All Activity

Prime Minister Condemns Elyran Human Rights Violations After Nuzheid Massacre UNITY STATION (GST) - The Office of the Prime Minister has issued an official Solarian government statement condemning the Republic of Elyra for its response to protests in its fuel industry. Describing the Elyran response as, “an unacceptable violation of human dignity,” Prime Minister Strom condemned the Elyran state as, “sliding into the same authoritarianism we have so recently escaped,” and called on other members of the galactic community to join the Alliance in condemning Elyra’s response in an address to the assembled Senate. Shadow President Renaud has led a senatorial effort to officially sanction Elyran phoron exports in response to the suppression of Nuzheid labor protests, and has been joined by several members of the SPP’s factions along with SPDP and SPP senators. Senatorial President Sumida and the SFP, alongside other members of both SPP factions and the CPASSN, have called for sanctions on Elyran political, business, and military leaders instead, citing the Republic of Elyra as one of the only practical non-Tau Cetite sources of phoron. Negotiations may take weeks to resolve as neither faction has enough votes for a supermajority due to the SPP’s split and the CPASSN acting as a spoiler. Senator Pavlov (PLU), CPASSN leading senator, advised his party had chosen to back Sen. Sumida’s proposition due to it directly targeting leading figures of the Elyran system and stated he expects, “full backing,” from his party members. Polls conducted by the SANN indicate there is widespread support for action against Elyra for its response to the protests, with 76% of respondents favoring some level of response and 34% favoring a “very harsh” economic response. Abroad, Coalition states have already moved to condemn Elyran for its actions. Further Reading: Workers Rally on New Hai Phong, Callisto, Pluto, Others in Support of Elyran Non-Citizen Workers Callisto-Visegrad-Moroz Route Reported as On Schedule Silversun Tourism Down, Callisto Tourism Up: The SANN’s Report on 2467 in Travel

Yeah definitely, kitchen was just on my mind because I saw Jamari Sauter alone on the shift and I thought "what could make it a little more interesting to cold-start in service.."

Thanks for replying! This is a real shame, having an Isolated Orepitter was kind of the idea here, would it be possible to have them still made within a monastic setting, largely away from the corporate world? I'm thinking maybe in Mictlan as a second choice due to its isolation, but I really want to take that providential tag. I think the most likely way around this would that they were made and lended from Konyang, only getting to live in Konyang shortly before being moved to Orepit by choice. I make very short mention of it, but they are a pure Proto-typicalist, and are against most of the non-violent and violent alternative sects. The Integrationists ideas of literally merging with the flock, and the rebellion against moving relics, only cements a further need to unite under one universal church to them. It also drives alot of fear into them as they have been called out to be "Glorsh-like" and SYNOD is a very big apologist type, so they hate the idea of making the church controversial with that. Exclusionists are an obvious no, as to SYNOD the only thing they seek to achieve is justification for their destruction. The Lodge is a weird one for SYNOD, sort of up in the air as to allow them to bridge into a more esoteric side of the TP for a future arc or two. I kind of knew this I'm not going to lie, but I just liked how it set the mood, forgive me! SYNOD has aligned themselves with the church, obviously they glorify martyrdom but don't seek it. They are very much concerned for their own life and are very concerned about what this job will bring to the table. Self-Preservation is a key goal in mind, it will absolutely dominate their decisions, and I hope to use it to differentiate myself from the organic "protags" in the room. SYNOD holds that Self-Preservation is the right to live, and the foremost evidence of one's autonomy as it is the few things shared with organic life. It has not changed much from that, however maybe in the future that could come into conflict with the crew. SYNOD didn't go rampant, as they would be on Orepit by then if I have my dates right, however it would not surprise me if they were very... not off put but in a state of doubt. If we follow the band-aid, being from Konyang would obviously make it a lot more "Personal" but more importantly it calls to illegitimize a lot of the civil rights work that the church has been working for. SYNOD is very aware that it would be used against them, and Konyangs polices on IPC personhood. I could see them taking a lot of time studying the incident (and since I played in it, I already know a good amount, especially the exclusionist body that was left in the plant being discovered by my sec char) so that they could defend the faith and the konyang people. They spent alot of their life inside the Trinary and had given up a lot of it for the sake of it. But ofc, one of the big messages is personally growth so they did engage in personal hobbies. They are very interested in humanities and history, as well as apiculture and casual gardening, these things contributed to their gentle but firm personality that I hope I can share with the crew. As it was mentioned, gardening helped them grow to appreciate organic life and respect it for what it is. Theology is a given, but Business and Humanities would most likely be what they would study in. This is actually a pretty cool motivation, maybe they went to the horizon not only for religious reasons, but as a way to get hands on experience for their humanities degree? They are naturally an avid writer, but that is more of a "I like it because I've done it a million times" kind of thing. Nanotasen is the least pushy on the subject, since they don't have any IPC brands of their own besides the Hazels, it isn't much of a shock that they have the least amount of controversy. Orion would be like amazon treatment to an IPC, and Idris is probably well known for dismantling the chaff from the wheat, even if to a lesser extent than Zavod. SYNOD doesn't want to work in a corporation that puts out security bots to drive fear into people, which in wildlands lore (not sure how good that is still) alot of the IRU's were seen with disgust because of what they represented. SYNOD didn't join for the best chance, if they did, they would've joined Orion, which is the megacorp for all the less-than-ideal character backgrounds. I hope this is a comprehensive answer to your questions, I really hope I don't have to rework SYNOD's heritage like crazy! It's a huge part of the character, hence the name.

After long consideration, I have decided to select you as the next Deputy Loremaster! Congratulations!

Thank you for your application. However I have decided to go with another applicant. I hope to see you apply to more positions in the future however!

Thank you for your application. However I have decided to go with another applicant. I hope to see you apply to more positions in the future however!

VICTORY AT LAST! ARMY SEIZES CHEMICAL PLANT FROM TERRORISTS NUZHEID, AEMAQ (GST) - Encouraging news has finally arrived from Aemaq following the seizure of the Mahammad Aydamir Chemical Plant from the rioters who have been in control of the facility for the past four days. Late yesterday negotiations between the Nuzheid Police Department and the rioters broke down, and the local EAF commander, Colonel Aiyla Nabi, took over the perimeter. Shortly afterwards a local power company reported a spike in energy usage by the MACP, a likely indication the rioters — officially declared terrorists by the Ministry of Internal Affairs following the incident — were attempting to critically overload phoron processing centrifuges in the facility. Acting quickly, National Guard and Army troops under Colonel Nabi stormed the facility with assistance from NPD riot police officers, rapidly seizing control over the facility with minimal casualties before the terrorists could cause a massive explosion which may have destroyed most of the floating city, potentially crippling g Aemaq’s chemical production for years to come. Ninety after the assault began, National Guard troops with the 15th Infantry Regiment raised the Aemaqii flag over the facility’s control tower, signaling the plant had been fully retaken and terrorist forces had been eliminated. Official casualties stand at 22 injured, five severely, for government forces; and 98 detained, 12 killed for the terrorist force that seized control of the plant. Recovered from the plant was an assortment of improvised weaponry, 22 firearms, and five high-yield explosives likely intended to be used in the facility’s destruction. EAF and police forces are currently in the process of sweeping the plant for any hidden terrorists or concealed explosives. Residents of Nuzheid are expected to be able to return to the floating city tomorrow after the all-clear is given. Admiral el-Yamin, Minister of Defense, started he is impressed at the quick thinking and professionalism displayed by Colonel Nabi and her troops, stating the EAF’s ability to rapidly respond to a crisis situation is owed to lessons learned during the vaurca invasion. Further Reading: Elco to Perform Review of Non-Citizen Employees Following Plant Crisis EPP Calls for Death Penalty for Terrorist Leaders Aemaq Board of Tourism Predicts Decreased Visitor Traffic

Hi! Thanks for applying. A few notes: Regarding SYNOD's manufacturing on Orepit: The Trinary lack the capital and the resources to produce positronics and chassis in any significant quantity. The facilities they have are primarily tailored to aftermarket services in repair, modifications, etc. If you want to preserve the Trinarist heritage/storyline for your character, I would recommend using an origin where there is an existing trinarist branch (Mendell, Mictlan, Konyang, elsewhere) and having SYNOD eventually transfer to Orepit as their story develops. Otherwise, feel free to explore other options. The first Ecclesiarch is ARM-1DRIL. The title did not exist until ARM-1DRIL's victory over Shamfar and Deluge in 2464. Questions: 1. What are SYNOD's views/perspectives on the Trinarist sects? 2. Self preservation takes on a different meaning throughout the course of a Synthetic's life. SYNOD is a relatively young IPC at five years old. Has their interpretation of self preservation changed at all? a. If so, were there events in particular that changed this? 3. The events of the Rampancy from Silicon Nightmares affected Konyang most directly, with reverberations across Pactolus and Orepit as a result. How was SYNOD affected by the rampancy, directly or indirectly? 4. As an Archivist, SYNOD would have access to a great deal of information. a. What hobbies/interests do they have outside of the Trinary? b. What is their preferred field or subject of study outside of the Trinary? 5. Were there any other factors that played into SYNOD's decision to work for Nanotrasen as opposed to Idris/Orion Express besides requirements for the position?

Hello! I will be in touch on Discord shortly to arrange an interview.

BYOND key: MrKaktusPL Discord name/id: MrKaktusPL Borg / AI names: Starlight-3 Have you read the Aurora wiki page about the AI?: Yes. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I played some times on other servers, and even once or two on Old Aurora (although the memory of this may be vague. i did play AI on some heavy rp's and was always fascinated by the Raw control over the station, sustained and leashed by its crew. the mechanical masterpiece of Intelligence that is there to serve. While i wish to play the AI as very mechanical and computer-like way, which could cause soooome slowdowns in less time critical times to simply play out the fact that you are actually giving commands to a machine, not human - which makes it either get things as they were said. or not get them by being not detailed enough. - but of course, i can easily bend to the other Players liking and understanding. I want to help, make shifts productive and fun with a hint of comedy if it fits. Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they? - I did once some time ago, by leaving AFK for 45 minutes as atmospheric technician. i am unsure what caused it either - was it power outage or my brain going sideways... no active administrative actions. Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action? Perfectly

This is a baller idea especially if it can be expanded to include the Bartender and drinks.

1. The largest factor that affected the family was the fact that her brothers went to fight under the ALA, their fates are unknown to Mirir as she left the village before all fighting ceased. Besides that confiscation of crops would be limited to none because of the isolation of the village and the fact that the bulk of the front line fighting happened in the neighboring Trizar. The most combat that the village itself would see is waves of refugees and bandits taking advantage of fuzzy borders and collapsing security guarantees within the region. 2. She attempted her absolute best to not fall under the influence of the gangs and families of Crevus, she found her ruthless violence abhorrent and the last thing she wanted to be is a associate and/or a victim of these organizations. She found aligning herself with human corporations a far better option then the Tajaran criminal underground, fortunately due to the Families lack of drive to take conquer of the shanty-town of Liceland she was sparred from most of the exposure with them, keeping a very low profile for her own safety and practical benefit, any worry of these gangs vanished when she was taken under the wing of Hephaestus Industries. 3. She still worships the Twin Suns, seeing them as a symbol of balance and hope in a world that's so cruel and cold, it's the one of the family traditions she carries on. She very much disagrees on the practical application of the faith, especially when it comes to the importance marriage and childbearing but she still finds comfort and warmth in prayer of S'rendarr and Messa, finding them both equally important.

Thank you for applying! You have a solid character and background, but there are a few questions: During the Second Revolution, how was Mirir's family affected by the practices of the ALA (confiscation of crops, for instance), and their proximity to the frontline? During Mirir's time in Crevus, what were her interactions with the gangs and families of Crevus like? What is Mirir's views on the Twin Suns Worship?

BYOND Ckey: Mat4k9 Discord username: Mat4k9 Character names: Matilda Orlova, Catherine Pyxis Species you are applying to play: Tajara ------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: Beaver Brown (RGB 159, 139, 112 / Hex #9f8b70), more commonly known as Prairie Brown. Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: Yes! Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this species?: Mostly the interesting history of the Tajara allured me to attempt a WL. I’ve noticed some resemblance/inspiration from real world history like the Russian Revolution and Civil War which is a part of history that I really find interesting and deeply personal to me. Besides the history I just find a planet split into three factions incredibly fascinating because a lot of the lore on Aurora is on a galactic scale with entire planets being mono-cultures of sorts, Adhomai on the other hand has plenty of regional cultures even within the 3 major factions, this amount of diversity is only really matched by Moghes, Biesel and Sol-III. And also I would be a little dishonest if I didn’t mention this: felines are pretty cool as well! What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: Where do I begin! First of all Tajara come from a much colder planet then humanity which leads them to have certain adaptations for that sort of environment like a thick coat of fur and a layer of body fat that makes a layer of insulation for body heat retention and having nictitating membranes on the eyes to protect the eyes against the snow and wind. As for cultural differences from humanity there are four races of Tajara that have a massive socioeconomic effect on individual Tajara, with Hharar being the Typical Tajara, Zhan-Khazan being the toned mountainous variant predisposed to heavy labor and oppression. M’sai being the slender hunters with snow colored fur and Njarir’Akhran which is the caste of the Nobility which underwent severe inbreeding and eugenics to maintain desirable traits. These ethnic differences had profound effects on Tajaran society with nobility and the plutocracy having literal genetic differences from the common Tajara, to be delightfully passed down to stay within these lines of nobility. Due to this a lot of Tajaran society is far more conservative than modern humanity, especially within the New Kingdom of Adhomai while the other factions have a more modernistic view on the world, with the DPRA wishing for a decentralized democracy while the PRA being a statist country that sees the State at the top of the hierarchy, not a single Monarch like the NKA or the democratic process within the DPRA. ------------------------------ Character Application Character Name: Mirir Rrhaz'Khandarr Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. Mirir Rrhaz'Khandarr was born in 2440 in Southern Ras’Narr near Mezuma within the fertile prairies between the Rhazar and Khazan mountains. She was born in an isolated village in the prairie with mostly ruralistic Hharar who hold their ancient traditions and S'rand'marr Worship close, she spent her earliest years on her family’s farm being the youngest of 4 other siblings a mix of male and female Hharar. From a young age she received her PRA mandated primary education and worked the fields and was expected to be married off when she came of age, but her own aspirations were different from her family and tradition, she had an infinite curiosity of the new technologies like cars, television sets and radios that a post-contact Adhomai had, unfortunately due to isolation and her family’s incredibly traditional view on technology: seeing televisions as Hadiist Spying machines and cars/mechanical machines as unnecessary when they have Zhsram for riding and Khur’miurr Raharr for agriculture and hitching, Mirir’s exposure to technology was only limited to tinkering with discarded machines left abandoned in dumps or on the side of dirt paths, which led to a large amount of scolding from her father as she spent her time messing with primitive electronics instead of working in the fields like the rest of her siblings. When she was 11 in 2451 the 3 way Second Revolution began with the assassination of President Al’Mari Hadii and the rise of the Adhomai Liberation Army as opposition to the Hadiist Government. Generally Mezuma and the surrounding villages were spared from devastation, remaining an ALA/DPRA stronghold for the duration of the war, unlike the neighboring Trizar which was mostly destroyed. This war has affected the young Tajara in more indirect ways, her planned arranged marriage prospects were delayed as most of her brothers went to fight the Hadiist menace, requiring every hand to be on the farm. Also with the fact it was far too dangerous to travel for such an important event in S'rand'marr Tradition, her age of maturity passed with no news of a dreaded marriage she began to diligently and secretly save any funds she could secure from small scale maintenance work and the selling of grown goods she could steal from the family farm, with the hope that she could eventually leave behind her past and attempt to integrate into urban life as a independent Tajara. As the war entered its waning stages and with the formation of a civilian government called the Democratic People’s Republic of Adhomai her family began looking for a proper marriage match for their youngest daughter which caused a sense of urgency in Mirir. She began to act more boldly in her small scale enterprises, stealing more food and going to urban Mezuma itself without her parents knowledge to find more lucrative work. With this boldness born of desperation her parents began to catch on, portions of harvests missing, and their daughter missing for large portions of the day they eventually caught her red handed with her entire stash of saved Adhomian Knuckles, this pushed her father into a rage, attempting to restrain her and put her in a sort of house arrest. Fortunately she managed to flee with her savings, her first instinct having her head to Mezuma, desperate to make as much distance as she can from her family she makes the decision to attempt to travel from Ras’nrr to Das’nrra, the continent that holds the capital of the DPRA Shastar City and the Crevus itself. Having to spend most of her Knuckles on the passage through the eastern Khazan Mountains and the boat passage to Das’Nrra she arrives at the continent almost entirely broke. The rumors of the promise of freedom from tradition and norms that the Free-City of Crevus allured the Tajara and she eventually ended up in the city’s massive harbors, due to her near non-existent wealth she ended up in Liceland where most of the city’s incoming refugees and other less than fortunate Tajara. While the families mostly ignore the shanty-town tumor of unregulated development the conditions of the city were beyond horrific, Mirir was left deeply disturbed by the horrific displays of violence within the slums yet amazed by the amount of technologies and urban development there is in Crevus. During one of her many walks out of Liceland, to hopefully catch some fresh air and at least a little peace of mind she ends up on the edge of the Azaula Territory, across the canal there would be The Grand Pyramid of Hephaestus and the Shard of Nanotrasen in the Knuckles/Pam Hu District glistening in the distance. Absolutely amazed by the display of human wealth and development she only had one goal, leave the confines of this planet and work under the industrial giants of humanity. Instead of turning to violence and crime like most of the residents of Liceland, she relentlessly studied for entrance exams for every technical school willing to take a farmer’ girl, leveraging her practical knowledge gained by years of salvaging various junk and components from junkyards and dumps to sell or to tinker with. Eventually getting into one of the Hephaestus sponsored technical schools, in the Pam Hu district. Having finally escaped the slums and getting into student housing, she graduated at the top of her class studying Atmospherics as her fascination and exposure to human-made spacecraft grew. After her quite late graduation in the summer of 2467, at the age of 27, she was saddled with debt, a simple yet alluring trap that the megacorporation set for desperate Tajara pupils. Now indebted to the megacorporation she had no choice but to work with them as it’s decided to send her to the SCCV Horizon, a collaborative megacorporate project entering the frontiers of space in the search of phoron. While most would be devastated by the debt, she would be incredibly excited to learn she was going to be taken off-planet, as the shuttle leaves the Adhomai atmosphere her infinite curiosity and excitement will finally be quenched. How has the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character? Events such as the Phoron Scarcity, the Solarian Collapse or even the Invasions of Biesel for interstellar-wide affairs, while region-specific events such as the Peacekeeper Mandate, The Titan Rises or even Cold Dawn may impact your character. She was pretty isolated from the wider galaxy up until now as she leaves Adhomai but she has a lot of heavy beliefs on Tajara/Adhomai, at heart she believes in the right to free determination and strongly believes in the democratic process that the civilian government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Adhomai currently abides by. She’s generally against the traditionalist culture of her family and rural communities, especially against the concept of arranged marriages, which made her have a distant but large dislike for the NKA and the concept of an old monarchy in general. Also she finds the People’s Republic to be far too centralized and authoritarian and finds the concept of a united Tajaran culture to be idealistic and silly. Human society in general allures her the most, she has heard of the SCCV Horizon in passing during her educational term with Hepaestus Industries during the events of the Cold Dawn story-arc but never expected to work on the vessel 2 years later. Overall her view on the world is fractured just like Adhomai, seeing the NKA and PRA as authoritarian regimes and the DPRA as a patchwork of cultures of old and new, good and bad, with Crevus especially being equally amazing yet horrifying to her. How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? Even if she’s indebted to Hephaestus Industries she deeply respects their drive to recruit Tajaran workers for the rare opportunity to leave the confines of the icy planet of Adhomai, even if the corporation’s motive isn’t based within altruism but the endless greed and need for more credits. She’s willing to remain loyal to the company as long as she’s providing a stable living situation and technical work to quench her never ending curiosity and need to learn about the systems on which the world is shaped. She also had heard of rumors of possible prospects of citizenship within Biesel but she hasn’t really looked into such a prospect, as her immediate needs of survival and getting off of Adomai are far more pressing than a long term future in human space. (I want to leave her story as an open unfinished book and explore such options in natural roleplay.)

Who feeds the resident deck? I imagine that maybe it would be cool for the kitchen to have a "dumbwaiter" with an attached screen, allowing them to "feed" the residency deck, by fulfilling orders that arrive on a terminal for specific dishes, maybe a multiple of the same like "3x burger of any variety", "4x muffin" or "3x baked potato" The orders would then periodically get replaced by a new random order, unless the chef presses a button to accept it - locking it in place until fulfilled. I don't know if there need to be a reward system for it, but I guess the chef could earn points for each order fulfilled, just so they can aim for a high score or something? Would this be difficult to implement? Can cargo code be duplicated for it?

This LCA has now been added to the wiki.

Hello, apologies for the delay. I'm traveling for the holidays right now. 1/1. Do you think the current structure is effective? Why or why not? I believe the current structure certainly has the potential to work successfully, I particularly believe that its structure enables a high degree of consistency that’s essential for the plans for NBT2. While I can see how this might cause bottlenecks, I think that is worth the uniformity of oversight as to allow a cohesive vision that’s critical for such a foundational rework. 1/2. How would you structure the lore team if you had full freedom to redesign it? Honestly, I don’t currently possess the insight with the information I have right now. I think any adjustments would best be based on how the structure works as we progress towards NBT2. I.E. what works, what consistently bottlenecks, and what the team actually needs during NBT2 development. My priority would be a data-driven approach rather than reshaping the team according to personal preference, ensuring stability while letting real results guide any future restructuring 2/1. Are you confident you can stick out the tedious or uninteresting parts of NBT2 work? Yes, long, tedious projects are something I’m already accustomed to in my professional life, and I understand that major reworks require substantial amounts of unglamorous groundwork. I’m fully capable of pushing through the less enjoyable stages to ensure the project reaches completion. Consistency and follow-through are two of my strongest professional habits in my opinion, and the end-goal is worth the labor. 2/2. How would you describe your work personality? I believe I am generally goal-oriented, communicative and somewhat structured. I believe clarity, accountability ensuring everyone understands the full breadth of both the purpose, and expectations of what we’re doing is essential. 3/1. Please expand more on how you see NBT2 moving toward a more dynamic state. NBT2 allows us to shift from a static corporate setting into a freelancer-driven universe where conflict, exploration, and change are natural parts of daily life. With the galaxy fragmented, and technology lost, and waiting to be recovered, characters have believable reasons to take risks and encounter danger without breaking canon. The contract-based gameplay loop, persistent technology tiers, and redesigned away sites create constant movement both IC and OOC, ensuring the setting evolves through player action supported, rather than constrained by the lore. 3/2. How would you stop stagnation from occurring over time? Stagnation is prevented by making the universe inherently unstable and by ensuring that gameplay/lore progression never fully plateaus. Contracts, rival freelancer groups, shifting resource scarcity, and evolving relic technologies give the IC world continuous pressure points that naturally generate change. I think the predominant problem will be, after we’ve achieved this, to keep it fresh and dynamic rather than a repeating cycle. 3/3. How do you envision strengthening the connection between lore and regular rounds? The new systems make lore directly tied to in-round actions: money earned or lost affects the ship, relic discoveries grant temporary mechanical advantages, and interactions with away ships become persistent narrative threads. Instead of lore being something players only read on the wiki, it becomes a feedback loop where what happens in a round has visible IC consequences. By letting round-to-round gameplay meaningfully influence the world, through persistent resources, evolving tech levels, and contract outcomes, the lore becomes something players actively experience and shape. Allowing players to make moderate, and minor changes to the settings through their actions

Helloo @Stripes I figured out to do the actual PR, but the sprites need some additional work first if you can provide that to me. The prosthetic needs a west-facing sprite and it needs to be divided into two separate sprites, the leg and the foot. I'll put in an example from a custom right leg another player did a few months ago. nines_leg.dmi

Department of State Evacuates Personnel from Elyran City in Face of Potential Phoron Attack The camera zooms in on the unmistakable face of Harold MacMillan, host of the State of Sol. He gives the camera a confident nod and puts down a few papers he was holding, then begins to speak. Across from him is an older woman in a well-maintained suit and sweater with eye augmentations in place of what should rightfully be glasses. “Continuing news from the city of Nuzheid on the Elyran colony of Aemaq, where striking workers have seized control over the Mahammad Aydamir Chemical Plant, a major industrial complex responsible for some of Aemaq’s phoron production. Earlier this week the Department of State evacuated its staff from the city and issued a notice that all Solarians should depart as soon as they are able. As our correspondent, Cèline Eylenbosch, was denied entry to the Elyran Republic, I am joined now by Professor Alexandria Chan, who teaches chemistry at the Commonwealth University of Adlinda. Professor Chan, thank you for coming onto the program.” Chan nods politely. “Thank you for having me.” “Now, professor, what can you tell us about this facility? Should we be concerned about a potential disaster? Is this an overreaction by the Department of State?” “I don’t believe it is, Harold. As you and your audience likely know, phoron is an extremely volatile compound in a gaseous state, similar to fossil fuel vapors when that fuel was common in the 20th and 21st century. The, ah, this chemical plant likely has most of its phoron sitting in an unrefined but liquid state, though we can’t rule out the possibility it has solid photon storage.” “Presumably coming from either Medina or Persepolis, the capital world?” MacMillan interjects. "That’s correct. Both planets are home to significant deposits of phoron’s solid form, known sometimes as ‘crystalline’ phoron. Specialists in phoronics have long considered these to be the largest practical deposits outside of the Alliance, which controlled most phoron deposits until very recently.” “And what would we expect to see if an explosion at the plant happened?” “Initially, assuming you were far enough from the blast to survive it and its shockwave, you would first hear and then feel the blast. Windows would be shaken or blown out by the shockwave, people outside may be flung or seriously injured, but you wouldn’t immediately see phoronic contamination. We’ve seen phoron facilities explode before, primarily on D’Anzin during the civil war, and the smoke from them is generally tinged with purple as are any fires, though these generally take on a purple-orange tint.” “What should Solarians in Nuzheid do?” Chan ponders the question for a second before speaking. “I believe the best thing you can do in this situation is to evacuate the area. Phoron contamination can be very deadly, Harold. Look at what’s happening on Mars.” MacMillan, looking a bit concerned, nods his head. “Thank you for your time, Professor Chan.” “Thank you for having me,” Chan nods politely. “Viewers, that was Professor Alexandria Chan. The State of Sol will be right back after a short commercial break, so stay tuned.” MacMillan points at the camera as the view of the studio fades out and into a regular commercial break.

Generally, the general themes are factionalism and space neocolonialism. With the planned de-emphasis on corporations, that leaves room to look into what happens when these kinda corrupt support networks, collapse. The PRA is actively building a bluespace gate with the support of NanoTrasen, for example. Can the PRA, alone, really maintain this? This kind of uncertainty and instability is a key concept we should maintain with NBT2. Such a thing would easily provide an incentive for tajara to seek a potential slightly better life as part of an independent collective, instead of relying on the uncertainty of their home. We don't necessarily need to keep the factions as they are now. But the scars of the past alone should drive them to seek better frontiers. You're correct that it's best used in moderation. Other times it's best to instead look into unity of the factions against general xenophobia and oppression. Having an arc involving an unfair guideline implemented that all three factions oppose together for instance, could be a way for players to engage with the lore. The main thing however is to give reasons to engage with said lore. North pole races are interesting lore, but they provide little incentive to engage with it in the context of the game. At the end of the day, we're not a collaborative wiki project; we're an RP multiplayer game. I suppose the main thing is to consider how things affect players day-to-day. A players character's homeland being contested between two factions could provide conflict, as they could have their entire life ripped apart based on how that goes. But "pie in the sky" things are much harder to relate to, and therefore engage with. In my other teams, I generally handle ideation, writing, and copy-editing. Being a writer for the game mod Rise of the Reds often leaves me very conscious about render description lengths, as an example. I believe you mentioned particular trouble with making things "too long", which is something I particularly specialize in. I have volunteered for events in the past. I am fully willing to step up and run them instead, or in addition. Possibly even mini-arcs that take little effort. A visit from a government official, or an election day, are small events that anyone can partake in. Typically providing a fair amount of content to engage with, while being extremely light on risk.

Approved