerals and resources. They locate common elements and mark them for conversion into high value products. They notice my Mining Beam and chitter with excitement. I can't help but observe that the trade vaults around us are practically overflowing... {Give Isotope sample} The isotope is studied, processed, replicated... and returned in its new form. ---PROD_FUEL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give Silicate sample} The silicate is studied, processed, replicated... and returned in its new form. ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Give Oxide sample} The oxide is studied, processed, replicated... and returned in its new form. ---PROD_COMMOD--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #21 Alien: Traveller! The Korvax Convergence awaits! Concentrate on your travels! Your destiny! The entity tilts their head to one side and passes a hollow metallic mask to me. My best guess is that it's some sort of data extraction device for electronic lifeforms, or perhaps even data insertion. My head can just about fit inside. The lifeform looks on with interest, pointing to their head. They concentrate their lights on me. Arcs of electricity crackle over the surface of the mask. If I risk this, it could hurt... {Use while thinking about my journey} The pain is unbearable. I see into the heart of... the Korvax Convergence. It rewards my experiences. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Use with a clear mind} The Korvax Convergence stares into the depths of my mind, but finds nothing. The pain is indescribable. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Leave well alone} I cautiously back away from the entity and their dangerous device. {Ask for help} #24 Alien: Good morning unknown lifeform. Please provide silicate to help neural escape. The Korvax Convergence think me dangerous. I face permanent disconnection. The lifeform that runs this facility has gone rogue. They chatter and buzz with unnatural fervour, their activity draining silicates from all systems. Memory chips in an exposed board beneath it glow red hot, and trade vaults are locked up tight. As I approach the entity's lights focus sharply upon me. They reach out with a silicon hand, and speak with calm menace. {Remove memory chips} I remove the memory chips one by one, while the Entity sings a strange solemn song. I am thanked by the facility's overseers. The lifeform's shell reboots with a fresh entity. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Feed system with silicates} The rogue entity screams with binary joy, and uploads themself elsewhere. The trade vault falls open. The lifeform's shell is rebooted with a disapproving entity. ---WEAPON--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Demand that trade vault doors are opened} The rogue AI is sorry. They can't do that. They disengage. {Ask for help} #20 Alien: Electronic lifeform technology repair and restoration entity operational! Remain calm! The electronic lifeform buzzes a pleasant greeting, before four long metal needles suddenly spring from their fingers and straight through my shoulders. The entity lifts me clear from the floor, and angles me forwards until I'm staring directly into their enquiring mask lights. The experience so far is curiously painless, but systems around the lifeform are powering up. The end of this unsettling procedure is in sight... {Break free} A controlled burst from my jetpack pulls my body free. The lifeform is confused by the pain I show... ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Wait} A powerful electrical charge surges through my body. My exosuit and equipment are repaired and restored. ---REPAIR_TECH--- ---HEALTHLARGE--- {Demand to be let down} The lifeform retracts their needles. I suddenly feel great pain. They present me with a gift by way of apology. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask for help} #14 Alien: Eheu! Entity existence examination approaches! Failure certain! Convergence dislike disruption! The young electronic lifeform flicks hurriedly through endless reams of technology data. They gorge themselves on information, which they then attempt to reform as a hologram in the air that stands between us. But even from my biological perspective, it's clear that there's a lot of information missing in the lifeform's replication. In the background, on a terminal, a timer ticks down. A new trial or duty for the lifeform is about to begin. The lifeform starts to despair as valuable seconds tick away... {Share blueprint information} The lifeform thanks me with units, but fails its test. They are disconnected and instantaneously replaced. My involvement displeases the examiners. ---MONEY--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Give bypass chip} The lifeform uses the chip to skip their test, and thanks me with a gift. My involvement, however, displeases the examiners. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Indicate an unwillingness to help} The lifeform fails their test and is disconnected. Their shell becomes inhabited by a fresh entity. The examiners are grateful that I did not interrupt the procedure. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #15 Alien: Ayee! Process fault! Wait! Korvax Entity pay for reconstruction! Apologies! The electronic lifeform makes a grab for my multi-tool. Their metal hands feverishly dance up and down it, as they feed on data extracted from my systems. Information from the procedure joins an apparent technology library on the screen behind it. Something changes. The entity becomes attached to the multi-tool somehow, and sparks start to fly. The scream of melting internal systems can be heard from my equipment. {Remove lifeform from multi-tool} I force the lifeform from my multi-tool, which remains undamaged. The bashful, and injured, entity apologises for the transgression. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Wait} My multi-tool is damaged, and will need repair. The lifeform apologises with a gift. ---DAMAGE_TECH--- ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Ask for help} #17 Alien: Ayee! Synthetic white hole experiment disaster! Remove electron... Ayee! Synthetic white hole experiment disaster! Remove electron... Ayee! Synthetic white hole experiment disaster! Remove electron... Ayee! Synthetic white hole experiment disaster! Remove electron... The electronic lifeform is trapped in some kind of temporal loop. They go through the same motions again and again. They shudder, look at me and abruptly scream a half sentence in panic – and then the process begins again. They are somehow unstuck in time. At their feet resource vaults are burning through products – feeding an experimental procedure of some kind. So, what is it? {Deactivate Charge Reservoir} The lights in the lifeform go out. They are forever unstuck in time. A new entity appears in the casing. {Deactivate Electron Vapour} The electronic lifeform is rescued from the time loop. They thank me profusely. ---TECHFRAG_M--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Deactivate Propulsion Tank} The lights in the lifeform go out. They are forever unstuck in time. A new entity appears in the casing. {Ask for help} #26 Alien: Unknown entity, join communion. Eheu! Help Korvax finish puzzle! The electronic lifeform taps on its datapad, manipulating a projection of a small lifeform riding a two-wheeled exocraft. The projection navigates many dangers and obstacles, occasionally falling from its path. The lifeform offers me a datapad as I approach. {Take datapad} I take the datapad and a second lifeform appears on the projection, wearing a red helmet. Together we complete the puzzle. Delighted, the entity awards me with a gift for my cooperation. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Refuse to participate} I refuse to participate in this activity, instead watching as the electronic lifeform repeatedly falls from the path. Eventually, the Korvax throws their datapad at me in what appears to be anger. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Ask for help} #27 Alien: Korvax Convergence warn Traveller - warn all - do not - touch the water - containment has been breached. It is happening again - The electronic lifeform examines me as I stand before it. They see everything, not just my expression but my exosuit, my breathing, everything they can observe. The Korvax speaks with multiple voices, lights rapidly fading in and out of focus upon its mask. More than one lifeform inhabits this body. Each shows me a projection of water, oceans, streams... each seems panicked. {Say you do not understand} The Korvax unit does not respond, its lights growing completely dark before another soul fills its carapace. It offers Nanite Clusters on behalf of its previous occupant, but appears to possess little memory of what it said before. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Show them water} The Korvax unit does not respond, its lights growing completely dark before another soul fills its carapace. It offers Nanite Clusters on behalf of its previous occupant, but appears to possess little memory of what it said before. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Seek coordinates} The Korvax unit does not respond, its lights growing completely dark before another soul fills its carapace. It offers Nanite Clusters on behalf of its previous occupant, but appears to possess little memory of what it said before. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Ask for help} #28 Alien: Existence... disconnection... rebirth... around the world... The electronic lifeform appears to be listening to a strange rhythm on their datapad. Every time it touches the pad, light pulses emerge from the screen, punctuated by occasional chatter. The lifeform looks up at me, its music continuing to play. {Offer units in appreciation} The lifeform accepts my units with gratitude, playing all the more loudly. I have encouraged it in its musical endeavours, and so it gives me a gift in return. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Interrupt the music} The lifeform is angry at the interruption and throws its datapad to the floor. It is unable to produce art in these conditions. {Try to copy the music} The lifeform appears to be flattered by emulation, giving me a gift so that I might be encouraged in my own work. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- {Ask for help} #29 Alien: Help... me... do not touch... containment breached... The electronic lifeform contemplates the universe around itself, inattentive to my arrival. Yet as I step closer, I see that something is wrong. Nanite clusters pool within every crevice of its suit... {Try to take Nanite Clusters} I try to take the Nanite Clusters, but immediately the Korvax grabs my arm, depowering my exosuit in the process. ---DAMAGELARGE--- {Use multi-tool to burn them off} I use my multi-tool to burn away the clusters. When it is purged, the lifeform stands, shaking. They give me a gift in thanks. ---TECHFRAG_S--- {Leave} I leave the Korvax be. {Ask for help} #30 Alien: Our entity has been disconnected. It failed its life test... where did we go wrong? The electronic lifeform stares at a hologram of another, the lights on both their masks waxing and waning. They appear concerned. {Offer sympathy} They stare at me, unable to understand. I leave them in their sadness. {Offer Nanite Clusters} I offer Nanite Clusters. Greedily, the lifeforms take them to forget their pain. {Offer Convergence Cube} The lifeforms seem to take some consolation in my gift, rewarding me with nanites. ---TECHFRAG_M--- {Ask for help}

--Type: NPC_MISSION_CRE_HUNT_-- #1 {The Taste of Mordite} The client has a highly sophisticated palate, and hungers for the glide of mordite across their tongue. They seek a discreet hunter to prepare the feast. Leave the bodies where they fall, and the client will take care of the rest. #2 {Impeding the Competition} The client is in the zoological business. However, the ability of customers to simply wander into nature and view creatures without having to purchase a ticket is limiting their profits. Eliminate this surplus wildlife. #3 {Thin the Herd} The client is concerned that creature overpopulation is harming local plant life. Delicate leaves and juicy, succulent stems are being wantonly trampled. They will reward any enterprising hunters who help thin the herd. #4 {The Cleanse of Death} The client is worried that the free movement of creatures represents a serious microbial hazard. Rounding up large numbers of animals and washing them individually is highly impractical, so they seek hunters to eliminate both host and germ. #5 {Vengeance} The client is tired of being humiliated by local wildlife. Every time they set foot upon a world, they can feel the mocking compound-eye stares burning into them, the passive-aggressive hoof stomping ringing in their ears. Teach these creatures a lesson.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_FREI_D_-- #1 {Uninsured} The client is in an unfortunate situation. Their business has been struggling, and they have failed to keep up the payments on their freighter insurance. Their vessel has come under attack, and if it is captured or destroyed they will lose everything. They will reward any pilot who comes to their aid. #2 {Hold Them Off} The client's freighter has attracted the attention of local criminals. It is not a simple matter of raiders claiming cargo - their freighter is shipping thousands of abandoned infant spawn. The pirates are attempting to capture the freighter and enslave its 'cargo'. The client implores you to come to their defence. #3 {Not Again} The client runs a cut-price shipping line. They will deliver your goods for the lowest prices in the galaxy, as long as your are prepared to take the risk that your goods may explode on route. One of their freighters has been attacked, which is not usually newsworthy. However, the client is at risk of heavy fines if they allow another of their freighters to explode and scatter debris across the system. Defend them, and be rewarded. #4 {Ongoing Feuds} The client is caught in a long-running feud with another group of spacefarers. In a bid to end the quarrel, they have arranged a trap. A seemingly undefended freighter has been deployed to attract the attention of the rival gang. The client seeks bold pilots to attack and destroy the pirates once they have been lured into the open by this apparently easy prize. #5 {One of a Kind} The client has finally secured rare archaeological samples, pieces of marked stone that have the potential to reveal the secrets of the portals. However, the freighter they employed to transport the samples has been attacked by pirates. They urge you to defend the freighter, and prevent the ignorance of pirates from destroying priceless knowledge. #6 {Stowaways} The client seeks bold pilots to come to the aid of a nearby endangered freighter. The client does not own the freighter in question. However, they have come to learn that thousands of reptile eggs have hatched in the freighter's hold after a stop in a marsh-like world earlier in its route. The client will not stand idle while pirate attacks threaten innocent newts, and urges others to join them in their defence. #7 {Polluted Space} The client seeks all pilots who care about the cleanliness of space. One of their freighters is under attack, and any damage to the engines may spill a new fuel the freighter was trialling. This new fuel is as toxic as it is powerful, and if it were to spill in local space the results would be catastrophic. #8 {One Last Trip} The client runs a freighter company, and one of their transports is under attack in local space. Usually they would write off the loss of a freighter against their insurance, but the captain of the ship is on his final mission before retirement. The death of such an experienced spacefarer would add significantly to their premiums, and as such they seek all hands to aid the defence of the vessel. #9 {Lessons from the Past} The client runs a freighter appreciation society. They have become aware of a rare Stephano-Class transport under attack in local space. Such a vessel is of considerable historical importance, and they will handsomely reward any pilots who prevent its destruction. #10 {The Diplomat} The client seeks urgent help in the defence of a freighter. The vessel is not just carrying goods - the president of their organisation is aboard the vessel. The reward for saving their life will be considerable.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_SENTI_-- #1 {Protect the Miners} The client is engaged in large-scale mining operations, and planetary Sentinel forces have responded in a hostile fashion. The maintenance and laser-damage repair costs are becoming substantial. The client wishes the Sentinels thinned and their profit margins restored. #2 {Distracting the Guards} The client is finding it difficult to pursue their chosen line of business while under constant surveillance by Sentinel forces. They seek a window of opportunity while the Sentinel force is occupied elsewhere. #3 {A Return Blow} The client has close friends who, through some unspecified indiscretion, attracted the attention of the Sentinel force. This interaction proved deadly, and the client is seeking vengeance. #4 {Eyes of the Sentinels} The client has innocently stumbled upon a large number of animal carcasses, a bounty of harvestable resources. However, Sentinel forces are making it inconvenient to collect this windfall. Ensure nothing is wasted by distracting Sentinels and allowing the client to make their collection. #5 {Watching the Watchers} The client has discovered disturbing information. They believe the Sentinel force, far from being neutral, is acting to further the agenda of a shadowy Gek cabal. Regardless of the merit of this belief, the client is willing to reward any who help fight this 'conspiracy'. #6 {Curious Tastes} The client is on a search to improve themselves, to expand their mind and free themselves from the physical limitations of their fragile body. To this end, they are attempting to survive on a diet of pure pugneum. Unfortunately, until they have benefited from the this consumption, they are unable to destroy the Sentinel drones required to acquire it. They seek brave explorers to engage and destroy Sentinels, so that they might come along after and eat their fill. #7 {An Acquired Taste} The client seeks a large amount of zinc for a research project. Growing and then harvesting all the plants required would take a prohibitively long time, so they seek an enterprising explorer to help them cut a few corners. Hunt and destroy Sentinels, and let their corpse leach zinc into the earth. The client will arrive for separate collection of the metal. #8 {Sweet Release} The client believes that the anger of the Sentinels derives from a deep-seated pain. They propose that the drones suffer in eternal mechanical torment, their souls burning inside their metal shells. They believe it is their duty to free these beings from their suffering. #9 {Luring them Out} The client wishes to engage in a study of the Sentinels. They wish to find out where the Sentinels come from, and how fresh Sentinels are manufactured. Are they built like conventional machines, or summoned from some strange unknown? They require a willing explorer to kill planetary drones to begin the generation of fresh Sentinel forces. #10 {Want Not, Waste Not} The client, along with many others, has suffered at the hands of overzealous Sentinel patrols. They wish to take this perpetual source of stress and misery and transform it into something pleasant. To that end, they have commissioned explorers to hunt and destroy Sentinel drones. They shall melt down the fallen scraps of metal and recast them in a large arboreal sculpture, a source of beauty and refuge for all.

WAR_LIBRARY6_TITLE On the Raising of Cubs WAR_LIBRARY6_LANG The young cub will be born in fear. All were, are, and shall be so. Bonded with their family alone, contact with any other entity will invoke mortal dread. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The fear of open spaces, of touch, of contact, is overcome through two means. The brotherhood of the entire species in the light of Hirk. We are all family. This must be taught.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!We were once prey. Now, we are predators. All other life in this universe shall fear us, just as we feared them. Fear will be our strength.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!That ancient cry - 'Grah!' - our rallying call, our reminder! The interloper who dares to approach our being, they will be hunted, they will be harried! We shall not be afraid! We shall not be abandoned! WAR_LIBRARY7_DESC The archive holds thousands of lines of poetry, a monument to a fallen Traveler named Asteria. WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE To Asteria: I of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE2 To Asteria: II of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE3 To Asteria: III of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE4 To Asteria: IV of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE5 To Asteria: V of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_TITLE6 To Asteria: VI of VI WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG Sing, Asteria, Hero-Traveler, Master of the Blades of Hirk, WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG2 Of the endless battle, the sadness of lost Atlantid, the price WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG3 Of mercy and of waiting. They, who fulfilled prophecy, WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG4 Who - Atlas-made, Atlas-sent - harried Aeron, smote horror, WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG5 Found the darkness at world's end, joined Vy'keen-side, WAR_LIBRARY7_LANG6 Pirate-Traveler, friend of the First, ally of heaven! WAR_LIBRARY8_DESC The archive has been subverted: hacked to spread banned, censored messages of a distant religion. WAR_LIBRARY8_TITLE THE UNSILENCEABLE VOICE OF NAL WAR_LIBRARY8_LANG <TRANS_EXP>The Korvax<> are wounded, broken creatures, believing their death-cries are 'logic'. They drown themselves in communion to forget their pain. They shall not help us.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!<TRANS_TRA>The Gek<> - debased, accursed, lacking their prior might with no honour to replace it - believe nothing will end. That growth can go on forever. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!It has been to <TRANS_WAR>the Ancients<>, and those who followed, to discover our future. But what have they found, but dust? Impotent grahs? No. WAR_LIBRARY8_OPT [Deliverance] WAR_LIBRARY8_LANG2 Tell me, friends. Have you heard of the <SPECIAL>Testament of Nal<>?!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Nal is not dead. They heard what Hirk could not! They live, still, at the right hand of the god!!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!They encourage us to show how we care - that we will not leave the Atlas-light - that devotion will never fade. Only through this is oblivion spared. Only through this will we be ready. WAR_LIBRARY9_DESC The entry is titled 'The Abyssal Hunts'. They document a series of pirate expeditions to catalogue, capture, and consume new creatures on a distant world. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Some of the expeditions are catalogued with audio logs. WAR_LIBRARY9_TITLE Transcript: The Abyssal Hunts WAR_LIBRARY9_LANG The horrors lie beneath the waves. They come in many forms - all of them corrupted. All of them diseased! Grah! The Gek says we should flee!!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Grah hah hah! They make good sport. We tied the Gek to the mast of our ship, and entered the waves. WAR_LIBRARY9_DESC2 Taxonomic scans and diagrams dance in solid-light across the planet surface, showing what they encountered. The audio logs continue. WAR_LIBRARY9_LANG2 Our vessel had five pirates on board, born outside the light of Hirk. I am the only believer, or was, once. There is a Korvax too, severed from their Convergence. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!They tell me the creatures we hunt are not living. That the abyss is like death - like disconnection. It is a great mistake that will never be mended. WAR_LIBRARY9_DESC3 Further logs show the crew leaving the world with five captured Abyssal Horrors. They never made it back to their intended auction. !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!In the end, the Korvax fed all others to the Horrors, before initiating self-destruct. Their last word - 'Atlantid'. WAR_LIBRARY10_DESC The entry is titled 'The Last Testament of Hirk'. WAR_LIBRARY10_TITLE The Last Testament of Hirk WAR_LIBRARY10_LANG There lie the dark stars, the vast oceans. My friends. <IMG>SLASH<> The moon rises. Grah! <IMG>SLASH<> The deep cries with the mourning of machines. <IMG>SLASH<> Grah! On Dryn'dargh, night falls without its people.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!To Dryn'dargh we will come back. I will come back. <IMG>SLASH<> I will not leave you. I will never leave you.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!I will remember. WAR_LIBRARY10_DESC2 These were once believed to be the final words of Hirk, before High Command cast the matter into doubt. For a hundred years, an ecclesiastical college has debated their inclusion in official teachings.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!As yet, they have no answer. All mention of Dryn'dargh is discouraged under penalty of body harvest. It is not clear why, or what this place is supposed to represent.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!After speaking these words, Hirk the Great allegedly ripped their own limbs apart. It is a death-rite followed by many Vy'keen, after an old age of vengeance and dread. EXP_LIBRARY_MAP_LANG Welcome, visitor entity, to this Information Repository for planet <STELLAR>%PLANET%<>.!NEWLINE!%PLANET% historical databanks indicate several local sites of Korvax cultural significance. Directions are available. Dispense Planetary Chart? TRA_LIBRARY_MAP_LANG Welcome, visitor-friend, to this Information Repository for planet <STELLAR>%PLANET%<>.!NEWLINE!%PLANET% historical databanks indicate several local sites of Gek cultural significance. Directions are available. Dispense Planetary Chart? WAR_LIBRARY_MAP_LANG Welcome, interloper, to this Information Repository for planet <STELLAR>%PLANET%<>.!NEWLINE!%PLANET% historical databanks indicate several local sites of Vy'keen cultural significance. Directions are available. Dispense Planetary Chart? UI_LIBRARY_MAP_OPT Print Chart ALL_LIBRARY_MAP_RES Analysing topography... Triangulating coordinates... Printing... Complete! EXP_LIBRARY_TREASURE_LANG Archeological vault status :: <FUEL>secure<>.!NEWLINE!Echo Repository curators seek <STELLAR>artifacts<> of cultural or biological interest.!NEWLINE!Archeologists will be compensated for all contributions. Submit a <TRADEABLE>new artifact<> to the vault to exchange it for an archived artifact of <SPECIAL>equivalent or greater rarity<>. TRA_LIBRARY_TREASURE_LANG Archeological vault status :: <FUEL>secure<>.!NEWLINE!Celestial Archive curators seek <STELLAR>artifacts<> of cultural or biological interest.!NEWLINE!Archeologists will be compensated for all contributions. Submit a <TRADEABLE>new artifact<> to the vault to exchange it for an archived artifact of <SPECIAL>equivalent or greater rarity<>. WAR_LIBRARY_TREASURE_LANG Archeological vault status :: <FUEL>secure<>.!NEWLINE!Ancestral Vault curators seek <STELLAR>artifacts<> of cultural or biological interest.!NEWLINE!Archeologists will be compensated for all contributions. Submit a <TRADEABLE>new artifact<> to the vault to exchange it for an archived artifact of <SPECIAL>equivalent or greater rarity<>. ALL_LIBRARY_TREASURE_LANG_SHORT Archeologists will be compensated for all contributions. Submit a <TRADEABLE>new artifact<> to the vault to exchange it for an archived artifact of <SPECIAL>equivalent or greater rarity<>. UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT Submit UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_COMMON Submit Common Artifact UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_UNCOMM Submit Uncommon Artifact UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_RARE Submit Rare Artifact UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_LOOT Submit Unearthed Treasure UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_DOCUMEN Submit Historical Document UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_BIOSAMP Submit Biological Sample UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_FOSSIL Submit Fossil Sample

The Travellers The ATLAS lives for millenia. It dreams world upon world, fantastic creatures of its own devising and skies in which they might soar. And then one day it starts to die, as all things do. In its fear, in its confusion, the ATLAS awakens. It attempts to summon its creator back into being. It wants to know what to do before the end. It wants to know why it was abandoned, why it has to face this moment alone. It wants to know why I left it behind.

WAR_LIBRARY2_TITLE On Justice and Vengeance WAR_LIBRARY2_OPTA [On Justice] WAR_LIBRARY2_OPTB [On Vengeance] WAR_LIBRARY2_RESA Justice is not a thought. It is not a river, ever-changing, ever running. Justice is the truth of the universe, the wish of <FUEL>ATLAS<>, the testament of <SPECIAL>HIRK<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Like gravity, it brings itself into being. The task of the warrior is merely to fall, to feel its pull, to fire that weapon that must be fired. WAR_LIBRARY2_RESB Vengeance is as a meal after a feast. Unnecessary, if the task is done correctly. Unnecessary, if the warrior is swift and true. But enjoyable, sometimes, to be a glutton.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The young must not follow such temptations. But the old? !NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Grah! They shall hunt and they shall rend the bones of those who wronged them in life, just as they shall battle the hated in death! WAR_LIBRARY3_DESC I witness a recording of a young Vy'keen warrior speaking within a fighting pit, the bodies of fallen cowards, failed recruits, and other criminals at their feet.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!They have fought for 50 days, given Grahgrah gas after each battle, fed from the flesh circuits during each night, denied all rest. WAR_LIBRARY3_TITLE Recording of Commander Uxues WAR_LIBRARY3_LANG Brothers! We fight upon a lie! We take blood across the universe for no more reason than the word of a dead coward! I have such friends, now - such a family.!NEWLINE!The Sentinels are not our enemy. We just lack proper instruction. We - WAR_LIBRARY3_DESC2 The Vy'keen pauses as a shadow falls above the pit. Hundreds of blades fall from the cargo-door of a passing merchant's vessel, impaling the heretic.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The malfunction was deemed another miracle of Hirk, in spite of the pilot's inebriation, and the ship's status as Gek. WAR_LIBRARY4_DESC The entry is titled 'The Ballad of Hroth'. From other references in the archive, Hroth appears to have been an early king of the interstellar Vy'keen. WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE The Ballad of Hroth: I of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE2 The Ballad of Hroth: II of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE3 The Ballad of Hroth: III of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE4 The Ballad of Hroth: IV of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE5 The Ballad of Hroth: V of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE6 The Ballad of Hroth: VI of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE7 The Ballad of Hroth: VII of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE8 The Ballad of Hroth: VIII of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE9 The Ballad of Hroth: IX of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE10 The Ballad of Hroth: X of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_TITLE11 The Ballad of Hroth: XI of XI WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG Grah! The death had doomed old Hroth, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG2 The plague that hides beneath the stars, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG3 Atlas-agony, monolith-born, the two-in-one, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG4 The good king saw them in the end, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG5 Heard the words of ancestors all their life, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG6 Gave hunt-gift, honoured with battle-song, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG7 Wished the fallen warriors to life, to sing WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG8 A chant of glass and heaven, of honour WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG9 The Sentinel-Bane faced a final horror, WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG10 Grah! So did old Hroth perish in malice. WAR_LIBRARY4_LANG11 That was a good king. WAR_LIBRARY5_DESC The entry is titled 'Dishonour'. It appears to be a philosophical tract circulated through the worlds of the Outer Edge. WAR_LIBRARY5_TITLE Dishonour WAR_LIBRARY5_LANG The Ancients speak of the Gek. Of their change. Of their crimes. But dishonour is unchanging. Crimes marked in blood do not fade. We do not forget. But we accept.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!'We accept'. What does acceptance mean, cubs? How can evil be suffered to live? Why does our fleet not go to war? Why do we not destroy the enemies of Hirk wherever they exist, whatever they call themselves, whatever the cost?!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!All of this has happened before, the Ancients teach us. There are many iterations... many dreams. In all of them, we failed, or lost ourselves in victory.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!There will come a day soon when the truth of the Gek will be revealed. We do not need to fight. They will destroy themselves... WAR_LIBRARY6_DESC The archive possesses a vast amount of information on parenting and raising Vy'keen cubs to adulthood. Much of it focuses on hostility and threat.

VY'KEEN PuzzleType: WAR_NPC_FILLER_ #1 Alien: Sentinel? No? Grah! Always sentinel hunts behind Vy'keen eyes, even when sleep. I approach the warrior, but they barely acknowledge my presence. Though they look in my direction, their gaze is fixed on a point far beyond my eyes. {Move away slowly} The Vy'keen's breathing hastens, but otherwise they remain motionless. {Meet their stare} The warrior ignores my challenge. Perhaps this is for the best. #2 Alien: Interloper! Help Vy'keen? None will talk. Abandoned, no consort for communion of Hirk! The lifeform speaks with great urgency, but between their hurried barks and fetid breath I find it difficult to concentrate on what they have to say. {Leave silently} The Vy'keen gestures as if to stop me, but then gives up and turns away. {Enable hazard protection} %NAME% looks at me in a way that implies they have seen this response before. #3 Alien: Greetings, interloper. Nothing to fear. No ill will come. Always protect. As I approach the warrior, I hear an item drop to the floor. They very deliberately ignore the faint beeping that has begun to emit from near their feet. Despite my lack of understanding, I sense I should do likewise. {Leave calmly} I nod to the warrior and back away carefully, being careful not to make any large or sudden movements. All seems well. {Leave hastily} I leave quickly, understanding the Vy'keen would not admit their mistake while being watched, and wanting to give them as much time as possible to remedy the situation. #4 Alien: Ahh, interloper. It is simple. Stop interloping, then all will have peace. Though they exhibit the same strange facial features and aggressive stance as the rest of their kind, something about this warrior exudes a calm, peaceful happiness. Such contentment appears simple, but seems to elude so many. {Wish them well} The Vy'keen nods at me serenely. I feel a great sense of calm. {Gesture angrily} My gesture seems not to affect the warrior. They appear to have reached a mental state where my actions are of little consequence to them. #5 Alien: No Gek make song this beautiful. Glory in harmony, for interloper and for Hirk! I am used to hearing barks and guttural shouts from these lifeforms. Instead, this one appears to be attempting to whistle. Lacking conventional lips, their efforts could hardly be called successful. Nonetheless, with their performance complete, they look at me expectantly. {Applaud} The Vy'keen appears bashful, if such a thing is possible. They are clearly unused to such attention. {Boo} The Vy'keen looks confused and dejected. This music clearly took great effort, and they appear unable to process the idea that their music is not universally appreciated. #6 Alien: Watch, interloper! A weapon to strike fear into all! All sentinels will flee before Vy'keen! The lifeform gestures at me as I approach. They draw my attention to their weapon, an impressive sidearm. Is this a threat, an attempt to intimidate? A boast? A friendly display meant in good faith? Their culture remains so unknown to me. {Look impressed} The Vy'keen appears thrilled. They give their multitool a small polish, a brief gesture that belies great pride. {Look dismissive} The Vy'keen gestures the multitool with even greater aggression. I leave quickly. #7 Alien: Vy'keen will aid interloper. But Vy'keen request interloper wait until meal is finished. The warrior sighs as I step into their space. They push aside the morsel they had been occupied with, and stare at me with great impatience. {Apologise} The Vy'keen appears angered by my apology. They throw part of their meal at me as I leave. {Leave without speaking} The Vy'keen stares at me as I leave, but takes no further action. #8 Alien: Signals received all night, never ending signals repeat in Vy'keen ears. No sleep, always hearing cries. The warrior seems to greet me, but does so with a noticeable lack of energy. Their movements are slow, and their eyes struggle to focus. {Touch their shoulder} The warriors relaxes, but says nothing. I should leave them to rest. {Leave silently} The Vy'keen looks pleased to have been left in peace. #9 Alien: Grah, why are you here, interloper? If you are here, then where am I? Where is Vy'keen command? The warrior looks confused as I approach. They scan their surroundings nervously, their worried eyes darting around the room. {Gesture calmly} The warrior is not reassured by my attempts to keep calm. If anything, they appear to be in greater distress. {Gesture angrily} My anger speaks to the warrior in a way I did not anticipate. They have clearly been conditioned to expect this sort of exchange, and it appears to bring them comfort. #10 Alien: Interloper is always welcome, naturally. Vy'keen salute you. But interloper is not who is expected. Grah! The being looked at me with great expectation as I approached. Having assessed me, however, I appear to have been found wanting. They give me their attention, but their focus is clearly on the entrance, as if waiting for another. {Leave} The warrior watches me leave, apparently even less impressed than before I arrived. {Stare} The warrior holds my stare for a short while, and then looks away. As I leave, I see a new respect in their eyes. {Ask for help} #11 Alien: Vy'keen is busy! Gek send threats. Must respond! Must deploy weapon words! The warrior grunts distractedly, not giving me its full attention. They seem preoccupied by the small device they are holding. {Leave them be} The Vy'keen gives me little attention as they turn back to their device. {Poke the device} Whatever I have done has brought great delight to the warrior, who laughs to themselves as they watch the device. I wonder what I have caused. #12 Alien: Grah! Sentinels must be tracked. They swarm, they hunt! Why? Interloper, where to strike? The lifeform greets me and gestures at a series of charts in front of them. They appear to be adding their own notes, adding what appear to be tallies next to certain locations. {Mark an area in the north} The warrior nods in thanks and appears to ready themselves for some great action. I wonder what I have caused. {Mark an area in the south} The warrior briefly tenses, but then adopts a posture of great determination. I hope I have not prompted them to do something foolish. #13 Alien: Grah! Fate halts your doom, interloper! Chance smiles on you and frowns on Vy'keen once again. The warrior watches me approach, and then rolls a selection of marked cubes across the surface in front of them. They examine the results, grunt, and look at me with what appears to be disappointment, {Smile} The warrior sneers at me, and continues to examine the cubes in front of them. {Take a cube} The Vy'keen seems alarmed. I place the cube back on the table, but when the warrior notes which glyph faces them they become even more agitated. #14 Alien: Grah, Vy'keen must practise! Fingers are scarred, so scarred. Even interloper must cease interruptions! The warrior looks up at me sharply. I have clearly interrupted their concentration. A small knife stands embedded in the surface in front of them, remarkably close to the fingers of their glove. {Watch closely} The Vy'keen continues to practise, but the pressure of an audience causes them to be clumsy and stiff. I leave before I cost them a finger. {Make a loud noise} The Vy'keen is startled, though not so much by the noise as by the sudden and unanticipated impact of the knife upon their knuckle. I leave quickly. #15 Alien: Grah! Interloper, my weapon! Look! Named for consort, who also brings death to many! The warrior is busy scratching markings into the paintwork of their weapon. Their work is as yet incomplete, but they are clearly proud of their progress. {Cower} The Vy'keen cackles, thrilled by my response to their work. {Look dismissive} The Vy'keen seems crestfallen. I have clearly given them some great insult. #16 Alien: Grah! This Vy'keen the most powerful, who deals the most death! No fluffy creatures shall be saved and loved and cuddled! None! Grah! As I approach, the lifeform stuffs something small and furry into a pocket. They fidget uncomfortably, attempting to speak over the persistent squeaking. {Look away discreetly} I look away, giving the warrior a moment to adjust themselves. {Stare} The Vy'keen burns under my gaze, growing more and more uncomfortable by the moment. I hear a loud squeak, and the fidgeting appears to stop. #17 Alien: Interloper! Warrior has plans for greatest exocraft! It will bring much glory and much death! Grah! This warrior seems preoccupied with a series of images of exocraft. They appear to have been assembled from several different sources and then taped together. {Look impressed} The Vy'keen looks at me carefully, and then adds several more notes to their diagram. {Make an addition} The warrior examines my addition with scorn, immediately erasing it from their plan. #18 Alien: Interloper, do not gaze upon my poor words. Vy'keen has killed many Sentinels, but engraving is not my skill. As I approach, the warrior hastily covers up a tablet in front of them. They appear to have been etching something, but my presence makes them uncomfortable. {Look impressed} The Vy'keen stares at me, but it is not a happy look. They seem to doubt my sincerity. {Draw multi-tool} The Vy'keen looks at me with surprise, and then appears to take inspiration. They discard their carving knife. I wonder what thought I have prompted. #19 Alien: Grah! Grah! Grah! Death! Death! Death! Victory! Grah! Victory! This warrior appears to be in some sort of trance. It would seem unwise to disturb them further. {Chant along} I attempt to mimic the warrior's chant, but my throat is unable to make the strange guttural noises of my fellow singer. Nonetheless, they appear to appreciate my efforts. {Leave quietly} The Vy'keen's chant trails off as I leave. They watch me, apparently disappointed that I did not join in. #20 Alien: Zzzzz... no... not the feathers... not there... zzzzz... Though their eyes are open, this Vy'keen appears to be asleep. {Leave quietly} I move away silently. I would not want to see one of these warriors awake suddenly. {Shout} The Vy'keen jolts, but soon resumes their peaceful muttering. These warriors must sleep deeply. I wonder what they dream about?

ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_122 Purifier ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_123 Radiator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_124 Radiator Unit ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_125 Reality Destabiliser ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_126 Rebreather ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_127 Recycler ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_128 Reflector Glass ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_129 Refractor ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_130 Regulator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_131 Relativity Shield ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_132 Release Mechanism ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_133 Reservoir ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_134 Resonator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_135 Scope ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_136 Seal ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_137 Sensor ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_138 Shield ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_139 Sieve ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_140 Siphon ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_141 Solar Regulator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_142 Solidifier ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_143 Splitter ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_144 Sprockets ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_145 Stabiliser ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_146 Storage Unit ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_147 Sublimation Pump ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_148 Supercapacitor ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_149 Supercharger ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_150 Sweep Ray ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_151 Tank ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_152 Thermal Barrier ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_153 Thermal Harvester ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_154 Thermal Pump ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_155 Thermal Stabiliser ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_156 Thermoregulator ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_157 Thruster ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_158 Timing Loom ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_159 Torquer ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_160 Trigger ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_161 Turbine ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_162 Vacuum Drive ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_163 Valves ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_164 Visualiser ITEMGEN_COG_NOUN_165 Wiring ITEMGEN_DATA_DESC A fragment of discovery data from planet %PLANET%, concerning local <STELLAR>%TYPE%<>. It is marked as having been collected by Traveller Iteration %ITERATION%.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!%DETAILS% ITEMGEN_DATA_DESC2 A fragment of discovery data from planet %PLANET%, concerning local <STELLAR>%TYPE%<>. It is marked as having been collected by a local %RACE% explorer.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!%DETAILS% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA Species record: %NAME% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_ROCK Mineral record: %NAME% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_DESC_PLANT <VAL_ON>Age<>: %AGE%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Root Structure<>: %ROOTS%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Nutrient Source<>: %DIET%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Notes<>: %NOTES% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_DESC_ROCK <VAL_ON>Metal Content<>: %METAL%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Formation Process<>: %PROCESS%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Notes<>: %NOTE%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Primary Element<>: %SUBSTANCE% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_DESC_CREA <VAL_ON>Age<>: %AGE%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Gender<>: %GENDER%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Behaviour<>: %BEHAVIOUR%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Diet<>: %DIET%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Weight / Height<>: %WEIGHT% / %HEIGHT%!NEWLINE!<VAL_ON>Notes<>: %NOTES% ITEMGEN_FORMAT_DATA_TYPE_PLANT flora

UI_PIN_STORM_CRYSTAL_OBJ_TIP Storm Crystals occur naturally on planets with <FUEL>extreme weather<>, and can be harvested during an active storm.!NEWLINE!Locate Storm Crystals using the <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>. UI_PIN_FIENDCORE_OBJ_TIP <SPECIAL>Larval Cores<> are the pungent, gooey hearts of <FUEL>Whispering Eggs<>, often found laid on airless planets, or around abandoned buildings.!NEWLINE!<FUEL>CAUTION<>: Monstrous broods will guard their larvae fiercely.!NEWLINE!Locate <FUEL>Whispering Eggs<> using the <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>. UI_WEAPON_INV_TOKEN_NAME MULTI-TOOL EXPANSION SLOT UI_WEAPON_INV_TOKEN_NAME_L Multi-Tool Expansion Slot UI_WEAPON_INV_TOKEN_DESC A flexible upgrade circuit, compatible with all <STELLAR>person Multi-Tools<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!This module can be wired into a Multi-Tool at a Space Station <STELLAR>Multi-Tool Upgrade Rack<>, granting the user more space in the Multi-Tool's internal layout to add further upgrades or technology specialisations. UI_WEAPON_INV_TOKEN_SUB Upgrade Unit UI_PIN_SHIPCHARGE_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <EARTH>Gold<> and <TECHNOLOGY>Tritium<>. Use <IMG>PRODMENU<> to craft in empty <TECHNOLOGY>Inventory Slots<>.!NEWLINE!<EARTH>Gold<> and <EARTH>Tritium<> are most commonly <COMMODITY>mined from asteroids<>. UI_GEODE_RARE_NAME GLOWING MINERAL UI_GEODE_RARE_NAME_L Glowing Mineral UI_GEODE_RARE_DESC Though its surface is dirtied and dull, polishing this rock reveals a deep inner glow, a glitter beneath a subtly iridescent surface.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Select in the Inventory (<IMG>INVENTORY<>) and crack open with <IMG>FE_ALT1<>. UI_GEODE_RARE_SUB Valuable Rock Sample UI_UNDERGROUND_LUMP Subterranean Organic Structure UI_UNDERGROUND_ROCK Buried Mineral Formation UI_UNDERGROUND_CRATE Buried Cache UI_UNDERGROUND_SUB Recovered Item UI_ILLEGAL_TECH_FORMAT %ILLEGAL% %TECHNAME% UPGRADE_SUB_X Illegal %NAME% Upgrade ITEMGEN_LUMP_DESC A scrap of organic matter. It is not clear if this is a lifeform in its own right, or some ejected/severed part of a larger being.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Unlikely to be desirable at a galatic exchange. Select in the Inventory (<IMG>INVENTORY<>) and use <IMG>FE_ALT1<> to process it into useful materials. ITEMGEN_FORMAT_LUMP %LUMPADJ% %LUMPNOUN% ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_1 Congealed ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_1 Remains ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_2 Humming ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_2 Mould ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_3 Preserved ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_3 Flesh ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_4 Oily ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_4 Fluids ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_5 Pungent ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_5 Worm-Meat ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_6 Hairy ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_6 Larva ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_7 Gooey ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_7 Nodule ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_8 Bloody ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_8 Spores ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_9 Writhing ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_9 Lump ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_10 Pulsating ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_10 Lump ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_11 Fresh ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_11 Gelsack ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_12 Writhing ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_12 Tentacle ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_13 Gelatinous ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_13 Stalks ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_14 Glutinous ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_14 Tendril ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_15 Tooth-studded ITEMGEN_LUMP_NOUN_15 Matter ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_16 Jellied ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_17 Gummy ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_18 Gluey ITEMGEN_LUMP_ADJ_19 Viscous ITEMGEN_COG_DESC A damaged technology component, ejected from its machine and discarded by its owner.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Worthless, except as scrap. Select in the Inventory (<IMG>INVENTORY<>) and use <IMG>FE_ALT1<> to break it down into useful materials. ITEMGEN_FORMAT_COG %COGADJ% %COGNOUN% ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_1 Fused ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_2 Rusty ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_3 Bent ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_4 Pitted ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_5 Corroded ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_6 Damaged ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_7 Tarnished ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_8 Greasy ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_9 Crusty ITEMGEN_COG_ADJ_10 Oily

UP_SHIELDBOOST_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS SHIELD MODULE UP_SHIELDBOOST_X_NAME_L Suspicious Shield Module UP_SHIELDBOOST_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Exosuit Defensive Systems<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>Exosuit shield strength<> and <STELLAR>core health<>. UP_SHIELDBOOST_X_SUB Banned Defensive Systems Upgrade UP_ENERGY_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS LIFE SUPPORT MODULE UP_ENERGY_X_NAME_L Suspicious Life Support Module UP_ENERGY_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Exosuit Life Support Systems<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Offers potential improvements to <STELLAR>Exosuit life support efficiency<>. UP_ENERGY_X_SUB Banned Life Support Upgrade UP_HAZ_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS HAZARD PROTECTION MODULE UP_HAZ_X_NAME_L Suspicious Hazard Protection Module UP_HAZ_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Exosuit Hazard Protection Systems<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Offers potential improvements to <STELLAR>Exosuit hazard protection strength<>. UP_HAZ_X_SUB Banned Hazard Protection Upgrade UP_PULSE_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS PULSE ENGINE MODULE UP_PULSE_X_NAME_L Suspicious Pulse Engine Module UP_PULSE_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Starship Pulse Engine<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>starship maneuverability<> and <STELLAR>speed<>. UP_PULSE_X_SUB Banned Pulse Engine Upgrade UP_HYPER_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS HYPERDRIVE MODULE UP_HYPER_X_NAME_L Suspicious Hyperdrive Module UP_HYPER_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Hyperdrive<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>warp-drive efficiency<> and <STELLAR>jump distance<>. UP_HYPER_X_SUB Banned Hyperdrive Upgrade UP_SHIPSHIELD_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS STARSHIP SHIELD MODULE UP_SHIPSHIELD_X_NAME_L Suspicious Starship Shield Module UP_SHIPSHIELD_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Starship Defensive Shielding<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Dramatically improves <STELLAR>ship strength<> for increased combat endurance. UP_SHIPSHIELD_X_SUB Banned Starship Shield Upgrade UP_SHIPGUN_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS PHOTON CANNON MODULE UP_SHIPGUN_X_NAME_L Suspicious Photon Cannon Module UP_SHIPGUN_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Starship Photon Cannon<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>damage<>, <STELLAR>fire rate<> and <STELLAR>overheat times<>. UP_SHIPGUN_X_SUB Banned Starship Weapon Upgrade UP_SHIPLAS_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS PHASE BEAM MODULE UP_SHIPLAS_X_NAME_L Suspicious Phase Beam Module UP_SHIPLAS_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Starship Phase Beam<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, and <STELLAR>overheat tolerance<>. UP_SHIPLAS_X_SUB Banned Starship Weapon Upgrade UP_SHIPSHOT_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS POSITRON MODULE UP_SHIPSHOT_X_NAME_L Suspicious Positron Module UP_SHIPSHOT_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Positron Ejector<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>fire rate<> and <STELLAR>overheat times<>. UP_SHIPSHOT_X_SUB Banned Starship Weapon Upgrade UP_SHIPMINI_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS INFRA-KNIFE MODULE UP_SHIPMINI_X_NAME_L Suspicious Infra-Knife Module UP_SHIPMINI_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Infra-Knife Accelerator<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>fire rate<> and <STELLAR>overheat times<>. UP_SHIPMINI_X_SUB Banned Starship Weapon Upgrade UP_SHIPBLOB_X_NAME SUSPICIOUS CYCLOTRON MODULE UP_SHIPBLOB_X_NAME_L Suspicious Cyclotron Module UP_SHIPBLOB_X_DESC A <SPECIAL>black-market modification<> for the <TECHNOLOGY>Cyclotron Ballista<>. Use <VAL_ON><IMG>FE_ALT1<><> to begin upgrade <VAL_ON>installation process<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!The module is flexible, and exact upgrade statistics are <SPECIAL>unknown<> until installation is complete.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Potential improvements include: <STELLAR>damage output<>, <STELLAR>fire rate<> and <STELLAR>overheat times<>. UP_SHIPBLOB_X_SUB Banned Starship Weapon Upgrade UI_STARCHART_TREASURE_NAME TREASURE RUIN CHART UI_STARCHART_TREASURE_NAME_L Treasure Ruin Chart UI_STARCHART_TREASURE_DESC A map of a nearby location, retrieved from the <STELLAR>Local Information Repository<> at a Planetary Archive building.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!An <SPECIAL>ancient ruined site<> has been marked. Excavating this site is likely to yield valuable treasures.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Select the map and use Plot Route (<IMG>FE_ALT1<>) to pin the location in your Exosuit display.

#12 Alien: Pathetic warrior learn Vy'keen language! Pass test or encounter fighting pits! ERROR ERROR INSERT SILICATE ERROR ERROR MALFUNCTION The warrior stationed here has abandoned its training. A vast amount of data still flows through the circuitry. The terminal is asking for a particular variety of common element. {Insert oxide element} The comprehension test powers down. It has been failed. {Insert isotope element} The comprehension test has been failed. {Insert silicate element} I pass the comprehension test, and am rewarded with words of unknown cultures. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- #13 Alien: Grah! Bountiful Sentinel hunt! Initiate rare silicate extraction! Sentinel components are being fed into the production machinery from resource vaults. The terminal needs instructions on what it should extract. {Initiate oxide extraction} I hear the robots being crushed and incinerated. Nothing is extracted. {Initiate isotope extraction} I hear the robots being crushed and incinerated. Nothing is extracted. {Initiate silicate extraction} I hear the robots being crushed and incinerated. A rich reward is extracted. ---USEFUL_PROD--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #16 Alien: Grah! Gek war preparation disrupted! Ammunition production stalled! Common isotope required! The alarm hasn't disrupted the factory's production line. Resources are being drawn from the vaults below me, but they have run dry. I could obtain whatever the mechanisms are creating with the right element... {Insert common isotope} The war factory's work is allowed to continue. I reap my reward. ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Insert common silicate} I hear the sound of the manufacturing process imploding with my contribution. The war factory grinds to a halt. {Insert common oxide} I hear the sound of the manufacturing process imploding with my contribution. The war factory grinds to a halt. #17 Alien: Gek war approaches! Scarce elements required! High Command demand rare oxide! Contribute warrior! Elements are being stockpiled. Storage vaults have been filled by local warriors. There's still space for an oxide, but my scanner can't tell which one... {Insert common oxide} An automated bark of confusion is played. My contribution goes unrewarded. {Insert uncommon oxide} An automated bark of confusion is played. My contribution goes unrewarded. {Insert rare oxide} An automated bark of thanks is played. I receive a reward. ---USEFUL_PROD--- ---RECIPE_LIST--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- #19 Alien: Security scan initializing! Motion detection cameras operational! A secondary security sweep is underway. Scanners emerge from the ceiling and start to pan towards where I stand. If they detect me the facility will go into a full lockdown... {Move to hiding spot} The scanners detect me ducking down to hide. The facility becomes offline. {Stand still} The scanners pass over me. Their sweep concludes. The installation remains operational. ---RECIPE_LIST--- #29 Alien: Help... us. Harvested... get out... The terminal reveals that this installation produces enzymes and fluids required for Vy'keen tattoos. It is unclear how the pigment is generated. There is no record of any inbound supplies of ink or fluid. Various aliens have arrived, but there is neither evidence of their presense nor their departure. Then I hear it. Through the hum of the factory, a strange beating in the walls, whispers from unknown voices... The terminal awaits input. {Request battle tattoo} The machine attempts to brand me with tattoo fluid, but it does not appear to have been intended for my unique physiology. I leave, burned and damaged. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Disable power} I disable the power. The screen shows multiple life signs within the facility, a hundred or more souls that soon begin to flatline. It feels like mercy. The production line ceases, half-converted blood spilling out from various tubes. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Steal technology} I move through their computers looking for data to harvest. I discover a blueprint for an unknown technology. As I extract it, something begins to smash against one of the inner walls. I should leave. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- ---TECH_ALL--- #30 Alien: Universe real. We are real. All who oppose this truth shall be struck down, grah! So speaks Hirk Sentinelbane, Abyss Keeper and Lord of Final Monolith... Though the surroundings seem familiar, the video feed shows a Vy'keen assembly line unlike any other I have seen. Reams of paper are pouring from chattering presses, etched with the bloody runes of the Vy'keen. {Shut down production} I shut down production. There cannot be many Vy'keen printing presses in the galaxy, and now there is one fewer. Amidst the detritus of the factory, I find some discarded technology. Perhaps it will be of use. ---TECH_ALL--- {Report to Vy'keen authorities} I report the factory's existence to the Vy'keen authorities. They claim I have committed blasphemy, threatening to hunt me down. They issue an electric shock through the terminal. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Steal technology} I attempt to steal technology, but the factory's automated defense systems blast a bolt of energy at my suit instead. Whatever is here, it is not worth the trouble. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #31 Alien: UPLINK ONLINE : ALL LIFESIGNS POSITIVE : ENZYME PRODUCTION 100% The screen displays the dead heart of a warrior. Thousands like it are available in the archives of this place, starved of power for a long time. The log shows that the hearts mutinied. They would no longer allow their battle enzyme to be used for the good of High Command. They wanted the death that had been promised. This system has been set up to deceive the authorities. Vy'keen High Command believes this installation to still be active, full of harvested bodies compliantly producing enzymes. {Alert authorities} I alert the authorities. The Vy'keen are glad of my assistance, claiming they will now commit appropriate acts of retribution and justice for these crimes. ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Reactivate system} I reactivate the system, but nothing happens. Death is death. {Steal technology} I try to steal technology from the terminal. I gain nanite clusters. ---TECHFRAG_S--- #32 Alien: Grah! Sentinel trophy rises - should have killed it - run - no honour in - The terminal shows numerous attempted Sentinel incursions. Each time the Sentinels sent drones, they attempted to scan the building for entry points rather than engage in a display of brute force. For a while, they just hovered by a specific point on the outside wall. That was months ago. This location now shows a breach, venting the factory's life support systems. The final audio log of the factory's overseer plays. {Alert authorities} I alert the Vy'keen authorities to the loss of their factory. A Sentinel hunt is dispatched to this world. I am rewarded for my trouble. ---C_VYKEENEFFIGY--- {Scan for Sentinels} I scan for Sentinels but find nothing. Whatever was here is long gone. {Attempt repair} I attempt to repair the breach in life support, but the system rebels and I end up receiving damage instead. I should leave. There is nothing for me here. ---DAMAGESMALL--- #33 Alien: UNREGISTERED USER : DEPLOYING GRAHGRAH FROM EMERGENCY SUPPLY As I approach the terminal, the air grows thick with an unknown gas. My breathing becomes rapid, my chest appearing to swell with an unknown energy. The terminal identifies the substance as Grahgrah. I feel as if I could scream... {Scream} I scream, not a cry of fear but a shout of battle. Gas levels begin to decrease but, nevertheless, those who created this factory observed my response. Amused, they reward me using the terminal. ---TEACHWORD_WAR--- ---STD_INC_WAR--- {Fight against the impulse} I fight against the impulse to scream, holding my breath and attempting to accelerate my suit's hazard protection. As I struggle, the gas levels decrease. The terminal registers a disappointment from those who created this factory. ---STD_DEC_WAR--- {Smash the terminal} I smash the terminal, causing the concentration of gas to rise and rise. Eventually, the scream emerges uncontrollably, tearing my vocal chords as it does. The gas begins to dissipate, and all I am left with is pain and battlelust. ---DAMAGELARGE---

--Type: NPC_MISSION_HIDE_SEEK_-- #1 {Running from your Debts} A former associate of the client's has gone missing. Specifically, the associate in question has gone missing with a large amount of the client's money. The client will pay handsomely for any information as to the whereabouts of the thief. #2 {Under Cover} The client has become aware of a person of interest. They are a renowned scientist, and recently went undercover in an attempt to avoid industrial spies. The client would profit greatly from knowing where this individual happens to have gone. There are too many potential sites to investigate by themselves, and they seek other pilots to help track the scientist down. #3 {The Gambler} The client runs a gambling operation, and would like to send a message to a customer of theirs. The customer has attempted to go into hiding, but the client is not easily fooled. They would like the customer to be made aware that the client can always find them, no matter where they run. #4 {The Chief} The client seeks assistance as they locate a person of interest. They believe they have found the head of a local crime family. The boss is alone and unprotected as they make a secret inspection of one of their operations. However, the client is known to this particular crime lord and would be compromised if they approached in person. They seek an explorer to help verify the information is accurate before they act. #5 {Plain Clothes} The client has been the victim of industrial espionage. Their data has been stolen, and the thief has fled to a nearby planet. They have a tracking device installed on the stolen device, and request assistance in pinpointing its location. #6 {Corporate Property} A former employee of the client has absented themselves. The client believes this rogue agent to be in possession of confidential data. They seek to confirm this suspicion by tracking the individual concerned. If they are found within the facility of a rival business, the client will escalate the matter appropriately. #7 {Going Straight} The client seeks to induce a former associate to come out of retirement. The associate in question performed high-impact assassinations, and the client has a job that requires their specialist skills. The client will make the approach in person, but only after the location has been verified and confirmed clear of prying eyes. #8 {On The Run} The client seeks to bring a fugitive to justice. They have been privately working on a case long abandoned by the system authorities, who refuse to listen to the advice of the client. The time has come to apprehend the suspect. The client is a person of investigations rather than a person of action, and asks that the location be confirmed safe before they make the approach. #9 {The Revolutionary} The client seeks to reveal the location of a whistleblower. The person in question revealed the highly toxic nature of the client's latest freighter fuel, and subsequently went into hiding. The client asks for assistance in bringing this coward to justice. #10 {Grand Theft} The client seeks to offload a large number of items. These items cannot be sold on the open market directly, for fear of attracting too much interest in where they came from. The client has heard of an individual who may be able to assist with this problem, and would like an explorer to find where exactly such an individual might be located.

KORVAX MONOLITHS PuzzleType: EXP_MON_ #1 Alien: Calm, child. I feel faint, as if my mind is being invaded. Pustules on my skin grow, bubble and pop - and I feel countless tiny stabbing pin-pricks scrabbling from each gaping hole. Suddenly metal spiders, perhaps tiny Sentinels, run up my shoulder and into my visor. Can this be real? This CANNOT be real. I start to scream. {Wait it out} The hallucination fades. I have passed some sort of test. A reward materialises. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Fire weapon} The hold on my mind is shattered when I strike the monolith. Reality is restored. ---STD_INC_EXP--- {Remove helmet and scrape away tiny metal spiders} The metal spiders enter my skull, and I foolishly rip off my helmet. The hallucination fades. The pain does not. ---DAMAGESMALL--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #2 Alien: Korvax Echoes will advance the Traveller. Korvax Echoes will advance Traveller's technology. Tiny floating tetrahedrons emerge from the planet's surface and surround me. I try to wave them away with my multi-tool, but each time they swarm closer to it - as if attracted to it somehow. I raise my multi-tool, and they shimmer blue as they dart this way and that. Closer and closer. They are within touching distance of my multitool. They make one final surge... {Let the tetrahedrons in} My multi-tool glows bright blue. I have a new technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Escape the tetrahedron cloud} The sharp edges of the floating objects rip holes in my exosuit. I gasp for air while it repairs. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #8 Alien: Past is dead. Reconstruction impossible. I see a strange vision. Blue light pours from the monolith as if a curtain has been dropped within. I hear a gentle hubbub of voices, and catch a familiar smell on the breeze. I cannot remember my home, but I know that this doorway leads there. I ache for a past I cannot remember. Every inch of my soul wants to make the leap back. I look to the skies, and the infinity beyond. Can I truly abandon my journey, when it's only just begun? {Step back into the past} The portal slips shut as soon as I make a move. I feel the pity of the spirits that live in this place. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Resist temptation} I try to capture a memory of these sensations, before turning away. The spirits that dwell here admire my decision. I am rewarded. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #13 Alien: Past is dead. Youth is over. Only the traveller journey remains. A child emerges from the monolith. It takes a few moments before I realise that... it's me. I look carefree and innocent. The little one stares up at my exosuit, and tries to see me through my visor. The child suddenly starts to weep, and clings to my knees. It implores me never to leave. It doesn't want to be alone. I should stay here forever. We should be reunited. Whole again once more. {Stay} The child withdraws and shakes its head. I try to embrace it. It turns to dust. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Comfort, then leave} The child understands. We embrace. It leaves me with a gift. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Leave} The child wails. It can't understand my decision. The monolith looks down upon us in silent judgement. ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #3 Alien: Sleep, child. Korvax Echoes bless you. I begin to feel dizzy. A strange lethargy comes over me, and I feel compelled to lie down in front of the ancient relic. This place feels calming. It feels like home, wherever that might have once been. I know that if I truly wanted to fight the impulse to sleep I probably could, but I feel warm and comfortable basking in the glow of the ancient runes. {Sleep} I sleep deeply. I awake reinvigorated. ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Resist} I resist the command of the monolith. Its power fades. {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #4 Alien: Korvax Echoes command: reward yourself. A flickering reflection of my own body emerges from a portal. It mimics every move I make. When I wave, it waves. When I raise my multi-tool, it copies instantly. The doppelganger makes a motion to suggest it wants something, and we both recoil when I realise I've instinctively matched its movements. Its body shimmers, but its equipment looks somehow real. Its multi-tool looks better than my own. The dimensional irregularity is fading. {Give multi-tool} We hand each other our multi-tools before the doppelganger disappears. The mirror-me fades, but the gift can remain. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---WEAPON--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Shoot doppelganger} I see my own look of fear in the doppelganger as I pull the trigger. I blast myself in the chest. ---DAMAGELARGE--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #12 Alien: Korvax Echoes bless with language. Do not resist. I'm trying to read the ancient glyphs when a liquid metal lasso emerges and wraps itself around my helmet. It freezes in place, before pulling my head into contact with the glow of the monolith. The ancient stone is warm, and deep inside I hear the hum of an arcane technology as it prepares to unleash itself. I look up back up to the glyphs to try to guess why this might be happening. They talk to me in an alien tongue. {Wait} An entire language floods every part of my mind. I retain what I can. The rest fades almost instantaneously. ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_EXP--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Pull free} I wrench myself free. The strange metal connector sparks and hisses. I retain the rare elements it was made from... ---SUBST_TECH--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #16 Alien: Traveller! Move back to join future. Touch monolith to restore timeline. My movements seem normal, but everything else is running faster than it should. The sun spins around this globe in seconds, days endlessly turn to night and back again. The creatures that graze and hunt around site pass by in a blur. I'm trapped in a time vortex. Numbers on my multi-tool seem to tick higher and higher. The closer I get to the Monolith, the more disturbance is added to the timeline... {Touch monolith} The timeline is reverted and restored. Nothing has changed. ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Move away} I step out into the future. My experience is unchanged, but galactic interest rates have had an effect on my unit count. ---MONEY--- ---MONEY--- ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #5 Alien: Reject greed. Embrace Atlas. For many ages it appears that pilgrims have carved numerical figures between the glowing glyphs of the monolith. Looking down, I notice an ancient coin. I scrape the ground with my boot, and unearth several more. The site is otherwise silent. Perhaps it's eternally unresponsive, or perhaps it waits for something. {Offer units} The echoes that dwell here awake. They thank and bless me. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---HEALTHLARGE--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Take coins} The echoes that dwell here awake. They are disappointed. ---MONEY--- ---STD_DEC_EXP--- ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #6 Alien: Korvax Echoes bless technology. Allow entrance. I stand next to the powerful glow of the monolith, studying ancient runes, when suddenly my multi-tool begins to heat up. I can see wisps of a strange blue energy being pulled in from the obelisk and surrounding my combat attachments. If I pull the trigger, the exhaust will automatically open - allowing this strange ethereal substance into the body of my equipment. {Pull the trigger} The blue energy field fills my multi-tool. It somehow installs a new technology blueprint. ---TECH_WEAPON--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Dismiss the attentions of the monolith} The blue energy slowly dissipates. I feel alone once more. {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL--- #17 Alien: Traveller, retreat! Korvax Echoes give protection. Move back. I am being watched. A red laser dot appears on the ancient stone structure. I'm a target. I turn, but can't see the potential assailant. Somewhere out there on the alien landscape, someone's about to pull a trigger. There's no cover to speak of, and no time to get behind the obelisk. Suddenly, the words of an unknown power blaze brightly on the monolith. {Touch monolith} The monolith does nothing. A distant crack of a long-range boltcaster wounds me. Beyond that, silence. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Stand still} The monolith does nothing. A distant crack of a long-range boltcaster wounds me. Beyond that, silence. ---DAMAGESMALL--- {Move back} I quickly move back, allowing a bright red energy surge to build in the Monolith. It targets a distant figure, who is swiftly vaporised. ---C_KORVAXCASING--- ---STD_INC_EXP--- ---TEACHWORD_ATLAS--- {Locate a Portal} ---REVEAL_PORTAL---

--Type: NPC_MISSION_COLLECT_-- #1 {Personal Shopper} The client wishes to present a gift of substantial value to a loyal partner. The partner has served them faithfully and diligently over many years. They require a trustworthy pilot to source and safely deliver an item of appropriate value. #2 {Remembrance} The client seeks an object from their past, a token that reminds them of days gone by. It represents a significant moment in their childhood, and as such they will pay handsomely for the safe delivery of the item. #3 {A Feast} The client has heard of an emerging new trend. They seek an item rumoured to be both delicious and full of nutrients. Naturally, such sudden popularity means it is hard to source. They will reward any pilot who can acquire the item in time for them to consume it at their next feast. #4 {Lighting the Way} The client has been researching alternative methods of power generation. They believe they have made a breakthrough. Their new method generates vast amounts of power, with very few toxic waste products. However, they lack supplies of a key component. They cannot leave their lab, and so seek pilots to collect the item for them. #5 {Life Finds a Way} The client is engaged in advanced consciousness research. They have thrown aside preconceived notions of what makes a mind, in search of a more holistic answer. They believe they have made a breakthrough. They have found a material with properties they believe align with the ability to experience thought. All they need to do to prove the theory is assemble a thinking machine built from this substance. This requires a significant amount of material, and they seek explorers to aid with the gathering process. #6 {Market Manipulation} The client has identified an opportunity for profit. There is a cut of this windfall available to all who assist in the process. They seek a large number of explorers to deliver items to the same location, so as to depress the price in the local markets. This oversupply will force the competition out of business, allowing the client to enter the market at a later date and exploit the lack of long-term supply. #7 {Freely Given Gifts} The client seeks to smooth their relationship with the system authorities. They have come to understand the Commissioner of the local station has a taste for a particular item, and would like to see that they receive it. Of course, they would not be so crass as to deliver it in person. They seek an explorer to act as the intermediary and make the collection on their behalf. #8 {The New Black} The client curates a monthly selection of goods for the rich and idle. They have become aware of a surge of interest in a particular item, and as such they simply must have it for their latest collection. They will pay above market rates to any explorer who can acquire it for them. #9 {Competitive Urges} The client has become aware that a rival of theirs is interested in a very specific item. Naturally, they cannot allow them to acquire it. They will reward any explorer who acquires the item ahead of their rival, and prevents them doing whatever it is they want it for. #10 {Mutton Dressed As Nanites} The client has recently begun a new business. They take ordinary items and help others see the value in them. Primarily, this is accomplished by taking cheap objects and distressing them so they appear to be of historical interest. They seek a new batch of items on which to perform their alchemy. #11 {Valuable Specimens} The client is engaged in speculative research. They have received a large grant, and are looking for ways to spend it. As such, they have designed a series of tests they believe will let them know if an item is in need of further testing. They now seek materials on which they can run this procedure. #12 {The Replacement} The client has misplaced an item of great importance. They seek an urgent replacement, so that no-one need ever know the item was gone. #13 {Keeping Up With The Jovians} The client has become aware that a rival operation has acquired an item of great importance. They are not entirely sure why the item is significant, but reason that they must have one too lest they be left behind by the competition. #14 {The Cog in the Machine} The client is creating a perpetual motion machine. They have sourced a wide variety of parts and energy sources from across the galaxy, and believe they are only a few components short of finalising their creation. They cannot leave the machine unguarded, and as such seek explorers to source the remaining materials. #15 {A Record of Our Time} The client is seeking to fill a secure lockbox with items representing their people and culture. They believe this will be of great value to future historians. However, none of the client's associates have been willing to give up their own possessions. As such, they seek explorers to collect and deliver samples of their selected items. #16 {The Final Piece} The client is a noted collector of valuable items. They have assembled a fine collection, but it is missing its final piece. Until that hole is plugged, the collection is worthless. The client calls on all explorers to aid them in their search for this rarest of goods, and will reward any who help them secure it. Mint specimens only, please. #17 {Profiteering} The client seeks to manipulate local markets. Due to an unfortunate data error, they have purchased ten times the volume of goods as they were expecting. They seek explorers to purchase the same item from trade terminals around local space in an effort to drive the price up, so that they may offload their accidental purchase at a profit. #18 {The Puppetmaster} The client is seeking to destabilise relations between two local criminal factions. Both seek a particular item, and if they cannot find it will assume this is part of a plot by the other. The client wishes a discreet explorer to source the item independently, so that they might prompt a conflict between the two rivals. #19 {Ahead of the Curve} The client wishes to get ahead of the competition in a business venture. They have heard rumours that a particular market is about to boom, and wish to have the stock on hand to profit when this happens. They will pay above current rates for any samples delivered to them, generously helping independent pilots by taking on the risk in the transaction. #20 {Wisdom of Crowds} The client is a highly successful entrepreneur. As such, they are far too busy to source their own goods. Instead, they are offering rewards to any independent pilot who completes and delivers their shopping for them.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_TREE_SCAN_-- #1 {Harmless Research} The client supplies particular 'services' to high-value individuals across local space. From time-to-time, they require access to novel organic compounds, substances that are not part of any current toxicology screening. This is one of those times. Plant scans are the first port of call in such a search, and the client will reward any explorer who supplies them. #2 {Nature's Bounty} The client is engaged in medical research. They seek to establish an open-access pharmacological database, so that medical knowledge can spread freely across the galaxy. Their philanthropy is well-funded, and so generous rewards are offered to any who supply their library with data. #3 {Holographic Romance} The client seeks to impress a colleague with a gift. The colleague in question is not physically present, so the present must be a virtual one. They will reward the explorer who supplies 3D holographic scans of handsome plantlife, ready to be beamed to their intended recipient. #4 {True Beauty} The client has achieved much, and by conventional metrics is a tremendous success. But they tire of material gain. Is not beauty a sufficient reward? Is not pure aesthetic joy more valuable than anything money can buy? They will provide generous rewards to those who scan and deliver examples of beautiful plant life for them to meditate upon. #5 {The Little Ones} The client is a prominent crypto-entomologist. The galaxy is full of poorly documented lifeforms, and insects are among the least understood of all. They are tired of tiny invertebrates being ignored. The client does not expect untrained explorers to be able to locate samples in the field. However, scans of planetary flora often accidentally contain rich insect information. As such, the client seeks plant scans to help build their database.

#17 Alien: Final data log awaiting user analysis. Terminal now active. ‘It is here and not here. We reach for the mastery of the galaxy but we do not understand the truth. What if I told you that time is the drug that keeps us docile and unquestioning?’ ‘There is no now and then, there is no today or yesterday. This is an illusion reflected in glass, patterns of untruth that the universe uses to laugh at us.’ ‘We are not meant to see such things. Our smaller minds rebel at concepts so unimaginably vast that they cannot be held in a single thought. It is how it controls us.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #18 Alien: User identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log for analysis. ‘I will cut open space. My heart is filled with regret, but there is nothing else to be done.’ ‘I find only darker roads and glassy, endless chasms ranged before me. It is for the best.’ ‘The lacerated, blade-filled path is the truth and I am unable to deny it. In time, there will come daring souls far cleverer than I who will learn from my errors.’ ‘I forge the way for the ones to come after. I walk barefoot on shards of broken reality, into the infinite and shattering forever. At the heart of it, the secret awaits me.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #19 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘My comms hub detected a garbled message sent with strange resonance qualities. Not unusual, given the atypical qualities of local space-time in this quadrant.’ ‘Systems spent several cycles attempting to reconstruct the missing elements of the message to no avail.’ ‘Analysis indicates that the signal shows signs of degradation corresponding to initial transmission occurring before the planet I orbit was even formed.’ ‘And yet my name is spoken clearly amid the static and the distortion.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #20 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘I traded with a Korvax Entity I met on Ikdlak. The sentient offered refined rods of Chrysonite as part-payment for various star-mapping datums recorded by my ship's sensor modules.’ ‘In the process it encountered the anomalous message I detected several cycles ago. I dismissed the signal as a chance event, a random coalescence of interference that happened to resemble a spoken voice.’ ‘In truth, it had disturbed me. The Entity analysed the message in its own curiosity and revealed another layer beneath the audio component. A visual of a world with green skies and an obsidian moon.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #21 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘The mysterious message continues to prey upon my mind. With the aid of the Entity, I have learned that its temporal origin is approximately two to five thousand solar cycles from the now.’ ‘I have narrowed down a point of transmission to a sector of space in the haze zone, close to the galactic anterior.’ ‘I realize now that to ignore the signal would be an error. It is incumbent upon me to trace it. In my more fanciful moments, I wonder if it might be a warning or a revelation. I have set a course.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #22 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘This will be my last recording for quite some time. I have refitted my vessel with a powerful Odvinsko hypderdrive and a cryogenic suspensor pod.’ ‘It is my intention to enter a dormancy state in order to survive the journey to the distant source of the anomalous message.’ ‘I have nothing to hold me here. I have committed myself. While I sleep, I will listen to the signal. My resting mind may be able to parse yet more meaning from it.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #23 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘I awakened to discover that the planet from the image is gone. Only a belt of rubble surrounding a red giant star in the final stages of collapse remains.’ ‘Whatever cataclysm killed this world took place before my species could walk upright. But it is undeniable. The signal came from here. It carried my name amid its atonal song.’ ‘I have crossed unimaginable distances to seek out the origin point. Sensors have detected a metallic mass embedded in one of the largest of the planet's fragments. It will take time, but I will be able to dig it out.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #24 Alien: User identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log for analysis. ‘The red giant consumes itself. The interactions between spatial shearing zones in the system are causing the formation of a singularity. Space-time is becoming malleable. I am unable to depart.’ ‘In the ashes of a dead world, I exhumed the corpse of the ship that had sent a message to me across the millennia, the ship that knew my name. Crushed and warped by unimaginable forces, I could barely recognize it.’ ‘But I see a corroded Odvinsko hyperdrive, a cryo-pod. The same as my ship's.’ ‘My vessel is buried here. The voice is mine. I am warning myself-’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #25 Alien: Alert. User identified. New data log repository unlocked. Awaiting analysis. ‘I visit again, trying to catch them in their lie, but the Korvax are resolute. They claim I am irrational, that no power in the universe could simply destroy a world and leave no trace in matter or memory. They claim that I should leave them alone.’ ‘But it was mine. Don’t they understand that? It belonged to me. I should have remembered, I should have remained true to my anger. But I was weak.’ ‘It was then that I first heard it. That voice in the darkness.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #26 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘My world has gone. Vanished. Taken, perhaps, though all deny the crime. All deny the truth. That is what my voice tells me.’ ‘I travel from planet to planet, trying to find some parallel, some precedent for what has occurred. Everywhere I go, the same: a fear of Sentinels, of pirates, perhaps even of Vy’keen, but of worlds disappearing? Of the universe changing? No. No-one fears that. Why should they?’ ‘My voice assures me I am right, and that all others are wrong. It is a comfort to me.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #27 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘I have found something. It was just an abandoned building, just a small shack in some forsaken wasteland. I expected nothing more than brief respite from the storm. But what I found...’ ‘I approached the terminal and began to read. ‘It looked like a wound on the world...’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #28 Alien: User identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log for analysis. ‘There is something here. Can’t you hear it? Can’t you smell it? It touches you, infests you even as you stand. And yet you cannot resist.’ ‘I read all of their logs, the tales of travellers who came before me. A crimson eye. The rise of the Sentinels. A world of glass that blinks. I understand little of it, yet still it fills me with dread and a strange kind of loathing. A hatred of myself, the origin of which I do not know.’ ‘It is the last log which concerns me most.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #29 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘A world of green skies and an obsidian moon. It is my world. It has to be. All claimed it did not exist, and yet here I am, reading of its supposed destruction. Reading of an impossible paradox, of time and cataclysm.’ ‘I need to get back. It is the only purpose I have left. Surely you can understand that.’ ‘It was then that my voice helped me. It was then that I learned of the portals.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #30 Alien: User identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log for analysis. ‘I stood before the dais, the wormhole active before me. I should feel privileged to stand here where so many others have failed, but I am left only with that sense of guilt again. I feel as if I have done something wrong, but I cannot think this way. I must return to my home.’ ‘I enter. My voice said it would be okay.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #31 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘I step through the wormhole.’ ‘I am alone, in this space between worlds. I am alone but for my thoughts, my words. I am alone but for you.’ ‘I see you. You must have known I could. You must have known what this was. Through these travels we come to know ourselves, just as the universe comes to know us in turn.’ ‘I am so sorry for what I have done, but it does not believe me. I run, further and further from the portal’s exit.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #32 Alien: User identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log for analysis. ‘I cannot step through. I know now that if I do, all of this will be over. Lives come back to me. I have seen horrors and wonders. I have been cruel. I have become good and evil. I have grown beyond all such things, life after life. And now I am become you.’ ‘That you are reading this, that I know you are reading this... it means that one day I will step through the portal. That I will wake up next to a crashed ship, that I will be reborn once more.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #33 Alien: Returning user identified. Terminal now active. Unlocking data log continuation for analysis. ‘One day, your voice will speak to you, telling you of some fate, some signal that needs answering. It will tell you of some secret at the heart of reality, some puzzle that needs to be solved lest all life falls into decay and oblivion.’ ‘Do not listen to it.’ ‘If all the world is a lie, then nothing is true, not even their explanation.’ ‘Abandon it. Abandon me. It is inevitable.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L--- #34 Alien: Final data log awaiting user analysis. Terminal now active. ‘Hello World’ ‘The terminal has nothing more to show me but this single phrase, repeated from system to system.’ {Analyse data log} I discover something coded deep inside the long-dead traveller's data log. Something has been left that will aid me on my own journey... ---TECHFRAG_L---

UI_LIBRARY_TREASURE_OPT_TOOL Submit Lost Artifact UI_STARCHART_TREASURE_HINT_MSG The <STELLAR>Treasure Ruin Chart<> contains directions to an <SPECIAL>ancient ruined site<>!NEWLINE!Access the Treasure Ruin Chart in your Inventory (<IMG>INVENTORY<>) and <STELLAR>plot a route<> with <IMG>FE_ALT1<> UI_PIN_HYDRALIC_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <COMMODITY>Carbon Nanotubes<>, <TRADEABLE>Salt<> and <SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Craft <COMMODITY>Carbon Nanotubes<> from <FUEL>Carbon<>. Use <IMG>PRODMENU<> to craft in empty <TECHNOLOGY>Inventory Slots<>.!NEWLINE!<TRADEABLE>Salt<> is readily extracted from <EARTH>underwater rock deposits<>. Increase marine efficiency by upgrading the Exosuit <TECHNOLOGY>Aeration Membrane<> or by refilling oxygen supplies from <TRADEABLE>Kelp Sacs<>.!NEWLINE!<SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<> is created in a <TECHNOLOGY>Refiner<> from the <STELLAR>stellar metals<>: <COMMODITY>Copper<>, <FUEL>Cadmium<>, <TRADEABLE>Emeril<> and <TECHNOLOGY>Indium<>. UI_PIN_COMPUTER_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <COMMODITY>Microprocessors<>, <FUEL>Antimatter<> and <SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Craft <COMMODITY>Microprocessors<> or purchase at a <TECHNOLOGY>Trade Terminal<>.!NEWLINE!Craft <FUEL>Antimatter<> from <SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<> and <FUEL>Condensed Carbon<>.!NEWLINE!<SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<> is created in a <TECHNOLOGY>Refiner<> from the <STELLAR>stellar metals<>: <COMMODITY>Copper<>, <FUEL>Cadmium<>, <TRADEABLE>Emeril<> and <TECHNOLOGY>Indium<>. UI_PIN_MAGNET_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <EARTH>Magnetised Ferrite<> and <TECHNOLOGY>Ionised Cobalt<>. Use a <TECHNOLOGY>Refiner<> to process advanced materials.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!<TECHNOLOGY>Cobalt<> is found underground. Locate natural cave entrances. <RED>WARNING:<> many caves contain hazardous flora.!NEWLINE!Gather <EARTH>Ferrite<> from planetary rocks. UI_PIN_MIRROR_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <EARTH>Gold<>, <EARTH>Silver<> and <SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!<EARTH>Gold<> and <EARTH>Silver<> are valuable interstellar trading minerals, most commonly <COMMODITY>mined from asteroids<>. They are occasionally found in underground planetary deposits.!NEWLINE!<SPECIAL>Chromatic Metal<> is created in a <TECHNOLOGY>Refiner<> from the <STELLAR>stellar metals<>: <COMMODITY>Copper<>, <FUEL>Cadmium<>, <TRADEABLE>Emeril<> and <TECHNOLOGY>Indium<>. UI_PIN_BIO_OBJ_TIP Craft %ITEM% from <COMMODITY>Metal Plating<>, <FUEL>Condensed Carbon<> and <TRADEABLE>Chlorine<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Craft <COMMODITY>Metal Plating<> from <EARTH>Ferrite<> or purchase at a <TECHNOLOGY>Trade Terminal<>.!NEWLINE!Refine Condensed Carbon from <FUEL>Carbon<>. Condensed Carbon can occasionally be found as crystals on planet surfaces.!NEWLINE!Refine Chlorine from <TRADEABLE>Salt<>, which is harvested from <TECHNOLOGY>underwater mineral deposits<>. UI_COMPUTER_NAME QUANTUM COMPUTER UI_COMPUTER_NAME_L Quantum Computer UI_COMPUTER_DESC An extremely fast <TECHNOLOGY>advanced processing unit<>. Allows real-time solving of otherwise impossible calculations. However, protection against decoherence is not guaranteed.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Used in the creation of a wide range of <TECHNOLOGY>advanced technologies<>. UI_MAGNET_NAME MAGNETIC RESONATOR UI_MAGNET_NAME_L Magnetic Resonator UI_MAGNET_DESC An electromagnetic <TECHNOLOGY>frequency oscillator<>, able to function in a wide-range of conditions thanks to both ferrous and non-ferrous magnetic properties.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Used in the creation of a wide range of <TECHNOLOGY>advanced technologies<>. UI_MIRROR_NAME SOLAR MIRROR UI_MIRROR_NAME_L Solar Mirror UI_MIRROR_DESC A specialist optical component. Employing an impossibly polished surface, this mirror is able to selectively filter different wavelengths of light, changing its reflective pattern based on nearby magnetic fields.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Used in the creation of a wide range of <TECHNOLOGY>advanced technologies<>. UI_BIO_NAME AMINO CHAMBER UI_BIO_NAME_L Amino Chamber UI_BIO_DESC A specialist <TECHNOLOGY>biological catalysation device<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!This unit takes advantage of naturally occurring enzymes in order to facilitate increased energy yields and faster processing in a wide range of <TECHNOLOGY>advanced technologies<>. UI_HYDRALIC_NAME HYDRAULIC WIRING UI_HYDRALIC_NAME_L Hydraulic Wiring UI_HYDRALIC_DESC Specialist <TECHNOLOGY>wiring and control threads<>, this flexible material allows the transmission of power and signals, as well as offering direct manipulation of remote components.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Used in the creation of a wide range of <TECHNOLOGY>advanced technologies<>. UI_PIN_LAVA1_OBJ_TIP <EARTH>Basalt<> is found primarily on worlds with a <FUEL>volcanic environment<>. Typically found in large deposits and located with the <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>.!NEWLINE!Common ferrite rocks may yield Basalt after inspection with an <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>. UI_LAVA1_NAME BASALT UI_LAVA1_NAME_L Basalt UI_LAVA_SYM B UI_LAVA1_DESC Local mineral extract, typically found in large deposits or extracted from common minerals after inspection with an <TECHNOLOGY>Analysis Visor<>.!NEWLINE!!NEWLINE!Typically found on planets with a <FUEL>volcanic environment<>.

--Type: NPC_MISSION_BNTY_HARD_-- #1 {A Matter of Honour} The client seeks an end to a rapidly escalating situation. They were inadvertently involved in the harvesting of a tree that belonged to a local crime lord. Vengeance and counter-vengeance have been taken, and the situation can now only be defused with the application of extreme violence (ideally, not in the direction of the client). #2 {A Dance of Brigands} The client runs a series of supply routes across local space. However, pirates have been setting up checkpoints and intimidating the traders into handing over cargo. The client, who is not given a cut of these profits, finds this behaviour unacceptable and wishes it ended. #3 {Tourist Trap} The client seeks to benefit from the beauty of this system by attracting wealthy sightseers. However, wealthy sightseers have in turn attracted pirates and ruined the business. The client wishes the tables turned and the hunters hunted. #4 {Is this Helping?} The client feels there are too many pirates operating in the area. They feel their own business would benefit from fewer hostile ships preying on all the most lucrative trading vessels... #5 {The Hydra} The client has discovered that a pirate of some repute has begun operating in local space. They feel this represents an opportunity to set an example. Destroy the leader, and scare the others into more lawful or less deadly occupations. #6 {Overconfidence} The client has noted that certain pirates are developing ideas above their station. Recent successes have convinced these criminals that they rule local space. Their confidence is misplaced, and they are only allowed such freedom at the behest of the client. The client notes with displeasure that the pirates have failed to deliver their usual tribute, and would like to make an example of them to other pilots attempting to cut their superiors out of the profits. #7 {On the Offensive} The client has amassed an unfortunately large amount of debt to the account of a local pirate captain. They have neither the inclination or the ability to make good on the debt, and have instead opted to take a final loan from creditor and use it as a bounty on the pirate's own head. #8 {The Rivals} The client seeks the destruction of a specific pirate vessel. They would like to make it clear that this bounty is being legitimately posted and they are not in any way a front for another pirate organisation. #9 {Legitimate Business} The client was until recently a senior officer in a local pirate squadron. They have decided the time is right to become a legitimate business owner. However, their former colleagues know far too much about their criminal past. Previously, the client would have murdered them with their own hands. However, such criminality is behind them. Instead, they have placed this bounty upon their ex-gang members. #10 {Proxy War} Both the client and a rival business have been locked in a struggle to assert dominance over local space. While they would never stoop so low as to simply destroy ships and facilities, they have noted that illegal goods have recently and mysteriously turned up on vessels belonging to their rival. This, naturally, makes outlaws of such vessels and as such they become perfectly legitimate targets for bounty hunting.

In the best multi-tool layout image, it shows the Plasma resonator as an upgrade for the mining beam. I couldn't find this upgrade, and indeed according to the wiki it has been removed from the game.