X-COM: Aliens

[Lazybones]

+600xp to the posters, +500 to all for research success.

[Vanya Mia]

((Server is up, though the router has been messing around again. Give it a try!))

[Mirgalen]

The blue planet was full of surprises. The clones went to loot a damaged ship retrieving essential equipment. This time the ship was located at the bottom of a liquid mass. The clones could not use regular weapons and the liquid was slowing their movement noticeably. On the way back to the shuttle they came under heavy fire. Fast was at the front and was hit several time. He would have died without the serum. As they were now outside the water Fast tried to switch to another weapon but was unable to fire back as he had ammo packs not compatible with his weapons. "We got to do something about this, make sure we have matching weapon(s) and ammunitions before going on a mission".

Back at the based he like the others took time to recover. He was now time to continue the research projects.
"We keep improving lab productivity, yes? What else shall we work on?"

//

Continue to support "lab improvement".

Craft Mech: 13

[Gulfwulf]

Strong poured over the list as Fast mentioned what he was going to work on. "I think we should continue with the lab improvements, but also delve into medical improvements as well. Having better serum would certainly help us in our missions, as well as everything else we can eventually achieve. I'll be working on lab improvements for the time being."

//Craft Structural: 12.

[Shadani]

"Agreed. I shall apply my efforts to developing superior medicine," said the Pale One, eagerly. "I have been wanting to return to my research on such matters for some time. There are many ideas I have been wanting to test..."

((Earth and Life Sciences: 16 for medical. How do we decide which project is 'primary'?))

[Lazybones]

"Agreed. I shall apply my efforts to developing superior medicine," said the Pale One, eagerly. "I have been wanting to return to my research on such matters for some time. There are many ideas I have been wanting to test..."

((Earth and Life Sciences: 16 for medical. How do we decide which project is 'primary'?))

If there's no consensus in the group, I'll make the primary the project that has the highest player character skill bonus attached to it. But you can state otherwise in your posts if you prefer the alternative.

[Vanya Mia]

Nimble seems a little truculent, and only slightly mollified when Pale suggests his course.

"There not much point in making the laboratory and tools better if all we do in it is make the laboratory and tools better," the clone grumbled. "This not learning much new, and it not helping us make things to protect us or defend the base from large hairy mammal things and other things that follow them."

"Not do this any more after this manufacturing unit made bigger." The floater could be said to have flounced around in its petulance as it talked, picking equipment up and then setting them down almost roughly. "It boring. Want to learn new things."


((Craft Mechanical 14 working on the lab improvements, and say this should be the primary one this time to get the extra output, but I strongly vote we switch off this path next time regardless of what's next. I get the feeling we are missing a trick on some of the other things, plus there really isn't much point in improving the manufacturing facility if we're not going to have them make anything none standard in it! ))

[smartalec]

"Silence, Nimble!" cut in the Scowling One. "Recognise your place in the order of things. Without the support of the Ship we must produce all we can. The more grenades and weapons we have to throw at the slugs of the Masters, the more likely we are to succeed against the likes of the Mutons and the Sectopods. Do you not know we are at war!"

"After all," sniffs the clone, "I am going back to work on developing the regenerative serum, again. I am retreading old ground, old research, boring, boring... studying your genes... understanding the fabric of the tapestry of your biology, yesssss... unlocking the potential of our bodies and taking it to heights the Masters never dreamed of, higher and higher until we stand atop them like some sort of.. all powerful... leader entity! We shall do it, the power shall be OURS!"

The Scowling One paused, and seemed to realise it was speaking in company.

"... and you don't hear me complaining, do you?"

***

((medical domain: earth and life sciences 12, for Regenerative Serum 2! Likely as a secondary research goal for now, primary should be the manufacturing...))

[Lazybones]

Week 22

Primary Project: Improved Manufacturing 2 (70RP, 51 needed)

Project Leader: The Nimble One, Craft Mechanical 14, ROLL 9, Result 23

Project Support (all roll vs. DC20 to add +2, DC25 to add +3, DC30 to add +4, non-core skills subtract 1 from the bonus):
The Fast One: Craft Mechanical 13, ROLL 1, Result 14 (see below)
The Strong One: Craft Structural 12, ROLL 12, Result 24 (+2 RP)

Research Earned: 10 (base) + 23 (project leader) + 2 (support) = 35 points

Secondary Project: Regenerative Serum 2 (40RP, 40 needed)

Project Leader: The Pale One, Knowledge Earth and Life Sciences 16, ROLL 17, Result 33 (16.5 RP)

Project Support (all roll vs. DC20 to add +1, DC25 to add +1.5, DC30 to add +2, non-core skills subtract 1 from the bonus):
The Scowling One: Knowledge Earth and Life Sciences 12, ROLL 17, Result 29 (+1.5 RP)

Research Earned: 5 (base) + 16.5 (project leader) + 1.5 (support) = 23 points

+35RP earned toward Improved Manufacturing 2, 16RP remaining to complete project.

23RP earned toward Regenerative Serum 2, 17RP remaining to complete project.

* * *

The research week gets off to a bit of a slow start as the clones sort themselves out on their various projects. The lab is fully functional now with two projects moving forward, but that means that space is at a premium.

The Quiet One does not make an appearance, and as it is looking for extra space the Fast One comes to its colleague's work space. "Ugh," it thinks, as it looks at the various insects that the clone had gathered to do its experiments. It looks at the plastic containers crawling with more of the tiny terrestrial vermin. Then it looks at the others, but they are all engaged in their own tasks and do not notice.

After another moment's hesitation, Fast grabs the vat holding the most bugs. It sweeps all of the pieces Quiet had been playing around with into the container, squashing a few living bugs that try to get out during the chaos. Then it looks around for a place to dump them. It doesn't see any places where they couldn't get out and torment the clones some more.

Finally the clone's eyes settle on the new recombinator unit. There's a small port on the side; Fast remembers during its construction that most of the support structures are hollow; it was there when the thing was being welded together.

Perfect! It slides over and dumps the contents of the vat into the port. It wedges the little door shut so that none of the things can get out, failing to notice a faint hum coming from the machine as it does so. Then it returns to its work, placing the empty vat down beside the now-clear workstation. None of the others apparently noticed a thing.

[Lazybones]

Everyone's at least 7th level now, so posting bonus is 700xp. Credit to Strong, Fast, Pale, Scowling, and Nimble. No research xp this week as no projects were concluded.