This Galactic Guide originally appeared in Jump Point 5.1.
After centuries of cold war and tense diplomacy with the Xi’an empire, there are few places where interspecies relations have thawed more than in the Yā’mon system. This former no man’s land has, in recent times, transformed into a symbol of cooperation and new hope for all who desire lasting peace between our species.
Humanity’s first view of the system came from Teesa Morrison’s flight footage as she traversed the Baker-Yā’mon jump point in 2531. What started as an exuberant accounting of her initial findings of a main sequence class F star, anchoring four planets, turned into sheer panic when she ran into a Xi’an military unit escorting a mining team to the belt. Familiar with the Xi’an from the press coverage of the Pallas incident the year prior, Morrison and her crew fled immediately. The Xi’an military ships followed closely behind, but did not open fire. Morrison later remarked that she believed the Xi’an were tracking them to try to learn where the Human ship had come from. While her crew debated the risk of giving away the location of a Human jump to potential enemies, in the end they decided to return to Baker to report their encounter as soon as possible.
Within a day of receiving the report, a Naval fleet moved into position to guard the jump point, but it was another fifteen days before the first Xi’an scout emerged into Human space. It is likely that war would have broken out then and there if not for the presence of numerous members of the press who had come to cover the situation after Morrison’s footage leaked to the news orgs. With the entire UPE watching, the Navy favored caution, and the Xi’an ship was allowed to leave.
Over the next several years, there were several cautious expeditions into the system from Baker. While there were still occasional run-ins with the Xi’an, it was clear that they had no permanent settlements in the system and it was surmised that they had only recently discovered it themselves. Due to the seemingly plentiful bounty of unclaimed resources, a few daring individuals and corporations rushed to begin mining the belt, but the prospect of civilians flying freely alongside alien ships was deemed a disaster waiting to happen.
In 2542, UPE High Naval Commander Jianna Perry proposed that all Xi’an-connected systems be placed under Navy control to provide a buffer to protect the rest of the UPE if and when their alien neighbors decided to attack. After much deliberation, the Tribunal approved the plan and the Perry Line was born. The system Morrison had discovered was renamed Hadur to bring it in line with the military’s gods of war designations for border systems (following the pattern started with Horus’s name). Corporations who had begun investing in the system were incensed and a drawn-out legal battle for reparations would plague the UPE until Ivar Messer took power and dismissed the suit.
A Fresh Start
For the century and a half that followed, all traffic in Hadur comprised a melange of military patrols, spy satellites, scan drones and mine layers as both sides sought to defend their respective empires along the Perry Line. Even though tensions continued to grow over the years as the Messers used xenophobic-fueled fear as a means of control, war never came. Finally in 2789, Senator Akari was able to strike a peace treaty with the ruler of the Xi’an, Emperor Kr.ē.
In the negotiations that followed after the Messer Regime’s eventual collapse, it was decided that the Perry Line systems would be evenly divided. Control of Hadur (then renmaed Yā’mon) was slated to be given to the Xi’an and on July 5th, 2793, the pact was signed, making that designation official.
Though peace had been declared, many believed that both sides viewed the truce as tenuous at best. As such, the Xi’an slated Yā’mon as a prison system where lawbreakers were forced to work hard labor in mines until their debts to society were paid. Yā’mon was not unique in this. Similar strategies were seen in all the Xi’an transitional systems: Indra housed a major shipping hub, Pallas was used for research, and Virtus was given to a crime syndicate. If war ever actually occurred, all four would suffer only minimal Xi’an casualties.
Then in 2942, in a surprise announcement after decades of the system seeing only minimal Human trade and traffic, ArcCorp revealed that they had procured a contract with the Xi’an government to assist in the terraforming of Yā’mon II and Yā’mon III. In the agreement, ArcCorp would be responsible for providing resources to the massive project, while the Xi’an would be overseeing operations of the technically complicated process. The decision has caused some to wonder why the Xi’an are relying on Human resources for the project instead of bringing in supplies from Ayr’Ka or Pallas. Though there has yet been no official answer, in the years since striking the deal, millions of tons of raw materials have been delivered through Baker, along with a significant and growing Human workforce. It is also not yet clear what usage for which the Xi’an will designate the worlds, as per their custom once the terraforming is complete. The rumor is that it will be a factory system, since ArcCorp has experience with that owing to their own planet being modeled on the Xi’an style.
The last few years have marked a boom time for Yā’mon. A myriad of stations have been built as a steady stream of transport ships enter and exit the system every day. From the recent large investment in infrastructure, to the expansive contract with ArcCorp, to even the introduction of a Human division in the famed Xi’an Koa e Ko’ia endurance race being held in Yā’mon, it seems that Emperor Kr.ē and his people are more and more looking at Humanity as a true ally.
Kuā’li (Yā’mon I)
A complex on the dark side of this tidally locked, rocky planet was rumored to house a max security labor camp, where the permanent night was said to have a placating effect on Xi’an interred here. It is believed that many of these prisoners have now been drafted to assist in some of the more dangerous tasks needed for the terraforming process.
Yethlūl y.ath’o (Yā’mon II) & Yethlūl s.yen’o (Yā’mon III)
Both terrestrial planets are currently undergoing terraforming through a joint effort by the Xi’an government and ArcCorp. While there is still some time before the planets will be habitable, there has been significant progress and just recently, the burgeoning atmosphere of Yā’mon III was flooded by a violet hued gas giving it a memorable appearance. The project has been deemed by those in the terraforming industry as an extremely complicated venture, and many financial analysts surmise that this close relationship with the Xi’an will give ArcCorp an advantage in the field for years to come.
Like other former Perry Line systems, an interesting blend of cultures has begun to develop on the stations in planetary orbit, where Human and Xi’an have started heavily interacting. Many race enthusiasts are expected to make the journey out to the main ArcCorp station above Yā’mon II to watch the upcoming Koa e Ko’ia as the pilots will be flying a difficult course that includes the tumultuous still-forming atmosphere.
Yā’mon Belt Alpha
Mined by forced labor for decades, it has recently begun to be mined in commercial quantities as more and more resources are needed for the ongoing terraforming projects.
Yām’ping (Yā’mon IV)
Since this most distant planet has few resources, it was set aside by the Xi’an to house many of the vice stations that offer services and distractions to the workforce here.
TRAVEL WARNING
Since there is heavy Human traffic in the system, it is important for visitors to remember that Xi’an law governs Yā’mon. Minor infractions in UEE space, like tagging with graffiti, can often carry a heavier punishment here. Make sure to familiarize yourself before making the jump, to avoid awkward misunderstandings.
HEARD IN THE WIND
“We cannot expect to keep our homes safe if we leave the front door wide open. We must secure and protect the border or we shall wake up to find that the Xi’an have already made themselves welcome.”
– High Naval Commander Jianna Perry, Address to UPE Tribunal, 2542
“Though many people of our Empire may feel that the resources in Yā’mon should be claimed by us rather than given to the Xi’an, I contend that if they ever wish for Humanity to find a peaceful way to exist in this universe they should promptly begin to get over it.”
– Ambassador Coen, private comm to Imperator Toi, 2792
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/16992-Galactic-Guide-Hadur-System-Hui-Sen-Y-mon
Q&A: ARGO SRV
Q&A: ARGO SRV
Following the launch of the SRV from Argo Astronautics, we took your community-voted questions to our designers to give you more information on the recently unveiled single-pilot standard recovery vehicle.
The ARGO SRV depicted in the image is carrying an unknown-sized cargo container. Please elaborate more on this cargo-carrying function. Is the SRV envisioned as one of the tools used to load/unload the larger HULL series ships?
One of the key design goals for this ship was to enable it to carry cargo around. Unloading larger cargo ships, such as the Hull series, is a perfect use of the SRV.
This is not explicitly stated in the documentation, but the ARGO SRV has a Quantum Drive and a Jump Drive. Can the SRV tow a ship in Quantum Travel? Can the SRV use a Jump Point when towing another ship?
The ARGO SRV can Quantum Travel while towing.
Whilst the details of Jump Travel are being ironed out, the original design never accounted for this scenario and requires revisiting. However, our current stance is that it will not be able to tow ships through a Jump Point. If such travel is needed, we recommend towing the vehicle to a nearby repair station first or putting it inside another jump-capable vehicle.
Can the SRV move ground vehicles like a Nova Tank?
There is nothing to stop you moving damaged or stuck ground vehicles, such as the Nova Tank. It will work the same way as moving and transporting damaged spaceships.
Can the SRV move outpost modules?
No, outpost modules are physically drilled into the ground surface. The moving of player-made outposts is restricted to the Pioneer and other dedicated ships as the SRV’s tractor beam is not strong enough to wrench them from the surface. Outposts that exist already on moons/planets cannot be moved.
Can the SRV tow asteroids?
Physicalized items in the world can be manipulated if they’re within the mass range of the tractor beam. Currently, the only dynamic asteroids in the game are the mineable variety, though it will be possible to tow these asteroids around if desired.
Can a person in a space suit be towed?
Capturing an item requires it to be relatively immobile and of a certain size so that the beam can focus on it. While we don’t have the exact details of these limits yet, we foresee that active players will not be easily trapped by tractor beams to prevent griefing.
Is the number of SRVs needed to tow something based on total mass or size/architecture?
It is primarily mass based, though there are some size and volume requirements. There are no arbitrary design restrictions in terms of ‘ship X can specifically not tractor ship Y’.
How will theft using tractor beams be guarded against? Can anyone just fly up to you and start abducting ships?
The current means to limit theft and griefing is that shields will actively block or severely dampen the tractor beam strength. If you wish to have your vehicle moved, you will be required to power down your shields (which also puts you in a vulnerable position). If you wish to guard against theft, just leave your shields up when outside your ship for reassurance that it will still be there when you get back.
Does the tractor beam only pull or can it push as well?
The tractors beam is primarily designed to pull, though it can push to an extent. Moving from side to side, rolling, and pitching are accomplished by the range of motion available to the tractor beam’s mount.
Does towing affect the SRV’s top speed and fuel economy?
Tractor beams consume massive amounts of power, so while the ship’s top speed is still attainable, acceleration and fuel economy are negatively impacted.
Will vehicles being towed have to turn off components for it to be towable, such as shields and power plants?
Yes, the target needs to be relatively immobile with shields powered down for the tractor beam to ‘capture’ it. If the target is actively jinking or maneuvering to avoid it, the SRV pilot will require significant skill and time to capture it.
If an SRV is immobile but still has a working tractor beam, can it use its tractor beam to lock onto another ship and then be towed by that ship?
Theoretically, it is possible for this to work. However, the non-tractor ship would have to maneuver very cautiously and gently to prevent it from breaking away.
Does the tractor beam only work in space? Or, is it possible to tow a ship from a landing pad, take off, go into space, Quantum Travel, enter a planet’s atmosphere, and finally land while towing another ship?
The Tractor Beam can be used in any location, however the environment will affect the difficulty of maintaining a capture of the target item. Another one of the original design aims was for the SRV to act as a tug ship to help larger ships get from a planet’s surface back out into space.
Will it be possible to extend the Argo SRV’s shields around the ship that’s being towed to offer extra protection when extracting disabled ships from the battlefield?
No, the shields from the ARGO SRV and all other ships in the game are currently just for the ship itself and do not cover nearby objects. Towing a ship or vehicle puts it at risk, so the environment and flightpath should be considered carefully by the SRV pilot.
There is mention of it being heavily shielded and armored. How can we expect it to hold up under combat zone conditions?
The SRV carries no offensive weaponry so relies on its shields and armor to survive in combat, so if it’s being directly attacked, the best course of action is to break away and come back later. If you’re entering a known hot zone, I’d recommend bringing an escort along for support.
Does the roof dish provide scanning abilities for search and rescue?
The dish on the roof is simply a visual styling cue and has no specific gameplay attached to it. As mentioned on RTV, we went back and forth over the name during development. At the time ATV was recorded, it was known as the ‘Search and Recovery Vehicle’. However, we have now settled on ‘Standard Recovery Vehicle’.
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Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/16987-Q-A-ARGO-SRV
Brothers In Arms: Part Two
Writer’s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Two was published originally in Jump Point 3.6. Read Part One here.
Gavin left Walt on Cassel. There was a time, back in his single days, when an extended stay on a resort world was the perfect sequel to a crappy job. Now he had a better offer waiting at home and two bottles of chilled Kōen Shōchū riding shotgun in the cockpit beside him. The better offer, of course, was Dell. The shōchū was his best hope to reboot his homecoming from Oberon.
It wasn’t exactly the grand entrance he’d planned on making. He felt his cheeks warm and was glad to be alone. With a sigh, he squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back into his seat. His helmet bumped against the cockpit frame. When he opened his eyes again, the HUD had died. He rolled his head to eye the waiting bottles of shōchū. Perhaps he needed the alcohol more than she did.
Rhedd Alert’s hangar was still. The lights were dialed down to a dull, sapphire glow. But while the hangar was quiet, Vista Landing never slowed down. The sounds of the complex were a pressure all around him; a constant hum of life that seemed intrusive after a long stint flying solo.
Gavin shed his flight suit and then grabbed the helmet and bottles of shōchū. The helmet got dumped unceremoniously onto a workbench. The shōchū went with him to their apartment. It was dark inside — he was too late. Dell was already asleep.
He leaned against the door while his eyes adjusted to the courtesy lighting in the bedroom. Dell lay on her side with her back to him. Her hair was a dark fan against pale pillows and sheets. There was no trace of the playful blue-dyed tips in the low light. He looked instead to the curve of her hip and the long line of her covered legs.
He left the bottles on a table, not wanting to risk waking her with light from the fridge. He stripped off his shirt on the way to the little closet. She’d left it open, and piles of clothes made odd shapes in the low light.
They smelled like her. He’d forgotten how much he loved that. He leaned forward, his head slipping between her hanging shirts and jackets. They didn’t have much, but this was home. They were settled, with no desire for any more living out of cockpits and dirty cargo bays. But if he couldn’t make this work, that’s exactly what they would be back to.
Gavin stooped and picked up the discarded shirt. There was work to do. Things to fix.
He closed the door as quietly as he could when he left.
He was at a workbench in the hangar when the light pad of Dell’s bare feet on the cold hangar deck sounded behind him.
“Hey, Slugger.” Her voice was playful, teasing him about the scrap with Walt. The taunting tone was good news, in a way. It meant that she wasn’t quite so angry. Regardless, he was still embarrassed about the fight and didn’t rise to her bait.
“I thought you were asleep,” he said instead.
She rubbed her hand across his shoulders, bumped him aside with her hip and then took a seat next to him on the bench when he moved. “I was asleep, but it sounded like a herd of Shoone came tromping through the apartment.”
He felt better hearing the smile in her voice. “Huh . . . I guess I’m glad I missed that.”
“What are you working on?”
Gavin started running through his list, wondering where to start. He gave up somewhere north of fifteen and simply replied, “Everything.”
“Did we get paid?” He nodded and her look of relief was frustrating. Depending on Dell’s ex-boyfriend for financial salvation wasn’t exactly how he’d envisioned his role as a business owner.
“How’s Boomer?” he asked.
“He can’t keep doing this. They patched him up, but he’s been banged around way too much.”
It was true. Dell’s dad had been put back together more than any other pilot Gavin had ever met. Maybe a few military pilots had had more rejuvenation treatment, but their facilities had to be far better than anything civies like Boomer had access too.
“You’ve got to get him to take it easy, Gav. Let him fly support in the Freelancer or something.”
“Let him fly support? This is your dad we’re talking about. He’s at least half as stubborn as you are. And you know how he flies. He’s cool as gunmetal in a dogfight, but he flies like a crazy . . . flying . . . kind of . . . person.”
“Will you at least try? Please?”
There was no way Boomer was going to listen to him, but Gavin agreed. It wasn’t worth fighting with Dell about it. They’d been over that ground before. Plenty of times.
He prodded at the wiring harness of his helmet.
“The heads-up out again?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Here, let me do it.” She pulled the tools closer and set to work. “So . . . Walt stayed to drink his paycheck away with Barry?”
“Walt worked as hard as anyone in Oberon. Harder than most, actually. He can do what he wants with his cut.”
“While we’re dumping all of ours into repairs and supplies?”
“I brought you some shōchū,” he offered.
“I saw that.” She snuggled into his side and slid her arm around his waist. “Mmmmm . . . thank you.” A peck on his cheek. “I put it in the fridge.”
“You should have brought a bottle with you.”
She unwound herself from him and went back to work on the helmet. “It might work out better for you if we save that for a night when I’m not exhausted.”
That killed the mood. Gavin shifted the tools around on the bench. Dell must have sensed his change of mood. She sat up straight, her tone growing somber. “I’ve been doing some math,” she said.
“How bad is it?”
“Not good.”
He hoped that the grimace he made was reassuring. It probably wasn’t.
“Selling the salvage will keep us out of the red for a couple months,” she said. “Good job on that, by the way. I don’t know about the Idris, but that 325a is actually quite sellable. Unless you want to keep it, that is.”
Gavin thought about it. “Sell it,” he said. “We can’t afford to upgrade any of our people, and I’m not bringing on any more pilots until we land some steady work.”
“On that topic, did Barry have something new for us, or did he come to Goss system just to carouse with your brother?”
He told her about the turret job and she brightened.
“This is good, Gav. You think this could turn into a steady stream of work?”
“Maybe, but we’ve got a team of combat pilots, babe. They’re not going to stick around for this kind of work.”
“Then screw them. Let them leave, and I’ll fly with you.”
“You fly worse than your dad. Besides, you wanted to be here to run the shop.”
“I’m here because I want this to work.” She put her tools down and entwined her fingers with his. “Believe me, I’d much rather be flying with you and Dad.”
“Yeah, well. I don’t want you out there. Bringing Boomer back in stasis is one thing, but you . . .”
She extracted her fingers and patted his hand, pulling away. “That’s an idea you’re going to have to get used to. Dad won’t be flying that old Avenger forever. Eventually, she’ll be mine. But right now,” she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, “I’m going to bed.”
Dell stood, pressed his helmet’s wire housing into place with a click and left.
Gavin picked up the helmet and peeked inside. The glow from the reticle display shown within. She’d got it working again.
They had a good thing going, he and Dell. But chronic, nagging financial worry would eventually tear that apart. He just needed work that paid and that his pilots would stay for. Work that would keep Walt from chasing something shiny, interesting, and new. What he needed was that Tyrol escort job.
Gavin pushed the helmet and tools aside on the bench. He keyed up the console and placed a call to Barry’s mobiGlas. The accountant accepted the call.
“Talk to me, sweetheart.”
“Barry. Good, you’re still in-system.”
“Just about to leave Cassel, why?”
“What would a bid need to look like for someone to be competitive on that Tyrol contract?”
“Gavin,” Barry’s voice grew serious. “You’re new to this, but you have to know that I can’t give out that kind of information.”
Gavin’s mobiGlas vibrated against his wrist with an incoming message.
“I’m sorry, Barry. I wasn’t trying to cause troub—”
Barry cut him off. “Now, what I can do is point you toward the proper registration and submission forms. How you manage the pricing is your concern. Understand?”
On Gavin’s mobiGlas was a message from an unknown contact. The message was simple, containing only a Credit sign and a number.
A big number.
Yes!
“Thanks, Barry. I appreciate it and understand completely.”
It took four days to clear just two turrets from the mouth of the first cave. Walt took out the first within seconds of arriving. He did it with what he swore was a purposeful and carefully aimed shot.
The second turret pulverized Jazza’s Cutlass, and they had to tow the wreckage back to Vista Landing for repairs. Jazza herself went home in stasis after taking hits to a shoulder and both of her legs. She did not rejoin them for the moon mine job.
On the fourth day — running low on patience, ammo, and foul language — they finally came up with a solution. It was ugly. It was dangerous. But as they worked deeper into the moon, it was the only thing they found that worked.
“All right, Boomer,” Gavin said, “hold behind that outcropping.”
Boomer’s Avenger crept to a halt beside him. Deep inside the warren of caverns, the moon’s rotation was enough to give them a sense of up and down. Still, holding a relative position inside a small spinning moon was not as easy as one might think. Stabilizing thrusters fired continuously in short, irregular bursts.
Gavin checked his orientation and distance from the walls. He was in place. The tag team system they’d come up with had been working pretty well, using one ship to draw fire while a second swept in to blast each turret. It was tedious and sphincter-tightening work, but the moon was nearly cleared. Only a small handful of tricky defenses remained intact.
“Okay,” Gavin settled his hands on his flight controls. “On my mark.”
He left the mic open and triggered a timer on his navsat. He watched Boomer’s ship ease slowly into the turret’s line of sight to the steady countdown of the timer. Right on cue, Gavin hammered his thrusters and sped into the cave, just as the first blast from the turret struck Boomer’s shields.
Gavin yawed to the left, swinging the nose of his ship until he could see both the turret and Boomer’s ship. The old man’s Avenger bucked under the constant fire. The shields held, but the blast forced the Avenger back out into the tunnel before Gavin could take a shot.
Gavin fired, and the turret’s twin barrels swiveled with such impeccable precision and speed that they looked like identical empty dots. “Oh, sh—” the barrels erupted in a fusillade of crimson light.
Gavin fired again and had no clue if he was anywhere near the mark. The turret’s aim was flawless, however. There was an odd pulling sensation when the cabin lost pressure and his suit pressurized, squeezing around his limbs and chest.
Another barrage hammered into him and he felt the Cutlass crunch ass-backward into the wall of the cavern. The ship rolled, nose pitching wildly to one side. Gavin saw an open blackness of empty space yawn into view. He punched it, hoping he was heading back out into the tunnel and not to his death inside the smugglers’ cave.
Relieved, he saw Boomer’s Avenger flash by beneath him. But dread gripped him again when the walls of the narrow tunnel loomed to fill his entire view. He reversed thrust, hunched tight around the controls and braced for impact.
It was bad.
He hit hard, and the impact sent him careening down the cavern. He tumbled over and over, willing his ship to hold together. When he finally forced himself to release the flight controls, the ship righted itself.
“Holy hells,” Boomer breathed. “Gav? You alive, buddy?”
His chest heaved like he’d been running. “I seem to recall some idiot bitching about this job being boring.”
Walt, exploring a tunnel in another part of the moon, answered, “That sounds like it was directed at me. You two okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. I just got blown up!”
“Simmer down, son,” Boomer said. “I’ve been blown up plenty of times. That was nothin’. I, uh . . . I don’t think you’re taking another crack at that turret until we get your ship patched up, though.”
“Oh, really? Ya think?” Gavin’s comms flashed on an incoming line. “Hold on, guys. Call coming in.”
Boomer laughed, saying, “They probably heard us planetside and want us to keep the noise down.”
“Very funny. Actually, it’s Dell. Now shut it.” Gavin accepted the incoming line.
“Gav?” He couldn’t tell if Dell sounded scared or angry, maybe both. “We got a problem, babe. Jazza’s out of here. Says she’s taking a ship unless she gets her cut of the turret job before she goes.”
“What? What do you mean ‘out of here’?”
“She’s leaving,” Dell said. “Leaving the company, I mean.”
Walt cut in on the squad channel. “Hey Gav, I’m all finished in here. You want me to come take a look at tha—”
Gavin juggled channels. “Hold on, Walt.” He squinched his eyes closed, sore, frustrated and confused. “Dell. Where’s Jazz going? You mean she’s quitting?”
Boomer kept the chatter going on the squad channel. “Sounds like he’s getting an earful, Walt. Glad she didn’t call me.”
“Tell her Gavin just got blown up.”
“That would improve her day significantly.”
They both laughed.
Gavin spread his hands in an open-armed shrug for no one’s benefit but his own. “Would you please shut the hell up?”
They did. Dell did not. “What did you just say to me?!”
“Not you, babe. Walt and . . . you know what? Never mind all that. Just tell me again, what’s going on with Jazz?”
His mobiGlas vibrated. Gavin swore silently and balled his fists to keep from shooting something. From within his pressure suit, it was difficult to activate the mobiGlas. He managed it while Dell filled him in on Jazza’s desertion. She was going to look for work with one of the smuggling outfits hidden in the Olympus Pool. Paying work. Blah. Blah. Deserter.
Gavin finally powered on his mobiGlas display. There was a message from a contact marked “unknown,” but Gavin knew exactly who it was from.
“Dell.”
“I tried to talk her out of it, Gav,” Dell sounded close to tears. “I really did.”
“Dell, listen to me.”
“What?”
“Get Jazza back. All right? Do whatever it takes.”
“I’ll try, Gav, but . . .”
“Whatever it takes, okay? We’re going to need her. We’re going to need everyone and then some.”
“What’s going on, Gavin?”
He keyed his mic to transmit on both channels, “Everybody, listen up. They only got two bids on the Navy contract. We’re the low bid.”
“Is low bad?” Boomer asked.
“Dell,” Gavin said, “have Jazza join us in Oberon. We’re working ’round the clock until we’ve cleared the last few turrets.”
Gavin sat in his damaged Cutlass, cheeks stretched in an unfamiliar grin.
“Guys,” he said, “we just won the Navy job.”
“Go on in, Miss Brock.” A lieutenant held the door open for her. “Major Greely and his guest are already inside.”
The major’s guest. How wonderful. Morgan Brock smoothed the front of her pleated skirt and then swept through the doorway into Greely’s conference room. The major and his “guest” stood near the head of the table. Greely was looking more Marine than Navy in his shirt sleeves. The man had arms as thick as most men’s legs.
“Brock. Good of you to come personally. Let me introduce you to Gavin Rhedd, one of the co-owners of Rhedd Alert Security.”
Rhedd was younger than she’d guessed, a handsome man with a sturdy frame. He’d made the curious decision to wear a weathered, civilian flight suit to the meeting. Perhaps he needed to convince everyone that he was, in fact, a pilot. Still, the rig fit him well. He looked uncomfortable but not self-conscious standing beside the granite slab that was Major Greely.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Brock.”
She refused his extended hand and put an end to the pleasantries.
“So you’re the cherry that low-balled my contract.” She made it obvious that it wasn’t a question. “Let me be entirely clear. The termination clause stipulates that I participate in a transition meeting. Let’s not pretend that I’m pleased by the opportunity.”
“Well okay, then,” Greely said. “I suppose that will do by way of introductions. Let’s get started, shall we?” He took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for each of them to sit. “Now, the award and protest periods are over.”
“There will be an appeal filed,” she said.
“I don’t doubt that, Morgan. But my office and Navy SysCom have every reason to believe that the award will be upheld.”
“I’ve invested two years cleaning up the run through Min and Nexus,” she said. “And we both know the workload is scheduled to increase dramatically. I’m not handing that over without a fight.”
She stopped when Greely held a hand up, “The UEE wants us to find ways to enfranchise independents in those systems. You want to argue that point, do it with the politicians. But right now, I need a mission brief, and I think we’d all appreciate this meeting moving along quickly.”
Brock let the major win the point. If nothing else, she knew when to pick her battles. There was nothing to be gained from antagonizing him. There were more profitable targets for her ire. Content with the cool tenor of the meeting, she turned her attention to Gavin Rhedd.
“Yes, well,” the young man cleared his throat. His forehead glistened where it met his close-cropped hair. “I’ve read through the, uh . . . the After Action Reports.” Rhedd swiped through several projections on an old clunker of a mobiGlas. “Every ten days we escort a new shift rotation to the Haven research facility on Tyrol V. But what can you tell me about the security requirements for the staff transfer between the transport ships and Haven?”
The kid didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. Maybe her Tyrol contract wasn’t quite the lost cause Major Greely made it out to be. Brock’s smile felt genuine as she started describing the ship-to-settlement transfer process.
This job was going to eat Rhedd Alert Security alive.
Min system was dark. In Goss, the jump points flowed with shimmering cascades of color. They boiled the Olympus Pool’s bands of gold, amber, and blood-orange in a dazzling display of celestial mystery. Min, on the other hand, was entirely different, and Gavin wondered how many ships and lives Min’s jump gates had claimed before they were successfully charted.
The approach was well marked now. Nav beacons lit a ten-kilometer channel leading six Rhedd Alert escorts and their charge, a Constellation Aquila with UEE designations, to the jump gate. The automated beacons broadcast a steady stream of navsat and transit status data in addition to lighting the visual entry vector.
The gate itself loomed large. It was an empty disc, invisible if not for the faint light from the beacons. That light bent, distorting into the maw of interspace that, if entered correctly, would disgorge them out into the Nexus system. Stumbling onto an unknown jump point had to be a terrifying experience. He’d seen images of dark gates, like the ones in Min, when the beacons were offline. Even knowing what to look for in those images, it was difficult to distinguish the subtle smudge that represented a portal through time and space.
“Gate Authority Min,” Gavin read from a scripted authorization request, “this is Rhedd Alert Security, performing in compliance with Naval Systems Command regulations, approaching VFR and in support of UEE research vessel Cassiopeia. Request clearance for transit from Min to Nexus and confirmation of the approach.”
They didn’t need the call and response to make the jump to Nexus, but their contract required record of specific communications at all jump gates, as well as of the UEE staff transfers at each end of the run.
The gods only knew how many times he and Walt had hopped systems unannounced. In reflection, it probably should have felt strange entering a jump gate with legal tags and without local law breathing down his neck. But times change, and if Gavin got his way, they were changing for the better.
He received the expected challenge and responded with ship IDs that matched the tags for each member of the convoy. Gavin had stumbled over the formal exchanges on the first few missions. No one had complained, but he felt better now that he had a degree of comfort with the cadence and timing of the exchange. Hopefully, that degree of comfort inspired confidence in his new pilots and the UEE scientists aboard the Cassiopeia.
They got their clearance and Gavin sent the order to enter the jump gate. He took point with Jazza, each of them in place along either side of the Aquila. They slid into the gate with a familiar falling sensation. The cockpit seemed to stretch, elongating out and away from him in a rush of sound and color. It felt like someone had set a hook in his insides and pulled, stretching his gut tighter and tighter. Then something snapped and he was reacquainted with the increasingly familiar constellations of Nexus space.
“Gate Authority Nexus,” he said, “this is Rhedd Alert—”
“Gavin,” Jazza’s voice was crisp. He was already checking his navsat displays when she continued, “We’ve got three ships inbound. Three hundred kilometers. Make that two-fifty! Gods, they’re moving fast.”
“Jazz, take Mei and Rahul to see what our new friends want. Walt, you and Boomer play goalie. If these guys take a run at the Cassiopeia, make them reconsider.”
A chorus of “copy that” erupted on comms and Gavin switched channels to address the UEE crew aboard the transport. “Cassiopeia, this is Red One. Accelerate in line with my mark and do not deviate from course.”
“Contact,” Jazza sounded calm, clinical. “They’ve got three F7 Hornets in a variety of configurations. They’re beat to hell with patchwork armor, but coming in fast.”
“They have any markings or insignia? What are their tags?”
“Nothing I can see through the mismatch of weapons and scrap parts.”
“Look out, they’re firing!” Mei said. “Holy hells, these guys are quick.”
“Gav,” Walt asked, “do we run?”
The After Action Reports from Brock showed a steady decrease in aggressive actions over time. Letting a new pirate outfit establish a foothold at one of their critical jump points seemed like a very bad idea.
“We fight,” he said. “We can’t afford to retake this ground every two weeks if we run scared now.”
“Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast,” Jazza said. “It’s three-on-three over here, and it seems these guys like to play with their food.”
“Walt,” Gavin said. “Take point. If they have friends, I don’t want to get herded into a trap.”
“Copy that.”
“All right, Jazz. I’m on my way to you.” Gavin pulled up hard, inverted over the Cassiopeia and accelerated toward the jumble of fighters.
Gavin had survived dozens of scraps before starting Rhedd Alert, but always as the aggressor. Being on the defensive was something new. It seemed strange that these crazy bastards were hitting six armed escorts.
“Jazza,” he was a couple hundred clicks out and had a good look at the scrum, “I’m coming up underneath you. Time to make this an unfair fight.”
“These guys are good, Gavin.” She grunted and her Cutlass rolled in a loose corkscrew, putting her behind one of the marauders. She fired and its shields blazed. It pitched, nose down and thrusters reversing, to push up and above Jazza’s ship. The other two marauders swung into position on either side, and the three of them slashed toward Gavin like a knife blade.
He rolled to his port side and tried to accelerate around them. At least they couldn’t all fire on him at once that way. Rahul strafed overhead, pouring fire into one of the Hornets, but the marauders held their formation.
“Jazza, form up on me. Let’s split these bastards up.”
“Got it.”
They met and swept around to rush the trio of mismatched Hornets. The marauders found Mei before he and Jazza were in firing range.
“Ah, hell . . .”
A barrage of precise bursts from wing-mounted laser cannons tore into Mei’s ship. It ripped entire sections from the hull, and escaping oxygen belched out in a roiling ball of flame.
“Damn it!” Gavin couldn’t see if Mei got out. He and Jazza blasted their way through the marauders’ formation. The Hornets scattered and reformed again behind them. “We’ve got a man down. Walt, we might need your help over here.”
“That’s what you get for staying to fight, Gav. We should have made a run for it.”
“We can talk about ‘shoulda’ later,” he said. “Get back here and . . . wait. Belay that.”
“They’re running,” Jazza sounded bemused. “Feels like they had us on the ropes, but they’re bugging out.”
Gavin watched thruster trails from the retreating ships. In moments, they winked out of Nexus space.
“Cassiopeia is secure,” Walt said. “Are you guys clear?”
Jazza didn’t exactly answer him. “Now what do you think that was all about?”
Gavin’s HUD looked clear. Relieved, he found Mei’s PRB. Everyone was alive and they appeared to be alone on the Nexus side of the gate. Walt and the Cassiopeia were nearing the extreme range of his display.
“Walt, hold where you are. Stay sharp and sweep ahead. I can’t for the life of me figure out why they attacked three-on-six.”
“Maybe,” Jazza said, “they knew they’d kick our ass.”
“Or maybe this was a feint,” Gavin said. “Let’s not get caught with our pants down if there are more of them out here. Jazz, you and Rahul watch my back while I get Mei. We’re taking the first shots if they come back through.”
There was a general clamor of agreement. Gavin was beginning to suspect that military comm-chatter was much more sparse and far less democratic than Rhedd Alert’s constant banter. Still, aside from Walt second-guessing his every move, Gavin was proud of the team.
“I wonder if they’re waiting on the other side?” Jazza asked.
Walt was quick to respond. “We are not going through that gate to check.”
“Relax, Walt,” Gavin said. “A win is a win. And good riddance.”
At this point, Walt’s objection wasn’t a surprise. “Lucky win, you mean. In a fight we didn’t need to have.”
Gavin ignored him.
Though she was unconscious, the biometrics in Mei’s suit reported only minor damage. Her ship, on the other hand, was another story completely. Gavin started running some mental math, tallying the costs of parts, labor, and med tech fees. The results were cringe-worthy.
The attack would make this mission a financial loss, but the contract was still the leg-up Rhedd Alert needed. And the attack was probably an aberration, Gavin reflected, reminding himself that Brock’s After Action Reports showed a steady decrease in hostilities over the past several years.
Unfortunately, they were about to find out just how little those reports meant.
h3. TO BE CONTINUED…
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$(‘.parallax-2’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
$(‘.parallax-3’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
$(‘.parallax-4’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
$(‘.parallax-5’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
$(‘.parallax-6’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
$(‘.parallax-7’).parallax(“50%”, 0.1, true);
})(jQuery);
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/serialized-fiction/16986-Brothers-In-Arms-Part-Two
Squadron 42 Monthly Report: January 2019
Squadron 42 Monthly Report: January 2019
This is a cross-post of the report that was recently sent out via the monthly Squadron 42 newsletter. We’re publishing this a second time as a Comm-Link to make it easier for the community to reference back to, and plan on following this process for future Squadron 42 Monthly Reports.
Attention Recruits,
What you are about to read is the latest information on the continuing development of Squadron 42 (SCI des: SQ42).
Read on for classified details from every corner of the planet, collected over the course of the last month, concerning Squadron 42-related work. The information contained in this communication is extremely sensitive and it is of paramount importance that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Purge all records after reading.
Over and out,
UEE Naval High Command
AI
Characters
Cinematics
Engineering
Environment Art
Graphics
Level Design
Narrative
Props
QA
System Design
Tech Animation
Tech Art
Vehicle Features
VFX
Weapons
Covert Intel
Conclusion
WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH…
$(function() { Page.init();
window.Page = new RSI.Game.About(); });
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/16966-Squadron-42-Monthly-Report-January-2019
DataCache: Life Insurance Policy
//##trace.blocked##//
2949.02.14_04:46SET
To: scire_facias
From: Guvnoir
Subject: Sec Sweep
Scire,
I’m in desperate need of your expertise.
Since we last crossed paths, I’ve been laying low. Was even earning an honest day’s wage until an old connect tracked me down in Stanton. They offered me a security gig at a secluded “trading” outpost on Yela and the pay was too sweet to pass up. Since the outpost was remotely operated, they wanted me on site to make sure everyone behaved themselves. I knew from rep that they’d become serious players from the days when we’d been running together, but the straight life wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, so against my better judgement I took the gig.
Everything went smoothly until an uptick in activity brought extra scrutiny to the place. Soon bounty hunters and other damn do-gooders started sitting on the place, looking to earn a few creds or make a name for themselves. All the action made it clear that the spot wasn’t much of a secret anymore. Of course, right around this time, I noticed the trading console they used for all their transactions was acting a bit strange. Sometimes it didn’t display the correct available inventory and other times it didn’t work at all. I tried a deep dive into the code to see what was wrong and discovered a backdoor. A skillfully placed one too. Even I missed it on my first sweep.
I haven’t slept since I discovered it. My employer is demanding a full report soon, but considering their reputation for very imaginative punishments, I’m not telling them a damn thing except that their system is locked up tight. I’ve closed the breach but am still frantically pouring over the code convinced I’ve missed more. No hacker this knowledgeable leaves themselves only one way in.
I need fresh eyes on this. Strange as this may sound, you’re the only one with the right skillset that I trust. If you can’t sniff out any further issues with the system, then I’ll finally feel confident that it’s secure.
I can pay. Can’t offer you much but it’s enough to make it worth your while. Plus, while you’re poking around, I’m sure you can gather some info on the facility that an enlightened individual like yourself can put to good use.
What do you say to helping an old acquaintance?
-GN
________________________________
2949.02.14_21:03SET
To: Guvnoir
From: scire_facias
Re: Sec Sweep
u shoulda stayed retired.
whatever few piddling creds u can ofr and details on 1 damn facility arent worth my effort. plenty of other work on the table.
happy to dish out some advice though – get the hell out of there while u can
-scire_facias
________________________________
2949.02.15_01:39SET
To: scire_facias
From: Guvnoir
Re: Sec Sweep
Oh, I already considered disappearing, but I can’t spend the rest of my life on the run. I’ve worked for some brutes before, but this group has reach. I can’t live like that. I already have trouble sleeping.
My only option is to secure this system, play it cool for a bit, and then find a way to leave on good terms. The straight and narrow may pay piss poor but the chances of slowly being tortured to death are relatively slim in comparison.
I get your point about info on one facility not being enough for you. Would details on my employer’s larger network of WiDoW facilities do the trick?
Jumptown is only one of many such spots they’ve got spread across numerous systems. Before accepting the job, I snooped around to gauge the size of their operation. It was bigger than even I expected.
Anyways, I’ve been compiling a dossier on their network as a bargaining chip in case something went wrong. Never expected to have to use it so soon. It’s a lot of leg work, and nothing you couldn’t do yourself, but there’s enough here to make it a valuable get for their rivals.
That sweet enough for you?
-GN
________________________________
2949.02.15_18:47SET
To: Guvnoir
From: scire_facias
Re: Sec Sweep
send the file and access details and ill clean up the mess u made.
-scire_facias
________________________________
2949.02.16_18:39SET
To: scire_facias
From: Guvnoir
Re: Sec Sweep
I knew we were friends for a reason!
Let me know when your clean up work is done so I can claim everything’s locked up tight. Once I’ve got some cover, I can begin to plan my exit strategy.
-GN
< attachment: LifeInsurancePolicy.ssp >
________________________________
2949.02.18_05:10SET
To: Guvnoir
From: scire_facias
Re: Sec Sweep
done
u were right u missed a few. tht was 1 crafty bastard accessing the system. ur employer has some powerful well funded enemies. good luck with phz 2. ull need it.
-scire_facias
________________________________
2949.02.19_03:59SET
To: 671OitnO554401
From: scire_facias
Subject: audit
told u ur security was shit. ive hacked vending machines that put up more resistance.
to make matters worse, only 1 administrator realized they’d been hacked. he removed 1 of the backdoors and ws smart enough to know there were more. id give him a gold star except he was so scared to report the problem that he went behind ur back looking for help. u r so lucky he came to me.
as ull see in my report, his opening ofr was complete access to his system. minor prodding got him to turn over info on ur wider network of facilities. the cost of buying back his dossier from me is included in my report.
if this isnt proof that u need me keeping ur systems secure then i dont know what is.
-scire_facias
< attachment: ubscrewdwoutme.ssp >
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/16978-DataCache-Life-Insurance-Policy
The ARGO SRV
n/aSource: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/16971-The-ARGO-SRV
Space is for Lovers
Happy Valentine’s Day
Blazing Hearts and Burning Passion
From Aberdeen to Port Olisar, love is in the air (and the vacuum of space) and we want you to share it however you see fit. Whether you create an original Valentine and send it to your loved ones or blast them out of the sky, if it comes from the heart (or Heartseeker), it’s a beautiful thing.
Love Letters from the Void
Share the Love
Last week, we invited the community to design their own Star Citizen Valentine. Check out the charming results and share your love with that special someone, no matter how many star systems separate you.
View the Spectrum post here.
From Anvil With Love
Hearts Afire
Rekindle your love affair with space combat in Anvil’s limited-edition Hornet F7C-M Heartseeker. Blast your enemies halfway across the universe with its quartet of imposing Behring laser cannons. Isn’t it romantic?
The Heartseeker will be flyable in Alpha 3.5. For more details visit the complete Hornet F7C-M Heartseeker Ship Page
If dogfights don’t get you in the mood for love, grab your significant other and tour the galaxy in comfort and style in Origin’s starship built for two, the 85X.
Or maybe you’re looking for a more down-to-earth relationship. In that case, race at the speed of love in a cherry red Cyclone RC.
Disclaimer
We offer pledge ships to help fund Star Citizen’s development. The funding received from events such as this allows us to include deeper features in the Star Citizen world. These ships will be obtainable through play in the final universe and are not required to start the game.
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/16940-Space-Is-For-Lovers
Portfolio: Koa e Ko’ia
This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 5.1.
Exhausted yet intensely focused pilots speed their ships towards a checkpoint. Once there, their flight logs receive the coordinates for the next destination. The pilots check their scans and pick a route before blasting off into the blackness of space. For the Xi’an pilots who step up to the challenge of the Koa e Ko’ia, this is their life for the next 200-250 hours.
The Koa e Ko’ia is an epic endurance race that’s wildly popular among the Xi’an. Although the race has been contested in various systems across the Xi’an Empire for centuries, it only recently came to Human attention when competitors appeared in the former Perry Line system of Hadur. One day, in 2881, previously open sectors of the system were suddenly off limits, and remained that way for the next week and a half (Standard Time). Famed Terra Gazette travel journalist Jan Sharrock happened to be in-system at that time. After being diverted off her intended course, she landed at a nearby space station to find groups of Xi’an gathered around wallscreens in rapt attention. She had to find out why.
Sharrock wrote, “I’d gone up to a shop owner to buy a Surluk, but he was more interested in the serene images of Xi’an pilots and their ships than serving me a drink. When I asked what he was watching, he mumbled a Xi’an word I was unfamiliar with, but which roughly translates to ‘holy, distance race’.”
Sharrock spent the following days on the space station. She learned everything she could about the Koa e Ko’ia, interviewed observers, and witnessed an incredible finish that had three racers speeding toward one last checkpoint as time expired. The subsequent articles produced from Sharrock’s writings generated great interest from xenophiles and ship enthusiasts who were intrigued by the extreme length of the race. Her travelogues lead to a sharp spike in Human visitors to the Hadur system, fueled by their interest in learning more about the Koa e Ko’ia.
Despite not hosting the sporting endurance event since 2881, Hadur is still seen by Humanity as the home of the race. Canny Xi’an vendors play into this perception by keeping their store shelves stocked with Koa e Ko’ia trinkets. MISC, who has a special lend-lease agreement with the Xi’an, has persistently advocated bringing the race back to Hadur to capitalize on Human interest. Following years of debate, the Xi’an government decided to return the race to Hadur in 2947 and even established a special division specifically for Humans to compete in.
The Spiritual Sport
The basics of the Koa e Ko’ia are easy to understand. Though lengthy, the race is contained to one system. A number of Xi’an-controlled systems are certified to host the race, but the only one Humanity has access to is Hadur.
Before each race, various checkpoints and destinations are chosen by a governing body within the Xi’an government. Participants do not know the specifics of the course until the race begins. Once under way, racers receive the coordinates of the first checkpoint. Only when that checkpoint is reached do they receive the coordinates for the next one, and so on. The racer who reaches the most checkpoints at the end of the set period, which can vary anywhere between 200-250 standard Earth hours, is named the winner. If two or more ships pass the same number of checkpoints, it triggers tie-breaker conditions too lengthy and detailed to succinctly describe here.
When racers receive the coordinates for the next checkpoint they are also provided with the location of waystations located between the two. Pilots must coordinate with their crews about when and where to meet to rest, repair, and refuel. This communication is key and more complicated than most expect, since teams must plan with enough flexibility to allow the crew time to reach the proper waystation and prepare for the racer’s landing. Unprepared pit crews have been the downfall of more than one racer over the race’s history.
At its heart, the Koa e Ko’ia is an endurance test for both a ship and its pilot. The race’s extraordinary length tests the concentration and fortitude of the pilots. As ectotherms, the Xi’an can lower their metabolism while inactive to reduce their need for sustenance. Yet, doing so while achieving rapid focus in high-stress situations requires intense training and carries a toll both mentally and physically. Xi’an racers train to overcome these roadblocks, and if done successfully, the lowered metabolism, combined with intense concentration, leads to a euphoric state that has been described as deeply spiritual. Winners of the Koa e Ko’ia are believed to have transcended into an advanced spiritual state to achieve their victory and are treated as cultural celebrities thereafter.
The race also tests the speed, agility, and reliability of the participating ships by incorporating unique features of each system in which it takes place. For Hadur, this included a number of checkpoints hidden within the system’s asteroid belt that require careful and precise navigation to reach, and one located on the sunward side of the tidally-locked Hadur I, testing the ship’s ability to handle extreme temperatures.
The race must also include both space and atmospheric flight. According to race experts, this is where Hadur’s 2947 Koa e Ko’ia course is unique. Its atmospheric flight occurs somewhere over Hadur II and Hadur III, which are both being terraformed. The uncertain atmospheric conditions make picking an entry point extremely important, as flying into a high-density pocket not only increases drag on the ship but could even damage it.
The Human Factor
Following decades of increased Human interest, the Xi’an decided to allow other species to participate in Hadur’s Koa e Ko’ia. The process to implement this change took even longer, as the race’s extensive rule book had to be modified to accommodate the many differences between species. According to Daniel Gordon, who hopes to qualify with his Mustang Beta, “the race’s real endurance test is getting through the rule book.”
Until race officials understand how the Human body reacts to the stresses of the race, independent medical examiners will be assigned to each Human team to track the pilot’s vital signs. If the medical examiners determine the pilot’s health or safety is in danger, they will have the authority to force them to stop at the nearest waystation for further evaluation and could even remove them from the race.
After years of advocating for the race’s return to Hadur, MISC will be one of the major sponsors of the system’s 2947 Koa e Ko’ia. MISC spokesperson Federica Zabel believes the race will be another step towards improved Human and Xi’an relations. “The Koa e Ko’ia represents the perfect opportunity to bring the Xi’an and UEE Empires closer together,” Zabel said at the press conference announcing the race. “We believe our shared love of pushing finely-crafted and tuned spaceships to the extreme can be a gateway for both species to better understand each other.”
It’s also bound to bring MISC a surge of publicity. According to reports, MISC has spent years training and funding teams exclusively for this race. One of those pilots, Brian Blitz, claims that certain aspects of the MISC Razor were even designed with the Koa e Ko’ia in mind. “The more I’ve trained for the race, the more a lot of these design choices just make sense. From the layout of the cockpit to the ease of being able to swap out components, I fully believe the design of this ship already gives me a leg up.”
MISC appears determined to ensure that a Razor places first in the Human division of Hadur’s Koa e Ko’ia. Whether or not MISC gets the outcome it wants, of course, is yet to be determined. Regardless of the winner, if the race proves to be a success, there are rumors the Xi’an would consider making Hadur’s Koa e Ko’ia a regular event. That outcome would be a victory for race fans across the galaxy.
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/16968-Portfolio-Koa-E-Ko-ia
February 2949 Subscriber Flair
February 2949 Subscriber Flair
Subscribers
Centurions will receive the Rust Society Venture Helmet. The RSI’s Venture helmet is built from impact-resistant composites and designed to weather the harshest of environments. It also features an anti-scuff laminate face-plate that offers an unparalleled upward field of view, providing unobstructed sight lines to whatever wonders you discover. The Rust Society edition adds a red and tan color scheme so you look good while working hard.
Imperator Subscribers
Imperator-level subscribers get the RSI Beacon Helmet in addition to the Venture edition. RSI’s Horizon helmet is a durable and robust environmental enclosed work helmet. The single sheet laminate dome gives you an extremely wide field of view. A pair of side-mounted LED light modules provide additional illumination to make sure you can see what you’re doing. The Rust Society edition celebrates blue-collar workers with an exclusive red and tan coloration that hides dirt and wear and tear well.
If you’re an active subscriber, these items will be added to your account on February 18th.
If you aren’t a subscriber yet but want to don these helmets, make sure you subscribe no later than February 17th.
More information about subscriptions can be found here
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/16970-February-2949-Subscriber-Flair
Star Citizen Monthly Report: January 2019
The first Persistent Universe monthly report of the year details all the work done by the Star Citizen team throughout December and January. While the devs and studio teams took a break for the holidays, the early winter months saw a ton of tasks completed, progress made, and new ideas seeded.
Star Citizen Monthly Report: December 2018 – January 2019
AI
Animation
Audio
Backend Services
Character Art
Community
Design
DevOps
Engineering
Environment Art
Gameplay Feature
Graphics
Level Design
Lighting
Narrative
Player Relations
Props
QA
Ships
Ship Art
System Design
Tech Art
Turbulent
UI
Vehicle Features
Vehicle Content
VFX
Weapons
Conclusion
WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH…
$(function() { Page.init();
window.Page = new RSI.Game.About(); });
Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/16963-Star-Citizen-Monthly-Report-January-2019