Stephanie chuckles, “Congratulations, Admiral.”
It takes me a minute to figure out why, “Ah… because I command two ships now?”
Euler laughs, “Three, as soon as the one you commissioned is ready. Although I’m sure you’ll want to refit the one in front of us.”
She’s right about that… “Long range sensors and turret weapons are the way to go when you’re not focusing on hiding - even when you need to add the mounts; flanking doesn’t matter, so you can drop maneuverability and speed, then get a ton of warning on opposing ships so you can…”
“Exactly,” Euler interrupts, “You’ll want to refit it. I’ve noticed you don’t care about armor, either….”
Pfft, “Of course not. Armor’s expensive, shields are cheap, and they fix themselves with a little time to boot. Same for countermeasures. For the cost of armor on a ship this size, you can…” I trail off at Euler’s smile.
“Oh, you’re not wrong. It’s just…” she pauses, “It’s a mindset where battle is basically all-important.”
“You’re hardly going to get anywhere if you’re dead,” I object.
“True,” she continues, “but you take it to extremes even the military doesn’t seem to.”
I worry about other things… “We have an Industry and Fuel Synthesizer on board, right now, and you’re enjoying your luxury quarters, right?”
“I am indeed,” Euler admits, “But those are fundamentally so you can hide forever if you need to do so without going insane.”
Well, “You got me there. Still… useful, no? I'll provide a crew for you… once we're over there.”
Euler nods, “That it is, and... how?” as we head to the airlock, cycle through, and… ah. Their shields regenerated a bit.
I sign for Euler to hold as I use the com through my Datajack, “Stephanie, their shields are back up. Please fix that.”
“Are you sure?” my ship confirms, “You’re awfully close, Captain.”
I chuckle over the com, “Euler and I would be okay if we went swimming in a star. I'm not worried about a little splash from shipboard weapons. Still… take your time and line up the shot: I'd rather you didn't damage the ship too badly, as I'll need to fix it after… but I need to do some of that anyway, so it's not a big deal if you scratch the paint or put a hole in the hull.”
Euler gives me a curious look, followed by a very concerned one as the turret points, and she practically panics when our ship fires.
Between the point-blank range, neither ship maneuvering, and having time to line up the shot, Stephanie does wonderfully, and there’s no splash that comes at us… but the shields do go down.
I lead Euler to our prey's airlock as Stephanie gives me a status update through my com, “The merchant's heading off, Captain.”
“Good,” I acknowledge, “We'll be inside shortly.”
As soon as there is enough air to transmit sound, Euler lays into the com, “What were you thinking, Stephanie?!”
I stop her, “I told her to take the shot. With what I've done to you, you could take a direct hit from a coilgun and be fine; a little splash is nothing, and I'm in the same boat. Come on….”
Euler shakes her head and follows me into the ship.
The ship is… well, it's a pirate ship. Decore is a mishmash of random things taped to bulkheads, bunks are just cots hanging from the walls, there’s weapons stashed basically everywhere, and the mess is again the barest minimum needed to keep people alive… oh, and nobody's been cleaning. Eugh.
It's an easy fix, though. I summon and buff a crew of five for Euler.
SpoilerI start with two elder air elementals, setting them up for gunnery (They have sixteen hit dice at full BAB and an eleven point bonus from their Dexterity modifier out of the gate for a twenty seven point bonus to their Gunnery check; Chasing Perfection gets that up by another two, Polymorph Any Object into a halfling gives them three points more (by a six point dexterity increase) for a grand total gunnery check at a thirty two point bonus. I Summon and buff another for piloting (the same build, but also Enable Function to give ten ranks in Piloting, again for Skill Focus in the same, Karmic Blessing to make it a class skill, Bestow Insight for a six point Insight bonus, and Greater Heroism for a four point Morale bonus… so she is rolling Piloting checks with a forty point bonus).
I add two Astral Devas to handle Science Officer or Engineering tasks (Enable Function for ten ranks in every relevant skill plus skill focus in the same, Karmic Blessing for each relevant skill to make them class, Bestow Insight for each to add a six point bonus, Greater Heroism for a four point bonus, and Chasing Perfection to increase their stats for two more - they roll at a thirty-six point bonus on all intelligence or Wisdom based skills).
I also give each the Opportunity spell so they roll three times and take the best, Greater Celestial Healing so they'll recover quickly from injury, Life Bubble so they don't need to worry about hull breaches, Tongues so communication is a non-issue, and Sheltered Vitality so radiation, poison, and disease are non-issues. Thinking about it, I also drop a Fly spell on each in case they end up outside the hull, Delay Disease, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, One Step Beyond, Protection From Evil, Delay Pain, Greater Shield of Lathandar, Starmantle, Mystic Shield, all five versions of Energy Immunity, and Improved Mage Armor on each as well… just in case of borders and to stack immunities on them.
As Outsiders, they already don't need to worry about sleeping or eating. I would add Delay Death, but that doesn't work on Summons.
[collapse]I then tell them to obey Euler wherever that doesn't contradict my orders… and just don't give them any further instructions.
“There you go: A full, expert crew, at your command. Please get her fixed up, cleaned up, and back to Absalom Station so I can order the refit,” I open up a storage Keyhome, and pull out a bag of UPB's, handing them to Euler, “and take these for the repairs, of course.”
Euler pauses a bit, then looks at me, “What is it you need me for exactly?”
I chuckle, “These creatures,” I wave at his crew, “are suicidally obedient. If I give them an order, they will follow it to the best of their abilities… even if it’s a stupid order that I give because I'm in a hurry and am unaware of the full situation. They will not talk back, ever, including when they know it's in my best interests for them to tell me ‘no’. Despite all the power they have, and all the more I can give them, at the end of the day, these things are just tools, much like a Virtual Intelligence.”
I pause, and then continue, “You, on the other hand, are an actual person. When I give a stupid order, you'll let me know if there is time, and do the right thing regardless if there's not. Can they do their specialties better than you can? Sure. But you have something very important that they lack: Real free will. You can say no, weigh competing priorities, adjust your behavior based on the ethics of the situation, and tell me off when I'm wrong. They can't. If I tell them to take the ship back to Absalom Station, they will, no problem. But that’s all. They won't stop to help a stranded traveler or defend a merchant from a pirate; you might. You're better.”
Euler chews on that for a bit while I start heading out, and asks a question before I go, “So why is it they don't look like Cowbird?”
I honestly don't know. Patricia?
“They're not ‘real’,” my pink partner pontificates, “They're simply an expression of power. They'll all come out female, but that’s it: There's not really anything there to change. They're like the illusions, but more solid.”
I relay the gist of that to Euler, “They're not ‘real’ in the same sense you are, so the same rules don't apply. They're just another way for me to lend power.”
Euler nods slowly as I cycle the airlock and head back to Stephanie. I cycle through the airlock on her side, and build another summoned science officer / engineer via summons and buffing, wait for Euler and his crew to complete repairs (which just takes an hour), and head to our destination: An earth-like world… maybe a bit more desert, but quite varied overall… and contact ground control… which is just a landed colony ship. Which…apparently works quite well for the purpose, as this is not the first time I've seen it done that way.
“This is Captain Alex Abrams of Stephanie Steel delivering shipment…” I check my paperwork on my personal com, “0ed9067b-c762-42ba-a3e5-a56de266802f. Where would you like us to set down?”
“Hello Captain Abrams, this is ground control. I was not expecting a ship I can see on sensors.”
I chuckle, “We picked off some pirates along the way, and captured their ship. It's mine now, but what you're seeing on scanners isn't Stephanie. Truth to tell she's currently in a temporary hull while we have the next one built.”
Ground control pauses, “I'm guessing that means the ground crew isn't in for the expected entertainment?”
I chuckle, “She has a reputation, then? But no, this hull isn't hooked in the same way.”
There's a pause, and then, “Pity. Well, we still need the goods… we have a landing site set up a good half-mile sunside of town; I'm transmitting the coordinates now.”
I glance at my panel, “Received. See you soon. Captain Abrams out.”
“Ground control out.”
We head down….
Stephanie chuckles, “Congratulations, Admiral.”
It takes me a minute to figure out why, “Ah… because I command two ships now?”
Euler laughs, “Three, as soon as the one you commissioned is ready. Although I’m sure you’ll want to refit the one in front of us.”
She’s right about that… “Long range sensors and turret weapons are the way to go when you’re not focusing on hiding - even when you need to add the mounts; flanking doesn’t matter, so you can drop maneuverability and speed, then get a ton of warning on opposing ships so you can…”
“Exactly,” Euler interrupts, “You’ll want to refit it. I’ve noticed you don’t care about armor, either….”
Pfft, “Of course not. Armor’s expensive, shields are cheap, and they fix themselves with a little time to boot. Same for countermeasures. For the cost of armor on a ship this size, you can…” I trail off at Euler’s smile.
“Oh, you’re not wrong. It’s just…” she pauses, “It’s a mindset where battle is basically all-important.”
“You’re hardly going to get anywhere if you’re dead,” I object.
“True,” she continues, “but you take it to extremes even the military doesn’t seem to.”
I worry about other things… “We have an Industry and Fuel Synthesizer on board, right now, and you’re enjoying your luxury quarters, right?”
“I am indeed,” Euler admits, “But those are fundamentally so you can hide forever if you need to do so without going insane.”
Well, “You got me there. Still… useful, no? I'll provide a crew for you… once we're over there.”
Euler nods, “That it is, and... how?” as we head to the airlock, cycle through, and… ah. Their shields regenerated a bit.
I sign for Euler to hold as I use the com through my Datajack, “Stephanie, their shields are back up. Please fix that.”
“Are you sure?” my ship confirms, “You’re awfully close, Captain.”
I chuckle over the com, “Euler and I would be okay if we went swimming in a star. I'm not worried about a little splash from shipboard weapons. Still… take your time and line up the shot: I'd rather you didn't damage the ship too badly, as I'll need to fix it after… but I need to do some of that anyway, so it's not a big deal if you scratch the paint or put a hole in the hull.”
Euler gives me a curious look, followed by a very concerned one as the turret points, and she practically panics when our ship fires.
Between the point-blank range, neither ship maneuvering, and having time to line up the shot, Stephanie does wonderfully, and there’s no splash that comes at us… but the shields do go down.
I lead Euler to our prey's airlock as Stephanie gives me a status update through my com, “The merchant's heading off, Captain.”
“Good,” I acknowledge, “We'll be inside shortly.”
As soon as there is enough air to transmit sound, Euler lays into the com, “What were you thinking, Stephanie?!”
I stop her, “I told her to take the shot. With what I've done to you, you could take a direct hit from a coilgun and be fine; a little splash is nothing, and I'm in the same boat. Come on….”
Euler shakes her head and follows me into the ship.
The ship is… well, it's a pirate ship. Decore is a mishmash of random things taped to bulkheads, bunks are just cots hanging from the walls, there’s weapons stashed basically everywhere, and the mess is again the barest minimum needed to keep people alive… oh, and nobody's been cleaning. Eugh.
It's an easy fix, though. I summon and buff a crew of five for Euler.
SpoilerI start with two elder air elementals, setting them up for gunnery (They have sixteen hit dice at full BAB and an eleven point bonus from their Dexterity modifier out of the gate for a twenty seven point bonus to their Gunnery check; Chasing Perfection gets that up by another two, Polymorph Any Object into a halfling gives them three points more (by a six point dexterity increase) for a grand total gunnery check at a thirty two point bonus. I Summon and buff another for piloting (the same build, but also Enable Function to give ten ranks in Piloting, again for Skill Focus in the same, Karmic Blessing to make it a class skill, Bestow Insight for a six point Insight bonus, and Greater Heroism for a four point Morale bonus… so she is rolling Piloting checks with a forty point bonus).
I add two Astral Devas to handle Science Officer or Engineering tasks (Enable Function for ten ranks in every relevant skill plus skill focus in the same, Karmic Blessing for each relevant skill to make them class, Bestow Insight for each to add a six point bonus, Greater Heroism for a four point bonus, and Chasing Perfection to increase their stats for two more - they roll at a thirty-six point bonus on all intelligence or Wisdom based skills).
I also give each the Opportunity spell so they roll three times and take the best, Greater Celestial Healing so they'll recover quickly from injury, Life Bubble so they don't need to worry about hull breaches, Tongues so communication is a non-issue, and Sheltered Vitality so radiation, poison, and disease are non-issues. Thinking about it, I also drop a Fly spell on each in case they end up outside the hull, Delay Disease, Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, One Step Beyond, Protection From Evil, Delay Pain, Greater Shield of Lathandar, Starmantle, Mystic Shield, all five versions of Energy Immunity, and Improved Mage Armor on each as well… just in case of borders and to stack immunities on them.
As Outsiders, they already don't need to worry about sleeping or eating. I would add Delay Death, but that doesn't work on Summons.
[collapse]I then tell them to obey Euler wherever that doesn't contradict my orders… and just don't give them any further instructions.
“There you go: A full, expert crew, at your command. Please get her fixed up, cleaned up, and back to Absalom Station so I can order the refit,” I open up a storage Keyhome, and pull out a bag of UPB's, handing them to Euler, “and take these for the repairs, of course.”
Euler pauses a bit, then looks at me, “What is it you need me for exactly?”
I chuckle, “These creatures,” I wave at his crew, “are suicidally obedient. If I give them an order, they will follow it to the best of their abilities… even if it’s a stupid order that I give because I'm in a hurry and am unaware of the full situation. They will not talk back, ever, including when they know it's in my best interests for them to tell me ‘no’. Despite all the power they have, and all the more I can give them, at the end of the day, these things are just tools, much like a Virtual Intelligence.”
I pause, and then continue, “You, on the other hand, are an actual person. When I give a stupid order, you'll let me know if there is time, and do the right thing regardless if there's not. Can they do their specialties better than you can? Sure. But you have something very important that they lack: Real free will. You can say no, weigh competing priorities, adjust your behavior based on the ethics of the situation, and tell me off when I'm wrong. They can't. If I tell them to take the ship back to Absalom Station, they will, no problem. But that’s all. They won't stop to help a stranded traveler or defend a merchant from a pirate; you might. You're better.”
Euler chews on that for a bit while I start heading out, and asks a question before I go, “So why is it they don't look like Cowbird?”
I honestly don't know. Patricia?
“They're not ‘real’,” my pink partner pontificates, “They're simply an expression of power. They'll all come out female, but that’s it: There's not really anything there to change. They're like the illusions, but more solid.”
I relay the gist of that to Euler, “They're not ‘real’ in the same sense you are, so the same rules don't apply. They're just another way for me to lend power.”
Euler nods slowly as I cycle the airlock and head back to Stephanie. I cycle through the airlock on her side, and build another summoned science officer / engineer via summons and buffing, wait for Euler and his crew to complete repairs (which just takes an hour), and head to our destination: An earth-like world… maybe a bit more desert, but quite varied overall… and contact ground control… which is just a landed colony ship. Which…apparently works quite well for the purpose, as this is not the first time I've seen it done that way.
“This is Captain Alex Abrams of Stephanie Steel delivering shipment…” I check my paperwork on my personal com, “0ed9067b-c762-42ba-a3e5-a56de266802f. Where would you like us to set down?”
“Hello Captain Abrams, this is ground control. I was not expecting a ship I can see on sensors.”
I chuckle, “We picked off some pirates along the way, and captured their ship. It's mine now, but what you're seeing on scanners isn't Stephanie. Truth to tell she's currently in a temporary hull while we have the next one built.”
Ground control pauses, “I'm guessing that means the ground crew isn't in for the expected entertainment?”
I chuckle, “She has a reputation, then? But no, this hull isn't hooked in the same way.”
There's a pause, and then, “Pity. Well, we still need the goods… we have a landing site set up a good half-mile sunside of town; I'm transmitting the coordinates now.”
I glance at my panel, “Received. See you soon. Captain Abrams out.”
“Ground control out.”
We head down….
