Captain Gecko

Just passing by to add my part. Elite player with elite-level roleplaying. Also I can confirm as a lizard writer and creator of the Hiskyn fleet that he understand them well. Just take my +1, man.

Colonial Fleets, the Strange Allies Protecting the Kingdom’s Most Isolated Colonies As the Kingdom grows in size, more and more worlds get claimed by intrepid Unathi settlers, brave colonists moving further and further from the Burning Mother. But as they go further, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Kingdom’s fleet to protect them. Indeed, not only are most of the fleets kept near Moghes due to the Phoron scarcity, with only the Fourth Fleet of Lord-Admiral Xitac being able to consistently patrol the Kingdom thanks to its smaller, less fuel-hungry ship- But these few ships are finding themselves stretched thinner and thinner. The assistance of ex-pirates and other friendly forces swearing fealty to the Karszekan and assisting in the defence of our territory can only go so far. Enter the colonial fleets, a phenomenon that has appeared more and more in the fringes of Kingdom space, and is spreading across its colonies like wildfire. These are small fleets formed by various forces, from friendly pirates to mercenaries, from selfless independents to armed local colonists, their goals remain the same: the defence of a colony against all kinds of threats. Some of these fleets are paid in credits, others are paid in resources, and others again in some alternative means. Take Yziwekaia-II for instance, a minuscule colony established only five years ago, with a current population of less than two thousand individuals. It’s a barely liveable world with an uncomfortable but liveable gravity and atmosphere, with great potential for mining industry thanks to its surprising richness in ores of all kinds. From the moment mining exploitation and exports back to Moghes began, the Yziwekaians have been targeted by pirate assaults. Lord Harzeik, ruler of the small colony, explains to the Sinta Articles: Things changed, however, when Yziwekaia took to finding ways to defend itself. First, it used its own, limited wealth to acquire a couple of ships, which they armed and crewed themselves. Then, they sent calls for help, which were soon answered by three ships, claiming to be from a recently dissolved Unathi Fleet, ex-pirates searching for a new life. Together these five ships have managed to push back any new raid so far. The leader of these ex-pirates, which chose to remain anonymous explains: The High Kingdom has commented much on colonial feets so far, though the Lord’s Claws himself has been heard saying “That it is good that colonies take their security in their own hands.” Day after day, more and more colonies seem to develop their own colonial fleets. It's hard to say whether or not they will become the norm over the coming years, but something is sure, as long as the phoron scarcity persists, colonial fleets will be here to stay.

Sinta Fleets Voice Their Opinion On Moghes’ Cultural Resurgence Sinta across the stars have voiced their opinions on the Karszekan and his cultural resurgence plans, and yet, the various independent and pirate fleets and crew of the Spur have still managed to surprise us all by voicing their stance on the matter to the entire Spur. Just three days ago, a Karszekani exploration ship, the Black Oztek, was hijacked by pirates claiming to be part of the Izharshan pirate fleet. However, instead of pillaging the ship or capturing the crew, they used the ship’s high power emitters to transmit a message to all ships and settlements in a radius of several lightyears. Sinta Articles managed to acquire this message, which may be played at the reader’s discretion. The Izharshans were not the only ones to share their opinion. The elusive “Techraiders” left a message as well, though a less hostile one, strangely enough. These pirates did not address the Hegemony directly, but rather, communicated through a highly encrypted transmission, transmitted by hacking into several sensor stations across our Kingdom’s space. More minor fleets and independent pirate crews have also made their voices heard about the cultural resurgence. For some clarifications, Sinta Articles managed to get an interview with none other than Altarak Iska, leader of Iska’s Adventurers. Quoting: “It is important to remember that most of these fleets and crews, what most people call pirates, are much more than mere criminals. Each fleet, each ship has its code, its culture, and its goals. In more simple terms, they care. There is the occasional cynical marauder, of course, but most do not join a fleet for mere questions of survival, or profit- these are means to a proper end. It can be something as simple as opposing the Karszekan at any occasions out of vengeful spite like the Izharshan do, or something as cryptic as the Techraider’s way of “helping save Moghes”. The Karszekan’s plan changes a lot of things for many of these fleets." When asked about whether or not the cultural resurgence would have any effect on Iska’s Adventurers, Altarak stated, “We Adventurers have sworn fealty to Not'zar Izweski, whether he is called Hegemon or Karszekan does not change that. We are grateful to have been given a second chance at serving our people, and will continue to do so. I have to say, I am quite intrigued to see how colonial rule will be handled with this new leadership structure being established, and what this will mean for fleets loyal to the Karszekan like mine, though I am not worried.” It really seems like the Cultural Resurgence’s announcement has shaken all sinta to their core, with even the smallest of factions voicing their opinion. All eyes are on the Karszekan now, and the Sinta Articles wishes him good luck and lends him its full support for the coming efforts.

Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs Kasz Han’san explains the Hegemonic “Cultural Resurgence” NEW LUXEMBOURG, MOROZ (GST) - A recent declaration by Hegemon Izweski, the ruler of the Hegemony, has left many Unathi across the entire Orion Spur shocked, and left many rulers curious. But what is this declaration about exactly? INN’s Shen Xinyue interviewed Kasz Han’san, Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs, and leader of the Han’san Unathi Clan, to get a clearer explanation. The interview was conducted in High Morozi and has been translated to Vulgar by the INN. An uncut version of the interview is available here to INN listeners. S. Xinyue: We at the INN thank you, Chief Minister Han’san, for taking the time to answer our questions. Kasz Han’san: And I thank you for coming. I am always happy to share the culture and history of my kind with the people of Dominia. SX: Human or Unathi, we serve the same Emperor after all, it is essential that we know each other. Now, could you please tell us about the recent news we’ve heard from the Hegemony? KH: Yes. It appears that Hegemon- Or as he’d like to be called now Karszekan Izweski has been working on a “cultural resurgence” project, and is now putting his project in motion. SX: A cultural resurgence? KH: Yes. A good idea on paper. You are, of course, aware of the war that ravaged Moghes, our home world, decades ago. This war has been horrifyingly destructive, and Unathi culture itself was one of the casualties. Museums and libraries were razed, and with them, the history they held. Stories were forgotten, traditions left behind, and with the locals focused on mere survival as the fires of battle died down, no efforts were made to save this culture. The Hegemony’s plans of opening up to alien civilisation did not help much, with, for instance, Hephaestus being allowed to erase the Guilds in all but name. Naturally, now that the situation on Moghes is… Relatively stable, it’s wise to take the opportunity to try and fix the damages done to Unathi culture. SX: I doubt it can be that simple, however. KH: Indeed. You see, the very same conflict that damaged our culture so much was fought, in parts, over this same issue. To make a very complicated matter simple for the purposes of this interview, the War opposed the forces of the Hegemony against those of tradition, progress against the old ways. The Hegemony ultimately own, and so our old ways have been ignored, and thus, damaged. Many see the Karszekan’s efforts as hypocritical. Other more progressive ones see it as a betrayal to their expectations, a step back into the past. I, however, see it as something different, the actions of a tyrant, no matter how progressive or traditional they may appear. SX: How so? KH: Since the end of the War, the victory of the Hegemony, it has effectively been the ruler of Moghes as a whole. It is free to do as it wishes with its people, relatively unopposed. To me, these news are simply a show from the Karszekan, that he wants cultural resurgence, yes, but a resurgence of his, Karszekan-approved culture. Most of these things aren’t parts of our past being revived, they are entirely new, in some cases alien things being imposed to Moghresians. And I am sure Izweski wants nothing but the best for his people and nation, but only time will tell if this was the best decision to make. SX: What does any of this mean for the Empire? KH: For now, nothing much. However, if the Karszekan’s work, if these drastic changes he wants to impose are to be tolerated, then in the long term, we may expect to see a stronger Hegemony- or “Kingdom”- more united, with a prouder people, a more stable nation. In other words, a stronger neighbor. SX: And what about the Empire’s Unathi population? KH: This changes nothing. Both the Kazhkz and Han’san clan have sworn allegiance to Empire, Emperor and Goddess, and we do not break our oaths. Not just that, but we have learned and adopted the Imperial Culture, and many Imperial Unathi were born here, in this empire- why would we leave, let alone want for the Hegemony’s culture? The very same Hegemony we fought in the first place, and fled from? Rest assured, your fellow Sinta Imperials will remain your loyal friends, no matter what. Further Reading: Imperial Exomechanical Sport Teams to Compete in the Next METAL CRUSHERS!™ Championship Imperial Census Bureau Releases Preliminary Empire-Wide Population Figures Authorities to Impose New Limitations on Hunting in Forests Surrounding Domelkos

THROUGH THE POWERS OF LORE I REVIVE THIS FORGOTTEN CANON APP!!! It's accepted! Very sorry for clearly forgetting about this.

Accepted!

You guys are TOO GOOD! Stop being so good you're making this hard on us!!! (I'm joking of course, right?) Anyways, have some general and not-so general questions, hopefully your answers will help us figure who will be the ONE AND ONLY to rise up and join the team. And if you're not chosen, well at least know that you've made this very hard on us because this is as close as it gets so far between you two applying. anyways. 1) What is the best strength a (deputy) lore writer can have? 2) What the worst flaw a (deputy) lore writer can have? 3) You've probably figured this out since you play at least one alien species- the Unathi-, but Aurora has an arguably very cool take on aliens, where they are not just people with different skins. Unathi are not just people with scales, nor do they just differ in culture from Humans, but they have their own biology, their own mindset- often influenced by their nature- their own natural habits, etc. They are aliens. What would you do, put in your writing, or anything else to make sure that the playerbase keeps this in mind? Or perhaps you actually think we should make the Unathi more relatable and not more alien, in which case, do justify yourself!

You guys are TOO GOOD! Stop being so good you're making this hard on us!!! (I'm joking of course, right?) Anyways, have some general and not-so general questions, hopefully your answers will help us figure who will be the ONE AND ONLY to rise up and join the team. And if you're not chosen, well at least know that you've made this very hard on us because this is as close as it gets so far between you two applying. anyways. 1) What is the best strength a (deputy) lore writer can have? 2) What the worst flaw a (deputy) lore writer can have? 3) You've probably figured this out since you play at least one alien species- the Unathi-, but Aurora has an arguably very cool take on aliens, where they are not just people with different skins. Unathi are not just people with scales, nor do they just differ in culture from Humans, but they have their own biology, their own mindset- often influenced by their nature- their own natural habits, etc. They are aliens. What would you do, put in your writing, or anything else to make sure that the playerbase keeps this in mind? Or perhaps you actually think we should make the Unathi more relatable and not more alien, in which case, do justify yourself!

BYOND Key: Captain Gecko Discord Username: CAPTGecko Character Name: Sezrak Han'san Item Name: red Han'san scaleshield Item Function(s): This is a custom Scaleshield, it works much like the others. In other words, it works like a poncho, wearable as a coat or an accessory for the clothes in the "suit slot" Item Description: "A thick, warm piece of reinforced canvas and fabric made by Dominian Unathi to keep themselves warm in Moroz's frigid climate. This one bears a pattern commonly seen in Hunter’s District, also known as Widowtown, although not with the typical colors. It bears pieces reinforced canvas here and there, more to protect against the elements than actual bumps, and embroided on a white stripe is the standard of the Han'san clan." Why is your character bringing this item to work?: Sezrak, ever so materialist, has quite the emotional attachement to many items, and this piece of attire is no different. More importantly, this custom Scaleshield was one that was offered to him by friends dear to him, one he has been wearing for years, and thus, grew greatly attached to. Though he does not wear constantly (it's not so cold in the Horizon thankfully), he often brings it while on "sorties" and other expeditions, worn on top of his voidsuit. How did your character obtain this item?: As stated earlier it was offered by friends, more precisely, as a birthday gift. What value does this item have to your character, and what story does it tell?: As said earlier, not only was this item a gift from friends, Sezrak is quick to get attached to objects, especially those with history- and it is one with HIS history. Beyond that, it also describes him quite well, I think, as an outlier in the Han'san, a scientist in a clan of Warrior (though he justifies himself in Han'san ways, it doesn't change the fact that he is a scientist in the end), bearing the pattern of Widowtown, the mainly Han'san community and the one he lives in, but with his own colors (red being his color he always love wearing, and the white line being a link to research) and finally the extra Han'san standard signifies his sheer attachement to his clan, still. Sprites: Have at you! Sezrak Scaleshield.dmi Additional Comments: This custom item is meant as a REPLACEMENT for another. With the last update on Dominian Unathi removing them from nobility, they cannot wear capes anymore, thus Sezrak's cape is out of place, and replacing it with this scaleshield is effectively a retcon. Thus, along with implementing this custom item (or even if it gets refused), make sure to remove Sezrak's current custom cape (the "red han'san cape" seen below)

That actually sounds good. Whether we make it two or five minutes I'd appreciate some more time to ready up, also gives the time for more people to join up.

Great stuff! Sort of relieved also to see some of these responses about Science. I still think it would be an utter shame to completely erase the department (and scatter some of its jobs across other departments), and not just update it- perhaps tackling the gameplay issue at the same time... Though depending on how things go, this is a conversation fit for its own thread, I imagine. Also love to see these responses about persistent money. There's really a lot of potential if we can give players things to put their character's money in, something to keep people coming and work toward as well, depending on how it's implemented. On a final note, I find these questions AND answers of stagnant lore super interesting as well. I don't know if this makes me biased as a lore deputy or not, but I'm not too sure about it myself. I do not THINK the LORE of Aurora is stagnant, whether it is OOCly (through updates to the lore and additions) or ICly (with lore events, articles and so on). Aurora being a universe that advances at the same pace as ours, it makes sense that there isn't an important planet being shaken by this or that event every day. What I think however is that some people conflate stagnant lore and stagnant PLOT. No matter how much is added or happens in the lore, while some of it might have effects on specific characters, it generally does not have any effect on the Horizon, on the story of the crew at large. Say for instance that tomorrow Fisanduh nukes the Empire of Dominia and Moroz becomes a democracy, this would have MAJOR effects on the lore, and on Dominian characters- but how does this affect the Horizon and its mission? The point is, no matter the events, no matter the place or lore, the Horizon has been following the very same mission, every shift, since its maiden flight: explore space, find Phoron, occasionally survey inhabitable planets, with even arcs occasionally breaking that up for a month or two. I think a lot of people really think of that part when they speak of things being stagnant, and that will definitely be something to address- and perhaps, easier to address too if we go with the "independant" crew idea. That I absolutely understand. I have created Sezrak back in 2020 (Time flies!), and have been playing mostly him since then, Ankala appearaing only a couple of years ago, and still earning plenty of attachement from me as well. Not being able to play too much, I focus on playing a single character, or two if the gameplay (mainly) gets a little too stale at times, and end up getting super attached to them as their backstories and arcs grow... But I think that it is not a reason to not give them eventual closure. As others said, 3 years is still plenty of time, especially on the scale of Aurora, so there's still a lot to do, a lot to explore, and eventually, start considering what kind of closure this character would have (assuming they don't get shredded during an event or anything). In other words, better to have your character go on an ending you roleplay out and make up with your fellow roleplayers rather than playing them forever until you grow bored or unable to play and they just fade out... Plus, since we only have few characters, this sort of reset might just be the right excuse to create new ones and explore new things! I would've been quiete upset if this came without a warning, but I actually think that this with a set (estimated) time is actually kind of a blessing. Worst-case scenario, there is also still the option of a soft-retcon, I believe, where you can just bring your previous character back through the timeskip, so long as you rework your character's history a bit to make them fit in the new, post-timeskip setting.

Works well, roleplays good. +1

SEZRAK FLOW

Share your Aurora Characters but make it actually cool.

Funny cat. Nothing bad to say about the actual commanding, and a nice roleplayer! Here is the +1

Had a couple of shift with the CE so far, good both on a gameplay AND roleplay level, nothing much else to add. Is good, +1

Getting a tranq gun is pretty cool! But also, now, we have this huuuge empty space, and I think it could use some filling. Maybe add a long range holopad here, some storage there, a charger there, I don't know.

The mech does not help. I made this thread just after a Skrazi whiped out a 6-man expedition safe for the machinist. The Mech survived and beat the Plains Tyrant indeed, but it did not prevent it from killing the five other crew before-end. It's simply way too fast, you have next to no time to react, and the only way to survive would have to somehow have the mech be at the front at all times. You're essentially going to play like this at all times. The freeze gun, assuming it works on simple mobs (I don't know why it wouldn't) could be a good-enough solution to escape it. I'm not exactly sure if you can actually freeze before it reaches you, but assuming you can, the issue is that you just can't make a freeze rifle like that. You need silver, which the miners should provide... If they even find some, that is. This is really just a space-eel situation again. It's good to have danger- in fact it's essential to make things believable, especially when we're talking about Moghes' Wastelands... But this is just ridiculous. It wasn't so bad when the only way to meet a Plains Tyrant was to toy around with a gold core, where you basically seek the risk, and you're not exactly essential to the ship as a Xenobio... But this is different. I fear a lot of players will just stay away from Moghes, fearing to get instakilled by stumbling upon a Plains Tyrant. I don't agree. It's so monstrously tanky you DO NOT have enough ammo/energy on yourself to actually kill it like that. Worst case scenario, while you slow it down, give it even more health/armor Another option I just thought about might be to give players an early warning. Because it often sees you before you see it in the dark, you just can't NOT agro it if you somehow stumble upon it, one way to prevent the unfair "Woops! You're suddenly dead!" and still give players the ability to fuck around (and inevitably find out) would be to give them a chance to avoid it even before getting it in their viewport. Perhaps some warning fluff messages when you get within a certain range of the mob might help. IE: "You hear a bone-chilling roar in the distance" when you get within X tiles of the Skrazi, and then, once you get even closer, "YOU HEAR LOUD STOMPING NEARBY, SOMETHING TERRIFYINGLY LARGE IS NEARBY"

As someone who's been playing nothing but Xenoarch/Anomalist for over two years straight, I'm definitely on this side too... But I still think we need the nerf, though. Taking the example of the net gun, assuming you're a miner or a Xenoarch suddenly coming face-to-face with a Plains Tyrant, you have to: Drop the items you are currently holding Pull out your fancy net-gun (most of the time you don't have access to a hardsuit, let alone an exosuit, so let's assume we have an awesome handheld net gun), assuming it can fit in your belt and you actually put it there (so you don't have to open up your bag and get it from there) Aim and shoot (don't miss!) The Skrazi will already be in your face before you can raise that gun with how fast it is, currently, and that's not taking into account low-visibility. I still think having more tools would be awesome! And whether we nerf the Skrazi or not, and no matter how it's done, I hope we still get more things to play around with. Netguns can be super useful and interesting for plenty of things too, not just fauna.

Putting it here right now so that we can get the most out of it, while we're still by Moghes. We should probably nerf the Plains Tyrant. YES, I know it's effectively an absolute apex predator, YES I know this is basically a space T-Rex, and YES I know that the wastes are meant to be hostile... BUT... I think the Plains Tyrant is PROHIBITIVELY violent right now, to the point where you can't actually escape it if it agros you. It hits VERY hard (you are out of a fight with a single hit unless you're a Unathi - though you won't last long even then), it's very tanky, and it's very fast. It's a shame because there is plenty to do with Moghes, and it's animals among other things. I imagined expeditions revolving around capturing and safely bringing endangered Moghes Fauna to the Horizon to ship them back to the Hegemony, things like that, but the Plains Tyrant is so terribly dangerous that you just can't approach it. And hell, putting aside expeditions, that's a monstrous hazard with next to no chance of escaping it that can just end any unlucky miner or xenoarch too. Thus I propose nerfing it by SLOWING IT DOWN. The Skrazi SHOULD hit insanely hard, and it SHOULD be super tanky. But it shouldn't so fast that even a sprinting Unathi can't escape it, this is straight up unfair, especially with how it will very often spot you before you spot it in the night. By slowing it down, we'll be able to keep it as threatening as it's meant to be, but still leave players with a chance to escape it. Give it the basic Human walking speed, a threat so massive shouldn't be so hard to avoid, especially in low-vis situations.

Record-breaking attendance at K’rath’s bi-yearly music festival. Every two years, K’rath’s Music Festival gathers thousands from across the Ouerea, Moghes, and even beyond. Just two days ago, countless attendees came together to enjoy the first lives of the week-long event… But yesterday the event reached its peak with what was the most anticipated event of the week, the most K’rath has ever seen since this event first started in 2458. It was at dusk that none other than spur-famous Uhszi Ski stepped on the scene as the crowd cheered… Only to cheer even harder when Ski’s partner took to the stage as well, renowned Skrell Idol Weshi Beshi. Many were confused when news of these two legendary artists playing together was spread. While they are both extremely popular and talented musicians, they excel in vastly different genres. Still, fans of both Ski and Beshi came in the thousands to witness the performance, with no less than 85000 attendees. Reception to the performance was mostly positive, but a notable part of the attendance, both Unathi and Skrell, had some reserves. Some fans of Ski reported that they did not enjoy how the Unathi singer had altered some of her songs to make them fit Skrell's style. Likewise, fans of the Beshi were disappointed to see their idol act more as an accompanying force and sing little of their songs. Loksra Ikoru, a famous member of the Keeper of Heirlooms and music critic says: Sinta Articles also managed to interview both artists after their performance. Uhszi Ski explains: To this, Weshi Beshi adds: K’rath’s Music Festival continues, and many talented artists will perform today and for the next four days. Attendance is not expected to go much higher than it currently is, though it is still impressively high, to the point where K’rath authorities had to organize to provide more supplies to the festival to ensure it remains an enjoyable experience.

Tense Protests Shake New Skalamar, City Watch Mobilized to Put an End to it With the Hegemon starting talks with diplomats from the Nralakk Federation, the atmosphere has turned electric on Ouerea to say the least. The people are tense, whether they are expecting the Federation to pay for offense against the Hegemony or the opposite, and this tension has reached its peak just this morning in New Skalamar with sudden, massive protests filling the city’s streets. Citizens of New Skalamar themselves were confused, if not outright shocked by the sudden appearance of these protesters. Ekze Kesoerer, owner of the Starved Stok restaurant, informed our correspondents: What he describes is the initial protest, which appears to have started in the southernmost point of New Skalamar. Most of the questioned protesters say that they simply joined in on the movement, and it appears that it all started with a small group that drew similarly minded citizens as they progressed through the city. The original instigators have yet to be found, though. One of these protestors was Ozle Rsol, who works with a ferry company providing transport between the Ouerean capital and Trizakael. At first, the City Watch had been mobilized to ensure nothing went wrong with this sudden, unplanned protest, but their role quickly turned to putting a swift end to it when another protest, seemingly formed in similar conditions, approached from the northern end of the city, a diverse group of Sinta, Humans and Skrell, asking for forgiveness and harmony between species. The situation was already tense with these protests on their own, but things got even worse when the two groups met in Landing Square. Marcus Gerard, a local human Hephaestus worker, witnessed it all from his office: Around half an hour before noon, the City Watch declared both protests as over, and discouraged the population of New Skalamar to engage in any more or risk being arrested. Overlord Zik'san addressed the situation by noon in a public broadcast: Though seemingly harsh, these restrictions have ample justification considering the presence of important Nralakk diplomatic staff on Ouerea. Open, unplanned protests like these are not only a poor display, they can also be seen as a threat to the foreign diplomats. Representatives of the New Skalamar Watch also raised the concern of dangerous groups such as the Champions of Moghes or other terrorist organizations using ongoing protests as a cover for potentially dangerous activity. So far, the population of New Skalamar is complying with Overlord Zik'san’s words, and order reigns once more in New Skalamar.

Excellent remap so far! My favorite layout for science since the Horizon first dropped! Now as far as issues go: 1) This machine blueprint that we see in the picture above (the one in the circuitry "lab") CANNOT be interacted with for some reason. You cannot remove it, nor can you build anything with it. I'm not exactly sure what may be the cause since I never mapped much, but worst case scenario, this could be removed and replaced with some materials to build the machine ourselves. 2) Add some plastics along with the steel and glass in RnD. Since the Autolathe update making it require more materials, RnD cannot print some basic things without these materials, ESPECIALLY plastics. I'm thinking about the multitools, for instance, that we require to link our tech-processors to the servers (yes I know there is a single one waiting in our server room, but since we always need to use multiple processors, this means A LOT of backs and forth, through the actually dangerously cold server room -which means with a voidsuits that slows you down even more if you're not a Tajara or any other species that can handle this cold-)

Once again, me being very stupid I assume. Sorry about that. Though it is extremely rare for me (science player) to upgrade machines, I haven't seen Machinists being asked do anything like this since the Horizon, but I do believe you. My point was more about player population. It's nowhere near as bad as Science, and certainly not for the same reasons, but I do notice that Engineering is part of the least played departments, which sucks considering how important they are, that was what I was referring to.

Though I think lore is reason enough to make gameplay changes, especially in Aurora, I do not believe corpo lore is reason-enough, just as I believe it wasn't reason enough when we first set foot on the Horizon, but that may be just me. What is not just me is that the matter still stands. The main/most represented exosuits are effectively just powerlifters, I'm pretty sure we spawn with at least two at the start of each rounds (one for each ship gun) as far as most people are concerned, exosuits are generally used for logistics. Of course, engineering exosutis are thing, just like rescue or mining ones (technically combat too, but they're exceedingly rare by fear of earning some boinks), but this doesn't change the fact that the basline for exosuits are powerlifters. Orion Express has as much if not more rights to have workers specialized in building or maintaining exosuits than Zavod. AI and shipbounds are another matter, and while I just said that it would've made more sense for it to remain in Science on that matter, in the end I assume all corporations are used to having robots and AIs on their own ships. It shouldn't be a stretch to think that OE machinists got to work by the side of OE AIs and Shipbounds before... And I believe that positronics are not very popular within Zavod anyways. And while at it... I am not sure if I want the Machinists to return to science. It would make sense to me to have the Roboticist never leave the department in the first place, but what's done is done, and there are other ways we could fix that department, more important ones too... Which I am working on. But that's for another discussion. My main point when mentionning science is just for comparison's sake, and I still do not agree with most of the points raised to move the Machinist to Engineering. There are points to be made, clearly, but I do not think there are enough to justify such a move. Frankly I think there's as much reasons to put the Machinist in Engineering, as there is for moving them to Sec (exosuits are dangerous no matter what they're equipped with and can be armed, and of course, handling the AI is a very sensitive matter after all!) or Medical (cyborgifications, limb replacements, organ printing, and the occasional rescue exosuit all come from the machinist after all). Though on the topic of science there is something I forgot to address. Previously you did say that "...the upgrading and repair of various machines that fall outside the Engineer's standard fare of the power network..." would be the machinist's responsability, among other things. I am very much against that, as it would be gutting something else from Science, we SERIOUSLY DO NOT NEED THIS. I understand that Engineering isn't exactly in tip-top shape either right now, but Science really doesn't need anymore things taken away from it. Upgrading machines outside of Research, Robotics, and the power grid is very rare, but when people ask it is generally science's role to take care of it. It's not that the machinist, in its current state, cannot do it, they technically can, but they are expected to take care of other matters generally. If the Engie-Machinist's responsabilities include doing just that, that does not technically prevent scientists from doing it either, but obviously people will then be asking Engineering for such things, and scientists get one less thing to do.