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Total Members Voted: 10

[birdy51]

More like Space Romans invading Space Russia, without General Winter around to screw things up.

Comrade Winter is a fine general. A bit cold for my tastes though.

[C-SH4M4N]

Is this basically Space Roman Empire invading Space Gaul?

Oh just you wait ... I'll sic Space MEXICAN INDIANS on your troops in no time!!!
They'll be wearing SPACE SOMBREROS and drink SPACE TEQUILA as they launch SPACE TOMAHAWKS against the barbarians of the single system with outdated technology!

[Hanzoku]

The Disaster Unfolds
New Characters: 
New Ships:
New Equipment:
New Fighters:

Spoiler: Curbstomp Battle (click to show/hide)

As Fomich turns to leave...

Eremon: Ambassador Fomich.

Fomich: What is it?!

Eremon: Tha sinn Lugovalos.

Fomich: Huh?

Eremon: It means, "We are Lugovalos."

Fomich: ... And that's all you have to say?

Eremon: Heh heh.

Malyshev: Illustrious Elgavan soldiers, this your fleet commander, Admiral Malyshev! Negotiations with the Lugovalian Empire have failed. In order to protect our nation from this invading aggressor, the Interplanetary Union of Elgava now has no choice but to use military force. Annihilate them, soldiers!

Desmond: Oh, my, my, my! The enemy is preparing to fire. I do believe they've decided to resist, Commander Eremon!

Eremon: ...

Borisova: Commander Eremon...

Eremon: Well, it looks like it's just as you said, Borisova. These people are so tightly hung up in their conservative way of life, they don't realize that the rope that's supporting that life is about to become unraveled.

Borisova: Yes, Commander. I believe it's time for this haughty nation to... cease to exist.

Eremon: Isn't that going to be difficult for you?

Borisova: No, sir.

Desmond: Now, then, Commander! What are your orders, sir?

Eremon: Destroy them, of course. We are Lugovalos!

Desmond: Yes, sir! All ships, maintain formation! Forward!

The Elgavan fleet gets in range and opens fire. It's hard to see, but their initial shots are deflecting off of the Lugovalian ships' armor.

Onboard one of the Elgavan ships...

Vladykin: Is the enemy within range?!

Operator: Yes, sir! But our attacks aren't producing any damage!

The Imperial ships don't have the same problem.

Vladykin: Damn it!

Operator: Much of the advance and middle guard is down! Th-The flagship Bravyy is down too, sir!

Vladykin: What?! In just one volley of fire?!

Operator:  The enemy is headed this way! No change in speed!

Vladykin: In the name of--

The Imperial fleet cuts through the Elgavan formation like it's not even there.

Novikov: H-How can this be happening...?

Operator A: Ships of the Novikov fleet! Report in, please! I-It's no use! We've already lost eighty percent of our fleet!

Operator B: Ships at the rear are already starting to retreat, sir! Maybe we should make a break for it too!

Novikov: Retreat?

Novikov: Make a break for it? And just let these fiends overrun our homeland?

Novikov: I may be a military man, but I never even imagined a battle of this magnitude. I thought that after this mission was over I would get a nice promotion, and eventually retire to live in comfort and peace with my family.

I took in kickbacks from businesses, and considerations from regional forces for special favors, too. I would have been content to go to my grave knowing the pride of having been part of the armed forces of a great superpower. But now that I've seen a true threat to the motherland that I love...

Novikov: Retreat? No. I am a soldier. And my duty is to defend my country, defend my people!

Operator: C-Captain?
Oh crap, he's lost it.

Novikov: Get everybody off the ship! I'm going to ram the enemy flagship myself!

Novikov: Ngh... Aaaaaaaaagh!

Novikov sacrifices his life to take the enemy flagship with him...

Only to fail to even scuff its paint.

Eremon: I believe I felt a slight bump. Did you?

Desmond: Yes, yes, I think I did, too, sir.
This just adds insult to injury.

Now, I'm sure one of the more scientifically minded of you out there could tell us exactly how rage-producing this whole sequence should be, but... seriously. Two battleships moving at a combined respectable fraction of the speed of light collide head on. There should have been a Grus of a lot more damage than feeling a 'slight bump'.

Spoiler: The Long Goodbye (click to show/hide)

And then we're back with Yuri and company. Who don't know exactly how bad things have just gotten, and still need to go and wipe out some Kalymnos ships.

We head to Universala and stop by the tavern there, defeating one fleet along the way.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Beleko: Both the Stelalumo laser and the Thalia deflectors are amazing technological feats. It's true what they say about war really advancing technology.

Tatiana: So you don't think that technology would ever develop if there weren't any wars?

Beleko: Well, it's never happened in mankind's history that technology has advanced more in peacetime than in wartime.

Tatiana: ...

Beleko: I guess man is just a naturally lazy but competitive creature. He only moves forward when he's up against somebody else. Ha ha ha!

Conversation #2
Yuri: Kira, have you heard anything from Mr. Lanco?

Tatiana: Not yet. I tried contacting him, but Mr. Garni answered. He said that Mr. Lanco was still in the middle of negotiations.

Torlo: Both sides oughta be pretty worn down by now. They've gotta realize they can't keep fightin' forever, ya know?

Nia: Well, I guess all we can do is take care of any leftover stragglers as fast as we can, and leave the peace talks to Mr. Lanco.

Yuri: Right. Let's just keep going with our patrol.

Conversation #3
At the bar, Nia Lochlain is talking to somebody via a mobile terminal.

Nia: So you're sayin' Elgava has no intention of intervening in the Irvest Sector, huh?

Nia: Yeah, okay. It's a mess here. We can't get away, so thanks for doing this for us. Keep up the great work.

She hangs up.

Yuri: Nia, who were you talking to?

Nia: Oh, that was Semias. He was checkin' out the situation in Elgava for us. It looks like they've sent armed forces to some other region.

Torlo: Armed forces? Who are they gonna fight?

Nia: I dunno. But I got a bad feeling about this. I hope we get peace in this area soon.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: To tell the truth, I feel like I've been betrayed by the Nova Nacion Space Force. My friend was on Najbaro when it happened. He was only there to try and earn a little money... If those guys hadn't been building a weapon like that over there, that planet never would've been targeted.

We leave and keep hunting. After the third fleet falls to us...

Torlo: There. That oughta take care of most of the Kalymnian stragglers, don't you think?

Yuri: Yeah, I think you're right. Could you go see if you can retrieve any of the enemy crew?

Torlo: Sure thing.

Yuri: Kira, get a pod ready for Torlo would you?

Kira: ...

Yuri: Kira?

Kira: Oh. Okay...

She collapses gracefully.

Yuri: Kira?!

Ian: Hang in there, Kira!

The screen fades out and in while we tend to her.

Tatiana: Phew. We've got her lying down in her room for now.

Yuri: What did the doctors say?

Tatiana: A few of her ribs are cracked. Apparently, it happened when Stelalumo was launched on Monarho. The poor thing! She's been quietly suffering with her pain this whole time.
Like an idiot. Say something about your ribs!

Yuri: Damn it. I should've noticed something was wrong with her. I guess I've been too wrapped up in battles lately. Poor Kira.

Tatiana: And they said she's suffering from exhaustion from all this travel, too. I think we'd better land somewhere and give her a chance to rest.

Yuri: I guess you're right.

Ian: There ought to be a military hospital on Ermeno. Let's take her there.

Yuri: Good idea, Ian.

>>Ermeno
Yuri: Kira, how are you feeling?

It's been a while since we've seen Kira in her civilian clothes.

Kira: I'm doing a lot better now.

Yuri: I'm glad. I'm really sorry you were in pain all that time...

Kira: No, it's not your fault, Yuri. I just didn't want to have to be separated from you.

Yuri: Well, they said you'll be as good as new if you stay in the hospital for about a month. You can come back on board then, as soon as you're better.

Kira: ... Okay. I'll miss you, Yuri.

Kira left your crew!

Yuri: Oh, yeah. I brought you some fruit. Here, let me peel it for you.

Kira: Thanks, Yuri.

Valso suddenly barges in.

Valso: Terrible news, Yuri!

Ian: Captain Valso!

Nia: We got an injured lady here. Would you guys keep it down?

Valso: Oh, my apologies. But you won't believe what happened! I can't believe it myself!

Torlo: All right, then spill it already!

Valso: The Central Forces of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava have been wiped out!

Yuri: What?!

Tatiana: What do you mean, "wiped out"?

Nia: But the Lugovalian Empire?

Valso: Oh, you've heard of the Lugovalian Empire? I won't mince words, then. Three days ago, the Central Elgavan Forces fleet of 5,000 came into contact with this Lugovalian Empire, the invading army. And in just one engagement, they were completely annihilated!

Ian: Just one...?

Valso: The battle took place in a sector about 2,000 light years away from Central Elgava. Even traveling just at cruising speed, they should arrive in the Small Magellanic Cloud within a month!

Yuri: ...
I told you all about this. And now you believe us. A little late, though.

Torlo: ...

Nia: And what are all the countries' responses?

Valso: Elgava has lost its core fleet. They're apparently gathering their regional forces together, but it's unclear what their strength will be. We'll conclude a cease-fire agreement with Kalymnos within the day and regroup our fleets. Then we wait for a government decision.

With this news delivered, Vilchjo Valso rushes off. Left behind in the hospital, Yuri and company look at each other with grim expressions on their faces.

Yuri: Damn it. This is exactly what Nia was trying to warm them about! All those soldiers... if only Elgava had listened!

Nia: People like that never listen or learn. There's nothing we can do to change anything now, Yuri. They weren't gonna listen to a bunch of dumb zero-G dogs, right?

Yuri: Grus.

Tatiana: But what can we do now? Elgava was the greatest power in the Small Magellanic Cloud. If even they were wiped out in the blink of an eye--

Torlo: Hey, c'mon. We can't give up now   ! We haven't even gotten started yet!

Ian: I don't know about that. Even if they gather up all the regional forces, it's going to be a pretty motley crew. If the Central Forces were no match for them, I doubt the regional forces would be any sort of contender against this enemy.

Torlo: Damn it, Ian! So whaddya want us to do, just roll over and give up before we even give it a shot?!

Ian: I'm just trying to be realistic. You can't change facts by blustering.

Torlo: Blusterin'?! Why, you son of a --!

Tatiana: Knock it off, Torlo! We don't have time for this nonsense!

Torlo: Right... Sorry, Tats.

Yuri: Nia, is there anything we can do? Just sitting back and watching a foreign aggressor take over the Small Magellanic Cloud... That can't be our only option, can it?

Nia: ... There just might be one thing we could do.

Kira: What?

Tatiana: Really?!

Nia: Yeah, maybe...

Torlo: Well, what is it?!

Nia: We get the Large Magellanic Cloud to help. With the military might of the LMC, we just might stand a fighting chance. And now, luckily, we know somebody personally in one of the LMC nations. Regeinland.

Yuri: Oh, right! The guy we met on Zefiro!

Nia: Exactly. We can get in touch with Captain Schneizer and ask him to send reinforcements.

Torlo: Then let's do it right away! We don't got much time.

Nia: We can't do it from here. There aren't any IP communication systems between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Pipra on Kashtano is the only one that has a communication device that can reach the LMC.

Ian: A-ha! So that's one of the reasons she has so much power, is it?

Nia: Bingo.

Yuri: But how are we going to get through the Magellanic Stream without Cico?

Nia: Don't worry about that. I'm gonna call in some backup.

Yuri: Backup?

Nia: Yup. I got somebody pretty good, too. You just wait and see.

Yuri: All right, then. Let's get to Kashtano.

Tatiana: Hey, wait a minute. What about Kira?

Kira: I... I'm fine. I can go with you.

Yuri: No way. I'm not taking you into the Magellanic Stream like this! We'll be back before you know it. You just stay here and rest, okay?

Kira: Okay...

Torlo: Um, Yuri, do ya mind if I stay behind, too?

Yuri: You too, Torlo?

Torlo: Yeah. I got lots of friends in Elgava. If things get bad, I wanna be able to help make sure they get away safe.

Radimir: And I have to make sure my wife will be all right!
Where'd you come from? We haven't heard from you in ages.

Tatiana: In that case, I'll come with you. I'm worried about Rufina, too.

Minas: And I'd like to jump ship here too, if I may.

Nia: Not you too, Professor Minas?

Minas: yes, I'm worried about Aminda's safety, actually. I'd like to get her to come here at least, while there's still time.

Yuri: All right. Try to help as many other people evacuate as you can, too.

Torlo: Sorry about this, Yuri. I'll get it done and get back as fast as I can.

<Yuri>> Thanks, Torlo. Oh, and Ian...

Ian: Yes?

Yuri: Could you please stay here and look after Kira for me?

Ian: Me?

Yuri: Yeah, I know I can depend on you.

Ian: ... All right. I won't let anything happen to her, don't worry.

Yuri: thanks, Ian.

Ian Fenevich and Yuri shake hands firmly. The rest of the party members add their hands to the top in a show of solidarity.

Torlo Adkin left your crew!
Tatiana Agarkov left your crew!
Ian Fenevich left your crew!
Gavriil Minas left your crew!
Radimir left your crew!

Well, that was a solid chunk of people lost.

We visit Valso at the headquarters before we go.
Valso: The level of care and facilities at our medical hospital are top notch. You need not worry about Kira. But you must forgive me. It seems I had forgotten that you are still very youthful.

Yuri: Don't worry about us.

Valso: At any rate, all we can do is wait for the government to make a decision.

Yuri: ... (But there's no time to lose! While we sit around here doing nothing, Lugovalos will keep pressing on!)

We visit the tavern one more time before getting ready to ship out.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Poplo: Ah, the Lugovalian Empire.. What imposing majesty!

Yuri: Uh, Poplo?
Don't make me hurt you.

Poplo: Captain, wouldn't you just love to have a ship like one of theirs? With a fleet like that, you could take on even Valantin's Corsair!

Nia: Hey, you sound pretty taken with them, Poplo. Whose side are you on, anyway?

Poplo: I'm a member of Yuri's crew, of course. No more, no less. But for any traveler of the cosmos, it is perfectly natural to be drawn to the might of Lugovalian ships. I don't have any personal grudge to hold against the Lugovalian Empire.

Nia: Oh, really?! Whatever you say, Poplo.

Yuri: ...
We'll be keeping an eye on you, Poplo.

At the top of the elevator, I reorganize the crew to make up for all of our missing comrades. Beleko gets promoted from Fire Control Handler to 1st Officer, and the rest of the positions can remain unfilled at the moment.

We depart Ermero, while down below, Kira and Ian enjoy the countryside.

Ian: Shall I give you a hand, Kira?

Kira: No, I'm all right. Thanks, Ian.

Ian: I guess Yuri will be shipping out pretty soon. There aren't any clouds in the sky today. You might be able to see his lights.

Kira: Yeah.

Onboard the Nikusui...

Yuri: ...

Nia: Are you worried?

Yuri: Huh?

Nia: About Kira?

Yuri: Well, of course I am. She's the only family I've got.

Nia: Yeah, I understand. Well, let's get this done fast and hurry back, then.

Yuri: Right! Engines, full power! We're heading to Kashtano. Ship out!

Kira: Oh Yuri...

Spoiler: I Shouldn't Enjoy This So Much, But I Am (click to show/hide)

We aren't given a lot of information, except that the void gate in the third area, midway between the Nova Nacion and Kalymnos lines is now active. We head there, and jump to the Magellanic Stream.

Near the gate, a familiar ship is waiting for us.

Nia: She should be around here somewhere...

Yuri: Who are you looking for?

Nia: My backup. Oh, here we go!

Celina: What took you so long?

Yuri: Celina?! You're the backup that Nia was talking about?!

Celina: Do you have a problem with that?

Yuri: No, far from it! I'm just a little surprised, that's all.

Celina: Hmph. Nia twisted my arm. That wench knows how to get her way.

Nia: Ha ha ha ha ha! Sorry about the blackmail! I guess you should watch who you choose to drunkenly tell all your embarrassing secrets to, eh?

Celina: (grumbles)

Nia: Hee hee hee!
She's getting way more enjoyment out of this then she should.

Celina: A-Anyway, I guess I'll be a part of your fleet for a while. I hope you're appropriately appreciative.

Yuri: Oh, I am! (I wonder what these "embarrassing secrets" they keep talking about are.)
Hah, you're finally growing up, Yuri.

Celina Sioufas's Lykourgos has joined your fleet!

Just to kill the levity as effectively as possible, we cut to the invasion of Elgava.

Meanwhile, in Central Elgava...

Saburov: So the invaders have made their way here to Elgava?!

Fomich: Yes, sir. All of the regional forces have either been wiped out or have surrendered. We've been utterly defeated.
Huh, I wonder how you survived.

Saburov: Elgava has been defeated? The glorious Interplanetary Union of Elgava?
That one, yes.

Fomich: The Lugovalian Empire is asking for unconditional surrender. And they're demanding that you be sent to Lugovalos, sir...

Saburov: F-Fomich! Please! Isn't there some way to avoid that?!

Fomich: I wish you'd listened to me before, sir. Didn't I tell you to surrender so we could keep our central strength intact? If you had done so, they might be treating you differently right about now.

Saburov: No... This can't be happening.

Fomich: But it is happening, sir! So, your response is unconditional surrender, I assume?
He seems almost manically cheerful here.

Saburov: I just can't believe this. No... No...
Ha. ha.

Fomich: If you'll excuse me, sir. I have to discuss the details of this post-surrender process with Commander Eremon.

Saburov: Wait... Wait! Fomich! Defense Minister!

Fomich: ...

The screen fades to black and returns as he leaves the office.

Fomich: Hmph. How unfortunate for our nation that our own leader doesn't understand the right way to go about losing a war.

With that, we're punted to the fleet select screen so that we can fit the Lykourgos into the formation.

It's classified as an 'Other', but it's really a Battleship.

Name	Anti-Air	Anti-Ship	Cruise Speed	Battle Speed	Mobility	Armor	Durability	Attack Range	Livability
Nikusui	24	37	114	126	45	36	1440	21800	62
Rudianos	51	139	153	190	43	64	2590	18000	52
Lykourgos	45	99	176	193	60	102	11000	20400	70

To compare our ship with the two NPC ships we've partnered with. Cico's ship might do more damage, depending on weapon systems, but Celina's ship beats it hands down in all other areas. We stick it to the front of the formation in place of the Sharanga, which will get to sit things out.

Formation in place, we make the trip past Vasta to Kashtano, letting Celina swat aside the pirates on the way.

>>Kashtano
You're now in the top 50 of the rankings! Congratulations! As a reward, you got blueprints for the following modules:

Regeinland Bridge 4
Deflector 9
Control Unit 3

Well, I was off when, long ago, I said we'd be #1 before the half-way point. We're nearly there, and we'll be somewhere in the 40s.

We visit the tavern to fortify ourselves for Pipra's advances.
>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: I decided I'm going to be giving up this tavern pretty soon. I would advise you people to get away as fast as you can, too.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri: Larissa, have you managed to get a hold of the Medic Organization?

Larissa: Uh uh.

Yuri: Oh. I'll try to see if I can make it so that we pick up IP communications again, then.

Kuchin: Don't trouble yourself over it too much, Captain. Whatever happens, wherever we go, the fact that we're in the medical profession will never change. We'll still keep tending to the sick and the injured, no matter what.

Yuri: Okay. Thank you, Dr. Kuchin.

Conversation #2
Perhaps due to the confusion of the war, the tavern is almost completely deserted.

Yuri: Nia?

Nia: Yeah?

Yuri: After this war is over, let's just keep on traveling. What do you say? We can sail the cosmos and keep looking for Epitaphs. Let's see how far we can get!

Nia: Yeah, you can count me in, kiddo. I'd be interested to see how far you can get, too.

>>Trader's Guild
As soon as the party enters the trader's guild, Pipra appears immediately, looking frantic.

Pipra: Did you hear what happened?!

Yuri: So you already know about it, huh? About the Lugovalian Empire closing in on Elgava?

Pipra: What are you talking about?! They're not "closing in"! They've already brought Elgava entirely under their control!

Nia: What?!

Yuri: Elgava has been... subjugated?

Pipra: And that's not all! Nova Nacio surrendered, too.

Nia: What?!

Yuri: I can't believe it. So that means they've got the entire Small Magellanic Cloud under their thumb?!

Pipra: Kalymnos is apparently still putting up a pretty good fight. Nova Nacio decided to save their strength by not resisting, though.

Yuri: Saving their strength, huh?

Celina: Well, from Nova Nacio's point of view, it's just a matter of the ruler of the SMC changing from Elgava to Lugovalos. That being the case... They probably decided it was in their best interest to preserve their strength and keep their position within the new system.

Yuri: Of all the cold, calculating moves...

Celina: There's nothing wrong with being calculating. It's a leader's duty to choose the most beneficial course for their nation.

Yuri: ... What happened to Kira and the others? What happened to the Irvest Sector?!

Pipra: I don't know, but I'm sure it's been completely taken over by now. We're talking about an enemy with something akin to 120,000 ships, after all.

Yuri: No... Kira!

Yuri starts to run out, but Celina Sioufas stops him.

Celina: Where do you think you're going?

Yuri: Where else?! I have to go save my sister!

Celina: What can one kid do against the entire Lugovalian fleet? If you want to die, then fine. Go ahead and go.

Yuri: Damn it!

Nia: Yuri, don't worry. Not even the Lugovalian Empire is gonna just kill off civilians for no reason.

Yuri: Are you sure about that?

Nia: Yeah, I am. By the way, Pipra, I've got a favor to ask you. You have a device for communicating with the LMC, right? Can I use it?

Pipra: What do you want with it?

Nia: I'm going to ask for reinforcements from the LMC, from Regeinland. I dunno if they'll actually send any, but I think it's worth a shot.

Pipra: Oh, hey, I never thought of that! Excellent idea! In that case, I'll even let you use it for free!
You're all heart, Pipra.

Celina: You mean you were thinking of charging her?

The screen fades out.

Pipra and Nia Lochlain disappear into a back room. After some time, Nia returns. Judging by Nia's slightly less tense expression, it appears to have gone well.

Yuri: So what happened, Nia?

Nia: Apparently, we weren't the only ones. They said that, just before surrendering, Nova Nacio asked for help, too, via Nacio. Anyway, they told me they're gettin' reinforcement fleets together now, and they're gonna send 'em out soon.

Yuri: Really?! That's great!

Celina: But it's too soon to celebrate. We don't know if even Regeinland can stop the Lugovalian Empire!

Yuri: I sure hope they can.

Pipra: Oh, I almost forgot. A man came here the other day looking for you kids.

Nia: Was it Semias Alastar?

Pipra: Oh, that's right That was his name, all right. He's probably still lurking around this sector somewhere. I'll bet you can find him if you look around a little.

Nia: We will. Thanks for the heads up.

Yuri: What would Semias be doing here?

Nia: I asked him to come meet us here, actually.

Yuri: You did?

And with that, we're done here. The Lugovalian Empire has conquered the entire SMC in the space of a week or so, but with at least one of the powerful LMC nations mobilizing its military in response to our requests for help, perhaps the balance of power will shift away from Lugovalos.

[MarcAFK]

PTW

[C-SH4M4N]

NOVIKOV used RAM!
It isn't very effective ...



Ah, Novikov. You grew a backbone at the worst possible hour. A bit earlier and it would have made for an awesome character development, alas ... Well, better late than never I guess.

We hardly knew ye; you won't be missed.

[Culise]

We hardly knew ye; you won't be missed.

Except possibly by the Lugovalos flagship's chief gunner, who really needs to work on his aim; you should never allow yourself to get into a position where you can be rammed. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And yes, I'm aware of the humour in saying this.

[Korbac]

I am disappoint that building ramming ships in Space Empires 5 isn't a viable strategy. (They can be kited too easily. Ramming fighters work, although they basically just serve as expensive cluster missiles)

[C-SH4M4N]

(...) you should never allow yourself to get into a position where you can be rammed. 

And yes, I'm aware of the humour in saying this.

Damn it, where's my OH YOU.jpg when I need it?!?

[Hanzoku]

A Glimpse of the Past
New Characters: 
New Ships:
New Equipment:
New Fighters:

Spoiler: A Sector, Abandoned (click to show/hide)

We hit the tavern before leaving.

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Sitting at the end of the bar, Ratai Faustov appears to be in low spirits.

Ratai: I've been trying to contact my Pops in Volodarev, but...

Yuri: You can't get through, either, huh?

Ratai: That's right. He's getting up there in years, and he's kind of a chicken, just like me. I just hope he's all right.

Nia: Don't worry. If he's a chicken, he wouldn't dream of going against a Lugovalian soldier, right? Lugovalians don't show any mercy to people that resist, but they don't just go around killing people for no reason, either.

Ratai: Oh, okay. That makes me feel a little bit better. And as long as we're connected by the sea of stars, I'm sure we'll see each other again one day.

Conversation #2
At the bar of the nearly deserted tavern, Johano Sceptro sits grumbling.

Sceptro: Tsk. Who the Grus do these Lugovalian guys think they are? They don't know who they're messing with here! I mean, we've been knocked around in the Magellanic Stream! We know a thing or two about guts and glory, don't we?!

Nia: Ha ha! I like your spirit Sceptro.

Sceptro: They're gonna seriously regret it when they meet up with the likes of me!

Nia: Unfortunately, time's up on your tough tavern talk. Let's go, Sceptro.

Sceptro: Yeah, yeah. I'm coming.

>>Kranio
None of the old bazaars are open.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: The situation in the SMC is really serious now. The people of Kashtano are pretty quick to take to their heels, so everybody's running away.

>>Strategio
Everyone has packed up and left here as well.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Things are really heating up. I don't like it one bit. I guess I'd better start thinking about packing up and getting out of here.

>>Zefiro
>>Tavern
>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: The situation has really gotten serious. Pipra warned everybody to get out and escape to the LMC as quick as we can. I'll be closing up shop very soon.

>>Subpremi
>>Tavern
The party finds Semias Alastar at one of the tables at the back of the tavern.

>>Talk to the bartender.
Bartender: Just when we thought the Irvest War was over... Now I hear Nova Nacio and Elgava have surrendered to some mysterious fleet! What's going to become of the Magellanic Stream?

>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri: ... (Hm. I wonder what Celina's embarrassing secrets are.)
We'll tell you when you're older, and starring in an eroge game.

Celina: What? It’s not polite to stare, you know. Keep your eyes to yourself, kid.

Yuri: Oh, sorry. I was just wondering what your secrets were.
...Whelp. Nice knowing you!

Celina: ... Do you want to die, right here, right now?

Yuri: Uh, no, ma'am!
Grus, Yuri, sometimes I wonder about you.

Conversation #2
Lotuso: The Lugovalian Empire, eh? A worthy adversary... I don't know how much we can achieve against the, but I'm excited to try!

Nia: Lotuso, "excited" is fine. Just don't go gettin' reckless, ya hear?

Lotuso: You don't have to tell me that. I don't want to die any more than the next person!
If the next person is Yuri, you might have a death wish a well.

Nia: Heh heh. Fine, then.

Lotuso: So, Yuri, you're supposed to meet with this Semias guy, right? You'd better hurry up, or Nia is going to be cross with you.

Yuri: You're right!
I just don't care, not if there are more conversations to be had!

Conversation #3
Nia: So it looks like Semias managed to get this far safe. Let's go see what he has to say.

Yuri: It's a miracle he managed to get here all the way from Elgava.

Nia: Semias has always been real good at getting away. He's got a long history of it, in fact. Well, whenever you're ready.

Yuri: Right.

>>Talk to Semias Alastar.
Semias: Ah, Lady Nia! I've been waiting for you.

Nia: Sorry to make ya come all this way, Semias.

Semias: Oh, don't mention it! Anything for you, milady. But what's this? What a surprise! I see that Lady Celina is with you, as well!

Celina: Hmph. Well, the situation being what it is, you know, I decided to cooperate just this one time.

Semias: Ah ha ha ha ha! You haven't changed a bit, I see.

Nia: Okay. So where's my ship?

Semias: Don't worry, it's here. I towed it. I actually ran into a Lugovalian fleet on the way. It was quite the precarious situation for a while there... Thankfully, I know of a few hidden starlanes here and there.

Celina: Hidden starlanes, eh?

Semias: Yes. There's a little one that leads here to Subpremi from Sector 3, for example. Quite convenient, that one.

Celina: You're always full of surprises, aren't you, Semias?

Nia: And what intel do ya have on the Lugovalian vanguard fleet? It sounds like it moved in pretty fast.

Semias: Yes, after crushing the Elgavan interception fleet, they rushed in and overran the Small Magellanic Cloud like a tidal wave! It's only a matter of time now before they have the entire SMC under their complete control.

Nia: Well, it's easy to see now how they managed to get half the cosmos under their thumb. Do ya know who the commander is?

Semias: Well...

With Nia Lochlain's question, Semias Alastar suddenly turns evasive.

Celina: We'll know soon enough, Semias, so you might as well tell us now.

Semias: Well... All right. Their commander is--

Just as Semias is about to spit it out, there's a sudden stir around the monitor in the corner of the tavern.

Tavern Patron A: Hey! Look at this!
Tavern Patron B: What's going on?!

A handsome blond-haired man has appeared on the monitor screen.

Eremon: People of Kashtano. I am Niall Eremon, Commander of the Vanguard Fleet of the Lugovalian Empire. Our fleet is currently seventy light years away from the Kashtano Sector. In the name of the Lugovalian Empire, I demand a conference with the trade leader of Kashtano for negotiations. Opposition will not be tolerated. Any who resist will be annihilated. I repeat. Any who resist will be annihilated.

Celina: I can't believe it...

Nia: Their commander is Niall Eremon?! Is this really true?!

Semias: Yes, I'm afraid so.

Nia: Damn it!

Semias: ...

Yuri: So that's the commander of the Lugovalian fleet? Who is he, Nia? It looks like you know him.

Celina: Well, she did, a long time ago.

Yuri: A long time ago?

Celina: You'd better not ask.

Yuri: Huh? Oh, okay...

A heavy gloom settles over the four of them. Just as Yuri can't stand the silence any longer and is about to speak, Nia pipes up.

Nia: C'mon! Let's get going to Pipra!

Yuri: Huh?

Nia: Niall is gonna talk to her and demand a surrender, right? That's the one thing we can't let happen.

Celina: I agree. If we lose the Kashtano Sector, we lose our only possible base of operations for a counteroffensive when the Regeinlandic reinforcements arrive. And that's our only hope.

Yuri: But how are we going to stop it? Knowing Pipra, she'll cave in right away.

Nia: We'll think of something. Let's go!

Yuri: Okay!

Nia: And we're short on crew members, Semias. Mind we get you onboard with us?

Semias: Of course not, milady.

Semias Alastar has joined your crew!

When we leave the bar, the bartender closes up for good.

In orbit, we put Semias to work in the crew. His top skills are as a navigator or a fighter, and he has the special skills Ace Helmsman Lv1 and Death Blow Lv2. I assign him to the position of Chart Officer to take advantage of his strengths.

Spoiler: Playing for Time (click to show/hide)

We make for Kashtano to try to talk Pipra into resisting.
>>Kashtano
We hit the tavern first though.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Yuri: Admiral Beleko, with things as they are, do you think there's any way we can stand up to the Lugovalian Empire?

Beleko: No, I'm afraid not. To be blunt, I think running is the only option here. There's just too much of a difference in our military capacity.

Yuri: But if we work with the Regeinlandic reinforcements...

Beleko: Regeinland's priority will be to defend Regeinland. You can't put all your faith in any help they send to this galaxy. A commander who plans a strategy around what he or she hopes will happen is doomed to failure.

Yuri: But...

Nia: Admiral Beleko is right, Yuri. I bet his advice is really gonna help you out one day. Ya better make sure you take it to heart.

Yuri: Okay, I will.

You got advice from Mateo Beleko! Yuri's Leadership experience increased by 20! Yuri's Leadership Skill increased by 1!

Conversation #2
Semias Alastar and Nia Lochlain sit at the bar, talking to each other in low tones.

Semias: ...royal house of Riberia... you know... So you have to...
Nia: ...Don't you think I know... That's why...

Yuri: (I guess I'd better leave them alone.)
That would explain the whole 'Milady' thing. Now, where Riberia is in the wide, wide universe is a good question.

>>Trader's Guild
Pipra: It's happening! They're finally coming! The Lugovalian Empire is on its way right here!

Nia: We know. That's why we're here. This place is key in our counteroffensive against Lugovalos. We can't lose it.

Pipra: Well, what are you suggesting we do? We can hardly stand up to them!

Yuri: We won't know that until we try, right?

Pipra: Are you crazy?! This is an enemy that Elgava and Nova Nacio fell to! What do you expect a little autonomous sector like this to do?! Surrender, that's what we can do! The very second they show up, we've got to surrender, I say!

??: Heh heh. Just the sort of wisdom I'd expect from the leader of the trader's guild of Kashtano.
Well, that isn't good.

??: Now, this is a sensible woman!

Yuri: Huh?!

Nia: You?!

I think you lied in your broadcast, Eremon. Sneaky, I like that.

Eremon: How do you do? I'm the commander of the Vanguard Fleet of the Lugovalian Empire, Niall Eremon. And you are Pipra, leader of the Kashtano trader's guild, are you not?

Pipra: Eeeeek!

Eremon: There's no need for you to be afraid. Surrender willingly, and I won't resort to violence. I promise. Besides... I've come here to enlist your help as a guide.

Pipra: A g-guide?

Eremon: That's right. I've heard that the Magellanic Stream between here and the Large Magellanic Cloud can be quite dangerous, you see. That's why I'd like for you to help guide us through it. We can't have any of the Emperor's ships lost over petty annoyances, after all.

Pipra: W-Well, I--

Nia: Don't say another word, Pipra!

Just as Pipra is about to agree to Niall Eremon's proposal, Nia Lochlain runs up to her and cuts her off. She holds a maser blaster to Pipra's quivering old head.

Pipra: Eeeeeeek!

Nia: Either you leave right now, or I blow her head off!

Eremon: Who the Grus are you? And what are you trying to accomplish?

Nia: Ha! So you climbed the ranks all the way up to fleet commander of the Lugovalian Empire, did ya? Don't tell me you don't even remember your old fiancee?
...his what?

Eremon: Hm?

Yuri: (Fiancee?!)

Eremon: No. It can't be... No, wait. I do see it now. Yes, I see the traces of the lovely face that I once knew. Nia. Nia Lochlain.

Nia: Hmph. Took you long enough! But I haven't forgotten you, believe me. I'll never forget your betrayal.

Eremon: Hmph. The passage of time can be very cruel, it would appear, reducing an innocent and pure princess into a shameless, weathered old crone.
Grus, you must be a lolicon. She's 23 or 24 at this point. Hell, Eremon is only 26, so his rise through the Empire's ranks must have been meteoritic.

Eremon: But be that as it may...

Eremon: I have no sentimentality for the past.

The soldiers behind him take aim, clicking off the safeties on their rifles.

Yuri: Nia!
What about you, Yuri? You're not hiding behind a human shield!

Yuri jumps in front of Nia to shield her. Niall examines Yuri with a cold, calculating stare.

Eremon: Stand aside, boy.

Yuri: I've got a name and it's "Yuri," not "boy"! And I'm not budging!

Eremon: In that case, you will all have to die here.

Nia: One false move and Pipra gets it! I mean it! There are starlanes in the Magellanic Stream that are as twisted and confusing as a maze. Only Pipra here knows how to navigate them. Do ya really wanna try and go without her as your guide?! 'Cause you can be my guest!

Eremon: ...

Pipra: I-It's true! Without my help, you'll lose a lot of your ships. I don't care how big your fleet is!

Eremon: Ha. Such a transparent bluff.

Desmond: Commander! Your Supremeness! Terrible, terrible ,dreadful news!

Eremon: What is it, Desmond?

Desmond: Sir! There's a Regeinlandic fleet approaching this sector!

Eremon: Hm...

Yuri: (Regeinland! Captain Schneizer came through for us!)

Eremon: I suppose my hand is forced. I will leave for now. But take care, Pipra. You won't find me in such pleasant spirits on our next meeting. I f you possess vital knowledge that we need, we will get it, by whatever means necessary. You can be sure of that.

With that, he and his troops leave.

Nia: ...
Yuri: ...

Celina: he's gone.

Pipra: Pheeeeew... What kind of crazy bluff was that? I think you just shaved about ten years off my life, woman!

Nia: Ha ha. Thanks for playing along with it so well, Pipra.

Pipra: Hmph. First you point a blaster at my head, and now you're thanking me?

Celina: Anyway, now that Regeinland is on its way, maybe there's hope after all.

Pipra: Yeah, well, let's "hope" they don't succumb in an instant like the others did.

Nia: I guess it all depends on how many reinforcements they sent. We'll just have to meet up with 'em and see.

Celina: Right. Let's do that.

Yuri: Nia?

Nia: Yeah?

Yuri: Oh... never mind. (I'd like to hear the story about this Niall guy...)

With that, we leave and head for the lower right empty sector, heading back towards Vasta. We find our reinforcements there, engaging the Empire already.

They sent a good number of ships along, at least.

But so did Lugovalos.

Eremon: So this is the power of Regeinlandic ships, is it? Small Magellanic Cloud ships don't even compare. All right. Send a message to our vessels. Continue artillery bombardment, but retreat. Leave the line of battle.

Desmond: But Commander! With our current fighting capacity, we can easily overcome an enemy of that caliber!

Eremon: I have now seen firsthand what their capacity is. That is enough for now.

Desmond: But your Supremeness!

Eremon: Borisova, retreat 500 light years. Have the units we sent to Nova Nacio and the surrendered Elgavan forces come join us.

Borisova: Yes, sir.

Desmond: If you'll excuse me, sir!

Desmond storms out.

Desmond: Hmph. Peasant from a conquered planet! Right at the critical moment, he runs away with his tail between his legs!

Borisova: Your adjutant seems somewhat put out, sir.

Eremon: But you understand my strategy, don't you, Borisova?

Borisova: Well, correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but I believe you aren't looking for just a marginal success. You want to be sure to gather enough fighting capacity for a decisive victory. That way, you can preserve your strength for your subsequent invasion of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Eremon: Precisely, my dear Borisova. You understand me very well.

Borisova: Thank you, sir.

Our ship watches the fire fight from a distance.

Yuri: Nia, what's going on up there?

Nia: It looks like they managed to drive Lugovalos back for now. Wow, good for Regeinland!

Yuri: So does this mean we have a fighting chance against the enemy?!

Nia: Who knows? It'd sure be nice.

With the fighting over, we go onboard the Regeinland flagship.

Spoiler: Desperate Tactics, Sudden Romance (click to show/hide)

Bastian: Yuri, hello. It's been a while. And is that Nia Lochlain? You look so different from the last time we met!

Nia: yeah, sorry. This is more like the real me.

Yuri: Captain Schenizer, thank you for coming to back us up!

Bastian: This is to protect the Large Magellanic Cloud as much as anything else. There's really no need to thank us. But now that I've observed the enemy myself, I can see how formidable it truly is.

Yuri: Yeah, they brought the entire Interplanetary Union of Elgava under control really fast.

Bastian: I can't say I'm surprised. We have to steel ourselves for a bitter battle ahead, I'm afraid.

Nia: So it's gonna be tough with this number of ships, you think?

Bastian: Extremely. In the last battle, we were very lucky that Lugovalos retreated. If they bring a full-out offensive, I don't know what the outcome might be.

Yuri: But if you, me, and everybody we know all pull together and give it all that we've got--

Bastian: Yuri, in war, we have to be realistic at all times. Desire and spirit alone aren't going to get us very far.

Yuri: ...

Bastian: But I have my own pride as well, and I want to successfully carry out my orders. All I know is this: We have to stop their advance somehow.

Nia: Do you think there's a way?

Bastian: I do. But we need time. And if we have to fight them head-on, we won't get that kind of time, I'm afraid.

Celina: We'll just have to think of a way to buy more time, then.

Bastian: Hm?

Celina: Semias.

Semias: Yes?

Celina: You said there was a hidden starlane that starts at Subpremi, didn't you? Can you tell me where it goes?

Semias: It goes to the sector that the Lugovalian fleet is currently moored in.

Celina: Perfect. We can really use that to our advantage.

Bastian: Ah, I see. A surprise attack from the flank, eh? Yes, a coordinated effort between our main force at the front and a detached force at the flank might be highly effective indeed.

Yuri: I'll volunteer for the detached unit detail, then! I want to help in any way I can.

Bastian: All right. But remember, your only goal is to buy us some time. Once you've thrown them into sufficient confusion, I want you to pull out immediately. Do you understand?

Yuri: Yeah, I got it!

After Yuri and party leave... Nia Lochlain remains behind on the bridge with Bastian Schneizer.

Nia: Okay, so now tell me the real scoop.

Bastian: yes, that's why I had you stay behind. I wanted to be honest with you. Now that I've seen the difference between their strength and ours, I'm afraid there's really little hope of recapturing the SMC. But we won't let Lugovalos advance into the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Nia: So you're just giving up on the SMC, is that it?

Bastian: I'm afraid we have no choice. Otherwise, the LMC would be trampled in the same way.

Nia: ...

Bastian: ...

Nia: Okay, I see your point. Believe me, I know how formidable Lugovalos really is. But how are you gonna stop 'em from advancing? Don't tell me you're thinking about taking out e void gate in the LMC?

Bastian: Attacking a void gate would be a serious violation of navigational law. Besides, I don't think any weapons currently exist that could even accomplish such a thing.

Nia: Yeah, I know. That's why I asked.

Bastian: our mega-gunboat, the Krebs is equipped with an exalaser cannon.

Nia: What's that?

Bastian: It's a top-secret, ultra-high-powered laser developed by our military. If we were to fire it at a fixed star, we could actually cause a stellar explosion. A supernova, if you will.

Nia: You gotta be kiddin' me! You mean, fire it at the red supergaint, Vasta?!

Bastian: Exactly. Vasta is perfect for our purposes. And once the supernova occurs, its supernova remnant, the resulting shell of gas and dust, will expand and--

Nia: And swallow up everything around it, includin' the void gate to the LMC, right? You can't destroy it, but at least ya can make it impossible to get to, is that it?

Bastian: Precisely.

Nia: Ha... ha ha... Wow. I'm floored. I dunno how ya came up with an idea like that.

Bastian: Before coming here, I never imagined we would ever actually use it.

Nia: ...

Bastian: ...

Nia: Okay, so why are ya tellin' me all this?

Bastian: Well, for my own personal reasons, actually. I don't want that boy, Yuri, or you, for that matter, to have to die here. If it turns out we can defeat Lugovalos here, we'll use the exalaser cannon without hesitation. And I want you and Yuri to escape to the LMC before that happens.

Nia: What about you?

Bastian: Well, I knew the risks when I signed up to be a soldier.
Blowing Vasta would be a suicide mission. There's no way a ship could outrun the resulting supernova.

Nia: Ah. Got it. All right. Well, I appreciate the heads-up. I owe ya one.

Bastian: If I manage to survive this, I'll gladly let you buy me a drink sometime.

With that, we're back at the map screen. We head back to Kashtano on our way to Semias' secret route, and once there, we're treated to the sight of a full-fledged evacuation.

Yuri: So many civilian ships leaving Kashtano...
Probably a good thing if Bastian is going to blow the star. This whole sector is gone if that thing goes supernova.

Nia: I guess they're startin' to evacuate. No one wants to get caught in the line of fire.

Yuri: ...

>>Kashtano
The subsector has a population of nearly 46 billion. There's no way even a tiny fraction of that number will be able to evacuate in time. Exploding Vasta will make Kalymnos' moon crashing scheme look like nothing.

>>Tavern
>>Talk to your friends.
Conversation #1
Marjeno: I heard that most of the bazaar folk evacuated to the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Yuri: So not even the Kashtano Sector is going to resist, huh?
Yuri, they're merchants. Going down fighting isn't exactly their style.

Marjeno: I'm afraid the fighting potential of the Magellanic Stream is by no means a cohesive unit. And a lot of its inhabitants are merchants and private citizens, too. Our strength is no match for the Lugovalian Empire, I'm afraid.

Yuri: ...

Marjeno: I'm sorry, Yuri...
Yuri simply isn't realistic about this. He thinks that if everyone just makes nice and works together, their lasers will gain the power of friendship and not bounce off the hyper-advanced Lugovalian ships.

>>Trader's Guild
It seems that most people have fled the area. The trader's guild is deathly quiet. Pipra sits alone in one of the rooms, agitated and irritable.

Yuri: Pipra, aren't you going to evacuate?

Pipra: Hmph. Everybody's telling me what to do. But this is my planet! You think I'm just going to up and leave it? Well, I'll tell you, it won't be that easy to get rid of me! Those Regeinlandic idiots were trying to tell me the same thing.

Nia: I really think you ought to think about it, though. There are still some ships that haven't left just yet...

Pipra: Hmph. Yeah, yeah. I'll think about it some. Now go try minding your own damn business!

We leave her to her thoughts and reboard our ships. It's time to poke the grizzly bear.

As we take Semias' shortcut, we come across a surprise.

Nia: Huh?! There's a fleet up ahead.

Yuri: Pirates?

Nia: No. It's the Elgavan regular army!

They're also hyper hostile, firing immediately.

Yuri: Yikes!

Nia: Tsk. As soon as Elgava surrendered, Lugovalos must've sent 'em right back to the battlefield to fight. Yuri, launch a counterattack!

Yuri: But they're Elgavans!
They're still trying to kill you.

Nia: Do ya wanna die here or what?!

Yuri: No... damn it.

Poor mooks. They're not even the regular army, either, but part of the regional forces. We're up against a Askold Loc-class Cruiser, two Orfey Loc-class Destroyers and two Derzky Loc-class Destroyers. With Celina with us, this is no contest, and we wipe the floor with them. (We would have done the same with our regular ships as well.)

After the battle...

Nia: Phew. We're still standin', somehow.
Eh? They did about 20 point of damage to Celina's ship, and then died.

Yuri: All those Elgavan soldiers...

Nia: When a nation surrenders, their soldiers often get sent to the battlefield to serve as sacrificial pawns. Happens all the time.

Yuri: But they're from the SMC, just like us! I can't fight a war like this!

Nia: Oh, grow up, Yuri!
She's finally done with his emo Grus.

Yuri: Nia...

Nia: ...
Yuri: ...
She takes a breath to calm down.

Nia: From here on out, it's gonna be a desperate, all-out battle for survival. The only thing you're gonna have the luxury of thinkin' about now is how you're gonna manage to stay alive. You got that?!

Yuri: But, Nia...

Nia: How are ya gonna help anybody if ya die? Yuri as dark matter won't help anyone! The only way you're gonna get a chance to fight back is if ya stay alive. And that's gonna be by any means possible, even if it means gettin' down an dirty, humiliating or not. And I don't care what happens, but I am not gonna let you die! You're gonna survive this battle. You got that?!

Yuri: I got it, Nia.

Nia: Good. You're gonna be a fine man one day.

And Yuri receives his first kiss.

Yuri: Mnh?!

After they separate...

Yuri: Uh... Erm...
You broke him, Nia. We need him working.

Nia: C'mon, Yuri. It sounds like the party's getting started.

Yuri: O-Okay!
I'm glad Torlo, Ian and the rest aren't here, Yuri would never hear the end of it.

[Korbac]

Really

They're really going to throw that in there

Really

Why

What precedent is there for this

What

Snog City I mean.

[C-SH4M4N]

WHAT A TWEEST!!! The evil empire's vanguard "supremeness" is actually our launcher's fiancee! And she's mad that they broke up! ... or that he betrayed her; we don't know - neither was exactly available for comments.

Schneider plans to blow up a star if it'll help delay his enemy. Where have I heard that before ......... oh yes, it was in FreeSpace 2!

Little known fact: in this game, "starburst phenomenon" means a star going supernova. I'll let you guys reread the transcripts so far; you'll like the late reveal.

[Hanzoku]

Well, Bastian does explicitly tell Nia that if things don't go massively their way, he'll force Vasta to go supernova. It's a good thing they don't tell Yuri about this though - given his 'we can win if we all work together, and damn all logic that says otherwise' attitude, he wouldn't have taken it well.

[C-SH4M4N]

Well, Bastian does explicitly tell Nia that if things don't go massively their way, he'll force Vasta to go supernova. It's a good thing they don't tell Yuri about this though - given his 'we can win if we all work together, and damn all logic that says otherwise' attitude, he wouldn't have taken it well.

For me this is actually the pinnacle point in the story: right now, Yuri is getting beaten down by harsh reality - he couldn't prevent a war, his actions in it didn't matter in the least (Nova Nacio surrenders as soon as Lugovalos barges in), his Galaxy was subdued in less than a week and no matter how much he prays at the "Power of Friendship" shrine, it ain't gonna grant him a miracle. And Nia lays the smackdown in that last conversation: 'reality is harsh, I'm not a virgin and there is the possibility that either I'm a lesbian or swing both ways and I like that. DEAL WITH IT."

It just completely goes against all JRPG and Anime conventions and that makes it awesome.

Between this and your next update, this is as great as the story gets. From there on, a tedious lull is gonna set in, IMHO.

[Korbac]

I'm still expecting "The Power of Friendship" to be useful in certain situations.

[Hanzoku]

They really end the first half of the game with a bang, so it makes sense that there's a definite dip in intensity as you start through the second half of the game. It really does build back up though, and I think the ending of the game is even better (if 100% crazier) then right now.