The Cortex Crown: The Duke's Intelligence

IMPERIAL MINISTRY OF INTELLIGENCE <DUCHAL EYES ONLY> <CLASSIFIED 1-1-A>

Begin Report #25063-G : Artifact 68 : The Cortex Crown

On 134-1086, extended distance IISS scout Vespuchi was recovered on the edge of the Trojan Reaches Sector, adrift with minimal power and all but three of her crew survivng and in low sleep.

One of the three crew died on revival, the second and third both revived in an intractable catatonic state. Both Executive Officer Lydia Farewell and Second Engineer Albert Kaarinkur showed extensive wounds and injuries, apparently incurred from heavy combat. Both had a curious scar that ran the circumference of the upper cranium, approximately 15mm in width, and about 20mm above the brow.

Both patients also were totally blind, as the physical structure of thier eyes had been altered by some unknown process. The eyes were still organic tissue, but the eye cells themselves had been altered into non-functioning equivalents of some sort.

At 3:42am on 291-1090, both Farewell and Kaarinkur awoke simultaneously, and began to speak simultaneously, using the same words. A ward drone posted in the area recorded what followed:

"It must now be told. It is a warning I bring. A warning of The Path Changer...

Ages ago, Coreward Space was home to a thriving culture of many beings, that rose to great heights. They built great cities that passed serenely over the land and under the seas, and there was little want or fear. Great ships passed from Star to Star, bringing peace and prosperity and goodness to the worlds that they touched...

All was as it was for centuries, until a day came where a man, like any other, found the Path Changer as he broke ground for his new home. It seemed a good omen to the man, and as he inspected it, he placed it on his brow. He put the thing away and resumed his work. The man was happy before, but with only a small desire for just a little more land for extra crops.

The next day, to his astonishment and surprise, three of his closest neighbors came to him and not only offered to give him thier land, but they also offered to work it for him for almost nothing. Just for the chance to serve him. The man knew it had to be the thing he found. An object that would grant any desire he may have!

The next day brought more people, and more people, who scraped before the man as they gave him anything he wished, and all that they had.
Soon, the entire world belonged to the man, a man like any other, and he began to look to other worlds... the man became gross and corrupt from his own desires, and was changed from what he was.

As he moved into space on his fleet, Stars and Worlds bowed before his standard. A new order swept the culture, one made in the man's design. One made from every whim and thought and misthought that a mind can make. Every stray emotion becoming law. The culture lost its veneer of peace as it descended into chaos, and made war with other cultures nearby.

The man lived long, and wallowed in his spoils from countless Stars. As he slept one night, one of his wives, given to him by one of his many sycophants, came across the Path Changer where the man kept it hidden, and set it on her brow...

Now nothing remains of the culture. Its cities, its people, its accomplishments, all dust from just the conflict of only two minds and two sets of wants...

The Path Changer exists. It is real. What it can do is real. It goes by many names... The Zdla Vedt...The Rurr'lier... The Cortex Crown... it is real, but do not seek it! To possess it is death! Beware! It is not meant for this world! Beware the Cortex Crown!"

Both patients died immediately after this strange speech simultaneously, of some sort of massive cerebral hemmorage...


End Report Part 1

Notes:

1. I am not trying to say that women are the root of all evil, and will wreck an empire, more like I am saying that if any human or being had a device that psionically bent people's wills to thier own, they would be corrupt very quickly, no matter how well-intended they might be. The destruction of the Culture above was cause by the two people's desires conflicting. The woman suddenly starts making wishes in the environment run by the man, which is already politically messed up. Its a massive civil war of mind controlled zombies that does them in.

2. the inspiration for the man comes from Nazis. Sort of like how and advantage can put you in power. Like how chicken farmers and such wind up running the SS and the like.

3. It should always be hard to tell if it is the Crown doing the evil, or if it just amplifying the "evil" or reptile -brain stuff that is a part of every person. The man's rise to power starts with a very innocent and passing thought. The man still had a choice to turn his neighbors down in the beginning, or maybe to wish that everyone would leave him alone, but the greed got the best of him. It should be a puzzle for the readers.

4. The vespuchi is a Donosev Class scout cruiser. it had a lot of crew. I think that we should have a running holo bit of our crew watching its recovered log, and it should be crazy. The crew should find the Crown, not know what it is, and ALL put it on at one point or another, and then proceed to kill each other in the confusion and psionic mess. Careless use of the crown drove them insane, as well as having unpredictable side effects, like the blindness, scarring, and the bizzarre way that it fused Farewell and Kaarinkur's minds into one mind.

So then, the Duke's IMI Agent Provocateur (the Owner) then finds a Crew...hey this is sounding familiar...

So the Duke's Man (it's an old title) goes and sets up our Crew and then, oh so magnanimously bails them out of the supposed trouble and then uses that as leverage to pull the Crew it doing a deniable run for the Crown, right?

Meanwhile the Guardians of Our Morality are charged by the Council to go to Subsector X and await an Event as seen by the Seers of the Core....

This is all shaping up very nicely, I like it a lot

This is an initial attempt at a layout for this for when the owner is accessing the Imperial files on the crown background and then her covert surveillance of the crew, I see her doing this from a secret military grade portable comp hidden in her quarters. This could then lead into realtime action from the last camera frame on the third panel where there are two crewmen discussing something in the commons.
Obviously the white panels are where I would insert some artwork.
And the comp screens at he bottom of panels 2 and 3 would reflect the page above.
Any suggestions welcome!

Well, I like it so far....

However, what is the TL of the comp? I would think she'd have a comp with real thin, see paper thin parts (in fact there is a good thread on nano paper on CotI) with perhaps holo-dynamic displays and less thickness and more like (ick that i have to say this) the keyboards on Star Trek, flat with various virtual buttons or (is happy to say it) the data paper in Firefly/Serenity. Also the SOM always gave me the impression that most Imp comps of any decent TL (A+) is going to be totally configurable. Almost a completely virtual system and inputs/outputs in a dynamic personal config. I mean she is the Duke's Agent after all, I'd think she have the best tech in the subsector.

Because right now it looks like she has the Warrior's comp, what with the camo paint job.

Though I really like the keyboard with all the extra buttons.

The layout is groovy and the narration boxes look rocking.

You are right about the comp I just threw any old thing in there (it was late at night & I couldn't be bothered to design something ), I would quite like it to be a really covert device (hidden in part of her luggage or something).
Also I need to make her location match in with her stateroom, more refined and luxurious.
I think room 6 on the upper deck on Dan's plans, as it keeps her away from the lowly worker's rooms on the deck below.

OK then, It was just a thougth, still, now it makes sense.

OK, I've filled in a few blanks in the layout already posted so you don't have to scroll down through lots of repetitions. (& the Dosonev needs a bit of work still also).
By the way I love the eyes idea, (or rather I don't, I'll be having nightmares now!) - quite scary.

Wicked, that totally rocks Beech and yes the eyes are kinda creepy, but honestly it's the scar of the Weight of the Crown that got me, just a little to Frankenstein for me...*shudders* Poor Creatures...

A few more additions & edits to the panels again

Should the Rescue Ship be in the panel, or maybe it's the fact that the Vespushi (sp? sorry, I'd have to hunt the name down) looks kinda showroom and it's lit up....maybe kill the lights, crack a window, maybe a hull breach....

The Doctor looks like he's looking at his wall thinking "...now did I do that or is that new?"
While I understand the desire to show all the faces full frontal, might want to have them in more natural poses....or the crew is a bit smarter than His Grace's Agent thinks....

Otherwise looks cool. And sorry to be a PITA, I know it's much harder for you to art this up than it is for the Gurukarpu to come and toss all this and that around...*grins* so I won't even mention the anti-grav bra.. I mean they never looked that nose cone when I saw them lying down like that.

The anti grav bra (although I quite like it for some reason... )
And you are not being a PITA at all, that's exactly why I am posting these. When you are doing this stuff sometimes you can't see the obvious so be as critical as needed, if you didn't do this before it get released to the public I'd get a total and embarrassing version of the same but posted on the main boards).

As far as the rescue ship, I thought that but it may complicate the image, so I may experiment with it being a view from the rescue ship either from a viewport or with lots of HUD readouts on the image to make it obvious it is viewed from another ship, dunno yet If I do do a rescue ship - any suggestions??

I will also dull the lights, & add a bit of damage , maybe have their cutter drifting nearby.

Yeah the doctor is not right at all, neither are the angles, I'd like to work out exactly where these little things are hidden, the images should be distorted either from above or below and never face on,I think i'll also add on more readouts, etc, good point there.

Thanks for the input

Rocking,...as for the Rescue Ship we could do an Open Frame, Non-Streamlined Starship....I could sketch something out....or you can.

I am glad that I am doing the good thing here, I got an Infraction on CotI so, I am feeling kinda tender now...trying to tone down the asshole tendencies I have...

I am glad though that it seems in fact I am mostly bringing up stuff that you are already thinking of.

keep up the good work. and really beech you love rockets even more than me.

Magnus von Thornwood wrote: I got an Infraction on CotI so, I am feeling kinda tender now...trying to tone down the asshole tendencies I have...

Aaah, aramis got you did he

You need to join the very new SFRPG forum, http://www.sfrpg.org.uk/phpBB3/
Its a bit more forgiving.
I'm a mod there, but hey, a nice one

Whilst in the head, ain't always....

I was thinking about the head scars on the Scouts. Right now they look like Dr. F___ took off the tops of their heads and popped wigs on them, perhaps a line of white or some other oddity to show it affecting the whole of the area where the Crown sits...

Also, so far, I know the IISS RS-32 Elephant Island is at least of 10KdT and has one Ship's Boat (for general use), four Modular Cutters (two are dedicated Rescue Cutters, the others have Modules to swap out), and two Shuttles, and 6 Micro-Tug/Work Pods, think the pods from 2001 but with more arms with more tools and more space for patients and of course huge thrust plates.

How's that grab ya.

Cool , yes to both

Beech wrote:Aaah, aramis got you did he

You need to join the very new SFRPG forum, http://www.sfrpg.org.uk/phpBB3/
Its a bit more forgiving.
I'm a mod there, but hey, a nice one

Wow, so is there a support group or club or something: the I survived Aramis club.. actually on one spot he was in the right and I had kinda stepped across a line and called a bunch of folks Timmy crybabies...so one I deserved and yeah Beech, as soon as I get some more free time.....gack...when did I get so damned busy?

I mean I am on like three/four and possibly five now....grrr.

But I will try and stop by and check it out. asap....just don't feel bad if it's bit...the next two months are gonna be drama central in my RL for a bit...

Groovy, now who's drawing her up? and some one else should do the spec, I do design but not the real gearhead parts, well, not in a while anyway....

I am no fan of Aramis, and I know he despises me. I have gotten so many infractions, that I just have to steer clear of him, so as not to disturb his carefully constructed reality bubble. A good Traveller, but that fellow has no business being a mod of anything. We don't exactly get along, to say the least.

ahem...

The vespuchi needs to be trashed, like its been thru battles/impacts. What about a close-in shot, looking from the boom toward the body for perspective? Lots of bits hanging off. Or... or... what about a Nameplate perspective of some sort? The ship should be trashed...

Yeah I agree, we really need a page of the vespuchi, completely wrecked and just hanging in space with various rescue attempts around it .
We could probably stretch this sequence on for a few pages more, it is pretty dramatic after all, i'll work on it over the weekend.

Just got a smidge of time on a friend's pc, but can't spend to much time, as Saarthuran can tell ya, my mac bit the big one, will try and keep up as I can.

Ta, Mags.

Magnus! I have a PC that I can load up and send to you! Try to email me when you can.

Magnus von Thornwood wrote:Just got a smidge of time on a friend's pc, but can't spend to much time, as Saarthuran can tell ya, my mac bit the big one, will try and keep up as I can.

Ta, Mags.

Bad News, man.
Happened to me last year & these babies are not cheap

I am going to move the pages so each has its own thread (page 1, page 2, etc) so it is easier to navigate, and post the relevant page at the top of the thread. As we comment on it and fine tune it in the posts below, I can edit the posted page as the changes are made so the latest version is always at the top. If we insert new page I can change the numbers in the thread title.
Does this make sense ?