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[Hanzoku]

The Civil War, Part 1
New Characters: Andreas, Jimenez, Basadre
New Ships: Velasco (M), Rapido (DD), Libertad (M)
New Fighters: Nadlo (MR), Intrigo (MR)

Spoiler: Wrapping up the Side Quests (click to show/hide)

We head to the last planet we haven’t visited yet, Zeippern. It has a Tavern and a Fighter design company, so we head there immediately to pick up two new designs, the Nadlo (MR) and the Intrigo (MR).

After that, we go and visit the bar.
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: In Regeinland, there’s a code of conduct known as the Regeinlandic Code. One of its precepts is, “The true path of righteousness is the strong striving to unselfishly help the weak.” For example, when a friendly nation requests our help, Regeinland almost always dispatches a fleet, no strings attached. The only problem is, the national debt is soaring because of all the spending the military is doing. The people aren’t too happy about it, but I guess you can’t please everyone.
Interesting. It’s mostly fluff, luckily – we won’t have to deal with a scenario where Regeinland has had to mothball half her fleet.

>>Ask about a job
Bartender: You’re looking for some work? Well, the only work I’ve got available right now involves transporting some cargo. I can give you 1,800 G for taking a shipment to Mindesfelde. What do you say?
We’ll be there and back inside a minute?

Bartender: Great, I’m glad you agreed to do it. Here’s the cargo that needs to go to the tavern on Mindesfelde. Don’t lose it, now!

>>Mindesfelde
As soon as Yuri and company enter the tavern, the bartender hurries over to them, a grateful smile on his face.

Bartender: Thanks for delivering this from Zeippern. Consider your work complete!

A job well done! You got 1,800 G!

>>Zeippern
>>Ask about a job.
Bartender: You’re looking for some work, are you? Well, I think I just might have something for you. There’s been a recent outbreak of Roseola Type U over at the neighborhood school.  It’s pretty nasty business. We have teams out right now trying to gather Fioros flowers, but unfortunately, it’s a really rare plant. If you know where you can find some, we’d really appreciate your help. I’ll pay you 3,000 G if you can bring back some Fioros flowers. What do you say?
Sure, we’ll do it, but I have to say, if it’s so important, these things should be hothoused, or the important element synthesized, especially since it’s already rare enough.

Bartender: Great. Thanks for accepting. Remember, we need the flower of the Fioros plant. Fioros grows deep in the forest. Please do what you can to find some.

We head back to Daiano in the Xeos Belt sector to find Semias’ Fioros patch.

>>Daiano
Semias: Yuri, the Fioros! It’s over here!

The rest of the party, which had split up to search the forest, comes running over when they hear Semias Alastar call out. They find Semias pointing to a large cluster of plants covered in small red flowers.

Yuri: Semias Alastar, your memory is still as sharp as ever.

Semias: ha ha. Well, that is certainly something I take pride in, but let’s focus on the matter at hand.

Yuri: Oh, right, the children. Let’s hurry up and pick as much of this as we need.

The party starts cutting off big clumps of Fioros and stashing it in a collection bin.

??: Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!

Suddenly, they hear someone shouting at them from behind.

Andreas: Well?!

Thomas: Well what?

Andreas: Those Fioros flowers are extremely rare, you know! You shouldn’t just go around picking them for fun! Tsk! That’s why I can’t stand zero-G dogs! You’re nothing but barbarians if you ask me!
We didn’t.

Semias: Oh, I assure you, madam, we are not doing this for “fun.”

Andreas: Oh?

The screen fades and returns while we explain why we’re here.

Andreas: Then you must be here for the same reason I am.

Semias: And you are…?

Andreas: Ah, sorry. My name’s Anastasia Andreas. I’m a doctor back on Zeippern.  When I heard about the Roseola Type U outbreak, I rushed over here to collect some Fioros.

Yuri: Oh, well, you should come with us, then. You can ride on our ship.

Andreas: Yes, but…

Yuri: Don’t worry. We were planning on returning to Zeippern anyway. It’s a free ride. No space fare, I promise.

Andreas: Well, that sure is tempting. I mean, it’s always nice to save a little money. All right. I accept.

You got some Fioros flowers! Anastasia Andreas has temporarily joined you!

We head back to Zeippern, as we promised we would.

>>Zeippern
Bartender: Hey, I’ve been waiting for you guys!

The bartender comes racing over as soon as he sees Yuri and company come in.

Bartender: Oh great, you brought the Fioros flowers I asked you for! I’d better get them over to the school--

Andreas: Wait, let me come, too.

Bartender: Who are you?

Andreas: I’m a doctor. A pretty good one, in fact.

Bartender: By all means, then please join me!

The screen fades and returns as time passes.

Several hours later, the two return to the tavern, exhausted.

Yuri: How did it go?

Bartender: I think the Fioros extract we made should put an end to the outbreak. It was hard work though. I really can’t thank you enough, by the way.

Andreas: I thought zero-G dogs were only interested in space battles and stuff like that. Are you in the humanitarian business too?
I’m in the mercenary business. For enough G, I’ll save the universe.

Thomas: The universe can be a tough place. I bet most of us wouldn’t last long out there if we stopped helping each other out.

Andreas: Hm… That’s one way to look at it.

Bartender: Anyway, you’ve been so helpful. Here’s the pay I promised.

A job well done! You got 3,000 G!

Andreas: Well, that was an interesting experience. I’ll see you around.

Raising her hand to wave good-bye, Anastasia Andreas promptly walks out the door and disappears into the crowd outside.

If we leave the tavern and reenter, we find her getting a drink.

>>Talk to Anastasia Andreas.
Anastasia Andreas is sitting alone at a back table, slowing nursing a drink. For whatever reason, it appears that she is drinking juice instead of the more usual, stronger beverages offered at the bar.

Thomas: Heh heh. The doctor’s in the house. So, what brought you here, Anastasia?

Andreas: Nothing much. I just thought I might run into you guys again.

Thomas: Huh?

Yuri: Is there something we can do for you?

Andreas: Actually, there is. After our last meeting, I developed a budding interest in you zero-G dog types. I thought I might observe you for a while -- see what makes you tick.

Thomas: What, like some kind of experiment or--
Andreas: What do you say, Captain? Can I join you on your ship for a little while? At least until I get tired of observing you guys?
We’re sort of like the Flying Dutchman. Once you get on this ship, you don’t (well, rarely) get off again.

Yuri: Normally, that wouldn’t be a good enough reason to join my crew, but we’re lacking medical personnel on board right now. So, the answer’s yes. But under one condition: You’ve got to follow my orders, no questions asked.

Andreas: Got it. I’m looking forward to working under you, Captain.

Anastasia Andreas joined your crew!

We’re done with the side quests, so we head to Rentinen to find out what Regeinland wants of us.

Spoiler: Plausible Deniability (click to show/hide)

>>Rentinen
We remodel the Pearl Kite to convert our fighter squadrons to newer models. Both the Nadlo and Intrigo are multi-role fighters, and are both quite a bit better than the Komandi fighters we have been using. Sadly, the Nadlo has no reason to exist, as everything about it is done better by the Intrigo. It does cost less, but that’s all it has going for it.

We end up spending another 19,440 G after buying our new Intrigo fighters and selling our old ones, but our fighters are now at least 50% better than they used to be.

We head down to the surface and hit up the bar one last time before heading to the Alpha Quadrant Fleet Headquarters.

>>Tavern
??: Oh, Yuri! There you are!

Yuri hears a familiar voice the moment he enters the tavern. Right away, an attractive woman comes racing to his side to greet him.

Yuri: Hi, Mariana.

Mariana: I’ve been waiting here, hoping you might stop by.

Yuri: I heard you left your store.

Mariana: Oh, so you know about that? Okay, then, I’ll just cut to the chase. I want to join your crew.

Yuri: Really?

Mariana: Mm hm. The truth is, I really wanted to go freelance, you know, go solo, do the zero-G dog thing… But I’m a little light on the pocketbook right now.

Yuri: Hm… All right, but you’ll have to earn your keep.

Mariana: You can count on me, Captain!

Mariana Errigo joined your crew!

We head up top for a few minutes and get our new crew members settled in. Andreas has the special Scalpel Star Lv 1, so she joins Kuchin and Larissa in the medical department as the ICU Head. Mariana has the special skill Abacus Lv 1 and becomes our Chief Accountant.

Crew settled in, we head to the Headquarters.
>>Alpha Quadrant Headquarters
Dietrich Schneizer gets up and welcomes Yuri and company with a warm smile and friendly manner.
Dietrich: We’ve been waiting for you, Captain.
Sorry Dietrich, you should know the RPG hero code – the main quest will wait forever, but side quests usually have a limited window of opportunity.

Yuri: I thought I’d stop by and see what sort of missions you’ll be sending us on.

Dietrich: Then let’s get right to it. Are you familiar with the nation known as Escondido?

Yuri: Sorry, no.

Semias: Is it perhaps one of the Federation’s member states?

Dietrich: No, it has yet to join the Federation. It’s a frontier nation with vast territorial claims rich in natural resources. Richer than anywhere else in the galaxy in fact.

Semias: You don’t say. That would make it quite important in the eyes of the Federation.

Dietrich: It is, but the political situation there has been unstable for quite some time. In fact, government and rebel forces are engaged in a civil war as we speak. There are reports of a massive wave of refugees fleeing the area due to food shortages and an unstable political climate. The extent of human suffering is staggering. Regeinland is seeking a speedy resolution to this humanitarian crisis. However, we fear that the time for any semblance of a solution through negotiations and dialogue may be long past.

Yuri: You want me to back their government forces?

Dietrich: Perhaps. That decision will be left up to you, Captain. Gather intel on the way to Escondido. Then you can decide whether to back the government or the rebels.

Franny: Are you sure about that?

Dietrich: Our nation has yet to clearly voice its support for either side.

Gen: In other words, you would like to maintain ties with Escondido no matter which side wins.

Dietrich: That is correct. By ensuring the side we decide to back wins, Regeinland will be sure to gain the upper hand in natural resources.

Gen: So, the cat’s finally out of the bag.

Dietrich: Yes, it’s true we have ulterior motives, but I firmly believe we’ll also be helping ease the suffering of the Escondidon people.

Gen: We shall see.
I have to say I enjoy the refreshing lack of lying from Regeinland. They’re pretty up front that they’re looking out for Regeinland first, unlike our previous contact with, say, Elgava, which would claim all the way to launching orbital bombardments that it’s really just there for the people.

Dietrich: Well, Captain, that’s about it. Will you accept this mission?

Yuri: I’ll accept. We’ll make for Escondido as soon as we’re ready.

Dietrich: I knew you wouldn’t let us down. I’ll accompany you on my ship as far as the Escondidon border.

Since I have everything wrapped up already, we leave Rentinen and take the now-active nearby void gate.

Meanwhile…

Galactic Federation
President’s Office
Captain Planet Merylgild
Republic of Libertas

Brian: What about the Federation Assembly?

Lennox: Orders is mounting a fierce opposition, but it appears the overall assembly is moving towards accepting Regeinland’s proposal.

Brian: I expected as much from Orders. But their chairman Daniel Evans can’t afford to do anything reckless, what with the attention they’ve been attracting thus far.

Lennox: Do you think that adventurer, Yuri, has taken that into consideration, too?

Brian: We’d be in trouble if he weren’t clever enough to see that. Besides, he already survived the battle in the SMC. He should do fine.

Lennox: …

The screen fades out, and fades in again as we finish transiting the void gate.

Franny: We’re through the gate. All systems normal. Switching gravity well to normal navigation mode.

Yuri: …

Franny: What’s your problem?

Yuri: Oh, no, it’s just… Do you ever get a headache when we pass through a gate?

Franny: Huh? What’re you talking about?

Yuri: Never mind. As long as you’re okay… (That old headache’s back, just like I used to get.)

Dietrich contacts us.

Dietrich: Captain, do you read me?

Yuri: Loud and clear. What’s up?

Dietrich: you’re about to enter the Escondido Lane, which is considered international space outside of any nation’s jurisdiction. That means more pirates and few friendly spaceports until the Escondidon border. Please be careful out there.
The pirates need to worry about me, more then I need to worry about them.

Yuri: Don’t worry, we can handle it.



We stop at Canopus to rest up and see if we can find out more about Escondido before we get there.

>>Canopus
We check our rankings, and Yuri is now at #19 on the leader board with ~28,000 fame. This means, of course…

You’re now in the top 20 of the rankings! Congratulations! As a reward, you got blueprints for a Nacion Eleganta-class carrier! You also got blueprints for a Thruster Control Room 10 module and an Amplifier 6 module!

On the planet’s surface, there’s only a tavern to be seen.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Escondido? All I know is that some young political leader named Arturo Basadre has recently risen up the ranks there. They say he’s a real reformer. Their government used to be pretty corrupt, but Basadre is apparently ousting anyone who had anything to do with it. It seems like he really wants to build a sound and stable government.

>>Talk to the drunkard.
Drunkard: Ever hear of Arturo Basadre, that new leader they have over in Escondido? (burps) He’s still a young ‘un, but he studied over in Libertas and they say he’s a pretty broad-minded guy. (hiccups) Escondido is a third-world country compared to the Federation nations, but I bet he’d be able to do something about that. (burps)

>>Talk to the merchant.
Merchant: I just came from Escondido with a load of vocanoid on my ship. The stuff makes unbelievably good armor. Plus, it can only be mined there, which means it can fetch a nice price on other planets. Federation merchants are willing to pay almost anything for it.

So, we know the head of government is an upstanding, intelligent person, and why everyone’ so interested in Escondido’s mineral wealth. We still don’t know anything about the rebels, however.

We push on and head to Octans, the closest free planet to the Escondido border. Along the way, we pick up a resource asteroid worth 3,000 G, not a bad haul for just traveling along the way. After many, many battles, we reach Octans.

>>Octans
Like Canopus, there’s only a tavern available, and for added amusement, it has the same  array of characters inside.
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: I shouldn’t really be saying this here, but I have to admit I agree with Osvaldo Ochoa’s standpoint. He’s the leader of the Escondidon rebel forces, in case you haven’t been watching the news lately. I’m originally from Escondido, so I really hate how the other nations try to lobby its government officials for resource rights. At this rate, the entire country’s going to be bought up and become the property of other nations! That’s why the rebel forces rose up. They want to make sure that doesn’t happen.

>>Talk to the drunkard.
Drunkard: You hear the Escondidon government tried to sell off the mining rights for a valuable resource planet to the Federation? (hiccups) I bet those sleazy politicos are getting kickbacks from the Federation companies involved in the deal. (hiccups) I really hope the rebel forces crush that corrupt Escondidon government once and for all! (burps)

>>Talk to the merchant.
Merchant: Oh, you’re going to visit Escondido? Their ships are unexceptional when it comes to performance, but they do have one interesting advantage. Most of them are equipped with rail guns that fire physical projectiles at super-high speeds. APF shields are ineffective against rail guns. Better keep that in mind if you ever go up against an Escondidon ship.

And now we hear about the rebel forces. It sounds like both sides want to reform the government – Basadre from inside out, and Ochoa by lining the government up against a handy wall and shooting them.

We leave Octans and make for the Void Gate to Escondido proper. When we reach the empty sector just before the void gate, Dietrich contacts us.

Dietrich: The Escondidon Sector lies beyond this gate. Once you pass the gate, head for the planet Presidio if you wish to ally yourself with their government forces. Or, if you’d rather ally with rebel forces, make your way to the planet Agua Clara. Is that clear?

We can ask for it to be repeated, by that was simple enough.

Dietrich: Okay, I’ll be waiting here for your triumphant return. Remember, Captain, you will be on your own from this point on.
Like you did so much to help?

Franny: Hey, wait a sec. You’re not going with us?
Of course not, Franny. A Regeinlandic military ship aiding one of the sides declares support for them. A pirate band doing so is much more safely gray.

Dietrich: We can’t risk provoking our neighboring nations by allowing our regular forces to get involved in Escondido’s civil unrest. They might very well dispatch their own fleets, and then we’d be dragged into an all-out war. Plus, we have intel reporting that the Holy Nation of Adis has a fleet standing by just waiting for an excuse to intervene.

Franny: That sucks.

Dietrich: Nevertheless, that’s where we stand at the moment. Captain--
Yuri: Yes, I understand. We’ll do whatever we can.

Dietrich: That’s all we could ask of you. Good luck and happy hunting!

He closes the connection and we pass through the void gate.

Spoiler: Choosing Sides (click to show/hide)

Welcome to Space Mexico! It’s split into two compact clumps of locations, centered on the capital worlds of the government and rebel troops. We decided overwhelmingly to support the government, so I make way towards Presidio to sign up with the government forces.

>>Presidio
Along the way to Presido, we get ambushed by a rebel fleet comprising a Furor-class battleship, two Rapido-class destroyers and a Velasco-class other. The Rebel ships are significantly more powerful than the pirates we’re used to beating up. The destroyers take three volleys to destroy, and the battleship refuses to die, even after seven volleys into it. Finally after a few more volleys, it finally explodes.

I might have to rethink our small weapon selection – part of the problem was that the torpedoes kept missing, despite being well within their range.

After that first battle, we get hit by another rebel group, consisting of two Rapido-class destroyers and two Libertad-class others.

After this battle, we’re near Presidio, but…

Gen: Ugh… (coughs uncontrollably)

Alik: M-M-Master Gen!

Gen: No, I’ll be fine, Alik. Besides, we must (coughs) focus on the matter at hand. We will be reaching Presidio shortly.

An alarm interrupts him.

Gen: Hm?! What’s going on?

Franny: Yuri! We’ve got company! A whole fleet of it!

Yuri: Yeah, but are they friendly?

Franny: Hold on, lemme see. Hm. It doesn’t look like they wanna fight.

We’re hailed by the fleet.

??: … you read me? Do you read me, Zburator? This is Presidential Aide Rogelio Jimenez of Escondido and this fleet is under my command. Do you read me?

Yuri: This is Yuri, captain of the Zburator. I read you loud and clear.

Oh look, another person with white hair.

Jimenez: Ah, Captain. President Arturo Basadre asked me to come greet you. The President awaits you at the Presidential Palace on the captain planet, Presidio. He requests your presence. I, too, look forward to meeting you there.

Yuri: Roger that. Then we’ll head for Presidio right away.

Jimenez: Understood. I will go on ahead and prepare for your arrival. Over and out.

We finally manage to finish our journey to Presidio. There’s not much at the spaceport, so we take the elevator to the surface.

Well, this is certainly a lovely little Grus-hole.

Upon touchdown, Yuri and his crew are struck by the primitive conditions they see. A few scattered buildings dot the rocky landscape.

Franny: Whoa! Did we just travel back in time or what?

Alik: I-It’s not n-nice to say things like that, Franny.
Accurate, though.

Franny: Yeah, but this is supposed to be the capital planet, right? It looks more like some backwater asteroid.

Semias: Ha ha! Well, despite her unsubtle choice of words, Franny does have a point. They do seem quite technologically backward.

Yuri: Hm…

And then we’re shown this. The were too lazy to give Presidio a desolate landscape for this screen.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: I hear President Basadre has joined forces with the Galactic Federation. But that doesn’t mean we’ve turned into their lapdog or anything like that. He’s just trying to use them for our own benefit. I’m sure a man of his caliber will be able to get the other nations to give Escondido the respect it deserves.

>>Talk to the merchant.
A merchant retrieves a pot with an unusual pattern from his bag when he spots Yuri and comes over to talk.

Merchant: Yes, siree, Presidio has been the center of Escondidon culture since ancient times. And there are plenty of ancient Escondidon ruins to prove it. That’s where this here pot came from. It’s a precious archeological find and very valuable, too. But I’ll give you a really good price on it. Let’s say 1,000 G.

It’s actually worthless, but I’ll pick it up to show off the conversation with the archeologist later.

Merchant: Excellent! Here’s your pot! Nice doing business with you, pal!

You got a Presidio pot!

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Antono Letero is in the tavern, drinking and looking over some blueprints, with a man who looks like he could be a laborer.

Letero: Like I said, the mining equipment will have to be modified like this in order to raise the mine’s output. Old-fashioned machines won’t cut it anymore. There are way more reliable computers available these days.

Laborer: Huh, ya don’t say.

Letero: For the time being, I think I can improve control functionality simply by replacing the mining equipment’s motherboard. The board’s made in Regeinland and it’s as tough as nails. I highly recommend it.

Laborer: Tsk. Do we really have to rely on Federation technology all the time?

Yuri: Hey, Antono, what are you up to?

Letero: Oh, these gentlemen work over at the vocanoid mine. They wanted my advice on raising the mine’s output.

Laborer: Your friend here explains all that technical mumbo jumbo in a way that actually makes sense. He a member of your crew?

Yuri: Yeah, right now he’s serving as an elite engineer on my ship.

Letero: heh. Well just let me know if you need any advice about anything else. I’m more then happy to help out.

Laborer: Thanks, chief. And here’s a little something for your troubles. Go on, take it! You deserve it!

Letero: Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly—

Laborer: Go on, really! Well, see ya’ round.

The laborer presses a currency card into Antono’s hand, waves good-bye, and then leaves with a big smile on his face.

Yuri: I really like the Escondidon people. They’re so friendly and upbeat.
I… hadn’t noticed that yet.

Letero: Me too. I’m growing very fond of this country.

You got 800 G!

Conversation #2
Gen: Escondido may be blessed with natural resources, but that is not all.

Yuri: And by that, you mean…

Gen: The people. They are highly motivated and possess unshakeable ideals. And Escondidon spacefarers are some of the best of the best.

Yuri: So, are you saying it would be in our best interest to become their allies then?

Gen: Well, actually… I was thinking more along the lines of poaching one of their top military men.
Almost the same thing!

That’s it for now, so we visit the Presidential Palace.

Jimenez: We bid you welcome, Captain. The President has been eagerly awaiting your arrival.

Basadre: I’m Arturo Basadre, President of Escondido. I welcome you and your crew with open arms.

Yuri: I’m Yuri, and we’re here to help you out.

Basadre: So you’re the famous, or should I say infamous, Yuri? Well, we welcome the help and will make good use of it.

Thomas: Whoa! I never figured we’d be greeted by the President himself!

Basadre: Yes, well, I may hold the title President, but our nation has much growing to do before I’m worthy of the accompanying respect.

Gen: A humble politician, how interesting…

Basadre: Captain, how familiar are you with the current situation in our country?

Yuri: Lieutenant Schneizer filled me in to some extent.

Basadre: I see. Well, this shouldn’t take too long, then. We want to end this civil war as soon as possible and start building a strong nation that can resist foreign intervention. And we would like your help in accomplishing that.

Yuri: Even if I’m working on Regeinland’s behalf?

Basadre: …

Yuri: …

Basadre: yes. If it will help build our nation’s future, I believe it’s the right thing to do.

Yuri: Okay, then, we’ll do whatever we can to help you.

Basadre: Your mission involves the rebel forces that are now gathering around the planets of Guadalajara and Agua Clara.

Semias: Do you think those two planets might be where the rebels are based?

Basadre: No, they don’t have any readily identifiable bases to speak of. Rather, I think Guadalajara and Agua Clara are simply home to large numbers of rebel sympathizers and outright supporters. Neither of the planets are organized in resistance against the government.

Gen: Ah, so you foresee guerilla tactics rather than a conventional war?

Basadre: Exactly. The only way to completely crush the rebellion is to capture their leader, Osvaldo Ochoa.

Franny: Do you know where he is now?

Basadre: We’re making every effort to locate him--
Franny: But you haven’t yet, huh?

Basadre: It’s only a matter of time. I would like you to start with the rebel fleet. Destroy the rebel ships that are now deployed around Guadalajara and Agua Clara. And if Osvaldo is among them, make sure to take him alive.

Yuri: Okay, we’ll give it our best shot.

Basadre: I’m counting on you, Captain, I’ll be at our frontline headquarters on Dorado. Visit me there should you need anything.

Franny: Wait a sec. Aren’t you the President? How come you gotta go tell people what to do at the front?

Basadre: I got my start in the military. So you see, I’m really a soldier at heart. It’s ingrained in our culture. Only people who fight are deemed to be worthy leaders.

Franny: Wow, a bunch of tough guys, huh?

Yuri: …

As we turn to leave, Basadre stops us.

Basadre: I wanted to ask you something before you left.

Yuri: Yes?

Basadre: Do you still plan on attempting to solve the mysteries behind the Epitaphs?
That’s out of left field, as that hasn’t been a plot point for a quarter of the game.

Yuri: The Epitaphs?! I sure didn’t expect anyone to mention those here…

Semias: Mr. President, may I ask how you know of such things?

Jimenez: Forgive me, but I did a background check on all of you before you arrived here. That was when I came across a copy of the interrogation records form when you were imprisoned by the Federation.

Basadre: Yuri, the record says you left your home planet to explore the mysteries behind the Epitaphs and the entire universe itself. But now it seems as if you’re merely obsessed with gaining power. Or have I misjudged you?

Yuri: … Frankly, I really don’t know myself.

Basadre: I see. Well please excuse me for asking such a personal question.

Yuri: No problem.

Yuri nods and proceeds to walk away. But before he gets out of the room, he suddenly stops in his tracks.

Yuri: … Thank you, President Basadre.

Basadre: For what?

Yuri: For bringing up the Epitaphs. It feels like something that’s been sleeping deep inside me is suddenly starting to wake up.

Basadre: …

Arturo Basadre acknowledges Yuri’s response with a deep nod of approval.

[Hanzoku]

The Civil War, Part 2
New Characters: Lozano, Ochoa, Emiliano
New Ships: Churruca (DD), Aragon (CG), Pelayo (BB), Ciscar (BB), Kreusser (BB), Picaroon (BB), Furor (BB), Lykourgos (BB), Eleganta (CV), Alfonso (M)
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Sightseeing with a Dash of Murder (click to show/hide)

In our last update, we were asked to go beat up the rebel fleets around Guadalajara and Agua Clara. Before we do that however, we have some other planets in this cluster that we should visit.

Along the way to Arraigado, we pick up a resource asteroid worth 1,500 G. A lot better then what was available back in Ropesk, that’s for sure!

>Arraigado
On the surface, we have a ship company, where we pick up the designs for the Pelayo-class battleship, Aragon-class Cruiser and Churruca-class Destroyer. I’ve also decided to get over my dislike of fixed weapon systems – I said that I wanted to show off more of the ship designs in this game, and that means not sticking with the Fellowship-class battleship through 80% of the final part of the game, despite it being one of my favorites.

I’ll still skip ships that are direct downgrades in their primary stats though.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: A maritime design company on our planet recently developed a ship with a completely new kind of armor. The technology behind it hasn’t been made public yet, but I hear it makes it possible to develop unimaginably strong armor.

>>Talk to the merchant.
A merchant retrieves a pot with an unusual pattern from his bag and comes over to talk when he spots Yuri.

Merchant; Did you know that Arraigado has been the center of Escondidon culture since ancient times? There are plenty of ancient Escondidon ruins to prove it. That’s where this here pot came from. It’s a precious archeological find and very valuable, too.

But I’ll give you a really good price on it. Let’s say 500 G. Do we have a deal?
It’s the same speech, word for word. This guy isn’t a dirty liar, though.

Merchant: Excellent! Here’s your pot! Nice doing business with you!

You got an Arraigado pot!

New designs in hand, we end up having to travel all the way back to Canopus to find a planet with a shipyard to make use of.

Replacing the Fellowship-class is either the Regeinlandic Agrell or the Escondidon Pelayo They each have their advantages – the Agrell is capable of carrying fighters and has slightly more module space. It’s also slightly faster and more mobile. The Pelayo, on the other hand, is a mass of armor, durability and four extra-large  fixed weapon mounts. Given we’ve been having trouble punching the Escondidon  ships down, and area damage hasn’t really been doing an amazing amount for us as enemy ships have toughened up, we pick the Pelayo-class as our new flagship.

The Ushi-Oni.

The design’s major drawback is that the integral crew is a lot lower then normal. Most ships require two crew quarters to bring them up to operating standards. The Pelayo-class requires four. To get around this, I decide that it’s fair to cheat a little. One of the modules we picked up a while back from fame is the Control Unit Lv 3. This two-space module reduces the crew requirements by 120. This saves us a little space for other modules.

With some wiggling and shoving, we manage to get all of the important components onboard, and I’m glad that some of the latest round of modules we picked up were basically miniaturizations of previous modules.

Our cruiser choices are between the Regeinlandic Krauss-class and the Escondidon Aragon-class. The Aragon has three fixed weapons and an open small slot. It also has a special attack (Missile Volley) which we could use if we made it our flagship. However, it has only 37 modules to make up for its weapon array. The Krauss class, which we discussed before, is a very solid cruiser with some carrier capacity, and it’s what I go with for our new cruiser type.

The Hauteclere.

The Krauss-class has more of the odd sections and fiddly bits, but we manage to fit everything in with only one wasted module space. She carries a short squadron of 6 Intrigo fighters to help supplement the Pearl Kite’s five squadron strike force.

Finally, we keep the Seitz-class Nephthys. The Churruca-class destroyer we picked up simply isn’t as good, with a fixed armament of only small weapons.

Fleet sorted out once again, we return to Escondido. Once there, we make our way to Dorado to rest up before we make our strike against the rebel fleet. Along the way, we test out our new ships on the enemy, and they die gratifyingly faster, particularly the Furor-class battleships that were giving us trouble earlier.

>>Dorado
We check our rankings and see that Yuri has reached 10 on the ranking board, with ~29,800 fame. This means, of course…

You’re now in the top 10 of the rankings! Congratulations! As a reward, you got blueprints for a Picaroon-class battleship!

No modules, this time.

To make up for it, there’s a module company on the planet’s surface, so we pick up Escondido Bridge Lv 1, Crew Cabin Lv 5, War Room Lv 2, Security Room Lv 5, Deflector Lv 5, and Shield Frame Lv 3.

We then hit up the tavern.
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: President Basadre wanted the government forces’ joint headquarters to be here on Dorado. I hear it’s because our planet reminds him of the beautiful nature he grew up surrounded by on his home planet.

>>Talk to the merchant.
At the back of the tavern, Yuri sees a merchant, slumped over with his head in his hands.

Merchant: ugh… Inflation’s run rampant lately, what with the shaky political situation here in Escondido. And I’m having a devil of a time coming up with revenue projections because of it. I’d sure like some help if any of your crew are experienced in accounting.

Yuri: (Accounting, hm… Who’d be the right person for the job?)

Crew members assigned to Management positions come up. I ask Mariana to do so, as her Abacus skill ensures she’ll stay in one of the three posts.

Mariana’s Ship Management skill increased by 2!

Merchant: You’re a real lifesaver! Thank you!

The merchant briskly leaves the tavern, bobbing his head up and down happily as he goes.

>>Guadalajara
We hit the rebel fleet orbiting the planet. They consist of a new Ciscar-class battleship, two Rapido-class destroyers and two Velasco-class Other.

They start off the battle with a barrage that knocks a quarter of durability off of the Hauteclere, but in return, our fighters and two volleys deals with the first row of rebel Velascos. We both start charging up again as I start dealing with the new row of Rapidos. They get a second barrage off, and the Hauteclere is at 60%, but now the enemy battleship is all alone. Without the power of a full fleet behind the barrages, they simply aren’t as threatening, and a barrage and two volleys later, the enemy battleship comes apart at the seams.

Meanwhile, in a frontier sector of Escondido…

Lozano: Captain Ochoa, I just received a report stating that the forces we dispatched to Guadalajara have been decimated!

At least neither of you is white-haired.

Ochoa: Government forces?

Lozano: No, it’s him. You know who I’m talking about, don’t you?
Awesome, we’re so feared that they don’t dare speak the name of Yuri the Reaver!

Ochoa:That one Regeinlandg sent? Hmph! How could Arturo be so stupid and let a jackal like that in right through the front door?

Lozano: Wait, you don’t think he’s considering asking Regeinland’s regular forces for help, do you?

Ochoa: No, he’s not that stupid! He knows they’d use it as an excuse to exploit our nation and its resources. But I do think he’s being deceived, and needs a royal butt-kicking by yours truly to open his eyes.

Lozano: A royal butt-kicking?

Ochoa:That’s right. Just like I used to do when were kids.

Back with Yuri and crew, we dock at Guadalajara and visit the tavern to see what people have to say about the fireworks in orbit.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: You have “foreigner” written all over you. Wait a second… You’re not a Federation spy, are you?
They’d use someone who could blend in, so no.

Bartender: Not that it really matters or anything. We’ll serve anyone here, as long as they’re paying customers. Anyway, I’d watch out if I were you. This planet is crawling with anti-government rebels. They’re all over the place.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Semias: So, Yuri, what did you make of that Basadre fellow?

Yuri: The people seem to love him, and his political platform’s easy to understand. He may call himself an idealist, but his policies are practical. A very good leader if you ask me.

Semias: So you think we should help him?
A little late not to do so, Semias.

Yuri: Yes, we should. I didn’t expect to find a man like him in such a small country. The universe sure works in mysterious ways.

Conversation #2
Nadja Musin is sipping on a cocktail as she eyes a test tube containing what appear to be mineral granules.

Musin: Hmph. So this is vocanoid, is it? It doesn’t seem like a very promising material to use in quantum computers.

Yuri: The Escondidons are using it in a metal allow for ship armor.

Musin: Really? How very disappointing. But I suppose armor is more useful to them then computing devices, considering the nature of these people. I suppose I’ll just have to turn this over to an R&D team that handles armor development. (sighs)

Yuri: Still a rare metals fanatic, are you, Nadja?

Musin: Well, that’s not all I’m good at. On Belgirate, they had me developing ship modules, you know. One of these days, I’m going to retrofit your ship, too!

Yuri: Sounds like a plan.

>>Talk to the laborer.

I’m guessing you’re from the Xeos Belt originally.

Emiliano: Hey, man, you’re that Special Prisoner guy, aren’t you? I spotted you right away. I mean, you look exactly like what Jovani said you’d look like!

Yuri: You know Jovani? Jovani Taglienti?

Emiliano: Sure do! We kinda work together. Guess that makes us partners or something. My name’s Emiliano Colaci. Okay, now that the intros are outta the way, let’s get down to business. The info business, that is. You wanna buy some?

Yuri: How much is it going to cost me?

Emiliano: 3,000 G.

Yuri: Sounds pricey.

Emiliano: Oh, believe me, it’s worth every credit. Whaddya say?

We buy the information, as it allows us to pick up blueprints later.

Emiliano: Okay, it’s a deal! It’s all yours.

Yuri: A data chip?

Emiliano: Yeah. It’s filled with data on the duplex electro-refining method they just developed at the vocanoid mine. It’s good stuff.

Gen: How did a person like you end up with something like that? You appear to be a common laborer. No offense.
He’s good at disguises?

Emiliano: Heh heh, none taken! Let’s just say I, uh, “borrowed it” from the manager’s office.

Franny: Come on, you mean you stole it!

Emiliano: call it what you want, but that manager’s got a piracy gig on the side anyway. I’m telling you, that dude’s bad news! Anyway, you saved my hide by buying that data from me.Now I can finally get my ship repaired. Not too shabby! I’ll be headed to the Xeos Belt as soon as the repairs are done. Why don’t you drop by and see me there sometime?
It’s a not too subtle hint that he becomes recruitable after this.

Emiliano Colaci waves good-bye cheerfully, and then walks out of the tavern with a bounce in his step.

You got the duplex electro-refining method for vocanoid!

Spoiler: Fall of the Rebellion (click to show/hide)

Having exhausted the possibilities in Guadalajara, we push on to Agua Clara. The defending forces here are a repeat of the ones we defeated earlier. They die easily, and we secure the planet.

On the surface, we visit the tavern and talk to the people there.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Vocanoid is a plasma-resistant mineral. It’s able to decrease damage from plasma cannons by repelling the free electrons found in plasma. As you can imagine, having a source of vocanoid is a pretty big military advantage. That’s why so many countries want to help Escondido mine the stuff.
Particularly if your opponent is Libertas, the one and only user of integrated plasma cannons.

>>Talk to the navigator.
Navigator: You people are lookin’ for Ochoa, that leader of the rebel forces, aren’t ya? Well, I get some sweet info you’d be fools to pass up on. 200 G and it’s all yours!
Can you say ‘Trap? Because I can.

We pay anyway.

Navigator: Okay, here’s the scoop. I heard from this merchant fella I know that Ochoa’s ship was custom built using technology supplied by Adis.

Yuri: Adis? Wait, I think that’s the country Adolfo mentioned.

Navigator: Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of the Holy Nation of Adis! Besides the Galactic Federation, it’s the largest and oldest nation in the LMC. Their state religion is called Adism, and they’ve got a long history of going up against the Federation. In fact, the two sides are caught up in a cold war over resource rights here in this country as I speak.

Gen: Now I see. So that’s why they’re secretly supporting the rebel forces.

Navigator: Bingo. Anyway, that lost technology that Adis has is really something else. I hear the ship they helped Ochoa build is covered in a membrane that blocks inflaton particles through pair annihilation.

Semias: That sounds very high-tech. What in the universe is its function?

Navigator: Word is it gives ‘em almost total stealth capabilities when they put it together with optical camouflage. In other words, Ochoa’s ship can pretty much disappear whenever he wants it to.

Semias: So that’s why no one can ever find him!

Yuri: Yeah. We’d better go tell Basadre about this.

>>Talk to the traveler.
Traveler: Dorado is the capital planet of Escondido, but did you know that it wasn’t always the center of the Escondidon nation? Arraigado was the cradle of Escondidon civilization back in ancient times. But things can change, I suppose.
And this is the one hint to let you know ahead of time which of the two pots you can buy is real. Of course, you’ve probably bought both by the time you see this anyway.

We leave Agua Clara behind and head for Dorado to report the news.

>>Dorado
Front Line Headquarters
This is the headquarters’ War Room. Arturo Basadre and his aide, Rogelio Jimenez, can be seen giving orders to the officers gathered here.

>>Talk to Rogelio Jimenez.
Jimenez: We’re dispatching troops to deal with them, but clashes with small units of rebels are multiplying throughout the nation. The President has been going out to the grassy plain behind Headquarters to do some thinking alone from time to time. He tends to do that when he’s worn out. I just hope he hasn’t been pushing himself too hard lately.
This conversation is required to recruit the two path-specific characters later.

>>Talk to Arturo Basadre.
Gen: Mr. President, there was a matter concerning Ochoa that I was hoping I might talk to you about.

Basadre: Some new information perhaps?

Gen: Well, here is what we know…

The screen fades and returns while Gen explains what we found out.

Basadre: So, Adis plans to intervene.

Jimenez: Mr. President, we can’t risk having another foreign power get involved.

Basadre: I agree. We must act swiftly. Incrase security to the neighboring sectors. Captain, I want you and your crew to patrol the rear sectors of Guadlajara and Agua Clara. We believe those sectors would be the perfect place for Osvaldo and his rebel forces to hide.

Yuri: Got it. We’ll do everything we can to find him.

Franny: Yeah, but what about that disappearing ship of his? How the Grus are we supposed to dig that up?

Yuri: We’ll just have to give it our best shot.

We leave the headquarters after that, and Yuri briefly visits the meadow behind the headquarters.

>>Meadow
Yuri heads out onto the grassy plain behind Headquarters. There, he sees a downcast Arturo Basadre, alone except for the wind, just as Rogelio Jimenez has said.

We call out to Arturo.

Looking slightly startled, Arturo Basadre turns to face the sound of Yuri’s footsteps through the tall grass.

Basadre: Captain…

Yuri: Am I disturbing you, President Basadre?

Basadre: No, not at all. And there’s no need for formalities here. I’d prefer that you call me Arturo.

Yuri: Okay, Arturo it is. Rogelio is worried about you. He think something’s weighing heavy on your mind.

Basadre: Ha ha! Well, he has that much right. You see, Escondido needs help from foreign countries, but at the same time, we have to keep them from exploiting us. The trick is to get them to compete against each other for what we have to offer. That gives us a measure of control because we can extract the best possible terms.

Yuri: I take it the rebels don’t see it that way.

Basadre: That is exactly my problem! They see it as a sign of weakness if we give even an inch to foreign nations.  They claim we are putting our nation up for bid, so to speak. And it really doesn’t help that Osvaldo is a stubborn old coot!

Yuri: You make it sound like you know him well.

Basadre: Oh, ha ha! I never told you we were born to neighboring clans? As such, we were in constant competition ask ids, and we ended up fighting a lot, but he was also a good friend. I really hoped he would ne day join me in pursuing the dreams I had for our country,

Yuri: …

Basadre: Yuri, I have a favor to ask of you.

Yuri: Go ahead.

Basadre: Please, do everything you can to take Osvaldo alive. Even though our ideas clash, he is still fighting for what he believes is best for our country.

Yuri: Okay, I’ll do that.

Basadre: Thank you.

Arturo Basadre crosses his wrists as he says this and then raises them up in front of his face. To Yuri, it seems like this might be a gesture of gratitude in his culture.
And that sets the recruitment flag. Without this conversation, we’re not as careful in the coming battles.

Spoiler: Yuri the Famous (click to show/hide)

>>Guadalajara
With 30,436 fame, we visit the rankings page for the final time.

Yuri has achieved one of his goals. He is the most famous zero-G dog in the universe, more famous then even Valantin the Pirate.

You are now number 1 in the rankings! Congratulations! As a reward for being the top zero-G dog, you got blueprints for a Corsair-class battleship!

We leave Guadalajara and start patrolling the nearby empty sectors.

Eventually, we catch up with the rebels (aside from the piles of rebel mooks we keep blowing up.)

Franny: Yuri! There’s a rebel fleet dead ahead! And they’re centered around some weird ship I’ve never seen before!

Semias: Never seen before?

Yuri: It’s probably Osvaldo Ochoa’s flagship. Put it onscreen.

Franny: You got it!

Well, that’s a new design at least. And this will be !!FUN!! with two battleships, Ochoa’s flagship and two destroyers.

The game even zooms in helpfully so we can admire Ochoa’s flagship before we blow it to Grus.

Gen: Hm… It’s rather small, but from its position within their formation, it appears to be a flagship.

Thomas: So then, it really is Ochoa’s ship?

Franny: What the…?! Did you guys just see that?!

First we saw it, then we didn’t. After flicking twice, the flagship vanishes from sight and sensors.

Thomas: It just disappeared! How’s that even possible?!

Franny: It disappeared from the radar, too. How are we gonna shoot something we can’t see?!
Saturation bombardment.

Yuri: Hm…

Thomas: Captain! I think they spotted us!

Yuri: All hands, prepare for battle!

Franny: Okay! But don’t forget, we can’t target that fifth ship there. That’s Ochoa’s ship.

Yuri: Got it!
Luckily, all of our medium slots are still filled with MIRV missiles. Those, and fighters, can still hit his ship.

Luckily, one of the battleships disappeared from the group, and we’re up against one Ciscar-class battleship, two Rapido-class destroyers, a Velasco-class other and an Alfonso-class other.

Normally, we would deploy fighters and target the enemy from the front backward, but if we destroy all the escorts, Ochoa just slips away and we have to try again. (Which happened to me the first time.) The proper way to run this battle is to destroy the enemies in the second row first, and avoid using fighters completely. I hit each enemy ship with as many barrages as possible, allowing me to also hit Ochoa’s ship with more shots, even when a single volley would be enough to down the ship being targeted.

After a short while, a ship I wasn’t targeting explodes violently…

Franny: We did it?! I mean, we did it! We took out Ochoa’s flagship!

Yuri: Okay, notify President Basadre right away.

Franny: I’m on it!

She signals the President and the screen fades and returns while she gives our report.

Franny: Yuri, I got through to the President. He says he wants to thank you personally. He wants you to come meet him at his headquarters on Dorado.

Semias: Sounds good to me. Next stop, Dorado?

Yuri: Dorado it is. I think this should about wrap up our mission here in Escondido.

>>Dorado – Front Line Headquarters
The moment Yuri and company enter Headquarters, Rogelio Jimenez comes racing over to them, an excited look on his face.

Jimenez: You defeated Ochoas! Well done, Captain! Our nation wlll be forever grateful!
At least until the next civil war.

Basadre: With their leader out of the picture, rebel forces are pulling back all over the country. And it’s all thanks to you, Captain. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation.

Yuri: Huh?! That’s…!

Arturo Basadre holds out a blueprint plate along with a cube with a strange design engraved on it.

Basadre: The blueprint is for a rebel ship we captured. And I think you know what this cube is.

Yuri: An Epitaph?!

Thomas: What?! Really?! No way!

Franny: So that’s what one of those Epitaph things looks like, huh?

Basadre: it’s been in the possession of my clan since ancient times. I want you to have it.

Yuri: Really? Are you sure about that?

Basadre: Absolutely. There’s really no point in my keeping it. You see, a legend long told by my clan claims it’s a key for opening the way to another galaxy. I suspect it may help you return home to the SMC.

Yuri: I don’t know what to say.

Yuri accepts the Epitaph from Arturo Basadre, clutching it securely in his grasp.

Basadre: I have big plans for our nation. Come back and v isit us sometime. You may barely recognize the place!

Yuri: You can count on it!

You got blueprints for an Alfonso-class battleship!
Actually classified as an Other.

You got the Escondidon Epitaph!
McGuffin ahoy!

Basadre: I’m counting on you to deal with him.

Yuri: I know.

We don’t, not yet at least.

We leave Dorado behind and make for the void gate in Sector 1 to report back to Regeinland of our success in ending the civil war. We’re met by Schenizer right by the void gate.

Dietrich: We received your report, and I must say, Captain, you performed exceptionally well. Our government has reaffirmed its faith in your abilities.

Yuri: I’d like to handle the matter of the prisoners, if you don’t mind.

Dietrich: That’s fine. And if you decide to have htem join your crew, we will have no objections. Of course, officially we would have to proclaim they are deceased. For security purposes.

At this moment, a gruff voice booms out angrily behind them.

Ochoa: Hey! I’ve been listening to what you’ve been saying, and I don’t like it one bit! We haven’t agreed to join anyone’s crew, got it?! Just execute us now and get it over with

Lozano: Yes, you heard him, you Regeinlandic swine!
Yuri’s actually Ropesk swine, actually. Ropeskian?

As the two men continue to shout, they struggle to break free from the grasp of the crew members who are holding them back. Yuri silently watches them for a moment, and then walks up to them.

Ochoa: Well, now, feeling a little bloodlust, are ya?!
I wouldn’t taunt him about that, he does have some bad habits.

Yuri: …

Ochoa: Not man enough to do it yourself?! Go on, get it over with! Coward!

Yuri: Shut your mouths! You’re acting like a couple of poor losers!

Ochoa: Huh?!
Lozano: What?!

Yuri: I beat you, fair and square. So drop the tough-guy attitude and deal with it! Or have you forgotten the zero-G dog way?

Ochoa: Ngh…

Yuri: Are you telling me Escondido’s rebel leader isn’t strong enough to admit defeat?

Ochoa: Grr…

Yuri: …

Ochoa: Ah, damn it all! Go ahead, do whatever the Grus you want!

Yuri: That’s better. Now, listen up. Starting today, you’re members of my crew. Deserters will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?

Ochoa: Uhhh…

Lozano: Y-Yes, sir… er… Captain.

Yuri: Osvaldo?

Ochoa: What?!

Yuri: This disk is for you. It contains a message from President Basadre.

Ochoa: A message from Arturo?

Yuri: I’m giving you your own private quarters. You can read it there when you get a chance.

Ochoa: …

Osvaldo Ochoa joined your crew! Sandalio Lozano joined your crew!

Dietrich: All right, Captain, consider your latest mission complete. When you get back to Regeinland, please report to our headquarters on Rentinen.

Yuri: Got it.

We make our way to Canopus and assign our new crew members to their positions. Lozano suffers from not having any specialty, but his second highest skill is management, so he becomes a server in the ship mess. His boss, Ochoa is another matter – he’s a definite melee monster with the ability Commander Lv 5 out of the box, and he becomes Security Chief.

At the shipyard, we take a look at our new ship types. The Corsair-class and Picaroon-class ships are well out of our reach, at 294,000 G. and 278,000 G just for the hull in each case. The Lykourgos-class is more accessible at 72,300 G for the hull, but we’ll wait to consider it until we have designs that compare to it in price. The Alfonso class isn’t appealing, as its weapon loadout is poor, and we can’t make use of its cloaking feature.

Our next stop will be Regeinland, to learn what they want from us now that we’ve proven our ability to change the fate of nations.
 

[birdy51]

Well then! I suppose that on the other path, Basadre would be the one recruited, correct?

[Hanzoku]

Correct! Though Basadre and Jimenez are not as good of a combination, in my opinion. Though we're getting to the point where all crew positions are going to be filled, so some people are going to cool their heels no matter what.

[Neonivek]

Even for this game Emiliano feels out of place.... and Andreas looks terrifying with her overly pale complexion and impossibly bent neck.

Honestly I am convinced that the characters who look related is starting to be intentional. Like different regions of space being filled with different races.

Also I love that we are supposedly the most famous captain in space... but we are referred to as "Special prisoner guy". I guess people who escape jail are just a lot more popular a topic... and this game has, so far, been doing really well on the story versus game segregation until now too.

[birdy51]

With Mariana on board, I can't look at Emiliano too harshly. Andreas on the other hand... *shudders* I just now noticed the neck. It is truly terrifying.

[Hanzoku]

Yeah, Emiliano is just.. off. Especially the whole 'running around bare-chested with a cloak over his shoulders' thing he has going on.

Andreas has a long neck, but I don't think it's bent - that lock of hair on the left-side is causing that impression though, and it does make her look pretty creepy. Luckily, she's a really minor NPC, so we'll probably only see her a few times more.

They very much do fill different parts of space with different races or cultural groups. Escondido is Mexican, Regeinland is German, Libertas is American, the entire LMC was Russian. I'm not sure where the Xeos Belt Union falls, but large hair is very much a common feature there. I guess it's designed to give us the sense that the universe is a vast and varied place, but sometimes the differences are caricatures.

The whole Fame mechanic thing does seem to be thrown in specifically for the player. Whether you're #1 at this point or #1000, you'll still be famous as the Special Prisoner, not specifically because you've slaughtered a path through thousands of pirates.

[Neonivek]

Look more carefully at Emiliano's hair. It isn't just an afro. I keep trying to find words to describe it...

Though yes the No Shirt + Scarf makes him look like he is taking fashion tips from laharl.

[Hanzoku]

He has a double-afro, because Emiliano is too awesome to have only one. Or at least so he claims.

[Hanzoku]

Finding a Way Home
New Characters: Baecker, Roth
New Ships:
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Well, That Didn’t Take Long (click to show/hide)

We leave Canopus and head to the Void Gate that leads back to Regeinland.

Aboard the Ushi-Oni as it travels through space…

Ochoa: …

Osvaldo Ochoa is in his assigned quarters, reading the message from Arturo Basadre. The faint hum of the inflaton inverter can be heard in the background.

Basadre: Osvaldo, remember how when we were children we vowed to transform Escondido into a thriving major nation? How we vowed to help our poor, starving families rise above their daily struggles?

But somehow we lost our way over the ensuring years. Still, I truly believe that the dream we have lived for is still alive in our hearts, and can be accomplished. For the time being, you will be under the command of Yuri. But when the time comes, I would like for you to return to Escondido and help us make it the nation we always dreamed of.

Your friend,
Arturo Basadre

Ochoa: … Heh. Arturo…

Osvaldo mutters and closes his eyes. Memories from their childhood together come flooding back to him in waves. But his reminiscing is cut short by the sound of the ship’s call signal piercing the air.

Ochoa: What the Grus?

Franny: Osvaldo, you’d better get to the bridge, quick!

Ochoa: Huh?

The screen changes as Osvaldo runs to the bridge.

Ochoa: What’s the big idea calling me all of a sudden like this? Is someone going to answer me?

Franny: …
Alik: …
Semias: …

Ochoa: Hm?

The crew members on the bridge are silent as they gaze at one of the monitors there. Osvaldo turns his head to see what they are looking at.

He is surprised when he sees a familiar sight on the screen.

Newscaster: The site is still in a state of confusion and the police have cordoned off the area. According to Presidential Aide Rogelio Jimenez, some sort of explosive device was detonated in the President’s limo. The explosion occurred while he was paying a visit to the city.

Sadly, initial reports state that President Arturo Basadre did not survive the blast. Presidential Aide Jimenez is currently standing in for the apparently deceased President.

Ochoa: What the…?!

Yuri: …
Alik: …

Ochoa: This can’t be happening! The war is over! Who could have done this?!

Gen: Not any of your people, if I’m not mistaken. No, capable reformers like President Basadre have enemies on all sides.

Ochoa: What the Grus is that supposed to mean?! I don’t understand how this could have happened! (cries of agony)

All our hard work for nothing. The corrupt politicians that Basadre was slowly removing killed him as soon as the civil war was over. With no unifying figure, it’s probable that Escondido will fall right back into a civil war over whoever is elected next.

>>Zeippern
>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri: …

Franny: Yuri.

Yuri: …

Franny: Hey, Yuri.

Gen: Franny, now might not be a good time to bother Yuri.

Franny: Huh, why not?

Gen: Never mind why, let’s just leave him alone, shall we?

Franny: Tsk, I thought maybe this would be a good chance for me to ask him some questions about the SMC.

Gen: Didn’t I already explain everything you needed to know?

Franny: Maybe, but I wanna hear it straight from the horse’s mouth!
Gen was born and raised in the SMC as well, Franny.

We transit back to the Xeos belt and visit Cino first, where we can unload the pots we picked up in Escondido.
>>Cino
>>Tavern
>>Talk to the archaeologist.
Archeologist: Ever heard of the nation of Escondido?
We were just there.

Archaeologist: Well, I’m deeply interested in their ancient culture. If you should ever happen to find anything related to Escondido, I’d be grateful if you’d come bring it here to me.

>>Give the Presidio Pot.
Archaeologist: Let’s see here… Ah, you must’ve bought this on Presidio.

Yuri: How’d you know?!

Archaeologist: It has ‘Made on Presidio’ stamped on the bottom.

Yuri: …

Archaeologist: It’s really well made, but unfortunately, it’s just a replica. Still, since you brought it all the way back here, I’d like to pay you for your efforts.

You got 100 G!

… yay.

>>Give him the Arraigado Pot.
Archaeologist: Let’s see here… Ah, you must’ve bought this on Arraigado.

Yuri: How’d you know this time?

Archaeologist: See the swirl of colors along the base, and the specific grain of the pottery, this distinctly points to late-period…

Yuri begins to doze on his feet as the man continues on and on.

Archaeologist: Wait a moment! Oh, good heavens!

Yuri wakes up.

Archaeologist: This is amazing! I do believe… this pot is from the Late Bautista Dynasty! It’s not only a great archeological find, it’s also a valuable work of art. Please accept this for your hard work!

You got 8,000 G!
Well, that’s more like it.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri sees Osvaldo Ochoa drinking alone in a corner of the bar.

Ochoa: Ah, hello, Captain.

Yuri: It looks like you’ve been able to put Arturo’s passing behind you.
Haha no. He’s drunk as a skunk.

Ochoa: Men like me, born of a long line of warriors, don’t shed many tears. And when we do, they don’t last long.
Besides, those tear glands can be repurposed to hold tequila.

Ochoa: All I care about now is traveling the universe as a zero-G dog.
But if we have the time, I’d like to conduct some planetary bombardment drills. I have some great locations picked out already.

Ochoa: And I’m happy to be working under you, Captain.
I love you, maaaaaan!

Yuri: I’m glad to hear it. I’ll make sure to work you extra hard!

>>Labico
>>Union HQ

Emiliano: Oh, hey, it’s you!

Emiliano Colaci raises his hand and saunters over when he spots Yuri.

Jovani: Emiliano? You know Yuri here?

Emiliano: Let’s just say he was the right man at the right time back on Escondido.

Jovani: You don’t say? Well, it’s perfect timing again, wouldn’t you say, Emiliano? Why don’t you talk to Yuri about that little problem of yours?

Emiliano: Oh, yeah, good idea. Um… Uh…

Franny: We haven’t got all day, you know!

Emiliano: Oh, yeah, right. Well, it’s like this. My old bucket of a ship’s about had it, so I’m gonna need some cash to buy a new one. I was thinking maybe I could join your crew. Earn some cash that way.

Franny: So that’s it, huh? Whaddya think, Yuri?

Yuri: The pay’s not that great, but you’re welcome to join us.

Emiliano: I don’t mind. Not much work out there for a former grease monkey like me, anyway. Besides, I get the feeling that serving on the Special Prisoner’s ship is gonna pay off big time someday.

Emiliano Colaci has joined Yuri’s crew!

Emiliano is handy if you haven’t picked up Pavlou earlier. He comes with Ace Helmsman Lv 1 and not a lot else. However, he starts at level 5, and with their level advantages, the rest of the navigation team is simply better then Emiliano. His next highest skill is Management, so he becomes our Head Chef until someone with actual culinary talent comes along.

We’re done finishing up side conversations and quests, so we return to Regeinland to find out what they want of us next.

Spoiler: The Bishonen Admiral (click to show/hide)

>>Rentinen
When we reach the planet, the scene changes to some fan-service for the guys and girls who like bishonen.

Roth: Hm… Ah… …

The door chimes.

Baecker: I’m coming in, Hartwig!

Baecker: Tsk! You’re not even dressed yet?

Roth: My word! Did I give you permission to just barge in here, Nele?!

Baecker: I already told you, there’s someone you have to meet with today. So please, hurry up and get ready, will you?

Roth: (sighs) Are you referring to the meeting with that man? Ugh! What a major drag!

Baecker: I’ve heard enough. Just get ready. And while I’m at it, isn’t it about time you grew up and learned to honor your commitments without having to be nagged? Now get your pants on already! You don’t want to keep him waiting!

Roth: hey, be careful with that! I was right in the middle of writing an email!

Baecker: Start getting dressed now or so help me, I’ll smash your phone to bits along with the little black book inside it!

Roth: Yes, ma’am…

As Nele Baecker’s voice grows sharper and darker, Lord Roth capitulates and quietly begins to get dressed.
Nele, the best aide!

>>Alpha Quadrant Fleet Headquarters
A large number of Regeinlandic military officers, including Luitger Sankt and Dietrich Schneizer, are here at Fleet HQ.

Sankt: Ah, I’m glad you could join us, Captain. The lieutenant has already reported to me about your efforts in Escondido. I’m almost at a loss for words. It seems pretty amazing, what you were able to accomplish.
And then it was wiped out before we were two planets away from the border.

Dietrich: Our nation prizes personal ability, Captain. And yours is rated highly, even among our elite officers!
Stop buttering me up, you two. What suicide mission do you have lined up now?

Yuri: Thanks for the vote of confidence. But I have just one question for you, Vice Admiral Sankt.

Sankt: And what would that be?

Yuri: Was Regeinland behind the assassination of President Basadre?

Sankt: What?! How could you think--
Yuri: The rebel forces, or what’s left of them, couldn’t have possibly pulled it off. No… it had to be the work of a foreign power bent on getting rid of him because he was too clever to be manipulated.

Sankt: …

Yuri: Any time you want to answer is fine by me.

Sankt: All right, then, my answer is this: I would like to deny it, but honestly I have no idea whether this is true or not.

Yuri: You don’t?

Sankt: I’m sorry. Our duties in the Regeinlandic military do not include assassination.

Yuri: …

Sankt: Our great nation has always held military personnel in great esteem. We wouldn’t dare tarnish that image. In fact, the Regeinlandic Code expressly forbids any such dishonorable conduct.
And everyone always follows a restrictive code of honor!

Yuri: All right. Thanks for answering my question so honestly. And sorry for being so blunt.

>>Talk to Dietrich Schneizer
Dietrich: Captain, this is for you.

Yuri: Huh?

Dietrich Schneizer hands Yuri a blueprint plate.

Yuri: What’s this?

Dietrich: They’re blueprints for Escondido’s Castilla-class shield ship. Acting President Rogelio Jimenez sent these to you, Captain. It can’t be built by conventional means. It requires a special refining method for vocanoid ore.

Semias: You mean the duplex electro refining method? We’ve already acquired the technology.

Yuri: Thanks. These blueprints are going to really come in handy!

You got blueprints for a Castilla-class shield ship!

Yuri: There sure are a lot of officers here today.

Dietrich: That just goes to show how important the matter at hand is. Even Lord Roth is here, and on time I might add, which you know almost never happens.
Lord Roth, lazy womanizing noble bum.

>>Talk to Luitger Sankt
Gen: May I ask why so many officers are gathered here today?

Sankt: We have something very important to discuss. It concerns your people, too.

Yuri: It does?

Sankt: Absolutely, but I’m afraid we must wait a little bit longer. Lord Roth has yet to--

Baecker bursts in with Roth just then.

Ok, going to be slightly sexist here – I’m pretty sure Roth chose Nele Baecker to be his aide primarily for her obvious attributes. It was only later he found out that she’s wildly competent and doesn’t take his crap.

Baecker: Forgive me, sir! We were running late!

And there’s the bishonen himself.

Roth: Hello, my sweets, you can all relax now! Lord Roth is in the building! Ah ha ha ha ha!

Baecker: Hey! Mind your manners! We’re not at one of your sick parties!

Roth: Youch!

Yuri: …
About my first reaction as well.

Sankt: Oh, um… Ahem. I suppose introductions are in order. Captain, this is Lord Roth and this is--
Baecker: Adjutant Nele Baecker. You must be Yuri, the famous or shall I say infamous captain. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Hey, wake up, it’s your turn now! Introduce yourself to the nice captain!
One is as good as the other. Yuri the Hero or Yuri the Reaver, he’s known throughout the universe either way.

Roth: Oh, yes, pardon me. So you’re Captain Yuri, are you? Well forgive me, but at the moment I am only interested in the females of our species. Heh heh heh heh…

Baecker: What did I tell you about your “outside voice”? Stop being so impertinent!

Roth: Youch!

Yuri: …
Semias: …
Thomas: (What a weirdo.)
Franny: (You can say that again!)

Sankt: Ahem. My apologies, Captain. He may not act the part, but Lord Roth is Commander of the Royal Fleet and as such serves directly under our king. He is an exceptional admiral worthy of the much-honored Roth name. I can personally vouch for his ability, though perhaps not for his character.

They’re not kidding, actually. Roth is a lazy bum, but once he gets going, he’ll steamroll right over his enemies.

Sankt: Now that everyone is present, I’d like to start with this video footage. Captain, please be seated along with your crew.

Yuri: Isn’t that…?!

Gen: An Elgavan ship.

Sankt: Yes, ships such as this simply do not exist in the LMC. In short--
Thomas: You mean that ship somehow got here from the SMC?!

Dietrich: It would appear so. This ship was discovered in a frontier sector of the Federation. Based on the direction of its drift, they’re saying it came from an unexplored region of space.

Semias: This would indicate there is a previously unknown Void Gate to the SMC in this region of space.

Sankt: I would say that’s a fair assessment.

Yuri: …
Semias: …
Gen: …

Sankt: This video file was obtained from a member of the Federation’s Interplanetary Assembly about six months ago. Since then, it seems the Federation has been busily working behind closed doors. However, they have yet to officially announce a clear policy in response. As it stands, the potential for whatever threatened the SMC to finally reach the LMC is greater than ever--
Roth: Oh, would you get to the point already? Simply put, we thought we sealed off the only route from the SMC, but Lugovalos is coming anyway! Isn’t that right?

Sankt: Lord Roth!

Yuri: What--
Semias: Where did you hear that name?

Roth: Oh please! Any Regeinlander of my standing is privy to such information. I simply kept my mouth shut because of the Federation’s gag order. Plus, the commoners would have panicked when they saw that the Federation had no clear countermeasures in place.

Sankt: Yes, well that’s why I called you all here today. The Federation government is still refusing to officially disclose all the information they have on the Lugovalian threat. Therefore, we have no choice but to conduct our own fact-finding mission.

Yuri: Does that also include going to the SMC-- if, in fact, that’s even possible?

Sankt: If possible, yes. We must ascertain how far along Lugovalos is in conquering the SMC.
Sign us up!

Yuri: I guess that makes me the right man for the job, then.

Roth: Slow down there, hot shot. Are you sure you’re ready to take on such a dangerous mission?

Yuri: No one here knows the SMC better than I do, and, well…

Roth: Well what?

Yuri: There are some people who need my help back there.

Roth: You don’t say?

The screen fades and returns while the matter is debated.

Sankt: All right, then, Captain. You and your crew will be dispatched to check on the gate. The operation will be carried out as discussed. Report to Lord Roth when you’re ready.

Yuri: Got it.

We’re allowed a moment to make sure we’re ready before the next phase.

>>Talk to Luitger Sankt.
Yuri: I can’t believe there isn’t one decent measure in place to counter the oncoming threat! What, have Regeinland and the whole Federation been asleep for all that precious time Bastian bought with his life?

Sankt: Such cynicism is uncalled for, Captain. You know very well that the LMC, and even the Federation, are not a single, cohesive entity. Your SMC is quite similar in that respect, is it not?

Yuri: But that’s just it! I don’t want to see the same mistake get made twice.

Sankt: And I understand that. That’s why we have brought you in under our protection. Need I remind you that you’ve been branded a prison escapee and a pirate?
Well, we are.

Sankt: We’ve already risked a lot by defying the Federation Assembly’s authority like this.

Yuri: (sighs) So is this the part where I’m supposed to say how grateful I am?

Sankt: No, let’s just end this discussion before your cynicism starts rubbing off on me. All right?

>>Talk to Dietrich Schneizer
Dietrich: I’ll be joining you on this mission, Captain.

Yuri: Oh yeah?

Dietrich: Yes. After all, you’re a very important partner for the future our nation. As such, I want to see your capabilities and the day-to-day workings of your ship with my own eyes.

Yuri: Okay, then, I’m glad to have you!

>>Talk to Lord Roth
Roth: Hm? Prepared to shove off already?

Yuri: … Yeah.

Roth: Very well. We shove off immediately. Nele, Dietrich!

Baecker: What is it?

Dietrich: Yes, sir!

Roth: I want you two to join Yuri on his ship as official observers. Give him all the help and support that you can.

Nele Baecker joined your crew as a temporary crew member!
Dietrich Schneizer joined your crew as a temporary crew member!

Roth: Well then, let’s go, shall we?

Yuri and his crew set off once more from Regeinland.

Together with Lord Roth’s fleet, they voyage through Federation-held space.

Roth: Yuri, do you see that gate just past this planet? Well, beyond that lies the sector where the Elgavan ship was discovered. Unfortunately, I must attend a fleet review, so this is where I bid you farewell.

Yuri: Roger that. Thanks for coming this far with us, Lord Roth.

Franny Porolo, who had been behind Yuri listening, tilts her head inquisitively.

Franny: What fleet review?

Baecker: The Federation Fleet, which primarily consists of ships from Libertas, is holding a fleet review. Lord Roth has been invited to attend the ceremony as a special guest.

Franny: Sounds cool! Can we go, too?
Haha NO.

Dietrich: I’m afraid that wouldn’t be a good idea. You see, there are still many within the Federation who do not view Yuri, and the rest of you, by proxy, very kindly. Simply passing through the Libertasian Sector required Lord Roth’s fleet to join us as a diversion of sorts.
Otherwise, we’d have been swarmed under by the Federation Fleet.

Franny: oh, bummer.

Lord Roth’s fleet comes around and departs, leaving us alone to pass through the Void Gate into the unknown.

Roth: Oh, and one more thing.

Lord Roth’s voice suddenly sounds hushed. Yuri strains to hear what he is saying.

Yuri: Yeah?

Roth: Look after Dietrich, oh, and Nele, too. She is a delicate flower, that Nele is. I would loathe for her to be wilted, if you get my drift. Promise me you’ll keep her safe.

Yuri: Uh, sure thing. I’ll keep them safe, no problems.

Roth: Excellent. I feel better already. Well, good luck. And don’t embarrass me out there!

Yuri: …

Baecker: Captain, what did Lord Roth say to you just now?

Yuri: Oh, just some, uh, tactical stuff. Anyway, let’s focus on the matter at hand. We’ll be passing the void gate soon. We’d better get ourselves ready. This is where our hunt for a gateway to the SMC starts, after all!

Baecker: Okay…
She’s not convinced. But then, she’s already well-trained from dealing with Lord Roth in sniffing out lies.

Spoiler: The Frontier (click to show/hide)

Welcome to the Voyage sector, ladies and gentlemen. Our goal is to find out where that Elgavan ship came from, and a good guess is that Unstable Gate in Sector 1. But before we head there, we’ll check out the planetary bodies in the area.

>>Volans
>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: They say whoever wanders into a phenomena fluctuation sector disappears as if they never existed in the first place. Maybe that’s why I’ve never heard of anyone ever going into one. I suppose someone could have gone in without me knowing, but in any event, it’s really confusing to think about.
Which is correct.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri: I could see why Lieutenant Schneizer might’ve joined me, but I can’t figure out why you did, Adjutant Baecker.

Baecker: Well, first of all there’s the matter of you being the Special Prisoner. That really intrigued Lord Roth. He also ordered me to report back to him regarding the situation in the SMC.

Gen: Ho ho! As popular as ever, aren’t we, Yuri?

Yuri: Well, it’s not like I enjoy the attention. But I guess it can’t be avoided, considering all the major action we’ve seen, not to mention what’s yet to come. So, let’s keep that popularity coming!

Baecker: Huh?

Conversation #2
Thomas: Hey, Captain, didn’t you mention something about saving someone in the SMC?

Yuri: That’s right.

Franny: I bet it’s a special lady, right?

Yuri: …

Franny: Tsk! There you go, clamming all up again when the conversation gets interesting.
I think Nia is still a raw spot for Yuri.

Yuri: Franny, have you ever been robbed of something precious to you by an overwhelmingly powerful force?
Yes? How else would she be in prison?

Franny: Uh... Nope, can’t say that I have.

Yuri: Well, the enemy we’re up against has been doing that to me and countless others for far too long. Even if you don’t understand right now, I need your absolute commitment.

Before we leave, we assign Dietrich and Baecker to their temporary positions.

Baecker is pretty amazing – she has very high control skill (39 at level 12, higher than the next best by 13 points,), and the special abilities Cool & Calm Lv 2, All-Seeing Lv 2 and Mr. Precise Lv 2.

Gen and HELP(GIRL) have the Operator positions locked down with better Cool & Calm levels, but Baecker replaces Ratai neatly in the position of Radar Operator.

Dietrich has solid but not exceptional stats in leadership, Control, Navigation, Artillery or Combat. Most of those are filled already with more solid choices, but Dietrich’s skills AS Genius Lv 1 and A Genius Lv 1 beat out Rhea’s solitary AA Genius Lv 1 in the Handler position.

This now leaves Ratai and Rhea at loose ends. Rhea’s solid piloting skills means she can fit in as the Squadron 3 Chief. Ratai replaces Merita as Research Assistant, 

As for Merita? She gets to cool her heels, as every position aboard the ship is now filled by someone better qualified.

We leave Volans behind and travel onward. As we get closer to Sector 1, Franny picks up something.

Franny: Whoa, this is weird.

Alik: Wh-What’s wrong?

Franny: The ship’s instruments area all just a little bit off.

Thomas: No kidding? I thought the maintenance on this ship was first rate.
It is, jackass.

Dietrich: It has nothing to do with the ship. It’s an effect of the phenomena fluctuation sector.

Yuri: Wait a second! The Flux?!

Dietrich: Exactly. We should be nearing one of them as we speak. Franny, put it up on the monitor.

Yuri: Yep, there it is.

Dietrich: Why am I not surprised you already know about the Flux, Captain? We should be safe from the worst of its effects from this distance, but I wouldn’t recommend getting any closer.
Neither would we.

Yuri: …

>>GD-888
We dock at this way post planet, our last stop before we try to transit the Unstable Gate.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: This planet was first colonized about eighty years ago, but it provide to be too costly. After the government decided to stop investing here, most people left. Now we’re nothing more than a backwater planet with a population of no more than about 300 or so.

Ships fully repaired, our next step is to attempt transit of the gate. Hopefully it doesn’t dump us into a flux sector!

[Neonivek]

Honestly I feel like the game just jumped into wacky crazy fantasy land. Did you secret switch games on us Hanzoku? Why are all the weirdos coming out of the woodwork now? Roth and Emiliano don't even look like they are from the right genre of anime.

Also DANG YOU INFINITE SPACE! We almost had Mariana, Emiliano, AND Jovani in the same room! It would have been Afrotastic!

On a side note I know Baecker is supposedly hot, but there is something wrong with her breasts other then their size. I can't put my finger on it but they look exceptionally low.. yet they are not.

---

To be more serious. The game seems to be rather interesting when it comes to holding tone. We just say a massacre of many innocent people by an unknown enemy we know nothing about. TIME FOR FANSERVICE AND AFROS!

[Hanzoku]

Oh, wacky crazy fantasy land isn't even here yet. This is more the thunder in the distance right now.

As for the afro crew - there is a prophecy that if they ever gather in the same room at the same time, the secret power of their afros will activate, and the universe will end in a giant afro.

On Baecker, I think in her large character art, she suffers from the long-neck syndrome noticed with Andreas. She also stands oddly (and fanservicedly), with her arms tight to her sides, pushing her breasts even more forward. I would have been happier if her standard art was like the screenshot where we first see her, standing more dynamically with her hands on her hips.

About the game's tone:

To be fair, my screenshot LP cuts out the couple minutes of travel time between terrorist bombing and bishonen fanservice. But yeah, that was quickly brought up and quickly dropped. If you don't go out of your way to talk to Ochoa as much as possible, it really just doesn't come up further. It mostly feels to me like the game giving you a reality check - despite being the big bad hero, sometimes you just don't make a difference. You singlehandedly stop a civil war, and as soon as you're five minutes gone, everything is right back the way it was before you got there.

[MarcAFK]

Roth is... odd, he looks like michael jackson and the way he's holding his hands just screams "I REALLY WANTED TO BE A DANCER!, But daddy made me an admiral *pout*"
Baecker's rack does seems out of place considering the rest of her , and the neck thing, yeah alot of characters seem to have issues like that. Allthough, she actually has a strong facial resemblance with a real human being I know, and her outrageously long neck and substantial chest never seemed out of place at all.....

[Hanzoku]

Bitter Greetings
New Characters: Coyle
New Ships: Paradizo (CV)
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Restoring the Gate (click to show/hide)

As we approach the Unstable Gate, Franny pipes up.

Franny: Hey, Yuri!

Yuri: Hm?

Franny: Check it out, it’s a void gate!

So it is.

Thomas: I dunno… There’s something funny about this one.

Yuri: Ah! This one’s an ancient gate!
…Er… aren’t all of them?

Thomas: A what gate?

Yuri: An ancient gate. Someone must have revived a dead gate.

Alik: Ah?!

Gen: What is it, Alik?

Alik: Th-That strange color…

Yuri: Hm?

…I’ll be honest, Yuri. I don’t want to fly the ship through that.

After a few moments, it reverts back to normal.

Baecker: Now it’s gone.

The crew watches the gate with bated breath. Before their eyes, it is alternately glowing in an eerie color and then going dark at irregular intervals.

Franny: What the Grus? This is just plain creepy.

Yuri: Whoa...

The gate before Yuri’s eyes is the same as the image he has in his mind, which is…

You get a bonus if you choose the correct prompt from ‘The scene of the Epitaph.’, ‘Video he saw on Rentinen.’ And ‘A normal void gate.’ There’s nothing normal about this, so the choice is really about what he saw when he activated the Epitaph long ago, and the video we were shown on Rentinen. The video is the correct answer.

>>Video he saw on Rentinen.
Yuri’s Science skill increased by 1!

Yuri: Oh, yeah, it’s just like that Elgavan ship that was all twisted and distorted! Maybe that was caused by passing through this gate!

Dietrich: What do you mean?

Yuri: I’m not sure exactly, but this might be a dead gate that was only partially restored. If that’s really the case, the hull of that Elgavan ship might have been reshaped or distorted when it passed through.

Baecker: So you’re saying our ship will end up like that if we go through this gate?

Yuri: It’s very likely.

Baecker: Well, what are we supposed to do now? I mean, we already came all this way.

Yuri: There’s only one option.
Turn around and leave the Grus-gate alone? Awesome, let’s just-

Baecker: Which is?

The screen fades and returns as Yuri explains what he plans to do.

Semias: I believe you’ll be needing this, Captain.

Yuri: Thanks.

Semias Alastar hands Yuri the Epitaph they obtained in Escondido.

Dietrich: What’s that?

Yuri: An Epitaph.

Baecker: That’s… an Epitaph? Huh?!

There’s a flash of light as the Epitaph begins to activate in Yuri’s grasp.

Yuri: Hm… Just like the last time.

As the screen fades to white, a plaintive cry rings out.

Franny: Huh? Just like what time?!

Thomas: What the Grus…

Franny: …
Dietrich: …

Baecker: Wh-What was that?

Franny: Look! The gate’s glow is back to normal!

Baecker: But how is that even possible?

Yuri: It’s the power of the Epitaph.

Thomas: I don’t believe it… Captain, I--
Yuri: The gate has opened. Hold on to your hats everyone, here we go!

Yuri doesn’t care to talk to you, Thomas.

Noone does.

Everyone: Aye aye, Captain!

Hold on indeed, we’re going home.

Spoiler: Greetings and Farewell (click to show/hide)

The good news is, no one was expecting this gate to work properly, so we’re not showing up under the guns of an Imperial fleet. The bad news is, our ships are somewhat distinctively not SMC-built, so the Lugovalian Empire will know pretty quickly that an invasion route is open again, and this one doesn’t have a handy supernova-ready giant star.

Thomas: Did we get through?
You’re talking and not dead, so yes.

Baecker: Is this really the Small Magellanic Cloud?
If it isn’t, someone’s playing silly buggers with us.

Yuri: Franny, download a chart from a nearby Cosmic Trade Authority site.
And Yuri’s solution? Type in ‘Where am I?’ on the galactic internet.

The screen fades to black and returns while Franny goes looking.

Franny: I’m on it! I’ll put it up on the monitor for ya!

Yuri: Hm…

Yuri takes some time to study the chart that appears on the monitor. The crew watches him with bated breath until they hear him speak again, though this time in a quiet yet confident manner.

Yuri: This is definitely the Small Magellanic Cloud. We’re in the Spetses Sector right now.

Dietrich: The Spetses Sector?

Yuri: It was once ruled by Lord Cadmus as a semiautonomous dominion of Elgava.
Until he got smashed flat under a boulder, courtesy of Valantin the Corsair.

Baecker: And now?

Gen: Now it’s nothing but another part of the Lugovalian Empire.

Baecker: I see.

Yuri: Our main objective here is to assess the situation. Remain alert at all times.



All the planets now bear the emblem and nation of Lugovalos, a nice touch that they remembered to change everything. We head to the nearest planet to us, Coventina, to start gathering intelligence.

>>Coventina
It’s a boring planet, with only a tavern to visit. We do so.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Did you hear about that dead gate nearby? It suddenly started glowing and came to life for some reason. That’s all anyone’s been talking about lately.

>>Talk to the local man.
Local Man: I seen it with my own eyes, I tell ya! I was out working in my field when that dead gate up there in the sky suddenly lit up real bright! It’s been glowing blue up there ever since! It was a real shocker, let me tell you!

>>Talk to the merchant.
Merchant: I can’t believe it’s already been ten years since Lugovalos took over! The best thing is, I never get attacked by pirates anymore.

Well… Lugovalos will know about that gate pretty quickly, given our arrival was apparently rather spectacular. We leave Coventina behind and push on towards Orion to find out more information. However, at the Kilkis Sector, we run into trouble.

The good news is, they’re not Lugovalian ships.

They’re even headed by an old friend.

Valso: I can’t believe a dead gate could actually come back to life!

First Officer: I heard that Deputy Viceroy Desmond had conducted a similar experiment in that sector before, but…

Valso: Hmph. Well… Let’s just check it out and be done with it.

An alarm sounds.

Valso: Hm?! What’s going on?

First Officer: A fleet’s approaching us from dead ahead! And the ID code doesn’t register as friendly!

Valso: Open up a line so I can verify their intentions.

First Officer: Yes sir!

Onboard the Ushi-Oni, the communicator sounds.

Franny: Yuri! I’ve got a transmission from the fleet ahead!

Yuri: A Nova Nacion fleet… Patch them through.

Valso: Attention unidentified vessels. This is Captain Valso of the Lugovalos Nova Nacion Fleet speaking. State your affiliation immediately. We are prepared to engage and destroy you if you fail to respond.

Yuri: Ah! Vilchjo! What was that about Lugovalos?

Valso: Hm? Who are you and how do you know my name?
Well, Yuri has changed a lot in ten years.

Yuri: This is Yuri. Remember me? We fought together in the Irvest War.

Valso: Yuri?! Is that really you?!

Yuri: In the flesh. I’m here from the LMC to do some recon on Lugovalos.

Valso: Recon? I see… So you mean to continue fighting against the Empire then?

Yuri: Of course. Don’t you?
Not if he’s in their military, Yuri.

Valso: I’m afraid not. Nova Nacio surrendered to and joined up with Lugovalos long ago. And as an officer of their military forces I’m afraid you leave me with no choice. You and your fleet must be destroyed. I’m sorry.

Yuri: Uh oh.
Yuri realizes that being friendly and telling their origins and plans to Valso wasn’t one of his brighter moments.

Franny: Yuri! I’m picking up inflaton readings from the enemy’s guns!

Yuri: This is bad.
He’s realizing he’ll need to blow someone he respects and likes straight to Grus.

We’re thrown into battle against a carrier in the back, two cruisers in the middle, and two destroyers to the front. We launch fighters against them, which overwhelms their fighter escort and forces them into AA fire. When our guns hit full charge, they switch to dodge, only to have us pick off a destroyer with a single volley.  They switch back to AA fire, then back to dodge as we hit full charge again and pop the other destroyer.

This repeats for the first cruiser, though it survives our first volley against it. They finally open up with a barrage against us while we’re at low energy. Lugovalos has obviously been sharing weapon technology, as their ships hit us for a couple hundred damage per shot. If we weren’t running LMC-made ships, this might have been a big problem.

Sadly for them, we are, and in three more volleys, our fighters and ships have destroyed the cruisers and carrier.

Valso’s ship is blacked and burning from end to end.

Valso: Hm… Not bad, Yuri.

Yuri: Captain Valso! Abandon ship before it blows!

Valso: Take a good look at me: A portrait of a broken man whose nation was conquered. You’ve got to gather a lot more power if you want to avoid the same fate. Fail, and the Large Magellanic Cloud will fall just as easily as the SMC did.

And then he disappears as the reactor goes critical aboard his ship.

Thomas: Captain, the data retrieval’s all done. Even their ICU data was still intact.

Semias: You don’t say.

Thomas: Yep. But what I can’t figure out is why they didn’t run a wiper app.

Gen: Perhaps they wanted us to retrieve their data.

Yuri: Franny, can I count on you to analyze it?

Franny: Leave it to me. All I gotta do is run an analysis and then use a fake ID code to overwrite some data. That way, no one’s gonna suspect a thing, as long as we don’t let any snoopers too close.

Ah, the ICU is the ship ID module.

Yuri: Okay then…
I’m with him on this one. There were better ways to oppose the empire then going into a suicidal battle against our ships.

Zvenigorod
Capital Planet, Elgava

The former presidential palace seized by Lugovalos now houses the Viceroyalty of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Desmond: You wanted to see me, Viceroy Coyle? At your service!
Knowing what’s going to happen to you gives me a nice warm feeling, you mustached turd.

Coyle: Deputy Viceroy, I am told that a great many citizens of our Viceroyalty have been lodging complaints about your activities. While your efforts in the Epitaph search have been admirable, perhaps you’ve been placing too heavy a burden on the people.

Desmond: Surely you jest, Your Excellency! The Epitaph search is the will of his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Taranis! The subjugated masses of this galaxy should be honored to sacrifice whatever they can toward that end!

Coyle: That’s where you are mistaken. Emperor Taranis does not consider the people of this galaxy to be a subjugated people. Once they are under our banner, they become Lugovalians, indistinguishable from you and me.

I disagree there, Coyle. Desmond’s worked so hard to become a massive prick, it takes uncommon skill and effort to get to his advanced status.

Desmond: Yes, Your Excellency, but wouldn’t that be all the more reason for them to serve the Emperor, whatever the cost?

Coyle: Desmond!

Desmond: Oh, forgive me, Your Excellency! Let’s move on to the next item of business! The research results for the dead gate near Mytilene should be available soon. I’ll be going now, with your permission.

Coyle: Yes, get out of my sight.

And with a flash, we’re back with us again.

Spoiler: Willing Pawns (click to show/hide)

Now that we’ve killed Valso and broken the blockade, we start getting hit with enemy encounters. If we head towards Spetses, we get held up at the Blockade sector with a fleet of enemy ships, so we make for Orion instead.

>>Orion
As we try to take the orbital elevator down to the surface, we’re accosted.

??: Hey, you there! Halt!

Yuri: Hm?

Looking back, Yuri is surprised to see a band of soldiers coming at them. Their uniforms look like those he recalls seeing back on Kashtano: the uniforms of Lugovalian foot soldiers. Yuri and company instinctively ready themselves for action, when suddenly Gen Nadiy walks forward out of their midst.

Gen: Yes? Can we help you?

Lugovalos Soldier: You people don’t look like you belong around here. In fact, I don’t even think I’ve ever seen clothes like yours anywhere in the SMC. I’m going to have to ask you to show us your ID cards.

Gen: Eh? What’s that you say? I’m afraid these old ears are hard of hearing.

Lugovalos Soldier: I need to see your ID cards! You know, that card issued by the Viceroyalty.
That card we definitely don’t have?

Gen: Oh, yes, well…

Lugovalos Soldier: Failing to carry our ID card is a serious offense. I’m going to have to bring you in.

Franny: What are we gonna do, Yuri?

Yuri: Looks like we have no other choice. Fire at will!

Lugovalos Soldier: Huh?! Look out!

We have 2,200 crew against a patrol of 50 soldiers. They have better skill though – 112 on their side, and 82 on our side. Their higher skill means they still take out a good 600 crew going down, though.

Baecker: Okay, Captain, we’ve hid their bodies.

Yuri: Thanks, Nele.
You think they didn’t radio in they were in a firefight and needed support? Surprisingly, they didn’t.

Dietrich: I had no idea the Lugovalian race were so strong and powerfully built. I mean, good Grus! Those were some amazing specimens!

Yuri: Their race has endlessly traveled the sea of stars, looking to take other galaxies by force. So I guess it just makes sense that they’re pretty much bred for combat. They follow the ancient law of survival: the strong dominate the weak.

Dietrich: But the human race has evolved since then. Are you saying that they’re locked in some sort of primitively violent mindset?

Yuri: In short, yes. But historically, every encounter with a new civilization has led to violence, hasn’t it? We’d better remember that or history could very well repeat itself.

Dietrich: …

Planetside, we have the standard tavern, and also a module company, where we pick up a Lugovals Bridge Lv 1, Engine Room Lv 6, Maintenance Room Lv 3, Sick Bay Lv 4, Accounting Office Lv 3 and Deflector Lv 6.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: There’s this woman pirate around here who just won’t quit fighting the Lugovalian Empire.

Yuri: Did you just say a woman pirate?

Semias: her name wouldn’t happen to be Celina Sioufas, would it?

Bartender: Yeah, that’s the one; Celina Sioufas, the “Merciless Night Queen,” they call her. The Lugovalian Viceroyalty here in the SMC is in a near panic trying to catch her. But as you’d expect, they’re having a Grus of a time with it.

Yuri: Do you know where she is right now?

Bartender: If I knew her whereabouts, I would’ve already reported it to the Viceroyalty, buddy. But rumor has it that this informant named Miltos has a pretty good fix on where she’s at these days.

Yuri: Where could I find this person?

Bartender: He’s on a nearby planet, last I heard. You should go try and find him if you’re that interested. This would be a great chance for a skilled bounty hunter to earn a good chunk of G.

>>Talk to a young man.
Young man: I came to this planet because I hear you can get good ship modules here. It seems performance has dramatically improved since they introduced Lugovalian technology.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Franny: before, I was itchin’ to get here and really make some changes, but now I feel like the thrusts’s been taken outta my engines. I mean, I was expecting all these people to be oppressed by the Lugovalian iron fist. Now I don’t know what to think.

Alik: E-Everyone sure looks well dressed and h-healthy, don’t they?

Gen: Yes, indeed. The standard of living has improved markedly under Lugovalian rule, hasn’t it?

Yuri: …

Conversation #2
Yuri: Looking at all those zero-G dogs in port, I can’t help but notice how big the average ship has gotten. Things have really changed in ten years.

Gen: I suppose it’s the impact of Lugovalian technology. Perhaps you’re wishing you could get your hands on some, too.

Yuri: Heh. Yeah, you always see right through me. Even though Lugovalos is my sworn enemy, a good ship is still a good ship.

Conversation #3
Poplo: The ships around here all seem to employ Lugovalian technology. The old style of SMC ship seems like a child’s toy in comparison.
They were.

Yuri: then why don’t we just give in and start enjoying the fruits of their labors?

Poplo: Heh heh. I know you. You’re being sarcastic, right? But if you were interested, we could just steal what we want, although I’m sure it’d be no simple task.

We make our way towards Oenus. So far we’ve found out that Lugovalos is firmly in control of the SMC, but that the average person is actually pretty alright with that. Is there any hope of sparking resistance against Lugovalos?

>>Oenus

Another podunk world with only a tavern to its name.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Palmo: I just heard something interesting from another customer. It seems Nova Nacio recovered aster then Kalymnos, and their technology has already advanced beyond where it was ten years ago. But I’m not surprised, considering how Lanco Warship Manufacturing has developed such a cozy relationship with the Viceroyalty. They’ve benefited greatly from a wide range of financial and technological support.

Yuri: So Lanco Warship Manufacturing’s still in business, is it?

Palmo: The Lanco family has already made protecting their self-interests into a fine art. Governments may rise and fall, but they’ll always be around, as strong as ever. I suppose you have to give them credit for that.
If not for a lot else, you get as a subtext.

Yuri: …

>>Talk to middle-aged woman.
Middle-aged Woman: I can’t believe that Celina was done in by Baranga! Times sure have changed! That woman was the best of the best, as far as pirates go. I guess it just goes to show you that no one will ever stand up to the Lugovalian Empire and win.
Talking to the informant suddenly seems less then useful.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Miltos the informant? That’s him over there drinking up a storm. He says business has been booming these days. I wonder why that is.

>>Talk to the informant.
Yuri approaches a red-faced man who is obviously feeling pretty good.

Yuri: Are you the informant? The one they call Miltos?

Mitos: What’s it to you? You a bounty hunter or something?

Yuri: Yeah, something like that. I’m looking for information about Celina Sioufas.

Miltos: I might got something. What’s it worth to ya?

Yuri: I’ll pay whatever you’re asking for.

Miltos: Heh. I like your style, man! But I don’t talk business here. Let’s go somewhere more private.

Miltos gives a nod towards the door, indicating that he wants them to go outside. Yuri gets up and walks out of the tavern with Miltos close behind him.

Miltos: Okay, this is good enough. This is your lucky day, pal. If ya didn’t come when ya did, I probably woulda already sold the info to Baranga.
Like you won’t anyway?

Yuri: …

Miltos: Anyway, let’s get down to business. That info ya want’s gonna cost ya 3,000 G. We got a deal?

Yuri: Fine, but I pay after you give me the information.

Miltos: Okay, then listen up. Celina is here in the Spetses Sector as we speak. I’m sure of it! The thing is, she’s not on any of the planets. Heh heh. It’s like a riddle, ain’t it?

Yuri: So you’re saying she’s out there where there aren’t any planets?

Miltos: Yeah. She’s probably in some sector that’s perfect for keepin’ away from prying eyes. They say she’s fixin’ up her ship, the Lykourgos. It got messed up in a fight she got in with Baranga.

Yuri: Who’s this Baranga you keep talking about?

Miltos: He’s a crack bounty hunter, and he’s been after Celina for ages.

Yuri: Do you know where she is now?

Miltos: Sorry, pal, I can’t say that I do.

Yuri: Okay, thanks anyway. Here’s what I owe you for the info.

Miltos: Heh heh. Thanks, pal! And good luck! Nothin’ makes me happier than to have my info help someone catch idiots like that Celina.

Yuri: You think she’s an idiot?

Yuri has produced a currency card is about to hand it over as Miltos speaks these words. Yuri’s hand falters. Miltos continues talking, clearly oblivious to Yuri’s change in mood.

Miltos: that’s right. I mean, goin’ up against Lugovalos is just plain idiotic! In fact, there were a bunch of resistance fighters around here ‘til recently, but I ratted ‘em all out. Heh heh heh! Best thing is, I heard they were all put down like mongrels! Serves ‘em right! Yep, I provide I’m loyal to the bone, all right! Y’know, that Lugovalos better reward me big time--

Yuri hasn’t murdered anyone in a while. It’s time to correct that.

Miltos: ?! What? Did I say something wrong? Stop looking at me like that!

Yuri: …

Miltos: Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

Yuri: Piece of Grus…

With a single swing of the blade, Miltos pays for his treachery with his life. Yuri stares coldly at his lifeless corpse as he puts his blade away.

Well, saves us 3,000 G, at least.

If we go back inside the tavern, there’s some new dialogue.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Are you new to the bounty hunting business? If so, it might just be worth your while to try traveling around the Kalymnos Cluster. That area’s a real hotbed of resistance activity, you know.

So we’ve found out so far that Celina and the Kalymnians are still resisting, even after a decade, but Nova Nacio has buckled under and is Lugovalos’ willing pawns. However, with no real lead on where Celina is, the best thing to do is head back to the Void Gate and let Regeinland know that it should start preparing for an invasion.

On the way back, Elgavan forces start coming after us in addition to the Nova Nacion fleets. They’re generally a bit tougher, but not as strong offensively.

When we reach the Sardis Belt, we have a conversation with the crew.

Baecker: Captain, what do you intend to do all the way out in this sector?

Yuri: I want to find Celina.

Semias: Do you think she’s out here somewhere?

Yuri: I hope so. Valantin once hid around here. The asteroid belt makes radar detection pretty tough.

Semias: That’s a good point.

Yuri: Franny, shut down our engines and scan this sector with our full electronic scouting capabilities. Make sure nothing gets by you.

Franny: Gotcha!

Time passes as we drift, electronics scouring the sector.

Franny: Ah!

Alik: D-Did you find something?

Franny: Hold on. Lemmee switch to a directional scan. … Yeah, there’s definitely something there. But whatever it is, it’s staying put. Still, I’m picking up on a slight inflaton reading!

Yuri: Okay, let’s go check it out. Lead the way, Franny.

Franny: You got it!

We make our way through the asteroids as carefully as a battleship can, until we come across the Lykourgos. It’s definitely seen better days.

Semias: Look! There it is!

Dietrich: So that’s the ship of the infamous pirate Celina…

Yuri opens a communication channel.
Yuri: Celina. Celina Sioufas. Do you read me? This is Yuri. Please respond if you read me.

Celina: Yuri? Is that really you?

Semias: Well, now, Celina! It’s been awhile, eh?

Celina: Semias…

Yuri: I’m glad we found you safe.

Celina: I didn’t even recognize you, Yuri. I mean, you were just a snot-nosed brat the last time we met.

We come close enough to dock, and continue our discussions face to face.

Celina: It’s hard to believe anybody, let alone a kid, could have survived that battle. Now look at you, all grown up, and a captain to boot!

Yuri: You’re not doing too bad yourself. Surviving in the middle of Lugovalian-held space is no easy feat.

Celina: Barely surviving is more like it. Heh heh. Even my ship, Lykourgos, took a Grus of a lot of damage.

Yuri: Was it that bounty hunter, Baranga?

Celina: yes, he’s as slippery as an eel and as stubborn as an ox. He even took out my trusty laser accelerator! We’ve been hiding out here making repairs ever since. This is your lucky day, Yuri. I’ve got some good news for you.

Yuri: Good news?

Celina: yes, it’s about your sister and your friends.

Yuri: You have news about them?! Are they all right? Where are they? What have they been doing all this time?

Celina: Whoa, whoa! Take it easy, kid! Your sister and friends are just fine. They’re fighting in the anti-Lugovalian resistance. The last I heard, they were hiding out on the former prison planet Skantzoura.

Yuri: Skantzoura?! They’re on Skantzoura now?!
Yuri, still losing his Grus any time someone mentions his sister.

Celina: yes, it’s as remote as it is deserted. A perfect place to hide.

Yuri: They’re alive… I can’t believe it!

Semias: Celina, where’s Nikitas?

Celina Sioufas’s face appears to darken when she hears Semias Alastar’s question.

Semias: Has something happened to him?

Celina: No, I’m sure he’s fine. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. You see, Baranga whisked him away in the middle of our last showdown.

Semias: he was captured?!

Yuri: You’d better get him before it’s too late! We’re going to help too. Let’s go!

Celina: I don’t think so. A pirate captain is responsible for her own crew, thank you very much. I’ll handle Nikitas’ rescue. You go find your sister and your pals before Lugovalos catches up with them, okay?

Yuri: …

We can agree or insist on coming. As in most RPGs, the main quest will wait forever, so…

>>No, rescue Nikitas first.

Yuri: No, we should rescue Nikitas first.

Celina: What? Why would you--

Yuri: I wouldn’t be standing here today if you hadn’t saved my life that time. And I want to pay back that debt any way I can.

Celina:> …

Yuri: …

Celina: (sighs) Now I remember. You’re always been one of those people who just won’t listen once you’ve made up your mind. So, find, there’s no point arguing with you anyway. You can come along for the ride if you want.

Yuri: Good!

Celina: Baranga’s calling Fort Cadmus his home these days. I have no doubt that that’s where we’re going to find Nikitas, too. But don’t underestimate that ship of his, the Erebos. It’s a formidable beast.

Yuri: I got it.

Celina: Okay, then, let’s get out of here.

Yuri: No, wait. We’ll take care of Nikitas’ rescue ourselves.

Celina: You’re going to do what?!

Yuri: Take it easy for awhile. You and your ship have some more recovering to do.

When Yuri’s words register, Celina Sioufas’s expression suddenly changes. Her face, a combination of grim beauty and immeasurable cruelty, is enough to make any man bow down before her. It is indeed a face befitting of the Merciless Night Queen.

Celina: Yuri, don’t tell me you don’t trust me to take care of my own crewmates.

Yuri: No, it’s not that. It’s just that you’re a wanted woman and we’re strangers from the Large Magellanic Cloud. Put the two together and we’d stick out like a sore appendage.
You do anyway!

Celina: …

Yuri: …

Celina: I suppose you have a point there. Fine, you go take care of Nikitas. But you’d better not let me down!

Yuri: You can count on me, Celina.

Yuri gives Celina a confident look before excusing himself.

We have a new mission – invade Fort Cadmus (again), kill its owner (again), and rescue someone (again.)

I wonder if we can rig up another big rock to make this entirely a bout of déjà vu?

[MarcAFK]

You would think the soldiers would think something was up when they stopped you and the 2,000 odd crew behind you were just hanging around :p