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As per the vote, Dr. Kuchin becomes Chief Physician (sorry, Kira), and Larissa becomes the Nurse. Kira becomes ICU Head, and the Sick Bay is fully staffed!

Now, if you remember from the huge walls-o-text that I have the gall to call "updates", Vladykin told us about a probe that disappeared somewhere around the Volodarev Sector. Since it was trying to find information on Epitaphs, it makes sense for Yuri to go looking for it.






Just a minor problem; Volodarev is a fairly long voyage without a rest stop. Temporarily reassigning Kira to the Head Chef position will go a long way to alleviating crew fatigue thanks to her Amateur Chef skill, but I'll still want to avoid fights if possible.

The first waypoint is reached without incident. Upon arrival at the second point, however, Kira pipes up. Gotta admire how she handles ICU, cooking, AND sensors all at the same time. Girl's a multitasking extraordinaire.

: Yuri, there are several ships ahead. They look like regional Elgavan Forces.

: Regional forces, huh? Even if they are, they're kinda hanging around a weird spot, don't you think?





Suddenly, the Elgavan ships unleash a flurry of hard-to-screenshot lasers at Yuri's fleet! What treachery is this?!

: What the--?! They're firin' at us?!

: What are they thinking?! Patch me through--

: Ah ha ha ha ha! I've been waiting for you, Yuri. I knew you'd be coming this way.

: You! Let's see. Your name was...

: Excuse me, but who are you?

Ouch.

: The commander of the Lutsk Base, Tefed Mudakov, of course! Don't tell me you've forgotten already!

: Oh, yeah! The officer that was in bed with Balik! I forgot all about him!

OUCH.

: Fine! You may have forgotten me, but I certainly haven't forgotten you. Thanks to you, I lost my position and am now on the run, constantly having to look over my shoulder.

: You brought that on yourself, taking bribes from pirates when you were supposed to be running a base!

: Enough! Silence! Destroy him!

Have it your way, Muda--



Oh.

The enemy fleet is made of 2 Derzky-Locs, 2 Orfey-Locs, and a new type of ship called the Askold-Loc cruiser. Tis a lot of firepower! Shame they don't have the toughness to match!



The two Derzky-Locs go down to a single Normal attack each. Afterwards, Mudakov foolishly decides to target the RUSALKA, ignoring the fact that it's in the back of the fleet and is built like a very fancy brick.



As one might expect, the Orfey-Locs are slightly tougher, requiring two Normal attacks each to destroy.

Mudakov lands his first decent hit after the first Orfey-Loc goes down, knocking around 200HP off the PANSY. It still has 700 though, so I'm not worried.

Or at least I wasn't until I accidentally closed the game



Round two goes somewhat worse. The Derzky-Locs are tougher somehow, and the LOTUS takes a brutal hit. Just goes to show that you can't be overly-complacent when battling traitors.

Anyway, the two Orfey-Locs go down, leaving Mudakov himself in his flagship. I wait until he charges a Barrage, Dodge the attack, and Unleash Final Roar.
Maybe that Eudora-thing could survive, but a simple Elgavan ship didn't stand a chance.
 


Victory!

Shortly afterwards, on the bridge of the RUSALKA:

: It looks like the rat bastard managed to survive, Yuri.

: Ow. Ow! Try not to be so rough!

: You give one more order, "Commander", and I'll knock ya into Grus!

: Hmph.

: Mudakov, we're taking you to Zvenigorod and handing you over to Commander Vladykin. And I bet you know what happened to the Epitaph probe ship, too, don't you?

: What are you talking about? I was just hiding out here from the Central Forces.

: Are you sure about that?

: Yes, quite sure.

: Hm. It looks like he's telling the truth for a change.

: Okay, Mudakov, I hope you like cramped quarters, because you're goin into the storeroom.

: All right, you! The storeroom's that-a way!

: Hey! I can walk just fine without your boot in my rear, thank you very much!

And so ends the role of - what's his name? - in our tale. I think. Onward, to Volodarev!

As far as Central Elgavan planets tend to go, Volodarev is pretty quiet. First, we shall visit the local Module shop, where I purchase a Hold Lvl2, a Crew Cabin Lvl3, a Mess Hall, and an Accounting Office Lvl2. You should know what the others do, but the Mess Hall helps increase Livability. 70G for the lot is a pittance, but Volodarev doesn't have a shipyard to install our new parts.

Let's go to the Tavern, see if anyone has information for us. There is an oddly-dressed man, so that seems like a good place to start.

: Wait a minute...Semias? Semias, is that you?!

: Ah! Lady Nia! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?

: You know this man, Nia?

: What? Oh, yeah!

: Semias Alastar, jack of all trades, at your service!

: So what in Grus are you doing here, Semias?

: Well, actually...I've been looking for you, Lady Nia. There's something I thought you should be aware of.

: Oh, yeah?

: The void gate that leads to the Alzenia Sector appears to have been reactivated.

: What?! No...How could that happen? I thought that gate was dead!

: It was. But that doesn't change the fact that it is now reactivated and fully functioning.

: So do you think they...?

: I went to the gate to check on that very thing, and I'm sorry to say that they have already begun to invade.

Wait, what?! Who's they? Who's invading?

: No way! I can't believe it!

: Nia, what's going on?

: Huh? Oh, sorry, kid. I have a few things to discuss with my old pal Semias here. Would ya mind leaving us be and coming back later?

: Huh? Oh, okay. Sure.

: Thanks. I just need a little time. Why don't you guys go for a walk or something? Get some fresh air, okay?

: Okay, fine.

Yes, MOM.

Well, like I said this is practically a farming community to other Elgavan planets. Let's check out some of the wilderness. There's a nearby meadow that looks nice.



Apparently, they farm "panmolo" here. Panmolos are the furry animals you can see above, as evidenced by the workers milking them.

Farmer: Would you two folks like to try some?

: Really?

: Thank you, mister!

There's also a nice forest to wander through. This must be a nice vacation after so much time on ships and space stations.

: Mmm, it smells so good in the forest.

: Yeah. It kind of reminds me of the forests we had back on Ropesk.

: Come on, Yuri! It's so pretty here! Let's just go for a little walk, just you and me.

: Huh? Yeah, okay.

During the walk, Kira talks about how she'd like to live in a place like this one day. Yuri, of course, goes on about exploring as far as he can. Good thing these two are brother and sister, otherwise this scene would be REALLY weird.
Wait...it still kinda is.

Well, Nia and Semias are probably done by now, so let's check in on them.

: Oh, hey, kiddo. We just got done talking.

*Nia hands Yuri a thin plate*

: What's this?

: It's a voyage record. It's from the Epitaph probe ship.

: What?!

: I salvaged it from the wreckage I found near the void gate in the Alzenia Sector. I'm sorry to say that they had already stolen the Epitaph the probe ship apparently had found.

Dammit!

: Wait, back up a minute. What are you guys talking about? Who is this "they" you keep talking about? Are you trying to tell me that "they" destroyed the probe ship?

: Well...

: Instead of trying to explain it here, I think we'd better take that voyage recorder to Zvenigorod and have it looked at there. Once they suss it out, we'll be able to see their recorded images right up to the moment of the attack.

: Okay, then let's go!

But before we do, I want to get some of those panmolos! Their milk was delicious!

*On a corner of the farm, an elderly farmer is standing, seemingly lost in thought*

Elderly Farmer: Oh, Ratai! I always knew you'd come back!

: What? Uh, I think you've mistaken me for somebody else.

Elderly Farmer: Huh? Oh...Oh, yeah. I guess so. Ratai's a lot taller than you. You're kind of runty.

: Um...Who's Ratai?

Elderly Farmer: He's my son. Said something about goin' off and studyin' the stars. He left this planet about three years ago now. Wonder what he's up to these days...

Probably been killed by pirates. Oh...now I feel sad
Let's just get back to Zvenigorod.

: Nia, before we ship out, can I ask you something?

: Go ahead, kid.

: Where is this Alzenia Sector that Semias mentioned? I never heard of any place like that in the SMC.

: That's no surprise. If you tried to get there without using void gates, it'd take you five years at warp speed, one way.

: Wow. So it's in another galaxy?

: Yup, a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars XD

: In fact, it's the galaxy where I'm from.



The RUSALKA pulls out of dock, and the fleet begins its journey back to Headquarters. Upon entering the first waypointhhabojn***U* IUI89%%%

??: Tracker's continued resistance to accepting control confirmed.

??: Measures must be taken at once.

??: Setting Tracker to auto-adjust to thought control and cooperation at the next observation checkpoint.

Wow, what a crazy trip! I lost count of how many pirates I shot down and how many amazing jokes were told! Hahahahaha!
Oh hey, we're at Zvenigorod! Awesome.

As we pull in, we see a dude wearing hair that went out of style several dozen thousand years ago.

: All I need is one more day, just until I can get some results for the cosmic microwave background radiation I've been observing!

Soldier: You need to get a permit to do stuff like that on public property. No exceptions! Now pack up and hit the road!

: B-B-But...

: Is there a problem here?

Soldier: Yeah, he's illegally camped out here. This is a spaceport, not a campground. Do you know him?

: No. No I don't.

: Please! All I want to do is finish my research on cosmic background--

Soldier: Will you shut up about that already? I've got my own work to do, you know! I'll let it slide today, but if I catch you here again, I'm going to haul you off to jail! You got that?

*The soldier storms off with an irritated look on his face*

: ...

: Excuse me.

: I'm not sure I really wanna know, but still, I gotta ask. What are ya doing here at the spaceport like this?

: I'm researching cosmic background radiation on this planet. I can't measure it on the ground, so that's why I'm doing it here. The name's Ratai Faustov, by the way.

: In that case, I've got an even better idea. You should join us on our ship.

: Do you mean it? I can? I can come with you?! I've always dreamed of performing my observation experiments in space!

: Of course, nobody gets a free ride. You're gonna have to work for your keep, ya know.

: Yes, of course!

Ratai Faustov joined your crew!



This guy is an odd one. On the one hand, he has decent science skill. On the other, his special skill, All-Seeing, gives bonuses to Attack Range if placed in a Radar position (Control Skill). I guess it depends if we want an immediate boost to research or a long-term boost in attack range and control. Or he could go somewhere else altogether. Vote carefully!

Alright, now it is time to turn over that probe report. Let's go visit Vladykin.

: You found out something about the Epitaph probe ship?

: Yeah. Check this out.

*Yuri hands over the voyage recorder*

: But this is...So the probe ship is done for, is that it?

: It looks like it. I didn't see it myself, but we talked to somebody who salvaged that recorder from the wreckage.

: Hm...All right, thank you. We'll get this analyzed, and then we'll be able to see what happened to the probe ship for ourselves.

: And could you get that Mudakov guy out of our storeroom?

: Mudakov? Don't tell me you apprehended him as well!

: Yeah. Heh heh. We ran into him on our way to Volodarev, so we just picked him up.

: Oh please! Quit trying to show off in front of Commander Vladykin!

: Ha ha! You people surprise me more and more at every turn.

That's because we're awesome

: I'd like to thank you, and there's that Epitaph information we spoke of as well. Please meet me at Headquarters later. I'll be waiting for you.

Presents! Presents! Presents! To Headquarters!

: Ah, I've been waiting for you! First of all, about the voyage recorder from the probe ship...

: You're finally done analyzing it?

: No, I'm afraid it was badly damaged and we're still trying to deal with it. I don't think we should get our hopes up.



: That figures.

: Now, about the Epitaph information you asked for. Do you know what dead gates are?

: Dead gates?

: They're similar to void gates, except that they're not functional anymore. You won't see many of them in the Interplanetary Union of Elgava, but you can sometimes find them in remote sectors.

: Huh. Okay, but what do they have to do with Epitaphs?

: Well, according to some old information we've got in our military database, there have been two instances of Epitaphs being found in the vicinity of dead gates. Professor Gavriil Minas has said in his research reports that the composition of Epitaphs and dead gates are quite similar.

: So if I find out more about dead gates, I might be able to solve the mysteries of the Epitaphs. Is that it?

: Well, I'm not sure about that, but your best bet is to go see Professor Minas and ask him for yourself. I've already contacted him for you, so he'll be expecting you. You'll find him on the planet of Heraklion in the Kalymnos Cluster.

: Heraklion in the Kalymnos Cluster, huh?

: Is that where we're gonna go next, Yuri?

: Of course. That's what this is all about, why I even went into space in the first place.

: Yeah! So we're really gonna blow this taco stand! Good-bye, Interplanetary Union of Elgava! Man, this is gonna be great!

: And I'd like to give you this, as a personal thank you. This is a company that creates ship designs for the military, so I think it would be well worth your time to visit.

You got a letter of introduction to the ship design company on Chernesk!

: I've done all that I can do for you now. I wish you safe travels!

Well, before we go visiting any new clusters, we've got ships to buy! Let's go!

: You wanted to see me, Defense Minister Fomich?

: Yes. You settled the dispute between Alatyr and Driutesk, and even managed to preserve the dignity of both nations. President Vlaso Saburov would like to get the entire report from you directly, if you wouldn't mind.

: President Saburov, sir?!

: Yes. Please go there at once.

: Yes, sir!

: Sir, what is the meaning of this? If the president would like a report, it is only fitting that I, Vladykin's superior officer, would--

: Are you saying you're unhappy with the president's decision, Captain?

: What?! N-No, of course not, sir!

: Let me give you a piece of advice, Novikov. The president wants people here in Zvenigorod who can get results, people who can bring prosperity to the area. Be they Conservative Faction or Reform Faction...You'd do well to remember that and step up your game, Novikov.

: Y-Yes sir!

I can't be the only one who thinks Fomich is slimy, right?

Anyway, Chernesk has three ship blueprints for sale:



First is the Derzky-class destroyer. This was the option we didn't take from Vladykin, choosing the Orfey instead. It's not a great ship at this point in the game, but it is cheap (we can afford better).



Next up is the Skorry-class destroyer. It's a heavier version of the Orfey, with slightly better armor and weapons but weaker engines. It'd be a good partner for the PANSY.



And finally, we have the Askold-class cruiser. This might be a good choice to add to the fleet, as it's reasonably fast and powerful for the price. It also has fighter launch capability, though we still don't have hangers to install or fighters to load, and we won't be getting them for some time yet. It'll still be a fine combat ship, should you choose to get it.

There are a couple of new jobs for us to complete for extra money and exp before moving on. We go now to Driutesk, where the bartender wants us to deliver a package to Paozero...way the hell on the other end of the sector (facepalm). Well, 450G is nothing to sneeze at. The assignment is completed without a hitch, despite best efforts by roving pirate gangs.

And so, as we approach Deviagorsk, the last planet before the void gate to Kalymnos...

: May I have a word with you, Yuri? It looks as if everything has been wrapped up nicely for now. As such, Alik and I will be disembarking.

: Can't we convince you to come with us?

: I'm not the type who enjoys being cooped up on one ship for long periods of time. But we'll be continuing our travels through the SMC. I am sure we will run into each other again someday. Farewell, my boy.

: G-Good-bye.

: Good-bye. Thanks for everything, and take care.

Gen and Alik left your crew!

Nooooooooo

: (sighs) Well, there they go!

: What a pity. I think we all could have learned quite a lot from that man.

: What about you, Ian? Aren't you gonna be kickin' off too, now?

: Huh?

: I mean, you already did what you got paid to do, yeah?

: Yes, well, at first I thought it was just going to be a short assignment. But now that I see how ignorant you all are about space travel, I thought maybe I should stay on a little longer, to help you out.

: Well, well! I don't recall any of us askin' you for more help.

: I see.

: Hey, don't let us hold ya back! We ain't beggin' for ya to stay or nothing! Huh...? What...? Ouch!

: Stop being such a bully, Torlo!

: We need all the hands we can get, Ian. We're glad to have more crew members. Right, kiddo?

: That's right. I'd be happy to have you stay, Ian.

: Oh...very well, Yuri. Thank you.

Ian became an official crew member!

Spelunky