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>>41180822
“Ah... what is going on, Gavin?” Viktor says has he slides down the dirt rock next to you.

You turn your eyes away from the strange spectacle going on at the foot of the hill, then you come face to face with the facemask-clad man. “Where have you been?”

“I was with you guys the entire time.”

You look up in thought. “Were you?”

“He was,” Ley'ra comments off side.

“Yup,” Beth agrees.

“You were?” you repeat.

“I was.”

“Okay.”

“I'm pretty sure he was...” Dani mumbles.

“Hey, you guys didn't take the opportunity to loot,” Viktor gloats, pulling out two shiny, chrome-plated, over-sized revolvers.

“Shit, really?” you comment, your eyes drawn to the shine of the guns. With shifty eyes, you glance back to your immediate group. “Can we go back?”

“We probably should...” Dani trails off, uncrouching to look over your shoulder and then back down. “...Get the fuck out of here, to be honest.”

You turn back around and see that the last of the bandits have been taken care of. Tac's group at the other side seem to be coming out of cover, but not without cautiously scanning their surroundings. Yet, at the bottom of the hill, you see Elyon and your possessed drone waiting by the buggies while conversing with each other. On the other hand, your non-possessed drone has descended from its height and is now hovering near your group.

“So... what should we do now, Gavin?” Dani asks you, looking at you straight in the eyes.

>You have quite a number of Blackhawk Elites with you. Maybe you can overpower the space-ghost things; open fire on them.
>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.
>Go by yourself, maybe it's best you don't risk the rest of your crew.
>Send someone else.

>>41180830
>>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.

And archived: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/41180822/

>>41180830
>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.

Just nonchalantly start to pack up. Don't make a scene. Don't make eye/drone sensor contact.

>>41180830
>>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.
Best time of the day

>>41180822
http://imgur.com/gallery/jbjpX

You might appreciate this.

>>41180830
>Fuck it, just loot. Shit will sort itself out sooner or later. Also, that's your drone. Was a gift.

>>41180945
I quite appreciate this, thank you for sharing.

>>41180830

>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.

I'm sure if they wanted us dead we would be.

>>41180830
>Move your group to the buggies and see what Elyon plans to do.

>>41180830
“Let's move out... try not to make a scene,” you explain while giving a hard gaze to your group. “They're on our side, I think.”

Dani gives you a hard stare back, but nods her head. “I trust your word.”

“Thanks, Dani.”

“Going soft on him, aye?”

“Fuck off, Devon.”

Rolling your eyes, you nonchalantly rise from your spot and gesture for your group to move forward. Ley'ra nods and takes point, leading your group around the boulder with her weapon pointed down her nose.

Before long, you find yourself approaching the bottom of the hill where Elyon awaits. Tac's group seems to have made it there as well, and they've resigned to standing at the furthest buggy from the duo. Your group stops at the first buggy, and after giving a glance to your comrades, you step forward. Dani walks beside you.

“So, what now, Elyon?” you say when you get close enough, stopping on front of the blue ghostly-fire space spectre being, accompanied by your possessed drone that seems to be leaking loquid-like purple-magenta sparks.

“What a succe̸s̛s̵f̀ul battle, Gavin,” he 'speaks' with his mind-voice thing. “You reputation p͡re͞ce͠d͘es you.”

“I have a reputation?” you gawk.

“No.”

“Also, I didn't really do anything.”

“That goes wi͟t͏hou̢t saying.”

“What does that mean?”

“No͢th͝i̧ng, Gavin.” Elyon turns to the buggy and 'sighs'. Can space ghosts even sigh? Regardless, the drone still ominously hovers beside him, 'looking' straight at you. Though, until Elyon says anything about it, you'll just keep silent about it. “Things are moving q̡u̷i̸ck̕ly, but it is to my displeasure that we must now part.”

“Is it?” you ask, and Dani gives you a glare. “Oh, yes. I... wish you could stay longer.”

“Yup,” Dani adds in, though it sounded more like an angry grunt. A hard elbow to your side confirms this.

>>41181357
“Worry not. I have no dou̶b̶t that we will meet again,” Elyon continues, turning back to you.

“We will?”

“The br̷idge is open,” the female space-ghost 'speaks', though you don't see the drone move.

“We will,” Elyon confirms. “I must confer with my brothers and sisters; we must decide on the oncoming set of events.”

“A gather͜in͘g̶,” your drone says.

“One that has not ha͘p̷pe̡n̸ed in centuries,” Elyon completes.

“Okay,” you say, nodding your head stoutly.

“Take çar͡e̴ of her, Gavin,” he says before you're enveloped in bright, blue light. For a moment, you think you've been flash-banged, though you don't feel any pain in your ears. You can still hear the wind.

As soon as the light had come, it subsided, and you find yourself looking to the skies. The remnants of what look like a dying, melting lightning bolt melts away into the air, and you realize that Elyon has vanished in front of you. On top of that, your drone seems to have fallen to the ground, no longer possessed.

“Wait, her?” Dani asks, recovering beside you. “Did he mean me?”

>”Yes. Let's move out.”
>”...No. Let's move out.”
>”Can we loot, now?”

---

Just wanted to add in that this may be a short session, but I'll try to wrap up our doings here, first.

>>41181390
>"I don't know. D-did you want him to mean you?"
>"Want to start looting?"

Probably meant Comet.

>>41181390
>”Can we loot, now?”

>>41181390
>”...No.
>”Can we loot, now?”

I just recently found this quest in the archives, and I'm still catching up on it, but I have to say I really love it so far.

>>41181390
>>”Can we loot, now?”

>>41181390
>”Can we loot, now?”

you know what? i like looting, we should loot. make this trip alittle more worthwhile.

>>41181390
>"I know EXACTLY who he meant. Question is how did he...think space ghosts have some kind of minor omniscience, or are they just psychic?"

>"Anyways, let's get looting. Daddy needs a new .362 Deputy."

>>41181841
priceless

>>41181481
What if he meant the ship?

>>41182037
You think our ship had a space ghost in it? That isn't too far from the realm of possibility.

>>41181390
>>”Can we loot, now?”

>>41181390
“Can we loot now?” you ask, looking around. You try ignoring the dead bodies, especially with how mangled some of them are after what Elyon and your drone did.

Dani walks up to a nearby body, crouching down to examine the person's twisted face. “A lot of this stuff is stolen equipment of ours. We're likely going to call in the cleaners to get all this stuff sorted out,” she says lowly, standing back up and walking over to the nearby buggy. She hops onto the hood and sits there, bringing up her gauntlet. “I'll give you your payment now, but I guess I'll allow you to take what you can to fill the back of your buggy.”

“Sounds fair,” you remark, even though the buggies don't have a terribly large amount of space. Still enough for some good hardware. You walk over to another nearby body on the ground, but find that his rifle has been sliced cleanly through the middle. “What will you do now?”

“We'll probably stay here and hold down the fort,” she explains, looking to you with a smile. “Probably wait for the cleaner guys, can't have any stragglers taking back this location.”

You try not to point out that the air smells of iron. “I don't think you have to worry about that.”

“You never know, these kinds of bandits are resilient.”

“I was kinda joking.” You gesture to the area around you. “You know, dead bodies everywhere and such.”

“I got that,” she laughs.

Contract Completed: Rats in the Cellar Pt. 2
Reward: 120,000 credits

You turn to walk back to your crew, meeting them at the back of your buggy. Viktor seems to be showing off his new revolvers, and Ivan seems enraptured.

“Comrade, they are shiny. I wish I could find those,” he compliments.

“You're in luck, Ivan,” you say, coming to a stop between him and Ley'ra. “We've completed the contract and have been given the go for loot.”

>>41182382
Your whole crew seems to brighten up at that.

“Ah, is it of looting time? This is what is like to be Dustkeeper!” he exclaims, raising both his arms in the air.

“Don't get too excited,” Viktor says, patting a hand on Ivan's shoulder. “Most of their equipment is cheap. They're low-end bandits, so don't expect to find anything nice.”

“But comrade, you found those,” he says, pointing to his holstered shiny revolvers.

“Off of what I assumed was some sort of leader among them. Regardless, let's take this opportunity to fill our arsenal,” he says, nodding his head and looking towards the hill leading to the caves.

You look over to Ley'ra. “How about you? Are you gonna go take a look?”

“I suppose,” she modestly says, tilting her head a little. “I don't think I'm really going to find anything useful, I've never liked them or their choice of equipment.” She glances down over to a close by corpse, seemingly squinting in disgust when her eyes lay on it. She looks back up to you with a thoughtful look. “Maybe some spare magazines or ammo, but nothing more.”

You nod your head and then over to Beth, who just shrugs. “Probably in the same boat... though, I suppose I can't get picky,” she says, clutching her shotgun.

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>>41182401
You have 15 loot slots to fill, and each weapon you pick will fill those up.

Weapons categorized as "light" take up 1 slot, "medium" take up 2 slots, and "heavy" take up 3. You can only take as many weapons as there are "in stock".

A rule on selling: you can also sell equipment at stores for 1/5th the cost value. If you don't know the price, just ask the shopkeep at the time of selling.

And while you guys decide what your lootations are, I must take a short interlude.

>>41182457
Deputy 1
H56 1
Burial 1
As-12 3
Stark-4 1
Devil's Kiss 1

Should be 15 slots.

>>41182457
Burial M55
AS12 x2
Devil's Kiss
Stark-4
Hail-92

Heavy and specialized equipment.

>>41182457
.362 Deputy (1/15)
H56 x2 (3/15)
Stark-4 (6/15)
Hail-92 (9/15)
Burial M55 (11/15)
AS-12/45 (13/15)
Devil's Kiss (15/15)

>>41182457

1 stark
1 hail

1 espingarda
1 devil's kiss
1 burial

1 deputy

aand... 2 daybreaks? or 1 more devilkiss

The Burial is a must.
Devil's Kiss x2
Espingarda x2
Hail-92
C 2911 x2

>>41182457
>Heavy
Stark-4 (3)
1 Hail-92 (3)

>Medium
2 Espingarda Model 80 (4)
1 Burial (2)
1 Devils Kiss (2)

>Light
1 Deputy (1)

>>41182537
You have 16 by my count, probably ditch the Deputy or H56 and your list will be fine.

>>41182457
Oh dear god the options!

1 Deputy
1 H56
3 As-12
2 Devils Kiss
Stark-4

>>41182623
5 mediums, 1 heavy 2 lights.

>>41182618
seconded. we need heavy fire power availability.

At least everyone agree that the Burial should be taken and at least 1 Devil's

>>41182457
Proposed loot:
Light:
1x .362 Deputy (revolver, kinetic)

Medium:
1x Burial M55 (rifle, kinetic)
1x AS-12/45 (shotgun, kinetic)
1x Devil's Kiss (rifle, plasma)
1x Espingarda Model 80 (shotgun, kinetic)

Heavy:
1x Stark-4 (rocket launcher, explosive)
1x Hail-92 (light machine gun, kinetic)

Confirm?

>>41182825
Looks good.

>>41182825
Y

>>41182825
Works for me.

>>41182825
sounds good

>>41182825
Ayup

>>41182825
It'll do

>>41182822

The Kiss looks strong but is there any real reason for getting the Burial other than sniper rifles are cool? Who would be using that, ideally?

>>41182880
Ley'ra would probably have the most experience. Its just good to be versatile. You never know when a sniper rifle or an RPG might come in handy.

>>41182880
We could sell it?

>>41182825
I find it agreeable.

I really want ivan to tote that rocket around. " ivan , Tank on our left, HANDLE IT!" "da, tovarich"

>>41182880
well we just did a mission planetside if that's what you're concerned with, presumably we won't be confined to confined quarters in the future either. As to who. I'm sure Ley'ra or either of the space slavs will do respectably well with it should the situation warrant its deployment.

>>41182914

Just seemed weird to have such strong consensus for grabbing a specialist's weapon when we lack the relevant specialist. Unless we want to take Gavin to target practice and turn the group into a team of assassins.

>>41182969
Eh, a decent gunman or -woman is enough. A sniper rifle can make any enemy think twice about sticking their heads out of cover, if nothing else, thinking of nothing but "oh shit, sniper!"

>>41182969
You do have a point. maybe we can do after the cerberus legion delivery? Hire someone ho is moderately proficient. (cue Ley'ra getting jealous due to loss of Sole Combat Expert position)

>>41183066

I can get behind hiring a sniper sometime soon, wallet willing.

>>41182825
Despite the barren tundra climate, the clouds seem to have cleared up a little. It also seems that the system's star is beginning to approach the horizon, though the horizon seems to be clouded up a little much to Ivan's disappointment. Even so, the star seems to emit a naturally reddish-orange glow, being a red dwarf. Thus, the atmosphere above is lightened up by a tangy, red glow. At least to this, Ivan's breath is taken away.

As is yours, as you haul the rather large rocket launcher onto the back of the buggy. All of the other weapons you've looted from the area are there, and it doesn't seem like you can fit anything else.

Beth is leaning against the side of the vehicle, holding a compact-sized pistol between her fingers.

“A snub?” you say, leaning beside her.

“Yup, it's cute,” she says, turning it over. “Wish they didn't etch 'S.M.' on the side, but this is more my style.” She aims it at the ground diagonally to her, though the darkening area undoubtedly is making it hard for her to aim such a thing.

“Why not take the opportunity and etch 'B.D.' on the other side?”

“I'm considering it.”

“Ahah, comrade, look what I found!” Ivan's voice catches your attention. Looking over to your right, you see Ivan, Viktor and Ley'ra approaching. Ivan's holding... another rifle identical to his. “I am now Ivan, with Ivan and Ivan.”

“You found another Ivan rifle?” you say, almost sighing. Viktor slaps his forehead and Ley'ra bites her lower lip as they come to you and Beth.

“I tried to tell him, but there was not much else, anyways,” Viktor complains.

“I'd say we did a good job at looting,” you comment while glancing back to your weapon-filled buggy. You look back to Viktor and Ley'ra. “What about you two? What'd you get?”

“Ah, I found what I wanted, I merely just tagged along with these two,” Viktor says, pulling his trench coat to reveal both of his looted revolvers.

>>41183311
“Show off,” Bethany says, somewhat subconsciously holstering her snub-nosed revolver.

“I didn't really find anything,” Ley'ra speaks up, though she holds up a small collection of black rectangular objects. “Well, except magazines.”

“Shall we head back, then?” Viktor asks, though you turn to look at the other vehicles.

The reinforcements had finally arrived and had gone to work on securing the area while you looked for loot. Dani's squad seemed to just laze about, but at least they piled all the bodies off to the side, out of sight. She seems to be approaching your group now, too.

“Clean up guys finally arrived at Hel a few minutes ago, and are just now departing,” she says with a sigh. “They should be here in a few minutes. I guess you'll be off, then?”

“Yeah, I think we are,” you respond while giving her a nod. “What will you do now?”

She leans on your vehicle beside Beth, letting out a loud breath. “Probably just fuck-all in Hel again while all the other Blackhawks go about this Fire Legion business. How about you?”

>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.
>Tell her you're unsure where you're going.
>Ask her to join your crew.

>>41183328
>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.

>>41183328
>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.
>>Ask her to join your crew.
If its so boring come with us? Adventure and explosions await!

>>41183328
/ask her to join your crew.
want to know whats better then tedium and boredom? traveling space as a mercenary. Adventuyre, aCTION, DANGER!"

>>41183328
>>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.

>Ask her to join your crew.

>>41183382
The Blackhawks are mercenaries. IIRC

>>41183382
caps locks....

>>41183328
>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fulfill.
>Ask her to join your crew.

>>41183328
Even if she says no, throw her our contact information and tell her the offer still stands if she is between jobs.

>>41183328

>Tell her you're unsure where you're going next.

She's a mercenary contact, why are we just letting her on the boat?

Harem-fags pls

>>41183493
We were just talking about getting another combat specialist.

Stop assuming crap.

>>41183328
>>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.
>Ask her to join your crew.
"If you ever get sick of sticking around here, give us a call and we'll pick you up"

>>41183493
Actually its more of a skillset thing, And having her with us is just as good as having her as a contact, we have a space phone.

>>41183311
>“Why not take the opportunity and etch 'B.D.' on the other side?”
BDSM hahahahahaha
>>41183328
>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.
If she wants to come along she will probably express some desire to do so.

>>41183328
>Tell her you're leaving for Faraday next, you've got more contracts to fufill.
>Ask her to join your crew.

I wonder how much we'll have to pay her if she joins.

>>41183328
“We're heading to Faraday next,” you say, and she seems to flinch at your words. “We've got more contracts to fulfill.”

“Faraday?” she repeats, looking at you in the eyes. You return a confused glance, but she merely tilts her head. “Why Faraday?”

“Ah, well, like I said, contracts,” you say, then you glance over to Ley'ra. “Also, that's where the Cerberus Legion held up. We've got a delivery to do for them.”

“I see.”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“Not really,” she says, walking forwards a bit with her head to the sky. As it darkens, so does the area around you; you should probably leave soon. “It's just a weird place. Heard lots of stories from there, most of them not very... positive.”

“We expected that, which is why we're hoping to go in prepared.”

She turns to you. “You should be fine, though I'd still say to be careful.”

“Didn't know you cared about us so much,” you laugh.

“Hey, you guys are a breath of fresh air,” she laughs with you.

“Why don't you come with us?” you ask, and you see your crew collectively blink. “If it's so boring here in Ragnarok, it can't hurt to go on some adventure, right?”

Your words echo against the rocks nearby, but their dissipated silence are met with no response. Dani's eyes are closed, but a smile is plastered on her lips. You exchange a glance with Beth to your left, but she gives you a small shrug.

“Oh, Gavin,” Dani giggles, and her eyes open. “I almost blurted out a yes, even if I saw that coming from a mile away.”

“Hah?”

“I would've said so if I could, but I can't,” she says with a soft smile, though not without a hint of hurt. You inwardly sigh, but at least you tried. “I have duties here to fulfill.”

“Oh well, it was worth a shot,” you say, returning the smile. “Though, you do have our contact information."

>>41184387
“I do, and you have mine,” she says, looking at each of your crew members. “Keep in touch, at least?”

“Yeah, why not? If you need any more contracts done, feel free to give us a call.”

“Won't hesitate for that. Have a good one, Gavin.”

“You too, Dani.”

After an exchange of waves, she walks off towards her squad, leaving you with your crew.

“Is like main character finds love interest, and sun highlights her walking a—ow!” Ivan yelps. You think you saw Ley'ra hit him upside the back of his head, but you pay it no mind.

“Let's go,” you say to your group before getting into the passenger seat of the vehicle. Ivan gets over to the driver's side while Beth goes in the seat behind you, and Ley'ra mounts the machine gun at the back. You hear her shift around some of the loot you've collected. Meanwhile, Viktor stands at the side the vehicle, scratching his head.

“Oh yeah, we only have seats for four,” you say, looking around. When you lay eyes on Bethany, she recoils a bit. At least there seems to be a relative amount of space around her. “Ivan, I think you'll need to drive a little smoothly back to the camp.”

“I can do that, comrade,” he responds.

“Viktor, you might have to squeeze in with Beth,” you say to him. He shrugs while giving Beth a sympathetic look, but Beth tries scooting over, anyways. You're happy to find that they aren't too out of place once Viktor steps in.

“You might have to hug each other if you don't want to fall out,” you remark with a grin, seeing them on the edges of their seat.

“Shut up, Gavin,” Beth snaps, rolling her eyes.

“I think we'll be fine,” Viktor says, nodding to himself. “There's more space than I thought.”

“Maybe there's some space at the back--” you try to pipe up, but you're cut off by the loud ignition of the engine.

>>41184400
“Let us go, comrades! We should get back to Hel before sun is too dark,” Ivan says over the roar of the engine. You shrug to yourself, but not before Ivan jerks the car forward.

Before you know it, you're circling around in a rather sharp turn, and you think you hear Beth screaming behind you. When the car levels out, you're speeding down the road with the headlights piercing forward. You look back to make sure your crew is okay, and you let out a laugh when you see Beth clinging to Viktor. Ley'ra gives you a small wave.

That's when you hear voices in your head, again.

“Moshi-moshi~”

You look over to Ivan, who returns you an equally appalled shrug.

“Who the fuck was that?”

“Can we talk again?”

“Fucking Josho.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“No.”

“Guys, god dammit!”

“Penis.”

“Dani, I think the others are still on this channel.”

“Shit, Gavin?” you hear Dani's voice say. “Dammit, sorry. Gimme a second.”

“Say bye to your boyfriend~”

“I will fucking murder you, Josho.”

“Penis.”

“Can we please transfer him?”

“I-I kinda like him--”

Finally the comms hang up, and you can't help but shiver a little. You look over to your crew and they all give you awkward stares, though you just return a shrug. Ley'ra turns her head away with her eyes closed, but that just makes you smile inwardly with a laugh.

Bethany's approval: +1
Viktor's approval: +1

>>41184422
The ride back to the base is rather uneventful, other than a small detour Ivan thought of taking that almost got you lost. Upon finally getting back to the base, you see Troy sitting on the edge of the levitated landing platform your ship is on. When he sees your buggy approaching, he stands up and throws a wave with his mechanical arm.

Ivan slows down the buggy before entering the base, and then drives it up the ramp to your platform. There, you're met with the opened cargo bay door, which Ivan stops before. He turns off the buggy and hops out, and you do the same with the rest of your crew.

Viktor gives out a long stretch while Troy approaches you.

“I heard things went... strangely,” he comments, and you laugh.

“You can say that,” you respond, thinking of the space-ghosts you think you almost were disintegrated by. “We've got a bunch of loot, and also our reward.”

“Sweet. I'll bring this all into the cargo, why don't you go get some rest?”

>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”
>”Let's leave at once, the sooner we get to Faraday, the better.”
>”I'll fly the ship, let Ivan get his rest. He's been up for almost two days, now.”

---

I will take a little interlude, now. I gotta eat.

>>41184449
>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

>>41184449
>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

>>41184449
>>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”
On second thought, everyone should get some rest, including Gavin.

>>41184449
>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

I wonder if Comet can pilot? And if the nerd found out something about her.

>>41184449
>>”I'll fly the ship, let Ivan get his rest. He's been up for almost two days, now.”

Thinking about it, we should probably get Beth to take a look at Ley'ra's arm in the morning. or now. she is a real doctor.

>>41184549
Didn't we do that right after the fighting ended?

well shit.

>>41184449
>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

>>41184449
>>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

>>41184621
Depending on how bad the injury is, you should usually keep an eye on them, both for infections and re-opening. but yes it was treated once already.

>>41184649
Okay, we'll have Beth check her out again after everyone rests. Changing bandages and all that too.

>>41184449
>”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.”

>>41184449
”Sounds like a good idea, I think everyone's tired.” You look over to your crew, all of whom look exhausted from the day's events. Ley'ra is letting out a yawning-stretch while Bethany leans against the buggy, her eyes closed. “Hey, Beth.”

“Mm?” she mumbles, her eyes still closed.

“Why don't you take Ley'ra to the infirmary? Check on her wound.”

At that, Beth's eyes shoot open and she immediately glances over to Ley'ra. “Oh, damn. I forgot you were wounded.”

“I think I'm okay,” Ley'ra responds.

“Still, let's get it checked, yeah?”

“Okay.”

As the two girls walk off, Ivan comes up to you. “Comrade, Faraday is not too far. I think we can get there in a few hours.” As he speaks, Troy hooks a metal cable under the front bumper of the buggy and pulls it himself into the ship. “Especially since traffic is low out here.”

“That sounds good, Ivan,” you say while watching Troy pull the vehicle. “Though, you should get some rest, yeah?”

“Ah yes, I am pretty tired. I will be sleeping, then.”

“Honestly, you don't sound or look tired.”

“Is mask.”

“Fair enough.”

“I believe I will go get some rest as well,” Viktor says, walking past you into the ship. “Though, I think I'll help load the hardware into the arsenal.”

>Help Viktor and Troy load the loot into the arsenal.
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.
>Go to Pete, maybe he has some results to show you.
>Go to your room to rest.

>>41185144
>Help Viktor and Troy load the loot into the arsenal.

>>41185144
>Go to Pete, maybe he has some results to show you.

>>41185144
>>Go to Pete, maybe he has some results to show you.

>>41185144
>Go to Pete, maybe he has some results to show you.

>>41185144
>Go to Pete, maybe he has some results to show you.

>>41185144
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
mai waifus

>>41185144
>Help Viktor and Troy load the loot into the arsenal.

>>41183493
Harem? Ley'ra is the only one for us.

>>41185144
“I'm going to go check on Pete, he promised me results from the datachip I recovered,” you say, walking into the ship yourself. Viktor and Troy give you a nod as you walk past them.

As soon as you enter the confines of your ship, you're surprise-attacked by Bethany, who just ends up pawing at your shin. Bending down, you give the cat a few ear-scratches, sending her squirming onto the floor. With your attacker subdued, you continue your walk towards the digital security room.

The closer you get to the room, the louder you think you hear someone watching a TV show gets. High pitched, annoying voices come to scratch at your eardrums, and when you turn the corner into the room, you see Pete leaning against his chair while watching cartoons on one screen.

“Really, Pete?”

“Ah, Gavin. Just catching up on my backlog while I run this,” he calmly says, pointing to another screen with nothing but a black terminal displaying running, gibberish text. “Not into Arcadian cartoons?”

“You might have to talk to Beth about that.”

“Is she from Arcadia?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, they're all over this stuff there. I only started watching them.”

You blink, and you suddenly believe that Beth has a side she's not showing you. Oh well, you don't think that's for you to pry... though, you suspect you will investigate anyways.

“I didn't take you for that kind of guy.”

“Me neither, to be honest.” He rotates his chair around so he's facing you now, but not before he paused his show. “Now, I suspect you're here for results?”

“I am.”

“Alright, you better come see this, then,” he says, rotating his chair back to his terminals and then gesturing for you to approach.

Looking at his terminal (while trying to ignore the flashy, scantily-clad cartoon woman holding an oversized gun to your right), you see Pete bring up a folder containing several files.

>>41186084
“I did some carving first and found a bunch of stray documents, though a good number of them are documents relating to classifying this and classifying that. Nothing specific, no information at all.” He brings up a few to show you. “It seems they register a lot of seven-digit names, probably for some sort of intranet they have. Look-ups yield no results, and the Federation keep very tight security on that, so there's no luck on that end. However...” He opens another folder with a single text file. “This file is a result of all of the string searches I've done for the word... 'Harbinger'.” He scrolls through the text file to find a message; an email.

“Dr. Asknz,

There 2 reds in all. 2 in our labs, frenzied. We might have to terminate them, but this is looking more complex than initially hypothesized. Blues are at our backs and can't keep them away longer. We might have to listen. Harbinger is upon us

Protocol APC-XXVI? There's talks. Please consider it.

Alice”

Pete scrolls through more text, though it seems that most of the matches for 'Harbinger' leads to gibberish. He stops at another message.

“Dr. Asknz,

The new Harbinger is heavy. Very heavy. We will write it off to authorities as star-flare, though our systems are fine. Rating is 5, we are okay. We are more concerned with labs closer to the event.

Had our meeting with the Blue. She was agitated. We don't know what they are preparing, but we must continue.

Alice”

And then another.

“Dr. Asknz,

It was born. Comet is no longer safe... but we can't do anything. There is nothing more we can do. Io”

The message cuts off there. Pete gives you a slow, concerned look, and you can do nothing but return it. “That was a deleted message,” he explains, nodding. “I found the first part you see there, but the rest has been overwritten.”

>>41186105
“Did you search for 'Comet'?” you ask, looking back to the screen.

“That was the only message to come up, but I have come to close matches. Those are encrypted, and are taking even longer to crack,” he responds, looking up at a screen above you. “More robust than I initially thought, but I will get through eventually.”

“Anything else?”

“From searching through the contents of the datachip, no. But all of this seems a little too cryptic, yet I'm inclined to find more.”

“Me too. Keep at it, Pete,” you say.

“I will, and I'll let you know of any more developments.”

>Help Viktor and Troy load the loot into the arsenal.
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.
>Go to your room to rest.

>>41186123
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.

>>41186123
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.
Want to make sure Space Ghosts didn't mess with her at all.

>>41186123
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.

>>41186123
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.

Just a warning, I'm going to wrap this up soon. Sorry for this being short.

>>41186403
i forgive you...this time.

>>41186123
You leave Pete to his work and Arcadian cartoons and navigate through the ship. You aren't too sure where you'd find Comet, but you think the lounge is the most likely place.

Upon approaching the lounge however, you don't hear any noise coming from within. Peaking through the doorway, you see a pile of blankets on the couch there. Underneath those is Comet, and she seems to be sleeping peacefully.

>Wake her up, you want to see if she's okay. You're a little concerned with the new developments from Pete.
>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.

>>41186403

Oh come on now

>>41186445
>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.
Take a picture, label it adorable.

>>41186445
>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.

>>41186445
>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.
go help the guys load up

>>41186468
seconded

>>41186445
>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.
Then help with the loading.

>>41186445
>>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet.
Then go get some rest.

>>41186123
>Find Comet, see if she's doing okay.

Also voting to get her hooked on these Arcadian cartoons at the earliest opportunity.

What better way to keep someone safe from the world at large than by making them an otaku?

>>41186445
>>Let her sleep, she hasn't done any harm yet

>>41186445
You take in a deep breath, deciding to leave her be. She probably has no idea what she's in (granted, you don't either), but you believe you can trust her. You're pretty sure Elyon meant Comet when he said to protect 'her'. Nothing more you can do than try.

Though, before you leave, you take a picture of Comet snoozing with your smart-ring and send it to your crew mates. Bethany replies with a “lol”.

You leave the doorway and decide to make your way to the arsenal, but you come across Viktor holding a bunch of the weapons you've looted. It looks like he's struggling a bit.

“Need any help?” you ask, coming up to the encumbered masked man.

“Yes, actually. Could you?” he asks, keeping his eyes on the pile of firearms in his arms. You quickly take two long guns from the top, one being the automatic shotgun and the other being the plasma rifle.

“Thank you,” Viktor says, his balance much steadier.

“Is there any more?”

“Actually, Troy--”

“Got 'em,” Troy says, appearing behind you. The rather large light machinegun is tucked under his left arm, and the rocket launcher is slung over his back.

“Neat, that's all?” you ask, beginning to walk towards the arsenal.

“That's the last of it,” Troy confirms.

The three of you quietly make your way to the arsenal, and when you enter, you're glad to see the place begin to fill up. You place the guns down on the table to your right while Viktor and Troy stow their weapons away.

“Go get some rest, guys. We'll leave once everyone's freshened up, I think we could use it,” you say, shooting a smile to the both of them, which they return.

Viktor bows his head and leaves, but before Troy does, you stop him.

“Any new developments on your end, Troy?” you ask him. He gives you a calm look and nods his head.

“Nothing, really. Why do you ask?”

“I'm just concerned, is all.” You lean against the table and stare foreward, blankly. “Have you talked to Comet, much?

>>41186901
“A little,” he mumbles, his voice low as ever. “She's really kind.”

“I know,” you agree, grinding the floor with your heel. “Has she said anything of interest?”

“Not really, why do you ask?”

“I feel like you can get through to her the easiest.”

“Ah, we tend to spend time together when you're out doing jobs. S'nothing, really.”

You take in a deep breath and look up to him. “Some developments with the information that Pete found is a little concerning, and I'm a little worried.”

Troy's brows soften in sympathy, but he looks determined. “Anything we should be looking out for?”

“No. Not yet. We just have to... protect her.”

He nods his head. “I think she'll be safe with us.”

“I hope so.” You chew your bottom lip a little in thought. “I need you to try to get through to her.”

“What do you mean?”

“We just need to know what we're dealing with. Any information would be valuable, especially from her.”

“I understand.”

“She's our friend, too.”

“Of course, Gavin. And I'm happy you're so considerate of her.”

“As are you, Troy.”

He blinks at that, but smiles. You smile back and walk past him.

“Get some rest, hopefully we'll find more answers at Faraday.”

“Hopefully,” he echoes back as you drift away into the ship.

>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
>Go to your room to rest.

>>41186915
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
All the socializing!

>>41186915
>>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
Might as well finish our rounds before we hit the hay.

I like this moments of just talk to the crew. We need to talk to Ley'ra and Beth next.

>>41186915
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.
Make the rounds before calling it a night, check on every members beside Pete and Troy since we just talked with 'em.

>>41186915

>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.

>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.

>>41186960
Ivan's passed out. We just checked on everyone. Ley'ra and Beth are the only ones left.

>>41186915
>Go check up on Ley'ra and Beth. The wound didn't seem too severe, but it can't hurt to check on the wellbeing of your crew.

>>41186468
Thirded

>>41186915
Finally, it's time to check on your casualties. Well, it didn't seem like the wound was bothering her, but you can't help but feel concerned for Ley'ra. She is your only combat specialist. And she's kind of cute.

Shaking that thought out of your head, you find yourself near the infirmary already, and you see Bethany leaving the doorway. She walks up to you and you kneel down, giving her more ear scratches. This time, you pick her up and carry the cat into the infirmary. There, you see Beth standing in front of Ley'ra sitting on the table, whose shirt is off.

Several minutes later (with a fresh bump on your head), you knock on the wall outside of the infirmary where you're sitting.

“Can I come in yet?” you ask, rubbing your bump with your right hand while Bethany licks your left hand's fingers.

“That's what a pervert would say,” Beth responds, who's now standing outside of the doorway.

“Or, you know, a concerned Captain,” you rebuttal. “You definitely watch Arcadian cartoons.”

“I-I do not!” She stomps her foot on the ground.

“Can I come in, then?”

“Ech... fine.”

You stand up and walk in with Beth, and there you see Ley'ra with her red coat on. She gives you a sympathetic smile as you enter.

“Sorry,” she apologizes.

“Not your fault, it's Beth who hit her Captain,” you groan.

“I was allowed to, in that moment of time,” Beth states as a matter-of-fact.

“Right. So, how's it looking?” you ask, looking to Ley'ra's shoulder. She looks to it in turn and she pulls down her jacket a bit, showing you the fresh bandages.

“Le'yra! You don't have to show him after I just forced him out,” Beth mock-gawks. You and Ley'ra roll your eyes. “Fine, no fun.”

“It doesn't hurt that much, I've had worse,” Ley'ra says, poking at the bandages with her right hand. “I can still lift things fine.”

>>41187645
“Even though you shouldn't,” Beth edges in. Ley'ra gives a little hardened stare at her, but she nods her head anyways.

“I've once been shot in the side while our comms were down. I had to relay messages in person from one side of our platoon to the other, regardless... I almost died that day.”

“Geeze, Ley'ra. They didn't let you rest?” you say, a little concerned.

“Well, no,” Ley'ra mumbles. “I didn't tell them.”

Both you and Beth take in deep breaths. “I'm gonna keep a close eye on you from now on,” you say to Ley'ra, who blushes.

Beth looks between the two of you. “You guys are hopeless.”

“How long do you think it will take to heal?” you ask the both of them.

“It's already starting to heal, but I suspect it won't be completely gone until another two weeks or so,” Beth explains, leaning against the far infirmary wall. “Though, it should seal itself up within a day from now. It wasn't that serious.”

“That's good to hear,” you say, nodding to Ley'ra. “Just try not to strain it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And I'm not letting you take point until I think it's fully healed.”

“...Okay.”

“Just like my Arcadian cartoons,” Beth mutters.

“I knew it,” you respond.

“I was totally joking. That was totally sarcastic.”

“Whatever you say, Beth,” you chuckle, shaking your head. “Both of you, get some rest. We'll leave first thing when... everyone wakes up. Next stop, Faraday.”

>>41187658
You leave the girls to their own devices and exit the infirmary, making your way back to your quarters. Though, you conduct an initial check to make sure everything's sealed up and in order for your ship; looks like cargo bay's all cleaned up, same with the mess hall. Eh, you decide that's more than enough and head to your own quarters.

As you pass by Ivan's room, you can hear rather loud snoring coming from within. You smile at that, the guy needs his rest. As silly as he is, he does a good job with no complaints. In fact, you know he enjoys what he does.

Doesn't look like anyone else has retired to their room yet, but you don't really blame them. You give one long glance to the door adjacent yours before walking through your own.

---

And that brings our thread to a close. Gotta love closure. Let's hope Faraday will be a smooth trip.

Thanks for attending, everyone. I think I may take my first long weekend off next week.

>>41187686
Thanks for the run SDA, see you next time.

>>41187686
thanks for running

>>41187686
Thanks for running.

I have a question. Arcadian cartoons are similar to some kind of real cartoons? Like western style or anime?

>>41187773
Animu

>>41187773
It's anime, sorry if it wasn't clear. I didn't really want to just namedrop it.

>>41187773
>Scantily clad girls
>oversized guns
>clichéd developments like walking in on a member of the opposite sex and having shit thrown at you
>"it's just like my <chinese/Arcadian/whatever> cartoons

the joke

your head

>>41187862
Nah, I wouldn't have gotten it either, to be honest. I normally don't visit the /a/-related boards, and don't usually watch animu.

>>41187862
Oh, yes, I wasn't paying enough atention to remember that.

>>41183311
>At least to this, Ivan's breath is taken away.
Hey, we knocked out Ivan's companion quest. Nice.

And Ley'ra's is right around the corner.

>>41188225
Nah, we didn't get the confirmation. It wasn't a sunset.

>>41188240
Rereading it, yeah you're probably right. Got too excited. Oh well.

>>41187686
>the door adjacent to ours
>That's Ley'ra's room
Gavin be craving that redhead qt

Argh, just when I got caught up, it's already over.

Oh well. We'll be dealing with the mutant menace in Faraday next time then? I hope the gear we looted is appropriate and sufficient in dealing with that.

>>41188685
When do we get to hug her?

>>41189239
Her companion mission with the Cerberus Legion is coming up, so I guess we'll see.

Be sure to update the character sheet when you can SDA.

>>41188685
The Dog life my friend. they're always loyal