feat(content): Tim the Stowaway - Human mission

[SpearDane]

Content ( Missions )

Project Overview

After the Skadenga Saga was merged Wizrad requested I work on creating missions for the rest of human space rather then returning right away to the Deep (I left a loose end there I will need to return to eventually - Hroar!). From that request I began work on Saga's Saga, which was in essence a robust mission pack in human space. I was informed that Saga's Saga would be not practical to be merged, and instead was encouraged to PR the individual missions from it. This is one of those missions sets.

My goal is to make good on Wizrad's request of adding more content to the rest of human space, while also developing stories, characters, and environments in said space that are only briefly addressed or touched on currently in game. I also like telling stories in time, as this gives players a reason to return to human space after their initial pass on it. I also think it's interesting to see characters and situations change or develop over time and demonstrate to the player that the relationships they create can at times have more lasting effects then one off missions.

I don't believe any of my PR's are objectionable, and am willing to alter them as needed by the developers. It is my intent to see all them enriching the core game.

Other Project Missions:

• Bringing Caesar Home
• Saving Ildico
• Tavish & Kormak (not yet PR'd)
• Weland (not yet PR'd)

The Stowaway - Timmy!

This adds mission chain in the Dust Belt that deals with a stowaway you discover on your ship.
Choosing to help him will create future opportunities for you to interact and do other missions for him.

This mission chain is heavily nested in time. So it's something that might draw you back to human space, or the dust belt, long after you initially do all the missions there.

It mainly focuses on Rand and Oblivion, but also has some interesting interactions on New Britain, Dancer, Greenrock and New Tibet.

I'd like to point out that Bene-Dictator has contributed heavily to this mission set, and in reality it's both our story now.

[LazerLit]

Reviewed up to end of mission 3c.

[LazerLit]

Since it is a year later, shouldn't there be some kind of reminder about who Tim is? Something like;

Suggested change

	` The screen lights up with the familiar, fuller face of a healthy Timothy Radrickson.`
	` The screen lights up with a somewhat familiar man, but it is only when you see the name of the sender that you realise that this is the fuller face of a healthy Timothy Radrickson, whom you last met as a stowaway on your ship.`

[SpearDane]

Did you decide later in the review this change was unnecessary?

[bene-dictator]

I've done the additions I wanted to write for the Rand convoy missions, those can be reviewed now.

[roadrunner56]

First part of my review.

[roadrunner56]

This implies a level of corruption on Republic worlds that hasn't been seen before in the game. You're telling me that the mining companies on Rand are so powerful that they're able to make up all these fake corruption charges out of thin air and pin them on someone as high up in the Republic as a planetary governor? Frankly I'd be skeptical of this playing out on a Syndicate world, let alone a Republic one.

[SpearDane]

Rand is a world that exists for the sake of resource exploitation. That means that people with the most power there would be the companies doing the exploitation. Not only that, but the majority of its populace is transitory. If a governor or civic leader fails to play friendly with the people with all the power, then I believe them turning on him is quite realistic.

I've worked in the oil fields of North Dakota, I've watched as indigenous people failed to stop pipelines being implemented through their reservations, I've personally cleaned up oil spills and recorded deaths that never got reported on to anyone. If you think the leading politicians in North Dakota weren't on the same side as the oil companies (and would be dumped in a heartbeat if they weren't), I got a slew of bridges to sell you.

Given the FW's issues with the Republic, and the Republic's relationship with the Syndicate, I think its more than fair to assume that this sort of behavior is not something humanity has grown out of by the year 3000. The Republic is not a utopia, just look at the Paradise Worlds. On a mining backwater like Rand the mighty dollar would rule.

Finally, maybe Wynnfrith's side of the story isn't the whole story. If you're still adamant the Republic is corruption free, except for all the places its implied to have corruption, I think maybe we can find a way to make Wynnafrith's side of the story less authoritative. It dilutes some of the themes, but if that's what it takes.

[roadrunner56]

This is analogous to the oil companies of North Dakota somehow singlehandedly managing to depose the state's governor. I don't deny there's corruption, but on this scale?
If Radrickson tried to improve working conditions on Rand, why wouldn't the mining companies just move to any number of the other poor mining planets in human space and set up shop there, instead of hatching this elaborate plan to depose the planet's governor while somehow keeping it under wraps from the rest of the Republic?

[SpearDane]

I don't think so. Imagine all the investments they've made in developing the infrastructure for resource extraction. To just stop all that would be a huge expense and loss of investment. How much easier to just get rid of the man causing trouble? I would imagine though, as we talk through this, for Tim to get where he is he would had to do some questionable things, and so it would make sense for the companies to have dirt on him. Build a bigger lie around the truth, and have him deposed and replaced with someone more malleable.

I think it could be altered somewhat to include hints that Tim was not perfect, or another perspective on that. In order to become governor he had to first get the support of the companies, and to do that he must have compromised himself.

[bene-dictator]

By the way, it's probable that Rand is part of the FW by the time the player gets this mission. (We could also additionally make Timothy's governorship occur after FW and make it clear.)

[roadrunner56]

I think it could be altered somewhat to include hints that Tim was not perfect, or another perspective on that. In order to become governor he had to first get the support of the companies, and to do that he must have compromised himself.

Yeah, I think this is more plausible. The charges are real or at least have some basis in reality, and the mining companies conveniently dredge up evidence for those charges when Radrickson stops playing nice with them.

[MasterOfGrey]

Not to disagree with the suggested alteration, which is fine, but:

This implies a level of corruption on Republic worlds that hasn't been seen before in the game.

The Republic already has 4 distinct intelligence organisations inside it: Deep Security, Republic Intel, Navy Intel, and Syndicate Internal Affairs (which is only internal in the same way that the Syndicate is internal to the Republic).

This doesn't happen in a low-corruption environment.

The way things are presented with the Paradise Worlds and the Syndicate, it's very clear that individual worlds have quite a lot of internal legal autonomy - which means they have quite a lot of scope for corporations to have direct influence over their political processes.
Case in point, the Syndicate is a corporation that literally is the political entity for a dozen worlds.

It's not a stretch to believe this is occurring. This is just a little more direct about it than other things are.

That said, I do like the suggested alteration - it's a little more grey, and a little more in line with characters being unreliable narrators.

[roadrunner56]

Hmm, to be honest I saw the Republic proper (outside of the Syndicate or Deep) as being more analogous to the modern-day US, with a structure that gives the states/planets autonomy while still having ultimate authority and oversight derive from the federal government. With Grey's interpretation (which upon reflection is probably more accurate to the actual lore of the game) the Republic's governmental structure is more similar to the modern EU.

[SpearDane]

I have added in a line when you sit by yourself at the party. Another line when Tim addresses you in his office, and finally altered Wynnfrith's line to acknowledge that Tim's hands weren't clean.

Let me know what you think and if this is enough.

[TheGiraffe3]

First part.

[TheGiraffe3]

Suggested change

	` After a short search, and the rearranging of quite a few deceptively heavy boxes, you are able to track the heat signature to a foodstuff crate you recently took on. It has yet to be opened, but you can already tell its seal has been tampered with.`
	` After a short search, and the rearranging of quite a few deceptively heavy boxes, you are able to track the heat signature to a foodstuff crate you recently took on. It has yet to be opened, but you can tell its seal has already been tampered with.`

[TheGiraffe3]

There’s no ending here, so will that mean it goes to label crate?

[TheGiraffe3]

Suggested change

	` You pry open the crate. It should be full of meals for you and your crew, but after removing the lid you discover a dirty disheveled man.`
	` You pry open the crate. It should be full of meals for you and your crew, but after removing the lid you discover a dirty, disheveled man.`