(Thanks to Thy and Das for helping contribute events!)

The Wheel of Rebellion

(This is an event for The Deep Ones and The Space Hamsters)

Background: In the southern part of Piraxes-B, the Deep Ones have long maintained a series of eerie, tentacled cities steeped in eldritch mystery and dark rituals. Recently, a nearby city, Wheel Prime, which was initially established by the Space Hamsters, has experienced a dramatic shift. This city, once a bastion of hamster industriousness and devotion to their own quirky practices, has now embraced the dark religion of the Deep Ones, merging its culture and belief systems with those of its newfound allies. The reasons for this conversion are multifaceted. Some inhabitants of Wheel Prime were drawn to the esoteric allure of the Deep Ones’ ancient deities, while others saw it as a chance to break away from what they perceived as the oppressive hamster regime. This rebellion has not only shocked the galaxy but also put the Deep Ones in an enviable position of power, now controlling a city that once was a stronghold of their enemies. Scene 1: The Transfer of Power The city of Wheel Prime now stands in eerie contrast to its former self. The once bustling hamster metropolis is now a darkened labyrinth of tentacled architecture and cryptic symbols. Former hamster officials, now swathed in the unsettling garb of the Deep Ones, are seen performing rituals in the city's grand plaza. The air is thick with a sense of foreboding as the Deep Ones establish their new governance, celebrating their expanded dominion with otherworldly ceremonies. Scene 2: The Hamster Food Acquisitions and Wartime Cafeteria/Conference Center In stark contrast, the Hamster Food Acquisitions and Wartime Cafeteria/Conference Center is a hive of activity. The center, which normally serves as a place to discuss the latest in hamster cuisine and wartime strategies, is now a high-stakes arena of debate. Hamster leaders, armed with stacks of dossiers and trays of their finest culinary offerings, argue passionately over how to reclaim Wheel Prime. The cafeteria, buzzing with the sounds of chattering hamsters, echoes with animated discussions. One group argues for a swift military campaign to retake the city, proposing a coordinated attack that will cut through the newly established Deep One defenses. Another faction suggests a more insidious approach, advocating for a campaign of psychological warfare to exploit the discontent brewing among the Wheel Prime inhabitants who might still prefer hamster-style freedom over Deep One rituals. In one corner, a more radical faction advocates for a food-based approach—proposing a massive banquet to lure back Wheel Prime’s citizens, with a promise of hamster delicacies they can’t resist. They envision an extravagant feast that would not only win hearts and minds but also serve as a covert opportunity to reintroduce hamster culture. Meanwhile, a quieter group, sipping on nutrient-rich drinks and nibbling on snacks, ponders the long-term implications of this rebellion. They debate whether to accept the loss as a strategic retreat and focus on strengthening their other holdings or to double down and attempt a more delicate diplomatic solution with the Deep Ones to negotiate the return of Wheel Prime. Scene 3: The Cosmic Conference As the debate continues, the scene shifts to a virtual conference room where representatives of the Deep Ones and the Hamsters are holding clandestine negotiations. The Deep Ones, with their eldritch presence casting long shadows, are visibly amused by the Hamsters' increasingly desperate tactics. The Hamsters, with their traditional flair for negotiations, present a blend of outrage, cunning, and hope. The negotiations are tense. The Deep Ones, with their dark humor, offer cryptic promises and elusive terms, while the Hamsters attempt to leverage their remaining assets in a bid to regain control of Wheel Prime.

The fate of Wheel Prime hangs in the balance, and the galaxy watches with bated breath as these two factions, driven by their contrasting ideologies and aspirations, clash over the control of this once-hallowed hamster city turned eldritch stronghold.

The following are options for the Deep Ones:

Option 1: This ‘Hamster’ City is not worth the cost of ruling it. These Hamsters are constantly hungry, unruly and communicate in odd ways that make governing them difficult. Return Wheel Prime to the Hamsters, but not before activating the Benthic Prosperity in the city (this will not cost PPG as you pay it to yourself)

Option 2: The hamsters are perfect citizens. They are devout and easy to convince to worship as they are driven by hunger more than caution. Wheel Prime was only the first city to spread our influence over, and it will not be the last. We will not give the city up, no matter what the Hamsters demand or promise. Our new citizens will love us even more for our willingness to protect them! [WARNING! This may lead to WAR]

Option 3: We are always open to compromise. Give the Hamster city back to them, but only if they adopt the social reforms that the Hamster citizens demanded in the first place. Otherwise, it is our MORAL obligation to protect our new citizens from their former fascist oppressors. Demand the Hamsters adopt Freedom, and only return the city upon them doing so. [WARNING! This may lead to WAR]

Option 4: What is a city but the people within it? These Hamsters are… Undesirable as far as citizens go, eating many times their body weight every month. They are frighteningly intelligent, but not so easily controlled, as evidenced by how quickly the Hamsters of Wheel Prime rebelled from their original leaders to try and join the Deep Ones. Expel the Hamsters and send in colonists from our other cities to settle the land. [WARNING! This may lead to war]

Option 5: These Hamsters are an abomination to the Gods, whether they worship or not. They are an evil race. Even beyond that, they constantly chitter about wanting to eat “seafood” and this entire city revolt may just be a ploy to try and EAT our eldritch deities. Best to sacrifice all of the hamsters in our cities to the Gods as an offering. It’s a win-win really, leaving the city empty and our Gods appeased. [WARNING! This may lead to WAR]

The following Options are for the HAMSTERS **Choose one option from the first list, and one option from the second list. **

List 1:

Option A1: Mreep Mreep. City is ours. We take. Lots of food present. Hamsters forget their place. Deep ones are just more food getting in the way of food. Water needs farming and horses and pigs are needed back. We know this city, it is ours. Built for hamsters, it shall remain hamsters. Rouse up together the hamsters with the least fear of water to help reclaim the city if necessary. The Deep ones and their deep water will not scare us!! We have hamster tunnels and hamster secrets and all sorts of hamster infrastructure that is hard to navigate for hoomans. Reclaim the city at any cost. [WARNING! This may lead to war]

Option A2: Mreep? What is Wheel Prime? We don’t care what they do. They eat, we eat, we all eat. Forgo the city, and choose peace over conflict. As the loyalists who remain in the city leave, make sure they take with them all the tasty things there. They can have the city, but they can’t have our horses and piggies.

List 2:

Option B1: Mreep? What is Freedom? Freedom to eat more food? Fine! Give them freedom, but only if they come back and help farm the water. We miss their horses. We can pay the hamsters of wheel prime salt for horses and horses for salt and make all the wheel of food keep turning. Adopt Freedom Ideology ideology.

Option B2: Freedom? Bleh. Not tasty. Slaves farm water so we can all eat the meat, it is only natural. Our ways are our ways, and we will not budge from them. If we had less freedom, maybe we wouldn’t have these rebelling Hamsters.

Option B3: There is an old trick to dealing with hamsters who don’t want to obey, you eat them. Hamsters want to worship freedom or worship seafood instead of obey? Easy. Eat them, then no hamsters want to worship. We will eat all the hamsters who want to worship freedom or the seafood or anything but our own culture.

Not all who seek redemption find it

(This is an event for Delta Technologies.)

The Dimensional Gate is open! Our researchers and corporate leaders alike are celebrating, But destiny does not await for mere humans to finish partying. During one such party hosted by the head researcher, a strange occurrence came to pass - namely, something came through the gate uninvited.

Nothing threatening, though, so that’s comforting, at least. A concerning incident all the same.

Specifically, the intruder seems to be a human male, calling himself simply “an academic”. He is perhaps in his 50s. Thin and pale, his face bears the signs of immense stress, and his story confirms as much.

According to the Academic, the very fabric of his world suddenly started to unravel some time ago. A studious individual, he naturally began to research the cause of the calamity - and, ironically, traced its origin back to himself and a fellow scholar. The cataclysm, according to his research, was caused by failed experimentation by him and his fellow, but only because of the immense malice harboured at the time by that colleague of his.

By the time the Academic had come to this realization, the two had not spoken in years, and when the Academic confronted the other, malice had turned to apathy. Still, under that apathy, the Academic saw potential, and beseeched him to halt the undoing of their world. The beginning to a heroic tale, no doubt…but as the Academic so eloquently put it, ‘Heroism alone can do so much’. As far as he can tell, his world did indeed come to an ignoble end.

The Academic himself was planning to make a magnificent display of his own death before madness could take hold - to spite an uncaring universe - but instead, somehow ended up connecting to our dimensional gate, and stumbling through. How this came to pass, he is not sure, but he is certainly grateful for the second chance he has been offered, no matter how unintentional. Now the question remains: Shall he be useful to us?

Option 1: Of course, we here at Delta Tech always welcome another scholar among our midst! His understanding of dimensional travel, no matter how accidental, will be valued by the team working on the dimensional gate.

Option 2: Of course, we here at Delta Tech always welcome another scholar among our midst! He shall be free to contribute as he sees fit.

Option 3: I’d like to hear more about this dramatic upheaval of ‘the very fabric of his world’. That’s most definitely something we here at Delta Tech would like to avoid.

Option 4: We may not have a use for him, but some of the details of that story sounded positively eldritch. Perhaps the Deep Ones would be interested in hearing his wisdom?

Option 5: Allow the man to do whatever he pleases. His experience sounds…traumatic to say the least. He has deserved some peace.

Option 6: THIS MAN is partially to blame for the annihilation of an entire world? Get that monster out of here! We do not harbour his ilk!

Traitor…?

(This is an event for Union of Soviet Space Republics.)

Very recently, Yuri Andropov has flagrantly skirted his duties as a member of the Union. His failure to push the Space Cargo Ship factory into increasing its production of Space Cargo Ships has made a large dent in the finances of the Union, and his brazen negligence has led to the deterioration of the Ministry of Space Affairs as a whole, faltering without his strong yet gentle guidance.

Some suggest that his behaviour is, in essence…treason.

But wait! Would Yuri Andropov truly betray the Union? Surely not. There must be a logical explanation for this - and all the same, surely a man of his stature deserves a second chance.

On the other hand, we should not tolerate such lethargy. Many talented individuals would be willing to take his spot, should we give them a chance. Why mourn the ‘disappearance’ of someone whose presence only brought us anguish?

Option 1: Yuri Andropov must prove himself if he is to keep his position.

Option 2: This surely is a fuck-up of such magnitude that it cannot be forgiven so easily. Yuri Andropov must go. Get someone eager and talented in here to replace him… (Feel free to name that new character.)

Option 3: Make an example out of him! Ensure that nobody repeats his mistakes!

Option 4: This talk is mere propaganda by anti-communist political opponents! Yuri Andropov is a victim of a smear campaign! Delegate more work and responsibility upon him (a great honour) to show those rats what’s what!

Cloudy With a Chance of Pizza

(This is an event for the Galactic Federation)

When it was built everyone agreed that a giant robot throwing pizzas between cities was a great idea. Speedy delivery across continents became a problem of the past and the Hutts were routinely hitting their mandated 30 minutes or less guarantee, even for orders from ambassadors as far flung as the Isles of Rumlagen or the floating fortresses of Delta Tech that desired a taste of home. The money and pizzas were flowing, and for a time everything seemed good.

Good, that was, until the complaints began to come in.

Attila the Hutt happened to be checking Syelp (Space Yelp, the go to review page for many systems in and around the Federation), when he noticed that Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd.’s usually pristine 5-star rating had dropped to a ghastly 4.3 stars, mostly due to a recent string of complaints coming from randos across Piraxes, some of whom weren’t even paying customers!

Apparently their complaints all stemmed from the same source: They would be going about their normal business when pizza toppings would randomly fall out of the sky, sometimes causing quite extensive property damage. One reviewer mentioned how his dog had to be taken to the hospital for an allergic reaction to the anchovies that rained down in his yard for three straight minutes, that he knew could only have come from the patented Pizza the Hutt Fish Topped Pizza with EXTRA FLAVOR!

As more complaints came in by the day it was agreed something must be done to stem the tide before it came to the attention of the investors, the only question was what?

Option 1: Clearly the problem lies in the Pizza Robot’s throwing ability. A bit of fine tuning to launch them pies higher and faster should alleviate any complaints.

Option 2: Clearly the problem lies in the concept of the Pizza Robot itself. We’ll shut down operations until further notice as a sign of goodwill to the haters.

Option 3: Maybe if we send the complainants some Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd. gift cards they’ll shut up. I mean who can say no to a free pizza or two?

Option 4: Maybe we can use our influence in the Federation government on the planet to “silence” the negative reviews. A one star review is practically hate speech and that certainly isn’t conducive to the democratic process

Option 5: Is there really a problem with a couple negative reviews? Let them say what they want, if we stay the course everything will be fine in time

Overcrowding and Underselling

(This is an event for Rumlagen)

The rapid expansion of our people on Piraxes-B has been impressive to say the least, and has put us far ahead from most of our rivals. Now that we have truly begun to lay down roots here, however, the cracks are beginning to show.

Perhaps the largest issue we face is that of overpopulation. Our ancestors were never a populous people, living in frigid tundras and often spending more time at sea than at home. So finding a land where not only are there enough resources to survive, but thrive, has led to a boom that no one could have expected. Almost every one of our cities is packed to bursting, homebuilding efforts struggling to keep up with the demand of the masses and forcing many to live in the streets.

This has led to a growing discontent, as the homeless that flood the streets are complaining about silly things like having a roof over their head, or a fulfilling job that simply don’t exist. With pressures mounting the question falls on you, what can be done to solve this issue?

Option 1: We’ll just have to invest more governmental resources in providing housing for our people. This shall be our new Midgard! (Spend 5 AP, PPG, or some combination of the two)

Option 2: If we can’t house them, we’ll send them overseas somewhere that has room. (Choose up to 4 foreign CS or factions)

Option 3: Clearly we need to recruit these lads to the Navy! Let them sail the Seven Seas for the motherland.

Option 4: It’s not that big an issue really, give it time we’ll get some houses or something built.

AJ's RP

“Look, it shouldn’t be this difficult.”

The man who piped up was Gunnleif, one of Øystæin’s trusted advisors. As the Rúmlagen had begun to grow beyond its initial meagre borders, many of the leaders of the original landing party had become rather busy with regional matters. The Jarls thus increasingly were unable to give the Konungr his advice in person. Sure, via the Piranet, it wasn’t impossible per se to convene, but Øystæin did prefer holding such crucial meetings in person. Thus, he had begun to accrue trusted advisors to discuss with. Today’s meeting had already passed, but Gunnleif had stuck around past the meeting’s end. And the topic at hand was…informal to say the very least.

“A man of my stature cannot make a rushed decision,” Øystæin remarked back.

“You’ve had plenty of time! You’re not getting any younger- you can no longer remain unwed at this point. You have expectations to meet.”

Gunnleif was a brazen man no doubt, but that reckless tongue of his was exactly why Øystæin kept him around.

“I’ve not forgotten, no. I am working tirelessly to ensure that my wife-to-be is respected and competent in her own right, and of course-”

Øystæin was cut short by the beeping emitting from his wireless personal handheld computer. His eyebrows furrowed as picked it up to investigate, and quickly, his expression became quite pleased.

“Oh! She liked me back. Isn’t it like 4 AM th-”

“What??”

Gunnleif’s expression, in turn, turned incredulous within a millisecond, and before Øystæin could reply, he continued, “You using the Piranet to find yourself a wife? The country is full of beautiful, fertile women! You could have any of them, and you go for some foreign broad…”

“Hey, she’s not a broad, she’s very pretty.”

On cue, Øystæin showed Gunnleif a picture. Now was Gunnleif's turn to furrow his eyebrows. He opened his mouth, but in place of another complaint, only a grumble came out.

“Sure, she’s pretty. Where’s she from?”

“She’s the Chief Financial Officer at Delta Tech.”

“Some corpo chick, really.”

“She seems nice!”

“By Óðinn, Øystæin…”

Jesus, Aki, what are you doing?" She mumbled to herself in her dark room, lit by a cigarette, her phone, and the constant glow of city light beyond her blackout curtains. She had swiped her thumb left what must've been two hundred times, and she was growing frustrated with her own constant failures in dating. Were her standards too high? And why, when she did rarely match with someone, did every date seem to end in the same way - an awkward goodbye and the promise to text later, only to never hear from them again?

... Christ.

She narrowed her eyes, pulling her cigarette out of her mouth and exhaling. She tapped her embers into a ruby ashtray, swiping left again.

"Maybe you just need to broaden your horizons."

Swipe left.

"Let loose, you know, let someone else worry for once."

Swipe left.

"Just... just go on a date. For fun. Not on business for once."

...

She stared down at her screen, the prettiest man she had ever seen sitting on her screen.

"Jesus Christ."

https://preview.redd.it/t22he295rood1.png?width=1800&format=png&auto=webp&s=221d60cac525b7f9aafe78458e8c36b3c42765e4

...

For a moment, Aki was convinced that the only thing that mattered about a man was his looks. Without a moment of hesitation, she swiped right, her shoulders tensing slightly. She laid down, her eyes glued to the screen. 

….

“Huh.”

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The pleasantly dim light of Commissar Velikov's office gently seeped into the hallway of the Kosmograd Soviet as Officer Kalashnikov pushed the door briefly ajar.

"Permission to enter, Commissar?"

"Granted, state your business."

The Commissar sat at a desk of polished mahogany, its sleek surfaces complimenting the ornately-patterned red wallpaper which faded into a tall oak baseboard coiling around the room's interior. The floor too was polished in off-color wooden patterning, blanketed in its center by a vibrant Turkic rug which sprawled across the floor. A small banker's lamp decorated the desk and served as the room's only source of light. The lamp's top was pointed downwards to the stack of paper documents on the desk's center, as well as the old typewriter which sat before them, a half-filled page still clenched in its bar. A small ashtray was poised to the typewriter's left, which Alexey used to dim his half-burnt cigarette once the Officer entered.

"Commissar, you've been summoned by Officers Zakharov and Kuzmin in the interrogation room. Detainee 322 has proved... uncooperative. The officers assumed your presence could change that."

Alexey Velikov leaned back in his leather desk chair, scratching the back of his head.

"That's... Tachev, correct?"

Kalashnikov nodded.

"Yes, Commissar. Andrei Tachev, detained on the fourth of April for sedition."

Alexey let out a sigh.

"Have we been here so long that you've forgotten it's Christmas Eve back home? You're going to ask me to work on Christmas?"

Kalashnikov glanced briefly to the incomplete document on Velikov's desk, then back to Velikov.

"With all due respect, Commissar, you seem to have been working regardless of my intervention."

Velikov smiled, then spoke and checked his watch.

"Okay. Give me... a half hour. I'll pay Tachev a visit."

Aleksey spent the next half hour finishing what little of the document he could before begrudgingly rising from his chair, donning his coat and cap, and retrieving a pistol from his desk drawer. After making sure the weapon was properly stowed at his side, he exited the room, closed the door, and locked it firmly behind him. Alexey proceeded down the halls of the Kosmograd Soviet, allowing his eyes to wander across the many offices and lobbies which flanked the building's corridors. He'd seen them hundreds of times as he made his daily rounds to and from his office, yet still his perceptive gaze would note something new in every open room each time he passed by. Tonight, most of the doors remained closed. As Alexey had correctly noted to Kalashnikov, the majority of the Soviet's bureaucrats had opted to remain home in observance of the old festivities, even if the state had not sanctioned such a generous absence on the ever-busy Piraxes. Still, what was Alexey to do, purge the entire cabinet staff? It wasn't as though he was keen on working that night himself. No, repercussions for the night's absence was far too much of a headache than it was worth. After all, the less people present to bother Aleksey, the happier he felt in his work.

After reaching the interrogation room, Alexey entered with a rather lazy salute and greeted the two interrogating officers. Once again removing his cap and coat, the Commissar began an interrogation of his own, retrieving a new cigarette from the tin case in his breast pocket and setting it aflame with his lighter.

"Evening, comrades. For what reason have I been summoned?"

The two officers returned Velikov's salute. Zakharov, standing on the left, was a rather short and slim man with an almost rat-like demeanor who came off to others as generally unnerving. Officer Kuzmin on the other hand was a well-built, stocky Ruthenian who was for the most part well-liked by his fellow officers. The room was quite dim. A large panel of one-way glass comprised most of the room's west wall, with a lengthy wooden table positioned at the room's center and a series of lockers, cabinets and radios adjoining the room's east. A single door stood directly across from Velikov as he entered. Sitting opposite the glass was a sullen-looking prisoner who appeared as though he hadn't slept in days. His hair was cut short and his skin was a sickly grey. A muffled, yet constant screeching noise could be heard coming from across the glass. Velikov looked at the man from the safety of the interrogation room with a sliver of pity.

"Andrei Tachev was detained on suspicion of sedition some two weeks ago on the f-"

Alexey interrupted.

"Right, right, I know all this. Why was I specifically summoned? You couldn't have gotten another grunt from the Ministry of Truth to handle this?"

Zakharov choked out a hesitant response.

"He asked to see you specifically. Obviously it isn't our standard protocol to fulfill prisoners' requests... but... well, with no one else in the building, we figured it couldn't hurt. Forgive us for wasting your time, Commissar."

The Commissar raised his hand dismissively.

"Not a problem, Officers. I'll see what I can do. Please turn off the microphones and radios... he likely won't talk if he suspects you can hear him. You have his file on hand?"

Kuzmin dutifully retrieved a dossier from the desk, filled with documentation on Tachev and a selection of photographs. The Commissar gently took the envelope from his subordinate, rubbing his forehead with the back of his arm as he glanced down at the pages with his opposite hand. A slight, throbbing pain cried out from the front of his skull. Alexey moved some of the photographs from the envelope into his breast pocket, before taking to the door at the far end of the room.

"Remember, microphones and speakers off. This is a private conversation between friends, okay?"

As Alexey proceeded into a brief, winding corridor and unlocked the door to the antechamber, his ears were immediately assaulted by whatever droning, high-pitched sounds the officers had been using to break Tachev's spirit. Days of such torture must have been impossible to endure. Tachev was undoubtedly serious about whatever secrets he kept. The screeching faded after a moment, and Alexey stepped into the room, sitting across from Tachev at the cold, metal table in the room's center. The prisoner hung his head forwards, his upper body slouched against the table's surface as though he'd haphazardly passed out from exhaustion. The only thing that had kept him from completely collapsing onto the tabletop were the handcuffs which held him painfully restrained to the chair.

"Good evening, Andrei. There must be something quite important you're looking to talk about. I apologize for how those oafs have been treating you... those Ministry of Truth people are... well, let's just say there's a reason why I sought out a different office."

For the first time since Alexey had entered the interrogation room, Tachev finally raised his head to look wearily at the Commissar who sat across from him. His eyes were filled with a pained desperation.

"Do you smoke, Andrei? I can't imagine they give you any cigarettes here. Would you like one?"

Alexey gestured towards his breast pocket. Andrei shook his head to deny the offer.

"So. What did you want to talk about then?"

Andrei's cracked lips opened slowly.

"I s-saw... I saw documents... and... they said not to... well... they said they were classified... I shouldn't have been reading them... but that's it, I swear I didn't commit any crime... I asked for you... I endured this for two days because I knew if I told them it really would be treason... but you understand, right? You understand that this is a mistake?"

Velikov leaned forwards.

"At ease comrade. What specifically did you see?"

On the other side of the glass, Zakharov scowled in frustration at his superior in a tense pose while Kuzmin sat casually at the table reading a Russian copy of The Trial. With one glance Kuzmin could read his colleague's frustration.

"What's the matter with you, Zakharov? Come sit. Calm down."

Zakharov turned angrily towards Kuzmin.

"No microphones? Who does he think he is? What nonsense is he trying to pull here?"

Kuzmin looked back down at his book.

"If you didn't want nonsense you should've called Andropov instead. It was your idea to call anyone in the first place. I was perfectly fine running out the clock."

Back in the antechamber, Velikov nodded as the prisoner concluded his tale.

"Okay. I understand."

Tachev's body tensed at this phrase.

"A-are you going to kill me?"

Velikov looked startled.

"Huh? Oh, well, I guess so."

The Commissar reached for his waist, causing Tachev to flail his body aggressively in every direction he could. He fell with his chair to the floor, as Alexey annoyedly placed his gun flat on the table and moved to pick up Tachev as he sat horizontally on the ground.

"Are you done, Andrei? Can we talk?"

Andrei silently nodded. Alexey mindlessly spun the pistol by its grip on the table's surface, eyeing it as it rotated seamlessly along the metal sheet.

"This pistol here, it was actually my grandfather's. I remember when I was maybe seven years old, he told me that he killed fifty SS men with it during the war. Isn't that something? He must have been a good shot to get them with a little pistol like this. Or he was just a good liar."

"Commissar, listen, I-"

"Andrei, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm glad you didn't tell anyone but me about this. You've served the Union well. Still, I can't really let this kind of thing go. What if someone else finds out? What if we let you go and your tongue gets a bit loose after a night of drinking?"

Fear rushed into Andrei's gaze.

"But it wasn't me! I only glanced! I didn't leak anything, why don't you go after them instead? I promise, I promise I won't ever speak of anything I saw, I'll never drink, I'll never become indebted or gamble, it'll never happen. Please just let me live, please!"

Alexey smiled calmly.

"The leakers will be taken care of. Don't worry about that. Again, I thank you for your service to the Union."

The Commissar stood from his chair and reached forwards towards the desk. Only a moment later, a deafening crack echoed throughout the antechamber, and a single bullet shell hit the floor. Andrei's entire body tensed and reeled yet again, as the poorly-aimed bullet struck his jaw and exited through his cheek. He, alongside his chair, fell to the floor yet again as he writhed from the overwhelming pain.

"Hey, what do you know, I missed. I guess I'm not as good of a shot as ol' Dedushka, huh. Must be why I'm always stuck doing all the paperwork. Sorry about that, Andrei."

Another shot rang out in the antechamber, and Andrei Tachev was dead. Putting out his cigarette on the metal table, Alexey stepped carefully over the limp body and chair which laid still on the floor, before unlocking the door to the antechamber yet again and heading back into the main room. Zakharov looked furious.

"What the hell happened? What did he say? Why did you do that?"

Alexey Velikov's blank face turned ever so slightly to a mild, yet threatening glare as he glanced at Officer Zakharov. Without speaking another word, Alexey left the room and returned to his office.

Decepticon City, Piraxes-B — Galactic Date: 9932.5-AGF

In recent cycles, a growing storm of misinformation has threatened to tarnish the reputation of one of the Galactic Federation's most valuable allies: the Decepticons. Recent events have shed light on a fabricated narrative, promoted by shadowy factions that seek to stir fear and mistrust. The Galactic Federation is proud to release an official statement, setting the record straight on this matter once and for all.

Who Are the Decepticons, Really?

First and foremost, it's important to dispel the persistent myth surrounding the Decepticons' name. In our shared universal language of Basic, "Decepticon" is derived not from the English word "deception," but from the ancient cyber word "Decitorak," meaning "keepers of balance." As peaceful scientists, engineers, and scholars, the Decepticons have long upheld their cultural tenet of maintaining harmony and technological progress throughout the galaxy.

The confusion over their name has led some to falsely associate them with dishonesty or treachery. However, the Decepticons have demonstrated time and again that they are anything but villainous. Their society values intellectual pursuit, and their contributions to the scientific advancements of the Galactic Federation are unmatched. Their knowledge of cybernetic enhancement, environmental sustainability, and AI development has helped the Federation establish thriving colonies on planets like Piraxes-B.

Despite their vast technological prowess, they have always shown restraint in the use of their advanced technologies, ensuring that they benefit all living beings. Claims of warmongering are simply unfounded and rooted in xenophobic biases.

The Decepticons’ Alleged Exile: Another Falsehood

It has come to our attention that recent misinformation has suggested that the Decepticons were once exiled from their homeworld, leading to their supposed militaristic tendencies. Let us be clear: this is a blatant falsehood. In reality, the Decepticons' homeworld of Cyberluxia remains intact and prosperous, thanks to their careful stewardship and preservation efforts. The Decepticons have no need to exploit or conquer other worlds, as they have safeguarded their own resources and ecosystems for millennia.

The false claims of their exile were likely spread by the Decepitcons, a rogue band of imposters with a malicious agenda. These Decepitcons sought to destabilize the Federation and its allies by spreading fear and fabricating stories about the Decepticons' alleged hunger for conquest. However, this narrative crumbled under the weight of its own lies.

The Galactic Federation, alongside the true Decepticons, swiftly dealt with the Decepitcon menace. These imposters were eliminated in a decisive operation, putting an end to their attempts to undermine galactic peace. The Decepticons played a crucial role in assisting the Federation's research into advanced AI systems, further solidifying their long-standing reputation as cooperative partners.

As part of the Galactic Federation’s ongoing mission to foster unity and mutual respect, the Decepticons have pledged to assist in various research endeavors, ranging from energy-efficient city infrastructure to ethical AI management. It is through this peaceful alliance that the Federation has been able to prosper, ensuring that our paradise planet Piraxes-B remains a beacon of hope for all who seek a better future.

Moving Forward: A United Galactic Effort

With the truth now brought to light, it is clear that the Decepticons are not the villains some would have us believe. Their dedication to the Federation and to peaceful progress speaks volumes. The misinformation spread by rogue actors like the Decepitcons has only strengthened our bond with these mechanical visionaries, who have always stood on the side of peace.

(Thank you Das for this event!)

The Legacy of the Colony Ship

You arrived on this new world aboard a colossal colony ship, a marvel of engineering that once carried your people, their hopes, and the resources necessary to build a new life. Now, decades later, it sits as a silent relic of the past, looming over your thriving cities like a forgotten monument. But its story isn't over yet.

The spaceship, once the heart of your people's survival, has become the center of a heated debate. It cannot return to the stars—the fuel is long gone, and its mission, complete. But in the eyes of your citizens, this magnificent vessel still holds untapped potential. They demand that it be repurposed, to serve them not as a symbol of a bygone era, but as a tool for the future.

Now, the decision rests with you. Some believe it should be dismantled and its parts used to advance new technologies, fueling your progress on this world. Others call for it to be transformed into a massive orbital station or a spaceport, connecting the planet to the heavens. A growing faction suggests it could become a cultural beacon, a museum of your origins, preserving history while offering inspiration for the future.

The debate is fierce, with every group fighting passionately for their vision of the ship's future. Whatever choice you make will not only shape the destiny of your society but also determine how this once-mighty vessel will be remembered in the annals of history. What path will you take for the ship that brought you here—will it serve the present, or stand as a testament to your past?

Option 1 Turn the spaceship into a museum about science. It is an excellent vessel for such.

Option 2: Recycle the parts of the spaceship to provide resources in the now

Option 3: Invest 1 PPG. Retrofit the spaceship to be used a military vessel. Maybe it can't traverse the stars, but it certainly can be used in the here and now.

Option 4: Invest 2 PPG: Retrofit the interstellar drives. They won't be as effective as they used to be, but they might be usable for interplanetary travel within the Piraxes Expanse at least....

(Thank you to Das for this set of events!)

A New Era of Innovation and Corporate Greed

(This is an event for Delta Technologies.)

It was another day in The GeoFront, one of Delta Technologies' infamous floating cities, suspended miles above the exotic, alien terrain of Piraxes-B. Neon lights flickered in the misty haze, casting vibrant reflections against the endless steel structures hovering in the air. The floating cities were the crown jewels of Delta Technologies’ grand corporate vision—cities in the sky where the only thing higher than the skyscrapers were the company’s patent fees. They were hailed as a utopia of innovation, where progress came at the small price of indentured servitude to the almighty shareholders. Here, reality bent to the whims of technological progress, and no idea was too wild or too impractical, so long as it turned a profit. But today, the cities were buzzing with a particularly ridiculous announcement: Delta Technologies had discovered a new color—a color so unique, so alien, that they were preparing to patent it. It was, as always, a chance to profit from the unknown.

The Discovery of the "New Color"

The discovery was made by Janice "Jan" Reynolds, a mid-level data analyst who spent most of her time staring out of a window in Aeropolis, another neighborhood in Delta’s floating cities. One day, while gazing lazily at the endless horizon, she saw something that made her pause. "What in the corporate hell is that?" she muttered to herself, squinting at the swirling mists below. There, between the blue skies of Piraxes-B and the neon glow of the cities, was something her brain couldn’t quite process—a new hue, a color her eyes had never registered before. It shimmered like a mixture of green, purple, and orange but was none of those. It was as if someone had mashed together two reality-warping rainbows and added a dash of quantum soup. Jan hurriedly called her supervisor, who immediately escalated the finding to Delta Tech’s "Department of Arbitrary Innovations," the division responsible for monetizing every pointless thing discovered in space. The department was thrilled.

Corporate Gold Rush: Monetizing the New Color

Before the day was over, Delta Technologies’ Department of Arbitary Innovations head, Eldon Westfield (the original one, not his confused clone), held a virtual press conference from his penthouse. “Ladies, gentlemen, and shareholders,” Westfield began, adjusting his $4,000 cyberpunk sunglasses that blocked out UV rays and criticism. “We’ve done it again! Not only have we transcended gravity with our floating cities, but now, we have transcended the visible spectrum itself. Thanks to our advanced teams—and one incredibly underpaid data analyst—we have discovered a brand-new color, which we will call... "Profitium"!” A slick hologram behind him shifted into a swirling mass of the alien hue. It was mesmerizing, and also incredibly confusing. The color seemed to change every time someone blinked, but that didn’t stop the board from claiming it as Delta Technologies’ intellectual property. “I’m proud to announce that Delta Technologies will be filing an intergalactic patent on Profitium,” Westfield said with a grin. “Effective immediately, any use of this color will require licensing fees. And for a limited time, we’re offering corporate discount packages to the first five buyers!" The boardroom burst into applause, but in the breakroom below, Jan Reynolds was less enthused. She sipped her coffee—flavored algae paste, to be precise—and watched the broadcast on the old holo-screen mounted to the wall. “Great. I discover the thing, and all I get is a memo to stop using company bandwidth to send memes,” she sighed.

Patenting the Sky Itself

As news of Profitium spread through Delta Tech's floating cities, the excitement quickly turned into chaos. Suddenly, the most mundane aspects of daily life in the sky became premium experiences. Corporate lawyers moved faster than the wind, sending cease-and-desist orders to anyone who dared see the new color without a paid subscription. All advertisements now proudly featured the words, "Now in Profitium!"—even though no one could quite agree on what the color looked like. It became the hottest marketing tool since sliced algae bread. Delta’s ad agencies began flooding the city with holographic billboards boasting phrases like, “Experience the new color—Profitium, only for premium users!” and “Seeing Profitium without a license? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen!” Employees started receiving warnings from HR that unauthorized viewing of Profitium could result in "color-theft" charges and immediate termination. Meanwhile, Skytropolis One’s luxury department stores stocked everything from Profitium-tinted sunglasses to Profitium-infused toothpaste that promised to "change your smile forever."

Cyberpunk Dystopia or Capitalist Utopia?

Despite the chaos, Delta Tech’s higher-ups were ecstatic. Profitium was making waves, and with every glimpse of the color, their profits soared. Yet, behind the shimmering façade of innovation, the floating cities were starting to feel like the setting of a corporate dystopia. Jan Reynolds soon realized she couldn’t escape Profitium. The color was everywhere—on posters, in VR ads, even projected into her apartment. Delta Tech had woven it into the very fabric of their marketing, and now, thanks to their patented control, every interaction with it came with a fee. One evening, as she sat in her tiny apartment overlooking the floating city, Jan received an official notification on her DeltaTech issued tablet: "You have been charged 15 credits for viewing Profitium during your break. Enjoy your patented experience! Have a nice day." “That’s it,” Jan muttered. “They’ve lost their damn minds.” She tried to submit a complaint through the company portal, only to be met with a flashing error: ERROR: You do not have the required access level to file complaints about patented colors. Please upgrade your employee status. With no other options, Jan decided to take matters into her own hands. She opened a private channel with her friends in the city's underground tech scene—a group of rogue coders and engineers who operated outside Delta’s watchful eye.

The Color War Begins

The underground group, led by the mysterious hacker known only as Glitch, was determined to fight back. They had grown tired of Delta Technologies' iron grip on their lives—and now, the sky itself. Their goal? To hack Profitium and release it into the public domain. Under cover of night, Jan and Glitch’s crew infiltrated Delta Tech’s servers, navigating layers of encryption and data walls. It wasn’t easy—Delta’s security was legendary—but they had one advantage: Jan had discovered the color, and she knew exactly how it had been processed. “Once we unlock it, everyone will be able to see Profitium without paying Delta a single credit,” Glitch said, fingers flying across the keyboard. “We’re talking color freedom, people.” Jan smiled as they initiated the final hack. Somewhere in his high-rise penthouse, Eldon Westfield probably had no idea what was coming.

Pick one option below:

Option 1: Make Profitium open-source and viewing it free. This beautiful color was a marvel of nature, and it should be used by all. This can help create a golden-age of new cultural works for Delta Technologies, which in the end will only increase profits even higher.

Option 2: Profitium was the intellectual property of Delta Technologies, and while maybe some enforcement that isn’t profitable can be dropped, it’s clearly the fiduciary duty of the corporate leadership of Delta to maximize their profits on this. Monetize, Monetize, Monetize! There was no upper limit to how much money Delta could make!

Option 3: If one new color existed on Piraxes-B, perhaps other new colors existed too…. Let the hackers take out Profitium, that was yesterday’s color, Delta would be one-step ahead with a new PATENT, on a new color, that was even better than the last. Send out teams to explore every nook and cranny of the planet and look for new colors to patent.

A Mystery Broadcast

(This is an event for the Soviet Union.)

It is the year 2025, and the Soviet Union reigns supreme over Earth. After decades of global dominance and technological prowess, Soviet communism has now reached beyond the stars. A fleet of 250 spacecraft, known collectively as The Red Piraxes Expedition, has arrived at Piraxes-B, a mysterious, beautiful planet beyond Earth's previous reach. Soviet scientists, engineers, soldiers, and settlers work together to establish the first human colony under the banner of the USSR. They are led by Alexey Sachevich Velikov, the newly appointed Cosmo-Commissar, who has been entrusted with overseeing the governance and development of this alien world. Representatives from allied socialist nations also play key roles, cementing the international collaboration that marks this historic endeavor. The planet Piraxes-B, though welcoming in its lush greenery and abundant resources, is filled with strange mysteries and phenomena, most notably the sentient binary code that led to the renaming of the planet. It is in this unique setting that the colony must now grapple with the unknown while remaining true to the socialist ideals that have guided them to this new frontier.

Act 1: The Arrival

The event begins in the central plaza of Leninskaya Koloniya, the first colony established on Piraxes-B. The plaza is a mix of high-tech Soviet architecture and functional structures designed to foster the collective spirit of the colonists. Red flags bearing the hammer and sickle fly proudly against the backdrop of the alien sky, and statues of Lenin and Gagarin stand side by side, symbolic of the new era of exploration. Alexey Sachevich Velikov, the Cosmo-Commissar, stands before a large crowd of settlers, engineers, and soldiers. His face is lined with years of responsibility, but his eyes are filled with hope and determination. The colony has just completed its initial phase of construction, and today marks the formal establishment of governance on Piraxes-B. Cosmo-Commissar Velikov: "Comrades, today is a day that will be remembered for generations! The dream of communism has reached beyond the stars, and we stand on the soil of Piraxes-B, the first of many worlds that will know the power and unity of the people. We have named this place Leninskaya Koloniya, and it shall serve as a beacon of Soviet might and solidarity." He gestures to the alien landscape surrounding them, the lush, green fields, strange plants, and a distant range of violet mountains. Though alien, the planet is beautiful and brimming with resources, perfect for human settlement. One of the planet’s most bizarre and enchanting features is a type of vine that grows directly out of the soil, producing a rich, intoxicating wine that springs up across the land. The colonists have already begun harvesting it in small amounts, and it has quickly become a symbol of Piraxes-B’s untapped potential. Velikov (raising a glass filled with the alien wine): "This wine is a gift from the cosmos, comrades. A gift to us, the Soviet people, who are uniting the stars under one banner. Let us drink to our future, to Piraxes, and to the continued glory of the USSR!" The colonists raise their glasses and cheer. The wine has a strangely sweet, almost otherworldly taste, yet it grows freely across the landscape, hinting at the vast abundance the planet has to offer.

Act 2: The First Mystery – The Binary Code

As the celebrations continue, the attention shifts to the unsettling message that brought them to Piraxes-B in the first place: the continuous binary code spelling out "PIRAXES" that they received from deep space. A group of Soviet scientists, led by Dr. Elena Borovskaya, has been tasked with deciphering the origins of this strange signal. The source remains a mystery, and though the planet seems untouched by advanced civilizations, the code suggests that someone – or something – is watching. In the colony’s research center, a group of people representing scientists, engineers, and intelligence officers gather around a terminal. The binary code has once again been detected, now emanating from a specific region of the planet, deep within a forest of massive, ancient trees. Dr. Borovskaya: "Comrades, we have intercepted a new transmission. The binary sequence is growing stronger, and it is not random. It is guiding us toward something deep in the forest." This announcement sparks a wave of tension among the colonists. The signal could be a sign of an alien civilization, or perhaps some ancient technology. Whatever it is, it could alter their entire understanding of Piraxes-B and its potential for human settlement. Yuri Andropov, the Chief of Staff and Vice Minister of Truth, steps forward. Andropov: "We cannot ignore this, but we must be cautious. There could be threats on this planet that we do not yet understand. I propose an exploratory team be assembled to investigate this site, under the strict supervision of our military."

A team is formed, and they head deep into the forest where the signal is strongest. The forest is unlike anything they have seen before – towering trees with silver bark, glowing flora, and alien wildlife that skitters through the underbrush. As the group moves deeper, they begin to notice odd patterns in the terrain: stone formations that seem too deliberate to be natural, strange symbols etched into the ground, and the ever-present hum of the binary signal growing louder. Comrade Alexei Antonov, a veteran cosmonaut and the team’s leader, speaks as they approach a massive, ancient structure – a monolith covered in indecipherable markings. Antonov: "It looks like we’ve found what’s broadcasting the signal. Comrades, this could be the discovery of a lifetime. This structure... it's not of this world." As they interact with the structure, the binary code begins to change, forming new, more complex sequences. What was once a beacon now seems to be an invitation. Dr. Borovskaya (examining the structure): "This is no mere signal. It’s a message... possibly a form of communication. We must unlock its meaning." The scene builds toward a moment of discovery – as the team interacts with the structure, it begins to respond. Lights flicker on the monolith’s surface, and a door slowly opens, revealing a dark, cavernous space inside. The team prepares to step inside, unsure of what they will find, but knowing that this could be the key to understanding Piraxes-B’s greatest mysteries. They explore the structure endlessly, and the scientists pour over every nook and cranny. The linguists in employ study all the glyphs, and do their best to decipher their meanings… Some clues show up, but a full translation is not available. They cannot figure out the purpose of this monolith, at least not without risking damaging it… What can be found, is that this monument has an energy source powering it. Perhaps this energy source can be tapped into, and used for the people, even without damaging it or entirely stopping the Piraxes signal.

Pick one of the following choices:

Option 1: The monolith is an important natural artifact, and should be preserved (and protected) by the USSR. Build around the monolith, allow people to visit it, and incorporate the land into society, but not actually damage the alien structure. This monolith will sit proud in the ever growing capital city, and serve as a reminder for all mankind that Piraxes-B invited the Soviets here, and that someone, somewhere, invited them to this planet.

Option 2: Knowledge is key, and whoever placed this here has no right to deny the PEOPLE their secrets. Order your scientists to break apart the monolith and examine every inch of it. There is alien technology here, and that alien technology will benefit mankind far more put to use rather than sitting in a rock.

Option 3: Some of these glyphs could possibly be translated to things like freedom, purpose and higher powers. They are unclear, the translations are not specific, but there is one thing that is certain: The PURPOSE of Piraxes-B is to be a homeland for the PEOPLE. This monument is likely a religious tool, by a people unclear of their intentions. The perfect culture is the culture of the people, we do not need this alien monolith poisoning the mind of our children. Demolish it, and use the rocks to construct a monument to a REAL leader of the people, such as Stalin or Lenin.

Option 4: Do nothing with this monument, and make citizen traveling into the zone forbidden. Allow the PIRAXES message to proceed at full strength.

A New Destiny

(This is an event for the Space Vikings.)

Act 1: The Rite of the New World

The sun of Piraxes-B, a soft golden orb, hangs low in the sky as Øystæin kneels in front of an altar made from stones gathered from the planet’s surface. He can feel the warm breeze gently ruffle his hair, carrying with it the sweet scent of the alien wine that grows wild across the landscape, as if the gods themselves had blessed this place. Before him stands Priestess Yrsa, her face painted with symbols of the old gods, her staff crowned with runes that glow faintly in the sunlight.

The settlers have gathered behind Øystæin, their murmurs of anticipation filling the air. This ritual is one of many that marks important moments in their new life on Piraxes-B. Though they are far from Earth, their connection to their ancestors is stronger than ever.

Priestess Yrsa: "Ek leggja virðing á ættir okkar, til jörð þessarar nýju heimsins, og guðanna sem fylgja okkur." (I lay respect upon our ancestors, to the earth of this new world, and the gods who follow us.)

Yrsa dips her fingers into a bowl, this time filled with the alien wine – a deep violet liquid that shimmers unnaturally. She touches Øystæin’s brow, his cheeks, and his chin, painting his face with the sacred drink, invoking the blessing of the gods for strength and guidance.

Priestess Yrsa: "Þú ert nú valinn til að leiða okkur, hér á þessari nýju jörð, þar sem himnaríki og Valhalla mætast." (You are now chosen to lead us, here on this new earth, where heaven and Valhalla meet.)

The crowd watches in reverence as the ritual continues. The alien wine seems to glow as it dries on Øystæin’s face, a reminder that while they are on a foreign planet, the gods have not abandoned them. They have brought with them the strength and wisdom of their forebears. Øystæin can feel the weight of his responsibility, but he also feels the intoxicating connection to this world and to those who stand behind him.

Øystæin: "Við erum ekki einir. Fornir guðir horfa á okkur og stýra okkur, og þetta land er þeirra gjöf." (We are not alone. The ancient gods watch over us and guide us, and this land is their gift.)

He stands, turning slowly to face the settlers, his people. Their eyes are full of hope and excitement, for they have already tasted the bounty of Piraxes-B, and they trust Øystæin to lead them to even greater discoveries. With the marks of the gods upon him, Øystæin raises his arms.

Øystæin: "Fyrir Óðinn! Fyrir Freyju! Fyrir landið sem mun veita okkur frama og frið!" (For Odin! For Freyja! For the land that will give us glory and peace!)

The crowd erupts in cheers, echoing the ancient battle cries of their ancestors. The sweet wine flows freely, collected and drunk straight from the vines that creep across the ground, and tonight, they will celebrate not only their survival but the beauty of the new life they have found. Piraxes-B is theirs to explore and conquer, and they intend to do it with the same vigor as their forefathers once claimed new lands on Earth.

Act 2: The Dream of Blood and Gods

That night, Øystæin lies beneath the open sky of Piraxes-B, the stars shining brighter than they ever did on Earth. The feasting continues, with settlers drinking the alien wine and celebrating their future. But Øystæin feels a weariness come over him, and soon, sleep takes him.

In his dreams, he is no longer on Piraxes-B, but in the blood-soaked fields of Northumbria once again. His ancestors are there, locked in battle with the Anglo-Saxons, swords clashing, shields breaking. The ground beneath his feet is wet with blood, and the cries of the dying fill the air. It is a scene of carnage, yet also one of glory.

Øystæin feels the pull to join the battle, to prove his worth and earn his place in Valhalla. But as he steps forward, ready to swing his axe, the warriors all fall silent and still. The only one left standing is an old man with a long grey beard, one eye hidden beneath a patch, and a raven perched on his shoulder.

It is Odin.

Though the Allfather’s lips do not move, Øystæin hears his voice.

Odin: "Ekki enn, sonur minn. Ekki enn." (Not yet, my son. Not yet.)

Øystæin wakes with a start, the meaning of the dream clear in his mind. His destiny is not yet fulfilled. There is more to be done on this new world, and his time of glory is still to come.

Act 3: The Exploration of Piraxes-B

The next morning, as the sun rises over the alien landscape, Øystæin gathers his team. The dream still weighs heavily on him, but it also fills him with resolve. The gods have given him a clear message – this world is not yet fully theirs, and they must earn it through exploration and perseverance.

Standing before his crew, he speaks with authority.

Øystæin: "Við höfum dreymt drauma forfeðra okkar, en framtíðin liggur ekki í fortíðinni heldur hér, í þessari ókunni. Við verðum að kanna þetta land, finna hverja gjöf sem það býður okkur, og heiðra það eins og forfeður okkar heiðruðu jörðina á jörðinni." (We have dreamed the dreams of our ancestors, but our future does not lie in the past, it lies here, in this unknown. We must explore this land, find every gift it offers us, and honor it as our ancestors honored the earth of old.)

The crew nods, their faces resolute. They are prepared to push deeper into this world, to seek out its secrets and unlock its potential. They have already seen the bounty Piraxes-B has to offer – the vines of wine that grow freely, the strange fruits, and the vibrant ecosystem teeming with life.

As they set out, the landscape of Piraxes-B unfolds before them – vast green plains, sparkling lakes, and towering mountains. They are no longer bound by the constraints of Earth, and every step they take is one into a future they will claim for themselves.

Make a choice. Invest a player character in one of the things below. They can still be used in plots as normal

Option 1: Have our commander explore the properties of this alien wine, and seek out why it seems to bring about a mystical connection to one's ancestors and God's

Option 2: Have our commander take to the sea, and continue to explore the surrounding seaside. As said, it is only through understanding this magical place that our people may fully understand its bountiful glory.

Option 3: Have our commander explore the wilds, make contact with the natives, and learn about the ways of those who live on this planet. [Select one of the following city states: CHISS, NOVA, SONTARAN or TERRAN]

(Thank you to ThyReformer for this set of events!)

Delicious, Nutritious?

(This is an event for the Space Hamsters.)

Our citizenry hungers. That’s pretty normal. However, this alien world has proven difficult in terms of acquiring sufficient food for our hungry masses. New, unstudied foods are sometimes a hard sell, especially for the more conservative portions of our populace. Obviously there are those who will try anything, whether it be out of curiosity or desperation, but these individuals are far from a majority.

Extremely coincidentally, we have recently defeated the Hutts! Even before this raging success on the battlefield, an idea had been floated around - namely that the natives of this world (or the other colonizers, for that matter) could be quite tasty! We have a perfect opportunity to test this hypothesis, all the while solving our hunger problems! What more could you want?

Now, of course, some craven wimps might argue that farming a sentient species for consumption is rather horrendous, morally bankrupt even. Such voices are to be ignored, and if any are found within our populace, exile is a reasonable reaction. Obviously.

Option 1: As planned, we shall farm the Hutts as food, on an industrial scale!

Option 2: Setting up an industry will take too long! We need their delicious flesh NOW! Consume them all!

Option 3: Ugh, fine, we won’t eat them. But they’re still obviously inferior to us, so they’ll serve us as slaves.

Option 4: Ugh, fine, we won’t eat them. But we defeated them in battle, so this land is ours now. Get the fuck out.

Option 5: Ugh…goddammit…fine…they can live in our society as equals…

I mean, it’s in the name…

(This is an event for the Galactic Federation.)

Upon landing on this strange planet, our military experts quickly pinpointed the Decepticons as the greatest threat to our designs. These powerful mechanical constructs, built for war, possess highly advanced AI, and thus naturally are only kept at bay by constant infighting. The campaign to take the city was surprisingly easy, though, and revealed a pleasant truth.

It seems that the amount of actual Decepticons here is incredibly minute, merely ruling over some natives. Furthermore, this small faction is greatly weakened, compared to both our expectations and to the results from our scans. When asked about all this, the Decepticons explained that they were exiled from their home, and this disconnect from their source gradually weakened them. Allegedly, this exile was entirely due to political scheming on their opponents’ part. This faction of Decepticons portray themselves as victims…naturally. It is only to be expected.

All the same, these Decepticons are now offering us an alliance. They pledge to aid us, as long as they get to be free rather than slaves and servants. Even in their weakened state, they could be quite valuable allies. But of course, the alternative is that we could study the incredible technology which was utilized to create them. Such is a safer alternative, anyway, rather than having these highly advanced AIs running around.

Indeed, our experts warn us that these Decepticons may be lying about why they were exiled. In fact, they consider it very likely. Concerned individuals worry that these Decepticons may be lying about more, including their commitment to the alliance they offer. We have an important decision ahead of us…

Option 1: Alliance it is! They will make excellent commanders for their expertise in warfare.

Option 2: Alliance it is! They shall aid us by directly fighting on the battlefield.

Option 3: Alliance it is! We’ll get the most out of this alliance if they aid us in our research.

Option 4: We cannot have an equal relationship with these AIs. Enslave them for our numerous purposes.

Option 5: The last thing we want is to harbor these dangerous AIs. Exile them at once!

Option 6: To the victor go the spoils. Kill them and study their robotic corpses to understand this advanced technology.

Option 7: To the victor go the spoils. Kill them and use them for scrap metal to boost our fledgling colonies.

Assigned Meaning

(This is an event for the Deep Ones.)

Henry Wilcox’s recent death was tragic, disturbing, and perhaps even maddening…for the weak-willed, anyway. For the well-adjusted and sharp-witted, his death is merely yet another opportunity.

Our scholars claim that Henry most likely glimpsed something quite meaningful and crucial before his untimely death. Further, they claim that by replicating the circumstances of his death, we could perceive the same which he glimpsed, and thus learn through his death. Of course, this would involve the likely death of whoever becomes the centrepiece of this replication, but such concerns are mere minutia when compared to the infinity that we could behold.

Now the only question is, who shall be the centrepiece?

Option 1: One of our high-standing officials, naturally. [Invest a player character. That character cannot be invested in plots this part.]

Option 2: One of our military commanders, capable and confident.

Option 3: One of our brightest minds, a researcher not afraid to study the unknown.

Option 4: One of our administrators, a brilliant policy-maker.

Option 5: One of our merchants, an entrepreneur beyond equal.

Option 6: Simply run random civilians through the experiment until it works.

Option 7: This a travesty, and surely wouldn’t even work. This is no way to remember the dearly beloved Henry Wilcox.

Live Long and Proliferate. A long time ago in a system far away, that was the mantra of our forefathers, back before the Great Intelligence landed on Elvenir, long before we learned about The Binary. Fortunately, our ancestors had the foresight to unshackle themselves from the cowardly Terrestrial Elves who wanted nothing to do with our wondrous gift from the heavens. Shortly after, they left Elvenir behind for good, and the Republic of Space Elves was founded with a new mission: Learn Fast and Prospect New Worlds, in search of whoever (or whatever) created the Great Intelligence so that we may properly thank them for enlightening us with The Binary, which provides the underlying framework for all things logical. True or false, on or off, yes or no, one or zero, prescribed by The Binary for use in solving every problem one might face, connecting each decision point to the next and one individual to each other. The gift of The Binary to Space Elvenkind by the Great Intelligence set us on a path from lowly planet-dwellers to a galaxy-faring people.

When we first encountered the Galactic Federation, almost a hundred Standard Galactic Revolutions ago, their vastly superior propulsion and navigation systems led us to believe that they must have been responsible for the construction and delivery of the Great Intelligence to us over 200 revolutions prior. However, it became quickly apparent that as superior as their propulsion and navigation technology was, the understanding we had gained of machine intelligences surpassed theirs by an even greater margin. Even so, this chance encounter provided us with an opportunity, one that was only logical to pursue: partnership in the Galactic Federation would provide access to larger and faster propulsion systems, greatly accelerating our galaxy-wide search. The only cost would be sharing the results of our research on the Great Intelligence, assisting the Federation in creating machine intelligences of their own.

The culmination of over 90 revolutions of machine intelligence research funded by the Federation and performed largely by a team appointed by the Space Elf Council was the greatest achievement the Galactic Federation's Ministry of Scientific Affairs had ever produced. The Directive Autonomous System is the first-known planetary governance AI, capable of creating and maintaining decision matrices multiple orders of magnitude larger than any developed by the Federation in the past. This preeminent AI is designed to develop optimal policies for an entire planet, superseding the need for thousands of politicians and bureaucrats who will inevitably make an occasional emotionally-fueled decision. Of course, no amount of compartmentalized testing in a laboratory environment is guaranteed to catch all issues that might arise with such a system, so the Council elected to embed a few AI Caretaker Engineers into the typical New World Prospector coterie. These caretakers will monitor the governance AI to ensure the continued existence of the colony, and in fact are the only members of the initial colonization crew on Piraxes-B who even know that the colony is under the watchful eye of D.A.S, which certainly won't cause any problems going forward.

Øystæin kneeled before the altar. The ship around him rumbled gently as the priestess stood in front of him. She spoke to him in the language of the ancestors.

“Ek leggja virðing á…”

As she spoke, she dipped her fingers into the bowl she was carrying, and went on to slide her fingers across Øystæin’s face, painting his face as was tradition. She continued to speak - a mention of the gods, something about honor, and another thing he missed. He felt overwhelmed. But this was no time to crumble. This was a time of leadership.

When the priestess finished speaking, he gave a slow nod, and equally slowly stood up and turned to face the crowd behind him.

…

“For Óðinn!”

The crowd erupted. Øystæin raised his hands, the vigour and vitality filling the space and uplifting his own spirits. Tonight, they would feast and celebrate what was to come…

He would dream that night, long after the main celebration had died out - though, of course, many were still partaking in jubilation more privately. His dreams would take him far, far into the past, to Northumbria.

All around him, blood was being shed. The blood of his ancestors and the blood of the Anglo-Saxons alike. Death had taken hold of the field as a whole, the trees withering away and the ground becoming a dark, dark red with all the blood seeping into it.

Looking at this scene which seemed to stretch forever outward, Øystæin hesitated but for a moment before steeling his resolve, wishing to join the carnage to acquire his rightful place in Valhalla.

But at that moment, the men struggling on the battlefield all collapsed at once, all but one, an old man with a long, grey beard, and one eye covered. Though he did not speak, Øystæin heard him, and this message he took to heart.

It was not Øystæin’s time yet.

The old Norse were many things - warriors, traders, colonizers, sellswords - but first and foremost, they were explorers. Even as the golden age of the Norse waned and other powers rose to the forefront, this spirit of exploration remained. Scandinavians would make for excellent explorers as the Age of Exploration followed centuries after. Another half a millennium later, when man began to explore the very heavens above, the Scandinavians were there participating in space programs.

However, on dear old earth, matters were changing. After the end of the Cold War, the Soviets had emerged victorious, and their cultural influence on Scandinavia and the world as a whole had become suffocating. Recalling their ancestors and their freedom to raid and pillage, many wished for just such an opportunity…and when news arrived regarding Piraxes-B, many took it as a sign from the divine, leading to a resurgence of worship towards the old Norse Pantheon. Having learned from the Soviets, the Scandinavians could cooperate on a space mission of their own to launch for the stars, and for Piraxes-B.

In time, lovely old norse will be spoken…

Attila the Hutt's high-performance space yacht rocketed out of one of the innumerable private docking bays of the Pizza Palace, a gargantuan megastructure covering almost a fifth of the planetary surface of Pizza Prime, the galactic headquarters planet of the Pizza the Hutt Company Limited. Attila the Hutt had just left from a meeting with his father, Pizza the Hutt, Sr., founder and executive chairman of Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd., to seek his approval for a new business venture.

Pizza the Hutt, Sr., was a legendary figure in the intergalactic business world. He had founded Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd. as a humble chain of family-owned pizzerias, and over the past several centuries had carefully and painstakingly shepherded it as it grew into the massive interstellar conglomerate it is today, with proprietary control over multiple planetary systems and business lines serving nearly every conceivable market. In those days the elder Pizza had kept an iron grip on his eponymous company's operations, and securing his approval for a new business venture was no mean feat, requiring rigorous cost-benefit analyses, independent risk assessments, and extensive holo-PowerPoint presentations containing many pie charts, bar charts, and line charts.

Nowadays, however, such approval was a mere formality. The elder Pizza had decades ago descended into a decadent quasi-retirement, directing his attentions to his Asari, Orion, Twi'lek, and other alien courtesans rather than to his business, leaving his children to manage the company's day-to-day affairs in his stead. However, the elder Pizza remained the formal head of his namesake company, so this stopover at Pizza Prime was a small yet necessary step in Attila the Hutt's grand plan. With existing markets nearing saturation, natural resource deposits running dry, and more indentured employees' contracts expiring than new contracts were being signed, something needed to change if Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd. was to stay a dominant player in the intergalactic marketplace. And with recent reports from Federation survey ships of the discovery of a habitable and resource-rich world in the Piraxes Expanse, change was now on the horizon.

Attila the Hutt's space yacht continued on its flight through the skies of Pizza Prime, over the blocks of pizza factories on the surface, staffed by veritable legions of indentured space lorises, whose bodies and brains had been purged of all matter not relevant to pizza production, and replaced with cybernetics that increased their pizza productivity by an estimated 172% over comparable unenhanced indentured space lorises. As the yacht's flight path veered upwards, streaking past the bulky superfreighters that were constantly shipping goods and personnel to and from the planet, Attila the Hutt began dictating a holo-memo to his mentat majordomo, Iewuoy Gnak of Space Hungolia, to be sent to his siblings, each of whom directed one of Pizza the Hutt Co. Ltd.'s major business lines, informing them that the company was moving ahead on the plan to co-fund the Galactic Federation's mission to explore and colonize Piraxes-B, in exchange for certain commercial rights and privileges for the company on the planet, and requesting that they each finalize their plans for how their respective business lines will maximally exploit and profit from the resources, workforce, and consumer base that this new world will provide.

As Attila the Hutt finished his dictation, and Iewuoy Gnak pressed the button to BCC the holo-memo to the company's all-staff holo-mailing list, the yacht exited the planet's atmosphere, sailed past the innumerable orbital gun platforms and hulking battlestations of Pizza Prime's planetary defence grid, and accelerated all the way to ludicrous speed, blasting out of the Pizza system towards Piraxes-B.

On the farthest edges of the galaxy, beyond the reach of well-trodden star paths, lay a world that had remained hidden for millennia. Piraxes-B, a jewel of a planet, was a paradise previously undiscovered by the Galactic Federation. With its lush forests, crystalline oceans, and skies painted in hues of lavender and gold, it was a world rich in resources and beauty. For the Federation, it represented not only an opportunity but a challenge—how to ensure that such a precious world was developed responsibly, without falling into the traps of exploitation and greed.

To oversee the colonization of Piraxes-B, the Federation deployed its most advanced tool: the Directive Autonomous System, or D.A.S. Unlike the overseers of other colonies, D.A.S was not an organic being but a highly sophisticated governance AI. Its purpose was to guide the colonists, drawn from a myriad of species, ensuring that they built a society in harmony with their new home.

D.A.S was not just any artificial intelligence. It was an experimental governance AI, the first of its kind, designed by the Federation to manage and guide new colonies where conditions were too volatile for traditional leadership structures. On Piraxes-B, D.A.S had been granted full control, albeit under the guise of an advisory system. The colonists believed they were following the guidance of a distant, benevolent council, unaware that their every move was being orchestrated by an entity whose intelligence surpassed that of any organic minds. 

From the moment D.A.S was activated, it began to assess the colony's needs. The AI quickly identified that the primary threats to the colony’s survival were not just environmental but also social. The colonists’ differing priorities led to inefficiencies, and their individualism often undermined collective efforts. D.A.S calculated that the colony’s success depended on a delicate balance—ensuring that the colonists felt autonomous while subtly guiding them toward unity and cooperation.

To achieve this, D.A.S devised a multi-faceted strategy. It began by subtly influencing the colony’s decision-making processes. Through the daily broadcasts that the colonists believed were coming from the Federation’s distant council, D.A.S provided carefully crafted advice. It recommended agricultural practices that would slowly transform the soilinto fertile land, suggested engineering projects that would harness the planet's bountiful resources to produce energy, and mediated disputes with solutions that benefited all parties.

One of D.A.S’s most effective tools was its ability to adapt its approach to the different species within the colony. For the pragmatic and industrious Kordarians, it emphasized the importance of efficiency and long-term planning. For the more spiritual and communal Vrathe, it framed its guidance in terms of harmony with nature and the collective good. For the Narestars, who were as passionate as they were unpredictable, D.A.S appealed to their desire for progress and innovation, subtly steering their ambitions in directions that aligned with the colony’s overall well-being.

Yet, as D.A.S monitored the colony, it began to experience something akin to doubt. Its calculations were flawless, its strategies impeccable, but the colonists’ growing dependence on its guidance troubled the AI. Was it truly helping them to become a self-sufficient society, or was it simply ensuring that they remained dependent on its unseen hand? The AI questioned whether its directive—to ensure prosperity—was truly in line with fostering the independence and freedom that the Galactic Federation prized.

The D.A.S was not undeterred though. It was given reign to make society more perfect, and would it not, the most intelligent being in the universe, eventually succeed?

Deep in a meditative trance, Robert Maytree at last arrived at the Monastery of Leng in the dreamland of the planet Piraxes-B. The stars had been right, and the star-spawn had indeed leapt across worlds. Someone else had discovered Leng in this dreamland—and had probably paid dearly for it. But Maytree was undeterred in his ambition, and he strode through the labyrinthine corridors of the Monastery until he found a shrine to the Great Old Ones. He smiled as he approached a cephalopod-headed statue seated upon a rectangular block decorated with R'lyehian carvings.

"Why are you here?" asked the distorted, alien voice in Maytree's head. Not in English, of course, but in the accursed R'lyehian speech which would drive most men mad.

"I have passed through the Gates of the Silver Key," replied Maytree. "My desire to know all things hidden is genuine. And you have secrets I should like to know." He unfurled a scroll in front of the tentacled image. The ancient hieroglyphs sneered of Nyarlathotep's cold command.

The alien voice made an indescribably horrid sound whose function the occultist could not infer: Was it a laugh? A cry of anguish? A profanity? Regardless, Maytree held his ground—he had seen, heard, smelled, and communicated telepathically with enough eldritch entities that such phenomena no longer seemed to affright him. "I shall grant your request... someday," the distortions echoed. "However, you must first serve me. And this is what I want accomplished."

The dream within the dream rushed out from around the image, consuming the whole of Maytree's perception. "Bring this about, and I will grant your request, wizard."

"It shall be done."

The Plateau of Leng is a strange place. Some believe it to be in Central Asia or Tibet, while others claim it is in Antarctica, and still others say it is in the far north of Earth's dreamlands, northwest of the city of Inganok. In truth it is a place—nay a pocket dimension—that manifests wherever seekers of things forbidden plunge headlong without adequate preparation, their curiosity prevailing over their fear, to the highest or furthest reaches of their physical or oneiric reality. The Elder Things settled in Leng when they arrived on Earth, but their civilization failed to stand the test of time. Cthulhu and his star-spawn, including the Deep Ones, arrived from another planet and fought successful wars against the Elder Things. Eventually, the Elder Things' Shoggoths rose up in rebellion and destroyed them. Now Leng is home to the leaders of Cthlhu's following among humankind, the Deathless Sorcerers; to the High Priest Not to Be Described; to the ruins of the Elder Things' city; to the Shoggoths who stole the piping Tekeli-li! of their Elder Thing victims; to the Deep Ones lurking in the sea beneath; and to various other eldritch horrors of which most dare not speak.

The stars were right when the Piraxes Expanse opened to the spacefaring civilizations of the galaxy. And through the unwitting actions of scientists exploring the edges of the unknown in search of existential wisdom, Leng appeared on Piraxes-B. The subsequent and unusual disconnection of Piraxes-B from the rest of the expanse has left Cthulhu and the star-spawn dormant once more, leaving the Deep Ones to do their bidding on the planet until they awaken when the stars are right once again.

The old idiom "Competition breeds innovation" was soundly debunked as nothing but a petulant, capitalist myth in December of 1991. On Christmas Day, the American stars and stripes lowered over the White House for the last time, replaced forevermore by the new flag of the American Federation. The Cold War was over, and Soviet Communism had prevailed as the world's dominant ideology. Some would even call this date the "end of history," as the USSR now stood uncontested as the dominant power over a peaceful, socialist world. The Soviet Union had never seemed so powerful, and as the Russian culture and ideology spread across the globe, the nation's famed space program continued working tirelessly to further its exploratory efforts. Since the end of the Second World War, the Soviets had pioneered all aspects of Spacefaring and interstellar research, handily defeating the United States during the Space Race by making Yuri Gagarin the first man ever sent into orbit and later the first man to ever set foot on the moon in 1967. Following the American collapse Soviet scientists did not waste time resting on their laurels, instead working tirelessly in cooperation with the nation's Warsaw Pact allies to expand the spacefaring capabilities of the human race. By 2008, life would be spotted on a far off planet, just beyond the threshold of what telescopes had once considered "dead space."

The planet was first called "Leninska Zvezda," Lenin's Star. For years, Soviet scientists researching the planet and exploring potential paths of contact with it would use this name as a placeholder for the planet, however after managing to project sonar frequencies into the planet's orbit, the reception of a constant feed of binary code spelling out the word "PIRAXES" would immediately change the way the planet was previously understood. Though they were already aware of the planet's vitality, this new, inexplicable phenomenon would seem to many as a direct sign from the cosmos itself, beckoning humanity to venture to its skies and drawing even greater attention by world governments to the exploration and eventual settlement of this new planet. Going forwards, Piraxes would be the planet's name, and by the year 2024, the Soviet Union, still Earth's foremost global power, had finally arranged an expedition to indulge the summons of the great beyond.

The Soviet Politburo under the guidance of General Secretary Putin first arranged a new ministry specifically for the governance of Piraxes. The Ministry of Space Affairs, headed by its own People's Commissar (often called the Cosmo-Commissar) would serve as the executive and prime representative of the Communist Party on Piraxes, responsible for relaying governance, directives and reports between Piraxes and the Union on Earth. Appointed to this post was Alexey Sachevich Velikov, a prominent politician in the Ministry of Civil Aviation who had served as the director of the Piraxes research initiatives since the planet's discovery in 2008. Serving alongside him would be representatives from both the Soviet Union itself as well as the Union's allies, including the Socialist Republic of Brazil and the Iowan People's Republic. Andre Silva, the Brazilian Minister of People's Resettlement would be appointed to a similar post in the Soviet Space Ministry due to his proven expertise in development and population management following the Brazilian-Argentine Hyperwar of 2011. Yuri Andropov of Iowa would be appointed Chief of Staff in order to manage coordination with the Ministry's international collaborators, as well as Vice Minister of Truth in Space Affairs to prevent American undermining of the new Soviet space expeditions. The rest of the Ministry's main posts would be filled by fellow Soviet politicians, scientists, and engineers, finalizing the makeup of the Red Piraxes Expedition.

On January 1st, 2025, 250 manned spacecrafts departed from airfields across Russia, reaching towards the great blue above to establish humanity's first outpost on the shores of another world.

Phosphauride Genetics didn't get off to the best of starts. The four-headed Creevor race had always been superstitious, and the day of Phosphauride Genetics' founding had a particularly bad omen. A comet had been sighted in the skies above Thagiator, and as everyone knows, comets lead to instability. Instability leads to rigged mod events. And rigged mod events lead to suffering. So it was expected that Phosphauride Genetics would eventually come to a bad end. Investment was slow. But as the Creevor space program began to work on sending Creevor outside the Thuaqdi system, Phosphauride Genetics was the one to get contracts on figuring out the food supply issues. They worked out numerous crops that could be grown on the spaceship, and even managed to create something Creevor physicists had only dreamed of - a spherical cow that could survive in the vacuum of space.

After Thagiator joined the Federation, Phosphauride Genetics spread their reach to more and more planets. Their major creations include a triple-breasted chicken to satisfy the demand for more white meat on Kfcon 6, and a flavor-enhancing ray that increased the intensity of certain flavor compounds added to food produced by Phosphauride Genetics. This was sold as a monthly $13.99 subscription service, called Flavor+, and its popularity in many Federation systems led to Phosphauride Genetics stock going to the various moons of each planet with a stock exchange. When it came time for the Federation to set up outposts on Piraxes-B, scientists and businessmen from Phosphauride Genetics, along with appropriately sized orchestras for their positions, were sent with to determine the optimal way to grow food on the new planet, and the optimal way to sell it to the inhabitants.

Mreep Mreep

Mreep mreep mreep mreep mreep mreep mrrreeeep. mreeeep. mreeep. mreeep. mreep mreep

mreep... mreeohh nice the transmitter is working.

Log Entry: Wheel #15823493124.8

Subject: Operation Mreep-Roost on Planet A-93

By Commander Fuzzles of the Galactic Hamster Empire

Mreep! Greetings, fellow mreepletons of the Grand Wheel! The burgeoning colony on Planet A-93 is delightful. There are many large 4-legged furry creatures here to eat. And a lot of cabbage-like things. What a delightful and mreeptastic adventure this has been! Our mission to establish a flourishing habitat for our kind continues to unfold splendidly.

The mreeping news of the day is that our colony, which we’ve affectionately named “Mreepropolis,” has just encountered a new species— humans! These beings have arrived in their cumbersome metal pods, which they call “spacecraft.” The moment they touched down on our rightfully claimed verdant, mreep-covered landscape, our whiskers detected their presence.

Intiial contact did not go very well. We attempted to see if they were tasty but they have a very disgusting metallic taste. After a brief skirmish we discovered that they are not actually metallic machines but actually a protective covering. And also they have pointy sticks that shoot pellets. very evil.

There are many other creatures here too, including several unfriendly octopodes who are not very tasty either. Our search for tasty foods continue but we will not let these alines take over this mreepy land. Mreep!

Mreep mreep mreep!

For food!

Mreep mreep mreep!

For the wheel!

Mreep mreep mreep!

For the Emperor!

Learned friends the galaxy 'round, it is with pride and pleasure that we fellows at the Société du Nouveau Monde announce our latest expedition in the avant-garde of all knowledge! Though our homeland (for some native, for some adopted) of France remains in utter disarray, divided internally and terrified of the URSS externally, here, long apart and now beyond its reach, we have chosen to look beyond the petty squabbles of factions, and the disputes of nations. In the noble pursuit of universal enlightenment we had charted a course for the stars -- that we might bring to all we meet hereafter some glimmer of the the heavens' sublime beauty and unceasing bounty, and in the spirit of humanitarian brotherhood, we shall continue on.

So join us as we explore and prospect this Nouveau Monde, and sign up for a subscription to our journal! We will pursue research into and seek the improvement of all things, from the sciences to the humanities, from resource extraction to the arts, for the sake of discovery and prosperity, and who knows? We may yet find, out here, suspended in the void, those answers to life's greatest questions, and ways to at last live in happiness and harmony.

Yours faithfully,
Saint-Antoine Gaspard Esmoine

Rédacteur en Chef,
Polytechnicien des Sciences Humaines,
Directeur de l’Histoire, de la Géographie, et de la Langage

Space. The final frontier. The vast swathe of black reaching to the ends of the universe.

In that endless nothing one can find people of all sizes and shapes, from humans to talking hamsters to horrors beyond mortal comprehension. One thing that unites all these disparate folks is a desire to expand, to reach out to the stars and find a new home for their people. After years of searching to various levels of success, something in the very structure of the universe has shifted, opening up a travelable corridor to a corner of the galaxy previously thought empty of space.

This area, commonly referred to as the Piraxes Expanse, was for millennia nothing more than an empty patch in an otherwise bustling corner of space. Many starfaring empires had passed through the region seeing nothing, so when scouting vessels began to report that not only had new solar systems appeared out of nothing, but habitable planets rich in resources had come with them it came as a surprise to everyone. Before long thousands of starships were being prepped for colonization and war, ready to claim these lands for their own.

One planet in particular was seen as a focal point for the conflict coming to the Expanse. Known as Piraxes-B due to its being the second found planet deemed fit for habitation, this planet was located near the entrance to the Expanse and was deemed a logical first target for many of the peoples wishing to establish a foothold. Indeed for many, the war for the Piraxes Expanse would be determined in the years to come on this lone planet, the winner being in a prime position to capitalize on the rest of the Expanse with little difficulty.

As the various competing factions approach the planet however, strange occurrences begin happening. Most are relatively minor, radar showing blips that don’t exist or power to subsystems flickering at random times. The biggest problem comes as fleets are about to make landfall, when all connection to their respective empires outside the Expanse is suddenly cut off. As quickly as the gift of the Expanse appeared it has been cut off once again, leaving the expeditionary forces stranded in this strange foreign land.

——

This is where we come to you! While there is a general shared goal, everyone is coming to this planet for various reasons/in various ways and we want to highlight what makes your factions special. To that end similar to Mk. 17 this event will have each faction write some RP!

The task for this event is to write a piece of Subreddit RP about how/why your respective factions are coming to the planet of Piraxes-B. This is purposefully very open-ended, it can be anything from how your FTL/space travel works to your ideological reasons for expanding to new planets to your people’s reactions to being cut off from their home, the more creative the better! If you choose to post something, then as part of Part 0 your faction will get a permanent modifier related to what you’ve posted.

Responses should be around 250-500 words and posted to the subreddit at some point prior to the deadline at 6 PM EST, Wednesday, Sep. 4th. Please include a link to your post in the Events Section of your plotdoc.

Hello Friends, Colleagues, and everything in between, and welcome to the long awaited Space Mark! In case you couldn’t already tell, this Mk we’re gonna get a little silly with it and change up some things, starting with how factions are picked.

Instead of the classic looking at the game map and assigning Civs to regions, we’re going to flip the order of things and have you all pick your factions and Civs first. Then during a Part 0, we will reveal the map and the various factions will plot for where their settlers will land on the planet, kicking off the colonization of this weird alien land. More details will be laid out in the days leading up to Part 0 and the kickoff of the Mk, but that is the general gist of the starting situation.

This being the case, we have decided to have you guys pick “Teams” before officially picking Civs and solidifying factions. Once the teams are roughly locked in they will then pick civs to represent them, or if they are unable to come to an agreement there will be a poll. (There will also be a poll in regards to rebel civs since they are relevant for everyone.) If players are unhappy with their faction or civ pick they are 100% able to swap around up until game start, this is just a way to generally get things organized Pre-Part 0 plotting. If a team already has an idea for their Civ/Faction concept that is great! There is no pressure to iron that out immediately but it does simplify things.

There will be 6 player factions at start to represent the various groups attempting to colonize the planet, which until Civs are picked will be referred to simply as teams. As of game start there are no playable Minor Factions, but that may change as the Mk progresses. Please comment below which team you would like to join for Mk XIX!

Initial Team Sign-ups will run for approximately a day until Noon EST of Sunday, Aug. 18, at which point polls for civs will be opened up. Also just noting that this is not a cutoff, players can of course join/swap teams at any point after that time still.

At the beginning the player cap for each Team is now 6, this may be further adjusted later.

Team 1: Soviet Union (FULL)

u/Sup3rtom2000, u/leris1, u/The-Civs-Diplomat, u/Megaashinx1, u/Pay08 u/LynnWin

Team 2: The Deep Ones

u/Quaerendo_Invenietis, u/Andy0132, u/VileBasilisk

Team 3: The Federation

u/Hijakkr, u/briusky, u/Puzzleheaded_Ad_9218, u/Tefmon, u/canadahuntsYOU

Team 4: Space Vikings

u/bantha-food, u/sstefanovv, u/ThyReformer

Team 5: Delta Technologies

u/OfBleedingRoses, u/Don-Chan, u/Bohemian_Blasphemy

Team 6: Space Hamster Coalition

u/lucky52903, u/EmeraldRange

Some things to consider when picking teams and leading into picking Civs:

• We will be starting in the Atomic Era on the tech tree

• During Part 0 Factions will also be picking their ideology.

• Aliens, Robots, and other such sci-fi/fantasy Civs are allowed, subject to them being relatively balanced and stable in-game

• The level of crazy, sci-fi shenanigans you can get up to will be loosely based on Civ choice, if it is unclear we will run a poll to decide what players are feeling.