Every group still standing has its own answer to one question: what do we owe each other? They hold real ground, they trade and raid on their own, and they remember what you did.
The way off Earth leads to a station that counts the air. Some of the people who got there didn't stay inside.
Nobody you can talk to has been there. Blackmere boats leave the Port at night, loaded, and come back empty. A numbers station reads lists into the dark. People in Haven's radio room argue about what the word means.
If it exists, it isn't on any chart the Watch will show you. Survivors who went south to look haven't come back to say what they found.
0214 hrs. Female voice, flat, no call sign. Repeats three times.
"ARK REQUESTS RESUPPLY. ARK REQUESTS RESUPPLY. PERSONNEL FOUR ZERO. PRINCIPAL K----- REQUESTS ----------. ONE STABLE SAMPLE. ONE STABLE SAMPLE."
Mae's note: same freq as the Rust Radio drop schedule. Two Blackmere hulls left the Terminal at 0300 heading south-east. Not telling Hale until I'm sure.
Each faction keeps six private feelings about your survivor: trust, respect, fear, hate, debt and how well known you are. You never see a number. You see how they treat you.
| You | Them | Their enemies |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver a contract ("Ask what they need") | trust +6 owed +8 respect +2 | none |
| Trade with their people | trust +1 once per 15 min | none |
| Kill one of their people | hate +8 fear +4 trust −6 | respect +2 |
| Wreck their fuel tanks | hate +15 60% of their fuel | respect +4 |
| Shoot at their people | hostile 20 min | none |
| Standing | You buy | They pay |
|---|---|---|
| Trusted | −8% | +5% |
| Respected | −4% | +2% |
| Owed | −5% | none |
| Feared (the Broker only) | −5% | none |
| Trusted by their enemy | +8% | none |
| Hated | They won't deal with you | |
Standing and Honor together never take a price below 70% or above 145% of the going rate.
Read across: how the faction on the left sees the one at the top. Factions drift back toward these terms over time, unless somebody gives them a reason not to.