Hey everyone!

So, between school, filling out applications, working, and having strep throat completely DESTROY MY ABILITY TO DO ANYTHING, my hiatus expanded like a hostile and territorial chicken. But stick a fork in it, it's done, aaand I'm back!

This affects Jeka/Sensor, Paco, Ax, and Jonas/Vision.

There’s talk going around the Rebellion Watercooler of starting a new department, specifically geared towards the gathering of any information that might help in the war effort.

War Research will be responsible for providing the crew with an information base that is independent from what Stacy, the Daligig, or the Tapestry think they need to know. If your character likes to ferret out information, this could be a department for you.

Who the department needs:

- Spies. People willing to sneak into the occasional function or restricted area to overhear conversations or copy covert information. Kang will be providing some of his own spies from his special group of sneaky folks, but other characters who feel confident volunteering should talk to Goliath.

- Scholars. People who are interested in seeing a lot of alien libraries. The emphasis in this group is on the collection of background information – the history leading up to the current conflict, and sorting through what information has already been gathered on the factions involved in the war. Historians and social scientists and people who just plain like to read a lot will be needed in this department.

- Reporters. People who will do anything to get the story. Strong emphasis on current events, and the politics of the universe as it stands, reporters must keep abreast of new complications to the war effort and political atmosphere of the multiverse.

- Schmoozers. Got the gift of gab? Use it to gather rumors. Get the townsfolk talking about That Thing They Don’t Want You Talking About, or charm information out of a GIA elite.

- Detectives. Amateur or professional, this is a department that needs anyone who’s good at detecting information, and law enforcers count too.

Edits:

At Anwei-mun's suggestion, Archivists - people who can create and maintain the database, do data analysis, and figure out ways to back up the data in multiple places offline. They might also try to cache data where it could be found by a hypothetical 'next' crew.

Hackers - for when getting a spy in physically is more difficult than just stealing the information virtually.

Department members will meet to compare and share news, with the ultimate goal of uncovering valuable information before one of the in-game overlords hands it over. Goliath will be spearheading the group from a mostly scholarly perspective, and could use the input from characters willing to promote Reporting, Schmoozing, and Detecting. Characters are welcome to mix and match in their areas of expertise as they see fit.

These are just a few ideas of the sorts of skills that will be valuable in War Research! If I’ve overlooked any, please suggest them here.