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I forgot to get a screenshot, so pretend that the LOTUS is leaving the void gate into a very blue section of space

: Whoa! So this is the Lutsk sector, eh? It's a frontier area just like the Ropesk Sector, but there's way more planets here!

: Nnh...

: Huh? What's the matter, Yuri?

: Huh? Oh, I just got a little headache.

: Hey, are you okay?!



: (panting)

: Kira! Are you all right?!

: I-I'm fine.

: Kira! Are you sick?

: What? Kira, too?

: I'm fine. I just had a little headache, that's all.

Kira stands up. It seems the worst is past.

: It's gone now. I-I'm feeling better.

: Are you sure?

: Hm. It might be a side effect of passing through the void gate.

: You two are fine?

: Ha ha! I'm just about as tough as they come!

: I've never heard of any side effects, but I guess void gates could affect different people in different ways.

: ...

: Don't worry about me. I'm fine now.

: As long as you're sure. (We'd better get Kira to a spaceport so she can rest up.)

Well hey, that was strange. Anyway, we made it to Lutsk! Compared to the backwater village of Ropesk, this place is practically a city:





Just look at all of the places we can go! And rest assured, we will visit all of them. Popash is the closest, so let's head there.

Aside from the tavern (which we will visit later), Popesh has one cool place: A module shop! Buying the blueprints to new modules is the best way to keep our ships fighting fit. I, of course, buy all three in stock.

Sadly, Popesh doesn't have a shipyard, so no remodeling the LOTUS. I do take the opportunity to assign Torlo the Artillery Chief position and Kira the Head Chef position (which she probably won't keep for very long, but it was the majority vote). Our ship should be much more capable now.

The tavern on Popash is pretty sad. Just the Bartender, and two adventurers. The guy talks about how Lutsk is so much bigger than Ropesk, while the girl tells you to buy all the modules you can get. The bartender has no work for us, but he does have a warning:

Bartender: The sectors around here are completely overrun by the Novgorod Pirates. The boss of the local division, Balik, is so powerful, not even the military seems to be able to do anything about him!
Bartender: The Novgorod Pirates have several different local divisions and leaders, and they wreak their havoc all over Elgava. They're kind of like a pirate guild, I guess you could say. The major power in this sector is Balik, but there are even more powerful bosses in other sectors, I hear.

That sounds ominous. In any case, Popesh has nothing left to offer, so we head for Perekop.



Lustk represents a massive difficulty spike, and the random encounters are living proof. Just before docking at Perekop, we are attacked by a fleet of Novgorod pirates consisting of a Sokol (the upgraded version of the Ropesk gate guards) and a new ship called the Bodry class, which physically looks like a Boiky, but is much more powerful. These are the first truly dangerous foes in the game.

How much more dangerous are these foes? The Bodry took a barrage attack to kill, while the Sokol required both a barrage and two normal attacks to bring down. Clearly, we need upgrades.

Yuri hits level 3 after that fight, and the LOTUS finishes the flight to Perekop.

Perekop has a shipyard, which means that we can remodel the LOTUS to add our new modules. It also has a unique location in addition to the tavern: Efimov Inc. First though, upgrading! We have three new modules, and I will describe them here:

• Sick Bay: Increases medical technology and Livability by 4. Basically keeps our crew going longer, and helps them heal faster.
• Security Room: Livability +6 (!) and also increases Melee ability by 2.
• Accounting Office: Livability +2, and also decreases expenses (which I assume makes things like weapons and mods slightly cheaper).

I add them all, removing the extra crew compartments to make room.

Let's go visit Efimov Inc. Who knows what goodies are available to us?

*As they try to enter, a guard with a dangerous look in his eye cuts them off*

Guard: Sorry, but Efimov, Incorporated, only does business with a certain type of people, if you know what I mean. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.

Aw, come ON!

: That's funny. Usually places like this will do business with just about anybody. I wonder what's up.

: Really?

: Yup. As long as you have the money, what do they care if you're a pirate or a pineapple? Really strange.

*sigh*...To the tavern, I guess. There are a couple of "weapons employees" there.

Weapons Employee 1: (sighs) I was really happy when Efimov hired me on. But now there are all these scary guys just wandering around like they own the place. I never feel safe anymore! I'm thinking about changing jobs.

Weapons Employee 2: So you've been to Efimov, have you? It's a pretty sad state of affairs don't you think? Now, you didn't hear this from me, but Efimov, Incorporated, was subject to a hostile takeover by the Novgorod Pirates. The worst of it was when they murdered the former president, in cold blood! His son, who took over as president, had to go into hiding. I hear he's currently hiding out on the planet Klaipeda.

Hmm, corporate intrigue and foul play! Does the bartender have anything to add?

Bartender: Efimov is a pretty well-known weapons giant. Their employees come in here all the time. I don't know what they're up to, though...Lately, they've been hiring quite a few rough-looking characters.

He also has a job for us: transporting some goods to the planet Nezhatin. The pay is 700G, but there's a twist: the components are very sensitive to shock and damage. Once we take the job, we must deliver without getting into a single fight. Otherwise, we end up paying 500G in compensation. It's easy enough with save-scumming, so I take the job. Looking at the map posted earlier, we can't get there directly, so a stop in Ketrzyn is required.

Ketrzyn is a very boring planet, just a tavern. The only conversation options are your friends and the bartender.

*on the monitor in a corner of the tavern, a news story is being shown about the dissolution of the Dominion of Ropesk*

: I wonder what's gonna happen to Ropesk now. Whaddya think?

: It'll probably be a confused mess for a while. But then the Central Elgavan Forces will take it over, and that'll be that.

: I wonder it there's still going to be an arrest warrant out for me.

: It's right there in the Space Pioneering Law. It was Panfilov's responsibility to protect his territory, and he didn't. I'd say you're off the hook, kid.

: You think so? Well, that's good to hear!

: Ha ha! If it was me, I wouldn't lose any sleep over a stupid little arrest warrant, anyway. I got bigger fish to fry.

: Uh, yeah. But that's you.

The bartender, meanwhile, is completely useless. Let's move on.

Nezhatin is a bit like Popesh: no shipyard, but it does have a module shop which we'll stop by later. Right now, we have an order to deliver! Stepping inside the tavern finishes the job and earns us 700G. Other than that, the bartender has no use. Blech.
There is, however, an old man that we can talk to in the tavern...

*Yuri says hello to an older man who is accompanied by a small child*



??: Well, well. Traveling the sea of stars at such a tender age! What an interesting young man you must be. My name is Gen Nadiy.

: And this is my student, Alik Kovalenko. Come on, now, Alik. Don't be shy.



: N-N-Nice to meet you.

: Well, as you can see, conversing is not Alik's strongest point. But he is the most promising young mind I have ever tutored!

Interesting. Let's talk to him again.

: What do I tutor my student in, you ask? Well, let me see...I teach him to read the course of a battle and to predict its most likely outcome. You look like you have promise yourself, young man. Would you care for an introduction to the rudiments?

Hell YEAH.

: Very good, very good. Just a taste, mind you, but let us begin...

*Gen Nadiy imparted his wisdom to Yuri! You acquired the Special Skill, "Fleet Leader Lv. 2"!*

: You can now have two ships in your fleet. Please use your newfound power for good.

HELL YEAH!
Oh yeah, and there's also a module shop here. I buy both things: A level 2 bridge and a level 2 crew cabin.

On my way back to Ketrzyn, shit happens!



Oh crap. Oh CRAP. This is the worst random encounter in this sector, IIRC. Not only are you fighting a Sokol, you're fighting a ship with far better stats than your own: a Gnevny class destroyer (the thing in the top half of the above image).
What's worse? I forgot to add the DAISY to the fleet. It's just the LOTUS versus a substantial force. This fight is gonna be interesting.



Thankfully, the Sokol goes down before it can cause too much damage. That destroyer, on the other hand...



...huh. Ok, that wasn't as bad as my practice runs led me to believe. The fact that the enemy mostly sat back and unleashed barrages helped immensely.
Now, on to -



SONOFABITCH! I didn't even see this thing while practicing!
*deep breath*
Alright, I bet I can take them on...



Ha! Took out both of the escorts and haven't taken a single hit! You're mine, destroyer!



Oh screw you, dude.
Well, we survived another difficult encounter, and earned quite a pretty penny from it as well! Now, on to-

: Yuri?

: What's up, Kira?

: There's a large ship headed this way.

GODDAMMIT





??: Do you read me? This is Dedon Galkin of the Novgorod Pirates.

: I don't appreciate the way you've been treating my associates. So now you'll have to answer to me!

Kira was right. Galkin's ship is freaking big. It's a cruiser class vessel called a Rurik DG.



It also has three weapons, two of them Medium-size. We're significantly out-gunned.



If that wasn't enough, either Galkin or the ship has the ability to boost it's defense. Yeah, we're in some trouble, and a single normal attack dropped the LOTUS to about 50 health points. I had a little over 200 when the fight started thanks to maintenance.





Well guys, it's been fun, but Yuri's adventure comes to an end here. I hope you all had...



What the?

: Hot Grus! Central Elgavan Forces, eh? All right, men! Time to pull out! Come about!

Galkin's ship turns around and flees the area

: We...made it?

: Guess so. Look. There's the Central Elgavan fleet.

: Central Elgava, huh?



??: Central Elgavan Forces here. Commander Oleg Vladykin, Zone 4 Fleet. Are you all right?

No picture for this guy yet. Fear not, we'll meet him before long

: Yeah, we woulda been fine if you'd showed up sooner!

: Be quiet, Torlo! He'll hear you!

: Hmph.

: This is the captain, Yuri. I appreciate your support.

Vladykin: Good. It looks like you're all right then. Hm...You seem young for a captain. Still, you did a fine job holding your own. I'd like to meet you in person sometime if you have a chance. If you ever come to Lutsk Base, please drop by and see me. Until then, safe travels to you!

Vladykin and his fleet speed off, probably to help someone else

: There they go. Hmph. They let the pirates get away!

: ...

: Are you going to go see that commander?

: What, don't you want me to?

: I just don't think that getting involved with the military is a very good idea.

: No, huh? They might know something about Epitaphs, though. I don't think it'd hurt to just check it out.

: ...

Close call! The LOTUS is left with just 1 HP after that tense battle. Now, on to...?



YES!
Not shown: the two more battles I was forced to run from



I stick the DAISY into the second fleet slot and place it in front of the LOTUS, to hopefully soak up some damage. As our flagship, if the LOTUS goes down it's game over.