The Unexplored Places

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Welcome to Apogee!

Perched atop a snowy, picturesque mountain top just several hours north of Terminus City Central, Apogee is the ultimate retreat for recovering guests under the careful eye of the Circadia Complex's top medical and recovery professionals.

Not only will you receive access to around the clock care to ensure your recovery process goes as smoothly as possible, but you will also have access to Apogee's many amenities, including its mountaintop crystal spa, several hot spring ponds filled with salts and essential oils conducive to the recovery process, on-call masseurs and other spa treatments, and a below ground pool and sensory deprivation meditation chamber.

For those looking to maintain privacy and anonymity during their stay, Apogee provides inroom healing treatments and all other amenities can be accessed on a private scheduled basis in order to best maintain the level of discretion that suits each and every guest. Our in house chefs and dieticians create bespoke daily menus for each and every guest's own needs, and private nurses can be accommodated with advance notice.

Wrap up on your own personal balcony and enjoy the refreshing alpine air, under the best post-op care that money can buy.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

This week, on Tango Sector: In the basement of the Apogee recovery facility, the crew tracks down the location of Captain Rhea Espinosa and attempts to make a quick and dramatic exit. Cash negotiates some unexpected help. Liam shows off some impressive prowess.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unexploredcast Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unexploredcast Art by Julianne Stone: https://twitter.com/Juli_Aria Music by Andrew: https://andrewperricone.bandcamp.com/

[ excerpt from A Brief History of Piracy in Tango Sector by Eulalia Ward ; access to the following file is granted by the Terminus Public Academic Archive, as overseen by the Records and Writings Division of the Tango Sector Labor and Transit Representative Union Technology and Public Access Information Division ]

… Of the five star systems currently member to Tango Sector, Adeyemi system saw perhaps the vast majority of pirate activity during what some scholars now refer to as the Platinum Age of Piracy.⁶⁷ Because of Thistle and Chandra's easy access to natural resources and necessities for deep space travel (oxygen, water, fuel, etc.) and Homily's access to the rare and valuable metals that fetched the relative best price by weight on those Iwasaki markets which Adeyemi pirates frequented, Adeyemi ships found themselves at constant threat of boarding by small, well-armed pirate crews from adequately (if hastily) cloaked ships. (For more on Platinum-age cloaking technology, see chapter 17, Common Corsair Strategies). When Torus Station was first built, it boasted not only state of the art surface-mounted artillery for monitoring pirate activity in the area, but also the offices of several of the first major insurance firms offering a cargo plan specifically for victims of piracy. …

… Piracy, however, dropped off significantly after the creation of the Martinet, whose original primary function was as a piracy deterrent force, though as the threat of piracy has decreased over the Sector's long life their focus has adapted to enforcing other important regulations, such as smuggling laws and inter- and intra-sector traffic. While the cultural legacy created by the so-called Platinum Age's vast network of pirate crews lives on in Tango Sectors smugglers, black market traders, and other criminal networks, in recent years, few if any instances of piracy have been reported within the Sector. …

⁶⁷While Hajj and Andrianakis, et al. make a persuasive case for referring to this period of time as an "age," due to the drop in pirate activity after the dissolution of the Iwasaki-Adeyemi treaty several years prior to the institution of the Tango Sector Labor and Transit Representative Union and its accompanying governing bodies and regulatory police force, their naming of the Platinum Age is flawed at best: while they cite the ancient Golden Age of Piracy as inspiration for the name, the choice of "Platinum" implies a gradience between gold and platinum in accordance with their respective ancient values. However, this illustrates a severe lack in understanding of the ancient scholarship on nautical piracy: the Golden Age was named not for its value but for the prevalence of gold as the most common or sought after "booty" during this period of piracy (see Vester's recent article on etymology and the similarly ancient "Celluloid Age" of digital piracy for more detailed explication), and thus Hajj and Andrianakis would be more accurate in naming their alleged age the "Scandium Age of Piracy," or, perhaps even less romantically, the "Oxygen Age of Piracy."

This week, on Tango Sector: While their compatriots are busy infiltrating a gala in Terminus, the rest of the crew assists the mysterious pirate crew known as the Gravesent in tracking down their kidnapped captain. Cash calls on a helpful connection. Liam encounters an unpleasant reminder of his past.

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INTERNAL MEMO #87714TERMINUS NEWS NETWORK OFFICEMEMO: ACCOUNT SECURITY AND DIGITAL PRIVACY

Dear all,

It has come to our attention that a number of our employees have been leaving sensitive information carelessly exposed, whether by neglecting to keep their account information updated in accordance with Network's guidelines on digital privacy management re: passkey updates, or by neglecting to close out of private or classified personal files on shared work terminals.

This kind of behavior, whether neglectful or deliberate, is absolutely unacceptable of journalists, presenters, and technicians working within the Culture & Arts Council.

As Tango Sector's source of reliable information and breaking news, Terminus News Network prides itself on the exclusivity and authentication of all information that passes across our screens. Data leaks or gaps in security protocol risk compromising the Network as a whole. This behavior will not be tolerated, and beginning today failure to properly account for your personal account security and follow the Council's guidelines on digital privacy management will result in the immediate termination of your Network employment contract.

This week, on Tango Sector: Split up and each taking care of separate steps in their plan to upload the Unknown State's information to the Terminus News Network servers, the crew suddenly encounters a crucial lack of communication skills. Claus makes a judgment call. Melas improvises. Flux deals with the evidence.

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[ image description: a thick piece of embossed cardstock in a rose pink color with ivory cursive font, ripped across the bottom as if torn in half

the front of the image reads "YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE ANNUAL CULTURE & ARTS COUNCIL CHARITY GALA, TO BE HELD IN THE COUNCIL BUILDING ATRIUM, TERMINUS CITY CENTRAL. CREATIVE WHITE TIE DRESS REQUIRED. INVITATIONS MUST BE PRESENTED AT THE DOOR. PROCEEDS FROM THE GALA WILL BE DONATED TO THIS YEAR'S CHOSEN CAUSE, THE— with the tear in the paper obscuring the rest of the message

the back of the image has heavy handwritten black marker over the printed font which reads "HEY BOSS, THINK YOU CAN PULL SOME STRINGS AND GET US INTO THIS ONE?" -GJ ]

This week, on Tango Sector: Surrounded by the extravagant luxury and persistent security of the annual Culture & Arts Council charity gala, the crew makes a new friend to help them find their way into the sub-basement and complete their mission. Flux stages a dramatic distraction. Melas makes a memorable entrance. Claus lets his paranoia take the reins.

CONTENT WARNING: vomit

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// ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION INTERCEPTED BY TERMINUS CITY CENTRAL MARTINET PATROL : POINT OF ORIGIN — UNKNOWN : RESTRICTED LOW-BAND FREQUENCY //

202-22-12 11-100-202-200-1-10-202-100-120-112 212-120-200-102-12-11 1-112-11 120-210-200 100-112-201-100-11-12 1-21-12-112-202 200-12-10-120-211-200-12-11 202-22-12 112-12-10-12-201-201-1-200-221 11-1-202-1 201-202-120-121

121-110-1-112 1 100-201 1 21-120 201-202-120-121

21-12-202 202-22-12 11-1-202-1 202-120 202-22-12 202-112-112 201-12-200-211-12-200-210 20-120-200 121-210-2-110-100-10 11-100-201-202-200-100-2-210-202-100-120-112 2-221 1-112-221 111-12-1-112-201 112-12-10-12-201-201-1-200-221 201-202-120-121

This week, on Tango Sector: Following mysterious instructions from the Unknown State, half of the crew finds their way to the capital city of Terminus to suss out a way to infiltrate the annual Culture & Arts Council charity gala. Flux makes some false promises. Claus makes some bad calls.

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QUERY: [[ THE CHORDS // HOMILY // ADEYEMI SYSTEM ]]

… RETURNING QUERY RESULTS FROM ""TL-TRU HOSPITALITY DATABASE"" …

THE MOST POPULOUS AREA OF HOMILY, "THE CHORDS" IS THE COLLOQUIAL NAME FOR POPULATION TUNNELS F1 THROUGH J7, WHICH ARE BUILT OUT RADIALLY FROM THE BASE OF THE SANS SE LE CLARE MEMORIAL SPACE ELEVATOR, THE CONNECTION POINT BETWEEN HOMILY PROPER AND H-C-E-4 STATION.

THE CLOSE AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC QUARTERS OF THE CHORDS' UNDERGROUND TUNNELS ARE MEDIATED BY MIRACULOUS TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING DIURNAL LIGHTING ACCOMMODATIONS AND "WINDOWS" THAT ARE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE TO SHOW ANY IN A RANGE OF "OUTDOOR" SCENERIES. EVEN IN THE CHORDS' HIGH-EFFICIENCY CONDENSED CAPSULE QUARTERS, YOU CAN HARDLY TELL THAT YOU'RE FAR BENEATH THE PLANET'S SURFACE.

This week, on Tango Sector: The crew takes some time to themselves on Homily, and come across a few job opportunities along the way. Flux is off to the races. Cash makes a couple of calls. Claus nurses his wounds. Liam studies up.

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[ document redacted for potentially sensitive information in accordance with subtitle 7B.c of the Tango Sector Transit and Labor Representative Union Technology Intersector Trade Pact's Wealth of Information Act ]

BLACKFORD & DESAI ECOLOGY FORMAL PROJECT PROPOSAL, FORM P876APROJECT LEADER: YELENA SMALLPROJECT TITLE: DAMOCLES PROJECT LOCATION: CHANDRAPROJECT TIMELINE: COMPLETION EXPECTED WITHIN ██ YEARS

PROJECT SUMMARY: THIS PROJECT WILL EXTRACT REMNANT TECH FROM THE ██████████ SITE ON CHANDRA, LOCATED AT ███, ████ IN ORDER TO ██████████████████ ██████████ ██████ AND TO ████████ ██████████ THE CREATION OF ██████████ ████████████, AS WELL AS ██████ ████████████ TECHNOLOGIES, FOR PURPOSE OF SALE TO ████ ████████████ ██████████.

PLEASE ATTACH PROJECT OUTLINE, AND PROVIDE PERSONAL BLACKFORD & DESAI VERIFICATION CODE BEFORE SUBMITTING THIS PROJECT FOR APPROVAL.

BY PROVIDING YOUR VERIFICATION CODE BELOW, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE BLACKFORD & DESAI PROJECT GUIDELINES OUTLINED IN DOCUMENTS P876J-L AND AFFIRM THAT FORMS P876B-I WILL BE SUBMITTED ACCORDING TO THE ATTACHED TIMELINE. BY ASSUMING LEADERSHIP OF THE NEW PROJECT, YOU CONFIRM OVERSIGHT DUTIES TO THOSE EMPLOYED BY BLACKFORD & DESAI AS A PART OF YOUR PROJECT; YOU CONFIRM THAT FUNDING WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BASED ON THE EVALUATION OF YOUR PROPOSAL AND WILL BE RE-EVALUATED NO MORE THAN THREE (3) TIMES PER SOLAR YEAR FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR PROJECT, BASED ON SATISFACTION OF YOUR STATED GOALS, ADHERENCE TO YOUR SUBMITTED TIMELINE, AND WEIGHTED FUNDING NEEDS OF OTHER EXISTING OR NEWLY PROPOSED PROJECTS. UPDATED TIMELINES MAY BE SUBMITTED NO MORE THAN ONE (1) TIME PER SOLAR YEAR FOR VOLUNTARY RE-EVALUATION IN THE CASE OF EXCEPTIONAL PROGRESS OR UNAVOIDABLE DELAYS; RE-EVALUATION WILL BE GRANTED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LARS BLACKFORD GRANT COUNCIL, AND YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED IN NO MORE THAN FORTY-FIVE (45) DAYS OF THE SUBMISSION OF THE PROPER FUNDING RE-EVALUATION FORMS.

This week, on Tango Sector: Split up from one another inside the Blackford & Desai dome, the crew takes on the obstacles they've come up against with poise, quick thinking, and a flair for the dramatic… or something like that. Klaus finds himself outmaneuvered. Liam busts out a new toy. Cash thinks ahead. Flux makes an explosive entrance.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unexploredcast Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unexploredcast Art by Julianne Stone: https://twitter.com/Juli_Aria Music by Andrew: https://andrewperricone.bandcamp.com/

EXCERPTED FROM AFFECTIVE TRANSCRIPT OF VO-FILE 14437111.982 [ LAB NOTES ] OWNER: DR. SIRIANO DESAI / MAJOR KINETICS / HOMILY

…. it isn't like a huge deal or anything but is probably likely that our test pilots would prefer not to be vaporized the second the engine finishes doing it's whole thing since, you know, the whole point of the engine is that you can use it multiple times because it doesn't make for a very good getaway vehicle if the battery vaporizes your ship every time it trips the auto-shut off and stops power to the engine but anyway what I'm thinking is that if we can get a battery made from a material that doesn't have an adverse reaction to the hyperbaric compression in the engine casing—hey SABLE, make a note of that for me, will you? just, ah, new material components for power supply, thanks, that's fab ….

This week, on Tango Sector: Finally inside Blackford & Desai's dome in the jungles of Chandra, the crew begins their plan to find a way out… but a few complications stand between them and their exit. Klaus sees a glimpse of something strange. Liam coaches the team along. Cash creates a distraction. Flux does some re-wiring.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unexploredcast Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unexploredcast Art by Julianne Stone: https://twitter.com/Juli_Aria Music by Andrew: https://andrewperricone.bandcamp.com/

ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS — BLACKFORD & DESAI HIGH-CLEARANCE COMMS SERVER

FROM: [email protected]

TO: [email protected]

omega—

just heard back from Blackford w/ a go on the Cicerac—should be getting Union approval pushed through in the next 3-4 days & will begin construction around the site by end of week. still working out schematics but could you send me your notes on the projection tech your lab found? I'm thinking we might be able to adapt it to keep everything on Chandra under wraps until we get it extracted.

lmk and don't freeze your ass off while I'm gone

y

This week, on Tango Sector: Hired for a new job by their friends at Major Kinetics, the crew heads to Chandra to meet up with some old friends and do a little investigating. Klaus cons an intern. Flux does a fly-by. Liam does some spy-work. Cash befriends the locals.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unexploredcast Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unexploredcast Art by Julianne Stone: https://twitter.com/Juli_Aria Music by Andrew: https://andrewperricone.bandcamp.com/