hexarchate_rpg | Move 6 (Chapter 1.6)

Time: 361
Place: out-rift near Station Moongray

The Wasp's cockpit/command center
The Naxorian Rosemallow ship continues to hold position. Kaliyan notices it's now scanning the Wasp with some primitive [handwave] scan technology, focusing especially on the mothdrive.

The Wasp's Engineering room
Presuming a short interval of time has passed while Alaric consults as to moths' feelings about the hexarchate, the Wasp's moth repeats its query: the six hexarchate emblems in space ASCII, followed by the "1 / 0" for "???" Then after another short pause, it adds the Liozh emblem, followed by "1 / 0" for "???"

Meanwhile, Sasha's luck and guesswork regarding the Naxarat ship's encryption bear fruit. It appears that the Naxorians are discussing navigational difficulties. They've been trying to get information out of the Nirai station so they can find their way back home, but the Nirai are being closemouthed about what they've discovered about the rifts so far. There's also a brief mention of personnel shortages.

The Wasp's airlock, welcoming party
Andan Bokali still hasn't touched any of the edible fidget spinners, although Pavn is munching away on a third. "If you're ready, we'd like to invite you back to Station Moongray. Rii, you and your assistants"--Bokali's eyes flicker as they try to figure out just which people are "assistants"--"can see the space we have available for artistic displays, and as for the rest of you, surely we can offer you the conveniences of station while you dock with us. Honored inquisitors, I'm sure our station administrator would like to meet you as soon as convenient."

Bokali coughs delicately, then adds, with a glance at Ankat for being the only one in the airlock with a remotely military bearing, "The station will insist that all firearms be left behind."

[The GM would like to note in Ankat's direction that a calendrical sword is sufficiently future-tech that it probably will only show up as "weird device" on Moongray's scanners, not as "lightsabre-alike weapon."]

[Tentatively, I'd like to get y'all onto the station next turn (Move 7) unless something happens to cause y'all to abort. :p ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Excellent! Now Sasha just needs to find some crafting time.

Our local makerspace has a metal lathe and offers classes in how to use it (I know because my spouse uses it to face die blanks for making medieval coins). Might be a similar resource near you?]

[...wait, comms can be paid accounts?!

(can you tell i suck at dw)

Thank you for the kind thought; let me consult with my husband about RPG-related spending and see what I can cover. :D ]

[Primary worry ought to be a security program. There will probably be some basic human security, but chances are that the Nirai are running low on qualified security personnel to study all the rifts and are dealing with maybe not the greatest people available.

Fire doors! So noted.]

[is Kaliyan making a list of the crew in order of easiest to hardest to keep watered/out of space wells]

"It's all right," Sasha cuts in. "This is an area where Alaric actually HAS more expertise than the rest of us."

[If Kaliyan has a list, Alaric's not going to be alone at the bottom . . .]

[When I was a kid I used to read my older brother's Mad Magazines from the 70s and early 80s. There was this series of cartoons about different made-up types of vending machines. One of them was the Vend-O-Vend, a vending machine which sold vending machines. Can't think why that just came to mind.]

"Well, I suppose that's true in the most technical sense," Alaric says, "since I understand the propulsion theory and biomechanical interface and so on. With that said, I was not under the impression that the giant space monster at the ship's heart was actually capable of having a conversation or, just as an example, holding opinions about the hexarchate and its factions. I'm sure we'll make the best of it, though!"

"Here on the ship too," Ashari says wistfully. "If everyone on the station is as charming as you and your friend, I'm sure it'll be a delightful time."

[hey y'all. sorry i'm late to the party. this sounds super cool. i'm gonna sketch a couple of things up based on what y'all talked about.]

Sasha closes the channel to Kaliyan.

"If I ever notice you looking genuinely afraid of something," she tells Alaric, "I'm going to surrender at once and hope it eats me quickly. On the logo front, though . . . I think I did see one in the teenager's records?"

She pulls up the relevant file, and copies just the image to Alaric's screen. [Holding off on details for possible sketches!]

I've started a thread in the art post for this.

"I'm professionally required to be afraid of the sea," Alaric comments off-handedly as he types. "Lakes are a bit of a fuzzy area, but if you can't see the other side it's definitely unsafe and wants to eat me. It's a... calendrical thing, more or less. Consensus mechanics at any rate."

His next message to the Wasp indicates that the crew is in fact members of a separate set of humans, using the rebel logo, although he doesn't try to explain the exact relationship to the hexarchate. Trying to translate words like 'revolutionary' or 'rebel' can be a complicated enough matter between human languages, especially as far as the distinction between those as 'traitor' or 'heretic' went. Until there was a more mutually understandable set of cultural references were established, best to stay to just to the facts.

"Have you seen an ocean?" Sasha asks. "What was it like? Aside from horrifying, I mean. Were there birds?"

Sasha's first response to Ankat's memo is rage: I told you I was afraid Yehan would be kidnapped, and you're making Kel jokes?

As time passes, and the Rosemallow ship maintains position away from the station, her pulse slows. On third reading, the joke sounds friendly-- as if Sasha's part of the team, even.

Sasha's assiduous reading of safety documentation is useful on the map front: she has all of the airlock information, with evacuation paths traced for public areas, and paths inferrable for private ones. She color-codes her work, and sends it with a bow icon.

Page 3 of 3

Move 6 (Chapter 1.6)

Re: [making your own 3d printer from the matter printer]

Re: [weapons and security theater]

Re: [weapons and security theater]

Re: Engineering

Re: Engineering

Re: [the matter printer and assemble-able weapons]

Re: Engineering

no subject

Re: [a logo for the Rebellion?]

Re: Engineering

Re: [a logo for the Rebellion?]

Re: Engineering

Re: Engineering

Re: Memos: Sasha and Ankat: the second ship.