File: 1467286969825.jpg (89 KB, 800x600)

89 KB JPG

While the increase in the amount of money that is spent on defense would not normally pose an issue, it has increased without the total spending power of the government also increasing. The annual governmental budget has only increased with annual growth, leading to money for defense being taken out of other vital departments. Before the War with the Valkans, the defense budget was at 41%. The increase of 37% alone could account for the entire budget of several other departments, all of which lost money to fund this increase.

The loss of large swathes of social services...

You stretch your neck and continue typing. There weren't exactly any hard numbers on hand, so you were just working off of what you could remember. Which, thankfully, was quite a bit now. Now all you had to do was list your points in an at least coherent manner. You insert a few references to current events - how Miir's city infrastructure was still in the last century, and the reconstruction of Kana had stagnated without funding. Then workers strikes due to taxes making even high wages unlivable in some parts of the city.

Everyone had some form of horror story related to a government service having to pull out due to lack of cash, or being unable to pay a bill due to a surprise tax. It wasn't like the army could use it's ridiculous budget to fund civilian projects due to anti-corruption laws- the most they really could do was use their influence to get Education's budget bumped up. Even the engineers couldn't intervene because it wasn't classified as a disaster. Yet.

You finish up the final paragraph and hit submit. The screen changes briefly to a submission bar, then flashes green. Stretching in your chair for a moment, you sigh and grab your bag before stepping up to the front of the classroom. You quietly say goodbye to your history teacher, then step out into the hall.

Just one more final to go, and you were done...

Wandering aimlessly to pass the time until lunch, you eventually end up on the roof. You swung by the cafeteria, hoping the wonderful catered lunch would be there, but no such dice. They were setting up behind the closed off glass of the lunch area, just so tantalizingly out of reach, but not open yet.

There were a few students up here who also finished early, most of them milling about or on their phones waiting for lunch. You circle the small buildings that cover the stairwells, looking for a spare chair or a relatively clean looking spot to sit down when you run into Netana again.

She looks up at you in mild disinterest as you round the corner, then her eyes widen. "Hey."

"Hi." You wave. "You finish early, too?"

She nods and shrugs. "Math, yeah."

"History for me." You raise an eyebrow at her grimace. "Not your favorite subject?"

"I hate memorizing dates. What's the point of all the tidbits if we can just look it up?"

"I think the point is so you don't have to look it up every time." You lean against the wall.

>>4177404
Netana huffs and shrugs, leaning against the wall and curling up around her phone.

You shrug and lean against the wall, reaching for your phone to poke Kara about when she's getting out of her current final.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Netana stealing a few glances at you. She was curled up around her phone, but she was obviously watching you from the tilt of her head. You glance her way once or twice, only for her to immediately look away. An awkward silence reigns for a little bit, before she finally begins. "Um..." Netana begins.

"Hm?" You glance over at her, only to see her look back at her phone.

"I was just... wondering." She began. "About, um, your- um, er..."

"Yeah?"

"It's just, um, I was wondering if you were- er..."

Was she about to ask you out? It had been a few years since anyone had tried doing that, but you suppose it made sense those would start to pick up now.

"Um..." Netana mumbles something.

You sigh. "What did you say?"

"Are-" She clears her throat, putting her phone away and starting to stumble to her feet. "Are you a... a dark master?"

"A what?" You ask with a slight degree of alarm and confusion. The hell is that? Some kind of- oh, no...

"Y-you're... you're a-" She dropped to a whisper. "-Valkan, right?" She stands up, and points at your face with a shaking hand. "You... you changed and you have the marks."

You feel a knot settle in your stomach, and it's only after a few seconds of bizarre clarity that you realize your implants are releasing stimulants to keep you calm. Okay. Cover blown, but for only one person, and you're alone on this side of the rooftop.

>Very calmly explain that you're not a Valkan. (Lie)
>Slam her against the wall and very calmly ask her how she came across any of that.
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
>Admit that yes, you are.
>[Write-In]

>>4177411
Is Netana a cultist?
I feel like cultists are the only people who would call a Valkan a "dark master".
Regardless, tease the cultist.
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
>What do you mean "marks"?
>Tell me what you know about Valkans.
We should ascertain what she thinks Valkans are before telling her we are, but at this point we shouldn't straight up say "yeah I'm Valkan and yeah I can do space magic"

>>4177491
>implying this isn't an elaborate sting operation by the government in order to get us to own up to our heritage, and our role in the Incident at Y'avel.

If this is genuine, how far should we go before we try and get back into contact with Joran?

Reposting vote from last thread
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
Because of the sudden amusing realization that the 'marks' Netana and the drones use to recognize Tiiris's Valkan-ness are her damn freckles.

Jess has them, too!
>She tilts her head at you. There were prominent freckles bridging across her nose and brows. Perfectly symmetrical, like yours. "You don't know much about Valkans, do you?"

>>4177411
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.

>>4177411
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
To be fair, Tiiris can use space magic and a space spirit sword. She's no 'dark master' but she could become a dark lord somewhere else

>>4177411
Kill her

File: 1582199211607.gif (1.23 MB, 350x263)

1.23 MB GIF

>>4177571
You have no idea how long I've been laying the breadcrumbs for people to realize that.

No update tonight, the vote will stay open another day.

>>4178452
:(

So i was going back though the archives and found this gem in Thread #4 >>3874826

"We have less information on three of the remaining individuals. Two appear to be Valkans or their descendants, living in Tanis. They appear to have training in the Art, but are likely of subpar quality for teachers. The third has obfuscated his identity well, but our surveillance of him indicates that he is possibly Shipmaster Alich himself, living in Kana."

How badly would Joran / anyone in the government react if they found out.

>>4178325
Makes you wonder how many other !IMPORTANT! things you've hinted at and are just waiting for us to twig at some point and collectively facepalm since it's been staring us in the face.

>>4178476
Hell, knowing what we know now, I bet Tiiris would react badly upon realizing that. The government doesn't know who Alich is though, but learning that there are Valkans they didn't know about would freak them out.

>>4177411
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
If she plans to tell Tagaran authorities then we have to plan a murder.

Is there a way to hide the freckles and "marks"? We can't be a gamer or an e-girl now, can we? Shit

>>4177491
It does seem suspiciously culty, so I'll back that. I do recall it being mentioned that those with Valkan ancestry tend to find their way into death cults.

It raises a question though, and I don't think it's been brought up so far aside from half a sentence from a loony. What's with the death cults, anyway? What do they believe? Who do they worship exactly? And what are they trying to achieve by bombing shopping centres?

>>4178610
Naw. Freckles are cute.

>>4177411
>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.

>>4178617
They are. But we have to make them less uniform and symmetrical.

>Dark master? Seems a little edgy.
>Ask her about the "marks" she's referring to.
Writing.

"What... marks are you talking about?" You ask, tilting your head. ST and the Rontah had referred to them before, but you had never thought to ask them what they specifically were.

"The... the dots?" Netana made a motion across her brow.

You tilt your head. "They're freckles? What about them?"

"They're in the wings..." She traced a line up from the tip of her nose to her forehead, then across her brow and from cheek to cheek. "I didn't see it before, but now that I'm looking for it..."

"Wings?" You touch your head reflexively. "What, like the pattern?"

She nodded. "All dark masters have them."

"Why do you keep saying that? 'Dark master', I mean."

"It's who we've been instructed to wait for. We've been waiting for your coming for- you rule the darkness! It's as simple as that. I was only a kid when I saw it, but one summoned these shadow creatures when I was a kid. I watched them throw non-believers aside with a flick of their hand!"

Something twinges in you at the mention of 'non-believers'. "...sounds kind of edgy."

Netana flushed. "If you wish me to call you something else, I will. I was merely led to-"

"I'm not one of these... masters or whatever you think I am." You interrupt quickly. "I'm not a Valkan, either."

"Oh." Netana's face fell, almost instantly slipping into disappointment. "Okay- wait!" She shook her head. "I know what I'm seeing. You have to be-" She realized she was raising her voice, and cut it down to a hiss. "Even if you don't know yourself, I can see it. I've seen it before! I know it just looks like, even if you don't."

"What if I was." You step forward, scowling at Netana. "What's your big point? Why do you care?"

Netana looked at you slack-jawed, as if she didn't entirely understand the question. "Y-you're the rightful rulers! Whoever follows you is promised salvation!"

You stare. "Are... are you a death cultist, Netana?"

"We're not 'death' cultists. We just acknowledge that Valkans are divine compared to us, and one day they'll return. It's better to lay down arms and open the gates than try to fight them-"

Okay, so she's definitely a death cultist. Shit, what can you do? You suppose she doesn't even have more proof than 'she has freckles and her boobs are big', but that doesn't change the fact that she's right. Should you just... walk away? Although... an entire organization of people pledging to serve you? That seemed... useful.

>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
>Admit to her that yes, you are.
>Aggressively deny it and attempt to convince her of it.
>[Write-In]

>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.

>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
Not with a motherfucking bargepole, though I'm 99% sure this isn't the last we'll see of them. The cult might try and kidnap us to "convince" us by force later or something.

Though I wonder how badly they would react to a confirmed "dark master" telling them they're nuts and to go fuck themselves

>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.

>"Y-you're the rightful rulers! Whoever follows you is promised salvation!"
Uh-oh, I think this cult might have been set up by one of the 13th fleet survivors who wanted to conquer Targara.

Great, so now we know that actual Valkans -that don't give a shit about using the Abyss- run or at least create these fucking cults, which makes them all the more dangerous.
>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
We don't know anything about these cults other than the fact that some of them are terrorist assholes, gonna have to pass on joining them, even as their leader.
Hell, we don't need even the slightest possibility of trouble with Tagaran law enforcement.
So yeah, fuck off schizo.

>>4180877
>[Write-In]
"Is your organization led by Valkans?"
We need to find out more because as >>4180952 says,
>I think this cult might have been set up by one of the 13th fleet survivors who wanted to conquer Targara
Possibly even Alich

>>4180877
>Aggressively deny it and attempt to convince her of it.
We have robot servants, we don't need fucking death cultists.

>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
"I got mall-bombed by a cult, so no thanks. Worshiping Valkans is crazy."

>>4180877
>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
Have one of our drones break into her phone and see what they can find.

Looks like we're going to need to offload more things from the Rontah, soonish.

>>4180877
>Aggressively deny it and attempt to convince her of it.

My tits are just fast growing naturally I swear.

>>4180877
>"It's who we've been instructed to wait for. We've been waiting for your coming for- you rule the darkness! It's as simple as that. I was only a kid when I saw it, but one summoned these shadow creatures when I was a kid. I watched them throw non-believers aside with a flick of their hand!"
So some jackass Valkan set up this particular cult, Wizard-slapped people around to enforce loyalty, and... vanished. Leaving the cultists twiddling their thumbs.

Hopefully they're dead. Valkans do have a tendency to die a lot on Tagara. Almost makes me think the drones are intentionally avoiding the old Valkans who started the genocide. Can't imagine they'd die so often if they had drones like ST and Easy looking out for them.

Or maybe there's some Abyssal wasting illness involved. Backlash from killing so many people.

>>4181085
Support. Looks like we are gonna have to deprogram her.

>Play it like you think she's crazy and walk away.
Writing.

You shake your head and back away. "Do you even have any Valkans in your... cult?"

"Of course we do." Netana looked confused.

"What are their names?" You press. "What do they look like? When did they recruit you? What did they do?"

"When I was... six? I... I saw one..."

"And what have they done for you since then?" You press. "How have they proved themselves?"

"...well... you see..." Netana starts to mumble.

You turn. "I think I've heard all I need to hear."

"No, wait! You don't understand, you're-" Netana steps forward, her hands outstretched towards you.

Your hand reflexively snatches hers out of the air and pulls it to the side before you even realize what you're doing. "Listen." You hiss, unable to stop the note of anger leaking into your voice. "I was at Skyview. Cultists like you blew up a mall and tried to kill me. Put a fucking gun to my head, for real."

Netana flinches and pulls her hand out of yours, shaking her head and backing up. "But, I didn't- we never..."

You take a breath, feeling foolish as your anger fades. Don't accidentally reveal something you don't have to, Tiiris. Netana doesn't know what you do. "I don't know what you're talking about, and frankly I don't care. Go be crazy somewhere else." Turning sharply on your heel, you march away from Netana, who sputters weakly after you.

"Please, I'm not one of... I'm not like..." She takes a few steps after you as you walk away.

Turning the corner, you hear her scrabbling for her bag and coming after you. Picking up the pace, you pull the door to the stairwell open and start down the staircase. Footsteps start to sound down the stairwell after you, and you pick up the pace, throwing yourself down four, then five steps at a time. She's still following after when you reach the bottom and stride out into the hallway, calling your name.

Sighing, you turn around and face the door.

"Tiiris, wait-" Netana pushes open the door and rushes into the hallway. She stops and stares at you, as you fold your arms and watch her eyes slide over where you should be standing without stopping. Frowning, Netana walks past you and looks down both sides of the four way intersection you were standing in. Then she turns around, looking right through you and down the other way.

You kind of liked the cloaking device configured as a headband like this. It fit your style, and was easier to use when you sent the energy to your head rather than your arm. Although maybe you should wear it around your chest for maximum ease of use...

"Where'd she..." Netana began, then sighed. Her shoulders slumped, and she smacked herself with both hands in the face. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She muttered nonsense to herself, grinding her palms deep into her forehead, before reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone. Bending over it, she stalked down one of the halls, typing away on it furiously.

>>4182936
"Easy, ST." You sent. "There's a girl I go to school with, her name's Netana, and she's a death cultist. Get into her phone, she thinks I'm a Valkan."

"Right away." ST's voice came.

"Let me know when you're-"

"Done."

"Who is she, and has she told anyone about what she thinks?"

"Netana Holls. She is a death cultist, her sect primarily operates out of Miir's first floor." ST relayed. "No identifiable patron, although a representative chosen by their founder claims to speak for them. I will require some time to analyze the claims made here."

"'Here'? Do they have a website or something?" You stare after Netana's disappearing body for a second before shaking your head and continuing down a different hall, still cloaked.

"No, however their members often mention fragments of their teachings. I am piercing together a broader view of their belief system." ST paused for a second. "She has shared her suspicions of you with others."

You feel your blood run cold. "Like who?"

"Several friends and a written mention of a conversation with an authority figure. They dismissed or ridiculed her suspicions."

An odd flood of relief fills you. "The one time they were actually on the right track..."

"Would you like me to look into this further?"

"Please."

ST sends a note of confirmation before disconnecting, leaving you alone with your own thoughts again. Briefly, you debate calling it again and asking to be taken home. Netana would be hunting for you all day, now, and you still had one final left to go. It was just social studies... wait.

With a sinking feeling, you dial up Easy. "Is a Netana Holls in my social studies final?"

"Yes." Easy replied.

"Of fucking course she is." You sigh. "Thanks..."

That was going to be an awkward two hours, then. You were partially tempted to just ditch the class entirely, but... no, your social studies grade wasn't great, you needed to do good on the final to pass. She wouldn't make a scene in the middle of a test, right?

>Soldier on and attend your final.
>Nope, not doing it. Bail.
>>[Sub-Option] Ask ST to change your grade in the system so you still pass.
>>[Sub-Option] Go to Joran and try to ask him for an exemption. Huh, you haven't heard from him in a while...
>Could you try and weasel out of it somehow?
>[Write-In]

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.
The show must go on. We've come this far trying not to fail. Wake up, go to class, solve world-shattering mysteries and deal with nutters. All in a day's work, and if some guy can take his GCSE exams with screwdriver stab wounds in his leg plugged with tissue paper, we can deal with an awkward encounter. If she *really* makes an ass of herself we can probably shop her to the rozzers.

>>4182937
>>Soldier on and attend your final.
K I L L H E R
She is persistent and stupid. If she tells her death cult about us then things will go south real quick.

>>4183004
>If she tells her death cult about us then things will go south real quick.
She did already

>"She has shared her suspicions of you with others."

>You feel your blood run cold. "Like who?"

>"Several friends and a written mention of a conversation with an authority figure. They dismissed or ridiculed her suspicions."

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.

>>4183007
friends here could mean only school friends and this authority figure might just be a teacher or parent. but if she continues to tell everyone that we're a valkan, eventually someone who knows will investigate. she must be silenced. permanently

>>4182937
>>Nope, not doing it. Bail.
>>>[Sub-Option] Ask ST to change your grade in the system so you still pass.

>>4183027
>everyone
To be clear, her 'friends' are all cultists. ST was explaining that she told a few other members of the cult and they didn't believe her that she found a Valkan. She's not just telling everyone she meets.

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.
Netana is going to come after us later. When she does, I'm going to suggest we (as I suggested earlier) find out more about her cult for intel purposes and to do as this anon >>4182503 suggests. We need to employ control methods of some sort or she'll become a major threat in the future.
Are we about to enter the "Tiiris destroys an entire cult and nobody can tell the difference" arc or the "training on a spooky island with a crazy space warlock (to prepare to fight the cultists)" arc

>>4182937
>>Soldier on and attend your final.
Murder time? Should we call upon the ancient Valkan spirits to destroy this cult too

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.
What is she going to do, accuse us publicly of being a Valkan, follow us home?
>>4183635
If she ends up making a scene, and in doing so gets any sort of attention from the police the Cell will probably get orders from above to kill her so she can't talk.

The best course of action assuming that we don't want her to die would probably be to tip the police off anonymously, though she might try and convince them of our heritage, and as long as they don't reach the ears of the wrong people, Whoever is looking into whatever happened to Hull II we should be fine

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.
No murder please. Besides, we survived class with Clinsky, cultism is like a breath of fresh air.

We should really get back in touch with Taylor though. Her dad might have some questions, too. A couple weeks of letting things cool down is fine, but we wait much longer and it's going to look like we're avoiding her intentionally.

>>4183666
Well I would prefer not to kill her too but we must be prepared for the possibility. We must either convince her that we're not a valkan or we can make her look insane.
Can EZ or ST modify her medical records and diagnose her with schizo and other mental problems? No one will listen to her ramblings then.

>>4183757
Harsh. I'm not sold on her yet, she doesn't seem to have much in the way of brain-to-mouth filters, but befriending her and turning her against the cult would be more fun and more Anime.
"I have a magical space alien friend and nobody believes me!" is a classic.

>>4182937
>Soldier on and attend your final.
>>4183962
>befriending her and turning her against the cult would be more fun and more Anime.
She may not be "dangerous" but she can cause trouble. Befriending her and learning more, while getting her to understand terrorists are a problem sounds like a good idea.

List of stuff we still have to get around to doing.
From Thread #1
Get Mom's stuff out of storage and go though it, again. As there might be something that was passed over previously, because we didn't know about our heritage. >>3727560
Find out who Lynn is. >>3730652
See if we can find someone to Expand on the details of the Bargain that was made. >>3736187
Return to the cave that Scuttles lead us to, lots of untapped potential. >>3759192
> OH likely is going it be able to give us an idea of the possibility of restoring limited functionality to the craft, so we can get information off it's system.
> Additional Data Chits, Cores, Weapons, Parts and other Supplies might be able to scavenged from the Wreck after further inspection.
> Whatever the glowing thing in the Pilot's Lifesuit is, and the additional suit since it probably could be refurbished, and returned to service
Just don't tell whoever gets it where it came from.

>>4184304
All this is important, especially the wreckage

>>4184304
It's also worth it to note that the data Chits and Cores can be read in the Rontah Crew Cabins.Expanding the Rontah's capacity for Cores may also be worth looking into since the Unread core that we recovered is either empty or has an Ai on it.

When we see Jess again we should ask her about the high security Crate on the Rontah and what it would need to open it, and if she could help us build / find / design a cutting torch attachment for the Plasma Converter already in our possession.
Also it may be worth it to see what she has to say about responsible ship ownership.

>Soldier on and attend your final.
Writing.

What were you really worried she would do? It's not like she was going to go up to a teacher and say that you were a Valkan. How was she going to explain that? "Oh, well you see, I'm part of a death cult and they say..." It was going to be awkward, but you doubt she was going to do anything.

You wander the halls cloaked until the bell rings for the end of the second final, uncloaking in a bathroom near the cafeteria for lunch. Instead of waiting around for Kara, you grab lunch - a burger made from ground poultry - and hide out inside ST for an hour. When the bell rings for the next final, you skip back inside and join the excited crowd heading back in for their last final of the year. Upperclassmen were jabbering excitedly among themselves, while the freshmen were looking more stressed than they'd been in their entire life.

Slipping into the classroom that had been designated for last names that began with E through I, you sat down in one of the seats as everyone came in. Due to the way these rooms had been assigned, most people had been split up from their friends, and so the chattering was minimal. As you wait, you feel a pair of eyes on the back of your head, and resist the urge to look as Netana awkwardly slides by you and sits down a row ahead. She steals a guilty look at you, and you pointedly ignore her.

Instead, you look down at the terminal waiting on your desk and wait for everyone to get seated. This was social studies, this was going to be easy. All you really have to prove is that you had a pulse and could regurgitate some basic philosophy. The short story they had you analyzing this year was... right, you remember reading this one in class. Some turn-of-the-millenium novel about a man who became the center of a hivemind, back when people thought technology could do anything.

Normally, you would debate with yourself about whether to let your implants help you on this or not, but with Netana right there... yeah, no. They were no help on this particular subject, of course, but they could help with your memory. After a thorough readthrough of the story, you turn to the questions and - without referencing the page again even once - answer each and every option.

After you finish your short answer on the philosophical themes present - identity, the soul and replacement parts - you wait a few minutes in silence to pad out your test time before submitting the test and standing up.

"Have a good summer." The teacher supervising you smiles as you walk past.

"You too." You politely smile and nod as you walk past and out the classroom. As much as you resist the urge, you can't help stealing a glance at Netana, looking at you guiltily before the door closes behind you.

...free. Free! The school year was over! Fuck yes!

>>4185145
Despite the events of the day, you couldn't help but skip a little as you headed down the steps and out to meet ST at the front of the school. With all the time you saved, and the weird structure of your finals schedule, you were out a few hours earlier than school would normally end, meaning you had the rest of your Sunday afternoon to yourself. Coming down off the stimulant high from the roof and the marathon of tests had left you feeling pretty tired, but that didn't mean you couldn't do something lightly social like see Ka- oh, wait. Both she and Elan were still stuck in tests - although you're pretty sure Elan was getting to take them at home.

Well, there were other things you could do... you could go home and relax, maybe practice some magic or sort through your things. Go out for the day... maybe see Jess? You had plenty of time for just a social visit, and you could sleep on the drive over. You could even just aimlessly wander- lots of fun places you could do that with a car. Not like you could shop without any money...

>Just go home.
>>[Sub-Option] Practice your magic.
>>[Sub-Option] Laze around the house and find out more about current events.
>>[Sub-Option] Go through your mother's stuff.
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Joran.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
>>[Sub-Option] Jess.
>>[Sub-Option] Arrange a rendezvous with the Rontah.
>Explore.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the gym you bought a membership to.
>[Write-In]

>>4185150
>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.
With a car, you can go anywhere.

>>4185150
>Explore.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the gym you bought a membership to.
A cave expedition should be a whole-day thing we can do tomorrow, and we could consider bringing the gang. It's going to be getting late before long, so shy not make use of this thing we now have?

I literally just drew the connection that Taylor's dad is the Mel's captain from the prologue. Also, I checked the character sheet and holy balls we have a lot of robutts kicking around. The Rontah must be pretty crowded.

>>4185150
>Explore.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.

>>4185150
Wew. Options.
>Explore.
>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.
Sounds neat. Scuttles came from there, and we can talk to it now if we want to ask questions about the deceased Valkan.
>[Sub-Option] Practice your magic.
Second choice this, to hopefully get a start on healing/transformation/druid stuff.

>>4185150
>>Make a social call.
>>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
We have some explaining to do

>>4185150
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.
But we should get all our little drone buddies from The Rontah to help out if we're going to be doing any excavating.
Also, if we ever want yet another warskin there's one waiting around our neighborhood somewhere. It spooked us away before by basically inviting us inside, but we can talk to it from a distance now. Not saying we should steal that old man's car, just saying we should talk to it and maybe have it on standby.

>>4185150
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
and
>Explore.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.

Before we return to Jess for training we still have some things to do, Ideally Kara's implants should grown in completely, which is going to take some time to get set up.We should see if any of the the drones aboard the Rontah would be willing to fill out her retinue.

>Explore.
>>[Sub-Option] Return to the cave you found up north.
Writing.

File: p022vb17.jpg (16 KB, 256x256)

16 KB JPG

"It feels like it's been an eternity since I was up here..." You murmur to yourself, staring out the window as the scenery transitions from lightly forested inland to the rocky cliffs of the coast.

"You have been here before?" ST asks.

"Over six weeks ago. I remember running after Scuttles on foot, tearing through these trees and avoiding crowds. Then I found a Valkan wreck." You turn your hands over each other, letting Scuttles hop between them. "Seems like a lifetime ago. It was simpler then, too. I wasn't augmented, or worried about politics and intrigue, I was just... curious."

"So very Valkan." Easy's voice came to you from it's place in the trunk. "Curious to a fault."

"Am I?" You smile a little sadly. "I don't remember being."

ST pulled off the main road and onto a rocky patch that overlooked the cliffs.

You glance down at Scuttles, who nods and crawls up your arm as you get out of the car. Walking up to the edge of the cliff, you put your hands on your knees and peer over the edge. Sure enough, at the bottom you could see that pile of rocks and debris that marked the entrance of the cave. There was no clear path down, but that wasn't a problem for you.

With a light kick, you threw yourself out a few feet and began to fall, your skirt whipping up above your waist as the ground suddenly approached. Reaching out, you spread an acceleration field around yourself. It didn't actively slow you down, but it stopped you from going any faster, such that you only drop to your knees after falling several dozen feet. Getting back up from your kneeling position, you brush off your skirt and look up to see Easy and OH descending down to meet you.

"I see you have been developing your powers." OH said politely.

"A little." You grin at it, then glance over to Scuttles. "Last time I couldn't understand you, so you couldn't say, but now that I can... what's the story of this place?"

"This is the crash site of my former master, Vilnea aust Tanoh. She took anti-aircraft fire while fleeing from the second Battle of Tagara."

"Crashed into a tiny cave after falling from orbit?" You grunt as you slide through the entrance, dropping into the water on the other side. This time the water didn't flood your boots, instead only lapping at the raised heels. "I'm shocked there's anything left..."

"Valkan machinery is extremely durable, although it is not impervious, as is obvious."

"Yeah..." You breathe, looking over the wreck again. Like before, it almost resembled an aircraft from the front, with a wide, flat body longer than two cars that tapered into a thin cockpit small enough for a single person. Starting where you'd expect the wings to flare out though, it dissolved into a twisting and split mess of spidery black metal and cables, with the two sheared off wings resting to either side of the cave. "So what is this, then?"

"Her warskin. LT9093."

>>4186946
You let out a breath as you look over the twisted metal in the back. "It was trying to transform into a plane..."

"Yes." Scuttles said. "Presumably to pull out of it's dive, but it was shot down by ground fire."

You press a hand against the main body, frowning at the heat you felt. "Why is it warm, though? It was like this before."

"Decomposing nanotechnology." OH answered, floating up to the wreck. "Transformable hardware is inherently unstable. Without proper maintenance or a residing Abyss-derived intelligence, it begins to degrade into it's component elements. It is 'rotting'."

You reflexively pull your hand away. "Is it dangerous?"

"To ordinary humans, only if they ingested the ground water here. You, however, would be able to process the heavy metals."

"Oh." You glance back over at the wreck. "...any chance the AI is still alive?"

"If it's rotting, it is most likely dead or disconnected." OH answered.

"It was alive when I departed this cave after the crash." Scuttles offered.

You slosh through the ground water over to the cockpit again, steeling yourself as you once again come face-to-face with the corpse... Vilnea's corpse. Her helmet lay just to the side of her body, where you left it. You could read the words written on it, now. 'Vilnea', '14th Air Intercept Group', then a serial number and- "What's that say?"

OH beeped. "Siirla Manufacturing. They are a Valkan arms company. Most of the 13th's more valuable hardware was Siirla hardware they took with them."

"Valkans have corporations?" You tilt your head. "It's not all distributed by an AI or something?"

"Of course not." OH said almost dismissively. "Even the most powerful AI cannot divine market trends for an entire nation. It would be an exercise in insanity."

"Huh? I thought that's half the reason why people built computers. To make predictions and stuff."

"Indeed, and it works on very small scales. Tagara's financial trading sector utilizes those techniques. Predicting sport scores and voting trends, for example. Any increase in scope will see the accuracy rapidly break down, and drive non-Valkan AI insane. The Abyss also tends to disrupt predictions."

"...interesting." You turn back to Vilnea's corpse and grimace. Slowly, you lean the body in and peer down the empty neckhole, letting your implants adjust your nose to deal with the smell. Even in the gloom, you could pick out the thousands of small wires that coiled through Vilnea's body, snaking through her flesh and chest- just like you. Your eyes slide down to the cross-shaped object inside of her. "That's her machine heart, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's still active, even after all this time."

"Is..." You swallow. "Is it possible to bring her back? Part of her mind is in the implants, right?" You reach out with your implants. "LL?"

>>4186948
"It's... possible." LL1100 replied hesitantly. "A machine heart can preserve someone with brain trauma long enough for them to be recovered and healed. But it's only a temporary measure. A day, at utter maximum. Once the body has perished, though, the implants will soon rot with it."

"Should we bury her?" You ask quietly. "Are Valkans normally buried?"

"The tradition varies by fleet." Easy began. "In the 13th, recoverable resources were stripped from the corpse, then it was thrown into a star."

You close your eyes and take a deep breath. "I'm not sure how I feel about digging through her pockets."

"The suit is in recoverable condition..." Scuttles began.

You look over the corpse, still arranged in such a way that it was curled protectively around the data core canister. A canister that was once connected to the warskin, and given the circumstance in which she died- you shake the image out of your head. "I'm just not sure I want to." Stepping away from the cockpit, you look over the whole thing. "...what of this can we salvage?"

"All of this material is salvageable, but we don't have any engineering units or phased disassemblers to collect it with." OH examined the wreck. "Directly, we could salvage some of the core computer systems. Potentially a few weapon components. Engines are ruined, however."

"Any idea where we could find any of that?"

"Other crash sites, potentially. They may be in the possession of other Valkans. We could trade for them, or take them."

"That seems like a bad idea. I mean, so many Valkans have been friendly with me so far." You deadpan.

"It was just a suggestion."

>Salvage what you can for now.
>Leave it for now- you'll come back if you ever have an 'engineering unit'.
>[Write-In]

>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.

>>4186949
>Salvage what you can for now.
>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.

>>4186949
>Salvage what you can for now.
>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.
It's tradition
If it was safe for us to do so I'd even advocate throwing her into a star. Maybe we should bury her though.

File: valkanacecombat.png (1.59 MB, 1024x768)

1.59 MB PNG

>>4186949
>Salvage what you can for now.
>Leave it for now- you'll come back if you ever have an 'engineering unit'.
No fragile things or those that could be damaged without specialist knowledge or tools.

And yes, we should consider a stellar cremation once we're sure we can do it without ending up like pic related

>>4186949
>>Salvage what you can for now.
>>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.

>>4186949
>Salvage what you can for now.
>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.
Vilnea aust Tanoh. I wonder if this is Wander.
She only showed up when we were near the Tanoh. I assumed her shade was from there, but maybe not. She could have got attached to us at this wreck, and only manifested later because of the Tanoh's familiarity and overwhelming Abyss presence.

>>4187366
Ok so this is what we know "Wander" looks like from Thread #8 >>3998920
Wander's arms grab you, gently holding you up. The vague outlines of her limbs were solidifying, gaining depth and texture. A silvery suit hugged her body, marked with dark patches similar to the designs on most Valkan things you've seen so far- you shake your head and look up. The helmet entirely enclosed her face, the visor only displaying a strip of her face from the bridge of her nose to her blonde brows. Blue eyes stared at you with concern. "Okay, relax. You've absorbed a ton of energy and your body is trying to find an outlet. All you need to do is very carefully let it all go."

And we got a Picture of "Kallis 'Jeanne' aust Tanoh ", Tiiris's mother that we could compare it against in Thread #9 >>4033919
Your stomach twists unpleasantly at the sight of your mother in a suit of Valkan armor. Blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles, all as you remembered her, but wearing a silvery suit that clung to her body- although of a remarkably different style to the one you'd seen Wander in. More patterned, personalized almost. Vibrant red cloth was strapped to the dark panels of armor across her body, a small strip of loose fabric trailing out from her hip like a skirt and laying on the log she was sitting on.

And Now that we have a name Vilnea aust Tanoh's suit description from Thread #1 post >>3759195
A suit hung emptily against the skeleton underneath it. It was colored gray, and was made out of a material that reminded you faintly of silk, catching the light in the dark. Fabric had been draped over it in places, fastened to the suit with small studs and pins. What once had probably been vibrant patterns were now lost, having rotted away from constant water exposure, leaving only the small faded patches.

1/2

>>4187781
>>4187366
While the facial features look similar, the armour is different although I'm not sure that would be enough to provide a definitive answer since we don't know what determines a shades appearance, and any Valkans that landed on Tagara, would likely have ditched any Suit or Armour they had on in order to better fit in with the local population and avoid detection.
Also knowing anything about her death would be useful in determining the probability of her returning to us in the way she did, We could probably find out more by going though her Data chits that were recovered of the Tanoh or by asking Jess or Xol some questions assuming we don't just ask 'Wander'.
Figuring out how and where she made landfall could also possibly provide additional certainty as to Wander's identity. It could also be possible to raise her as a shade, eventually.

So far only one of the details we have uncovered match up perfectly, and based of the information above 'Wander' is likely just a random Valkan that was on the Tanoh when it went down, who has some unfinished business somewhere, and looks somewhat similar to our mother.

2/2

>>4187781
>>4187785
Don't all Valkans look the same?

>>4187980
I don't think so, maybe at a genetic level they would have less variation because of the inherent genetic manipulation, so they would look more similar, but they can shapeshift so they could tailor their looks to their own individual preferences.

Thread #9 >>4033919
And I doubt that Kallis kept her ears the way they were in the picture when she became Jeanne.

and she looks different to her brother

>>4187980
Valkans have some pretty sophisticated means of introducing biodiversity while still making beneficial manipulations. They don't all look like Tiiris, though.

>Salvage what you can for now.
>[Optional] Take what you can from Vilnea's body.
Writing.

File: cibo is a pretty woman an(...).png (357 KB, 503x460)

357 KB PNG

You screw your eyes shut, then look up at Easy. "It's what she would have wanted, then? For her things to not go to waste?" You sigh. "Okay, then. Help me get her body out of this suit. Scuttles, can you tell OH what parts are salvageable, while me and Easy..."

"Of course." Easy glided over closer to you, as Scuttles scurried up and over the wreckage towards the top. "Is the suit damaged?"

You pull on the fabric, trying to ignore what you're doing. "The visor is shattered, and there's a few tears where the cables came out of her arms. Does it have a zip or something?"

"It is similar to your lensing field generator. You will need to touch the inner layer..."

"That means... oh..." You grimace, and very carefully reach your hands up to the empty neck ring of the suit. The broken spine clacked around inside, connective tissue still tenuously holding some of the vertebrae together, while the others have long since broken off and fallen deeper inside. Carefully, you creep your hand inside, trying to ignore the slightly slimy feeling of the inner ring, towards the inner cloth...

The body shifts, and the spine inside slips to the side, clattering against your fingers. It left a slimy residue, which was partially scraped away by the rough and hard surface of the vertebrae.

You let out a girly shriek and jerk back. "Ewww..."

"Okay." Easy says impassively. "Now touch the inner liner and command the suit to release."

"Why can't you do this from the outside?" You screw your eyes shut and try to carefully slide your hand past the clavicle.

"Would you like it if any drone could just strip you naked?"

"...point." You fingers touch something warmer than it's surroundings, and you reach out with a mental command. Release.

Instantly, the suit dissolves, pulling free of the corpse and crumpling- surprising you as even the apparently rigid parts of it's construction seemingly dissolve. The neck ring collapses away under your grip, along with most of the wilted fabric patterns, which flutter to the ground and sink into the ground water.

You stumble back as the corpse shifts forward and- "Shit!" Throwing both hands forward, you stop Vilnea's corpse from falling on top of you, gently pushing her body back against the sea as it goes limp without the suit. One hand holds the loose form of her suit, while the other sinks deep into the rotting flesh and bone of her arm. Your eyes water and bile threatens to rise up your throat.

Dispensing anti-nausea agent.

Swallowing hard, you wordlessly hold the suit up for Easy, then carefully let Vilnea go and step away after making sure she was in place. "Gross, gross..." You go to wipe your hand on your blazer, then think better of it. "Please tell me it's not broken."

Easy holds it up, while OH moves away from the wreck and begins to sweep over it. "It's lost some mass, that'll have to be replaced." OH announces after a few seconds. "May I see the helmet?"

>>4189002
You reach out with your clean hand and carefully lift it up so the skull can fall out. "Here."

"The visor will need to be replaced. That's a simple fix." OH turned around and took the suit from Easy. "I will require a few days."

"That's fine..." You hold out your dirty hand to Easy with a whimper, and he obliges you with a thin manipulation beam that sweeps over you, carefully pulling the residue off your skin. "Thanks." You rub your hands together and glance back at the corpse. "...what about the corpse? It's not like we can just stick it in ST's trunk."

"We could." OH comments.

"We shouldn't." Easy replies. "Cremation was the standard procedure. Do we have any plasma weapons available?"

"Just my plasma rifle. One of the drones I left on the Rontah may have one."

"It would be best to cremate her here. Lest you wish to transport a body."

>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
>Call up the Rontah to take the salvage and the body with them.
>Don't do anything with the body for now.
>Try to immolate the corpse with your powers.
>[Write-In]

>>4189004
Is there a safe direction for us to discharge the Plasma Rife in? We wouldn't want to bring the roof down on ourselves accidentally.

>>4189012
Outside, towards the ocean. Before it was mentioned that the rifle had controls to affect the intensity of the beam that you would be using now. You want to incinerate the corpse, not blow it apart and stain half the cliffs red.

>>4189014
>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
Make it the last thing we do before we leave, so if it attracts any sort attention we are already gone by the time whomever noticed gets here.

>>4189004
>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.

>>4189004
>Don't do anything with the body for now.

>>4189004
>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.

>>4189004
>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
On BBQ mode.

I've been working making a list of questions to ask various people when we next see them.

This list is for Xol:
How adequate the hardware that he is currently inhabiting is, the limitations and constraints it imposes, and how we would go about addressing those issues.
How difficult would it be to start producing more Machine seeds?
What is involved in the creation of a new machine consciousness / awareness
Did he have any contact with any of the other Shipboard AI's of the 13th if so what can he tell us about them
> In particular the only remaining Lifeship, The Kharki; Hull XV It is currently hanging out near Tagara, ( so approaching it even with the Rontah, unless with explicit governmental approval is basically suicide at this point ) it also happens to now be the only that isn't in pieces of if we need something form a lifeship it's the only place to find one
General overview of the contents / role of each of the Hulls that make up the 13th so we can make better decisions if we decide to visit one in the future.
What he thinks the Response of the various remaining Valkan Fleets would be if they were to learn of the fate of the 13th.
Could he show us what the approximate last known positions of the various Valkan Fleets are.
How the various Fleets communicate between one another, and how approximately long it would take for the absence of the 13th to be noticed and someone coming to investigate why they aren't responding.

>>4189004
>>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
Wonder what happened to mom's body?

>>4189004
>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
Ye olde space Viking funeral, improvised.
>>4189495
Shot into the sun I bet. She died when Tiiris was young, and Tiiris grew up in space, so the opportunity was there.

>Use the plasma rifle like Easy suggests.
Writing.

>>4189495
She was cremated according to her wishes and buried in space.

>>4191008
Does Tiiris know what the official cause of death was?

>>4191009
Unfortunate case of early onset heart and liver failure. The medical examiner who looked at her body linked it to the high amount of heavy metals in her system, which caused her liver to fail, followed by the heart.

>>4191031
Something weird definitely went down, wouldn't any sort of detailed look reveal her genetic variance or her implants, if she still had them, is it even possible to go back?

Looks like more questions for LL.

>>4191031
How did they miss the wires running all over her body and the metal thing where the heart is supposed to be

>>4191031
But Valkans can metabolize heavy metals, an essential nutrient? And if she had her implants they would have kept her alive?
This is fishy
>>4191060
>Looks like more questions for LL.
This

Retching slightly, you lay the skinless, rotting corpse of Vilnea down on the rocks outside of the cave. "Let's get this over with quick, before anyone happens by..." You murmur, reaching out to Easy and closing your finger around the grip of the rifle held beneath it. "Find anything else on her?"

"No, miss." Easy detaches the rifle from it's internal housing.

"Set for low-power, short range and open the virtual barrel." ST suggests.

"The what?" You pull the rifle free of Easy's housing and heft it in your hands.

"Think of it as similar to a shotgun choke."

"I don't know what that is."

"Then think of it as a weak forcefield that extends past the muzzle and can vary the profile of the shot after it has left the barrel."

"I-" Something odd clicks in your brain as your hands curl around the grip, triggering your implants to reach out. You could almost feel the settings you were intending to plug into the control panel on the rifle get plucked out of your mind, instructions running down your arms and into the rifle, which makes an odd, electric hum as you hold it.

Discharge power set to five percent. Convergence range set to six meters. Virtual barrel set to one hundred by thirty degrees.

You could almost see the bolt emerging ahead of time. The invisible cylinder on the front of the muzzle widening to a wide cone and allowing the plasma to freely escape and spray over a large area. Swallowing, you nod and shoulder the rifle, pointing it at the fleshy legs and torso, joined to a pair of rotting arms by a skeletal ribcage and shoulders.

Dim red light flares from the muzzle, small flecks of brighter plasma spraying out and landing on the stone around Vilnea's corpse. A putrid smell fills the air as it quickly smolders, smokes, and bursts into flame. Fluids boil away quickly, some leaking onto the stone around it before starting to simmer and shrinking away, leaving nothing but black stains. The wires coiling through her body start to glow red hot, followed by the bones.

It's difficult to resist the urge to squirm as the flesh blackens and starts to crumple off the skeleton, but you hold the rifle steady. Some kind of boiling point was reached, and black smoke begins to pour of the corpse in greater quantities, eventually becoming a gout that only disperses when crumpled bones remain. Small cracks of bone and crinkling of metal curling and folding sounds out of the pile.

The rifle in your hands emits a faint whine of machinery, and a small jet of red air flares out of the exhaust port above your hand. Releasing the trigger, you pull the barrel up and look over the pile of ash. A circle of red stone glows around the former corpse- now reduced to a pile of dry ash and fragmented bone.

"Should I do anymore?" You ask, balancing the stock on your shoulder.

>>4191290
"That is more than sufficient." Scuttles said, crawling over to the circle of hot stone and beginning to sweep Vilnea's remains together.

"Um, okay." You turn and hand the rifle back to Easy. "OH, did you find anything useful?"

"A moderate amount of useful parts. Enough to keep us in working order, should anything happen." OH came floating out of the cave, another pile of mysterious parts bound beneath it. "This will only take a few minutes."

>'Small Pile of Valkan Salvage' added to inventory.
>'A collection of specialized parts and general salvage pulled from Valkan machinery. If you had the correct technical skills, you could use it to repair other Valkan devices.'

>'Damaged Lifesuit' added to inventory.
>'The damaged lifesuit of Vilnea aust Tanoh, recovered from a cave just to the north of Miir. It has been damaged, and requires repairs before it can be used again.'

"And so that's the end of Vilnea..." You murmur, looking down at the pile of ash, then down at your watch. "It's getting late, we should go soon."

---

"I'm home." You call softly, holding the door open a moment so Easy and OH's invisible forms can glide through.

"Hey!" Dad's voice calls down to you from the living room. There was a thudding of feet as he came into view, smiling wide. "So I hear someone's free for the next two months."

"I wish it was longer...." You rub the back of your neck and groan before smiling back. "Finals went okay, I think. I'm not gonna win any awards but I'm passing."

"That's really all I ask." Dad stifled a yawn. "You ran it late, though. Get caught up with your friends after."

"A little. I kind of got out of there early."

Dad nods. "I'd bet you're tired. And so am I, come to think of it." He yawns. "Okay, well- I'm headed to bed, and from the sounds of it you should as well. Night, sweetie." He pulls you close for a second and then goes stumbling off past you into his bedroom.

"Night." You call softly, before turning around and heading back into your room. The grimoire lay open on your desk, and you shoot it a grimace before tossing your bag to the side and throwing yourself onto your bed. OH had beat you into here, and was currently dumping the loose form of Vilnea's suit into a plastic box. "So how do you fix something like that, anyway?"

"Repair slurry." It answered. "After putting it into repair mode, you soak it into the slurry and let it passively absorb it. It's cheaper than directly patching it."

"Huh." You lean back. "So... Valkans wear that all the time, right?"

"It's not unheard of for a Valkan to wear a lifesuit for multiple weeks in a row. It's in the name, after all. Lifesuit."

"...so how do you go to the bathroom?" You tilt your head.

"Any waste your implants can't thoroughly digest will be evacuated through your colostomy ports into the storage tank."

>>4191291
"My what?" Your eyes widen, and your hand reflexively goes to your stomach. "I don't have one of those!" You prod it carefully. "...do I?"

"Lower back, just above your first five vertebrae."

You prod the flesh worryingly, only feeling the slight firmness of your waist. "I don't feel anything."

"Press harder."

Nervously, you press down on your back, not feeling anything at first, until your fingers drift slightly and suddenly press up against the edge of something surprisingly hard and circular. "Ah!" You jerk your hand back. "When did I get those?"

"I am not a medical drone, but presumably they grew in with the rest of your implants." OH replied evenly. "I would ask LL1100 if you had any further questions."

"And so... when I'm wearing the suit, instead of going to the bathroom..."

"It's fed from those ports into the life support system of the lifesuit. Yes. Your taps serve a similar purpose in that they allow any recycled nutrients to flow back into you."

"Taps?" You ask blankly.

"Do you recall the cables inserted into Vilnea's corpse? They were plugged into a cybernetic port along your arms and back called a 'tap'. Hermetically sealed ports that your lifesuit will use to interact with your circulatory system."

"Weird..." You shiver. "Okay, um... I'm just going to go to sleep, now. Good night, OH."

"Good night, ma'am."

---

Skyview Mall, Miir
4th of 6th, 1173. 11:00AM.

"Why do they make this so bloody difficult..." A girl murmured to herself, leafing through racks of underwear.

"Are you finding everything today?" A voice called from behind her, and the girl started and turned around.

"Huh? Oh, um- I was wondering if I could get fitted? I'm afraid the size I found at home doesn't fit..." The girl went up to scratch her head, only for her hand to catch on her long brown hair and jerk her head to the right.

"Sure." The saleswoman said politely and ran a trained eye over the doors. "Looks like room... five is open. Take off any bra you have on, but it doesn't matter if you have a shirt on."

"Thank you." The girl says back politely, somewhat distracted extricating her hand from her hair. After the saleswoman walked off, she quickly picked her way through the sea of bins and racks towards the changing room. Her head automatically hovered over the nearby tables as she did so, or reached out to grip the support rods of the rolling racks nearby. "Of all the ways for me to..." She muttered under her breath as she carefully stepped into the changing room.

---

Your eyes blink open, and you groggily roll out of bed. Reflexively, you stumble over to where Easy would normally have laid out your uniform while you were asleep, only to find nothing there. Blinking open your eyes, you look at the clock.

12:00PM.

As consciousness comes to you, a slow smile breaks out across your face.

Summer.

>>4191293
Dad was gone- after all, it was a work day for him. But for you? You were free! Finally, a chance for more than just the weekend to get things done, no Clinsky or schoolwork or even needing to show up at the damn building every day to get in your way.

There were so many big projects you'd put off because of school that you could finally get to! That, or you could just waste more of it with your friends- but what really counted was that you could basically do whatever you wanted.

>Focus on your magical studies.
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Joran.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
>>[Sub-Option] Kara. It's time to get those implants in.
>>[Sub-Option] Elan. It's time to get those implants in.
>>[Sub-Option] Netana, maybe?
>>[Sub-Option] Arrange a rendezvous with the Rontah.
>Return to the gym you bought a membership to.
>Begin planning for another big task.
>>[Sub-Option] Up to Reese for Jess' training camp. Maybe even get Kara and Elan in on it.
>>[Sub-Option] That message was still transmitting every night. It's time to see if this 'Kathari' is the same one who wrote your journal.
>>[Sub-Option] Something else. (Write-In)
>[Write-In]

>>4191296
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
Until we are confidant we are completely clear of suspicion, any potential communication with Joran should go though him. we should also get around to debriefing with both him and Taylor
and
>>[Sub-Option] Kara. It's time to get those implants in.
We should get her talk to LL getting this done so we pave the way for getting up to Jess's during the break.
>[Write-In]
And we should talk to LL about the following
Why our Implants are asking us to perform system integration and calibration
Is some form of Thermal Vision or Night vision possible with our implants.

>>4191296
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Kara. It's time to get those implants in.

>>4191305
Something else to take into consideration would be that we should try and get the Rontah to be able to support a small crew, indefinitely if possible, the big thing we are missing is Food production, since water can always be recycled.
> To this end we could return to Jeremy Manaan's Storage Unit (Thread #9 >>3967623 ) since it had a Broken Terraforming Unit, last time we were there that Jess could probably repair if we were to "acquire" it for her, we could also "borrow" some the components that he has in storage to increase our own stock of scrap to practice on for Jess's training.

>>4191296
>>Make a social call.
>>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.

>>4191296
>Make a social call.
>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
It's not treason, it's just that the door was REALLY LOUD.

>>4191296
These, in order of priority. Keep your friends close, bur your enemies closer.
>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Joran.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
>>[Sub-Option] Netana, maybe?
>>[Sub-Option] Kara. It's time to get those implants in.
>>[Sub-Option] Elan. It's time to get those implants
Then
>Begin planning for another big task.
>>[Sub-Option] That message was still transmitting every night. It's time to see if this 'Kathari' is the same one who wrote your journal.

>>4191296
>[Sub-Option] Kara. It's time to get those implants in.
fix schizophrenia

>Make a social call.
>>[Sub-Option] Mr. Soban.
Writing.

File: __tachibana_hibiki_senki_(...).png (730 KB, 810x1240)

730 KB PNG

Soban Household, Miir, 3rd Floor
4th of 6th, 1173. 2:00PM.

You rap on the door a few times, then step back. After a few moments, you can see a blurry shape moving behind the glass to either side of the door before it opens.

Mr. Soban pulls the door open, then looks down at you- well, not actually down so much anymore. Maybe a few inches lower. He looks vaguely confused for a few moments, searching your body with his eyes, then his expression clears. "Tiiris."

"Hi." You give a small wave in greeting and smile slightly awkwardly. "I have some explaining to do, don't I?"

"...yeah." Mr. Soban held back his exasperation, stepping back to allow you space to pass through. "You look different."

"Another thing I'm going to have to explain." You step through the door. "Your kitchen or...?"

"Kitchen's fine." Mr. Soban moved past you into the door beyond.

As you follow him, you glance to your right and see Taylor laying on the couch in their living room, looking up curiously over a book she's reading. When she sees you, she looks almost confused for a few seconds before double-taking and getting up to follow you.

You sit down on one of the bar stools in their kitchen, ignoring how much softer it seemed to you now. It was a warm day out, and now that you were finally free of your school uniform, you'd dressed in one of your old hoodies and the yoga pants you'd bought with Kara.

Mr. Soban gulps down a glass of water and rubs his head roughly and sighs before sitting down on the other side. "You said you were just going to get what you needed and get out."

You wince. "I did?"

"You blew a hole in the side of the damn ship!"

"That wasn't me?" You offer sheepishly.

"Oh? And how come they didn't find you in the base afterward?" Mr. Soban sighed. "Do you have any idea what it was like to contemplate how I was going to break this news to your father? They put the blame on Joran because he tried to cover for you?"

"Huh?" You blink. "He did? Why?"

"Presumably to keep a young girl out of trouble for snooping around a high-security military base?" You see Taylor pass behind her father, pouring a glass of water while turning her head to the conversation. "Thank god you showed up again, though. If you hadn't..."

"Why would he get in trouble for it, though? I get suspecting him- if he said he knew where I was and then I wasn't there, that'd make sense... but after? When they did an investigation and couldn't find any evidence because... well, he didn't do it?"

>>4193398
Mr. Soban sighed, and it struck you suddenly how weary he looked at times. He put on a good effort of appearing put together and confident, but there was just someone on his face that resonated in your chest. "An unfortunate truth about the military is that the truth doesn't matter as much as agendas. Joran was innocent, yeah- but that doesn't sit well with his officer's superiors. How do you think it will look to the officer above his CO? How will it look to the public?" He kept it hidden well, but there was an edge of bitterness to Mr. Soban's voice. "Someone has to take the fall. It doesn't matter if they're guilty or not. They'll saw off their own arms to keep the organization going."

"Oh." You get quiet. "He's... okay, right? They let him go when I turned up?"

Mr. Soban nods. "Like I said, agendas. If they truly wanted to find out the truth, don't you think you would have been interrogated by now? Military police detectives wanting to build a case contacting you?"

You shook your head. "To be frank, I've been kind of paranoid about them getting suspicious..."

"There's no evidence connecting you to any crime other than running during a crisis." Mr. Soban shook his head. "Remember, to the rest of the world you're just a teenage girl. People aren't going to suspect you in things unless you give them a reason to. The police are just relieved they don't need to spend any more time on you."

"...I see."

"...that said." Mr. Soban sighed and leaned forward. "So what did you find?"

>Tell him everything.
>Only tell him parts of it.
>>[Sub-Option] Xol.
>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and you're, uh, 'changes'.
>>[Sub-Option] The robots still living in the Hulls.
>>[Sub-Option] Your mother and her possessions.
>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.
>>[Sub-Option] The Rontah.
>Tell him the bare minimum about the medical drone and that you escaped.
>Don't tell him anything.
>[Write-In]

>>4193399
>Tell him everything

>>4193399
>Only tell him parts of it.
>>[Sub-Option] Xol.
>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and you're, uh, 'changes'.
>>[Sub-Option] The robots still living in the Hulls.
>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.
>>[Sub-Option] The Rontah.

Lets not have Joran's efforts be in vain, he is the one that really made this the cake walk that it was. though we should omit anything that has things to do with us personally, and our current activities.

>>4193399
>>Only tell him parts of it.
>>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and you're, uh, 'changes'.
>>>[Sub-Option] Your mother and her possessions.
>>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.

>>4193398
Are our boobs really that.... prominent?

>>4193399
>Tell him everything.
Tried to pare down the options to something comprehensible, but ended up adding them back repeatedly. Maybe once the full story's been told once, we won't have such a hard time admitting everything to Dad.
Telling Mr Soban about the Rontah is especially important. It's uncomfortable telling someone about our secret spaceship, but Valkans using it for a sabotage mission to cripple Hull II is a huge culture shock when he'd be used to thinking of them all as 'the enemy invaders'.

>>4193399
>Only tell him parts of it.
>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and you're, uh, 'changes'.
>>[Sub-Option] The robots still living in the Hulls.
>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.
>>[Sub-Option] The Rontah.
We should omit Xol because I wouldn't want to put the AIs in danger of being sought after by the government, and omit our mom because it isn't really pertinent. On that note I kinda want to say as little as we can about the machine hearts and just sort of say something like "I needed the technology or I was gonna die of seizures by the time I'm 30, also apparently my hormones were broken so it fixed that"
>>4193600
Yeah, explaining that Alich was a nutjob and that the reason their operation failed was because not everybody believed in the cause is important

>>4193399
>Only tell him parts of it.
>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and your, uh, 'changes'.
>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.

>>4193629
This also makes sense. Mom + Xol options are a bit personal and sensitive.
I think they provide some humanizing context to the story, but if we're going to avoid telling him things, those are the two to skip.

>>4193399
>>Only tell him parts of it.
>>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and you're, uh, 'changes'.
>>>[Sub-Option] The robots still living in the Hulls.
>>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.
No need to tell him about our only getaway spaceshio

>>4193435
It's unhidablely large

Another reason to tell him as much as we can is that it makes the trouble we caused seem a lot more reasonable. Nearly everything we learned and looted from the Tanoh was irreplaceable, and would have gone up in flames if the military had decided to open fire... which is exactly what they did.

>>4193435
>>4194135
I think the pic was more about showing what Tiiris was wearing (pants and hoodie) rather than boob size.
The scale is also different. Girl there looks short and twiggy. Tiiris is tall, and filled out just enough to make her excellent fitness hard to notice.

>>4194306
I'm not sure that we couldn't find what we found in Hull II in the other Lifeship of the 13th Fleet, Hull XV the only problem is that it's still up in a orbit, which means that any method of getting there would be a lot more obvious.

>Only tell him parts of it.
>>[Sub-Option] The nature of the 13th Fleet.
>>[Sub-Option] Machine hearts and your, uh, 'changes'.
>>[Sub-Option] Shipmaster Alich and the War.
Writing.

>>4194714
...I counted that weird. You will also be telling him about:
>[Sub-Option] The robots still living in the Hulls.
>[Sub-Option] The Rontah.

"I found the medical treatment I went into there looking for." You began. "Turns out, it was a lot more important than I thought."

"How so?" Mr. Soban asked.

"Bluntly, I would have died without it."

Mr. Soban twitched slightly- actually masked it so closely you doubt you would have noticed without your implants. "Oh?"

"I met a medical drone aboard the Tan- Hull II."

Mr. Soban inclined his head slightly at the slip, but didn't interrupt.

"My head- my brain was... malformed. Extra lobes and stuff. According to it, I would have started to have seizures in my thirties. Big ones, and they would have killed me. It even had a name for the condition- apparently it happens when Valkans interbeed with humans. It, um, it put a cybernetic in my chest that fixed it, and caused my... er, changes." You try not to preen a little as you go over it.

"How are Valkans genetically compatible with humans, though?" Taylor piped up from the other side of the kitchen.

"Valkans... are human." The look of disgust and confusion on Mr. Soban's face made you quickly clarify. "Or at least, are close to. They're not from here, but they think we share a common ancestor."

"And a robot told you this?"

You nod. "There are a lot still living in the Hulls who I got to talk to when I was aboard. I took all the ones I could find aboard Hull II when I left."

"In your strikecraft."

"Um. It was actually just a civilian shuttle, but yes. Yes, I did."

"Can I ask why you did that?"

"...I was worried the military would open fire on me?"

"Did you ever think they did that because the Hull deployed turrets and fired on them? What if you just left without making a fuss?"

"My only exit was a door so loud I'm fairly certain it woke the dead when I opened it."

Mr. Soban raises a finger to protest, then drops it with a sigh. "More than fair, although I would argue that it was unnecessary. Where is it now?"

"In the ocean along with most of the robots and the Rontah."

"The Rontah?"

"The spaceship's name." You pause for a second and lean forward. "Honestly, that stuff is all surface level- and I'm willing to bet most of it isn't really news to you. It'll probably be all on the drives we'll be planting for you." You notice Mr. Soban blink slightly in surprise for a brief instant, as if he didn't expect you to say that. Odd. "I found out a lot of things about the war on the Tanoh. I know what the Valkans were trying to do. And why they failed."

Mr. Soban didn't say anything, but leaned forward.

"The Valkans aren't the Valkans. They're a splinter faction- specifically the '13th' fleet of them. My drones are a little hazy on the subject, but they split from their original fleet to settle a world. That's why they attacked us, they wanted to live here."

"There are more Valkans?!" Taylor exclaimed in alarm.

"Makes sense." Mr. Soban accepted the logic without a hint of doubt. "As cynical as it is, for the Valkans it is probably easier to conquer than to negotiate."

>>4194818
"That's just it- they were really divided on it. Their ships exploding in orbit? There was a rebel faction that opposed the war operating from within. The ship I found was full of explosives they brought to sabotage the Tanoh- I mean, Hull II. A ton of Valkans actively revolted towards the end."

"But why?" Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Dad, I thought they were winning?"

"Apparently they were dogmatic, kind of close-minded." You gesture inwards with your hands. "The random bombings, the terror tactics? Apparently that was the idea of this one dude, and over time the other Valkans got really sick of it. They tossed him out after it was over."

"So... does that mean the Valkans are the only thing out there? No other aliens? It's all people who want to kill us?"

"I don't know." You admit. "I haven't asked yet, but I don't think they're all hostile. Or at least, I hope so."

"Before we get lost in theoretical nations." Mr. Soban held up a hand. "You said they tossed out the supreme commander. Does that mean he's still alive? Could you tell us where he is?"

>Yes, in fact my drones are fairly certain they know where he is.
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.
>No, I think he's dead.
>[Write-In]

>>4194819
>Yes, in fact my drones are fairly certain they know where he is.
Not that it is going to help at all since there are to many unknowns involved, though his death may not solve anything, we also don't know what kind of support he has at his disposal, and any sort of failure to roundup the entirety of the leadership will only invite reprisal since the Cult's command structure may still be able to function without him.

>>4194819
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

>>4194819
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

>>4194819
>>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

>>4194819
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

>>4194819
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

>>4194819
>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.
The remaining Valkans may have a reason for not talking about him.
I'm not opposed to clarifying that he was probably "in Kana" as of a few months ago, but trying to track him down might have horrible consequences. Death cult uprising, Valkan civil war 2.0, we don't know what he's been up to.

The whole world has heard about the Hull II incident by now. Everyone is on edge.

>>4194819
>>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.

It's the truth. We can't be 100% sure the person behind the signature is truly him. It might be an impostor or a bait designed to trap naive young Valkans.

>>4195355
You mean the Kathari broadcast from Illir?
Our drones said they found someone who might be Alich living in Kana a couple months ago.

>>4195368
No. Someone like Alich wouldn't have been so easy to find, plenty of valkans hate him and would love to kill him. It's highly probable that it's not him. Could even be a trap. Or perhaps he wanted to be found by us.

>>4195398
It's cuts both ways though, he would want to be able to be found by newly emerged Valkans that don't know anything about what he has done so he can cultivate more followers and have them become the leaders of Cells.

A better question would be why the drones still think that he is a suitable mentor, they can clearly tell what he is doing. we only had the ability to find Jess because we looked into her website and we wouldn't have been able to do so without the both the Journal and the run in with the Dead soldier to use as a reference.

So the choice would have been between Alich or Kathari, and without a warskin to take us all the way to a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, the only reasonable choice would be finding Alich.

File: itsallconnected.png (920 KB, 1024x768)

920 KB PNG

>>4195412
Of course it could be more mundane than that but that.....makes sense. Way too much sense, and I don't like it. Either we dodged not so much a bullet as a railgun slug or Bentus is laughing at us as we overthink this.

>>4195448
The best way to fight it would probably to Create an opposing outreach group with the tacit material support of the Tagaran government (all we would really need now would be a steady supply of machine hearts ), to destabilize the Cult's current position as that being the de facto stop for new Valkans start translating and collating the 13th Fleet's history and releasing it anonymously, so people can read about his past actions, and contextualize what is going on as it likely would cause a downturn in new aspirants and the less tightly bound members to leave.

>>4195488
We need to tread a fine line here, since we don't want to get at best put on a watchlist or at worst black-bagged. I don't think we should involve the Tagaran government at all, since they seem like the sort of government that would either have half of their secret service try and arrest the other half because they didn't know what they were doing, or just use it as a way to root out potential Valkans. I'm not sure what effect an expose on the Unlucky Thirteenth Fleet would actually have, since the cults worship the Valkans collectively and as a race and are more than willing to commit terrorism in their (supposed) name, so I don't believe that finding out that the 13th was a renegade faction led by a cunt and brought down from within would change much.

>>4195526
The reason for making The 13th's history public would be to allow anyone thinking about going looking for Alitch to have access to more information than their drones would provide, allowing them to further contextualize and think about who they are actually going to ask to help, before they actually get around to meeting with him and his associates.

It is more about dissuading potential members from joining up before they even come into contact with the Cult proper, which will in the long run would put pressure on the Cult to either change up it's organisational structure, become more aggressive in its recruiting or decrease it's operational tempo because of the decrease in the rate at which new members are showing up.

All of which would provide different opportunities to undermine the cult.

I actually believe we should seek out Alich, have a chat with him, hear the story and history of our people first.

>>4195567
Are you talking about the Valkan population? I meant the general Cult grunts who fall in with them of their own accord like Netana (Valkan she may be but I don't think she's been to see Alich - I wonder if we should just sit down and have a chat with her)

I think that would reduce general cult recruitment by another means entirely - demythification. From my interpretation one of the big appeals of the Valkans is their mystique, and in lieu of solid information about important things above our understanding people turn to veneration and mythology to fill in the gaps, like with pantheons and myths from humanity's own past. I doubt we could effectively disseminate this information as one person, but if it were widely known it would go a long way to making the Valkans seem much less divine.

>>4195600
Considering that Kallis was sworn to Alitch's service going though her Data chits that we recovered off the Tanoh may also be a source of information as to his intentions or personality that we could use. Based on what i've seen Kathari would probably be a less biased, though more aloof source of information.

>>4195614
it was intended to be something that any drone would likely produce to their master as a primer for interested parties, though that would require them to have access to a drone that was actively be looking for a mentor like we were, or someone looking for help with monochimerism.

You have to admit Tiiris joining a death cult, becoming its leader and conquering Tagara would have been fun.

>Maybe. I think he's still alive and on Tagara.
Writing.

"Maybe?" You tentatively begin. "I think he's alive, and on Tagara, but I can't say for sure."

"How do you know?"

"I..." You think back to when you were first told of him, then frown and turn to Easy hovering next to you. "Actually, how did you find out?"

Both Taylor and Mr. Soban look confused for a few seconds until Easy materializes. Taylor startled back in surprise, while Mr. Soban recovered quickly- maybe he knew about the cloaking from the military?

"We spotted his likeness on security cameras at Kana, dating as recently as six months ago. Moving forward, we identified his early followers, and eventually the general location of his powerbase. We do not have a specific, personal location for Alich at this time, as our only goal was to identify Valkans who could help you."

Mr. Soban gave you a sharp look. "You were thinking about going to this man for help? Why?"

"I needed help managing my-" You nearly said 'magic'. "Condition and drones, so I asked them to look for other Valkans. Although, um..." You look at Easy. "You knew what kind of a person Alich was, right? Why did you even suggest him, then?"

"It is not my place to make moral judgments on your behalf. Based on your search criteria, I believed him to be the safest and most effective option, and so I recommended him despite my objections."

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Taylor's eyes slowly widen behind her glasses at something Easy said.

"So you don't know his exact location?" Mr. Soban asked.

"Correct."

"The fact that he's in Kana is enough. Although how to..." He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself for a few seconds before sighing. "We'll have to come back to this later. At any rate-" He stood up from his seat and paced around the kitchen, Taylor sidling out of his way. "While I am glad you found a cure for your condition, that doesn't change the fact that your actions have had massive political repercussions."

"I probably stirred up a lot of fears with the explosion, didn't I?"

"Many." Mr. Soban stressed. "On the small side, you have cults proclaiming their saviors have come, conspiracy theorists saying it was a cover up for some kind of experiment and other such nonsense. More importantly, you've disturbed public peace. I can't count the number of op-eds that have been running on this."

"Really?" You raise an eyebrow. "Everything seems normal to me."

"Perhaps." Mr. Soban admits. "It's not as if there is chaos in the streets. But regardless, you've shifted public opinion. They're granting emergency funding to the military, and there's debate about accelerating shipbreaking efforts."

"You phrase that like it's a bad thing." Although for you, faster shipbreaking would be a bad thing, if it meant the ships were stripped before you could look inside. "...I take it you're an anti-expansionist?"

>>4196630
"A mild one. In this case, though, my concerns are born out of the shipbreakers doing something stupid for public approval. Everything you described finding in Hull II sounded priceless- and proved that the Hulls are still volatile. Deconstructing them will have to be done with care."

"The robots inside don't concern you?"

"From what you said, there weren't enough to be concerned with. I'd focus more on fixing our own problems."

"Right, so... what now?" You ask.

"For now? Who knows." Mr. Soban shrugs. "We'll have to see how the elections go at the end of the year. As for you- you're still holding up your end of the bargain... what do you plan to do next?"

>I don't know.
>I don't know. (Lie)
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.
>I'm going to seek out other living Valkans. Hopefully I can learn something about Valkan... technology.
>>[Sub-Option] Magic. It's magic. That's real, by the way.
>Really, I'm just going to lay low and keep to myself.
>[Write-In]

>>4196632
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.

File: 1573148018614.png (245 KB, 1690x1006)

245 KB PNG

>>4196632
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.
If we're going to go all the way to another Hull in order to plant our stuff we may as well take a look around while we're there as well.

We should definitely visit Hull X next since it landed in the middle of the ocean so the Rontah could provide support significantly more easily than Hull XIII

>>4196632
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans - preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.
>>4196639
If it's in the oggin and surrounded by an underwater base, it might be a bit harder to get to and into unnoticed. Maybe we should check out some of the sites in space?

File: 1573148081880.png (310 KB, 2500x2500)

310 KB PNG

>>4196644
Someone suggested that we try shape shifting into a seagull, in order to get around the security for Hull II. We could always try that here.

The Rontah would allow us to approach the Site from any angle, and any radiation attenuate very quickly in water

>>4196632
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.

>>4196648
We've still got to physically get into the ship, which could mean we have to get inside the base. They're probably all on edge and shooting at shadows now.

We haven't tried shapeshifting yet, have we? Definitely something to practice.

>>4196654
Depending on the exact layout of the base and how much of the Hull is submerged, there are various weaknesses of any design that they could use to service the base that could be used to force them to evacuate.

Also if we were going for one of the Hulls in space we should go for XV since it's the other Lifeship, and hopfully this time we would be able to open it up and leave it open.

>>4196632
>Really, I'm just going to lay low and keep to myself.

>>4196660
I was imagining it as fully underwater, accessible by submarine, the whole Kazirstani-underwater-base shebang. Of course it could just be sticking out of a sandbank surrounded by soldiers in rowboats and inflatable armbands. I wonder if the Tura is still stuck in the drink.

That also begs the question of do we really want to give them this stuff? The Tagarans don't seem like the responsible type. Then again, I'm not sure whether what we've seen so far is representative of Tagara as a whole or just the Miirian city-state

Our new suit would probable make going to spess easier now though.

>>4196632
>I don't know.
For real, we literally have no idea what we're going to do next until a vote happens.
But this is closest to what I expect to happen:
>Really, I'm just going to lay low and keep to myself.
If you very generously interpret it as "I'm going to lay low and keep to myself while using magitech surgery to help my half-Valkan friends become fellow cyborgs and also I'm going to do insane Wizard Things, probably."

>>4196632
Didn't we prove we were Valkan to Mr. Soban by telekenetically floating plates around his kitchen?
>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.
"Digging up more about Valkans" includes visiting Kathari, right?

>>4196831
It's not so much about what you're literally going to do next so much as it is about Tiiris' headspace. That said, Tiiris would be referring more to artifacts than people.

>>4196831
Kathari would fall under "seek out other living Valkans." The magic sub option in particular.

>>4196632
"Thanks for your help, Mr. Soban. It's good I can tell someone about all this."

>>4196632
>I don't know
>Really, I'm just going to lay low and keep to myself.

>>4196758
One reason for letting the Tagaran government into the Hulls, is that they got their asses absolutely handed to them by old ships that hadn't seen a major refit in 200+ years, and the only thing that saved them was effectively an act of god. So they need every bit of help in order to best prepare for the next time the Valkans show up. advancing to as near to "peer" status as they can would be the best tool that either side could have as a deterrent against them wanting to continue fighting.

>>4197184
I think it might have been mentioned at some point, but do we know what the attitudes of the other Valkan fleets are like? I can't remember what was said if anything was (beyond the 13th being unpopular for their terror bombing tactics), but if we give a load of likely very overconfident people with no idea how do to interstellar (or any, for that matter) warfare advanced tech and directions to the nearest group of "aliens" that they have a serious bone to pick with, then things could turn very ugly, very fast. And if the recipients have even more advanced tech than they do and friends to back them up, it could lead to the Tagarans getting waffle-stomped all over again. We should only help them get access to this stuff if there's a very real threat of another invasion.

Why are we even speaking in spoiler tags anyway?

>>4197226
We know that the 12th are somewhat similar to the 13th (Thread #10 >>4067717), and even if you have multiple working examples of something, reverse engineering the theory and implementing it takes lots of time, effort, and experimentation to get it working properly. hopefully during that time the other parts of the military would be working on how best to implement any new technology that could be successfully replicated and introduced into their battle line.

I do it if i think that what i'm saying is overly speculative.

>>4196758
>Of course it could just be sticking out of a sandbank surrounded by soldiers in rowboats and inflatable armbands.
Hey. Hey Bentus. Hey. I know we're having a different vote right now, but I just wanted to let you know I'm voting for this to be the truth please and thank you.

>I'm planning to dig up more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time.
Writing.

>>4197431
Say no more senpai.

"I'm sure you're aware there's a black market for Valkan things?"

Mr. Soban nods.

"I want to look into that and dig up some more about Valkans- preferably without getting my ass shot at by the military this time." You hold up a hand when you see him start to speak. "And no, I don't intend to get mixed up in anything shady."

"As long as you remember to be careful. The stuff they trade is pretty harmless, but it's still illegal for a reason."

You think back to the drone Jared Clinsky had just posed in his bedroom. "Right."

"If that's your plan..." Mr. Soban sighs. "I don't have any real power over you, so while I'd like to require that you check in with me before doing anything, I'll just say- be careful, okay?"

You nod. "I will."

Under normal circumstances, you might have stayed longer, talked with Taylor and her father some more. But with the subject matter you'd just discussed, the atmosphere was somewhat grim and serious, and you decided it was better to make your exit gracefully. As you pull your boots back on, you glance over and see Taylor behind her father. She quietly mouths 'call me' to you.

Smiling a little bemusedly, you say your goodbyes to the two of them and clamber back into ST. As it pulls away from the curb, you sink into the seat and sigh. That was an awkward conversation... a short one, too. It was barely half after three, so if you wanted, you could call on someone else while you were out. You could also shop, but it wasn't like you had any money.

>Return home and... practice some magic.
>You doubt Kara was working the day after finals, but you should go and check up on her just in case.
>Elan must be bored out of his skull. Let's visit him.
>Well, it wasn't like it was too late to visit the gym.
>[Write-In]

>>4198350
>Well, it wasn't like it was too late to visit the gym.

>>4198350
>Well, it wasn't like it was too late to visit the gym.
Stay /fit/. Did we bring our sporting bra and pants though?

>>4198350
>Well, it wasn't like it was too late to visit the gym.
I am going to carefully and covertly investigate Valkans, she said, discreetly and responsibly paying for membership to a dark magic wielding death cult full of fitness nerds after sensing their arcane-ritual workouts from afar.

>>4198350
>Elan must be bored out of his skull. Let's visit him.

>>4198350
>You doubt Kara was working the day after finals, but you should go and check up on her just in case.
Or
>Elan must be bored out of his skull. Let's visit him.

>>4198350
>Elan must be bored out of his skull. Let's visit him.

>>4198350
>Elan must be bored out of his skull. Let's visit him.

>>4198350
>Well, it wasn't like it was too late to visit the gym.

Just a heads up that if the update doesn't close in sixish hours like normal I'm not dead. I'll just likely not be able to get to a computer to close it.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Looks like a tie. 1 for gym, 2 for Elan.

>>4199848
Gib big toned Valkan mage boyfriend bentoos

Apologies for the late update, time just sort of got away from me.

Sector 3A Sports Club, Miir, 3rd Floor
4th of 6th, 1173. 4:00PM.

"Hello!" Instead of the older man, it seemed the one behind the counter today was a chipper girl about your age.

"Hey." You smile, pressing a thumb against the reader. "Good day today?"

"It's been fine, yeah." Her eyes flicked down to her screen. "Great, thanks. Have a good day."

"You too." You smile and continue past her. No sense in visiting the changing room when you were already in your workout clothes, but you make a point of where they are for afterward.

It had been a while since you had done your old routine, and you're fairly certain you would have lost some of your muscle in the intervening weeks if not for... well, your implants. Even without them, you were still spoiled for choice in this place. There was a public gym on the second floor that you've used for many years, but it was really just a swimming pool and a outdoor track and field circuit. Not this fancy athletic club stuff. There were treadmills, free weights and a bunch of specialized workout machines waiting and ready to be used, and you weren't sure which you should use.

The gym was also far more crowded than the few stragglers that had been present the night you had signed up. That wasn't to say it was full- in fact, plenty of machines were free. But there wasn't a single room that didn't have at least a dozen people milling about inside.

You poke your head into the same aerobics room from before, and see to your disappointment that the two maybe-Valkans from before aren't present on the mat. Ah, well. Even without that, you find yourself a free treadmill and get on it. You were used to running around track and field ovals, but with all the people milling through the halls in here, you decided it was probably better to use a machine.

Come to think of it, you hadn't gone on a run since getting your implants.

Your limbs stretch further than usual as you go through your usual pre-workout stretches. Wrists bend almost ninety degrees backwards, your fingers flex oddly and you could almost swear your bones were shifting slightly under your skin. Every joint popped oddly and just imperceptibly shifts, and your body suddenly feels oddly tense. In the car, you traded out your heeled boots for a pair of tennis shoes, and now you felt your feet shift slightly inside of them, the arches losing a bit of their rigidity. Odd.

Pressing a button on the machine, the belt starts to move slowly and you walk, patiently waiting for it to automatically speed up. Twice it speeds up, eventually forcing you to break into a light jog. Then a run, your arms pumping habitually. You weren't even winded at this point, odd. How much faster could you go?

>>4200596
Reaching down, you manually dialed the pace higher, letting out a huff of excitement as you were suddenly forced into a hard sprint. You were breathing heavily, and your body was starting to heat up, but you didn't feel tired. Still running, you pulled your hoodie up and tossed it over the rail of the treadmill, leaving you in just the sports bra you had on underneath. No time to be self-conscious about showing off your body- you reach down to hit up the speed again, only to realize the treadmill itself didn't go any higher.

Pulling your hand back, you relax and fall into a relaxed, continuous near-sprint. You were going much faster than your usual pace, but only the frantic movement of your arms and legs was any sign that you were pushing yourself. Eventually, the unit reaches it's time limit and starts to slow down, letting you drop into a run, then a jog, then a walk.

Not bad for- you check your watch... thirty minutes of running? Not bad at all. Reaching up and rubbing your forehead with an arm, you glance over your shoulder at the mat and raise your eyebrows. You were also so busy you didn't realize your mysterious Abyss users had returned. Interesting...

They were the same as you remembered them- a man and a woman trading a foam shield between themselves, before striking at it with brief, almost subtle flashes of the Abyss. Hmm. You lean back against the treadmill while you catch your breath, ignoring the more-built guy who gets on the treadmill next to you and starts an almost exaggeratedly intense run. Too old for you, anyway.

What about the two on the mat, though? Should you greet them or just observe at a distance?

>Go over and say 'hi'.
>Watch them while doing other exercises.
>Try to get up close and listen in to anything they're saying.
>[Write-In]

>>4200597
>>Watch them while doing other exercises.

>>4200597
>Watch them while doing other exercises.

>>4200597
>Watch them while doing other exercises.

>>4200597
>Watch them while doing other exercises.

>>4200597
>Go over and say 'hi'.
magic hands

>>4200597
>Go over and say 'hi'.
Hello fellow non valkan Tagaran. It is I, another non valkan Tagaran from Miir.

>>4200597
>Watch them while doing other exercises.

>>4200597
>Watch them while doing other exercises.
Note that if they have implants then they might notice us watching them (if they aren't too focused on their boxing)

>>4201444
If they have implants they might have seen Wander the last time we were here.

>>4201459
Also what are the odds that Ser Housley was Knight, and inside his locked box is his Armour.
I think our fastest way to open it would be to either build or find a cutting torch attachment for our Plasma Converter, or to figure out how to set up the Plasma rifle to do so.

No update tonight due to a scheduling conflict.

>>4201685
RIP bentus. The Valkan lizardmen have silenced him.

but what if bentoos

was not kill

yoga tiiris stalker mode activate

You keep your distance, instead moving away from the treadmill after your cooldown and wandering to an open space on the side of the room. There were a few boxes with yoga mats, exercise balls and- ah, here we go. You pick up one of the jumping ropes and ease into your normal routine, coincidentally facing yourself towards the ring the two of them were in.

Now that you were closer, it was easier to see their features. The man on the left was tall and well-built, with a hairy chest and arms visible beneath a thin t-shirt. He had sunken eyes and short, tangled blonde hair. Opposite him was a girl who was almost his exact opposite, being short and thin as a rail. Short, buzzed brown hair surrounded a somewhat gaunt face with a determined expression.

They were practicing punches, it looked like, with the man holding a foam target board that he held in front of him as he attempted to duck and weave around the woman's punches. He wasn't having much success, as whenever he seemed to gain the upper hand, you would see the woman's body suddenly glow with Abyss energy, producing that flash you had become so familiar with. It wasn't much- just a brief burst of inhuman speed as she would duck around his attempted evasion and hit the foam board. Occasionally, you'd see the man also flash with the Abyss to weave out of her fist's path, which was one of the few occasions where she missed.

When the two of them finally break apart, the man nods with satisfaction and says something to the woman before handing her the shield. When the two of them resume their sparring, you notice that the woman doesn't have any problem blocking the man's blows, despite being more than a head shorter than him and probably half his weight. She does seem to pull on the Abyss more frequently now that she was being defensive, but even the times when she doesn't, she appears to have much less trouble taking the hit than you'd think. You see the man put all his weight into a punch, and despite a brief flash of the Abyss, she seems fine afterwards.

Finishing your rep, you fold up the jump ropes and put them aside. You'd been at this for about two hours, but wasn't the average workout that long for most people? If so, they'd probably be finishing up soon, unless they just went from dawn until dusk doing this. Should you try and get closer?

>Quietly finish up and then leave.
>Get close enough to listen in.
>Start a conversation.
>[Write-In]

>>4204868
>Get close enough to listen in.

>>4204868
>Quietly finish up and then leave.

>>4204868
>Start a conversation.
I'm sure they've noticed the newbie gawking at them over the last hour. Might as well say hi.

>>4204868
>Get close enough to listen in.

>>4204868
>Get close enough to listen in.
Curiosity killed the Valkan

>>4204868
>Start a conversation.

>>4204868
>Start a conversation.

>>4204868
>Quietly finish up and then leave.

>>4204868
>Quietly finish up and then leave.

This is my second choice after this >>4204881 in case another tie happens.
>Get close enough to listen in.

>>4204868
>Start a conversation.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. What's the worst that could happen?

>Start a conversation.
Writing.

What's the worst that could happen, really?

You come up to the edge of the mat, watching the two of them go at it, unsure of when to interject your presence. The two of them were still sparring, the woman now once again throwing her fists towards the target board once again, the man's back facing you. You could see the woman's face clearly from where you were standing- her grim look of focus broken only by a quick flick on her eyes to the side.

She slows her punches and returns to a ready position, before turning her head to look at you. "Hi there." You thought she would frown, given the somewhat grim and serious look of her face- and that doesn't fade, but she smiles nevertheless. "Do you need something?"

"Oh! Um..." You fidget a little. "I was just watching the two of you. You're both really good... is it boxing?"

"Marine martial arts, actually." The man turned and looked over his shoulder at you. Unlike the woman, he didn't smile. "Do you want to use the mat?"

"No, um, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be an asshole to her." The woman chided, gently hitting his arm with a gloved fist and smiled at you again. "Sorry, he gets grouchy when he's in the zone. We were about done, anyway."

"I didn't want to use the mat anyway." You wave your arms. "But... why that and not, like, boxing? Or a more regular martial art?"

"It's just what I know." The man said.

"Oh." You nod and think for a few seconds, trying to find a reason to keep the conversation going. The woman seemed to be friendly, but just as ambivalent towards your existence as the man was.

>You looked really cool, there.
>I've never seen anyone move as fast as you two do.
>Could you show me a thing or two?
>[Write-In]

>>4206700
>>I've never seen anyone move as fast as you two do.
>>Could you show me a thing or two?

>>4206700
>Could you show me a thing or two?

>>4206700
>I've never seen anyone move as fast as you two do.
>Could you show me a thing or two?

>>4206700
>Could you show me a thing or two?
"No."
"Aw..."
>"Marine martial arts, actually." The man turned and looked over his shoulder at you.
So is that martial arts for Marines, or just nautical martial arts? Like if you're fishing and you have to punch a shark coming at you.

>>4206700
>You looked really cool, there.

>Could you show me a thing or two?
Writing.

"You must be really good."

"Thank you!" The woman smiled, and it felt genuine. "I've trained hard to become so." Something seemed to click in her expression, and she swept one of her gloves towards the man. "This is Pavel, my coach. He's been teaching me how to do this for- oh, five years now."

"Coach?" You blink. "Are you training for a tournament?"

"Something like that." The woman smiles. "I'm Angie, by the way."

"Tiiris." You pause for a second before asking. "Is there a... chance you could show me a thing or two?"

"I'm not taking any new students." Pavel immediately answered.

Angie muttered under her breath at him, too quiet for you to hear until your eyes strain and you pick out her voice from the sudden cacophony of the gym. "You could use the money."

Pavel sighed, and glanced sidelong at Angie before lolling his gaze back to you. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

"I've never boxed before-"

"I know." Pavel interrupts you. "This is just to test your coordination." He stomped back to the mat and picked up the foam board again.

Angie slides her gloves off and offers them to you. "Your knuckles will thank you later."

You were fairly certain your knuckles were made of far stronger stuff than normal, but better safe than sorry. Pulling them on, you step onto the mat and stand across from Pavel, who holds up the board while managing to look simultaneously focused and bored.

"Your goal is simple- try and hit the board. Preferably on the same side as the fist you're swinging with." He holds up the board. "Go."

You raise your fists into an approximate mirror of the stance Angie had taken earlier. Fists at roughly breast-height, back straight, feet apart. Cautiously, you throw a punch and hit the board, to a mild huff from Pavel. Taking that as a good sign, you begin alternating your fists, roughly hitting each side of the board every time. You get about ten hits in before Pavel suddenly jerks the board down and to the side, your fist sailing over it and only avoiding sinking it into Pavel's bicep through your own augmented reflexes.

Pavel makes a slight noise of disapproval and moves the board back to central position, letting you get several more hits in before suddenly jerking it away again. You feel your senses start to dampen, details and motions starting to prickle out at you as your implants kick in. Thoughts seemed to slip down your nerves into your arms faster than they should, letting you finally get a hit in on one of Pavel's feints, then another.

The man was focusing now, although he still wasn't pulling on the Abyss as he had been when sparring against Angie. Despite your augmented reflexes, you couldn't mange to get your fist heading fast enough towards the target sometimes. Pavel just had a size and strength advantage over you- big as you were, the man was built like a house and several inches taller. Even with your best aim, you couldn't hit the target before he moved it completely out of your range.

>>4208255
You could push more. Your implants were warmed up, but weren't pushing all the way for some reason- waiting for your command, maybe. That, or you could give them a taste of their own medicine and start pulling on the Abyss to augment your speed and strength- it was something you had only done a few times before, but it seemed simple enough.

>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.
>Push your implants all the way.
>Start drawing on the Abyss for strength.
>Use the Abyss to pull the board back to you.
>[Write-In]

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.
We spent all our money already, so we don't have any to pay for lessons.

We don't know anything about them, so revealing our heritage would be unwise, for all we know these two are Netana 's higherups, or just random death cultists. We should at least investigate them before we commit to doing anything.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.
It would be nice to use the Abyss now that we've got the implants and can control it better, but yeah tipping our hand to potential cultists seems unwise.
Also implants become visible under heavy load, whatever that means. So no go there, either.

>>4208256
>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.

>Don't add anything more. If you lose, you lose.
Ho damn that was unanimous. Writing.

The thought to indulge in your powers - to pull on them against someone who wouldn't be overwhelmed - was strong. You hadn't yet been able to fully extend your powers, both mechanical and abyssal, since you had moved the mass of the Tanoh. For a while now, you had yearned to let them free, lash out with them against and just see where it took you. To probe the limits of what you could do and start to really learn how to use them.

Not today, though. Not now.

With a sigh, you reign in your instinctive pull on your powers, throwing another punch only for it to miss at the last second. Pavel continues to move the board around, occasionally feinting to the side. You actually manage to hit a few feints you would normally miss, but they almost felt like flukes, capitalizing on brief lags in his reaction time.

Eventually, Pavel returns the board to the center. "That's enough."

You stop your fist mid-swing, slowing to a halt just inches from the foam board before pulling it back and dropping it down. "Well?"

Pavel thought for a few seconds. "Your reflexes are okay. Very bad technique, though. You don't commit to each punch, either."

"...thank you for your honesty." You say somewhat truthfully, slipping off your gloves.

"I'd say she has potential." Angie offered from behind Pavel.

"She doesn't have..." Pavel hesitated. "She doesn't have it. The drive, yes. She doesn't have the drive."

"Neither did I, when I started." Angie pointed out.

"Nevertheless." He turned back to you, somewhat apologetic. "I only take students with certain, ah, professional aspirations. If you want to pursue this personally, you may wish to contact a commercial instructor..."

"No, that's fine." You can't help but feel a little miffed at his comment, but you did specifically hold back. Instead, you smile and hold the gloves out to Angie. "Thanks for indulging my curiosity."

Angie mouths a 'sorry' at you, before taking her gloves back with a smile. Pavel grunts, picks up the foam board and silently trudges out of the room without, headed towards the men's showers. "He doesn't exactly have a gift with words."

"No worries. I know a lot of people like that." Robots, rather. "Thanks for letting me try."

Angie stretches and groans. "Always happy to try and help out a newbie. Besides, he was starting to get the upper hand on me anyway." Reaching down, she plucked a bottle of water and a towel off the floor. "I'm going to hit the showers as well. See you around... Tiiris, right?"

"Yep." You smile and give a little wave. "See ya."

You watch her walk off, then contact Easy. "You know where they live?"

The response comes back quickly. "Yes. Angie Tollis and Pavel Abon. They both live on the first floor. Angie Tollis is a grocery store worker at a WeCart on the second floor. Pavel Abon appears to have no job, instead earning money through coaching and microcontracts."

"Are they death cultists?"

>>4210501
"There is no evidence indicating that at this time."

They weren't? That was interesting- how the hell did they get their powers then? "Are you sure they aren't Valkan?"

"I cannot be sure. They emit no radio waves or push their implants, if they do."

"You've mentioned this before- exactly what does it mean?"

"Normally implants operate at cool temperatures for efficiency. When switching to a high performance mode, they begin emitting high amounts of excess heat and radiation that can be seen with the eyes or a sufficiently precise thermal scope as distinct from the body."

"And that means?"

"Implants glow when they're being used to their full capabilities."

"Is that bad for me?"

"I am told it burns calories at five times the normal rate, but otherwise no."

"I'll keep it in mind."

Were they just Valkans keeping it very quiet? That would make sense... still, not something you were going to learn tonight. Picking up your hoodie, you slip it on and leave the gym after a brief visit to the showers.

---

Residential District, Miir, 3rd Floor
4th of 6th, 1173. 8:00PM.

The window slides open, and a girl crawls through the window with visible effort, clawing at the trim and kicking her legs as she drags herself through with a snarl of effort. She topples onto the floor, bags spilling out around her. Wincing in pain, she briefly freezes, suddenly patting herself all over frantically. Upon finding nothing but a blush, she sighs in relief and relaxes back onto the floor, panting from the effort of crawling in.

Eventually, she gets up from the floor, and quietly begins unpacking her bounty. A day's worth of shopping is quietly scurried away behind her free-standing closet and dresser before she collapses back into her chair and sighs. That's step one accomplished. Now... to figure out what step two is.

---

Residential District, Miir, 1st Floor
4th of 6th, 1173. 8:00PM.

"He brought in his own birds? Is that unusual?"

"Not really?" Dad shrugged, flicking the door to the fridge closed. "But they weren't game fowl he wanted help properly butchering. We got those guys all the time. No, these were his pet birds."

"...like... robins?"

"Smaller. Like, little seed birds."

"...weird." You blink. "Did you do it?"

"No." He said flatly. "We're a butcher shop, not a taxidermy." Stretching slightly, he went on. "Anyway, I'm going to sit down."

"Alright, Dad. Love you." You watch him amble on over to the couch and sit down with a relieved sigh.

You had a little bit before you had to go to bed...

>Resume your magical studies.
>Ask your drones some questions.
>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.

>>4210505
>Resume your magical studies.

>>4210505
>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.

>>4210505
>Resume your magical studies.

>>4210505
>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.
Ask about getting moms stuff out of storage.
Being able to cross reference it with the stuff we recovered from Hull II could be interesting.

>>4210505
>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.

>>4210505
It's possible these two are just natural Tagaran Abyss-wielders.

>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.
"Soooo, now that I'm out of school and things are settling down... you want to take a day off some time and we could go look at my spaceship?"
It WAS technically hitchhiking... we weren't the one flying it, after all.

>>4210826
>It's possible these two are just natural Tagaran Abyss-wielders.
Maybe when the ships crashed and bathed the planet in Abyss energy it kickstarted some kind of evolution?

>>4210832
Could be. They sound a bit old for it though, unless it's possible to develop it later in life.
My guess is that any population spending a lot of time in space eventually develops space wizards. Valkans just spend so much time there that they're naturally gifted at it and have a lot of experience to draw on.

>>4210505
>Resume your magical studies.

>>4210505
>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.

>>4210505
>Ask your drones some questions.

>Talk to your Dad about your upcoming plans and maybe ask some questions.
Writing.

File: dad.png (146 KB, 500x281)

146 KB PNG

"Hey, Dad?" You poke your head into the living room. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"About your mother?" He looked over to you.

"Yeah- wait, how would you know?"

Dad shrugged. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't badgered me with questions about it yet. Considering... well, everything."

"I've been... busy, I guess." You sit down. After a long pause, you ask. "What was Mom like?"

"Hmm?" Dad lifted an eyebrow at you. "It's not like I know anything you don't already."

"Yeah, but- does anything stick out now that you know?"

"...maybe. Jeanne was... always quiet. She didn't like to talk about her family, or her faith. When we got married, I wanted her to put up some decorations of her faith or something, but she said no."

"Mom was religious? You never mentioned that."

"I always assumed she didn't have any specific religion- you know, like those hippies who just pray to whatever. But she always acted like it was some great secret when I walked in on her doing it- which I suppose it was..."

"I don't know much about the Valkan religion." You admit. "My drones don't seem all that philosophically inclined..."

Dad gives a rough laugh at that.

"...how did she die?" You ask.

He rubbed his beard. "Well, you know we were in space at the time- rent is expensive and living on the ship is free. Plus, the company store offers a pretty steep discount on the sundries. Your mother hadn't been feeling good for a while, then one day she suddenly got very sick. She lived about... two more days until she died. Liver failure, I think? No, heart failure?"

"Did they notice anything weird?" You ask.

"Weird?" Dad gave you an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"Like... Valkans have machinery on the inside. Wouldn't they have noticed that?"

Dad thought about it, then shrugged. "She was cremated, and that can burn even your bones all the way up. It probably went along with her."

"Right..." You twiddle your fingers. "Is... did she leave anything? For me, I mean? Like... maybe some of it is Valkan stuff?"

Dad smiled at you sadly. "She hadn't gotten around to rewriting her will to include you when she died. What's left of our savings account is for you if I die, but it's just money." You frown slightly at that. "Either way." He coughs. "There's a few boxes of her things over in storage, if you want to see. It's really just boring stuff like clothes and photos, though."

You perk up slightly. "Maybe I will."

>[Write-In]

>>4212381
Ask LL what could possibly happen a Valkan that could cause them to die the way she did.

Is there a way to have your implants removed, or deactivated. Forcefully or otherwise.

>>4212381
Ask him if he's doing okay? Probably feels like Tiiris is slipping away from him.

>>4212381
>It's really just boring stuff like clothes and photos, though.
Valkans can have magic transforming clothes. Her grimoire had stuff about that, and their space suits literally dissolve/compress into the easiest bits to take on or off. There could be something of interest.
If there is, I weep tears of bittersweet joy for our poor depleted bank account and overstuffed closet.

Seconding these >>4212410 >>4212580
Clothes are slightly more important than spaceships anyway.
Also, SHOW OFF TELEKINESIS! It's so coooooool and we have enough control that we don't unintentionally smash things with it anymore!