MARREND PLAYS THE OUTER WORLDS!

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Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
So far, I've done LPs of games I've played numerous times. I might not recall every single detail correctly, but, the fact remains that there are things to remember. However, this time, I'm going in completely new and fresh. I have no idea what I'm doing, what's ahead, or what the consequences of my choices are. The game in question is...




...The Outer Worlds!

I think it was last year that Fallout 76 released. The hype it built! Of finally having a Fallout MMO! To be able to play Fallout with friends! To say the least, the game had issues. Perhaps it says something about the AAA industry that it was expected that some bugs would persist past the Q&A department. Perhaps there was pressure from the public to release the game before it was ready? Maybe it was from the higher ups in corporate? I don't know. All I really know is that the game launched, and was largely considered a buggy mess. Couple that with reports of mold detected in the helmets of certain Collector's Edition bundles, plus the debacle of the Fallout 1st subscription service, the game's issues were compounded upon. It drew a lot of hate, and, if you excuse the pun, fallout from some of it's fanbase.

At some point, enter Obsidian, and their offering of The Outer Worlds. They took what they learned/knew from working on Fallout: New Vegas, and put their own spin on it. Obsidian's timing couldn't haven been better. To those suffering from Fallout 76's bugs, and/or the obviously-aging engine of Fallout 4, it was the breath of fresh air a number of Fallout fans wanted/needed.

Going a bit back to Fallout, game I mostly recently played in that series was Fallout: New Vegas on PS3. Even then, I didn't get very far. Still, Fallout 3 was among the first games I had on that console, and played it to completion even if only once. Post-apocalyptic games in general kinda feel off my radar entirely after Wasteland 2. I loved that the game's major characters included the default party members from the original, and gave them personalities, as a kind of callback. Still, just something about it seemed off, and I quit playing at some point. I haven't really looked back since, for good or ill.

If I am to be perfectly honest, though, The Outer Worlds probably wouldn't have been on my radar at all were it not for a round-table discussion of the game by AngryJoe. If nothing else, the skit at the beginning of the video is downright hilarious, go watch it.


This is were I usually say that the game will be hacked, or otherwise use cheat codes. Not to mention a playlist where I grab tracks from. This is not the case here. I'm playing it straight, and I'd rather experience the music first-hand before considering fetching a playlist. That aside, I would welcome commentary on my bad decisions in-game, or other commentary about the game in general!

Table of contents
Session 1 - Old Unreliable
Session 2 - The edge of Edgewater
Session 3 - Meeting at the botanical lab
Session 4 - Takin' care of business
Session 5 - Archive Trap
Session 6 - Choice of evils lie before my feet! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!
Session 7 - A choice made; a system to explore
Session 8 - Impounded at the Groundbreaker
Session 9 - Outer Worlds becomes open-world
Session 10 - Takin' care of business, my way
Session 11 - Completing all the quests, and then some!
Session 12 - Side-questing in Denerim Stellar Bay, part 37
Session 13 - Mopping up messes on Monarch
Session 14 - Ripples of the Space-Crime Continuum
Session 15 - Finally off of Monarch!
Session 16 - But I was just goddamn THERE!?
Session 17 - Byzantium, the Golden City
Session 18 - A Hope skips into the heart of Man
Session 19 - Freeing Phineas, and the final send-off
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Let me make a minor correction. What I have is the "Non-Mandatory Corporate-Sponsored Bundle". This means I've got the base game, the soundtrack, one active DLC, and one DLC forthcoming sometime next year. With that out of the way, let's get this party started!

"Story" difficulty might be too easy, so, let's go with "Normal". The opening cinematic is brief, but gets the point across: the Halcyon was heralded as the future of mankind. A ship that used carbonate freezing to contain it's colonists to inhabit a distant world, as faster-than-light travel had yet to be developed. To be fair, I'm not sure if FTL is even a thing yet, so, maybe I'm talking too soon on that point.

Next up is stat distribution. I put two points in intelligence, and one in each of dexterity, perception, charm, and temperament. My ultimate goal, here, is to make a character as close to Masako as possible within the game's parameters. Which makes my skill picks of Dialog (Persuade/Lie/Intimidate) and Tech (Medical/Science/Engineering) relevant. As for the aptitude bonus, while there isn't as so much a teacher, or teacher's aide position here, I felt junior medical technician (+1 Science) made the most sense, given the list.

Now comes the hard part. Appearance. I'm not one to mess with this too much, but, I fiddled with the sliders and stuff to reach...





...this result. Like, there wasn't a hair preset with a ponytail, of course, but there was one with a bun. However, I could not tell what her hair color was from any angle. So, I went with this.

Also, I apologize for applying a 50% zoom factor. The game takes up pretty much my entire screen, and posting images of that size was deemed too much for this LP.

Anyways, we enter into another cut-scene that feels very unsynched with speech/sound versus on-screen action. However, the game does, eventually, stabilize after getting out of cut-scene mode, and into normal gameplay. I am to meet a fellow by the name of Hawethorne on the planet below. There was a beacon placed for the escape pod to land near, but, it appears as if the poor fellow was standing near enough as to be crushed by the pod. Phineas, the man who woke me up from deep-freeze, doesn't show that much remorse. Masako, however, takes a brief moment of silence for the poor fellow, then consults the map.

Our quest marker presumably points to Hawethrone's ship. While it's not like Masako to simply take things that don't belong to her, it does seem like Hawethorne is no longer in a position to use it. Perhaps, eventually, she will be more used to taking things that aren't nailed down in some way, shape, or form. For now, however, it does feel a little wrong.

I take a look around. My graphics settings are pretty damn minimal, but, look at...





...this. It's beautiful. The path to Hawethorne's ship also serves as something of a tutorial for controls. How to run, and how to crouch/sneak. I will note that I don't have a weapon. Yet. That will probably come later. I kinda hope the game will ease me into combat, but, who knows.

I come across a guy sitting on some crates. I'm not terrible at negotiation, so, let's see what he has to say.

As it happens, the man was wounded, and I was able to patch him up for a touch of XP. I was also able to convince him to give me his gun. He spoke of marauders nearby, so, yeah, combat isn't going to be far behind at this point.

Apparently, this games has a VATS-like system, where I can press a button to slow time. That aside, I fell maybe five marauders on the way to Hawthorne's ship. Then I come across the rest of that earlier soldier's unit. They were none too happy to learn I fixed his wound. Their company policy dictates that they may only obtain medical treatment from sponsored vendors, or some-such garbage. Which convinces me they are more like well-paid mercenaries than a military. I don't like it. Still, I suppose I should explore this ship. Poke around a little, as it were.

The ship's AI initially registered me as a marauder. Which makes a certain amount of sense. However, after speaking with it, it relayed to me that it could only accept commands from it's registered owner, Captain Hawethorne. Despite the fact that I told it he was dead. It was sort of a workaround, but, we agreed that I take on the identity of Captain Hawthorne for the purposes of being able to command the Unreliable. In so doing, I now have a new task. The engine needs to have some parts replaced, and a nearby settlement may have suitable replacements. Which may, I largely suspect, involve it's own quest, or quests.

The Caption of the Spacer's Choice brigade talked to me again when I left the Unreliable. She was ready to fine me for landing in an unauthorized location, but, I managed to convince her that to not be so stiff. I don't know what the fine would have been, but, I've doubts I would have had the funds. At least, not any she would recognize.

Another pack of marauders to deal with before the settlement of Edgewater comes into view.





What awaits me there? I don't know! We'll see next session!
Zakariya
Every misdeed has its own punishment, and every good deed has its reward.
1174
I must say this, your post does a good job at making the reader want to see what's next. XD

This is a good New Year's gift indeed.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Talked to a gravedigger just outside of Edgewater, proper. Apparently, the town is also corporate-owned, and the corporation requires that the residents rent their graves. Or, perhaps I should say that the burden must lie with the still-living. I don't know how much the rent is, or how long the rent persists after a death. For all I know, the overall expenses could equate to something equivalent to the expenses of funeral services in my time/era.

I did ask about possibly hiring myself as a mercenary to reduce the marauder population, and given a name. One which I promptly forgot. Still, if I manage to find that person, they may also lead me to the power regulator for the Unreliable. I suppose I will see, momentarily.

I also want to make a note here. I believe "Halycon" is the star-system we're in, and the Hope was the ship set to said system for colonization some 60, or more, years ago.

That aside, I take a moment to scout the town, and get my bearings as to where things are, and what services it can provide. My auto-map tagged the cantina, a general store, a vending machine, and a workbench. If nothing else, I will be using the workbench, and probably the general store.

I had a conversation with the town's constable. I talked a little about Pheneas, but, ran into a bit of red tape. Yes, he's wanted by the Board of Directors of Spacer's Choice, and there is a bounty on his head. However, her authority only reaches to Emerald Vale, and his apprehension is not within her alloted bounds. Given how strict these people are to adhere to the given order of Spacer's Choice, I find it unlikely the constable is willing to bend the rules, even if I could lead her right to him. Particularly when she straight-out told me that I am to report any whereabouts I might know to the proper Board authority. Whoever, or whatever, that would be.

Though, I'm not entirely sure if I even should report him, even if I did know the correct authority to report him to. I only know he's "in violation" of Spacer's Choice laws. Given how orderly Spacer's Choice is, those violations could be what I might consider minor violations. Strictly speaking, to their law, I am guilty of patching up a wounded solider, and landing in an unauthorized area. I'm not denying that I've done those things, and have talked my way out of whatever fines they would otherwise impose. I just don't think these infractions are worthy crimes to pursue when there is a colony that needs protection from marauders, if not worse?

Still, she did have the authority to tell me about a bounty on three marauders. Which I may end up doing, depending on how the conversation with this town's mayor, or a person of similar position.

With that conversation came the inevitable "I-help-you-you-help-me" deal. The mayor wants me to cut the power to the botanical lab, and use it's power regulator for my purposes. However, it seems there is a gathering of former Edgewater residents living there. The mayor called them "deserters", and their reason for leaving the town he placed on himself. It is a point of honesty I admire, but, I feel there is more to it than what he's letting on.

At any rate, his hope is that by cutting the power, the deserters would have no choice but to return to town, and their jobs. To that end, I am to relay a message to their leader to the effect that he's cutting the power, and to have them gather their things for the move.

My new companion, an engineer by the name of Parvati, wants me to visit the Vicor in town. Maybe get a little more back-story to understand this schism. However, I also get the particular impression that, perhaps, the Vicor may have a solution that would allow the deserters to have their freedom while I still get the part I need. Perhaps that is wishful thinking, though.

Talking to that Vicor is certainly on my to-do list. However, I'm taking a bit of a break here to perform my quarterly back-ups, among other tasks.


*Edit: Speaking of my back-ups, I managed to play a little more today, as I was flip-flopping between this and my back-ups. I should be finishing my back-ups within the hour, or so! However, I think I'll delay posting the next session until late tomorrow, if not early the next day. The idea being that I'll probably play between then and now, and would have a bit more material to write about!
Cap_H
DIGITAL IDENTITY CRISIS
6625
That's a promising start.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
The talk with the Vicor didn't quite yield the results I thought it would. He wants the settlers to come back to town too. Though, his point was more about saving as many of them as possible, and getting them behind the protective barrier of the town walls, rather than a point about freeing them from this repressively lawful society.

I don't know if another solution will come to light between now, and when I actually meet their leader, Adelaide. The bounty for the marauders will probably stand for a while longer. Still, it behooves me to go outside and see where all the action is.





The currently active quest is "Comes Now the Power", pointing us toward the Botanical Lab, and Adelaide. "Stranger in a Strange Land", pointing to the geothermal plant, is along the way. Of three quest markers in the west, it's in the middle. When I talked to the Vicor, he told me of a heretical book that he wanted me to find. I made a snide comment about how he would burn the book if I gave it to him, which flustered him somewhat. He gave some vague response about how the text within would be beyond the understanding of a normal civilian, and gave me no particular impression about why such a thing was considered "heretical".

Either way the quest-marker for "The Illustrated Manual" is north of my current position. Which leaves the other markers as "A Fistful of Digits", the bounty mission from the constable.

So, how shall I approach this? One method is to take on these quest markers in a counter-clockwise circle. However, I partially think I should gun for the botanical lab, and give the mayor's message and ultimatum first, then work through the quest markers in a clockwise circle. Give the settlers as much time as possible before I hit the geothermal plant, and cut the power to the botanical lab. Unless, as stated, there is another solution that allows these settlers their freedom that is presented to me. Either way, it may still behoove me to give them as much time as possible to do whatever needs to be done. I don't think we can avoid cutting power to the botanical lab. However, if they could reside in the geothermal plant instead...?

I'm getting too far ahead of myself. I think my first idea was sound enough, and go in a counter-clockwise order.

This means that my first point of interest was "The Illustrated Manual". The object was in an abandoned outpost, taken over by marauders. The marauders I took care of, the object was not the book, itself, but a journal left behind by a collector that had hid it elsewhere in Emerald Vale. The quest-marker has moved, of course, and so will I. This time, it's for a "Fistful of Digits".



Hrm. I've died twice now to this marauder outpost, so, I might want to consider another approach. The place seems heavily fortified to begin with. I figure at least five marauders and two dogs. That's not even counting the person that the constable wants me to kill. It seems I can take care of one guard with VATS the Time Dilation System before the rest of the outpost starts coming at us. Then, I just die, the last of my vision before the load screen prompt is a pair of dogs on me that seem to come out of nowhere. I feel they are the real killers here, because there was a dog at the earlier outpost that was killing me with incredible speed. If I knew where they were, and could take them out first, maybe I might stand a better chance. Maybe? Not 100% sure. Though, I suppose I temporarily forget there is a keybind to use a defibrillator to restore health. Though, given how fast I seem to die when the dogs do sic themselves on me, it might not even matter that the option is there!

I'm seriously considering toning the difficulty down to "Story". To be fair, it has been quite some time that I've played a game like this, and maybe I'm still in the process of re-acclimating to it. Though, what is getting at me, and what is making this LP a hard proposition to actually finish, with a respectable conclusion, is that loading a game, or even a map transition, seems to take forever on my system. We're probably talking about a minute of loading time in each instance of loading a game, or map transition. That's partially why I want to tone down the difficulty. So that I don't die as often as I do, and won't have to go through a minute's worth of loading screen to get back to where I was before the fight.

Though, I'm also considering slowing down my pace of posting my progress from once per day down to, maybe, a main-line quest completion per post? I'm not sure about this, quite yet, though. I was about to write "story-arc" instead of "main-line quest completion", but, that seems an even grander scale.



At any rate, I took a moment to fiddle with the graphics options, just to see if anything I could do there would make any difference. As far as I can tell, they did not. I made another attempt at the outpost, still get killed way too quickly, and still have no idea where those damn dogs are coming from. I think I'll be skipping out on the bounty for a tad. Which means I'm pretty much gunning for the botanical lab.

Of course, there was a sentry posted. Not the friendliest person to talk to, but, at least I wasn't shot on-sight. Which is a possibility I hadn't considered until pretty much right now, as I type.

Before talking to the leader, I came across a neophyte engineer. Thinks he could teach himself the art with a volume of books on the subject matter. The volume was a three-part series, and it seems the town had the full set, at one point. One volume is in the community center, in the southwest. Another volume used to be in Edgewater. Parvati's father may have had such a volume, when he was working at the cannery. The last volume's location is not currently known. If this is anything like "The Illustrated Manual", then we might be in for another wild goose chase! However, let's do the thing I came here to do. Though, let's save one more time before talking to Adelaide. It's just a funny feeling I have.

Well, this is interesting. Adelaide proposed that I divert power to the botanical lab, rather than Edgewater's cannery. That's not what I was expecting from her. Is there truly no option that exists where both parties can be happy? Apparently not. The option for the settlers to have a source of power that is independent of Edgewater's supply, and to be allowed to live their own lives, while Edgewater can still have it's quotas and drudgery, does not seem to exist at all.

Which means, I'm ruining the livelihoods of hundreds of people with either choice. The quest log does not indicate that I can go back to Edgewater, and talk to it's mayor about the alternative Adelaide presented. Doesn't seem like there'd be an extra conversation with the Vicor, either. There is just me, and my sense of which party has a greater right to their livelihood.

The question of consequence does come to mind, of course. If I choose to power the botanical lab, I feel I would, at the very least, no longer be welcome in Edgewater. The town may place a bounty on my head. I imagine that such might take some time and paperwork for that to go through, given the corporate bureaucracy that is Spacer's Choice. If I choose to power the cannery, I imagine the scenario would work out similar to the mayor's wishes in that the settlers would basically go back to work in Edgewater, at the cannery, under his full auspices. I think the colonists might, at least, make an attempt to adapt to the lack of power, though, I'm not sure how far that attempt would go. They may be more used to frontier living, but, maybe not that much more used to it.

A part of me wants to visit the cannery. To see the conditions those people work in. How they are treated. I have my doubts I'll see that, though. Hell, the game might not let me enter the cannery! Another part of me is telling me I'm overthinking this waaaaaay to much, and to just go with diverting power to the settlers. However, if the consequences of that choice are that Edgewater effectively gets locked off for me, then there's a few things I should attempt first. There's the other two bounties, and that book the Vicor wanted. However, let's tackle those for a different session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Call me curious, but, I wanted to see exactly how bad that marauder outpost with the two dogs is on "Story" difficulty. As it happens, the angle I was coming from allowed me to see at least one of the dogs, and I was able to take it down. A group of maybe four or five guys got alerted too (this includes the bounty target), but, we managed to take care of them.

So, I think I'm going to keep the diffuculty on "Story" for this LP. In a sense, that coinsices with the purpose of the LP: to tell a story. Besides, if I'm having trouble so early in the game at "Normal", imagine how much trouble I'd be in later on in the game! Some situations I might be able to talk out of, but, certainly not all.

On the way to the next finger, we discover the geothermal plant, and can fast-travel to it. Good, because we're not doing that right now. Plus, I couldn't help but to notice some robot sentries roaming inside. It's possible the code the mayor gave me can reprogram the sentries to flag me as neutral, or otherwise a non-hostile.

Regardless, the finger we need is across a river, and northeast, along it's banks. I managed to get the drop on a lookout, but, Parvati decided to rush in to the entrace to the cave afterwards. Maybe not the smartest thing, but, we're alive, and have the finger.

From here, we go south, then west, to the next point of "The Illustrated Manual". We find a cave, and a locked safe. I did put a few points into the Stealth category last level-up, which includes Lockpick. The game helpfully informs me at this time that picking locks and stealing is considered a crime, and to not do it while in the eye of athority. Gee, ya think?

Next target is southwest from here, and should be my last finger. My vantage point for this one...





...is better than the others, by far. I don't exactly have a sniper rifle, though, so, trying to tag him from this range is out of the question. Gotta... GET IN THERE!

...Is what I would like say if I were doing this right now. In reality, it seemed like a good time to take a break.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Took a bit of a longer break from this than I had anticipated. So, let's get back to it! What the hell was I doing again?

We succeeded in taking down the last bandit. I looted the outpost, and this made me a bit over capacity. Which disables running. It would disable fast-travel too, if I hadn't picked up a perk that still allows it. Might as well use it to go to Edgewater, get rid of my junk, and use it's workbench.

After all business is said and done, I'm down from 97/90 carry weight to 35/90 carry weight. I also made a visit to the cannery. Outside of a guard at a staircase on the ground floor, the place was deserted. Not sure what to make of that.

So, here I am, going back to Emerald Vale, fully intending to check out my other side-quest, "The Frightened Engineer". Sometime during the loading screen, it hit me: I totally forgot to turn in "The Illustrated Manual". I'm kinda laughing at myself. This is a quest that's probably better of being done sooner, rather than later. So, I probably should go back to complete it. However, I don't think it matters how I get back. If I load my game, or turn around and go back to Edgewater, the loading time would probably be the same.

So, it turns out that the book in question was written in French. Which highly displeased our Vicor, but, won't let such a thing come between him, and his path to enlightenment. He'll need to find a translator, and that's not going to happen on this planet. He's willing to join my crew, which was it's own small revelation. Like, he doesn't actually care about the people of Edgewater. Sees them as unsalvageable wretches that only bother to concern themselves with tossball, or the latest episode of whatever radio (or like media) show they're tuned into. The settlers he seems to have a worse opinion of, and his opinion to direct the power to the cannery, as opposed to the botanical plant, is falling a lot flatter to me now.

Also, I was able to come across an engineering book in the cannery. I accessed two terminals (this was not a crime) and read up on a disease that's been plaguing the town. The note from the town administrator (I will no longer call him "mayor") is very straight-forward, saying that the town simply doesn't have the medical equipment, or resources, to treat everybody that's contracted the disease. Then goes to talk about how medical treatment is not a right, but a privilege. One to be granted to those who show up for work consistently, or generally prove their worth to the company. What gets me is that he equates sickness of the body with sickness of the mind and/or spirit. Which is utter idiocy, and a fallacy of logic. A person can be in poor physical health, but be quite sound in mental and spiritual health. He's clearly quoting the company line, though. Like, he doesn't seem to see the townsfolk as "people" either, but as cogs in the Spacer's Choice money-making machine. Makes me a little sick to my stomach, and more likely to choose the settlers, if I wasn't already inclined to choose them.

At any rate, the next book I found was in the community center. The place had become a den of marauders, but, we took care of them in due process. For some reason, I can't help but to think this wanton marauder slaying will come back to haunt me one day. For what it is worth, there was a computer terminal that was hackable. What information I could glean from it wasn't particularly usable, though, and the option to encode a First Aid Room Keycard wasn't necessary, as I had already found one.

Now, I considered fast-traveling back to the botanical plant, and turn this quest in. However, I decided to take the road, and see if there were any points of interest along the way. There wasn't. I didn't deviate too much from the road, though. Still, I was well-paid for the books I could return. The last book, should be the volume that Parvati's dad was supposedly reading during his shifts at the cannery. I have no idea if he's still alive so that I might ask what he could have done with it. I might be forgetting that I can talk to my NPCs, but, I've also my doubts the game will let me direct a conversation with Parvati towards this subject.

I'm tempted to look up the location of the last book, but, I think I'll leave it, for now. I think I'm gonna do the thing at the geothermal plant. I thought fast-traveling there might put me in a bad situation in regards to the sentry bots, but, no, I was just outside the gates. Electrified gates, I might add. This is where the keycard comes in, presumably. However, I think tackling this is going to be for next session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
As I load my game, I vaguely recall going past an opening in the wall of this facility that I might be able to sneak through. It was during the bounty quest, and I didn't want to explore too much into the geothermal plant at the time. That's apparently my way in, though. The keycard must come in later.

Call me curious, but I sneaked behind a bot to see if I could hack it. No dice, had to take it out. The other sentries too. It seems I can hack the security office, possibly to deactivate the gate, but, I currently don't see the point in doing that.

An unlocked terminal in the geothermal plant points me in the direction of the repair bay for "The Frightened Engineer". Definitely something I want to do before I start tampering with people's livelihoods. Another terminal had the personal logs of the security chief. Apparently, the staff had been slowly replaced by bots, and have since gone on the fritz. The last message was from Spacer's Choice, claiming that a security lockdown has been initiated for the geothermal plant, and that his actions are to be reviewed during the quarterly audit. It then goes to speak about how anxiety is a common side-effect of such a lockdown, and a swig of Zero Gee BrewTM might help with that!

If nothing else, this goes to show exactly where the priorities of Spacer's Choice lies. They are willing to milk their own employees for an opportunity to make money.

The terminal I am to use to divert power doesn't seem to be terribly far from that terminal. Naturally, I will come back to it later. There's certainly more things to get here, as the door that I presume leads to the repair bay was sealed. Apparently, opening it wasn't as hard as I thought: the security officer left his security credentials saved on his computer, allowing me to open the door. It's incredibly ironic that a security officer's computer has his credentials saved like that, but, on the other hand, I can't help but to consider his last actual entry. It was written in a hurry, and he probably didn't have the time to log out properly.

Earlier, I had Parvati fix up a bot in the junkyard. I could have fixed it myself, but, eh, it didn't seem important. However, it seems it has returned to base (the geothermal plant), and has concluded that the other bots must be defective, and are to be dismantled. Perhaps a temporary ally, but, an ally all the same.

We eventually find the last book, and the person who borrowed it. He's a little touched in the head, but has enough clarity of thought to know what has happened, and provides a method to stop the bots. Their aggressiveness is hard-coded to be maximized, and we can't change that. However, we could rewrite their targeting algorithm to target each other, rather than people.

Somewhere between getting the code to enable switching the targeting priority, and getting to the console to switch the targeting priority, I find myself a bit lost. I do, eventually get back on track. *nervous laugh*

Thus, does the terminal stand before us. Parvati has a few words to say in support of directing the power towards Edgewater. To a degree, I see her point. The people of Edgewater are, probably, honest, good-working folk. It's the corporation they work for that is greedy and unfeeling. Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't recognize that the settlers have achieved something that might not have been possible under the direction of Spacer's Choice.

As for Adelaide, Parvati tells me I should not be a party to the anger/hate she has for Edgewater, and what it stands for. I get where she's coming from, but, I can't entirely fault Adelaide for her hatred. That doesn't mean that the people of Edgewater shouldn't be cut a little slack either. As I said, they are probably good, hard-working people, and it was the quotas set by Spacer's Choice that more than likely made the deserters, well, desert.

As for Mayor Reed, well, that's a gray area too. As Edgewater administrator, his hands might be tied by Spacer's Choice. In the end, he must look at the bottom line, and that bottom line is telling him he needs those settlers back to work the cannery. That doesn't mean he won't apply pressure again if Spacer's Choice decides to up Edgewater's quotas. I don't know if he's in any position to dictate terms, which is why I think his hands are tied. Like, if Reed makes any attempt at diplomacy with Spacer's Choice in regards to Emerald Vale, I feel the company would more likely consider replacing him with somebody "more worthy" of the "privilege" of working as a Spacer's Choice administrator.

I don't have to make this choice right this second. I've got a book to return. Perhaps I'm merely delaying the inevitable. However, maybe I can chat with the faction leaders once more? I've doubts that will do any good, though. All I know is that whichever faction I do end up choosing, it just doesn't seem right to direct the power from the other faction with no warning whatsoever. At least the settlers are aware of the possibility. Edgewater doesn't have a clue.

This choice is a lot tougher than I thought. Again, there does not seem to be any way to let both sides be happy with whatever outcome I choose. I'm going to ruin the livelihood of one faction over another. It's a terrible choice. Like, I can't exactly bring myself to choose Edgewater, as that would eventually support the corporate tyranny that is Spacer's Choice. However, I can't choose the settlers either, because, goddamn it, the people of Edgewater do, actually, deserve better than to simply have their power cut.



I'm reminded of the choice between helping the Agricultural Center and Highpool High School in Wasteland 2. That game allowed me to choose between the two, and while I chose Highpool, I kept getting comms from the AG Center, getting more and more desperate each time. It just broke my heart that I couldn't help both. It's kinda why I stopped playing that game, if I must be perfectly honest.

Maybe I'm taking this too seriously for my own good. Still, I think I might want to take a bit of a break before making a final decision. Maybe I'll cave in, and look this up on a wiki, or walkthrough, and see if there isn't a third option that I would be more okay with than the ones currently before me. I guess we'll see?
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Welp, I've done it. I've looked up what my options are with the geothermal plant. For the sake of this LP, I will put my thoughts about my findings under a hide-tag.


The choice is still very much limited to diverting power to either Edgewater or the botanical plant. Here's the breakdown, as I understand it.

--Diverting power to Edgewater's cannery
Naturally, the deserters are going to hate me. Especially Adelaide. She will refuse to return to Edgewater so long as Reed is in charge. However, I can talk to Reed and get him to stand down. Doing "The Frightened Engineer" and "A Few Kindred Spirits" will assist in the peaceful conclusion of this thread.


--Diverting power to the botanical labs
Naturally, Edgewater is going to hate me. Reed will have guards posted at the cannery, and also be present to confront me, personally. I may be able to Intimidate him for a more peaceful conclusion to this thread.


--Putting things together
Having Adelaide take over Reed's position seems to save the most lives. In the short term. The long term is a little stretchy, though. Apparently, there is a story-mission later on that would see Edgewater turned into a parking lot. I have no idea if I can stop that, nor did I look up when that quest occurs. I only know of it's existence. Either way, if the deserters come back to Edewater, the kill-bots that the mission spawns will kill all the residents, and my hard work to save lives winds up being for naught.

That doesn't make the decision to diverting power to the botanical labs any easier. As mentioned, Adelaide will not accept everyone from Edgewater into her community. People will suffer and die from that decision. Here's the thing though: people will suffer and die regardless of what my choice is. It's just a question of when that suffering and death occurs. Choosing to power Edgewater only seems to delay the inevitable. Yet, can one call it a mercy if the suffering happens sooner?


Let's just say that things are a lot more complicated that I thought they would!
Zakariya
Every misdeed has its own punishment, and every good deed has its reward.
1174
Indeed, this sounds more complicated than an overly complex Tetris mod. :P
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I'll admit it. I've been specifically avoiding this game. I really, really don't want to make this choice. However, that's just unfair to what few readers I do have. I apologize.

So! Seems like there's a few things I can do before I actually make the choice. Turning in "The Frightened Engineer" is one such thing. The other thing is a quest called "A Few Kindred Spirits".

One of the settlers, Zoe, has gone missing. The sentry out in front of the town, Grace, wants me to find her. Hopefully, the marauders have not gotten to her, but, it's a morbidly distinct possibility. While Grace doesn't really know where Zoe could have gone, she seems to think Sefan might give me a hint.

Sefan serves as the general store for the settlers, so I had already spoken to him to get rid of my crap. He didn't seem to know much about the disappearance, itself, but mentioned that Zoe kept something of a journal. That lead me to her house, and two scraps of paper. One scrap was an earlier entry, relaying a sense of relief that she doesn't have to work at the cannery anymore, or have to answer to any authority. With, perhaps, the exception of Adelaide. The other entry speaks of making a name for herself with marauders. The quest-marker moved to an outpost where I had already been, thanks to "A Fistfull of Digits". If she had dressed as a marauder, I could have mistakenly killed her, and this would end really really badly.

Thankfully, she was very much still alive, and was impressed by how quickly I took out the marauders. I feel like that statement was out-of-order sequencing. Like, the game assumed I wouldn't be here until now-ish. As an aside, I didn't "discover" the location when I was doing the bounty, and doing so triggered Parvati to say that she's never been out this far. Still, I convinced Zoe to go back to the botanical labs. She seems quite disillusioned about the life of an outlaw, though. Probably from listening to the radio dramas that are aired.

It was a short diversion, but a diversion all the same. To be honest, I kinda hoped it would be a touch longer. Alas, things don't always work out the way we want. Thus, once again, I stand before the terminal in the geothermal plant, the order to divert power awaiting me.

I've only been using one manual save so far. However, this is a game-state I will want to keep. I may not use that file within the context of this LP, but, perhaps, for a future play of the game. Kinda like how, just before leaving Vault 101 in Fallout 3, the game prompts a save, and gives players one last opportunity to tweak their characters.



Wanna know something funny? Spacer's Choice isn't even a major player in this game. The company is considered "secondary faction".





I can accept the deserters to be a secondary faction. Hell, I'd accept them as a tertiary faction. Spacer's Choice as a "secondary", though?



Regardless, it's still a hard choice to make. Which really is the best choice? Ultimately, I went with diverting the power to Edgewater. I've got a bit of putzing around to do to actually get the settlers to go to Edewater, though.

First, I gotta talk to Adelaide. There's no fast-travel inside the geothermal plant, so that's two loading screens I have to endure. Of course, she's not particularly happy to see me, nor that her people are being forced to go back to Edgewater. Not that I can entirely blame her. Still, she's put me in charge of convincing and moving the people.

The settlers don't feel quite right about simply abandoning their settlement, even if there is nothing they can do here. I will have to talk to Reed into stepping down from his post. He won't step down without reason, of course. However, Adelaide has shown that she can grow a garden, even if the fertilizer for such is human corpses. It's a little morbid, in concept, but, the food supply would be enhanced. She claims there's enough corpses in Edgewater's cemetery to last for a generation, at least. After that seems a little sketchy, but, the expanded food supply is certainly something Edgewater needs.

It did take some doing and convincing on my part, but, Reed did decide to step down in favor of Adelaide. Adelaide was quite surprised when I told her the news, and even more so when I said I did it to put her in charge of Edgewater. I'm not quite sure if that's what I wanted to say, but, I'll keep it. It's more or less true.

It will be a while before the settlers will arrive in Edgewater. For good or ill, the botanical plant's power regulator is now in my hands, ready to be installed into the Unreliable. May the Gods have mercy on my soul.

I install the power regulator, the have a quick chat with Vicor Max, who gives me the quest "The Empty Man". I didn't notice a way to put him into my party, and leaving the conversation seems to disable him as somebody I can talk to. Odd, but, perhaps, at this time, that's okay. If he can't be put into the party, I've still got Parvati hanging around with me. Perhaps the ability to party-swap comes later anyway.

Either way, the time to leave Emerald Vale to it's fate has come. Did I really do the right thing? I dunno. I guess we'll see.

After a communication with Phineas regarding the next possible move, we can access the navigation panel to travel to...





...a few locations. Before warping to where my current quest-markers are at, I spend a little time getting re-acquainted with the Unreliable. There's a container in the Captain's Quarters that I can use to store stuff I might use later. That's primarily weapon and armor mods for now, but, I managed to keep a heavy weapon for use by a recruit later down the road. There's also an Edgewater sign plastered in the Captain's Quarters, as a constant reminder of my choice there. I also discovered a robot in the crew quarters section, and "The Cleaning Machine" side-quest associated with it. As well as the "Weapons From the Void" side-quest from Captain Hawthrone's terminal. A conversation with ADA leads me back to Hawthorne's console, and what I might need to do to get the SAM unit up and running.

The vast majority of my quest-markers as still on the Groundbreaker. So, that's where I'm off to! I think I half-expected a loading screen, or FMV during transit. Neither happened. There was, of course, a loading screen for when I get on board the Groundbreaker. There was also a party select screen before that. I'm almost cursing myself for not taking a screencap of it, but, there will be other opportunities. Besides, there seems to be five-ish characters to recruit, and I've only got two of them, with one in progress.

The game's commentary on my decision regarding Emerald Vale and Edgewater is kinda making me regret that decision. ADA didn't seems pleased at all, and the text that is displayed when examining the Edgewater sign includes a note about how I taught the deserters to "not dream". Not that choosing the other decision wouldn't have it's own consequences, I'm sure. However, for the sake of this LP, I will push forward with that potential mistake on my record.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Before we go too much further, let's take some time to go over the quests I have that interact with my current location of the Groundbreaker.

"Passage to Anywhere"
Main-line quest. Phineas wants us to contact Gladys, a black market fence. From her, we can acquire the Navkey to Stellar Bay on Monarch. The supplies we need to resuscitate the other colonists on board the Hope lies there, according to Phineas, and procuring a Navkey through legal means does not seem likely to occur. Monarch is owned by the Halcyon Holdings corporate Board, and they are as much sticklers for bureaucracy and red tape as Spacer's Choice, if not worse.

"Weapons From the Void"
The late Captain Hawthrone's logs mentioned rumors of a scientist here who bragged about a powerful weapon. They also mentioned Gladys being a possible point of contact for the weapon.

"Drinking Sapphire Wine"
Parvati wants to meet the chief engineer of the Groundbreaker. Person by the name of Junlei. I know very little other details at this time.

"The Empty Man"
Vicor Max is attempting to track down the person who first told him of the journal he had me find in Emerald Vale. If that scholar was on the Groundbreaker, he may be able to hack the security office, and track down where he may have gotten to. Seems a bit of a risky move, but, it's the only lead we've got.



With this in mind, I take a look at my map. I tagged "Drinking the Sapphire Wine" as a reference point. Though, technically, the quest marker for "The Empty Man" is closer, I'm not quiet ready to hack into security yet. Either way, I can't get into the Groundbreaker without going through customs. Presenting myself as Captain Hawthorne, it seems the poor fellow has done something to piss off the Halcyon Holdings Board. The Unreliable is to be impounded, and my point of contact to rectify this issue is a man by the name of Udon Bedford. Looks like my stay here is going to be a touch longer.

However, talking with the guard has given me another side-quest, "Solution Vital". Apparently, one of the doctors has been hounding the customs officer on a status update on a delivery of automechanicals. I have no idea how long it's been since the order, but, I've a funny feeling it's more red tape. When speaking to the doctor, however, she relayed some concerns about the person in charge of the delivery. Last she heard, he was going to take a "shortcut" through Scylla. Well, if I am to find him, I'll need to be able to take off from Groundbreaker.

Parvati and Junlei hit off well enough, and Junlei gave me a new side-quest, "Happiness is a Warm Spaceship". The radiators on the Groundbreaker aren't in the best of shape, and need repairs. There should be parts in the back bays, but, of course, the place might not be particularly friendly. Let's tag it, and do it.

Strangely enough, the leader of the people down here could be reasoned with. It took a bit of a bribe to be allowed to enter his "kingdom", but, I'd rather do that than fight.

With the parts requisitioned, Junlei now wants us to go into the maintenance shaft, and install them. Apparently, there was a ship docked that had mantipiller eggs, that have since hatched. Sounds like they what caused the radiators to get on the fritz to begin with.

My followers charge ahead of me when I arrive, firing of at the beasts. I noticed a console, that I will want to check out, but, helping my allies is slightly more important to me.

As an aside, my followers have been set to "Aggressive". At this setting, they attack an engage enemies as soon as the I enter combat. While the definition of "entering combat" can be hard to define at times, the description of other modes seem to indicate that I have to specifically order them to attack before they start doing so. For what it's worth, I briefly switched them to "Defensive" only to see them stand there, taking hits? Like, not even attack automatically in self-defense? I eventually switched back to "Aggressive".

Either way, that's one side-quest down, and a Primary Faction boost. The Chief indicated that there was somebody else I could talk to in regards to work I could do on behalf of the Groundbreaker, but, the task isn't showing up on my quest-list. However, I might have stumbled on it within moments of leaving Junlei's office. The quest requires that I can leave the Groundbreaker, though, so, that's gotta be on hold for a bit. There's still plenty to do here, but, maybe it's high-time I see what I can do about the impounding of the Unreliable? Regardless of what I do next, that will be left for next session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I'm thinking of doing "The Empty Man" next. As mentioned previously, "The Empty Man" requires that I get into the security office, and hack their systems. To say the least, this is a very dangerous, and equally very illegal, prospect. I managed to find a holographic projector device in Captain Hawthrne's cabin on the Unreliable, but the device alone won't cut it. It needs some kind of datacard for it to read off of to display it's visual data. I randomly come across such a datacard, for a Mardet security guard on the Groundbreaker. How convenient.

The thing is supposed to activate automatically, and I swear Phineas mentioned some kind of effect duration during his latest communication? He certainly mentioned not to screw around too much. Walk naturally, don't talk to anybody if I don't have to, stuff like that.

It took a bit of lockpicking, but, I did get to the terminal, and extracted the data for the questionably good Vicor. He now has a name, and a place. Reginald Chaney, and a domicile in Fallbrook, Monarch. We'll have to shelve that for later, then.

Okay, "Passage to Anywhere" is next. I should see what this Udon Beford is going to ask me to do to get the Unreliable to fly again. As it turned out, all he asked for was about Alex Hawthorne, his fate, and any news of the location of Phineas that he might have told me. Strictly speaking, I never spoke to Alex, so I would not have learned of anything related to Phineas from him. That's not to say I don't know where Phineas can be found. However, I have no particular inclination, or under any particular pressure, to release that information to him.

However, my business on the Groundbreaker is not entirely resolved. There is still talking to Gladys for "Ticket to Anywhere" and "Weapons From the Void".

As far as the Navkey to Stellar Bay, Monarch goes, it's either gonna be coughing up 10,000 bits, or doing a favor side-quest for Gladys. This side-quest involves investigating a distress signal on Terra-2. While the quest-marker for "Weapons From the Void" point to Gladys, I don't really see any conversation options that direct toward that quest-line. However, there are two items in her "quest" inventory I can purchase from her. I buy them both, and "Weapons From the Void" gets updated.

On my way back to the Unreliable, I met with Felix. When I first docked, I witnessed a verbal tussle between him and some other guy that a Mardet broke up. I don't remember all the details of that conversation, but, I do remember that he's basically out of a job. I request reasons why I should allow him to be a part of the crew, and the man came semi-prepared. Had a bit of a speech written out, apparently on his hand? The option for a more formal interview was present, but, something about this less formal style resonated with me, and ended up hiring him.

Back on board the Unreliable, I have a bit of a chat with Parvati concerning Junlei. From what Parvati is telling me of their correspondence, Junlei likes her. Possibly attracted to her in a romantic sense? Parvati doesn't care for such things, but still seems to have mixed feelings. She feels a good, stiff drink might help to sort things out. Well, maybe. That can work for some people. The option to head right back out and grab that drink with her certainly exists. However, I'm also curious to see if Felix has a side-quest for me. He does not. At least, for now. Maybe later?

A playback of a distress signal I obtained from Gladys opened up "The Doom That Came to Roseway", and updated "The Distress Signal". Taking a look at the Nav-map on the Unreliable, the place to go seems to be Terra-2, with three quest-markers pointing me towards it. Let's go Uchioniko!

So, arriving at Terra-2 allows us to dock at either Edgewater, or the Roseway landing pad. Roseway is where the action is, with a quest-marker pointing me to a rather large building to the west, and the other pointing to the south.

I tag the quest that's leading me to smaller building to the south. Mostly because it feels less dangerous. Along my way there, I noticed a marauder and a canid in the distance. I managed to sneak past them, and got to the facility. There were, of course, marauders inside the facility that I could not sneak around. I tried, though.

The part that Alex was looking to fit the SAM unit with was in the armory. The door was locked, but, we found the combination on a fallen scientist. As something of an interesting point, the combination to the armory door was 1-2-3-4. Perhaps a nudge-wink reference to Spaceballs?

I make my way up north to the road. There's a bit of a village between the landing pad and the quest-marker, so, that might be something to look into. For next session, of course!

Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
There was, maybe, one house I could enter in that village I mentioned last post. Even then, it was locked, and I didn't quite have the skill to open it yet. Ah, well. Onto the Roseway Gardens!

There's three quest-markers in this building for "The Distress Signal", and one of them shares the location for "The Doom That Came Roseway". So, we check that one out last, of course. XD

The quest markers were pointing me to scientists on the colony, which, of course, have their own tasks to complete. "By His Bootstraps", "The Amateur Alchemist", and "Vulcan's Hammer" have been added to my quest-list.

The closest of these is "By His Bootstraps", which is inside another lab a bit south of the main lab. This is a relatively small area, and our task is to seek out a person named Jameson. The place has mechanical guards and raptidons as enemies to fight before we find our charge. Apparently, he wasn't in any real danger. Or, like a true corporate shill, he is more angry at the violation of protocol concerning my brazen entry, and angry angry at his boss' micromanagement of his affairs than anything else. We'll talk to the quest-giver later. For now, we go back to the storage facility that we visited previously for "The Cleaning Machine". "Vulcan's Hammer" is asking us to return there, and I doubt there's been a respawn of enemies.

I was wrong, but not by much. I came across two bots, but, nothing else of note before picking up the McGuffin. This particular one is a weapon schematic from a company very much outside of the Halycon system. Sounds like juicy info for Gladys' quest.

The other quests are pointing me further south along the road from Roseway, towards yet another lab. There's quest-markers abound down here...





...so we have to stay focused. I find a sedate that might be useful for the raptidon mother. If my NPCs don't rush in and kill her before I insert the canister into the ventilation system. Well, apparently, I need two more anyway, so that might be a roll-back to the last hard-save.

I come across an office, and find a terminal with some tidbits of information. Apparently, what they were researching here was some kind of... toothpaste? That seems to have a side-effect of decreasing appetite?

The physical research was taken by bandits/outlaws. The leader of which was trapped behind a security cell. It took some persuasion on my part, but, I managed to get the cell open, and have the leader sneak out the back way in exchange for the research. Which I might end up selling to Gladys on Groundbreaker.

One last mini-task for "The Doom That Came to Roseway". The raptidons. I don't know pretend to know what Antie Cleo (this is a corporation, not a person) is thinking in using raptidons as an ingredient in toothpaste to begin with. Much less using the side-effect of a lowered appetite, and then turning that around to market it as a "diet toothpaste". Like, hello, people are DIEING here? Do the corporations not care about this, and only the bottom line?

The answer, in case one had any doubts, came from the console I accessed in the office earlier. It spoke rather positively about the idea of workers not needing as much food, versus the expense of making said food in the first place. To put it more bluntly, no, these corporations care for nothing except the bottom line. For some reason, it's beginning to occur to me that the in-game sport of tossball is sponsored and run by the corporations, and the games themselves might be predetermined through backroom deals, concerning what might get the best viewer rating.

After slaying the raptidon martirach, I couldn't help but to notice that the other two canisters I needed to vent the system were in the room with her. There were maybe three or four of her brood in the room with her, and it might have been possible to sneak past them? Hard to say. I know that if I was discovered, my NPCs would fight enemies in their sight. Which would likely include the matriarch. Either way, the deeds are done. Time to turn in some quests.

Though, I make it a point to hard-save after fast-traveling to the main lab of Roseway. I have this nagging suspicion in the back of my head that I might finish these quest by handing over the appropriate MacGuffins, and therefore not be able to sell them to Gladys. Simply going through the conversation options with the quest-givers gives credence to these suspicions.

I can "Lie" about the outcome of "The Doom That Came To Roseway", but, I didn't notice any such option for "Vulcan's Hammer", and is therefore tossed into the "botched" pile. However, it looks like I forgot about "The Amateur Alchemist" altogether. Well, it's not that big a deal to go back to the lab and to the thing, and return. As it happened, the equipment wasn't configured properly, and I could get double the expected amount of raptidon musk. I can, of course "Lie" about that, and give him the expected amount, while still keeping the other half. Gladys might be interested in that?

I can fast-travel directly to the interior of the Unreliable, and I do exactly that. A bit of inventory management later (why can't I sort equipment by DPS or DEF while viewing NPCs???), and I think I can call this a session.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I sometimes forget that I have a carrying capacity because of the perk I picked up that allows me to fast-travel while being overburdened. Like, I try pressing Shift to run, it doesn't work, and my head fails to put the pieces together that I'm carrying way to much crap.

That aside, let's see what we can do before lifting off to who-knows-where. Ya'll remember that SAM unit? Now that I've installed an Acid Sweeper, it's ready to go, and joins my crew. Though, I don't necessarily see it among my NPC's? Maybe it'll join as a party-member next time I dock, or maybe it can't be in the party. I guess we'll see.

To be fair, a number of our quest-markers are pointing back to the Groundbreaker. However, Relay GB-23 has "The Silent Voices", and Scylla has "Solution Vital" and a "Weapons From the Void" marker. I'm somewhat inclined to to "The Silent Voices" followed by the markers on Scylla. Sure enough, after landfall, the party scene now includes SAM.





As I explore the place, I come across a number of journals from somebody who has their own set of problems. Apparently, they are hearing voices in their head to murder others, and that by doing so is "helping" them. The writer makes every effort to resist the voices, and eventually discovers the source of the voices. Which is, as you might guess, was here. Except the voices were not silenced. Indeed, the last journal was by a dead body, it's writing about there being only one real solution to quieting the voices. Perhaps it was a decent into madness, but, still, it just seems a damn shame.

Now on Scylla, the marker for "Solution Vital" seems to be in the middle of nowhere in the southwest, whereas "Weapons From the Void" is in the northeast in what appears to be a town. I start in the northwest, making "Weapons From the Void" a closer target to chase. Still, I make my way towards "Solution Vital". The view from the landing pad was quite pretty, but...





...Darigaaz, it's downright beautiful out here.

At any rate, the marker was pointing me toward an outlaw camp. I don't think to sneak until it's too late, and weapon fire is exchanged. When the combat dies down, I can then talk to Captain Irion, and get one step closer to completion of "Solution Vital". I then make my way to the marker for "Weapons From the Void" located here. Not too much trouble with this one. This weapon looks a little like an electrified club. Still, if it's a "science weapon", I could probably make better use of it than most folks.

The only quest marker that isn't on the Groundbreaker is "The Empty Man". Well, okay, there's a marker for "Weapons From the Void" on Phineas' Lab. Not inclined to go there just for that!

While there may be more important tasks to attend to, I tag "Drinking Sapphire Wine". We don't drink anything too hard, but, Parvati was getting things off her chest regardless. Probably cathartic for her to talk about it. My general advise to her was that she should believe in herself. I dunno if this is her first love, per say, but, if Junlei doesn't like her just for being her, I want Parvati to at least try. Otherwise, she would just be filled with regret, and that's a place nobody wants to be.

Completing "Solution Vital" was a short enough conversation. Same with "The Silent Voices". As for "The Distress Signal", I kinda half-expected to get the NavKey from Gladys after I gave her all the info I had from Roseway. To be fair, there were grayed out conversation options that might have lead to such, but, the rating on them was, like over 70. I'm barely at 50, if that. Thus, the game still requires that I pay 10,000 bits. Not that selling her the information didn't help with getting that amount, but, yeah, it's a little bit of a feel-bad.

The game would have me contact Phineas via a comm-channel on the Unreliable to go over what's on Monarch that I need, and where, or who, to get it from. I consider the possibility that visiting his lab would do just as well, plus have a reason to poke about for the "Weapons From the Void" marker that is there. First, we talk to Parvati yet again to complete "Drinking Sapphire Wine". Though, I'm not 100% done with the Groundbreaker yet. I happened across a message board, and one message directs me to another side-mission.

This side-mission turns into "Space-Crime Continuum", and involves going to Fallbrook, Monarch to check up on a SubLight agent by the name of Catherine. I dunno how much work I'm going to do for SubLight, but, it's on my quest-list, and it seems along the way with all the other stuff I'm doing on said planet.

However, before we blast off to Monarch, we have a chat with Phineas over the comms. We are to seek an information broker. I've already forgotten his name, and the quest-text isn't refreshing my memory. Either way, if there is anybody that can get the chemicals that Phineas needs to revive the other colonists on the Hope, it's this info broker. We are first to seek a hunter by the name of Nyoka in Stellar Bay first. Perhaps, with a few bits, she'll lead us to him.

Either way, our main-line quest has changed to "Radio-Free Monarch", and no less than three quest markers point to Monarch. However, what happens on Monarch stays on Monarch shall be for another session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Almost right off the bat, I get another side-quest in the form of "The Grimm Tomorrow". There was a sentry near the landing bay that was supposed to get a poster signed by a tossball player of some fame, but, of course, the delivery seems to have been delayed. Seems an innocent enough request to try and track it down, but, we'll see.

The quest-marker for "Space-Crime Continuum" lead me to a dead body. Which isn't good news, but, according to the quest-notes, I can still report to Catherine in Fallbrook to continue the quest. As it happens, the quest-marker for "Space-Crime Continuum" occupies the same location on the region map as "The Empty Man".

"The Grimm Tomorrow", as it turns out, is a wild goose chase. I was informed to talk to Celia in the Monarch Stellar Industries building. Who has directed me to Velma, who manages the warehouse. Who, in turn, directs me to Nell, who has offered more for the poster. Nell, in turn, has proposed that I get her shipment of authentic tossball jerseys from Amber Heights to consider allowing Grimm to have the poster. Yeah, gonna get back to that.

Velma threw "Herrick's Hanidwork" into my lap, which takes me to the local pub/bar. It's also where "Radio Free Monarch" is pointing me towards, but, we can get to that later.

"Herrick's Hanidwork" involves getting people back to work. Which I have some experience in, sadly. I told the worker that Velma threatened to hire SubLight contractors to replace them, but, they believe it is a bluff. That doing so would cause MSI's standing officer/representative, Sanjar, to ultimately disapprove of such a move. I tried going back to Velma to see what she has to say, but, she doesn't seem to want to move.

I know the workers have a stash of bits, and it's supposed to last them a week or two. Velma has heard a rumor of such a stash, and suggests I take it for myself to make them come back to work. I'm sorry, but, no. I'm not going to do that. I'll find your lost worker (another side-quest, "The Secret People"), but not steal a person's hard-earned money. Though, when I did talk to the workers, they told me of a rumor that Velma was taking more than she should. I don't know if "Herrick's Hanidwork" has updated to look into that rumor, but, it's certainly updated to tag the location of the worker's stash. As an aside, there was a conversation option to lie about Velma being fired if the workers didn't go back. However, my reading of them indicates to me that such news might be cause for them to have an extra drink, rather than be a convincing point for them to return.

Anyway, on to "The Secret People"! The quest-marker lead me to a woman who apparently had some kind of dealings with our lost worker. Seems he left town in a village a touch south of Stellar Bay. Which means it might be high-time we leave this town for the greater outdoors. But, I think I should check up with Nyoka first, and actually advance "Radio Free Monarch".

Nyoka is more than a touch drunk. So, if we actually want her to guide us, and I think we do, we'll need to get something to sober her up. The side-quest "Passion Pills" directs us to the dispensary. Perhaps it was a mistake to mention that I was there for Nyoka's behalf, as the substance she requested is an allotted one (of course), and she's met her allotment for the month (of course). It seems I can go about this a few ways. I can try and find the doctor, and convince him to dispense the item, regardless of the allotment. He's apparently in the same outpost/town as "The Secret People". There is a terminal upstairs that I might be able to hack into to increase the amount of Nyoka's allotment. Another method seems to be to steal from the medical supply cabinet, of which both the doctor and the front desk nurse have a key to.

If I go and find the doctor, I feel it's likely he'll have a side-mission for me to do. Even if he doesn't, it might still be more XP to go that route, as there might be more conversation options that I can use Medicine and/or Science on. Both of which have a rating of 50.

Two more side-quests grab my attention. One is from a mother, whose son has run away ("A Family Matter"). The other is a janitor that saw a dead body while cleaning the apartments (leads to "The Stainless Steel Rat"). Dariggaz, the sheer number of side-questing I've done, or uncovered, in this place is on par with Denerim in Dragon Age Origins and/or the Citadel of Mass Effect.

While "A Family Matter" would have us go outside, "The Stainless Steel Rat" seems to be mostly here. The man who was killed was apparently accumulating debt from gambling on tossball games. I found a suitcase in his room, and kinda suggested to me that he might have tried leaving town before the debtors got to him, but, alas, he was too late. He frequented Nell's establishment enough for her to point me to some people that make deliveries for the warehouse, and tend to spend off-hours in the alley behind the Yacht Club. They acted like thugs, and I can't seem to convince them not to attack me after mentioning Issac (the dead guy). They sort of admit to killing Issac before they attacked me, but, they're right in that I don't have any hard evidence pointing to them, specifically. The evidence I do have is circumstantial at best, but, the fact that they attacked me to "tie up loose ends" kinda closes the case for me.

Talking to Sanjar does, eventually, complete "The Stainless Steel Rat", but, of course, I get "BOLT with His Name" to replace it. There's still a mess of quest-markers in-town, but, I think it really is high-time to hoof it outdoors. What awaits me there, however, will be for next session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
So many side-quests to do out here. I think I we'll visit the location where "Passion Pills" and "The Secret People" are at. Along the way, I couldn't help but to notice some raptidons on the main roads. I manage to sneak past them, but, alas, the quest-marker for "The Secret People" was on the other side of the road. Thankfully, I only needed to fight against three raptidons to clear the way.

At any rate, the quest-marker lead me to the house of one Edgar Mather. Who claims that nobody like Braxton has been around here lately. A young woman upstairs mentioned a man that brought her some kind of candy, but says no more on the subject. Edgar invited me to dinner, which is kinda suspicious to me for some reason. For the sake of curiosity, I hard-save and see if I can't take them up on this offer. The answer is apparently that dinner isn't ready, and that I should go do other stuff first. Not sure what to make of that, or the fact that the door I came in is now locked.

I asked Edgar about that, and apparently, this isn't the first time the door has locked itself. Said something about a "trick" to jimming it open, and would be happy to do it after dinner. So, here I am, apparently stuck in this location until I trigger dinner? Like, the other conversation option I have leads to an option to attack them, but, that doesn't sit right with me either. Something feels wrong. Way wrong.

I load a previous save, before I entered the house. I still technically need to go in there for "The Secret People", but, maybe I'll detour to the "Passion Pills" marker before I try to tackle "The Secret People" again. As it happens, the good doctor has died. Likely due to the raptidons in the area. Still, he had the medicine cabinet keycard on him, so I guess I could get the thing Nyoka was talking about, myself. Though, I am still inclined to inform the nurse of this unfortunate matter.

Damn. That detour wasn't as meaty as I would have liked. Maybe "BOLT with His Name" will prove a better detour?

More raptidons and a person who locked themselves behind the very door I want to open in regards to the side-quest. I don't specifically remember picking up the key to that door, but, I apparently had it anyway. Well, that's two down, then!

Saved again outside the house for "The Secret People" because I don't trust that house, the people in said house, or that quest. As it happens, I was right to not trust them. Braxton was behind a locked door that I picked open. Well, what was left of him. A leg was cut off at about the knee, and there was a peculiar knife next to him called "Supper Time". This leaves very few doubts as to the nature of their meals.

When they saw that I was tracking blood on the floor, it didn't take long for them to realize I was snooping around where I shouldn't. I suppose they felt they didn't have a choice but to attack me. Though, I suppose having me for dinner was the plan all along. I wonder how many times they have done this? Lock the door behind their victims, trapping them inside, being very generous with their hospitality, only to attack their victim as they fall asleep, becoming their next meal. Well, regardless, they have been stopped.

Next up is "A Family Matter". It's a bit of a trek to the south, passing by a marauder camp or two along the way. Amber Heights is it's own sub-location, so, I tag "The Grimm Tomorrow" instead to see what mess that quest-marker would have me do. The tossball jackets Nell was talking to me about were in a container within a marauder encampment. We'll have to return those to her later. For now, it seems I'll be getting into Amber Heights to, hopefully, resolve "A Family Matter".

It took a bit of convincing on my part to have Tucker go back home. Though, I must admit, though, I was kinda expecting to meet a little boy. The person I met was man of 42 years of age. He's gotta stand up to his mother, and show her he can stand on his own two legs.

This leaves "Space-Crime Continuum" and "The Empty Man" left to do out here, and those are even further south than Amber Heights. I forgot to bring Vicar Max with me, but, I can fast-travel to the Unreliable to party-switch. Besides, I've some equipment management I want to look into, and the Unreliable is the best place to do it.

I eventually find my way to the settlement of Fallbrook. Which is it's own sub-area. "The Empty Man" I've had for longer, so I set my active quest to that. Though, it seems it's also closer than "Space-Crime Continuum", but, that's beside the point!

In any event, "The Empty Man" was pointing me to a person's house. Guy wasn't home, but left a note saying he went gold digging in the north. Looks like the point in question is in this area, so, we'll check it out once we deal with the "Space-Crime Continuum". Which, itself, leads me to a lab in Cascasida, Monarch. The Alta-Vitae gas that Lilya is asking for is there, but, it sounds like there might be a fight or three to get it.

Back on "The Empty Man", it turns out the "scholar" Max was trying to track down was nothing of the sort. Just some smuggler. Max wanted revenge, to take his anger on on the poor fellow, but, I talked him out of it. The quest-marker has moved to somewhere on Scylla, so we'll have to look into that after Monarch.

The regional map indicates that the quest-marker for "Space-Crime Continuum" has moved far to the east of where Fallbrook lies. I'm not quite up for another long trek, and there's a mess of quests to turn in at Stellar Bay, regardless. After I fast-travel there, Max thanks me for stopping him from tearing the smuggler limb from limb. As for the quests that I can turn in at Stellar Bat, and maybe moving "Space-Crime Continuum" forward, that can be for next session!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
"BOLT with His Name" has become "Errors Unseen". Apparently, there is a corporate presence on Monarch that is illegal according to Board rules, but supposedly is Board-run. Sanjar wants me to bring back some kind of solid evidence concerning this rumor that he might use as a point of blackmail. Leverage to allow MSI back on the Board, or so he claims. Even if the rumors are true, the use Sanjar has in mind is not what I would do with them. Still, the interactions I'm having with these faction side-quests feel a little rail-roady. Like, I could not tell this guy, no, I'm not doing this for you.

At any rate, the next side-quest to advance is "The Grimm Tomorrow". Nell was happy with the jerseys I brought, so that means I can tell Velma that Nell agreed to let Grimm have his poster. Of course, I'm in the unfortunate position regarding Braxton's fate with "The Secret People", but, at least Velma knows to find a replacement for him. I guess she's still doing double-shifts in regards to "Herrick's Handiwork", but, again, that might be a side-mission I end up just plain skipping out on.

With the poster in the hands of Grimm, I move along to "A Family Matter". Agnes is as delusional as ever, but, it does sound like Tucker is going to try to talk some sense into her. I can't really do any more for them, so, time to move onto "Passion Pills". I choose to hack into the terminal to log in as Doctor Williams, and up Nyoka's allotment of Caffenoid, then go down to talk to the nurse. Of course, I still tell the nurse of the doctor's unfortunate circumstance. I managed to convince the nurse that she was too busy to notice that Nyoka's allotment has been upped. Funnily enough, after receiving the item, the terminal had automatically reset Nyoka's allotment to "Standard". I was definitely considering the possibility that it would stay "High" until it was changed, but, I suppose, at this point, it doesn't really matter.

I was a touch curious about a passageway in the back of Velma's garage that lead outside. I guess I was half-expecting that path to be a sewer, or like area, where I might be able to find some truth to the rumors Caleb was talking about in regards to "Herrick's Handiwork". Obviously, no luck there. So, that leaves the remainder of "Passion Pills", advancing "Radio Free Monarch", and "Space-Crime Continuum". Well, let's see what Nyoka says. I'm half-expecting the game to decide for me what I'm doing next, but, if the game remains open-ended, and Nyoka is a guest NPC, I might be able to use her help with "Space-Crime Continuum".

As it happens, I can boot a follower to allow Nyoka to join my party. I could also ask her to go to the Unreliable, but, I choose to boot a follower. She might be a permanent follower after "Radio Free Monarch" is said and done.

I take a look at the region map for Monarch, and it looks like "Radio Free Monarch" is more or less between "Space-Crime Continuum" and the new "Errors Unseen" side-quest. Either way, I'm either fast-traveling to just outside Fallbrook, or go into Fallbrook, itself, for "Errors Unseen".

I choose the former, aiming toward "Space-Crime Continuum". Right after the fast-travel, Nyoka says she wants to have a word with me. Which, of course, leads to a side-quest, "Star-Crossed Troopers". I don't want to delve too much into details here, but, let's just say she wants to see some old friends buried proper. The first was supposed to be "on the way" (I'm assuming she's talking about the "Radio Free Monarch" marker), but, the way I'm looking at this map...





...it really isn't. Maybe from the quest-marker of "Space-Crime Continuum" that I've tagged as my active mission, but certainly not from the fast-travel point that is the Fallbrook crossroads.

Naturally, I come across a number of maurader encampments along the way, plus some groups of mantiswarms, mainipillars, and/or raptidons. Getting in the front door of Cascadia is a no-go. The thing is locked, and I don't quite have the skill to pick it open. There is a hole in the side of the wall I can sneak in, though. So, it comes to very little surprise that the town of Cascidia has turned into something of a maruader encampment. However, I was able to sneak past them to get to the terminal I needed to access the lab underground. The password also seems to work on the security bots they have here, which is an extra bonus.

The sequence to actually get the Alta-Vitae gas onto the Unreliable feels like it's own fetch-quest. Go to Computer A, open the labs underground, refer to Computer B. B can connect the hoses, but the authorization to dispense the fuel lies with C. Each time I need to go further in, and beat up more foes. I suppose it's authentically corporate, and full of red-tape, to do it this way, but, that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed by it.

I'd rather not leave the Unreliable at the Cascadia labs. I'd rather it was docked at Stellar Bay. I do so, then fast-travel back to a S&P Boarst Factory that could lead me to either "Star-Crossed Troopers" or "Radio Free Monarch". However, I feel this is plenty for today.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I start off this session completing the first step of "Star-Crossed Troopers". To complete the next step, it seems we need to track some people down, and our information broker may provide our best lead to them.

There's two ways to get to the broker. One is through a network of caverns, and is generally considered safer. The other is up a hill, and infested with mantipillars, matiswarms, and the like. If I were playing on a difficulty that was not "Story", I would probably go through the caves. However, since I am running on "Story" difficulty, I take the route up the hill.

Of course, the outpost where the broker is supposed to be located at has been overrun by marauders. After removing a few inside the station, the broker decides to contact me over the intercom, and we have a bit of a chat. Naturally, he wants me to remove the marauders before they mess with his broadcast tower. I agree, and the "Radio Free Monarch" quest is summarily updated.

We take out the marauders without too much difficulty, and meet the broker in person. I was kinda wondering if that would even happen.

Hiram's interest is in a communication from one of his numerous sources. Of course, his ability to receive (or transmit) is limited because both the Iconoclasts of Amber Heights and the MSI in Stellar Bay is taking up all the bandwidth. I have a pretty good reputation with MSI, so, I might be able to have a bit more wiggle room to convince them to tone down their broadcasting. The Iconoclasts, not so much.

I'm a bit over-burdened, so, I make a short pit-stop at the Unreliable for some inventory management before going to Amber Heights, and seeing what I can do there.

Graham, the leader of the Iconoclasts, is willing to give up the airwaves if we can give them the printing press. In other words, they will use one form of propaganda to spread their beliefs over another. Not sure how that will work for them, but, I'd rather resolve "Radio Free Monarch" without resorting to violence. Which was an option in conversation, but, it just comes off as terribly impatient.

Anyway, I get the supplies from their contact, though, she tells me this is the last time she'll make a run for them. Fast-traveling back to Amber Heights, and talking to Graham puts a close to "The Commuter", and gives rise to "Pay for the Printer". Naturally, the location of such is in a place on Monarch I've not been to, and have a funny feeling is a fast-travel point.

I was more or less correct. There was a team of Iconoclasts here to secure the location that came before us, but, the raptidons in the area have taken a toll on their number. Their medic has gone down, and send me to fetch the trauma kit to patch up what they can of the wounded. As for the press, itself, there is a choice to have the Iconoclasts already here to help me install the parts, but, I'll do it myself. A few more raptidon kills later, and the deed is done. Graham is pleased, and agrees to stop broadcasting.

Now for "Errors Unseen". Which is in a location I can fast-travel to, and generally should make this a bit cleaner/faster. Actually, before I do that, lemme do a quick save here, in Fallbrook, and go to Stellar Bay, and talk to Sanjar. I temporarily forgot that my reputation with MSI was pretty good to begin with. I might not need to do this quest, even if the quest-journal recommends it.

However, Sanjar isn't going to move. He "needs" the bandwidth for their advertisements, or whatever, as they aren't backed by the Board. He firmly believes that MSI being reinstated on the Board will give them the support they need. I dunno about that. Especially since their way to be reinstated is by way of blackmail. They are going to be bitten back, I can feel it in my bones.

In any event, I was to talk to Catherine in Fallbrook. Seems one of her teams have been hired to do blind supply drops north of the city. What I found was an empty cart, and mess of dead bodies, and a trail of blood that lead to a tunnel. The trail of blood lead me to the last remnant of the unit. He didn't know who the supply drop was for (naturally), but, figured that since the marauders got to them, they likely got to their client as well. The marker's moved northwest of the cave, and I set out for it. There was a marauder presence we had to remove, but, aside from that, there was a terminal that had information regarding Universal Defense Logistics (the CEO of which is on the Halcyon Board) tapping into the rich sulfur deposits on Monarch.

It's the proof Sanjar was looking for, and he's very happy to see it. With both the Iconoclasts and MSI no longer gumming up the airwaves, our information broker is free to do as he will.

Hiram is happy that his airwaves are open again, but asks for one more favor of me. To help him jump-start the tower. I do so, and that creates it's own cascade of events. A UDL ship crash-lands on Monarch. Seems the Iconoclasts are taking credit for that, and want the weapons on that ship. Naturally, MSI wants it for their own reasons. Hence, yet another quest, "Canid's Cradle" enters my journal. Monarch has far, far overstayed it's welcome in this game as far as I'm concerned, and I would be more than happy to leave it. However, it also just doesn't sit right with me to leave this particular quest alone.

The quest-marker is closer to the Cascadia landing pad, so I have the Unreliable transfer back. I'm apparently the first one here, so, I get to claim the gunship's targeting module. The quest, then, changes context so that I can either give it to the Iconoclasts or Monarch Stellar Industries to cement an alliance. But you know what I'm going to do? Neither of them will have it. I'll keep the damn thing.

"Radio Free Monarch" is now pointing me to Phineas' Lab. There's a few loose ends to tie up before going there, however. One is to re-visit the Groundbreaker to clear off "Space-Crime Continuum", which is then replaced by "The Ice Palace". The others quests in my journal will be for another time.
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