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Yes

Well, last time I called it a night after barely making it to Ketrzyn. It's time to go somewhere new:



Lutsk! Sector capital and namesake! Population of 20 billion (O_o)!



Perhaps most importantly of all, Lutsk is home to both a Module Company AND something new: a Guild! First, I swing by the module shop and clean out the shelves. Economists everywhere agree; when Yuri is in town, buy module stock!
There's some pretty cool stuff here, which I'll describe once I get to the shipyard. Next stop, the Guild! The Guild should be a must-stop whenever it's available, as this is the place where you can hire crew members! Most of them have no story importance, but they're extremely helpful.
There is a catch, however. While they don't cost much to hire (not compared to ships, anyway), they will only join you if your fame value is high enough. Thankfully, this usually isn't a problem.
Let's do some hiring. The first one is named Poplo:



: I'm Poplo, the leader of the Trump Mercenary Squadron. If you want to hire me as part of your crew, my cost is 500G.

Silly Yuri wonders as to whether we really want him. I'm gonna take a wild guess as to what the people will want and say "yes".
Rule of thumb: Always accept new crew members when offered, as they might not be around later.

: I'd really like you to be a part of my crew, Poplo.

: Would you, now? If that's the case, then show me your phenomena log.

"But Sirus, what's a phenomena log? You never mentioned this before!"
That's true, because I haven't encountered it yet. I'm not sure what the issue is, but my test game (the one I started before this LP) seems to be recording the few phenomena encountered so far for ALL save files. The upshot of this is that while we would have encountered at least one so far, this file seems to think we already did.
Thankfully, the amount of Fame they earn is a pittance that can be made up with an extra battle or two. I have no problems here.

: Huh. This isn't bad. Of course, I've seen a lot better too. Still, I guess I could join your crew if that's what you're aiming for.

: Yes, please!

Poplo joined your crew! You paid 500G!

Next prospective member:



: The name's Gadina. I'm second in command of the Trump Mercenary Squadron. If you cough up 300G, I wouldn't mind joining your crew.

Yes

: Okay, let's see your phenomena log, then. Well, well! This is not bad. Not bad at all! It'll be a pleasure to work with you, Captain!

Gadina joined your crew! You paid 300G!

Woot! Two skilled mercenaries for us! One more potential crew member to go...

: Hey, how's about ya hire me? I come dirt cheap, and I'll work real hard for ya. Only 23G, and I'm all yours. I got my bags packed and everythin'! Whaddya say?

: ...

: I wouldn't, if I were you. You get what ya pay for, ya know.

That's rich, considering how much I paid for YOU.

: I think you might be right.

Fun fact: So far as I know, this guy is still here at the end of the game.

Well, the Guild has nothing else for us. To the tavern!
Unusually, this tavern-keeper has a name:



: The name's Rufina Bondar. Welcome to my tavern. Please...Eat, drink and be merry!

: Say, by the way, let me introduce you to one of my employees. She's someone real special, this one! Come on over here a minute, Tatiana!



: Yes, Rufina?

: See? Isn't she a lovely flower? A fine worker, too. She keeps the customers coming back just to see her pretty smile!

: It's nice to meet you. My name is Tatiana Agarkov.

: Tatiana...? Tats baby! It is you! You're Tatiana from Mill City on Bagut, right! It's me, Torlo! We used to play together when we was kids! Aw c'mon! Don't you remember me?



: Torlo...? Wait a minute...You mean you're Torlo the "bully of Mill City"?

: Yeah. Heh. I guess that'd be me! Man, it sure has been a while! So you're workin' here, huh? I can't believe I ran into ya after all this time!

*Tatiana appears to be less enthused about their reunion than Torlo*

Geez louise, what are the odds?
Seriously, someone calculate that. 20 billion on this planet, something like 3 billion on Bagut, plus all of the planets between here and there. I predict that one would have a better chance at winning the lottery.

Rufina has one more thing to say, regarding her good-for-nothing ex-husband. Seems the man had gotten himself a tavern on another planet, only to call years later and ask for money. We wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would we?

An adventurer is at the tavern, but he or she only tells you to check out the guild. We can also talk to Tatiana!

: What a coincidence, huh? The two of you running into each other all the way out here?

: Ha ha! She used to be my girl, you know! But then she up and moved away one day. Just about broke my heart in two. Had some good memories together, though...

: Huh.

: Don't believe a word that guy says! He's so full of it! The only time I was ever his "girl" was in his dreams! We were just neighbors, that's all. I swear!

Talking to her again reveals important information:

: Hey, come to think of it...You got a big brother, don't you Tats? He still livin' with you?

: No, he's...Uh...

: What? What's the matter?

: I don't know where he is. He joined the Elgavan forces, and about six months ago I lost all contact with him. I keep asking the base about him, but the only thing they tell me is that he's on a mission. I've been so worried!

: We ought to ask Commander Vladykin if he knows what he's up to. It's a long shot, but who knows? We can go pay him a visit over at the Lutsk base.

Fun fact: The Lutsk base is not actually on Lutsk.

: Really? Do you think there's a chance he might know something? Take me with you, then! I want to ask him myself!

: Well...

: There's no harm in her tagging along, is there, Yuri? (whispers) Man, do me this one favor, okay?

: All right. If that's what you really want. But what about Rufina?

: Oh, don't give me a thought! I know how worried poor Tatiana's been.

: Oh, thank you, Rufina!

Tatiana joined your crew as a temporary crew member!

Lutsk is such a great place to meet new people, eh?

Well, Lutsk was awesome, but it's almost time to leave. First things first: The LOTUS needs a few upgrades to remain competative for longer than the next boss battle. Therefore, we must remodel!



Since we have so many upgraded mods, I delete everything. Clean slate! Here's what I add:

• Elgava Bridge Lv2. Boosts Gauge Speed. Replaces Lv1 because the old one had no bonuses.
• AntiShip Control Room Lv1. Boosts antiship accuracy by 3 and antiship attack by a whopping 10. Works in conjunction with the old Fire Control.
• Amplifier. Increases laser attacks by 10. This plus the AntiShip room = big damage against enemy ships.

Otherwise, the loadout is basically the same. I did have to dump one of the holds in order to make room, but the improved combat potential more than makes up for it. Grand total: 610G.



Ain't it a beauty?

Next order of business: The new crew! Three of them this time, and they all need placement:







Alright people, get cracking! Consensus is required! If not consensus, then whoever can hold their breath the longest!

Next up is the mudball planet of Klaipeda. We're here to pick up yet another party member! To find him,we must go to the tavern.

The merchant in the tavern complains about the pirates infesting the starlanes. They charge huge passage fees to everyone but us, apparently, which is why the entire sector hasn't simply shut down.

If you talk to your friends, Tatiana muses about her brother. Apparently, his name is Zakhar, and he's been in the army for five years. Since they're the only family either of them have, they kept in touch.

The bartender knows who the president of Efimov Inc is, and where to find him. He gives us the guy's address, which makes me wonder how the pirates haven't found and killed him yet. Aside from that important info, he's got nothing. Let's go meet the president!

*The party visits the address the bartender gave them, and a young man answers the door. This is apparently Karlo Efimov, the former president of Efimov, Incorporated*



: The Novgorod Pirates set their sights on my father's business. They murdered him in cold blood and took over the company. That's why I've been here, devoting myself to the development of a new module, a module that will help me defeat them. Yuri, will you help me defeat the Novgorod Pirates?

Well, Yuri IS an RPG hero, so...

: You will?! In that case, please accept this. They're blueprints to a shield frame module I developed. Equip it on the Module screen to raise the durability of your ship.

Shield Frame 1 is now available to be equipped!

: And I'd like to join your crew, if you wouldn't mind. My maintenance skills are solid, and I think I could be of help.

Karlo Efimov joined your crew!

Sadly, I either have to hold off on the shield frame until a new ship, or get rid of something on the LOTUS. We just don't have room otherwise. On the other hand, the shield frame adds 300 hit points to the ship it is installed on, which would nearly double the LOTUS's. I'll leave the choice to you fine folks.

While I'm thinking about it, here's Karlo's skills:



Choose his slot wisely!

There's really only one place left for us to go: Lutsk Base, located in the bottom "layer" of the map. We set out for the base, but Nia interrupts us partway there:

: Unh...

: If you have to go to the bathroom, it's not good to hold it in, you know.

Dear god Yuri, why did your mind jump to THAT?

: I don't have to go to the bathroom! I was just thinking!

: About what?

: You remember that Commander Vladykin guy that popped up when we were fighting the pirates?

: What about him?

: I dunno. I just get this weird feeling that he let the pirates get away on purpose.

: On purpose? Why would he do that?

: I'm not sure. But there's a lot of folks in cahoots with the Novgorod Pirates around here. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the military was in on that action, too.

: Wow. I hope not.

Foreshadowing! Anyway, the rest of the trip goes without incident. Welcome to Lutsk Base, home to a very cool-looking spaceport:



As you might expect from the Elgavan version of Pearl Harbor, this planet has a shipyard for remodeling and purchasing. On the ground, there are only two places to visit: The Tavern, and HQ.

The bartender tells Yuri a rumor that lots of soldiers are joining up with the pirates, tired of low wages or something like that. A soldier in the tavern complains about being away from home for too long, thanks to the same pirates.
If Yuri talks to his friends, Torlo goes on about how he doesn't trust Vladykin. Yuri, is a moment of wisdom, says that he tries not to hold preconceived notions about others, and would rather keep an open mind.
Ok, so the tavern was a waste. On to HQ!

*When the party mentions Commander Vladykin's name to the guards, they are quickly shown to a room*



I like this guy. He battles pirates and doesn't afraid of anything.

: I'm glad you came, Yuri! Let me introduce myself again. Central Elgavan Forces, Zone 4, 122nd Fleet, Commander Oleg Vladykin. And this is my superior officer, Captain Mogilek Novikov.



: ...

: And this is the head of this base--



: Tefed Mudakov, Commander. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Damn, there's a lot of brass in this room. Anyway, the only way to get the story moving is to chat with each of officers. Let's start with Vladykin:

: Well! You're even younger than I imagined from your voice. A boy your age, captain of his own ship!

: Is there something wrong with that?

: Oh no, I'm sorry. Did I offend you?

: No, don't worry about it.

Ok, that conversation was rather pointless. Now for Novikov:

: Commander Vladykin told me about you. But I can hardly believe that a boy so young would be crossing swords with the Novgorod Pirates!

: Well, believe it!

God, introductions are so dull. Finally, we talk to Mudakov:

: The military of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava is divided up into Central Elgavan Forces and a force for each local sector. I belong to the local Lutsk Sector force. Captain Novikov and Commander Vladykin here, however, belong to the Central Elgavan Forces.

Alright, time to get this thing started.

: What do you think of the situation in this sector, Yuri?

: What do you mean?

: Pirates are everywhere you turn, doing as they please...

: Sounds like the Central Elgavan Forces ain't doin' their job, if you ask me.

: Hey, cool it, Torlo!

: What? Yuri, don't be mad! It's the truth, ain't it?

: I'm afraid that your friend is right. But the entire Interplanetary Union is in a highly unstable state right now. The truth is, we just don't have enough resources to deal with the pirates, too. And so I have a favor to ask of you. I've seen what you can do, and I want you to lend us your strength and help put an end to these pirates. What do you say?

Another "choice" here. Saying no simply lets you leave the conversation, but then nothing else happens. Thankfully, I'm all for wiping out some pirate scum.

: You will? I'm very grateful! We should talk elsewhere, then. My lodgings are nearby. Please stop by there later. I'll be waiting for you.

"Later", in this game, tends to mean "as soon as a location opens", so off we go!

: Ah, there you are, Yuri! We're free to talk strategy here without reserve. Please, have a seat.

: Before we start talking strategy, there's something I want to ask you about.

: Is there? And what might that be?

: Tatiana here has a brother in the military, but she hasn't been able to reach him for a while now. We want to know if you know what's up with him.

: What's the name of this brother of yours?

: I don't know what division he's in, but his name is Zakhar. Zakhar Agarkov.

: What?! Agarkov? You're Lieutenant Agarkov's sister?

: You know my brother?!

: Well, that's an interesting coincidence! The mission I have for you has to do with that very man, Lt. Agarkov.

: Where is my brother? What is he doing?

: It's no surprise that he hasn't been able to contact you. He's been acting as our spy and has infiltrated his way into the lair of the Novgorod Pirates.

: Spy? But that's so dangerous!

: I'm sorry, but there wasn't any choice. We have to get to their local leader, Balik. Unless we do that, it won't matter how many of his underlings we take out. No matter how we tried, we just couldn't locate Balik's base. As a last resort, we chose several men we could trust, and sent them in as spies. One of those men was Lt. Agarkov.

: So what do you want us to do?

: I want you to go to the planet Ruza. Once you're there, I want you to meet with Lt. Agarkov. He will give you a data chip containing reports on all that he's learned so far. Our military ships would draw too much attention, but a civilian ship like yours shouldn't raise the pirates' suspicions.

: So that's the plan? I guess if Tats gets have a little reunion with her bro, it's a good enough plan for me! Right, Tats baby?

: Yes, it is. And don't call me "baby".

: It's settled, then. When you make contact with him, you must identify yourselves as allies. The code phrase is, "We'll buy you a few drinks." Have you got that? Good. Now allow me you give you something for your troubles.

*Vladykin presents Yuri with two ship blueprints*

: These are the blueprints for two of our destroyers, the Orfey-class and the Derzky-class. I'm afraid I can't give you both, but you're welcome to choose one of them to have. Will you favor upping your firepower and take the missile-armed Orfey-class? Or will you choose the standard Derzky-class, which can be built cheaply but doesn't compare to the Orfey in performance?

: (Hm...which one should I pick?)

Hot Grus! Which one, indeed?