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GEK FACTORY PUZZLES
PuzzleType: TRA_FACTORY
Alien: Warning! High temperature!
Something deep within the complex is malfunctioning. Surfaces feel hot to the touch. Hidden machinery clanks and whirrs.
A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead.
{Engage coolant chamber network}
Danger indicators plummet.
The facility springs into life.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Activate fusion dampening field}
The system no longer responds to my commands.
{Initialize laser refraction systems}
The system remains inoperable.
Alien: Mining production stalled! Low power! Uncommon isotope required!
All systems have stalled. Warning lights blink on and off.
Vaults that usually store uncommon elements mined on the planet have run low...
{Insert uncommon isotope}
The production facility becomes operational.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Insert common isotope}
Lights flicker, but my offering clearly wasn't enough.
Alien: High gas pressure! Breach detected!
The outpost is offline. My exosuit's atmospheric toxicity gauge starts to flicker.
Figures on the terminal suddenly plunge downwards. There's a leak in the system.
{Vent excess gas}
Toxicity levels stabilise.
The facility is operational.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Flush coolant chamber}
The facility remains non-operational.
{Increase system pressure}
Toxicity levels rise.
I breathe in damaging fumes.
---DAMAGESMALL---
---HAZARDSMALL---
Alien: Fusion critical! Initiate emergency radiation dampening measures!
A warning panel shows a power core overwhelmed from the inside. Strange symbols pulse urgently.
This is a nuclear system. All bad news...
{Activate radiation dampening field}
The fusion breach is contained.
Production returns to normal.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Shut the system down}
The facility powers down safely.
It releases unused resources.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
---SUBST_FUEL---
{Evacuate in panic}
There isn't time.
An instant energy overflow pulses through me.
---DAMAGESMALL---
Alien: Warning! Increase oxide delivery! Warning! Excess oxide catalyst usage creates radiation breach!
The terminal oversees element usage. I can adjust the amount of oxides pouring from resource vaults into the production systems.
Warning lights flash, and a timer ticks down...
{Maintain oxide levels}
The system ceases production.
{Increase oxide levels}
The system maintains its production.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Dramatically increase oxide levels}
The system maximises production.
A radiation breach occurs.
---DAMAGELARGE---
---RECIPE_LIST---
---USEFUL_PROD---
Alien: Warning! Magnetic coil overcharged! Production low!
I feel heavy. My multi-tool pulls me down, and my helmet forces itself into my shoulders.
It's not just me impacted. Production processes are going haywire...
{Reboot gravitational stabilisers}
Gravity momentarily destabilises.
The system remains inoperable.
{Reduce electromagnetic flow}
The facility springs back into operation.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Power down facility}
The facility powers down.
Some systems align, and residual elements become available..
---RECIPE_LIST---
Alien: Warning! Unexpected system detected! Bypass chip template detected! Gek Trade Federation informed!
The terminal isn't running proprietary code. It's possibly illegal, and emptying resource vaults of rare silicates.
I could revert the facility to its original use, but I could also see where the system hijack leads...
{Revert system}
The system reboots, and rewards me.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Insert rare silicate}
The system hijack uses my resources to create an illegal, but useful, device.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_DEC_TRA---
Alien: Friend! Know language, know commerce! Units buy knowledge! Choose Vy'keen, choose Korvax or choose a refresher in the language of the benevolent Gek!
Three vast columns of words endlessly scroll on-screen, each in a strange alphabet. Bloodied runes scratched in sand, precise sequences of dots and a hand-written font full of exclamatory punctuation.
Each comes with separate unit cost.
{Select the bloodied runes}
I learn some of the language of a distant warrior race.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
{Select the dot patterns}
I learn some of the language of a distant scientific race.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---TEACHWORD_EXP---
---TEACHWORD_EXP---
{Select the hand-written font}
I learn how to better communicate with a local race of strange beaked traders...
---RECIPE_LIST---
---TEACHWORD_TRA---
---TEACHWORD_TRA---
Alien: Gek Trade Federation dispatch! Planetary oxide demand high! Collection ship imminent!
My scanner picks up traces of rare elements in nearby trade vaults, but the security alert is closing them off.
The terminal is tracking an approaching trade ship. If throw some elements in before they lock, I could benefit...
{Insert rare oxide}
The trade vault closes on my offering.
A relieved beaked trader shouts its thanks through the speaker systems above the noise of the alert.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Insert rare silicate}
The trade vault slams shut.
I only receive a small payment.
---MONEY---
{Insert rare isotope}
The trade vault slams shut.
I only receive a small payment.
---MONEY---
Alien: Warning! Resource vault flooded! Production system operation forbidden!
There's been a recent fire alert. The screen is wet to the touch. Panels in the ceiling drip where a sprinkler system has been engaged.
A warning flashes on the terminal.
{Drain capacitor banks}
The system sputters a little, then dies.
{Drain resource vault}
The drained resource vault feeds rare elements into the production system.
The facility is back online.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Drain laser-assisted replication tank}
The facility remains offline.
Alien: Friend healing and repair station initializing!
A biological probe launches from the terminal and pierces my exosuit. It's pinned deep into my chest. I can barely move.
There's no indication if this is the facility's function, or a security measure.
{Escape}
I use my jetpack's propulsion to pull back and break the probe.
It contains something useful...
---RECIPE_LIST---
{Wait}
The probe pumps healing liquid into my exosuit.
I am healed, and my equipment is repaired.
---HEALTHLARGE---
---RECIPE_LIST---
Alien: Warning! Product recipe unselected! Assign recipe! Gek Trade Federation lose units!
The alarm has rebooted the facility. An automated start-up routine is running.
Three chemical symbols flash on-screen: a silicate, an isotope and an oxide. Machines around me hum as they warm up...
{Choose the isotope}
The installation start-up procedure is completed.
It rewards me with a product formula!
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Choose the oxide}
The installation start-up procedure is completed.
It rewards me with a product formula!
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Choose the silicate}
The installation start-up procedure is completed.
It rewards me with a product formula!
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
Alien: User warning! Common oxide resource vault empty! Production permanently disengaged!
The production facility is dormant, but still has enough charge to operate. The resource vaults that feed the alien machinery are empty.
I need to act quickly, but the element I need isn't immediately clear...
{Insert common isotope}
The isotope is drawn into the production chamber.
It makes no impact.
{Insert common silicate}
The silicate is drawn into the production chamber.
It makes no impact.
{Insert common oxide}
The oxide is drawn into the production chamber.
Production is renewed. The facility awakes.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
Alien: Alert! Alert! Liquid frenium leak! Charge cylinders frozen! Increase temperature!
An unknown fault has forced the whole system offline. I exhale deeply and notice condensation appearing in my visor.
It isn't long before the security alert will force a total shutdown.
{Activate incineration banks}
Warmth spreads through the facility.
Systems return online.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Supercharge coolant flow}
Systems remain frozen.
The air takes on an icy chill.
{Initialise charge cylinder sequence}
The noise of muffled explosions can be heard beneath my feet.
Alien: Electrolyte acidity test positive! Acidity slug detected! Release alkaline neutrality fluid into solution tank!
A recent scan shows a small alien lifeform crushed in the machinery below. Equipment all round it has corroded.
The impact has been near-catastrophic. Emergency measures have initialised.
{Neutralise electrolyte solution}
The acidic taste in the air subsides.
The installation is operational.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Acidify heridium tanks}
A complete system shutdown is initiated.
{Release suspension fluid}
A frenzied chemical reaction can be heard somewhere beneath my feet.
A complete shutdown is initialised.
Alien: Resource vault fire detected! Element stockpile destroyed!
Something, somewhere in the facility is on fire. A faint smoke begins to rise, and my scanner registers a steadily increasing temperature.
Whatever product is created here won't last long...
{Starve production chamber of oxygen}
The facility will require extensive repair work.
{Starve resource vaults of oxygen}
Flames lick the edges of the resource vault, before automated systems initiate.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Initialise facility sprinkler system}
The facility sprinkler system briefly operates.
It has no impact on the internal fire.
Alien: Entity! Geological scan in progress! Medial strata mined. Uncommon isotope required to recall. Danger! Rare isotope overcharges!
A geological probe is buried deep below the installation. If I'm quick, I can call it back up to the surface - along with its cargo.
Resource vaults are empty. I need an isotope with the right amount of power...
{Insert common isotope}
A deep, distant noise of thunder is heard.
The process does not have enough power to bring the probe to the surface.
{Insert uncommon isotope}
The noise of underground thunder shakes the facility.
A mechanical procedure deposits a reward into my waiting hands.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_TRA---
{Insert rare isotope}
The probe's return mechanism is overpowered.
It collides with the gravitational well. Nothing can be salvaged.
Alien: SENSORS REPORT INORGANIC BLOCKAGE IN SECTOR 9A
The factory recycles bundles of clothing and other materials harvested throughout the galaxy, spitting out new items for Gek exosuits.
Amidst the detritus of the production line, the body of a Korvax scientist appears to drift, their lights disabled, their limbs completely motionless.
The factory's systems allow outbound communication. Numerous options are available.
{Report to Vy'keen}
I report what I have seen to the Vy'keen. The warriors are outraged, claiming that the Gek have returned to their genocidal ways.
They promise to dispatch warships at once.
---STD_INC_WAR---
---STD_DEC_TRA---
{Report to Gek}
I report what I have seen to the Gek. They claim that this is a terrible mistake, and that the perpetrators will of course be punished.
They send through a generous reward for my altruism and my silence.
---MONEY---
{Report to Korvax}
I report what I have seen to the Korvax. They tell me that the carapace in question is empty, its soul returned to their Convergence.
They will dispatch a ship to bring the body home, claiming that it is of sentimental value to its previous owner. They thank me.
---STD_INC_EXP---
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#34
Alien: Interloper! Vent energy! Increase production at once!
The factory produces components for starships, fabricating them from the resources available on this world.
This installation creates parts for Vy'keen fighters. Whilst Vy'keen buildings are heavily fortified to withstand bombardment, their starcraft prioritise the speed and flexibility required for their hunts.
A video feed on the terminal shows a warning, a warrior shaking their hands wildly at a camera deep within the factory's heart.
{Increase production speed}
I increase the production speed.
A message informs me that heat levels are now back within normal limits, the extra energy dissipating within the factory's depths.
The warrior rewards me with a gift, thanking me for saving their life.
---TECH_ALL---
{Decrease production speed}
I decrease the production speed.
The warrior begins to panic, screaming as their whole body is burned by the rising heat of the overactive factory.
The video cuts off, and the factory's processes slowly grind to a halt.
{Wave your hands back}
I wave my hands back at the warrior.
The warrior begins to panic, screaming as their body is burned by the rising heat of the overactive factory.
The video cuts off, the smell of smoke starting to drift through the air. I should depart.
#35
Alien: PRODUCTION HALTED: IMMOBILE ORGANIC MATTER IN PIPE 17
The factory produces bladed weapons, free from any energy-based component at all.
The manifest suggests they are destined for ceremonial usage within the Vy'keen fleet, a reminder that the greatest death arrives when you stare your opponent in the eyes, free from technology, face to face in final combat...
Something has gone wrong. Production is blocked by foreign material.
{Disable production line}
I initiate a shutdown of the production line, allowing a creature to wriggle free from its machinery. The automated factory system offers me a reward.
---MONEY---
{Purge biological matter}
I initiate purge of biological matter in the factory below. The terminal confirms the death of an unknown creature. The automated factory system offers me a reward.
---STD_INC_WAR---
{Take technology}
Ignoring the production line, I focus on the technology behind the system. I harvest several nanite clusters from the machine.
---TECHFRAG_S---
#36
Alien: Do not drink the water... warriors lost... Grah! This was preventable, this -
The factory appears to have ceased production long ago, its systems derelict and unused.
Yet the sigil of the Vy'keen still occupies these terminals, blinking away, awaiting input. An audio log plays on loop.
{Attempt factory reset}
I attempt to reset the factory's systems. Nanite Clusters come pooling forth from the factory's innards. I take some with me.
---TECHFRAG_L---
{Alert Vy'keen authorities}
I alert the Vy'keen authorities to the loss of their factory. An inquisitorial team is dispatched to this world and I am rewarded for my trouble.
---STD_INC_WAR---
{Take technology}
I attempt to extract blueprints from the factory's systems, succeeding in gaining a new technology.
---TECH_ALL---
#21
Alien: // SPACE // WARP // LARGE //
The alert has obscured the information on the primary terminal. I can only make out a few words.
If I can work out what was being worked on here, I can restart the workflow – and restore operations.
{Drop pod}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
{Starship}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
{Freighter}
The resident warrior's workflow is restored.
The system comes back online.
---TECH_SHIP---
---STD_INC_WAR---
#24
Alien: POWER REPORT. Electromagnetic coil: charge falling. Power core: acceptable boundaries. Primary motherboard: levels high.
The facility's production harvest is underway. I can speed up systems by boosting some of the machinery operating below me.
What appears to be a power management screen is open on the terminal...
{Boost power core}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Boost primary motherboard}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Boost electromagnetic coil}
I retrieve a formula from the operational facility.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_WAR---
#14
Alien: Grah! Education blob! Greetings Vy'keen cub! Insert units for education!
An animated gilled blob is on-screen waving a gun. It talks in the language of the warriors, but brightly and happily.
It springs happily between bloodied runes, then asks for a donation of units.
{Insert units}
The educational program teaches me some of the language of the warriors!
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
{Insert units}
The educational program teaches me some of the language of the warriors!
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
---TEACHWORD_WAR---
{Walk away}
The animated blob senses my withdrawal from the terminal.
It has been programmed to start crying at this point.
#22
Alien: // OFFENSIVE // WEAPON // STARSHIP //
Interference from the security alert has turned the screen to static. I can hardly make out anything beyond a few words.
If I work out which workflow has been scrambled I can restore systems...
{Boltcaster}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
{Photon Cannon}
The resident warrior's workflow is restored.
The system comes back online.
---TECH_SHIP---
---STD_INC_WAR---
{Mining Laser}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
#25
Alien: SUBSIDIARY SYSTEMS. Temporal capacitor: operational. Central AI core: operational. Gravitational stabilisers: unscheduled drain, disconnection advised.
The security alarm hasn't impacted production. Below my feet unseen equipment prepares the mineral harvest.
I can speed up the process by eliminating unnecessary systems. The on-screen automated report will help...
{Remove temporal capacitor}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Remove central AI core}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Remove gravitational stabilisers}
The facility production rate is increased.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_WAR---
#15
Alien: Interloper electrification initializing! Punishment commencing!
A biological probe antenna launches from the terminal and fuses with my exosuit. I can't move.
There's no way to tell if this is a normal function, or a security measure.
{Escape}
I use my jetpack's propulsion to break the probe.
It contains something useful...
---RECIPE_LIST---
{Wait}
The probe becomes electrified.
The smell of burnt flesh spreads up into my visor.
---DAMAGESMALL---
#26
Alien: LASER SYSTEMS REPORT. Refraction systems: full efficiency. Laser assisted replication tank: full efficiency. Beam integrity systems: poor efficiency and performance. Engineer alerted.
An automated report finished just before my incursion. As it did so, laser beams in resource vaults dimmed.
I can find a way to tweak this system, and to speed up the production cycle...
{Reconfigure laser refraction}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Reconfigure laser-assisted replication}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Reconfigure laser beam integrity}
I retrieve a formula from the operational facility.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_WAR---
#23
Alien: // ENEMY // PATHETIC // BEAK // DOOMED // TRADER //
The screen is a jumble of words, few of which aren't drowned in static.
The on-screen workflow is scrambled. If I can identify it, I can bring it back online...
{Gek}
The resident warrior's workflow is restored.
The system comes back online.
---TECH_WEAPON---
---STD_INC_WAR---
{Sentinels}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
{Atlas}
I fail to access the resident warrior's workflow.
The installation remains offline.
#18
Alien: Grah! Pathetic interloper! Honourable warning: cut red wire? Certain death!
A warrior has booby-trapped the terminal. The security alert has triggered the timer on an explosive charge. There are two wires exposed.
The warrior has left a note. Only seconds remain...
{Cut red wire}
The explosion takes the terminal out of action, and almost me with it.
---DAMAGESMALL---
{Cut blue wire}
The bomb is defused.
Operations are restored.
---TECH_ALL---
---RECIPE_LIST---
{Move back}
I move away just in time.
The terminal is damaged and inoperable.
#27
Alien: GAS INTEGRITY REPORT. Distribution network: full efficiency. Storage tank: breach detected. Pressure valves: operational.
The noise of gas being flushed through systems beneath my feet can be heard over the noise of the alert. An automated report flashes onto the terminal.
I can use it to boost production speed, and hopefully maintain it.
{Rebalance distribution network}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Rebalance storage tank}
I retrieve a formula from the operational facility.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_WAR---
{Rebalance pressure valves}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
#28
Alien: COOLANT OVERVIEW. Coolant chamber: full. Coolant pump hydraulics: operational. Coolant network: suspected blockage, reduced operations. Engineer notified.
A faint chill can be felt while the security alert sounds. Coolant pipes are flushed, and an automated report appears on-screen.
I can use its findings to boost the production cycle, and maybe maintain it.
{Repair coolant chamber}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Repair coolant pump}
Facility production speeds are unchanged.
The trade vault remains empty.
{Repair coolant network}
I retrieve a formula from the operational facility.
---RECIPE_LIST---
---STD_INC_WAR---