>>Cell block
This is the prison block where the inmates are housed. A deathly quiet has settled in, now that the inmates have returned to their own cells.
>>West prison wing.
This is the west prison block. Dodungo is top dog in this part of the prison. With lights-out time approaching, a deathly quiet has settled in.
We don’t stick around. Yuri isn’t well-liked here.>>East prison wing
This is the eat prison wing, where Yuri is top dog. Inmates spend the short time before lights out in their private cells, deep in their own thoughts.
Yuri: (It looks like everyone’s back in their cells now.)
We have a few places we can go here. Yuri’s cell, of course, our acquaintance Fran, Semias (who was apparently locked up with us), and… Gen Nadiy? What?
>>Go to Gen Nadiy’s cell.
Entering Gen Nadiy’s cell, Yuri sees that his apprentice, Alik Kovalenko, is already there.
Gen: Shall we get started, then? (coughs violently)
Gen looks the same as before, but the past ten years haven’t been kind to him.Yuri: Master Gen! Are you all right?
Alik has grown up a bit, but still hides behind his mop of hair
Alik: H-Here. D-Drink…
Gen: Ah, thank you, Alik. Sorry about that. I’ll be just fine.
Alik: …
Yuri: …
They don’t believe you.>>Talk to Alik Kovalenko.
Alik Kovalenko is holding a strange-looking machine with fins built into it.
Yuri: What’s that?
Alik: Oh, uh… I-It’s an a-air purifier Franny built for me. She said ti would be good f-for Master Gen.
Yuri: Hey, that’s great!
Alik: yeah, heh heh.
Alik acts embarrassed for some reason and his face turns red as he nervously laughs.
I think he has a crush on Franny.>>Talk to Gen Nadiy.
Gen: Now, then. (coughs) Today’s lesson is on the effects of battle formations when commanding a fleet. This will be my final lesson as far as tactics are concerned, so please pay close attention…
The screen fades out and back in while they have their lesson.
Gen: And that’s about it. I trust you understand the effects of battle formations now.
Alik: Y-Yes, Master Gen.
Yuri: Yes, sir.
Gen: Very well, then.
You acquired the Special Skill “Fleet Leader Lv. 4”! You can now have up to four ships in your fleet!Assuming this won’t end up as a futuristic prison simulator, this is a good thing.Gen: Yuri, Alik, you both are fine students. I feel blessed to have you two here in this forsaken place.
Yuri: No, Master Gen, I’m the one who should feel fortunate to have met you. I mean, this was the last place I would’ve expected to meet the great tactician, Gennadiy Alabyshev, again.
Gen: Yes, well, when I first learned of Lugovalos and its treat, I tried in vain to warn the nations of the LMC. Ending up imprisoned here was most certainly not part of my plan. You might say I’m a prime example of the old saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Yuri: So you think the Galactic Federation is trying to cover up the existence of the Lugovalian Empire?
Because burying your head in the sand and going “La la la, I can’t see you!” works SO WELL.Gen: Precisely. It seems they will spare no means to keep its people from learning what happened in the SMC. And I have no doubt they will continue to silence all who know the truth, just as they have done to us.
Yuri: …
Gen: But their ill-conceived cover-up will eventually come back to haunt them, for it does not deal with Lugovalos’s threat. The Empire will reach the LMC someday. It is not a matter of if but when. You must escape this place and find a way to oppose them, if only to avert the tragedy that befell the SMC.
Yuri: I’ll do my best, Master Gen!
Gen: Now, Alik, listen to me. When that day comes, you must give Yuri your full support. You must fight as comrades in arms. I truly believe that your ability will one day vastly surpass mine.
Alik: Y-Yes, Master Gen…
That info-dump neatly catches us up on why Yuri was thrown in prison. The local political assholes threw Yuri and Gen in prison to prevent them from telling everyone the truth about the events in the SMC and the looming invasion from the Lugovalian fleet.
Coincidentally, the Galactic Federation is Space America.If we revisit Gen and Alik…
In an effort to make prison life more comfortable for his master, Alik Kovalenko is carefully making Gen Nadiy’s bed as Yuri walks in.
Yuri: Hey, he’s pretty good at that. I’ll best he could get a job at a five-star hotel when we get out of here.
Gen: Heh heh. He’s been stuck here with this old fossil for years. And he’s learned many things, some more mundane than others.
Yuri: Good for him. Since the only person a traveler through the sea of stars can ultimately rely on his himself.
Gen: True, indeed. A boy is not truly a man until he can fend for himself.
>>Go to Semias Alastar’s cell.
Semias looks much the same as before.
Semias: Yuri, my friend! You’re just the man I wanted to see!
Yuri: What’s up?
Semias: I met this fellow the other day. I found him rather interesting, in fact. He’s just been reassigned to the mine, you see. Would you care to meet him?
Yuri: Sure.
Semias: All right then, I’ll bring him over to my cell tomorrow night.
We talk with him again.
Semias: Well, are you all set?
Yuri: Yeah, let’s get to it.
Semias Alastar and Yuri each grab poles that have been leaning in the corner of the room. The moment they face each other poised and ready for battle, fierce war cries issue from their lips.
Semias: Yaaaaaah!!!
Yuri: Rah!!!
The screen fades out and in while they spar.
Yuri: (pants)
Semias: (pants) That was some fight. I’m practically out of breath. You’ve truly become a fine fighter, my friend.
Yuri: Thanks to you, Semias. I really appreciate it.
Semias: Oh, don’t mention it! I just want to make sure that you’re ready when it’s time to resume your journey across the sea of stars. Besides, it’s what Lady Nia would have wanted.
Yuri: …
Even after then years, that makes Yuri quiet and reflective.Yuri’s Combat skill increased by 1!Semias: After I lost Lady Nia, there was a time where I felt there was no point to living anymore. But you, my friend, are carrying on her legacy, her hopes and dreams. By working beside you, I feel like I can go on, as if these old bones have a purpose again.
Yuri: You’re way too young to be talking like that, Semias.
Who knows? With advanced medical technology, people might live a lot longer, but Semias is currently 59 or 60, and hasn’t had any access to decent medicine for at least a decade, so he might have some leeway.Semias: Ha ha! Yes, perhaps you are right. We still have a long road ahead of us.
Yuri: That’s for sure.
>>Go to Franny Porolo’s cell.
Franny: It took you long enough! Well, go on, take a load off. Can I get you something to drink? And by drink, I mean all I have is water.
Yuri: Actually, I wanted to go on with that conversation we were having earlier.
Franny: Tsk. Mr. No-Nonsense Yuri. A girl’s god needs, too, ya know!
Yuri:
I honestly don’t know how to respond to that either.Franny: Well, at least say something, won’t ya?
Yuri: …
Franny: Aw, whatever. If you’re gonna be like that, we might as well just get down to business. Hold on a sec.
Franny retrieves a rolled-up blanket from under her bed and spreads it out, revealing a flat electronic device about 10 cm square. It appears to be a geologic survey device for mining work that has been modified for use as a mobile terminal.
Franny: Feast your eyes on this! Look familiar?
Yuri: Hey, that’s… That’s a blueprint of the control building!
Franny: Bingo! And it’s all thanks to the nano-spy mole I sent down the surveillance camera cable six months ago! It was a real stroke of genius! And by genius, I mean me! It broke through all sorts of firewalls and security measures to reach the host computer! Aren’t I something? Go on, say it!
Yuri: …
I think Yuri uses silence as a defense mechanism against her barrage. It seems to work for him.Franny: C’mon, Yuri. Throw me a bone here.
Yuri: Oh, yeah, right. You’ve definitely earned your reputation, Franny. You’re doing a great job.
Franny: Heh heh heh. Don’t I know it!
Oh, you definitely do.Yuri: Have you finished analyzing all the data?
Franny: Whoa, slow down there, buddy! I mean, I just, like, finished hacking into the host computer this morning! I’ll tell you what. Gimme just three days and I’ll have the system totally naked and exposed—from the control building’s security system, right down to every last password. I guarantee it!
Yuri: Great. Keep up the good work, Franny.
Franny: Heh heh! Yes, sir! Oh, and Yuri… It’s almost time, isn’t it?
Yuri: Yeah, almost.
We leave her cell automatically. If we go back and talk to her, we get some more information on Franny’s background.
Yuri: Franny, where’d you learn how to do all that technical stuff, anyway?
Franny: Would you believe me if I told you I skipped a couple grades so I could get into Libertas University’s Engineering Department? Not only that, I was, like, a superstar with all the geeks over there!
Yuri: Huh. I would’ve never figured it, but I guess your skills speak for themselves.
Franny: Better quiet while you’re ahead, mister.
Yuri: Anyway, to go from an elite student to an inmate on a prison asteroid… The world sure is a funny place.
Franny: Yeah, ha ha. I mean, it was just a little sabotage on a Libertasian warship. I can’t stand how the government thinks they can just walk all over the smaller planets, you know? But whatever. There’s nothing I can do about it from here.
She hacked and scuttled a warship? We might want to stay on her good side…Yuri: …
We’ve done everything possible today, so Yuri returns to his cell.
As Yuri returns to his cell, a siren blares throughout the prison, signaling that it is time for lights-out.
The siren is followed by the distant sound of the prison block’s doors slamming shut.
Yuri: …
After ten hard years of prison life, Yuri knows the drill all too well. But as he lies in bed staring at the dingy ceiling of his cell, his eyes are clear and full of purpose. They are not the eyes of a beaten man. Slowly, almost gently, he turns out the light.
Poll
4 (40%)
Author
Topic: Let's Play: Infinite Space (Read 109382 times)