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Tags: Land Vehicle, Exploration Jedadiah Douglass, on Jurin II, signing in: JD: Landed on this boring looking planet about half an hour ago, not much to look at here, over. HQ: How's the awesomnium look, over. JD: Don't know, I've been too busy, over. HQ: Check then, what do you think we sent you there for? Over. JD: Thought it was to try out the new FlameDrive41 - and the coffee - over. HQ: (muttering) Incorrigible... Well, well, any signs of alien activity? Nothing deadly, I hope. Over. JD: Nothing except this coffee, blah! The coffee machine in this thing really has to be replaced. I prefer hot chocolate anyways... HQ: I'm not exactly sure if you answered my question, over. JD: What was it again, over. HQ: Nevermind, I can't remember. Over and out. JD: AND DON'T FORGET TO REPLACE THE COFFEE MACHINE WHEN I GET BACK! Over and out. Ugh. I guess I'll have to live on this stuff until they get around to it... A couple of pics of the new FlameDrive41 model: Another quick little build, thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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Location: E06 Tags: Civil, Building, Vehicle, Land Vehicle, Exploration Now this is my kinda life. No specimens, no crazy alien ships, no oblivious scientists... Hey there, Guy! Hello J.S! Brought that softener? Sure did! Great! How are things going? They're going awesome man! You wouldn't believe where I was this morning! Where? Oh, over on Jurin II. Awesome place man! Really? I've had enough of that sort of stuff, you know. Yeah, but Hannibal is making things easier for us. You know he's our new Branch Executive. Wait... you mean we have a new Branch Executive? Yeah, he got promoted I guess! So... no more sample crazy scientists? You bet not! In fact, we're all on vacation pretty much. I'm telling you man, Jurin is a beautiful place! Tropical islands, fantastic climate, sandy beaches... Hmm... this is kind of a lackluster job here, working in the laundry room... but then, it does keep me out of those nerve wracking situations... Nerve wracking situations? You're kidding me! It's a paradise out there! Well... I don't know... Man, I'm telling you, if you don't jump on this, you just don't know what you're missing! Beautiful beaches, gorgeous sunsets, lush vegetation... You know what, you're right! No more of this stinky laundry! Now you're talking! And you know, we might even have a clash with Mantis in there somewhere! Well, see you on the other side then! See you! um... wait up!. What was that about Mantis?... oh well, never mind. No more fabric softener for me! I'm getting back in the cockpit once again! Guy K. Wynd, reporting! Sure does feel good to be back! Good to have you Guy! On your way to Jurin II? Yes sir! Alright, have a good time! Oh, and watch out for Mantis. Signing off! You know, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this. Why do I keep hearing about Mantis? Oh well, how bad could they be anyways? * * * Well, J.S. was right. This place is just awesome! Thanks little guy. But I'd really prefer a donut to an apple... *crash* What. was. that?!? MeeMawMeeMaw... *splash* Wow. I didn't know robots were programmed to run away! Um... *gulp* Can I ask what you're doing here? Okay! I'll take that for a nooooo...! This is not my idea of a vaaacaaaatioooon!! * * * Hannibal, what's the fastest way off this planet? What's that? What's the fastest way off this planet?!?! Okay, so, what planet are you on again? A shot of the whole (new) laundry room! Overview of the island retreat - before it was invaded. And a view of the M.A.N.T.I.S. walker! Thanks for checking it out! I had a good deal of fun with this one, especially with the little Mantis thing! I believe it's the first time I've used a spinner in a MOC too! C&C appreciated as always!
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Location: E09 Castral Tags: spaceship, base Ok, I arrived here on Castral, the dropship dropped me and promptly left. I don't feel abandoned at all. Forest is everywhere, but this spot is quite plain. Perfect. We are tracking you from the sat. Head nord-west to reach our outpost base. Fine, i'll walk there. It's not like the dropship could have left me a little nearer. It's just five kilometer, you'll reach it in no time. Roger. Sigh. Some time later Our sensors say you should be exacly near the base, can you see anything? Not an outpost base. There's nothing around here but this big fatty spaceship. It's it. Reach for the panel in the front, open it and enter the code you were given in the mission briefing. Sure. The one i should have memorized? Yes. Uhm. Tell me the code YOU know, so i can compare to the one I know and see if you're really my mission operator. How are you suddendly so security minded? Ah forget it. The code is Open Sesame. Ahah, ok, that checks. See? We're now sure there's no infiltrator involved! Actually the access code is AJE3-VDSS-234D. Your ineptitude will be reported. Sigh. Ok ok let me enter the code. A... J... E.. Uh.. I... forgot the rest. Some time later I did it! WOW! The spaceship actually unfolded to reveal an outpost, with supplies, communication antenna, laser defence and everything! Yes. It's an Octan Foldable Outpost Base. One of our latest product in the Conquer Worlds line. I love it! There's even a solarium on the top! Take stand in there and waits further instructions. Over. To be continued..
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Location: G03 - New California Tags: Octan, Exploration Lu's Log 20 Junali 3815 Xenobiological Survey of G-03 At first glance, "New California" appears to be a desert wasteland, largely devoid of life and, most of the year, this is true. But, things are not always as they seem. G-03 has a highly elliptical orbit and, several times a year, this orbit brings it (relatively) close to a companion planet, G-03b. G-03b is a gas giant and as the planets draw together the gravity from G-03b starts to squeeze and stretch G-03. There are earthquakes, and the ground cracks and deforms. Finally, as the planets near their closest point, water is squeezed from the porous rocks of G-03, flooding onto the surface to create vast rivers and huge, shallow seas. Evolution here has favored organisms that can respond quickly to water, so overnight the desert seems to bloom as plants and fungi spring from long buried seeds and spores. One organism of note is the Eshey-Pombe Traptus, named for the famed pair of explorers that first discovered it. This specimen is very young, but as it grows it will develop pink flowers to tempt unwary prey, and venomous barbs to paralyze any creatures that venture too close, allowing the Traptus to eat them at its leisure. Somewhat the opposite of the innocent looking Traptus, the Diablo Beetle looks fearsome... ...but it feeds on seeds and small invertebrates, which it filters from the sand using feather-like appendages. Next on the scene, a trio of Scorpstriches. Somewhat similar to flightless birds, these creatures have evolved venomous stingers on their tails and long, curved beaks for fishing small creatures out of the dunes. A crested Anklyodison approaches! It and the beetle size each other up, but each decides the other is not enough of a threat to fight. When water is present, time and energy cannot be wasted on unimportant squabbles. Look! Something has spooked the animals: They are right to be wary, because a grave danger approaches them from above. It's a Wind Walker! These giant creatures use the thermal columns generated by the hot desert air to rise high into the sky, before descending on unwary prey. They're held aloft by chambers of gas, which they expand and deflate as needed. They're a graceful creature, but don't let their apparent delicateness fool you. They are predators. Fortunately for our assembled creatures, this Wind Walker has eaten recently and is only interested in water. It sucks up vast quantities of water and, using a process we don't yet understand, separates the hydrogen from the oxygen. It uses the former to stay aloft and the latter is expelled through tiny openings to help the creature maneuver The rivers and oceans wont last long. In a few days, perhaps a week at most, the liquid will filter back down through the thirsty sand. The plants and fungi wither and die. The lucky ones will have released spores or seeds, which will wait below the sand, for years or decades if needed, until the water comes again. Today, though, the water is here and for a brief time "New California" looks exactly like old California used to*. -Lu out. *Disclaimer - I grew up on Mars and have never actually seen "old" California, But I imagine it looks something like this.
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Water, the stuff of life. Arium Major is a vast sphere of water but rocks, the tips of gargantuan mountains, breach the waves. Where there is land there is life. A seed pod of a hardy tree floats upon the surface until such a time it makes land, any sort of land. It can take root even in the hardest of rock and reach up to the skies and sunlight, verdant green leaves burst forth and delicate crystal flowers bloom. Roots that find space limited as the tree grows will travel across voids, probing to find another solid footing to set themselves strong. Once the tree is mature and tall other settlers arrive to colonise the new oasis within the vast ocean. Strange and bulbous fungoid plants will take advantage of rock space too small for tree roots. These feed upon the pollens of the tree flowers and sometimes the small insects that are attracted to the larger flora. Hardy to the extreme and somewhat parasitic, once a single instance takes it's spores will even start growing from the Arbor Crystalis that made conditions ripe for other plant life. A strange hybridisation is taking place here, the small bulb of Ostrum joined with the tree and has caused the flowers to bloom purple. With both the Arbor Crystalis and Ostrum growing, Hook Lillies float over. These flowers, with their green/yellow pads, survive on the sap of trees that drips down during their season. They use the ocean currents to travel around the planet and reach trees during the season they drip their sap. As a migratory flower there is some debate as to whether they are truly plants or indeed some other type of creature. Also evident is the Spiked Peony, an attractive small flower that grows in the soil created from the rock and ocean detritus that the AC creates. The tree growth can powder the rock and provides a catch for sediments washed in by the sea. In the far corner there is also a Citrine Shoot, a plant of noticeable colour and a pleasing lime-like scent. It is true from Terra to the ends of the universe. All things strive. --- Report Ends--- -*- So, I needed some stress relief. Arium Major needed some flora. Looks like we both came out better for it!
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[O-E01] Through the Looking Glass: A Lesson in Chirality
Dannylonglegs posted a topic in AG1 Archive
Note: I like Science in my Science Fiction. "How would you like to live in Looking-glass House, Kitty? I wonder if they'd give you milk in there? Perhaps Looking-glass milk isn't good to drink..." ~Lewis Carroll . //"this is Dr. Danielle Long, Requesting files related to the incident involving Captain Roan Oak's failed attempt to create an outpost on Donwarr."// **Access granted** **initializing summary of report** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 5, 3812. My crew and I experienced a rough landing on Donwarr. The crew is still alive, but a lot of our equipment has been damaged, including the Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System. We tried fixing it with instructions from our CLAPPIE, but the damn thing keeps insisting we are trying to report an Unknown Artifact. Perhaps it was damaged in the landing as well. Fortunately, the radio still works, and we've called for help. Octan says they'll get here to extract us or at least fix the Hydroponics module in 8 to 10 business weeks. We have enough food stores to last 3 people a week. Thankfully initial probe readings detected this planet provides Biomass suitable for human consumption.-- --Captain's Log : the date is Marzn 6, 3812. We have discovered a clearing in the forest where we will place our communications module. The site is located in close proximity to a fruit bearing tree. Ensign Christi Huygans, always the adventurer, scanned it with our molecule analyzer and found that it contained glucose and amino acids, and lacked any obvious toxins. She ate it, and found it to be delicious. The fruits from this tree are so sweet and wonderful! They really fill the stomach! I have no doubt that this planet will be one of Octan's bread basket worlds.-- --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 7, 3812. We all had the runs last night. Maybe eating Alien plants isn't the smartest idea. Ha. Well, we're sticking to the ship's food for now. Com Module has been moved into position. Hopefully Octan gets here with help soon. If worst comes to worst, we'll just have to put up with a little diarrhea for a few weeks before they get here with earth food. Shame, though, really. Those fruits were delicious. Perhaps we can catch some of the local game to eat.-- ** skipping ahead ** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 20. Supplimenting our diets with the local plant and animal life, we managed to stretch our food stores longer than anticipated... but now we're out. Good thing this planet is bountiful in both plants and animals to eat. The other day we caught a tripedal goat-like thing, and you know what? It tasted exactly like goat! And not that synthetic crap they serve in the Octan Cafeteria, I'm talking honest to goodness lamb meat. Mmmm. As far as places to get marooned on go, I'm glad we landed in this paradise. **skipping ahead** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 30. We've all lost a lot of weight and feel groggy. I can't tell why. We've all been eating plenty. The fruits hang low and are filled with sugar and nutrients. The animals are unaccustomed to us and do not run away, making them as easy to capture as the fruits and leafy greens (or reds as they so often are on this planet.) Ensign Huygans could not walk this morning. A bruise she suffered a week ago has yet to heal, and it looks infected. Ensign Burkhold has gotten paranoid. He won't stop talking about food, and he doesn't look too hot. Could we have caught an alien disease? I certainly hope our immune system can take care of it...-- **Skipping ahead** --Burkhold is missing. He was mumbling like "Food no good. Must survive." It was very worrying. And now he's gone. Christi is still asleep. She hasn't woken up very much. We're all very weak. Still losing weight. It's like we eat and eat and waste away...-- **skipping ahead** --Burkhold showed up at the Com Module, where I've been tending to Christi early in the morning, and ran away when I saw him. I couldn't chase him down, as I can barely stand, myself. What the hell is happening...-- **Skipping ahead** --He ate her... oh God! Why!? Why?-- --I... I feel so weak... I look like a skeleton now... I'm sure... Burkhold is out there still.... I have no doubts I will be next.... a it seems obvious to me now that for whatever reason.... we derive no sustenance from the food on this planet. We have been eating ash that tastes of sweet fruit. We will starve to death on this planet even while gorging our mouths with food. Oh... what I would not give... for food. I can stave off the hunger with these fruits... but I will not survive.-- **End of recovered logs** **reading report** --Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System Maintenance crew has landed on E01. Found Communications module. There are two Graves on the hill, and no sign of the third crew member. Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System has been fixed.... but... uh... there's no one to tend to it.-- **End report** //"Ok, good. Computer, record the following: Log date 349, this is Dr. Danielle Long, recording from the O.C.S. Axle. Specimens of biomass from E01 gathered by pilot Guy k. Wynd have been analyzed in reference to stereoisomerism, and it has been discovered that what we previously reported as biomass consumable by humans infact contains L-glucose and R-Amino Acids. Biomass on E01 is not suitable for sustained Human consumption. Potential marketability as diet products. E01 should be used solely for its potable water supplies. This is Dr. Long, signing off. End recording." "Now to examine the "Cactus creature" from G03. It would help if everyone stopped shooting up my specimens! Particularly that darned 'Pombe' and his new assistant. How frustrating."// Ok this build is mostly for the story, but I should have better pics up later along with edits to improve story and such. Enjoy! ~Insectoid Aristocrat -
Start of automatic transmission #01 from probe exploring Arium Major. Initial recipient of the message, Octan Corporation explorer Wick Nole, did not provide the confirmation on receiving this message for five standard days. In this case, according to standard Octan Exploration Protocol, the message is transmitted via unsecured channel on open frequencies. In case you are receiving this message, please forward it to planet Farmolis, AG sector H06. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The probe had prepared first pictures from Arium Major. Flora is abundant here and fauna is reach. Thick air allowed for evolution of probably one of the largest flying creatures in southern sector of Andromeda. The probe was able to capture one of these on top of the huge tree. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- End of automatic transmission #01. The build:
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Tags: Land Vehicle, Exploration, Science Jedadiah Douglass, signing in from E09, also known as Castral: (whistling, stops vehicle and gets out) Ah, so here I am on some planet in Andromeda hunting after a duck for some Octan scientist. Ha! Well, I’ll tell you one thing, that duck is very soon going to be toast. Here, ducky ducky duck! Quack! (that was the duck, not me, btw) Yesh! (darting behind rock) Those ducks sure do have a way of startling one! Good thing I was able to get under cover before it observed me. Well, well, let’s see how this tranquilizer gun works. What!? And they said I couldn’t miss with this thing! So much for guarantees… Here we go again... Again?! No way! Well, third time’s a charm. Or maybe not. Fourth? Fifth? He doesn’t even appear to notice. Well, well, ducky, perhaps this will teach you a little something! Arrr. I’ll bet he was behind that tree a second ago. No more cover for him! What? I do declare, I’ve got him! Well Jed, my old boy, you shan’t go home empty handed this time! Ha, ha! I wonder where the rest of that duck went to though… most likely blown to smithereens. Hmm. I’m not sure the old scientists are going to be very happy. Well, something is better than nothing! Or not. Tell me that’s not what I think it is. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Figless: Jedadiah's getaway vehicle My weekly build for the Octan corporation... I decided to continue the duck theme, sorry for the multitude of pictures, but I hope the story was enjoyable Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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Location: F03 - Forring Tags: Vehicle Ok, since your piloting licence have been stripped due to "resounding incompetence", you've been assigned to a simple driving mission. Sigh, ok.. What should i do? Just drive this truck down from here, the main base on Forring, to the outpost in sector 4. What? This thing? What is it, a laser cement mixer? No, it's an Octan Death Ray truck. It's a super powerful weapon, that's why the it's needed in the outpost. Still looks like a cement mixer to me. Well, since you're surely not firing it, it may well be. Now move on! Yes sir! What is this button over here? Don't touch any button! I bet it will start mixing cement! Click! No! you armed the death ray! Ok ok, i'm closing it.. maybe it's this other button? Aaaahhh! Stop pushing buttons! Looks like Forring just lost a moon. To be continued..
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Open channel message #007 to Octan Corporation.. Location: F02 - Lesser Drigo Tags: Exploration, Mech,Engineering Terrian:While dominated by volcanic activity, the deserts here hide vast water supplies.” I finally had gotten back to my bay to do some work, it had been a while since Dr. Long had asked me to check out some planets...AHHh E02...I think I want to retire there...once MANTIS has been removed..um.. Engineering bay_1 by Meyerj, on Flickr anyways I had just started to get some work done on my new addition to my bay when a call came in. transmission_2 by Meyerj, on Flickr transmission_1 by Meyerj, on Flickr “Mr Smith, I need you to head out to F02 - Lesser Drigo, out scanners have picked up this stranger structure and I need you to check it out. Please take Guy Wind with you, he will be glad to go with you along the way, I know he enjoys doing the laundry but that is only his hobby, he needs to get back to exploring. “agreed, but he may also might be upset from me sending him to E02 just after MANTIS arrived, sounded like it was not really a vacation after all.” “Mr Smith, he will be fine, just give him time, over and out. “Guy, ready for another trip? I’ll go with you..Dr. Long would like us to check out a strange structure on F02..be there to pick you up in the way by the AXIS.” “Really? Last time you said it would be nice and relaxing…” “C’mon it will be alright, I bring my upgraded mech just in case…” ”fine... “ “ok these are the coords that were sent to me, yup that is a structure all right, kind of ancient looking… F02_1 by Meyerj, on Flickr F02_2 by Meyerj, on Flickr “ok you go in first and I will protect you with the mech” ] “um what?!?!?, ok..fine…” F02_3 by Meyerj, on Flickr F02_4 by Meyerj, on Flickr ] “well what do you see?” F02 ] "WATER!...A vast catacomb of water?!!!” TO BE CONTINUED….
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Location: G08 Tags: Spaceship, Vehicle, Building The deserts of Xerillian are a perfect spot to have some fun with Octan's latest little scout speeders! Inside the base, other Octan members go about their jobs: Octan's latest development, the RaizR, is perfectly designed for rapid scouting or spying, equipped with all the latest technology developed in Octan's outstanding labs! A closer shot of the bot: This was a very enjoyable build, I'm starting to like this sort of stuff! All the stickers are LEGO. They sorta spiffed things up a bit I thought, but I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on them as well!
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Location: F09 - Arium Minor Tags: Science, Octan, Civil, Vehicle // PERSONAL DIARY // As a recent graduate of the Octan Science Academy (with honors!) I was excited to see my first assignment in the real world. I'd been sent to Arium Minor to work with Dr. Martenz. I hadn't been quite sure what I would be doing, but it felt good to finally be able to contribute and Dr. Martenz was well regarded within the company. Upon arrival at the Octan Corp ship on planet I introduced myself to Dr. Martenz and was a bit saddened by how little attention he seemed to pay to my arrival. He seemed distracted by his work and quite busy. He said that some of the local alien pathogens were fascinating and had a lot of potential in the biomass field. He then said he needed me to take a pair of monkeys from Medical down to the Lab. They had been exposed to some of the pathogens and he needed them monitored. I tried to tell him that while I minored in xenobiochemology that my primary field of expertise was robotics including drones and autonomous vehicles. He asked if I had taken the "REQUIRED clinicals" at the academy, to which I had to say I had. We were short staffed at the moment he explained and given that I knew the proper safety protocols and had a containment suit I would need to contribute to the needs of the company and not be as worried about my own desires. "There will be plenty of opportunities to play with your robots!" he said rather dismissively. Obviously he thought of himself as a true scientist and I was merely a boy playing with toys to him. But he was an important scientist and I didn't want to make a bad first impression so I complied. I had been a bit worried about his repeated warnings to keep my containment suit on and NOT let the monkeys escape. Plus it was disconcerting that he asked if all of my next of kin info had been filled out. The dart gun mounted near my seat seemed more for show than to actually be used. I made sure to drive very carefully and ensure my cargo made it to the Lab safely. It may not be how I pictured my post-Academy life, but it certainly isn't boring! Apologies for the bad pictures and quick build, I joined mid-week and thus was quite rushed. Hopefully churn out better stuff going forward! Go Octan!
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Location: E01 Tags: Exploration, Science, Spaceship This is Guy Wynd, pilot. Do you read me, Dr. Danielle? Loud and clear Guy. What's the status? Incoming on E01. Yellow rocks, red landscape. Preparing to land. Copy that. Are you able to get any samples? Samples? I don't like the sound of that. Last time I was asked to bring back a sliver of this massive transforming vicious alien creature... Yeah, I remember that actually. My assistant was claiming you brought back pure rock. What's that? Nevermind, I'm landing. Okay... *Hello, this is Octan cleaning services, how would you like your laundry today* Oh, brother. Talking Laundry machines. What's next? Excuse me? I didn't catch that. Yes, er, I was saying, this time you need to get a sample. And then something about talking? Yeah, er, *medium wash cold process starting. Please add soap* Augh! Dumb machine! I'm getting the soap! What's that? Are you in the Utility room? Yes I am! Oh. Well I'm still waiting for instructions. You are my branch executive you know. I told you to get a... By the way, I had this really good idea... Here we go again. ...that you know what, First Branch Executives really shouldn't have to do their own laundry. I mean, I bet Lord Business and CEO Shmails aren't doing their laundry! Which means you'd like me to... Find a sample! Didn't I say that? Oh. I was hoping for some other sort of instructions. Well, as far as I can see the only thing to be had here is a bit of biomass... wait, hold it. There's one of these crystals that looks like it's a little bit differently colored. Get that one. What? It could explode! Get it! I'm approaching... I don't know... are we sure we want to do this? ... Andromeda could go up in smoke... I'm getting closer! ... Are you sure... Yes! I'm s... *beeep beeep machine overload. Please remove some of your laundry. Thank you.* Oh come on, this is Octan! We should have bigger laundry machines! ...have you got the crystal? Um... not yet. I was kinda hoping you'd forget. I don't forget anything... *it would seem you have forgotten the soap. Please add soap.* As I was saying, I don't forget anything science related. Okay, I'm getting closer... getting closer... this could be the end... Dr. Danielle? Well, have you got it yet? Whew. You're still there. You'd better message Farmolis, just to be sure nothing happened on some remote planet. You got the crystal?! Sure did! Still waiting for it to do something... Huh. I didn't really expect you to. Looks like just a off colored biomass crystal to me. No need to bring it back if you don't want to. What?! You mean I went through all that mental trauma for... nothing? Most mental trauma is pointless. Thanks for the encouragement. Right-o. And now that you're done with that, I'd like a few samples from Wastyria, Jen's Star and Zimunsk, Arium Major, Lesser Drigo, and I've really been wanting a bit of asteroid dust from the Fascini cluster. Maybe the last one could wait for tomorrow though. Wait... what on... okay, I really am not sure I get this... and you're over there doing laundry?! Man, these executives are sure living it up! Oh yeah, that reminds me. Soap. And don't let me forget about getting the CEO to find someone else to do laundry for us. ...Are you headed for Wastyria yet? *sigh* I really need to move up to branch executive. I'm on my way... Alright! Signing out! Another shot of the main build. And an overview of the laundry room! Well, I think Mantis's awesome showing has been making us all up our game... you guys are really playing it strong! For scoring purposes, note that this is the same little vehicle I used earlier. C&C appreciated as always!
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Open channel message #005 to Octan Corporation.. Location: H03 Tags: Science, Exploration, Spaceship, Egineering Terrian: Rocks I have been given my marching orders to head over to H03, so I ordered on of those new fancy modules (wife wanted a new one) and had it sent to H03 for when we arrived. I also managed to get my mobile mineral sampling truck there as well. lots of room on the O.C.S. Mammoth. H03 seems rocky but has some nice water features, we were placed by a larger stream that seemed to supply raw Awesomnium. SO from our drone here is our settlement: h09.lxf by Meyerj, on Flickr A close up of the mobile Mining testing rig...prototype.. mobile miner.lxf by Meyerj, on Flickr A snapshot of our home away from home and our truck.. h09_1 by Meyerj, on Flickr of course the both of us hard at working scoping out the land.. h09.lxf by Meyerj, on Flickr h09_3 by Meyerj, on Flickr Hail Lord Business Over and Out Mr. JS Smith. Special Thanks to Darkdruid for the modules and for the maker of Bluerender.
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Spencer's diary, Junali 3815 After an easy ride on Xerillian last week, I've been called back to Dr. Blomkampf's engineering facility on board the OCS 'Your paycheck could depend on this'. I wonder what I'm letting myself in for this time... "Ah! Spencer! I'm glad it's you. I've just been putting the finishing touches to my newest design." "No pointy sticks this time?" "No, but I think you'll like it anyway..." "Wow, she's a beaut Doc. What do you call her?" "The Octan Octonaut! The most advanced Awesomnium prospecting vehicle ever designed, if I do say so myself. And with the 8-legged ambulatory system, she's stable on any terrain. Just try not to leave her in the bottom of a sinkhole this time, eh?" For once, the Doc was as good as his word. The Octonaut handles the rocky plains of Kaalin with ease. It may be a little cramped inside, but the armour's thick enough to withstand a meteorite strike. Drill deployed!
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Location: H03 Tags: Engineer, building Being away from home is hard, probably for everyone. For Zaael though. It's not that hard, he thinks. Born in a galaxy far away from Andromeda's Gates he has been on the move all his life. His father was an explorer, his mother a scientist. They made quite a buck for Octan discovering new planets and resources. Z was never really into exploring or science. He designed his first mining rig when he was just a kid. From mining rigs it went bigger and bigger. At the age of 18 he had build whole cities on more than a dozen planets. Z was living big, had it all. Untill he lost it all... Computer: Incomming call from Jacques LaRose... Zaael: Yes, Jacques, hi, what's up? I'm busy building stuff. Jacques: Hey Big Z, I need your help, one of my mining droids broke down. And I need a place to sleep. Could you do some... you know... engineering? Zaael: Really Jacques? You call because you can't even fix your own droids? And need a bed?!? Geez man! Jacques: Hehe, yes, I'll owe you. Zaael: Yes, you already did... Jacques: Oh come on! I have some info on Isabel. Dr Long heard from Pombe. Sounded really interesting. Zaael: Isabel?!? I'm on my way! News about Isabel, was she alive? That would be... the best news in a long time. Maybe, if she really is, I could invite her here. My new home!
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Location: Ertauq - E03 Tags: Exploration Lu's Log 12 Julali 3815 Even after its terraforming, Mars was a dying planet, a billion years past its prime. Sure, parts of it had been transformed into versions of paradise, and the sight of the sun rising over Olympus Mons never failed to stir the soul, but the green trees always felt far removed from the red soil which had been chemically altered to allow them to live. In contrast, Ertauq is a planet being born; its birthing pains plainly felt in the hundreds of small earthquakes each day. I've been dispatched to a region near the southern pole - one of the few places where liquid water has been found on the surface. Thirsty travelers will be disappointed, however, as the water is highly acidic and averages a temperature of 90 C. And yet, even in these hostile conditions, life finds a way. Microbial mats, made up of heat-loving bacteria, flourish in the lake, feasting on the sulphur and other compounds which bubble up from deep within the planet. The rainbow colors of the lake are caused by different kinds of bacteria, which have differing heat requirements and thrive at different temperatures. Some scientists think life on earth may have originated in pools very much like this one. I'm collecting samples of the various bacteria - the hope is that studying bacteria like these will allow our scientists to synthesize better heat-resistant materials. My hope is that undertaking a risky mission like this one will help my colleagues forget about my embarrassing debacle on Forring last week. Increasing earthquake swarms are telling me that this geyser field is going to become active soon, so I'll finish up here and get back to the Mudskipper. Lu, out.
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For my Competition build I choose E01 - Donwarr - "Forest covered mountain ranges dominate the large continents here." I went towards the underwater ocean scene E01_f2 by Meyerj, on Flickr E01_f1 by Meyerj, on Flickr Specials thanks to Creator of Bluerender. Over and out Jody Meyer d to make it .Sorry for the repost but had to be 24x24.. my bad.
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Spencer's diary, 7 Junali, 3815 After last week's debacle on Hennigan II (the Div9-R walker ended up wrecked in a water-filled sinkhole that it failed to detect) it was a great relief to be relocated to Xerillian. Even if it is a dustball, my first assignment is a milk run - escorting exploration expert Lu Caslaug-Hing back from her 'beach holiday' at the planet's only substantial body of surface water. This OC-117 hovercar is top of the range, the senior management must think highly of Ms Caslaug-Hing. I hear she made some interesting discovery on Hennigan II. The OC-117 is fast and comfortable, and its zero-downdraft hover tech means that it doesn't even kick up much dust. I hope they let me keep it!
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Location: G08 - Xerillian Tags: Exploration, Land/Water Vehicle --Weekly Explorer's Transmission-- --Log of Eagle-Eye Silver— -- 07 Junali 3815-- The landscape of Xerillian is, frankly, bleak. Sand and rocks as far as the eye can see. Due to the sandy surface, I left my jetpack on the Lone Hawk and grabbed one of Octan’s Jaguar 4x4s. These things are just about as much fun as a minifig can have on four wheels! I cruised around on Xerillian for a few days and noted mainly scorpion-like insects crawling through the sand. (Luckily I didn’t encounter any of the mantis creatures Bob of Quatrian noted in his report the other day!) These scorpions are freakishly fast though—they can almost keep pace with my Jaguar at half speed. I believe they are the same species Big Z sent to Dr. Long. Apparently most of the planet can support their life and they have appeared in two colorings—black (common) and dark red (rare). I wonder if Dr. Long has discovered anything useful about them yet? I took some shots at a few of them the other day with my rifle. They sure do have a tough shell on them. Eagle-Eye out. --End-- I'll post some standalone pics of the Jaguar next weekend. I'm pretty pleased with it! You can't really see it from the pics so far, but all four wheels have "independent" suspension. C&C appriciated!
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Corporation: Octan Planet: G07 - Hennigan II Job: Pilot +++++++++ START TRANSMISSION +++++++++ O.C.S. Axle, this is O.C.S. Bident. Thanks to Lu’s report we now have a much better understanding of what we’re dealing with on Hennigan II. I feel we should be cautious about this alien artifact. For all we know the ones who created it are still around. And who knows how many others artifacts there are? Anyway, if anyone thinks of challenging us, I WILL use lethal force. I don’t care about the Octan Conduct Manual! It was written in an age where alien threats weren’t something we had to be wary of and I’m not losing another comrade again! … I er-… Got a bit carried away there. You know what? Delete this transmission, okay? +++++++++ END TRANSMISSION +++++++++
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Location: G07 - Hennigan II Tags: civil, exploration Terrain: Forest Start of transmission #02. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Finally, I'm on Hennigan II. Although Livgorn mission was a success for Octan Corporation, and we were able to establish a permanent presence there, most of us had left sector H05 towards new explorations. First missions on G07 reported huge water deposits under this forest. Need to install these pumping machines now and then connect them all to central station. And I hope I won't see these butterflies Jacques LaRose mentioned in his report. Or even better, they won't see me... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- End of transmission #02. The build, main picture: Some additional pics with no background removal.
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Location: I06 - Yetornius Tags: Exploration --Weekly Explorer's Transmission-- --Log of Eagle-Eye Silver-- I was sent by Lord Business to explore Yetornius, and spent a few days skimming the tortured volcanic surface with my jetpack. Octan Corp's intelligence apparatus suggested a moderate alien presence, but until day 6 when I stopped at a supply drop (I’ll have to thank the logistics team, the Octan flag was a welcoming and highly visible indicator!) to refuel the jetpack's awesomnium tanks that I saw any life whatsoever. Luckily I had just finished topping off the tanks when the lava wyrm exploded out of a relatively cool magma pipe. It seems the life forms of this planet avoid the lava seas living instead among the cooler zones where there is more stable ground. I'll have to report this to our science teams. Both Dr. Long and Comrade Commander will be interested to look into how this gigantic creature survives on this hostile world. --End of Log Entry-- Some builder's notes: I found I was woefully unprepared to do a build with lighting from below. I've got nowhere near enough trans orange, yellow and red pieces! I tried to compensate by going with a more "solid" landscape rather than the large expanses of lava a lot of the rest of us have built. I've had the ice cream pieces for quite some time for uses just like this, but I was surprised at just how fragile the connections are between them. It's almost as if TLG is toying with us by giving us a connection that almost, just barely, functions until you look at it wrong! Photography here is pretty "meh" too, I need to get some other colors of poster board--I think an orange would have been good here. A couple more on Flickr. C&C appreciated!
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Spencer's Diary - 31 Maian 3815. I'm on board the OCS 'Your paycheck could depend on this', on approach to Hennigan II. Unit Manager Dorkness has been looking for ways to get back at me since I ran over the CEO's cat during his recent visit to Quantus III. He was certainly sniggering when he told me to report to Dr. Blomkampf in the Engineering Bay for a new assignment. I can't think why, the Doc seems like a decent enough old buffer, even if he does have his head in the clouds. Anyway I'm just about to find out. "Ah! You must be the test driver Mr. Dorkness mentioned. Do come in, I think you’ll be most interested in what I have to show you.” “What would interest me, Doc, is anything that will save me days of traipsing around the landscape looking for water sources.” “I see. Well, if my calculations are correct, I may have just that. I’ve recently been studying the unique properties of Awesomnium when combined with lignin and cellulose composites…” “Come again?” “Wood.” “Oh, right.” “Please don’t interrupt my train of thought. It turns out that if you insert Awesomnium fibres into wooden materials, they generate a natural resonance field that is perturbed by the presence of nearby bodies of water. Optimize the geometry and movement of the field, and this perturbation translates into physical vibrations that can be detected by the highly sensitive equipment I’ve incorporated into my specially modified Div-9R walker. YOU are going to be the first to test this remarkable cutting edge technology in the wild!” “So… you want me to search for water by waving a pointy stick?” “If you want to put it like that, yes.” “And I suppose this walker is equipped with defenses against any possible hostile alien lifeforms? “Oh dear me no! Any such thing would disrupt my delicate instruments. But you do get a roof in case of inclement weather.” "Gee thanks Doc..."
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Location: F10 - Arium Major Tags: Exploration --Weekly Explorer's Transmission-- --Log of Eagle-Eye Silver-- -- 21 Junali 3815-- I need to buy the Octan Corp. engineers a case of good stuff! The underwater robots they send to help us explore Sector F10 have been invaluable—especially since the large equatorial ocean of Arium Major supports some extremely large predators! The Vampire Ray is one of the largest apex predators, and apparently one of the most common. Our Octan Corp. submersible drones recorded many predation events in which a Vampire Ray attacked and consumed large (for Earth) sharks and whales. Attached to this report is a still image of one of these attacks. For scale, the shark in the picture is approximately 3 meters long, meaning that the ray here has a wingspan of roughly 5 meters. The teeth are equally enormous, they’re probably about 50cm long and are robust. These rays tend to shake their prey after biting down, so the teeth’s strength is clearly important. There is a group of spines near the base of the tail but we have not seen them used to aid in hunting. It’s unknown if these barbs are poisoned like in the terrestrial stingrays. I highly recommend that any human-piloted vessels sent to Arium Major be significantly armored against bites from the underwater creatures here. Frankly, I wouldn’t go into the water without some pretty big guns on a fast sub with hefty armor, once again, I’m glad we have the drones here! Eagle-Eye out. --End-- A couple more angles on Flickr, C&C appreciated!
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