(In the galley of the S.O.L. Jr., Captain Mrs. Richard Basehart and her first mate, Joel, are finishing lunch)
Joel?
Yeah, Cap?
I was thinking about… the next mission. I’m having a great deal of… difficulty… deciding which mission is best for us.
Well, Cap, I don’t think that drinking those two kegs of Nyarlathotep Creeping Chaos Barleywine in one sitting was a great idea. I’m kind of surprised you’re conscious.
I don’t think… it’s the booze. Or… is it? I dunno. My bionics seem to be… clashing with my… biologics. I feel like I’ve… lost some functionality. I can’t… reach…
Listen, how about I plug you into the mainframe and run some tests? Maybe you picked up a virus or something.
[Joel insert’s the captain’s umbilicus into a nearby diagnostics terminal]
I… feel… funny… Joel.
[Joel checks the terminal’s monitor and his eyes widen]
Cap, I’ll be right back. I gotta go check with the IT guys about something.
Joel… what… is… this… I… don’t… even…
(Joel returns 10 minutes later, out of breath from running)
He said I should try turning you off, then on again. Y’know, a reboot to get your systems synched up again.
Quirky tosses the abacus onto the dashboard, and clicks “COMMIT” on the Omni-Pay™.
Quirky hisses at his first mate, “Liz-Tenant, make her ready for Mission 2. I’ve put in the paperwork. I’ll be at Duck’s.”
Ship’s Orders
b40 | Machine That Goes Bing! (x2)
NOTE: This purchase funded by the David Falkayn Memorial Fund. Should bring the Somewhat to 34 EN, I think?
b31 to Pete’sScrapyard | [b1 - Hull Repairs (2 HP) (x31)]
NOTE: that should get me 62HP, bringing the Somewhat to 100HP, yes?
b50 | Mission 2: Synergy Cannon
Quirky slinks into Duck’s Pond, casting a saurian gaze about the place.
“Fellow captains! Clutch-brothers and -sisters! Clicky-clackies and antler-uncles! Wing-mates of every stripe! Looking for a loan of EN or SH you might have lying around. Who’s got what for the good old Somewhat?”
Quirky clangs the ship’s bell with saurian glee.
"Liz-Tenant! Note the change to the Purchase Order: we’re adding two, count 'em two, Machines That Go Bing! I realize this means more work for you slitherers on twirly detail, but look at the upside:
"…
"…Upside to be announced on notice of Mission Success.
Mission 2 here
Wish i could use my Luck on Mission 1 - but that wine just don’t hold no interest for us tee total success stories - pull up by your bootstraps types!
I started as a delivery boy - and that’s how i am going to make my fortune - and a hat shop just sounds fortuitousususous…
I wish i had a hat…
B157.7 Start
b35 Hull Repairs (b1=2hp *35)
b20 Machine that Goes Bing (b2 = 2en)
b40 Hull Plating (b40 = 4sh)
b50 Mission 2 Fee
B12.7 end
transfer b12.7 @davide405 for further bank investment.
I start out with b80.00 (a nice round number. Ugh. Why not hexagonal? :::sigh::
Tender b04.70 to @davide405 for repayment of b04.3 loan in Round 5. It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentle-sentients, and I do appreciate the charming toaster-cozy that came with opening an account.
This leaves me and my good ship with b75.30
So, let’s lay in a plan of purchases:
b19 Hull Repairs (38HP) [brings me up to 98/99]
b20 Scan Scrambler [brings me up to 23 ST]
b20 Machine That Goes Bing [brings me up to 34 EN]
And that leaves b16.30
#Does anybody have a spare Billikin, or some spare luck to spare?
Luck cannot be transferred, although Billikins can.
###I can part with up to b16.30, or trade something else.
And lock us in for Mission 1, 8 drones please. Papa’s little grubs are hungry.
Well, they’re not my grubs, obviously, since I’m still talking to you. They came with the ship (which means, I suppose, that they are my ex-wife’s grubs. And that does not bear thinking about). And they’re well-fed. But you get my point.
@patrace Can I use the new automated order system?
wax.net> ssh -l spacebeeman@notworthy order-subsystem@alaskan.robotics.space
o-s@ars> cat wax.order.config
pay --t @davide405 --q 4.7
purchase --i hullrepair --q 19
purchase --i scanscrambler --q 1
purchase --i bingmachine --q 1
o-s@ars> commit.sh --m=1 --d 8 --p wax.order.config
order-subsystem: order received and processing........
Purchases confirmed.
Mission 1 LOCKIN, drones = 8
You are now being logged out of o-s@ars.
Please close your shell and delete any logfiles that may exist.
wax.net> rm --r --f
“Okay, that should get rid of any logfiles that are… SHIT NO WAIT”
Natasha hereby abdicate any further executive input to affairs of Community Bank. Must fall to executor of Falkayn’s estate @bizmail_public
(( OOC: This is WAY too much like work. I’m very sorry to have created confusion and delay by my waffling. I won’t do it again, because I’m done with the banking business. I can run my ship, and that’s the limit of my ability to participate. ))
Audacious Blip mission orders
Repairs:
Hull Repairs * 3 @ b1 / 2 HP = +6 HP costing b3
Depot:
Machine That Goes Bing * 5 @ b20 / 2 EN = +10 EN costing b100
The gutsy thing to do would be to take Mission 2, in the hopes of scraping together some hat money. However the odds of death are too high there for my liking. The Rustbucket is so underpowered to begin with, and I’ll never be able to navigate the asteroid field without catastrophe. So instead, I’ll take mission 3. The safe mission. The logical mission. The responsible mission. The wussy mission.
“Hey @old – spare a friendly el capitain 4 LK for this round? You won’t be needin’ it, and it’ll be returned in Round 7,” he said enigmatically, referring to some bizarre atomicity of time.
I’m all lost in the hexagons
I can no longer shop Unizone happily
I came in here for the special offer from Ella
Guaranteed survival mission
I wasn’t born so much as I fell out
Nobody seemed to notice me amongst the hundreds of other grubs
We had a hexagon back home in the hive
Over which I never could see
I heard the people who lived in the neighboring hexagons
Scream and fight, most scarily
Hearing that buzz was my first ever feeling
That’s how it’s been all around me
I’m all lost in the hexagons
I can no longer shop Unizone happily
I came in here for the special offer from Ella
Guaranteed survival mission
Well, we seem to be left up a creek without a bank. Can anyone tell me how much is in there? Time’s running out to get the Dabohaze off the ground and there are only three, quite reasonable, requests that are out there.
As I am sure you are aware, the bank is undergoing considerable upheaval at this time and is currently without a living Treasurer. Whilst appreciating that time is of the essence, it is difficult to authorize disbursement of funds currently.
Can Captain Aiuto (or Beard) advise the bank as to how the loan to purchase multiple Machines That Go Ping will increase the chance of success on Mission 2, and also provide a proposal for a repayment plan should any unfortunate asteroid/crystal jarring occur and payment for the mission be lost?
