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[C-SH4M4N]

Then I saw the name Cadmus and started to remember that I really hated that guy.

You, me, Sirius and pretty much everyone and anyone who played the game. Word to the wise: I suggest anyone following this LP to look up "Dropped a Bridge on Him" on TVTropes. ... for SCIENCE!, of course. Your time investment WILL be returned.

But I'll never figure out how that Space Pioneering Law makes sense in the game universe. I mean, you are the first to cross a gate and discover a new SECTOR of space and that makes you its owner? I could get Pansilov being feudal lord of just a planet (and THAT would be a fuckin' lot), but owning a dominion of planets?

The scale just doesn't match.

[Hanzoku]

Panfilov actually owned a whole sector as well. The sector Ropesk, with the seat of government on the planet Ropesk. (Like New York, New York I guess.)

But yeah, as far as I can tell, autonomous domains work in one of two ways in Infinite Space:

1 - The sector is so poor no one else cares about it and leaves you alone. See Ropesk.

2 - Your military is powerful enough that you can bog down anyone attacking you long enough for their enemies to jump on them while they're busy tearing you a new one. See Spetses.

Of course, heroes have a strong tendency to destabilize both of those models.

[Neonivek]

But I'll never figure out how that Space Pioneering Law makes sense in the game universe. I mean, you are the first to cross a gate and discover a new SECTOR of space and that makes you its owner? I could get Pansilov being feudal lord of just a planet (and THAT would be a fuckin' lot), but owning a dominion of planets?

The scale just doesn't match

Well, there is a lot of space. It is likely that most people when this occurs rent or sell their sectors and the law is just there to prevent space fights.

Or it is just one of those odd... videogame rules. That only seems to exist because it is a videogame and they want you to do cool things.

[Hanzoku]

Oh, and for those looking forward to his first appearance... t-minus two weeks to Cadmus.

[C-SH4M4N]

Or it is just one of those odd... videogame rules. That only seems to exist because it is a videogame and they want you to do cool things.

Like throwing about 4+ planets into utter chaos and anarchy? (We did kill their supreme leader, and feudal lords aren't known exactly to have a clear-cut hierarchy model in case of death, for fear risk guaranteed certainty of assassination plots. [DISCLAIMER: I played Crusader Kings II. Plotting to assassinate opponents, sucessors and competitors to other thrones was my business card. )

After we kill Panfilov Pansilov (whoa, unintended joke. Huzzah! Gonna use it now.), we leave Ropesk and never bother to check back on it. Yuri, the anarchy bringer!!!

[Sirus]

Nothing ever happens in Ropesk. I went back after the halfway point of the game and I don't think a single thing changed.

[Korbac]

Nothing ever happens in Ropesk. I went back after the halfway point of the game and I don't think a single thing changed.

A shame. I love it when games provide detail like that. Not much is required, perhaps only a few lines of text saying that Ropesk is now under a corrupt democratic government and perhaps a sidequest to find some rare Space Fish for someone.

[Hanzoku]

I'm actually OK with how they've done it - once you kill Panfilov, the bartender/local lines change in response, and the general mood was 'Nah, it didn't happen' or 'Our lord is dead, but we will fulfill his dream (of us being ground-bound sheep.)'. In games without a teleport mechanic, I dislike having to go back and revisit all the places I've been before several times to make sure I don't miss anything.

[Hanzoku]

Where We Aren't Wanted
New Characters: Nobelo, Palmo, Soneta, Aminda, Valso, Garni
New Ships:
New Equipment:
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Exploring Nova Nacio (click to show/hide)

We make the passage through the Void Gate without major problems with Kira's head, and look on the new sector.



It's quite a bit smaller then the last sector, but I'm pretty sure that's an illusion that will be corrected as we start talking to people.  The Kreios Pirates are surprisingly active in this sector as well, but lack any new ships, so they explode just as quickly as before.

When we reach the nearest planet of Riveli, Yuri comments on what I noticed.

Yuri: Kira, you were okay this time, weren't you?

Kira: Huh?

Yuri: Coming through the void gate, I mean.

Kira: Oh, yeah. I had a little bit of a headache, but it was no big deal.

Yuri: Oh good. Maybe this means you're getting used to traveling more.

We check the remodeling section, but there's no new weapons available here either.

Disappointed, we head down to get a handle on the local issues.

>> Guard Post
When the party approaches the post of the border guards, several soldiers eye them sharply.

Torlo: Not exactly what I'd call a warm welcome.

Tatiana: I agree. This is a little scary.

Ian: This is a true illustration of how strained their relationship with Kalymnos really is.

>>Fighter Company
We visit the local Fighter Company, but are turned away.

Employee: I'm sorry, but we don't sell to the general public. I'm afraid you'll have to leave.

Yuri: ...

Maybe the tavern is more open to outsiders?

>>Tavern
Nerissa: Why, you son of a--!

Torlo suffers several punches.

Torlo: Ow! Ouch!

As the party enters the tavern, Yuri sees two of his crew members fighting. He rushes over to break it up. Yuri has to hold back Nerissa Roubis, who is still fuming with anger.

Yuri: Calm down, now, Roubis! What's going on over here anyway?

Nerissa: What's goin on? I'll tell you what's going on you should've heard what this jerk said to me!

Torlo: What?! All I said was you oughta put a little muscle on those bones, if ya wanna look like a real man!
...Torlo, for Grus' sake, she's a b-cup. This sort of screwup shouldn't be happening...

Nerissa: See?! He's still sayin' it! I'm a girl, you idiot!

Yuri: What?!
For Grus' further sake, her name is Nerissa, you dumbass.

Nerissa: Whaddya mean, "What?!" Captain?

Yuri: Oh, uh. Nothing. Okay, I've heard your stories.
He at least recovers much more smoothly.

We get a choice between having Torlo apologize and admitting that Yuri is also an idiot.

Torlo gets to apologize.

>>Make Torlo Adkin apologize.
Yuri: Shame on you, Torlo. How could you think Roubis here was a boy? You should apologize.
Hypocrite

Torlo: Yeah, okay. I'm sorry, Roubis.

Nerissa: Unbelievable! I don't think I've ever been so insulted in my life!

Still sputtering, Nerissa Roubis leaves and takes a seat by herself. After a moment, she appears to  calm down, and begins sipping her drink thoughtfully.

Torlo: (sighs) That was bad, man. But I really, truly thought she was a dude!

Yuri: Yeah, I know what you mean.

Torlo: Huh?

Yuri: Oh, uh. Nothing.
You're both idiots. STOP PROVING NEONIVEK RIGHT.

Yuri's Leadership experience increased by 30!

With that awkwardness out of the way, let's see if our male heroes can avoid any more outbursts of idiocy.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Just between you and me... The manners of the customers who come over from Kalymnos through the gate are so poor, I just don't know what to do. And that's bad enough, but when I think about what they might be plotting against our country...! (shudders)
Of course, because every traveling civilian is part of a conspiracy to destroy your country. Oh Grus, the idiocy is spreading.

Our friends have nothing new to say, so we move on and hope the stupid is less catching at the next planet.

Along the way, we run into a strange encounter.

Torlo: Yikes! What are all those things?

Yuri: I think they're fighters, but they don't look like they're going to attack.

Nia: That must be Nova Nacio's Border Defense. With all the run-ins with Kalymnos lately, I bet they're really on the edge.

After a few more passes, the fighters move off.

Torlo: Looks like they're gone now.

Yuri: Yeah. They sure looked like high-performance machines, though, didn't they?

Nia: Nova Nacio was the first in the galaxy to come up with those small-charged particle guns. They can really deliver a major hit to a ship's armor. They're way ahead of everybody else on their fighter and carrier technology.

Yuri: Wow.

We come across a resource asteroid at the empty sector in the first area, gaining 300 G in resources. Yay?

After that, we reach the planet Shelo.

>>Shelo
The planet only has a tavern to it's name, but we go and check out the local news.
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: This sector is a hub for anybody traveling to Elgava or Kalymnos. That's why there's a Lanco Warship Manufacturing branch here, and academic facilities, because this sector is the export base of our nation's industries.

We move on to the next planet, Populara.
>>Populara
Well, that's more like it, a Tavern, the warship branch and a corporate hotel.

>>Lanco Hotel
Kira: What a beautiful hotel!

Tatiana: It is! I'd love to stay at a place like this someday.

Torlo: Really? Well, maybe you and me could--

Tatiana: I'd love to have a whole suite here, all to myself! Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful, Kira?

Kira: Yes, wouldn't it?

Torlo: ...
Shut down!

>>Lanco Branch
Yuri: Lanco Warship Manufacturing?

Nia: The biggest shipbuilder in Nova Nacio. The president, Jozefo Lanco, is an important guy in the government and financial sector.

Yuri: Wow.

Torlo: Hey, Yuri, check it out! Take a look at this message panel!

Yuri: What is it?

Torlo: Read it! It says, "Seeking courageous private ship captains. Generous compensation offered"! Sounds like it was written just for you, man! 'Cept it doesn't say "handsome."

Nia: And I bet when a big, rich company like Lanco says "generous compensation," they aren't messing around.

Kira: But I bet they want you to do something really dangerous.

Ian: You're probably right. It's odd that it doesn't say anything about the requirements, don't you think?

Yuri: (...)

We're given a choice, but we shouldn't have a problem. We apply.

Yuri: (I'm not too sure what it's all about, but i might as well give it a try.)

Yuri touches the message panel menu and his nationality code is scanned in. Almost immediately, a woman emerges from the back room.

Nobelo: Are you the ones who just applied on the message panel?

Yuri: yes, that's right. And you are?

Nobelo: Adorinda Nobelo, secretarial officer manager, Lanco Warship Manufacturing. And which of you is the captain, please?

Yuri: That would be me.

Nobelo: Excuse me?

Yuri: I'm the captain.
He probably has to be getting tired of this reaction by now.

Nobelo: ...

Yuri: ...

Nobelo: (sighs) Thanks for stopping by. But I don't think we're interested.

Yuri: Huh? But we--

Nobelo: I've seen your type before, flying around on your fathers' private ships, getting overly cocksure and daring. But I'm sorry, but this isn't a job for a child, this is real, grown-up work. Thank you for coming by. And have a nice day.

Yuri: But we--

Nobelo: I said, thanks for stopping by. Here's a packet of pocket tissues for your trouble. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have work to do.

Yuri: But--

Nobelo: I don't know what they were thinking! I mean, how do they ever expect to find qualified people this way?

Muttering to herself, agitated, Adorinda Nobelo disappears into the back room.

Yuri: ...

Torlo: Hey, Yuri. Can I grab one of those tissues from you, man?

Yuri: Here's the whole pack. Knock yourself out.

Torlo: Thanks, man. My nose has been running all day. It's off the hook!

Yuri: I guess its' a good thing we applied then, huh?

Well, that went well. I think that's the first time Yuri's been dismissed that completely.

We go to the tavern to drown his sorrows.
>>Talk to our friends.
Conversation #1
Larissa: I've been getting the distinct feeling that the health and sanitation situation on board the ship has gotten worse lately.

Kira: Yes, I noticed that, too. And now with all of these difficult battles, the number of  injured people has risen as well.

Yuri: Hm. In that case, I'll take a look around Nova Nacio after we've been to the observatory. Maybe I can find some new modules that will help.

Larissa: Great idea! And not just medical, either. With more modules, like for accounting and food services, I think the livability of this ship could really be improved!

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Populara runs on Lanco Warship Manufacturing money, you know. Even this tavern is managed by Lanco. All of the food and drink we serve her was hand-picked by the president of LWM himself. So relax and enjoy some of the finest tastes in the entire Small Magellanic Cloud!

We visit Hermeta as our final stop before heading to Tineo.

>>Hermeta
Nothing much other then the tavern.
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: You folks are spacefarers, aren't you? I have some good information for you if you're interested. Only 500 G.

We buy the information.

Bartender: I appreciate it. Heh heh. There's a little guild in the alley behind this tavern. This area attracts people who want to work in the Lanco Warship Manufacturing plant, so there ought to be some good people there. You know, like tech experts and the like. Or so I hear.

We leave and see that the Guild has opened up.

>>Guild.
We have two choices on people to recruit. Both require 3000+ fame, something that is distinctly not a problem for us. (With all the battles, we have 18,812 fame... Yuri is ranked 425th most famous zero-G dog.)

>>Swarthy, middle-aged man.

Palmo: My name is Pachjo Palmo. I've had almost ten years of experience as an engineer. If you want me to be a part of your crew, you'll have to show me your phenomena log first.

Yuri: All right. Here you are.

Palmo: Those are some pretty impressive achievements for such a young man! All right, fine. How about you quote me a figure? Whatever you think is fair.

We're given three choices - 300, 500 or 800 G.

>>300 G.
Palmo: That's quite an insult! I wouldn't sign on for anything less than 1,500 G. Will you pay it?

We don't get to negotiate that down.

>>500 G.
Palmo: Sorry, that just isn't enough. I wouldn't sign on for anything less than 1,000 G. Will you pay it?

Better, but not yet there.

>>800 G.
Palmo: Thank you for recognizing my qualifications. So do we have a deal at that figure?

Yuri: Okay, here you are.

Palmo: All right. We have a deal, and I'll do my absolute best for you!

Pachjo Palmo joined your crew!

>>The long-haired woman.

Soneto: My name is Brava Soneto and I'm a very qualified engineer, if I do say so myself. If you want to hire me, I'll have to see your phenomena log first. I won't work with just anyone, you know.

Yuri: All right. Here you are.

Soneto: Well! Not bad. Not bad at all. How about 500 G?

We pay her more reasonable price.

Soneto: Hm, hold on. I'll have to make some preparations first. On second thought, I'll need a prep bonus of 100 G, for a total of 600 G. Do we have a deal?

Still more reasonable.

Yuri: Okay, here you are.

Soneto: Okay, it's a deal! Thanks for having me, Captain.

Brava Soneto joined your crew!

We leave the guild automatically after that, and return to the tavern to see if our new crewmembers have anything to say.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Soneto: There weren't a lot of female engineers at Lanco Warship Manufacturing when I used to work there. It got pretty tough sometimes. I even got sexually harassed.

Yuri: It was pretty awful.

We're given a prompt between calling it a fact of life or commiserating. Yuri isn't a dick.

Yuri: Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that. It must've been really stressful for you.

Soneto: Well, I didn't put up with it for very long, let me tell you! I slugged the guy in the gut! He was my boss, you know.. and I quit that job right there on the spot.

Tatiana: Wow! Good for you!

Soneto: That's the great thing about the guild. You get to size up the captain personally before you sign on. And I just knew Yuri was going to turn out to be all right!

Yuri's Fame increased by 5!
We head upstairs and get our new recruits settled in.

Palmo has the skill Star Engineer Lv 1, which increases the fleet's Cruise Speed and Battle Speed when he's assigned to an engineering post. Soneto doesn't have any special skills, but they're both (rather logically) good at Maintenance.

Palmo is assigned as Chief Engineer, bumping Karlo down to Assistant Engineer. This bumps Barberis out of engineering entirely. His next best skill is management, so  I make him a Server under Kira.

Soneto neatly fits in as an Assistant Mechanic.

With everyone settled into their roles, we leave Hermeta for Tineo.

Spoiler: Cooling Our Heels (click to show/hide)

Tineo has another hotel, the observatory, and a tavern. We try the hotel first.

>>Tani Hotel
The lobby of the Ludoviko Tani Hotel is filled with scientists and researchers.

Minas:  Oh, it looks like they're holding a CMW Research Society convention.

Yuri: What's CMW?

Minas: Oh, cosmic microwaves. They can be observed everywhere in the universe. Theys ay that studying these microwaves can give us information about conditions in the very early days of the universe. I'm not a member, but I always read through the papers presented at the conventions. Would you like to read them with me?

Yuri: Me? Uh... no, thanks.
I'm sure Ratai would be interested...but Yuri doesn't think to ask him.

We hit the tavern for new converseations before heading into the Observatory.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Tineo is one o the most distnguished academic planets in the Small Magellanic Cloud. There are all kinds of research facilities and affiliated universities here. While you're here, why don't you try attending a lecture or two?

>>Talk to your friends.
Torlo: The buildings and ships and stuf in Nova Nacio sure are pretty. It's so different from Elgava and Kalymnos. I feel kinda outta place here.

Yuri: But you shouldn't stare so much when we're out on the streets, you know. It makes you look like a tourist.

Torlo: But I am a tourist, man! And so are you!

Yuri: Yeah, I guess you're right.

Ian: Well, I don't plan on looking like a tourist.
No one asked you.

>>Observatory
Minas: This is the Ludoviko Tani Observatory.

Torlo: Huh. It's kinda dull-lookin', 'specially since it's supposed to be the best astronomy get-up in the whole SMC. I thought there'd be all kinds of radars and antennas and cool gadgets and stuff.

??: The observatory's days of cataloging astronomical bodies are over. Now its primary role is the collection and calculation of data.

Torlo: Huh?

Minas: Well, if it isn't Aminda! How long has it been?

Aminda: Hello, Professor Minas. It's been quite a while.

Yuri: Professor, is this...?

Minas: That's right. This is my former student, Aminda Mistika.

Aminda: And now I'm the director of the Ludoviko Tani Observatory. It's nice to meet you.

Minas: Hm...

Aminda: What is it, Professor? Why are you staring at me like that?

Minas: you're still single, aren't you? When are you going to get yourself a nice husband, Aminda? I know plenty of dashing young men I could set you up with.

Aminda: You say that kind of thing every time I see you! Did you really come all this way just to nag me? I mean, is it so wrong for me to put my career first? And it's not like you've got a wife either--

Minas: No, no! Sorry! I respect your decision to pursue your career, I really do! (Sheesh!)
I think Neonivek is right after all.

Minas: Anyway, the real reason I'm here is I've brought you a little present.

Aminda: What's that?

The screen fades out and in as Aminda invites us inside the Observatory...

Kira: Look at all the stars!

Aminda: The Cosmic Trade Authority sends us images from guide satellites along the various starlanes. The CTA restricts the release of a lot of the data, so this isn't all of them... But it lets us observe nearly every sector of all the local galaxies, including the Small Magellanic Cloud, in real time.

Torlo: Hey, Yuri, check it out! There's the Ropesk Sector!

Yuri: Hey, you're right! It kind of seems like a distant memory now.

Torlo: Ha ha! And it's just been a few months.

We strike up a conversation with Aminda.

>>Talk to Aminda Mistika.
Conversation #1
Minas: Aminda, these are the samples I was telling you about before.

Aminda: From the ruins on Mytilene?

Minas:That's right. And here ar the copies of the writing we found on the walls there.

Aminda: Alright. Thank you, Professor. It might take me some time to analyze them properly though.

Minas: That's fine. Why don't you contact Yuri's ship when the analysis is complete, then?

Yuri: Good idea. Here's the nationality code of my ship, Ms. Mistika.

Aminda: Okay, that'll do. I'll contact you as soon as I have something to report.

Conversation #2
Aminda: Yuri, do you have any research facilities on your ship?

Yuri: Uh, no, I don't believe I do.

Aminda: Oh, what a waste.

Yuri: What do you mean?

Aminda: Well, here you have the great Professor Minas on board. You should provide him with whatever he needs to do his research. If you install research facilities, I'm sure the professor will be a huge boon to you.

Conversation #3
Aminda: So, Yuri, why all the interest in Epitaphs, anyway? Do you believe in that legend that says Epitaphs will change the universe?

Yuri: Yes. Yes, I do.

Aminda: Some people think those legends are just children's stories, but I'm not one of them. I'm working on a theory that Epitaphs have the power to bring dead gates back to life, in fact. If dead gates can be revived, we'll be able to travel to more and more areas of the cosmos. Imagine the possibilities! If we think about it that way, Epitaphs really will have the power to change the universe, don't you agree?

Yuri: I guess you're right.

We're now at loose ends, and will need to putter around until Aminda contacts us again.

As we travel, we come across an event in the empty area between Shelo and Riveli.

Kira: Oh!

Yuri: What is it, Kira?

Kira: This ship on the radar... Its nationality code says its the Kalymnos Sector Security Agency.
They had to have had a fun time passing through the warp gate.

Yuri: THe Security Agency, huh?

Nia: That's weird. What would a Kalymnos ship, let alone a Security Agency ship, be doing wandering around here?

Yuri: Guess they're too far away to get a visual. Kira, can you tell where they're headed?

Kira: Hold on... Got it. It looks like they're most likely headed for the planet Populara.

Yuri: Populara, huh?

We follow them there out of boredom. We stop off at the tavern on Shelo to get our ships repaired first.

>>Shelo
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Soneto: What are Kalyms doing here, anyway? I hope they don't stir up any Grus!

Yuri: "Kalyms"? What do you mean by that?

Ian: It's a derogatory slang word, used to refer to the Kalymnian people. It's often used by Nova Nacions.

Kira: Well that's not very nice!

Soneto: Hey, what are you looking at me like that for? Alright, fine! I won't use it anymore. I guess I'll have to remember that our ship crew isn't all Nova Nacion. I'll try to watch waht I say from now on.

Conversation #2
Palmo: There's definately a rumor going around that my country is proposing an economic agreement with Kalymnos. It all depends on how serious Kalymnos is about the idea.

Nia: What do you think Kalymnos will do?

Palmo: I'm afraid I have no idea at this point. The Kalymnos government hasn't made a statement yet, either. I'm sure the diplomats on both sides are still ironing out the details.

>>Populara
Tatiana: Yuri, they're on the landing stage three over. It's definitely a Security Agency ship.

Yuri: So we were right, huh?

Torlo: I don't get it. How can a Kalymnian ship even get into a Nova Nacion port?

Ian: One just did, so I guess there's clearly a way.

Torlo: That ain't what I mean--

Nia: The Cosmic Trade Authority is run by AI. It's totally independent. They're not influenced by any nation or power. Spaceports are under their jurisdiction and are pretty much neutral.

Torlo: Huh. When did the Cosmic Trade Authority come about?

Nia: They say it was already around back in the early days, when people first started venturing out into space.

Yuri: Huh. That Cosmic Trade Authority sounds pretty interesting!
So, AI-run, around for millennia and with real-time monitoring capability throughout the universe? That's a scarily advanced system.

We head down to the planet and check out the tavern first. Our friends have some new things to say.
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Leo: I'm a Kalymnian,  but I don't hate Nova Nacions like some Kalymnians do. Their way of thinking is so logical. I always learn a lot whenever I talk to them. People should try getting to know each other more. I'm sure they'd find out a lot of interesting things about them if they did.

Conversation #2
Ian: I was watching then ews in one of these taverns the other day. They said that Kalymnos and Nova Nacio were getting ready to sign some sort of agreement.

Torlo: Really? I never heard nothin' about it!

Ian: It was just on the news at that tavern. Weren't you watching?

Torlo: I never watch the news. Total yawn.

Ian: Well, you'd better start paying attention for a change, Torlo.

Torlo: Huh? What's with the big lecture all of a sudden?

Ian: Listen, we're going to be traveling to all kinds of areas of space. At the very least, we have to keep up with the news to gather as much information as we can about them.

Torlo: I, uh--

Ian: Your lazy attitude and indifference is just disgraceful, Torlo. Why, just the other day--

Torlo: Oh, man...

Ian Fenevich gave Torlo Adkin a lecture and made him promise to watch the news every day from now on! Torlo Adkin's Ship Management skill increased by 1!
Hehe, poor Torlo.
We try the Hotel next, maybe the Kalymnians booked a room there.

>>Lanco Hotel
Ioannou: ...

Ian: Yuri, look! There, in the lobby.

In the hotel lobby, the party recognizes two men they know, talking to two men who appear to be Nova Nacions.

Yuri: Hey, it's Commander Ioannou and Belen Pappas!

Ian: So it must have been their ship we saw in the spaceport.

Nia: One of the guys they're talking to looks like a Nova Nacion military guy.

Ian: Nova Nacion military? I wonder what's going on.

We go ahead and talk to them.
>>Talk to the men.
Conversation #1
Yuri: Commander Ioannou!

Ioannou: Hm?! Oh, it's you!

Pappas: What are you folks doing here?

Nia: That's what we were just gonna ask you. What's the Kalymnos Security Agency doing here? And isn't that man Nova Nacion military?

Valso: ... Commander Ioannou...

Ioannou: Oh, it's all right. You can trust them. Let me introduce you. This is Captain Valso.

Valso: Vilchjo Valso, Captain, Space Force Join Command, Nova Nacio. How do you do?

Yuri: It's nice to meet you. I'm Yuri, captain of the Bugbear.

Ioannou: And this gentleman is--

Garni: My name is Nikolao garni. I work for Jozefo Lanco.

Ian: Jozefo Lanco, of Lanco Warship Manufacturing?

Garni: Yes, that's right.

Nia: Huh. That's a pretty odd pair, if you ask me.

Conversation #2
Nia: What are you four fellas plottin' up, anyway?

Pappas: I see you're still as direct as ever, Nia. But I would hardly call it "plotting." Would you, Commander?

Ioannou: Hm? Oh yes, right. We came here to set up a system of cooperating for a criminal investigation.

Yuri: A criminal investigation?

Ioannou: As you may recall, the human trafficking the Kreios Pirates had been engaged in was going through the Dominion of Spetses. Spetses is connected to Nova Nacio as well by a void gate. The two nations are going to cooperate to try and get a handle on Spetses's movements. Isn't that right, Captain Valso?

Valso: yes, exactly.

Ian: And just how is Lanco involved?

Garni: Well--

Pappas: One of the employees here was a victim of the Kreios Pirates as well. This gentleman is here to fill us in on the details of the situation. We believe that this victim may have been taken to Spetses, you see.

Nia: And that's all there is to it, huh?

Pappas: Erm, yes, of course.

Nia: All right, if you say so.

Conversation #3
Yuri: Is there anything we can do? I mean, we've dealt with the Kreios Pirates before, so we might be able to help.

Ioannou: Oh, we appreciate the offer, but we don't need any help right now.

Kira: But don't you think an official organization like yours might have some trouble entering an autonomous dominion?

Pappas: Well, where there's a will, there's a way. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine.

Yuri: All right, then. I guess we'll get going.

Pappas: Okay. See you around!
Shut down again.

After we leave...

Valso: Are you sure we shouldn't have accepted their help?

Ioannou: I don't want to get those young people any more involved in this then we have to. And besides, this is my responsibility now.

Garni: As we discussed, I'll arrange, under the name of Lanco, an appointment for you to talk to the Spetses feudal lord, Cadmus.

Ioannou: I appreciate that. Oh, and Pappas.

Pappas: Yes, sir?

Ioannou: I want you to set this place up as our base of operations, get some IP communication equipment in here, and then just stand by.

Pappas: Yes, sir. And be careful, sir.

Ioannou: Of course.

On that ominous note, we wrap up this update. We've met a fair number of new people, but everyone seems intent on keeping us out of anything that's going on. We'll just have to keep talking and looking around if we want to wiggle our way into one of the ongoing events.

[Neonivek]

I am just getting the feel for the general culture in Infinite space.

They heavily use mood lighting and tend to keep the lights dim with blues and stark reds. Instead of having single lights they tend to put lights everywhere.

This suggests that they are trying to minimize eye strain while keeping morale problems to a minimum. (I'd say they are saving power or trying to minimize heat signature... but these ships use fantastic amounts of energy)

Though to admit I'd probably feel sick after a while in these ships.

I do find it somewhat interesting that in spite of the fact that these ships probably cost billions of earth dollars, their furniture seems to mostly consist of 80s restaurant plastic. This means that the majority of ships are mass produced rather then custom built. (Dang I forgot that for military you tend to not want "comfort" to encourage readiness)

[Hanzoku]

Well, the ships do come made out of prefabricated modules and are built to order (and within days) with the universe's largest 3D printers, so it stands to reason that they're very much mass produced. Maybe with long-standing ships like the Corsair, the owner can rip out the mass produced junk and put in some better furniture.

[Hanzoku]

The Greater Threat
New Characters:  Cadmus, Saburov
New Ships:
New Equipment: Xeos Belt Bridge Lv 1, Navigating Bridge Lv 5, Security Room Lv 4
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Visitors from a Distant Galaxy (click to show/hide)

Having been politely but firmly shut out, we hit the bar again.



Inside the tavern, the party finds Nikolao Garni, the Lanco family steward.

>>Talk to Nikolao Garni.
Conversation #1
Garni: Ah, Master Yuri. It's nice to see you again.

Yuri: Hello. Where are Ensign Pappas and the others?

Garni: They're still holed up at the Lanco Hotel. It looks like their meeting is running a little long.

Yuri: I wish there was something we could do to help them.

Garni: Thank you, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. With two nations working together like this, there's bound to be minor coordination issues to work out. I'm sure that's all it is.

Yuri: Uh, okay.



We head back to the hotel.

>>Lanco Hotel.
The party finds Belen Pappas in the lobby.

Pappas is a terribly liar. Let's pump him for information!
>>Talk to Belen Pappas.
Pappas: Vlasis Delis was supposed to come with us, but that guy is a Nova Nacio hater through and through. He said it would just be too much, that he can't cooperate with those guys, even if it's to fight pirates. What a stubborn guy, huh? Heh heh.

Kira: What about you, Ensign Pappas? Do you feel the same way?

Pappas: Me? As long as we crush the pirates, I don't care how we do it. What the people urgently need now is to know they can travel the starlanes safely. They don't care about some little spat between two nations.

And then we leave. Well, that sucked - we're no closer to having anything better to do then fly around, so we head off to do so.

At our next stop, we get a long-distance call.

Kira: Yuri, we're getting an IP communication in. It's from Elgava.

Yuri: Elgava? All right, connect me.

Kira: Okay.

Vladykin: Oh, good! Yuri, my boy! I caught you!
Good to see you too.

Yuri: Commander Vladykin!

Vladykin: I've got something I want to show you right away. Could you come to Zvenigorod immediately?

Yuri: Why? What's so urgent?

Vladykin: I'll tell you the whole story when I see you. Sorry for being so vague, but please hurry over as soon as you can.

He closes the connection.

Tatiana: What could he want with us now?

Yuri: I wonder. But I guess we'll find out when we get there.

The nearby void gate opens up, and we head to it, jumping to the Elgava Central Void Gate. From there, it's a long but fairly uneventful trip, aside from the suicidal Novgorod pirates throwing corvettes and destroyers at us to be swatted like flies.

>>Zvenigorod
The only new conversation is at the Central HQ.

>>Central HQ
When the party announces themselves, they are quickly shown to a room where Oleg Vladykin is waiting.

Vladykin: Thank you for coming here, Yuri.

Yuri: You wanted to see me? What's going on?

Vladykin: yes. Maybe you'd better take a look at these images first before we talk.

Yuri: Images?

Vladykin: They're from that Epitaph probe ship voyage recorder you brought us.

Grus! We'd have trouble fighting that many battleships!

And they keep on streaming past.

Nia: ...

Yuri: ...

Torlo: Wh-What in Grus is all that? I've never seen so many ships!

Ian: Right. And as far as I can tell from the images, their design concept is completely different from anything we've ever seen in the SMC.

Yuri: Commander, do you have any information about this fleet?

Vladykin: At the moment, we've got nothing at all. What we do know is that he Epitaph probe ship came into contact with this fleet and was destroyed by them. And one more thing we know... This fleet is heading straight for the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Oh Grus.

Kira: They're headed straight for us?!

Yuri: Where do you think they're from?

Nia: Lugovalos.

Yuri: Huh?!

Nia: Advance troops from the Lugovalian Empire. I know it.

Vladykin: Do you recognize this fleet?

Nia: Commander, exactly what do you guys plan to do about this?

Vladykin: We're readying a scout detail, and it's classified top secret to avoid a public panic. We'll be coming into contact with people from an unknown galaxy, after all. Of course, if they turn out to be a hostile race, we'll be prepared. We plan to dispatch a fleet with heavy hitting power at the rear guard.

Nia: Oh, you do, do you? Well, isn't that special? And exactly what size fleet are we talking about here?

Vladykin: I haven't been told exactly, but... I imagine we'll err on the side of caution and send at least 5,000 ships.
That's a fleet, alright

Tatiana: 5,000 ships?!

Torlo: Whoa!

Vladykin: Yes, well, it will be our first contact with them. We need to show them the power of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava.

Nia: Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA HA! You really think you can "show 'em your power" with only 5,000 measly ships?
Not enough of a fleet though, it seems.

Vladykin: We're mobilizing fully one-third of the Central Elgavan Forces! I think it's more like overkill, frankly.
Earlier, it was stated that Elgava has a combined fleet force of 30,000 ships. If only 15,000 are in the CEF, the other 15,000 must be scattered into sector fleets.

Nia: Yeah, I know. I know. That's what they all said. That's what all the nations that fell to Lugovalos said...

Okay, now you listen to me. I'm gonna tell you exactly what you need to do. Send word to Kalymnos and Nova Nacio immediately, and get ready to intercept 'em with the combined forces of the entire SMC! If you do all that, then maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to drive 'em back.
Highly unlikely, however.

Vladykin: Don't be ridiculous! It's not like they're from a neighboring galaxy! They've been on a very long expedition. It may look like a large fleet, but I'm sure most are support and supply ships. They couldn't have enough battleships with them to pose an actual military threat!
Vladykin, Nia is very sure about what she's talking about.

Nia: ...

Vladykin: ...

Nia: What makes you so sure about that?

Vladykin: It's just common sense! I've watched Elgava come into contact with and assimilate many races of people. That's how it grew to be the size it is today. My experience with these sorts of things tells me I'm right about this.

Nia: Uh huh. But I'm telling you, you can't use your past experience to judge the strength of a completely unknown enemy. But it's no use. You're beyond help.

Nia gets up.

Yuri: Nia, wait!

Nia: I'm going back to the ship.

She walks out.

Yuri: Wait!

Torlo: She's gone.

Yuri: Commander Vladykin?

Vladykin: That's all I have for you at the moment. Oh, one more thing, actually. I showed you those images because you were the ones who broguht us the recorder. But please say nothing of this to anyone. I'm afraid it would start a large-scale panic if it ever got out.

Yuri: All right. I understand.

We hit the bar to relax after that shock.
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Karlo: You people have been acting awfully strange lately. What in the galaxy did Commander Vladykin tell you anyway?

Yuri: I'm sorry, Karlo. We still haven't sorted it out in our heads just yet. Could you give us a little time?

Torlo: Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's not like we're hiding anything from you. I mean, you're our number one guy!

Karlo: Okay, thanks. I understand.

Conversation #2
Torlo: I wonder what Nia knows about this Lugovalian Empire. It sounds like she's got some first-hand experience.

Yuri: That's what I want to know, too. Nia never talks about her past. Have you noticed that?

Ian: If she doesn't talk about it, that means she doesn't want to talk about it. It won't do you any good to ask her.

Torlo: Yeah, you're probably right. But with Nia acting like that... That kinds freaks me out, dude.

Yuri: Yeah, me too.
Nia doesn't lose her head quickly.

Conversation #3
Ratai: Elgava, huh? It feels like I haven't been back there in years!

Yuri: And it's really only been a few months. Do you miss home?

Ratai: I do. I wonder how my Pops is doing.
Despite his wondering, I went with him to his home planet and he wasn't ready yet to talk to his Dad again

Spoiler: Rose Colored Blinders and Apocalyptic Pronouncements (click to show/hide)

As we leave Zvenigorod, a meeting is occurring on the planet.

The Interplanetary Union of Elgava - Office of the President

Fomich: President Saburov, Defense Minister Rudak Fomich, at your service, sir.

Saburov: yes. What is the latest on that alien fleet?

Fomich: Yes, sir. After analyzing the voyage recorder, it's estimated it will arrive in our territory in about three months. We are now organizing a negotiation team and putting together a fleet to intercept them.

Saburov: Alright. I want you to head up the negotiation team, as ambassador plenipotentiary.
Seems reasonable so far...

Saburov: Our goal will be to make their star system part of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava's territory.
...What.

Fomich: Yes, sir.

Saburov: But although it's only temporary, this operation will leave us relatively shorthanded here at home.

Fomich: I don't think the preservation of public order will be a problem.
No, no, go back. Invading fleet from a distant galaxy and you think one planet put that together?

Fomich: What I am concerned about, however, is Kalymnos and Nova Nacio.

Saburov: Hm...
Grus, those aren't rose-tinted glasses... those are rose-colored blinders you idiots have.

We start heading back to Nova Nacio, and along the way, Nia pulls Yuri aside for a moment.

Nia: Yuri, can I talk to you for a sec?

Yuri: Sure.

Nia: I wanna stop by Deviagorsk before we leave Elgava, if you don't mind. Somebody's waiting for me at the tavern there.

Yuri: Okay, sure. No problem.

We head towards Deviagorsk. (amusingly, we're not allowed to 'forget', the void gate is locked out at the moment.)

>>Deviagorsk
The party sees Semias Alastar sitting in a corner of the tavern.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: I was talking to a customer who came here all the way from the next galaxy over, the Large Magellanic Cloud. He said that, over there, there's a pirate that's just as powerful as our Valantin! Let's see... What was his name? I can't seem to remember. But, anyway, the customer said he was ridiculously good at melee battles.

If you ever travel to the Large Magellanic Cloud someday, be sure to watch out and not piss off any pirates, okay?

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Larissa: Yuri? Everybody looks so pale... What happened? And Nia is holed up in her room with the door locked...

Yuri: Don't worry, Larissa. We're not sick or anything.

Larissa: Well, fine, but... Physical illness isn't the only kind of affliction that people can suffer from, you know.

Kira: ...

Larissa: ... Okay, fine. You can tell me about it when you're good and ready.

Yuri: thanks, Larissa. It's nice that you care about us.

>>Talk to Semias Alastar.
Nia: Been waitin' long, Semias?

Semias: Ah, Lady Nia! No, no. I haven't been waiting long at all.

Yuri: Semias, huh? So this is who you came here to see?

Nia: That's right. He's been analyzing a backup copy I had made of that voyage recorder data.

Yuri: A backup copy!

Nia: Yup. I wouldn't trust those Elgavan Forces guys as far as I could throw 'em.

Yuri: ...
I can't tell if he's angry, but I wouldn't be in his shoes. She made a sensible decision.

Nia: So how about it, Semias? Have you finished looking into it?

Semias: I have. I started by pulling out the most accurate information I could from the data collected at the time these images were taken.

Nia: Great. Okay, let's hear what you found out.

Semias: After cross-analyzing the laser interference data with the gravitational wave data and the inflaton data within the image range, I discovered that the main ships of the fleet are in the 6,000-foot class, and that there are several of them.
6,000 feet would be 1,800m. This is slightly off, as the main battleship type used by the Empire is 2,250m long.

Yuri: 6,000 feet?!
For comparison, their main battleships are about the size of the Corsair.

Torlo: That's as big as Valantin's Corsair! And they have more than one of those suckers?!
*cough* As Torlo points out seconds later.

Nia: that sounds about like what they'd send. For advance troops, anyway. Okay, what kind of numbers are we talkin'?

Semias: Remember, this is only conjecture, based on what I could observe from the voyage recorder. But I'm guessing no less than 100,000 ships.
Remember, this is only the vanguard fleet. It's four times as big as the entire Elgavan fleet.

Yuri: ...
I think you broke Yuri with that number.

Kira: Oh my...

Tatiana: 100,000? That's more than there are in the whole Small Magellanic Cloud, isn't it?

Ian: I'd say there are probably about twice as many. And those are only their advance troops. So how big is their main force?

Nia: ... Semias, do the Elgavan Forces have all this same data?

Semias: They have it, but the result of their analysis was apparently much different than mine. They seem to have assumed that the ships are old, making the inflaton output for each ship over-inflated. According to a friend of mine in the military, they estimate roughly 1,000 ships in all.
This is rich. The technology in the SMC is noticeably greatly backwards compared to their close neighbor, the LMC. And they're assuming that travelers from a distant galaxy are going to be even less advanced then they are? Grus...

Nia: Wow. It's just great how everyone is bending over backwards to underestimate this enemy.
I agree with Nia on this.

Yuri: Nia, we have to report this information to Commander Vladykin right away!
He's not going to listen to you, Yuri.

Nia: They've already got the same data we do, right?

Yuri: Yes, but--
They're idiots.

Nia: And look at the analysis they came up with! They're way off! We could talk to 'em until we were blue in the face, and they still wouldn't listen.

Yuri: But you have some kind of first-hand knowledge of this Lugovalian Empire,. don't you? If it came from you, if you explained to them--

Nia: I don't really know all that much about 'em either, kid. I've already coughed up everything I got.

Yuri: Are you sure about that?

Semias: ...

Nia: Yuri, I've got a favor to ask.

Yuri: What's that?

Nia: I want to put the Daisy in a shop for some thorough maintenance. It's startin' to fall apart, and we don't know what's ahead, either.

Yuri: I'm fine with the maintenance idea, but what do you mean, "we don't know what's ahead"?

Without answering Yuri, Nia turns and speaks to Semias.

Nia: Semias, can I ask you to take care of it?

Semias: Certainly, Lady Nia. I'll see to it the Daisy gets a thorough going-over.

The Daisy has been removed from your fleet!
Oh no. Whatever will we do without her plinky little guns and tissue-paper hull?

Yuri: Semias, you must've seen them before, right? These Lugovalian Empire ships? Otherwise, how could you just sit there, not freaking out, I mean?

Semias: No, I've never seen them before, Yuri.

Yuri: I... I don't believe you.

Nia: It's true, Yuri. He's never seen them before.

Semias: And that's precisely how I can be so calm and not "freak out," as you say.

Yuri: ...

That's it for now, no one has anything further to say after that bomb of an announcement. The SMC is going to be invaded by 100,000 warships, and the only response to them so far is 5,000 antiquated ships from the Elgavan military, who think they'll be negotiating from a position of power.

Spoiler: Morbid Thoughts and Cruel Actions (click to show/hide)

Once through the Void Gate and back in Nova Nacio, we get a signal.

Tatiana: Yuri. We got a message from Aminda Mistika. She says she's almost done with the analysis.

Yuri: Got it. Thanks.

We visit the tavern on Populara before heading on.

>>Populara
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Ian: Those images we saw... if they have the technology to build ships like that, I'm sure they can travel between galaxies, too.

Torlo: Travel between galaxies? Ya mean, without using void gates?

Ian: Exactly. Oh, I imagine they use gates too, when they can. But they probably don't have to depend on them. Those ships are designed to make it possible to move between galaxies, without the need for planets or spaceports along the way.

Yuri: It's amazing that there's a civilization that advanced out there in the universe, don't you think?
I think 'disturbing' or 'scary' is more appropriate.

Kira: ...

We travel on to Tineo.

>>Tineo
At the spaceport, I check our rankings and discover that Yuri's broken into the top 100 (due to an excessive amount of pirates getting in our way.) At certain ranks, we receive rewards of modules and ship designs. However, I won't be using these until equivalent items become available.

Rank 99 - You're now in the top 100 of the rankings! Congratulations! As a reward, you got blueprints for the following modules:

Xeos Belt Bridge Lv 1
Navigating Bridge Lv 5
Security Room Lv 4

xxx
oox - Xeos Belt Bridge Lv 1 - Gauge Speed + 6, Captain Bonus +6
oox

xox
xox - Navigating Bridge Lv 5 - Battle Speed +8, Mobility +7
ooox

xxx
oox - Security Room Lv 4 - Livability +7, Melee +15
oox

To extend the example, I'll restrict myself from using Security Room Lv 4 until an update or two after Security Room Lv 3 is available.

We head down to the surface and enter the Observatory.

Aminda: Oh, Yuri! Good, you're here. The analysis should be complete in about ten hours.

Yuri: Really?! That's great!

Aminda: Now, it's getting late. Why don't you spend the night on this planet? I can get you rooms at the Ludoviko Tani Hotel, and have results for you by morning. How does that sound?
Like a plot device!

Minas: Wonderful! Yuri, I think you should accept Aminda's kind offer.
You just want to go to the convention.

Yuri: All right, thank you. We'd be happy to accept.

Tatiana: Oh, boy! It's been forever since we slept on the ground!

Kira: I'm really excited, too!

Aminda: Oh good! Follow me to the hotel, then.

The screen fades and returns as time passes.

... ... ...

Yuri: Hm... (I just can't sleep. Maybe I'm too used to sleeping on the ship now.)

Yuri: ... (I wonder if anybody else is awake.)

For some reason, the list of people we can bother is all female. Yuri, you pervert...

>>Go to Kira's room.
Yuri: ... (I guess Kira is asleep.)

>>Go to Tatiana's room.
Yuri: (Nah, this wouldn't be right.)

>>Go to Nia Lochlain's room.
Yuri: Nia, it's Yuri.

Nia: The door's open.

Yuri: Oh, wow!
Said against a black screen. It's okay if your mind is in the gutter.

An entire wall in Nia Lochlian's room is covered with monitors showing various star systems.
Hahahahaha

Basking in the unnatural blue glow of the screens, Nia sits on her bed, a thoughtful look on her face.

Yuri: My room doesn't look like this at all!

Nia: This one looked kind of interesting, so I asked for it specifically.

Yuri: Huh.

Nia: So what's up, kid? Something on your mind? It's kinda late, ya know.

Yuri: I couldn't sleep.

Nia: Yeah, that happens.

Yuri: ...

Nia: ... Ya know, I wonder sometimes if it's a good thing that people figured out how to travel faster than the speed of light.

Yuri: What makes you say that?

Nia: The light from the stars on these monitors, it all comes from the past, ya know. A lot of these stars probably don't even exist anymore. It's pretty trippy if you think about it.

Yuri: Well--

Nia: When something is dead, maybe it oughta just be gone, ya know? Disappear without a trace. It's kind of messed up to keep on seeing it like this, just as pretty as it used to be, once upon a time.
Nia's in a morbid state of mind.

Yuri: But isn't it a good thing, too?

Nia: Depends on how ya look at it, I guess.

The screen fades and focuses on a different planet.

The Capital Planet of Spetses

Meet Cadmus, he thinks he's a rockstar.

Cadmus: Welcome! Welcome to Fort Cadmus! Make yourself at home, Commander Ioannou. Ha ha ha ha!

Ioannou: Thank you for seeing me, Lord Cadmus.

Cadmus: Mm hm. And what is your business today?

Ioannou: I'll get straight to the point. We'd like you to return Katida Lanco.

Cadmus: Hm? Katida Lanco? And who might that be?

Ioannou: Please don't play games with me. We know full well that she was kidnapped by the Kreios Pirates and sent to this planet here. Dardanos Glaucus, who was controlling the entire band of pirates, confessed everything to us.

Cadmus: Oh? ha ha ha ha ha! All right. You've got me. She's right here at Ford Cadmus as we speak. But you can't expect me to just hand her over for nothing, now, can you?

Ioannou: ... Very well. Jozefo Lanco readied this for me to give to you in exchange for Katida. One hundred million credits. I trust we have a deal?
We've got roughly a quarter million credits through clawing our way up to the top hundred, to compare.

Cadmus: Oh, lovely! And I will accept it with pleasure!

Ioannou: And so where is the girl?!

Cadmus: Oh, no, no, no, no! you're getting ahead of yourself, now. The money is fine, and I'm very pleased. But don't you think it's an outrage that an officer of the Kalymnos military has invaded my autonomous dominion?

Ioannou: What?! But you gave me permission to enter!

Cadmus: Hm? I don't recall doing any such thing.

There's a report as Cadmus shoots him.

Ioannou: ?!

Ioannou: Ngh... Pappas... Pappas...! Do you read me?!

Pappas: Commander! What's going on, Commander?!

Ioannou: Cadmus has her... Katida Lanco...

Pappas: Commander! Are you all right?! Commander!

Cadmus: Oh, dear. You just refuse to die, don't you? You're making it look like a poor marksman, Ioannou!

Ioannou: Ngh... Damn you...!

Cadmus: Now, say hello to my sword.

Cadmus: Die!

Ioannou: Gaaaaaaaaagh!

Pappas: Commander! Come in, please! Commander! Commander Ioannou!

The screen fades to black, and we're back with the party.

And that's Cadmus, folks. He's not the first narcissistic psychopath we've met, he won't be the last, but he's certainly made a big impression on people who have played the game already. Feel free to let your hate flow.

[Sirus]

Cadmusssssssss

* Sirus shakes his fist at da bastad

Yeah, they throw quite a few bombs at you during this part. Massive invasion fleet, the SMC is thoroughly unprepared even if they came to the right conclusion, and now we just witnessed our first ally death. If I weren't hooked already, this was the part that really got me interested in the game.

[Hanzoku]

This is indeed the part where the rollercoaster ride starts speeding up. We're also introduced to some of the greater plot elements in this and the upcoming posts that will stay with us through the rest of the game.

In a sense, everything before that was the tutorial and buildup, and we're getting into the meat of the game.

[birdy51]

I'm sure Cadmus is a nice guy, deep down inside. All he needs is a bit love and attention.