What Does This Button Do? & Zor's Gift
DC40: 54 +6 Learning +5 Macross Systems +2 Robotechnology = 67
DC65: 90 +6 Steward +5 Macross Systems +5 Sayla Mass = 106
Critical Succcess
You have to admit that your favorite thing about the SDF-1 Macross, is not the fact that you basically own the darn thing or are in charge, but it's just the sheer depth of the alien computer systems. The more that the repairs progressed, the more the ship seemed to just open up to you. Some weirdo might make like a weird flower budding reference, but you like to think that you're above that sort of thing. Instead you're wirelessly surfing through an alien cyberscape with your experimental nanomachines!
You've tried multiple ways to investigate and unlock the full capabilities of the ship's medical technology physically, but you've started to think that maybe you were going about it the wrong way. Your Cyber-Newtype body is capable of interfacing with advanced technology at a deeper level, and considering the sheer amount of overhauling it took to get normal human technology to work with the ship, you've begun to suspect that whatever race made the original ship they might have been something like a race of Newtypes. After all, they left the original chair at the command console (probably because it's the comfiest chair you've ever seen) and it was downright eager to synch up with you.
As you let the ebb and flow of the ship's network sweep you deeper and deeper into it's systems, you found yourself before something. It was almost like a beating heart of pure data, flowing in a perfect spiral. You were inside the very core of the ship, something that the Earth Federation couldn't risk modifying or removing without a greater understanding of alien technology. Something they might not have even *found*. From here you could see everything! How every actuator and plate shifts when the battleship transforms, the feel every single weapon emplacement active on the ship, the very thrust of the ship as it flies through space.
With this you found your way to the ship's medical systems, and they found their way to you. While you idly watched Dr. Mass panicking, you happily . . . FINALLY unleashed the full pull of the medical bay. High fidelity scanning systems clicked on, immediately giving a deep diagnosis of the remaining long-haulers and coma victims. It's fabrication and chemistry systems linked up to the biolabs, allowing the production of medicine en masse. The ceiling shifted to allow advanced waldoes to deploy, covered in countless tiny tools for precision surgery. The systems itself scanned not only the bodies of the patients, but yours as well, the ship's computers immediately adapting. The old knee injury Dr. Mass had? Regenerative therapies would fix it. That old Feddie soldier that was in charge of training the new recruits? His coma would be cured with a combination of advanced medicine and fold-based sonic therapy. You would never have to worry about an issue with your nanomachines, as the ship could absolutely repair the tiny nano-foundries in your body if they ever had an issue. Beyond that, the ship could *create* your nanomachines, and probably give them to a normal human in a way lightyears less painfully and lightyears more effectively than yours were done. You didn't know how to feel about that.
Really, compared to that the rest of the information you gained was basically an afterthought. You had in your head the full technical schematics for the SDF-1 Macross, in it's current form. All the little repairs leftover repairs could be found and completed now, like for the literal force field system that the ship apparently had. Hell, if you had unlimited rare earth minerals, time, and an army of engineers you're reasonably sure that you could *build* another Macross as long as it was a perfect copy of this one. It didn't come with an understanding of every technology after all, but this was more than good enough. They found your normally deadpan self sitting with an unusual smile on your face, as you laid comatose on the captain's chair post-dive to sort through the sheer amount of information downloaded into your brain all at once.
Results: The SDF-1 Macross now has the greatest level of medical technology amongst all of Humanity. Aside from minor tweaks, the only remaining major system to be repaired is some kind of full-on force field. Ruri got a data dump, and a nap.
Houston, We Have So Many MORE Problems
DC Variable: 2 +5 Diplomacy +5 Sensors = 12
Automatic Success
"Alright, I think it's finally time we phone home." You spoke up from your chair on the bridge, screens around you alight with the faces of your senior crew (Including Finn), Claudia and a couple of girls sitting at the rest of the bridge chairs.
"We've been gone for a while now, and while I'd like to get some of those new systems I discovered online before returning, at the very least we should probably at least gather some intel on what's going on . . . and warn them about teleporting mobile armor space bugs. If they can track our space folding, there's a small chance they might be able to track where we *came from* in the initial jump. Claudia, please start calling. Everyone . . . probably brace your ears. This is going to be unpleasant."
Uribatake already had on a pair of ear muffs purloined from his family, while those on the bridge braced themselves. The reason why became apparent soon enough, as the comms erupted in static, waves, and all manner of horrible sounds. Aiming the communications array back towards home was the easy part, but cutting through years and years of random signals and astral phenomena took some effort. It did not happen immediately, of course. In fact, it didn't happen that day. It took almost 13 hours (with your technological wizardry as well) to fine-tune the ship's systems to eventually start reaching the Earth sphere, leaving a tired you and Claudia letting out a cheer!
"-he Pacific Fleet has – destroyed by the Angel! Req-"
"-ship sustained heavy damage! We need to retre-"
"-ost atmosphere on the Casatus dome! Where's the Fleet?!-"
"-ot the Moon! The Colony Drop's target is not the Moon! It's the Earth!-"
The cheering ended immediately, as it became evident that all of humanity had descended into chaos. Everyone's faces went pale at the first settlement on dome apparently losing atmosphere, but it was even worse when the two most feared words in human history were uttered: Colony Drop.
"-The Angel is opening fire at Tokyo-3! NERV req-"
"-System II control ship destroyed!-"
"-lease, if anyone's listening! We're losing air, at least let the chil-"
"We, we have to save them! It's like Macross Island all over again! If we Fold now, we can save the Martians right?!" Some of the girls turned to you with wide eyes, half in tears.
"The same thing is happening to Japan! Whatever that Angel is, if it can destroy the entire fleet and then attack Tokyo-3, who knows where it will stop? They already had to deal with war crimes, now this?" Uribatake cut in, hands reaching out to grip the camera and pull it in close.
"You don't understand. Another colony drop? We got out lucky with how much damage was inflicted the first time around, if another one hits the right spot the death toll will be incalculable. We have to use the Macross Cannon!" Dr. Mass cut in, looking nearly as crazed as Uribatake for once.
"Captain, you're the only one who can pilot the ship precisely enough with the Fold System." Claudia began, visibly tamping down on her feels to put on a brave face. "Wherever you choose to send us, we'll do our best to save as many people as we can."
Results: You did not return to Earth early enough to avert several major plotlines, but you also didn't *miss* some of them. It took too much time to establish any sort of communication from such a long distance even with the power of the Macross, and precious time ended up being wasted. Likewise, you won't be able to ask for additional information before initiating Space Fold. You can either sortie to Mars, Earth Orbit near the ongoing space battle, or on approach to Area 11. While there is a chance that you could solve one problem and immediately sortie to another one to help out, the odds are pretty slim that you'll be able to stop more than one event unless you're very fast and very lucky. Good luck, choose wisely.
[ ] Operation Stardust: There is a Colony Drop in progress, and clearly, the only ones competent enough to stop it are the crew of the SDF-1 Macross with their untested Macross Cannon.
[ ] Human Instrumentality Project: Something called an Angel has destroyed the entire Pacific Fleet, and is now attacking Area 11. With the entirety of the EFF busy, you are needed to stop this new enemy.
[ ] First Battle For Mars: An unknown enemy has attacked the Casatus Dome on Mars, the largest colony on the still-developing world. Apparently the token forces assigned to Mars are nowhere to be seen, meaning it's up to you to save as many people as possible.
The prologue is over, and I hope you enjoy trading allowing the Earth plots to advance freely in exchange for improving the Macross and your pilots!