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[Sirus]

Did y'all miss the part where his management skill is abysmal? Even Torlo would do a better job

Putting Tats into a supply posting would be a good choice, but Kira will be leaving her posting as Head Chef the update after next. If Tats also transfers, we'll have no one cooking food for the crew and combat readiness will plummet.

[Sirus]

Part 12: Finally made it!

Welcome back! Last time, Yuri had his first Melee battle, got stabbed in the face, and lost his Epitaph. Pretty crappy time. However, now they've entered the home sector of the local bigwigs, so let's explore and have fun!

Spoiler: Ugh, politics... (click to show/hide)

Our first stop in Central Elgava is a small, minor planet called Paozero. It's the only path we can take from the Void Gate, so it's an ideal place to get some info.



Along the way, we have our first battle of Central Elgava. Yet another variant of the Sokal class of small ships, these are a bit tougher than their Lutsk counterparts, but still nothing special. Two normal attacks or a single barrage each are enough, but the LOTUS took a decent amount of damage.

The bartender on Paozero has some very useful information for Yuri and friends:

Bartender: Did you know that the group that calls itself the Medic Organization is headquartered on Nerekhta? The Medic Organization is a group of volunteer that goes around to different war-torn and messed up areas to treat the sick and the injured. It's completely not for profit, and runs all on public donations. It's a mighty fine organization if you ask me!

Talking to Torlo reveals that he's a bit of a realist; he doesn't really buy into the whole Epitaph legend about changing the universe, he just wanted to steal Yuri's so he could sell it.

Other than that, this planet doesn't have a lot going for it. I do take the time to add Radimir to the crew as Chief Engineer, but then it's time to head out! From Paozero, we have two choices of destination; another mostly-empty planet called Chernesk, and the far more interesting Zvenigorod. Astute readers will remember that Zvenigorod is home to the Central Elgavan Fleet's headquarters, so that seems like a good place to go!

Meanwhile, at the Headquarters...

: I hear that your favorite youths have just entered the port.

: Yes, I just got the report myself.

: Are you planning on using them for the current situation?

: Yes, well, I guess that's up to them...

: Hmph. You're from Alatyr yourself, aren't you, Commander?

: Yes, sir.

: Of course, the CEF can't be deployed too hastily in a situation like this. That must be frustrating for you.

: ...

Spoiler: Bright lights, big city, big prizes (click to show/hide)

Okay, enough of that garbage, let's look around! Zvenigorod has a shipyard and remodeling shop, which is nice. Especially since this planet is the first to offer Level 2 AS Lasers! These babies provide fairly substantial firepower boosts at no reduction in range or accuracy. The downside is that they cost a fairly hefty sum: 200G for a small laser (for the LOTUS), and 1000G for a medium laser (LOTUS and PANSY). Make a note of this, people; should we upgrade our ship's weapons or not?

Aside from exciting opportunities in destruction, Zvenigorod is probably the busiest planet we've seen yet:



Let's start from the top, shall we? To the tavern!



As opposed to the old west style saloons we visited near the beginning of the game, this one is pretty high-tech. Looks pretty awesome. Sadly, this is the most interesting part of this place, at least for now >.<

In any case, at the Central HQ we meet an old friend:

: Ah, Yuri, here you are! I've been waiting for you. I'm glad to see you. All the way from Ropesk, eh?

: Yes, thanks to all the help I got from Nia and my friends.

: But that's the way of the spacefarer, is it not? There's no need to be ashamed of getting a little assistance along the way. Now then, down to business. I have several things to discuss with you.

Awwwwww. I wanted a vacation

: Ah yes, about those Epitaphs...

: Did you find anything out?

: Not yet. A close examination of all our space flight data is taking quite a bit of time, I'm afraid.

: Oh, I see. Oh well.

: So that Balik bastard is still free as a bird, ain't he?

: Yes, I'm afraid so. We got a report from Sector Patrol that a ship, apparently Balik's ship, was seen heading toward Medyn.

: Where's Medyn?

: It's a remote artificial planet, the base of Argun Narevin, another major player in the Novgorod Pirates. Now that Balik has lost all of his men, I can only assume he plans on joining up with Argun.

: Grus! We can't just let Balik go runnin' around out there, doing whatever he wants! Not after what he pulled with Tats' bro! Ain't that right, Yuri?

: That's right. I haven't forgotten about him, believe me.

: In that case, please help us get rid of these pirates. We will, of course, do everything we can from our end as well.

: Did something happen to Lieutenant Galkin?



: Yes, well, this is the situation. There's a dispute between the planets of Alatyr and Driutesk over an area with resource-rich planets located between them. We've sent Lieutenant Galkin out on an intelligence mission to try and solve that dispute. But, unfortunately, he's having a very difficult time of it. I was hoping that you might assist us.

: What, so now we have to do another little job for ya before you give up any Epitaph info, is that it?

: No, no. That's not the case at all. This is just a personal request, a favor, if you like.

: Hmph.

: That's fine. I don't know how much help we can be, but we'll do what we can.

: Are you sure, kiddo?

: Yes. After all, Lieutenant Galkin helped us out when we needed it. Besides, it's just a dispute right now, and we don't want it turning into a full-blown war. That would mean the loss of a lot of innocent lives. If we can help solve the problem before that happens, I think we should.

: ...

Whoa. When did Yuri turn into Lloyd Irving?

: I'm grateful to you, Yuri. Right now, Lieutenant Galkin is operating out of the planet Nerekhta. I'd like you to go there and get in touch with him directly.

Well heck, we were already thinking of going there.

: And that's all I have to discuss for now.

: Whew! We just came here to get some info, and you end up sending us out on all kinds of errands!

: I apologize. I plan to do everything I can to make it worth your while. Please stop by my quarters at the officers' lodgings later, if you wouldn't mind.

Eh, later. First, we have someone to visit at the hospital...



*In a private room, Zakhar lies motionless in a treatment capsule. Just as he promised, Vladykin is apparently seeing to it that Zakhar gets the best care possible.*

Doctor: About the servonin, I'm afraid that all we can do for him is keep him stabilized at this point. If only we had someone here from the LMC who knew how to treat him...

: ...

: Don't worry, Tats. We'll go all the way to the LMC ourselves if we've got to. Won't we, Yuri my man?

: That's right. Once we get a little more experienced and capable, we'll go to the LMC or wherever we need to.

: Thank you.

Welp, visiting hours are over and at least Zakhar is in good hands. Let's go meet with Vladykin.

: I know this is small thanks for what I'm asking, but I'd like to instruct you in the theory of making the best use of your fleet. Do you have some time for that?

: Sure. That would be great.

: Good, then. Some of this might be difficult to follow, but please do your best. First of all, let's talk about CIC information sharing...

*fadeout*

: That's all. Let me give you these blueprints as well. Please make good use of them in your journey!

Watch, we'll probably get the Derpy or whatever that other destroyer he offered before was--

You got blueprints for a Borodino-class battleship!



You acquired the Special Skill, "Fleet Leader Lv. 3"! You can now have up to three ships in your fleet!

Spoiler: Mama bear (click to show/hide)

: Huh?

*Yuri's party leaves the room, but Nia remains behind*

: Can I help you?

: Just thought I'd have a little word with ya.

: I'm listening.

: And I'm talking. After this is over, you won't be using Yuri for any of your little schemes again, you got that?

: Using him?

: You heard me. I know what's going on here. The Reform Faction, the Conservative Faction, and all the regional forces, they're all squabbling over power. So you're trying to get around all that by using Yuri and his crew, because you know they've got no ties to any of them.

: Hm. I can't deny it, but I don't want you to think that's all there is to this. The truth of the matter is, I've taken a real liking to the boy.

: I'll be nice and pretend to believe that. But this is the last time you use him to do any of your dirty work. You got me? I don't want you getting that kid mixed up in your messy political Grus.

: Understood.

Spoiler: Drowning in blueprints (click to show/hide)

We have one more thing to do before calling this update quits. Bear with me for a while, because this is kinda awesome.

We go to the other planet mentioned earlier in the update, Chenesk. The only thing here is a tavern. The bartender claims that there is a ship deign company on this planet that works directly for the Elgavan military. Sadly, they do not sell to the public.

The other person of interest here is a middle-aged man. His daughter requires a special medicine called polyphermin, and she's running out. It's only sold in big hospitals, and there aren't any like that here on Chenesk. Clearly, it is our duty as RPG heroes to help him!

To the hospital on Zvenigorod! Polypherin costs 150G, a small sum for us but likely beyond most folks. Back to Chenesk!
(note: I earned three times that much from random encounters on the way back )

: Here you go.

Middle-aged Man: Is this polypherin?! You bought this and brought it all the way back here for me?! Thank you! Thank you very much! Here, please take these! It's a token of my gratitude!

You got blueprints for a Novik-class destroyer! You got blueprints for a Gnevny-class destroyer!

: These are Novgorod Pirate ships...Are you a...?

Middle-aged Man: Heh. I did a lot of foolish things when I was younger. I used to think my daughter's illness was punishment for my past. But now that I'm leading a decent life, people like you have come along to show me the way. I sure am glad I changed my ways all those years ago!

Spoiler: Post-update Overview (click to show/hide)

Ugh, another update distinctly lacking in actual gameplay. On the other hand, holy crap have we got some choices to make. First off, the Borodino's stats:



It's big and it's powerful, but it's also slow and quite expensive.



Here's the Novik. It's a little faster than the Orfey-class, and has slightly better firepower. It has less armor and livability though. It might not replace the PANSY as our flagship, but we could conceivably replace the LOTUS.



And finally, we have the Gnevny. At first glance, this thing seems terrible. Less firepower than the LOTUS, slower and less defended than the PANSY, so why would we want it? One word: fighters. This is the first ship we can get that has fighter capacity, though we do not currently have the blueprints for hangar space or fighters to load.

We also have the Rurik cruiser from a couple updates ago, but I think it was decided not to use it.

Sadly, we cannot currently afford any of these. Some money-making is required no matter what we choose. I will grind out whatever amount of money is needed off-screen, so don't worry. I want us to have a kick-ass fleet.

Also keep in mind that we can have three ships in our fleet now. We'll need to be at full capacity before very long to have the best odds of survival, but we can get by with only two ships, or by adding the DAISY to the fleet, for a while.

Well, I suppose that's everything. Tune in next time for awesome new crew members, fleet ownage, and the power of medicine!

[Sirus]

Also as a side-note, I'm working on something kinda awesome. I remember there were some complaints about how blocky and ugly the ships looked in the screenshots, and while I've been trying to get good angles on things it doesn't always properly convey shapes and sizes. If this project works, that shouldn't be as much of a problem 

[Boksi]

Battleship. We need that battleship. Even if we might be better off with a different ship, we need that battleship. Because battleship.

[Sheb]

You'll grind all the money needed? Can I petition for a total replacement of the fleet with three battleships? :p

More seriously, we need that battleship. Changing the LOTUS for a Novik or Orfey might be cool as well.

[hexedmagica]

Get the battleship!

[Jarod Cain]

I vote for the battleship and one carrier to round out the third spot along with the Pansy.
-J-

[Sheb]

I see no need to go with carrier yet, since we don't have fighters. Better to wait until carrier become a viable option.

[Bluerobin]

Definitely not carrier for the same reason as Sheb. Upgrading the lasers would be nice and the battleship would probably be a big help.

[Frumple]

Battleship, definitely~ Novik if it's got longer range than the Lotus. Because range is love. Don't even recall if it's terribly helpful in the game. Just like outranging people because that's sexy.

So, question. Can you get a ship and keep it in reserve? Because if so... go ahead and get the carrier too, unless a better one will be available by the time you get access to fighters. Planning ahead~

E:Also upgrade weapons yes, definitely. Moar dakka moar betta.

[Bluerobin]

Hehe could we load the battleship full of missiles?

[Sirus]

Good choice on the battleship. I speak from experience when I say that a properly upgraded Borodino will last us quite a long time

@ Sheb: I realize that you're joking, but an all-battleship fleet isn't as good as it sounds. The fleet would be the epitome of a glacier; very tough, but slower than frozen honey.

@ Frumple: It certainly is possible to buy a ship and keep it in storage. It very rarely is a good idea however, as the money would be better used to upgrade the ships we're actually using. On the other hand, I'm not sure how long it will be until we get a proper carrier (please note, the Gnevny is actually a sub-par destroyer rather than a full-fledged carrier), so perhaps your idea is a good one.

@ Bluerobin: Three of the Borodino's four guns can be switched for missiles or whatever. The last one is probably a built-in large laser, which cannot be switched out.

[Itnetlolor]

Spoiler: Something I learned about carriers... (spoilers?) (click to show/hide)

In an offside of my game, I managed to grind up to afford a fleet of carriers and see if I could replicate MOO's broken fighter system. Unfortunately, there seems to be a hidden limit of effectiveness/efficiency of fighters in a fleet. So to put it, I think the maximum effectiveness of fighters where carriers are involved is essentially limited to a squadron total of 128 fighters (I had a big flight wing of fighters in my lineup of nothing but full-stock carriers (240 fighters / 4 carrier fleet); they did nearly the same amount of damage as the control group (148 fighters as I originally had setup (2 carrier, 2 battleships w/ fighter capacity); same class fighters).

I can't be absolutely certain about this, but I think there's a limit as to how many fighters can be on the field at any time. If anything, I find them particularly good for whittling down ships that have a defense bonus in the back of the fleet; not to forget, fighters rock at keeping your distance, or gaining on a runaway fleet while causing harm to them (like casting poison on them).

If you want a good fleet, I would suggest at least a ship that can carry fighters (when fighters become available), or a carrier or 2 tops, for a special secondary purpose that makes combat much easier to handle (and I suggest strikers/multi-role classes for offense and defense purposes, instead of just specializing in one; especially if you lack good anti-air countermeasures). I would also suggest a battleship in the fleet, and a cruiser for countering enemy fighters; the remainder being destroyers since they have an advantage over larger craft (just check out their anti-ship ratings compared to every other ship), and if you money grind and spend well enough, are cheap enough to replace if you lose one.

And from what I heard, I think you can go the whole game with the Borodino-class in your fleet since the first time you get the blueprint. Consider that a challenge as well.

EDIT:
Oh yeah, and regarding storage, remember, 9 ship limit. Kinda made me sad to part with a few of my best ships just to make room. At least they helped pay for their badass replacements.

[Sirus]

-carrier/fighter stuff-

That's basically how I did it, though with a few differences. Of course, there's no rule stating that way has to be our way.

are cheap enough to replace if you lose one.

Not sure what you're talking about here...so far as I remember, ships that lose all of their HP are repaired for free upon entering port

And from what I heard, I think you can go the whole game with the Borodino-class in your fleet since the first time you get the blueprint. Consider that a challenge as well.

But why would we want to do that when there are so many more awesome ships to buy?

[Itnetlolor]

are cheap enough to replace if you lose one.

Not sure what you're talking about here...so far as I remember, ships that lose all of their HP are repaired for free upon entering port

I lose one, I lost it. I think only story-class ships are able to come back after being nuked. Reason I farmed early-game with the Daisy as my front line.