The beetle subject scoffed, before speaking in a somewhat bewildered tone. "You really want me to do that? Fight against an unarmed subject? That is pitiful, Roraima. I refuse to fight someone una-" The subject fell to her knees as she trembled in pain, before Roraima spoke over the intercom again. "Subject ATO-4013 is trained in hand to hand combat and anti-armour combat. Now, I suggest following your superior's orders, before you are punished further, are we clear?" The beetle stopped writhing in pain, breathing heavily before getting up and looking at Katya. The owl subject was clearly anxious still, the beetle taking notice. "Ahhhh, I am sorry... I did not introduce myself yet. I am Sintae Chalcos. What is... what is your name?" Katya hesitated, before cautiously saying: "Katya Kesselring..." Sintae nodded, taking a combat pose. "I can tell you're nervous, Katya. Don't worry. I will try my best not to hurt you." Sintae quietly said, which Katya genuinely appreciated.

Unfortunately, Katya and Sintae soon heard a buzz, before hearing a scientist say: "Commence subject combat training." Katya's first instinct was to look for all the weak points. Sintae's back was obviously a no-go, given how clearly armoured it was. However, she was still uncertain as to what other parts to hit. She guessed that the stomach would be it, making her quickly rush forward to try and deliver a powerful punch. However, when her lunge landed, it felt almost as if her fist struck steel, Sintae not budging at all. And before Katya could pull back, she felt two hard and chitinous claws pushing her into the metal floor. Katya gasped, feeling herself being pinned down. Katya looked panicked, trying to break free, but finding her strength lacking compared to the beetle. However, to her surprise, Sintae leaned forward to whisper. "Go for quick hit and run strikes. Trust me." Katya would then feel her strength increasing, managing to push Sintae off of her.

Katya flapped her wings to retreat, before they heard Roraima over the intercom. "Sintae, what was that?" To this, Sintae responded casually, with a hint of confidence. "Katya pushed me away. She's real tough!" Katya realised that Sintae wasn't going all out. She was holding back and helping her win the fight. Katya was relieved, knowing that Sintae wanted to help her avoid causing great harm from combat or Roraima's wrath. Though, Katya was very much still concerned that... Roraima would take notice. A concern which was well founded, as Roraima soon spoke up in an error calm voice. "Precious strength tests have revealed that you are almost 70% stronger than ATO-4013." Sintae scoffed, before saying: "Perhaps it was measured incorrectly." Sintae soon gave a quick nod to Katya, before taking a defensive pose with her claws. Katya didn't say anything, simply flying towards Sintae to punch her before flying away. Something Katya would do for quite some time.

Though, as Katya kept punching and retreating on repeat, Roraima soon would speak more demandingly over the intercom. "AB-90. These are not defensive tests. Stop blocking these attacks and start fighting." Sintae scoffed again, before smugly saying: "How can I attack her? She's far quicker than me, and I cannot just let her keep on hitting me." Though soon after, Sintae yelled again as she clawed at her neck. "I will no longer tolerate you holding back during combat training. Apologize for your indolence and fight now, or face punishment." Sintae didn't say anything, not wanting to apologise whatsoever to Roraima. And after a short period of time where Sintae clearly refused to do as ordered, Roraima sighed. "Very well then. ATO-4013, go all out and finish her off." Katya froze up, not knowing what to do. She didn't want to just beat down on poor Sintae. But, she also knew she couldn't just stand there and do nothing... She had to fight...

Katya quietly approached Sintae, looking down at the beetle girl as she trembled on the floor. "I... I am sorry." Katya quietly whispered, Sintae continuing to tremble in pain before giving a quick, almost unnoticeable nod. Katya would crouch and start delivering quick and powerful jabs. Though, they only had a mild effect on Sintae, the shocks of her collar ironically being more painful. Katya did try and aim for parts which were covered by chitin as to reduce the pain it'd cause. For a solid minute, Katya would keep punching the downed beetle girl, looking grief-stricken by the horrid acts she had to do. Sintae soon stopped trembling, the pain from everything becoming too much. Fortunately, Roraima would stop the shocks, making Sintae breathe heavily. "Excellent work, ATO-4013. Now, finish her off with your wings, just like we practiced previously." Katya froze up, before speaking hesitantly. "R-Roraima, sir... m-must I?" Roraima scoffed before speaking more demandingly. "It is an order from a superior, is it not?"

Katya knew she could not disobey her father, looking anxiously down at Sintae before seeing the bug girl move onto her back. "Hngh... it's... it's fine... Katya... I can take it..." Sintae groaned, Katya frowning and nodding. She brought her sharp, metallic wing to Sintae's neck, the beetle girl smiling reassuringly. Katya shivered, taking a deep breath, before... the blade dug into Sintae's flesh. It took a bit of force on Katya's part, but she saw and felt more of her metal feathers digging into Sintae. Surprisingly, Sintae took this well enough, even if she did start bleeding quite heavily. "K-Katya... I... hngh..." Sintae was about to say something, before seemingly going limp, the pain clearly having taken its toll on her. Soon after, Katya pulled away her wing, having created a deep and painful looking slash in Sintae's neck. "Excellent work, ATO-4013! We managed to acquire plenty of combat data. We will continue your testing soon. For now, please leave the testing area."

Katya shivered in fear, doing as told whilst continuing to look back at the poor beetle subject. Katya tryied to keep calm, yet quietly started letting out some tears after leaving Sintae behind...

...

...

Katya calmly stood in that room she had become so familiar with. She looked down at the bare metal floor, trying to hide her fear and anger at being back here again. Even though she had fought plenty of subjects and guardsmen here by now, that didn't change that she loathed coming here every time she had to train her skills. She just hoped it would be some uncaring guardsmen she could train with, making her feel less bad about going all out. Unfortunately, the intercom would bring the news she had been dreading. "ATO-4013. Today's training will focus on anti-subject combat using your specialized anti-material rifle. Understood?" Katya felt her heart skip a beat, before taking a deep breath. "Affirmative, sir. May I ask who I will fight against?" Roraima would take over the intercom. "It's someone you trained with previously. Albeit, with some improvements."

Katya nodded calmly, internally being curious and worried as to who it would be. She held onto her rifle, waiting to see who it would be she'd have to face before preparing for combat. Though as the door opened and she saw who stepped out, she lowered her weaponry. "It has... been a while, hasn't it, Katya?" It was Sintae, her appearing a little roughed up, taller and more muscular. Sintae smiled casually, before stretching her arms. "I hope that you didn't think I actually died. I'm a whole lot tougher than that, haha." Katya remained stunned, not knowing how to even respond. "Sintae... I..." Sintae let out a soft chuckle, cutting Katya off from talking, before getting in a combat pose. "If you're gonna apologise, then don't. Ya didn't intend to hurt me... at least, I hope not." Katya would give a calm nod, noticing the scar on Sintae's throat from where she had been stabbed. "Though this time around... well, we're both a lot bigger... and a whole lot better trained... so this time, I'm not gonna hold back. I hope you won't hold back either."

Katya didn't know what to even say. Yet, seeing as Sintae was... completely fine and wanted to fight, it did reassure her that this training wasn't going to end up causing pain to either of them. "Now, let us have a proper fight this time!" Sintae said, before rushing forward at a decent pace. She'd try and slash at Katya, who instinctively and quickly jumped back before spreading her wings. Sintae lunged forward again, digging her claw into the metal floor. Katya managed to land a short distance away, readying her gun as she glided through the air, before firing a shot straight at Sintae. Of course, Sintae wasn't a fool, and would point her back at Katya, managing to do so just on time as the rifle let out a loud blast. The bullet struck Sintae's back, making the beetle jut forward a bit, before getting upright.

"Heh, I see you got yourself quite the elegant weapon... Now, it is a fair fight!" Sintae once again rushed Katya, this time trying to use the horns on her head to try and strike Katya down. Of course, Katya was far faster. Though seeing that Sintae could tank a shot and did not appear hurt, Katya was both relieved and a bit concerned. It was a relieve that Sintae wouldn't be hurt, but that was also concerning since Katya did need to defeat the large beetle somehow! She just needed to land a better shot and... maybe she could win this battle! Thus, the two would end up in a pattern. Sintae would jump over at Katya to attack her, Katya would dodge and create some distance to take a shot, Sintae would block it with her back or her arms, and then the cycle would repeat. The staff were watching in amusement and curiosity, many taking notes. Roraima also seemed pleased, clearly delighted that both his subjects were this effective. Katya just needed a bigger gun, and Sintae just needed a less foolish target. Though, it wouldn't take long for the cycle to finally be broken somewhat.

Katya would fire another shot as Sintae already rushed closer. The shot managed to get a solid strike on Sintae's arm, making her gasp as she clearly was hurt. It made Katya flinch, realising she had managed to get a shot in, yet hurt Sintae. Though this flinch was enough for Sintae to close the distance, using her still fine arm to slash at Katya. Of course, Katya tried to jump back, but the slight delay was more than enough to finally give Sintae the upper hand, as her claw struck the gun and snapped the barrel off of it. Katya managed to fly back unscathed, though when she tried to fire, she found the gun to no longer function. "It looks like ATO-4013's gun has been damaged!" One of the scientists said to his peers. "Roraima, should we stop the test now?" Another asked, to which Roraima scoffed. "Of course not. This will give us valuable data. Besides, Katya needs to also learn how to be more effective in physical combat."

In fact, Roraima would soon take the microphone to speak over the intercom, saying something which made Katya's heart sink. "Subject ATO-4013, continue fighting without your gun. That is an order." Katya internally cursed at Roraima. How could he expected her to physically beat Sintae?! Of course, she couldn't say no, taking a deep breath before launching herself over to Sintae. Katya tried to use her wings as blades, slashing at Sintae. Unfortunately, Sintae would raise both hands and grab her metallic wings. Sintae looked confidently at Katya, who by now was struggling to break free from her grasp. Until finally, Sintae would use the horns on her head to smack Katya to the side. Katya felt immense pain as she was smacked by the hard, chitinous weaponry. Her wings instantly gave in, Sintae grabbing her before pushing her to the ground with one of her claws. Katya groaned, trying desperately to break free.

Yet soon, both wings would be pinned down as well, Sintae smiling confidently down at Katya. "Looks like I win this time." Sintae said, giving a more reassuring smile. "Katya realised that Sintae had no intentions to hurt her further. "I am sorry if I managed to hurt you." Sintae said casually, Katya looking at the bullet wound in her arm, before speaking softly. "It is... tolerable..." Katya calmly said, making Sintae scoff in amusement, Though before Sintae could say anything else, they'd hear Roraima over the intercom. "Good job, AB-90. You have become a potent combat subject. Now, finish ATO-4013 off." This made Sintae look up at the window, before simply saying. "No." There was a deafening silence, before Katya felt Sintae's claws letting go of her. Sintae stepped back, before speaking calmly. "Katya has fought honourably and with great vigour. She did her best and does not deserve to be hurt further now." There was another silence, before Sintae suddenly started shaking, before falling to the ground. Sintae started clawing at her own neck...

"I am tired of your emotions and 'honour' getting in the way of your job, AB-90. You are a combat subject. Your goal is to fight. Emotions and honour do not matter. And I am tired of having to continuously remind you of this fact." Sintae would start screaming in agonizing pain, struggling to grab at her own neck with her claws. "ATO-4013. Leave the chamber now. That is an order." Roraima said, Katya looking over at Sintae. Katya wanted to speak up. Katya wanted to stop the agonizing pain Sintae had to endure. And yet, Katya knew that she couldn't say no to her creator. She would speak in a meek and pained voice. "Yes, sir." She lowered her head, before heading to the entrance to the chamber. She kept her head down, not looking back as she continued hearing Sintae's horrific and agonizing screams. Katya felt utter horror, almost feeling sick to her core... and yet, she knew she couldn't do anything. She couldn't let emotions get in the way of her purpose as a subject...

"This will be the last time you will defy my orders, insect."

...

...

Loud bangs and yells emanated from behind the doors opposite of Katya. She didn't flinch whatsoever though, Katya's presence within the chamber almost being unnoticeable through sound. She stood in the centre of the chamber, hands in front of her stomach as she stared straight ahead at the door. "ATO-4013. Combat against subjects will commence now. You are authorized to use any force necessary to incapacitate whoever you face. Is this clear?" The voice over the intercom said, Katya not hesitating whatsoever. "Affirmative." She said in an emotionless and eerily calm voice. The doors would finally open, as Katya saw these paranoid red eyes staring down at her. Despite Katya's calm demeanour, she'd internally feel a deep sadness as she realised who she was facing. It had been god knows how long since she last saw Sintae, but time had not been kind to Sintae.

Sintae rushed out of the room, her claws damaging the metal doors. She yelled and growled, looking around the room with rage in her eyes. Sintae would notice Katya, her eyes appearing bestial before rushing at the owl on all fours. Sintae's claws left deep puncture marks into the metal below, showing how much stronger she had become throughout all of this. Of course, Katya had also grown taller, faster, smarter and stronger. She would instinctively grab her anti-material rifle, and rapidly aiming at Sintae's head. Sintae would instantly have one of her eyes blown out, letting out a horrific and anguished yell, before simply charging Katya again. She'd leap at Katya, who easily dashed to the side to avoid the strike. Though, Sintae would slash and smash the floor below her, yelling in pain and rage before once again charging Katya. "It is impressive how well Sintae can hold up, even after getting shot in the head." One of the staff members said, Roraima watching on in amusement at the battle in front of them.

Sintae kept screaming and leaping at Katya. Though, Katya just took shot after shot after shot. And once Sintae had been weakened enough, Katya would stop firing her gun. Instead, Katya flew over to the beetle girl, grabbing her and lifting her up. Given the damage Sintae had endured, she could barely race her claws or move her head. And in turn, Katya simply would push Sintae to the ground, pinning her down before quickly snapping her neck. Sintae's growling, screaming and breathing stopped, her going limp as Katya spoke up calmly. "AB-90 restrained successfully." Katya would turn around and head to the door, knowing that testing was finished. "Good work, ATO-4013. Your training has been a major success. You are free to leave the training chamber now." Roraima said in sadistic glee, Katya not responding as she just left. "Guards, please return SB-90 to her chamber right now. We will run more tests with her once she has recovered from her injuries."

Sintae barely listened to what was being said, continuing to stare at Katya as she left the chamber. Looking at Katya, Sintae felt like she... recognized her from something. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that she and Katya had seen each other before. It made Sintae's rage die down for a moment, her trying to think of Katya's name so she could call it out. But alas, Sintae could not remember. She tried moving a limb, hoping to crawl after Katya to talk. Though, as hard as Sintae tried, she couldn't do anything. She let out a tear, continuing to try and speak up and reach out to Katya.

Though, even if Sintae could speak up, Katya wouldn't turn around to speak to her again. Katya knew that Roraima told her to leave the chamber, so she couldn't waste time on feeling sad for Sintae. Besides, Katya knew that there was no point in feeling sad. The old Sintae was no longer there, thanks to Roraima's cruelty. Trying to help Sintae now would unfortunately just be...

Illogical...

...

...

--------------------------------------

This quest is mostly story focused, with no really deep mechanics aside from basic dice-rolling. The story is rather freeform in terms of what choices you can make and what direction you want to follow. What your goal is in this place and who you choose to trust is mostly up to you. Do you want to explore the place and figure out its mysteries? Or do you just want to shoot shit and cleanse this place of monster girls? No matter what you opt to do down here, I will always try to give options for what you can do. You can also always send in your own choices and suggestions on what to do. Either way, I hope to provide a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone. My writing ain't perfect, so I always do appreciate it when feedback is provided so I can improve further.

Shared docs:
You, your men and your allies:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_NoldE7zglICEuon-YZNhxjXcqvjszveOsz4u8jz-is/edit?usp=sharing

List of scientists and subjects, along with some minor details:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Z64W31Eszz9CNi-ZWe-t38yqg6riZ9oUvinfd2-F9A/edit?usp=sharing

The monster girls sheets as provided by the government tablet:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIrSAkYFN57njvPYKcWzpjnme2nMD6Bzgkl-j4wU3LE/edit?usp=sharing

Sheets of monster girls you've befriended:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CPSZp0MxftcNaUFSfBxzkRh7MfEiPnA7G6Wzfm9dkSQ/edit?usp=sharing

Sheets by based documentation anon:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PaR_fOFnzAJnY57V71OM-g9mbPhPtGNOeV2ZrI73T-8/edit?tab=t.0

Also, a reminder that, if the site goes down again, that you can check the shared docs for updates from me still.

Previous threads:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Monster+Girl+Facility

Based artwork from anons:
https://catbox/. moe/c/1ajcpw

The text Annie does NOT want you to read!!!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/192lqCy6s6Q6o4GU_GQDga6nf_spmoqccajlaUxFyOHk/edit?usp=sharing

Artist I commissioned for this thread's thumbnail: None. As always, thank you very much, based art-anons!

>Recap from the previous thread.
After finally meeting Annie in person, you and your men would get a quick bout of sleep in, you also 'feeding' Thalia a bit. Afterwards, you'd leave Logan and Elodie with Annie, before once more starting your travels back to the surface. You'd first meet up with the girls again, introducing them to your newest subject friends. Shortly after, you headed back to the main base in the crater, leaving Derek to recover whilst having Alan, Evander and Artyom once again join you on your travels. And after gathering some supplies, you made your way back to the girls to both hand some supplies and to take Thalia, Katya and Chrys along. With them in tow, you headed east to search for France Cobbler. Though, on your way, you would find signs of activity from 9-SB, before entering a sector above the flooded section. However, you would immediately encounter a strange and unknown subject...

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Continuing from the previous thread...

The subject kept smiling for a bit, before disappearing behind cover with a giggle. "Get yer guns ready, lads. I got a feelin' this one isn't gonna be a friend." Thaddeus said reluctantly, at which point Lydia spoke up. "Yes, but we should still wait and see what they do. For all we know, she is actually a friend." Once again, Thalia spoke up anxiously. "S-She isn't..." You immediately asked her to stop stammering, wanting to know what was going on. Though before Thalia could speak further, the subject once again appeared again, this time actually showing a bit more of themselves. They moved rather... oddly. Almost like their body was made of extremely flexible jelly. Her head was upside down, her neck bending incredibly. "Oooh, more soldiers... from the outside... but you seem... different from the ones I saw before, hehehe. You seem... less aggressive... less... shooty."

She giggled to herself, at which point Thalia spoke up again. "G-Glaucus! I mentioned her before. S-She's a sadist! A-A creep!" Thalia said, making Glaucus giggle, before she started oozing down the walls of the water storage unit. "A sadist? I'm not a sadist? Do I look saaaad to you?" She would soon go back behind cover, before seemingly appearing on the opposite side of where she was previously just moving down. You got to see more of her features now as well, showing her rather massive hands, some of the unique colours her skin and flesh had, as well as her lanky proportions. "Mik, what do you think we should do?" Anon said, before Mike spoke up more distrustingly. "I suggest... we get her to back right the fuck off. She's giving me the creeps." Some of your men nodded to what Mike had to say. Thalia and Chrys also seemed to agree.

However, Thalia was quick to raise a wing to object. "Subject threat level is unknown. However, subject appears to be some kind of gastropod. Optimal defensive measures should focus on our acid gun or Chrys' abilities." To this, Chrys looked rather uneasy. "M-Me? W-What do you mean m-me?" However, Thaddeus would quickly interject. "Guys, keep calm and have patience. If she wanted to attack us, she'd probably have already tried attackin' us!" Soon enough, Glaucus would flop down onto the floor, her body jiggling as she kept chuckling. Though soon, she'd stand up straight, revealing that she was a good 8 feet tall. And what's more, she'd keep moving in rather... creepy and eerie ways. Her body kept swaying from side to side, her arms extending and grabbing onto the nearest wall as she slowly walked over. "Why are you guys talking about attacking and fighting? I don't wanna fight... especially with that acid gun of yours!" She'd keep stepping closer, your men keeping their guns at the ready.

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>What do you do next?

>Tell Glaucus to back off. She had this... uneasy aura to her, and you wanted your men to have ample opportunity to respond if she did try something to cause trouble. Besides, if she really was so nice, then why the hell was she acting so bizarre?! (Write in what you tell Glaucus to convince her to keep her distance.)
>Tell your men to calm down and lower your guns. Making yourself threatening wouldn't help anyone. She might be an oddball, but that was not a reason to get in a defensive position against her. (Write in what you'll tell your men.)
>Ask Glaucus some questions to garner some trust between your men and her. If she explained herself a bit better, then that'd make her a lot less creepy-looking to you and your men. Besides, you could learn a bit about her and what she was up to in this weird place. (Write in what you'll ask her.)
>Shoot Glaucus right away. She was all sorts of sketchy, and you knew that it wasn't worth giving a subject like her the time of day. At best, you'd get a free kill in which could get you paid. At worst, you'd start a pointless fight with an innocent life... though, she didn't exactly radiate innocence... (Write in who you'll tell to give the first shot.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(We are back, ladies and gentlemen. It took a while for me to work out the map, as well as write the lengthy introductory story. But, I think it came out quite well. Here's hoping I didn't leave any dumb errors in either.)

(Anyway, since I got summer break now, I plan on trying to update more frequently again. Though, I may falter a bit and reduce my update output within two weeks from now, since I'll be going on vacation then.)

>>6270343
>Tell your men to calm down and lower your guns. Making yourself threatening wouldn't help anyone. She might be an oddball, but that was not a reason to get in a defensive position against her. (Write in what you'll tell your men.)
>Ask Glaucus some questions to garner some trust between your men and her. If she explained herself a bit better, then that'd make her a lot less creepy-looking to you and your men. Besides, you could learn a bit about her and what she was up to in this weird place. (Write in what you'll ask her.)

Glaucus Nudiber is a Logan subject; and according to Logan she's a bit of a show-off and would trust us more if we ask her to show her stretchiness and/or toxin-absorption powers.

Also, if Logan's awake radio him that we found Glaucus.

>>6270332
>>6270334
>>6270337

Shit, looks like "KiterKat" doctrine is off the table now if we don't want her to get PTSD; and we'll need to reserve yet *another* bullet when we "accidentally" shoot Roraima - this one's for Sintae.

Stop making Roraima more hateable, I only have so much room in this clip for bullets with his victims' names on.
I wonder if, should KK beat and restrain Sintae again, we could try and defuse Sintae and see if we can't send her down a similar path to Reika. Fighting someone to try and snap someone out of it is a classic trope but, alas, we know none of this in character and poor KK might have a PTSD episode at having to fight her again.
>>6270343
Right, remember what Logan said about Glaucus. That she might well try and fight us, but could be talked down and would probably respond well to being asked to show off. Time to put that new speechifying buff to work.
>Ask Glaucus some questions to garner some trust between your men and her. If she explained herself a bit better, then that'd make her a lot less creepy-looking to you and your men. Besides, you could learn a bit about her and what she was up to in this weird place.
Right, let me speak guys - remember what he said, but Mike should stay behind everyone. Anyway, that sounds like a good idea, Glaucus, we'd rather not fight. We've heard a bit about you and met one of your creators, but he didn't tell us very much about you. How about you show us what you can do instead of fighting, how you've been defending yourself from the shooty types and getting around this place?
How long have you been in here? Aren't you normally downstairs?
We were looking for Edrice around here, have you seen her?

And someone get Logan on the blower, like, right now.

-----

Completely unrelated, I've twigged the other joke in Caera's codename. '75 is the year Monty Python and the Holy Grain released.

>>6270343
>>6270372
(Forgot to write-in what to tell both our folk and lady sea slug)

Tell our men that she's a Logan subject described to be "often showing off her incredibly stretchiness and toxin-absorption power, which was rather impressive! Honestly, just asking her to show off her powers will work well in making her trust you", and we can radio Logan for more information.
(Also ask Thalia what exactly she meant by "sadist", was Glaucus a bit of a tease/bully or if she's the rapey E*brus kind, etc.)

Ask Glaucus if she's in the water storage b/c of her toxin absorption abilities and tell her we have Logan on speed dial.

>>6270397
Addendum: Also tell Glaucus that her flexibility is impressive.

>>6270343
>Tell Glaucus to back off. She had this... uneasy aura to her, and you wanted your men to have ample opportunity to respond if she did try something to cause trouble. Besides, if she really was so nice, then why the hell was she acting so bizarre?! (Write in what you tell Glaucus to convince her to keep her distance.)
It's a tense situation where both sides are nominally enemies, so let's talk a bit before getting closer.

>>6270372
While it's nice that we have some info on her, Thalia seems pretty nervous about this meeting so let's play it a bit more cautious and give her a chance to explain.

>>6270343
First:
> Tell Glaucus to back off. She had this... uneasy aura to her, and you wanted your men to have ample opportunity to respond if she did try something to cause trouble. Besides, if she really was so nice, then why the hell was she acting so bizarre?! (Write in what you tell Glaucus to convince her to keep her distance.)

Tell her that just because we aren't *willing* to use lethal force on Innocents doesn't me we aren't *ready* to use lethal force on anything we deem a threat to either us or subjects under our protection. Given Thalia was traumatized by her presence we have to err on the side of caution.
Ask Thalia what happened between her and Glaucus.

(information that maybe ooc although Mik was known to know a lot of useless trivia from encyclopedias: the Glaucus genus are venomous - although normally not lethally so.)

Then, assuming Glaucus isn't a psycho:
>Tell your men to calm down and lower your guns. Making yourself threatening wouldn't help anyone. She might be an oddball, but that was not a reason to get in a defensive position against her. (Write in what you'll tell your men.)

Tell our men that she's a Logan subject who can be reasoned with, so there's no reason to escalate the situation any further. Phone Logan ASAP either way.

After de-escalating:
>Ask Glaucus some questions to garner some trust between your men and her. If she explained herself a bit better, then that'd make her a lot less creepy-looking to you and your men. Besides, you could learn a bit about her and what she was up to in this weird place. (Write in what you'll ask her.)

Logan said she also have toxin absorption abilities, what are those and how does that work (IIRC real-life Glaucus sea slugs - aka blue sea dragons - kinda get their venom from venomous animals they eat). Have she seen Edrice, any subject she knows, any scientist(s) she knows and her views on them, etc.
... plus her side of the story on what happened between her and Thalia.

>Tell your men to calm down and lower your guns. Making yourself threatening wouldn't help anyone. She might be an oddball, but that was not a reason to get in a defensive position against her.
Despite the fact Glaucus was getting closer and closer, you'd first focus on getting your men to back down. You reassured them that Glaucus was a Logan subject, one wo could be reasoned with. "Mik, are ya sure?" Thaddeus asked a little hesitantly, Artyom speaking far more sceptically. "I'm being reminded of the rabbit subject just by looking at her." Evander also seemed highly suspect of Glaucus, barely lowering his new grenade launcher. Glaucus was listening to everything you and your men said, even commenting on what Arty had said. "Rabbit subject? Oh, you mean the one running all over the place? Why, that surely is a lovely compliment, hehehe." Given how far this was above the green sector, it seemed unlikely that she was talking about Caera. Though, it still left some of your men curious as to who she was on about. You told Lydia to grab the tablet and try to reach out to Logan, her nodding and quickly trying to get in contact. Though hearing his name, Glaucus would start smiling a little bit more eerily, her tone becoming more passive aggressive. "Oh, so you know of my creator? Does he finally wish to see me again, now that this place has gone to hell?"

>Tell Glaucus to back off. She had this... uneasy aura to her, and you wanted your men to have ample opportunity to respond if she did try something to cause trouble. Besides, if she really was so nice, then why the hell was she acting so bizarre?!
Seeing as her tone was becoming less friendly and she continued approaching you with unknown intent, you told Glaucus to back off a bit. The situation was getting tense, and her behaviour made your men reluctant to give her the chance to speak her mind. "Oh my, how is the situation tense? Is it because... I am free at long last? Is it because of what my creator told you about me? Or what Thalia the pervert says?" Some eyes went to Thalia, though most remained focused on the nudibranch.

Quietly, you asked Thalia what kind of sadist Glaucus was, Thalia hesitating before speaking softly. "T-The type to... s-sting and... h-hurt folk for n-no good reason." Glaucus heard this, soon grabbing onto some nearby pipes, pulling herself over to them before disappearing from view again. "No good reason? My, I think not accepting 'no' for an answer did warrant some... little stings, did it not, Thalia?" Glaucus said in bemusement, clearly enjoying what was going on. Given what had recently happened between Zaria and Thalia, it did beg the question if... Thalia maybe accidentally forced herself onto Glaucus as well, resulting in her getting stung. Your men were far more confused though, looking at Thalia. Evander would even say: "What did ya do with her?" to Thalia in pure confusion and mild disgust.

Thalia looked insulted, crossing her arms. "I-I didn't do anything! S-She hurt me by s-stinging me when I encountered her!" It made Glaucus chuckle, apparently not taking Thalia too seriously. "Nothiiiiiing? Why, aren't we forgeting something important, Thalia? Or are these men not aware of your ability to manipulate with your song?" Thalia blushed, before speaking more saddenedly. "I didn't know i-it'd make you feel that way a-at the time! I j-just sang because I l-liked to, a-and then for n-no reason you stung me! I-I even stopped right as I saw y-you, before you suddenly attacked me!"
Glaucus soon appeared a short distance above you, stretching her arm out to a pipe far up, and hanging from it. "Because you came over to me to try and hug meeeee, riiiight?" Glaucus' free arm would wrap around her body, circling all around her. "Why aren't you telling the full truth, Thaliaaaa? It's not like it's that bad to admit you did wroooong... or are these soldiers more of the type to punish you with..."

She twisted and contorted her body in creepy, unnatural ways, her stretched out arm soon being placed around her neck in a way disturbingly reminiscent of a noose. She giggled sadistically, Thalia looking upset and unsure what to even say. Of course, you knew that Thalia both didn't fully understand her powers AND the boundaries of other people. Though, you didn't mention such things, instead telling Glaucus that you weren't going to use lethal force on innocent folk. "Oh, are you implying that Thalia is innocent here?" Glaucus said before letting go of the pipe above her. She fell to the ground, splatting to the ground. She kept chuckling, before stretching out her body and getting on all fours. You told her that you were ready to use lethl force on anything deemed a threat, including the subjects under your protection. And since Thalia was under your protection and was clearly scared of Glaucus, you told Glaucus to stop messing around.

>Ask Glaucus some questions to garner some trust between your men and her. If she explained herself a bit better, then that'd make her a lot less creepy-looking to you and your men. Besides, you could learn a bit about her and what she was up to in this weird place.
Before Glaucus could respond, you told her that you still wanted to rather avoid fighting entirely. Especially since Logan mentioned her having some impressive abilities. "Oh, he really said that? Why, how flattering... I wish he could say it to me in person, but... I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like he was there very often to begin wiiiiiith~" Once again, that passive aggressiveness shone through, you and your men realising that Glaucus didn't exactly feel too fond of her creator. You told her to show off her stretchiness, as well as her other abilities. You mentioned that, since she was potentially related to the Glaucus genus, she probably also had some impressive toxic-absorption powers and venom.

"Hehehe, someone knows a lot about nudibranchs, huh? How curious." Glaucus said in a more amused tone, you glancing at your men who all seemed confused as to how you knew this fact. You softly mentioned the encyclopedia you read when you were young, before asking Lydia how contacting Logan was going. "No response yet..." Glaucus chuckled, before approaching you once again. You kept your distance, you watching her large hand stretching over to you. You and your men moved away, some of them speaking rather distrustingly. "Hey, keep that claw away from us!" Anon said worriedly. "This is not helping your case at all!" Zaria said. "The moment you sting me, I'm going to shoot you." Artyom would also say. Though, Glaucus' extended arm would not reach for any of them. Instead, it slipped towards Lydia, soon grabbing her radio. "Hey, let go!" She yelled, as your men aimed their guns at Glaucus. She gently pulled it free from Lydia, before saying: "Oh, you won't need to talk to Logan to learn aaaaall about me. I'd gladly demonstrate my powers to you..."

You asked her how long she has been in here, assuming that she came here due to her toxin absorption ability. "Oh, no, I simply... came here because I love moving all around this place. I love looking for people to meet and... show my abilities to. People such as you guys." She said as she dropped the radio, making Lydia quite irritated. "Careful with that!" Glaucus giggled again, before grabbing a nearby pipe, pulling herself over from it. "Ohhhh, sorry. I am... not the most delicate of subjects. Logan and Tengri never really designed me to be careful, given my body." Your men remained sceptical and confused, you trying to defuse the situation by asking about Edrice. "Oooh, that is a name I've never heard before. I presume it's a fellow subject?" Thaddeus spoke up in a more calm voice, clearly wanting to help gain her trust like you hoped to. "Aye. Hound like, can work with sand, ran through here not too long ago."

Glaucus would lean back, holding onto a large pipe and twisting her head to make it go upside down again. "Ooooh, so that's where all the sand must've come from. I already wondered why there was so much around here, hehehe." It was a shame she didn't know about Edrice, but it also wasn't too surprising. Though, this did beg the question as to how long she had been here. "Ooohhh, I don't knoooow. I've lost my sense of time a looooong time ago, hehehehe. I guess it must've been... a hundred years at least!" She said in a more airheaded tone, though you could tell there was a... hint of smugness behind it. You asked how she managed to defend herself from death squads over these 'past hundred years', making her giggle. "Hmmmmm, you want a demonstration? I'd loooove to show you my abilities... my sting and crush... my stretchiness and... everything else I can dooooo!" You commented that her flexibility was rather impressive, but that you did not really want to see a live demonstration.

"Ooooh, what a shame..." Glaucus said smugly, before disappearing behind some water filtering systems again. She giggled to herself, as Katya spoke up more calmly. "Mikhail, whilst your attempt to befriend this subject is admirable, I do believe it would be logical to assume the worst. She does not appear to be... of sound mind." Most of your men agreed, with Thalia even saying: "I-I wanna get out of here! I-I don't want her trying to t-touch any of us!" Though, you had to admit that it was rather ironic for her to worry about 'touching others'. Still, you didn't ask her everything you had hoped to ask her. Her chemical absorption sounded particularly interesting, and she did imply having other powers which you didn't know of.

Then again, was it worth asking her to demonstrate those powers, when you felt confident that she'd use YOU as a test target during her demonstration?

>What do you do next?

>Just thank her for answering some of your questions, before leaving her be. If she kept going after you, then that was a sign that she couldn't be trusted. If she left you be, then you could always seek her out again to properly befriend her. (Write in what you do after you leave her be.)
>Warn her to stay back and to act less sketchy and weird. She wasn't causing too much trouble, but she definitely was behaving creepily. Her behaviour towards Lydia's radio certainly didn't help either. (Write in how you'll warn her.)
>Try and calmly ask her more to hopefully gain her trust. You could simultaneously learn more about her, her strenghts and weaknesses, her history. Hell, maybe whilst she talked, Logan could respond and communicate with her! (Write in what you ask her further.)
>Try to befriend her some other way. Perhaps by giving her some food or something else she might want? If Reika was anything to go off of, food was an easy way to befriend a subject. (Write in what you try and give her to befriend her.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(was hoping to get this update out earlier today, so that I could get early-ish replies and then get a 2nd update out early as well. Family stuff kinda put a hold on that, but I will try my best to get a 2nd update out today if there's enough responses.)

>>6270602
It seems increasingly like we might have to fight the longer we stay here or try and talk to her and I'm not sure how she's going to interpret anything else we say. Do we cut to the chase and make it clear we need to cut through here and that she's going to come off worse if she tries anything funny and prepare for a fight? Or do we back off, double back and make our way to the upper cooler section on a different level (obviously the green section is a no-go so we'd have to go via the third level's flooded section or the fourth level). Bear in mind that what whatever we do, we will have to return as well.

Anyway, discuss. Talk further, press forward or go back and down?

>>6270602
>Just thank her for answering some of your questions, before leaving her be. If she kept going after you, then that was a sign that she couldn't be trusted. If she left you be, then you could always seek her out again to properly befriend her. (Write in what you do after you leave her be.)

Look for Frances's group as we originally intended. No point getting waylaid by a gibbering lunatic.

>>6270602
>Just thank her for answering some of your questions, before leaving her be. If she kept going after you, then that was a sign that she couldn't be trusted. If she left you be, then you could always seek her out again to properly befriend her.
Okay, I don't really want to make friends with her, just to placate her enough to pass by without starting a fight. Answer anything she says or asks noncommittally, keep one hand on the weapons and keep Mike, Thaddeus and Chrys at the centre of the formation with our heavily armoured people and KK at the back, between her and us. While she'll hopefully not pick a fight, if she wants one, she'll get one and lose.

>>6270602
>Try and calmly ask her more to hopefully gain her trust. You could simultaneously learn more about her, her strenghts and weaknesses, her history. Hell, maybe whilst she talked, Logan could respond and communicate with her! (Write in what you ask her further.)
Maybe not the stinging and crushing but her stretching and other defensive abilities could use a live demonstration
Also what's her beef with Logan?

Not a question for her but why didn't Logan make this attitude problem of hers clear?

>>6270721
>>6270698
Voting for these. Placate her and leave.

>Try and calmly ask her more to hopefully gain her trust. You could simultaneously learn more about her, her strenghts and weaknesses, her history. Hell, maybe whilst she talked, Logan could respond and communicate with her!
You told your men that you'd leave very soon, agreeing that her behaviour was concerning you. Hell, you weren't going to say it out loud, but a part of you did worry that she was about to try and start a fight with you. Though before leaving, you would try and placate her just a little bit more. Thus, you asked her about her stretching ability, as well as other defensive abilities she could demonstrate. "Oooh, so you do want a demonstration? Well, since you asked so nicely, I can stretch a whooole lot!" Glaucus would move out of cover again, you telling her that you only wanted to see her defensive abilities and stretchiness. "Ahhhhh, I can show my stretchiness, but my defensive abilities are my little secreeeet~" It was a shame she refused to elaborate, but perhaps she didn't want to take the risk of having people learn how to deal with her defensive measures?

Regardless, she'd soon start twisting and turning her body in strange and extremely unusual ways. Her neck would twist and turn, rotating her head several times as she laughed creepily at you. She raised her hands again, them quickly moving to some pipes above you. She'd swing around, using her hands as a makeshift swingset. Her legs would move over her shoulders and around her arms, her hanging fully upside down again. "My body has no bones, no skeleton, no nothiiiing!" She soon even started giggling in a way that didn't sound as creepy. It almost sounded... excited, innocent and childlike. Though, it soon shifted to a more dishearetend and agitated tone, as she slowed down her swinging. "Funny, Logan and Tengri never had time to see me use my abilities... but, a group of evil people who wanna kill subjects do have time..."

This caught your attention, making you ask why she felt the way she did about Logan. Clearly, there was some kind of animosity between her and Logan, which he did not elaborate about. "He and Tengri only ever watched me when I was young. They looked at my abilities a few times, then barely showed up when... I enjoyed showing my powers to them. They didn't care about me doing my best for them, so why should I care about them now?" It sounded like Logan left out quite some details regarding his relation with Glaucus. Maybe he didn't think she was this bothered by the fact he clearly didn't give her the attention she craved. Though, Glaucus swiftly seemed to cheer up a bit, which did make you wonder how honest she was being. "But, it's all fine now. I can finally show my abilities and talents to you guys! You seem to care a lot for subjects, given who the three who are going along with yooouuu!" Glaucus chuckled again, before continuing to swing on the pipe, you deciding it was time to move on.

>Just thank her for answering some of your questions, before leaving her be. If she kept going after you, then that was a sign that she couldn't be trusted. If she left you be, then you could always seek her out again to properly befriend her.
You thanked Glaucus for everything she told you, before telling her that you had a mission to do. "Oooohhh, a mission? What would that be? Who sent you down here and why are you the only ones with subjects by your side? Did the governmnet send you toooooo?" She right away asked, you deciding to answer her by saying that you were looking for someone to chat with. You also explained that the government did indeed send you down here, though didn't really elaborate much further. "Ooooohhhh, are you the rescue forces? If so, you can rescue me too, you know!" She said in a more playful and amused tone, you really not wanting her to join in given how weird she was. In fact, you still wanted to keep your weapons at the ready in case she did try to attack.

Fortunately, you told her that you'd maybe get back to her later, but that you first wanted to focs on your other missions. "Hehehe, okay! If you wish! Just make sure Thalia doesn't try anything funnyyyyy!" Glaucus said teasingly, before grabbing onto a nearby pipe again, pulling herself to the side of the path. She'd keep swaying back and forth, whilst you and your men would carefully head forward. You would make sure to protect Mike, Thaddeus and Chrys most of all, given that they had the weapons to really deal with Glaucus. Though, as you safely passed by her, Alan did wave at her. "See you later, Glaucus. It was nice talking with you!" This got Glaucus to look surprised for a moment, before smiling again. "Thank you as well, soldier!" She waved with her gargantuan hands, you continuing to hurry forwards. And fortunately, you'd soon get far enough from her that you felt safe to talk with your men again.

You mentioned being relieved that you didn't need to fight, which would make Katya speak up. "Considering the texture and purpose of her body, along with the location we are currently in, we could've theoretically had a 87% chance of winning against her." Lydia would respond to that as she wiped clean the radio Glaucus had grabbed. "Well, I agree with Mik here. I'd rather not take the chance and just... completely avoid fighting." However, as you and your men kept chatting about Glaucus and her creepy nature, Katya would turn her head 180 degrees back, before speaking softly. "She is following us." And indeed, turning on your thermal vision, noticing a moving mass of unusually cool temperature following you on the ceiling. Glaucus would disappear behind cover every so often, before staring you down again. "Mik, I suggest we move quicker to potentially lose her quickly." Lydia would say, to which some of your men agreed.

Though, there was one dissenting voice. "I don't know. I got a feeling she's just... a little awkward. Kinda like Anofelis." Alan would say, much to the bewilderment of the rest of your men. "I get where you're coming from, Alan... but, she isn't quiet and timid like Anofelis. This one is creepy and clearly wants something from us." Mike would say, Artyom also speaking up. "Alan, if you wanna go back to the hospital again, you're free to give her a chance. But, the rest of us are gonna try and move on now. There's no way she isn't planning something sketchy."

>What do you do next?

>Just ignore her and move on through this place. If you didn't pay attention to her for long enough, she might just go away on her own because of boredom or because she saw something shiny to chase elsewhere. (Write in what you'll tell your men to do.)
>Ask her for directions to where France might be. Or hell, maybe ask her to lead the way. Whilst she may not lead you in the right direction, or even lead you to genuine danger, it could also lead you somewhere good. Hell, maybe it'd make her less socially inept to you and your men. (Write in what you'll ask.)
>Ask her to leave you alone. Your men clearly didn't want to keep her around, and it was probably better to just be honest to her and give her the chance to go elsewhere. (Write in what you'll ask her.)
>Occasionally look back at her to see what the hell she was doing and where she was going. Better to keep your eyes on her at all times to see what she was up to behind you.
>Get in proper contact with Logan to help resolve this mess. Maybe he could tell her to back down, or reveal some details about why the hell she behaved so strangely. (Write in what you'll ask him.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6270602
>>Just thank her for answering some of your questions, before leaving her be. If she kept going after you, then that was a sign that she couldn't be trusted. If she left you be, then you could always seek her out again to properly befriend her.
>Nice to meet you, but we gotta go, assuming you just wanna talk and mingle ask her to make a safe zone around the flooded area, who knows we might ending up seeking her out with snacks for some conversation, buh-bye.
Give whatever excuse we can get and run for the hills, this unstable slug is itching for an excuse for a fight.

>>6270721
I mean wasn't she the subject a few threads ago was stated it saw basically anything as food and they weren't able to find a solution?

>>6270876
>Something else...
Nevermind wrong subject and too late. Also I saw this tidbit, back then Logan said:
>Right! Glaucus is a sea slug subject who I remembered often showing off her incredibly stretchiness and toxin-absorption power, which was rather impressive! Honestly, just asking her to show off her powers will work well in making her trust you."
We could give it a try, it was from Logan's mouth, perhaps just ask her to try something simple like catching some fish with her poison or if she could demonstrate her stretchiness by reaching something very far, all from a safe distance of course.

>>6270876
>Ask her for directions to where France might be. Or hell, maybe ask her to lead the way. Whilst she may not lead you in the right direction, or even lead you to genuine danger, it could also lead you somewhere good. Hell, maybe it'd make her less socially inept to you and your men. (Write in what you'll ask.)
Ask if there's anything dangerous the way we're heading
Also what other interactions she's had with humans since the disaster
Also if she's seen anything cool/valuable in the area

>>6270923
>We could give it a try, it was from Logan's mouth, perhaps just ask her to try something simple like catching some fish with her poison or if she could demonstrate her stretchiness by reaching something very far, all from a safe distance of course.
She just demonstrated her stretchy powers this update, it looks like you didn't refresh before voting.
As for the toxin absorption, I don't think we have any toxins for her to absorb.

>>6270876
>Occasionally look back at her to see what the hell she was doing and where she was going. Better to keep your eyes on her at all times to see what she was up to behind you.

From what we know she's more or less a crazier Anofelis, and we *know* she's following us without attacking. As long as KK can keep her within visual contact we shouldn't need to worry too much.

>Get in proper contact with Logan to help resolve this mess. Maybe he could tell her to back down, or reveal some details about why the hell she behaved so strangely. (Write in what you'll ask him.)

OFC first thing first we tell him we found Glaucus and she's been stalking us for the past hour or so... then we ask him for any information he can spare about Glaucus. Jokingly chide him about being an absent dad and ask if he wanted to talk to Glaucus on radio and if he wanted to meet him in person.

>>6270876
Honestly, Glaucus comes across less as malicious and more desperate for positive interaction and somewhat resentful about not being shown much affection or praise, while also being too unsocialised and generally a bit crackers to escape the uncanny valley enough to meaningfully interact with people. The alleged sadism seems more like her really, really wanting to use her abilities and using people who were previously shooting at her as demonstration targets. I think she's following us because we're the first proper human interaction she's had in weeks and doesn't want to part.
Also, I'm never going to get used to KK being able to swivel her head backwards like that, even if she is part owl.
>Ask her for directions to where France might be. Or hell, maybe ask her to lead the way. Whilst she may not lead you in the right direction, or even lead you to genuine danger, it could also lead you somewhere good.
All right Glaucus, we see you. I'm afraid you can't come with us, but you can help us out.
Seen any other death squads, subjects or groups of facility staff around here recently?
Is there anything interesting or dangerous in the area?

Tell you what. If all goes to plan, we'll probably be coming back through here soon. If you sit tight and behave yourself, we can stop by again.

-----

I think this is the first time KK's near-encyclopaedic knowledge of who's who has had a hole in it and and she even seems to have misread the situation about Glaucus spoiling for a fight. Quite unlike her.
I also wonder when the subject intel and reports we handed in topside will make their way into the MGE.

>>6270977
Supporting.

> I'm never going to get used to KK being able to swivel her head backwards like that, even if she is part owl.

Owls only swivel their heads 270°, KK can turn her neck full 360° due to her bionic nature.

> I think this is the first time KK's near-encyclopaedic knowledge of who's who has had a hole in it and and she even seems to have misread the situation about Glaucus spoiling for a fight. Quite unlike her.

Given KK is a Roraima combat subject largely trained to contain Roraima combat subjects, it does make sense for her to NOT know much about non-Roraima non-combat subjects or what their body language meant - especially if the aforementioned subject exhibits traits commonly found on Roraima subjects (low intelligence, out of touch with reality, venom glands, etc).

>Ask her for directions to where France might be. Or hell, maybe ask her to lead the way. Whilst she may not lead you in the right direction, or even lead you to genuine danger, it could also lead you somewhere good.
Whilst your men were mostly crept out and made uncomfortable by Glaucus, you felt a little more conflicted. Seeing as she hadn't attacked you or harmed you yet, you decided to talk to her in a more open and friendly manner. You told your men to keep quiet, before turning around and clearing your throat. You let her know that you saw her, and that you didn't think she could come along with you. In response, Glaucus would once again show her, leaping from the upper floors and slamming into a nearby water filtering system. She splatted against it, before oozing down whilst her claws held onto it. "Ahhhhh, but I am not coming with you. I am just watching you. Is that not okay? I wanna make sure you're safe, and that you don't cause trouble tooooo!" She said in a slightly confused tone. Instead of telling her off though, you would tell her that she could actually help you and your men a bit.

"Help you out? How can I do that?" She said before falling face first to the ground. Afterwards, she contorted her body as she slowly pushed herself up to face you properly. You'd ask her if she had seen any death squads, other subjects or facility staff around here previously. "In these parts? Nooooo, I saw nothing. You are the first here! Though, I did see some of your soldier groups further down, hehehe. They had guns that shot sound and spewed fire. They were rather eager to shoot and far less kind than you guuuyyyys, so I used my powers on them to stop them!" This actually got Artyom interested. "Sound cannons? Wait, did they by any chance have... less armour than some of us?" Glaucus chuckled, facing away from you before leaning back to look at you. "Yeeeees, they did not have as much armour as you! They were very brash and aggressive. Eager to fight too!"

You heard Artyom chuckle. "And... did they also happen to be utter knobheads?" Glaucus tilted her head. "I don't know what that meeeaaaans... but, they did act very mean, sadistic and cruel. They were all troublesome and eager to kill me... But, I killed some of them instead! Hehehehe!" Artyom looked at you and the rest of your men, before smugly saying: "I got a feeling Glaucus here got rid of some irritating Diamond Dogs." Glaucus also giggled along, whilst the rest of your men all appeared unsure what to think. It was nice that Glaucus had dealt with some of those assholes, but... it wasn't exactly reassuring to hear that she managed to survive and deal with a bunch of their forces. Though, Lars would ask a pretty good question. "In what kind of environment did you fight them? I imagine that it wasn't an easy fight..." To this, Glaucus giggled again. "Oh, nooooo, those dummies fought me in these parts covered in a foot of water! It was really eeaaasy!"

It seemed like the poor Diamond Dogs had fought Glaucus in the one area where their weaponry probably would've struggled: the flooded sector. Still, it did reveal that she had travelled to plenty of places. A shame that this place was one she had not seen anyone else in. Though, this made you wonder if there were any major dangers in this location or the location you were heading to. "This location? Oh no, it's peaceful and quiet heeere. Nobody to bother uuuus or cause trouble, hehehe. Unless if... you try and head down or out that way." She pointed to the south, making Lydia speak up curiously. "What's to the south of here? I presume it's the crater?" Glaucus tilted her head. "Yes, crater... There is a hallway heading to it... it is a very slanted hallway... has lots of cracks and parts which are damaged, hehehe... And if you go down, you find water. Lots of it. And chemicals... and subjects like me tooooo! Thalia used to stay there as well, hehehe."

Afterwards, Thaddeus would carefully speak up as well, being curious about something. "What about Pelly? Ya seen her?" Glaucus nodded and would put her hands together. "Yeeees, she had a mean bite." She would open and close her hands like a large set of jaws, before having those 'jaws' clamp down on her leg. "She bit me really hard with those jaws. Took out a chunk of my leg, which she spat out afterwards. I guess I don't taste that good to her, hehehe." Thaddeus seemed somewhat intrigued. Though before he could ask more, you asked about the area you were heading to again. "Well, it depends... where are you heading to? I don't know what is outside of this plaaace. It's too dry out there for me." Since you were heading to the east to the frozen sector, it was probably not the right environment for her. In other words, she couldn't really tell you much about it. Which was a shame, since Glaucus did seem eager to help you out whilst talking about herself and the facility.

With that in mind, you asked her what her interactions were with humans since the disaster, making her tilt her head. "The disaster? You mean... the flooding of the sector and the big explosion? Well, I've not talked with too many people, hehehe. I've been all alone, with nobody, except for death squads. I did see a lot of dead scientist and staff in the water, who were quite delicious to eat!" Well, that was a detail which left you and your men rather disturbed. It seemed you had another HUMAN consuming subject in front of you. At the very least, you could argue that she only ate dead bodies, but... it was still rather disturbing. "Ewwww, h-how could you e-eat people? That's... that's horrible..." Chrys said in quiet shock, making Glaucus smile more disturbingly. "Those people didn't care about meeee, why I should I care about theeem?" She let out another chuckle, before swaying from side to side again, this time also walking in the direction of wherever she swayed to.

It momentarily made your men ready their guns, as it almost seemed like she was getting ready to attack. Fortunately, Glaucus soon walked into a wall, sticking to it and chuckling more calmly. "I was hungry tooooo... You can't blame me for wanting food when... nobody brings it to you anymoooore?" Your men still were disturbed by the revelation, yet you tried to move to a different topic, asking her for cool or valuable items in this area? "Oooohhh, there is a single test chambeeeer where they worked with aquatic subjects in toxic wateeeers. I'd know, since they put me in that chamber once. It was nice and has tons of chemicals and such. Not anymore sadly, but... maybe you guys wanna see iiiit?" A presumably abandoned testing chamber used for testing toxicity wasn't... the most thrilling of things. It didn't seem like she would tell you of any other valuable things in this area, before Alan would unironically say something brilliant. "Are there any places with testing data or weapons or medical supplies?"

Being more specific worked perfectly, as Glaucus nodded and stretched her arm in an eastern and then northern direction. "This way, you can get to a laaaarge office space where they have all the data on this place. It's where test data was saved, I thiiink. Maybe it also has some weapons, I don't knoooow." You thanked her for the intel, before telling her that you'd probably come back here soon enough. And, if she stayed here and didn't cause too much trouble, you could stop by her and maybe chat again. This made Glaucus look quite optimistic. "Reallyyyyy? But, what if I get hungry and need to go elsewheeeere? Or, why don't you just take me along nooooow? I can demonstrate my poweeeeers!" Whilst you could tell that she wasn't entirely evil, you felt that it wasn't smart to take her along for the time being. Not just because you'd head away from the flooded sector where she clearly had to stay, but also because your men were clearly not sold on the idea just yet. Glaucus was just... too much of an unknown factor to add to your party...

>Occasionally look back at her to see what the hell she was doing and where she was going. Better to keep your eyes on her at all times to see what she was up to behind you.
>Get in proper contact with Logan to help resolve this mess. Maybe he could tell her to back down, or reveal some details about why the hell she behaved so strangely.
You told Glaucus that you'd head forward without her. Though, you also promised to get back to her sooner than later, and chat with her if she was also here. Glaucus looked a little disappointed, before moving to hold onto some pipes further above her. "Okaaayyyy, I'll stay here for a little while longer. But, when will you be back from your travels?" Obviously, you had no answer to that question, you telling her that you didn't know for sure. Glaucus looked conflicted, before nodding a bit. "Okaaaay, I will see when you come baaack."

With that, you turned around and would signal your men to follow you. Glaucus would pull herself up, once again climbing the pipes further above you. Soon enough, you asked Lydia if she had managed to contact Logan already, her shaking her head. "I've been trying. Annie is still making announcements right now though." Lydia raised the volume of the radio, you hearing Annie bringing some news again. You kept listening as you headed east. Unfortunately, Katya did soon look back again, before saying: "Glaucus is still stalking us. However, she is keeping her distance for the time being." Fortunately, the radio soon switched to music again, before quickly switching to Annie's voice. "Mikhail? What's going on? What are you doing on top of the flooded sector?" She asked curiously, you asking to speak with Logan. "Oh, sure." Annie said, resulting in a short silence before you heard Logan speak up.

"Heyo Mikhail, what's going on?" You told him that Glaucus was stalking you for some time now, jokingly telling him that she wasn't nearly as friendly as he had told she was. "Ah, really now? Is she causing you trouble?" He said in a bit of an awkward tone, you telling him that she wasn't causing too much trouble. She was mainly just stalking you, reminding you of a creepier and crazier Anofelis. Though, you also teased him by calling him an absent dad. "G-Geez, did... did she say that about me? I... sure, I wasn't always for her, but I do remember spending plenty of time with her when she was smaller. M-Maybe not as much when she became larger, but still..." You asked for further intel about Glaucus, him remaining quiet for a moment before responding. "Well, she is highly stretchy and flexible... She can absorb toxic compounds and harmful chemicals and incorporate them into her defences. I also recall her not really feeling much pain, and being quite regenerative."

It wasn't really anything new. Not to mention, him not really explaining why Glaucus was acting the way she was. You offered him the chance to talk with her, which made him speak rather anxiously. "W-Well, yes. I'd want that! But, ummm, only if she wants to. I... I worry that she might not want to do such, given how she seems to be behaving and how you described her feelings towards me." He seemed a little unsure. But, maybe it was worth calling Glaucus over to get the two to chat. Though, Mike was quick to speak up. "Mike, can we put Logan on hold really quickly?" Lydia put her hand over the radio, before Mike spoke up again. "Do we really call Glaucus over again? Given that she ATE people and is acting really creepy, I... seriously feel like we should maybe not let her chat with Logan. What if Glaucus gets emotional or attached or... god knows what." Given how annoyed Glaucus did sound about Logan, it was maybe worth considering right now. Then again, maybe it could resolve the issues Glaucus had somewhat?

>What do you do next?

>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.
>Ask Logan some more questions in private on how to deal with Glaucus. Maybe he knew some ways to get her to cheer up or become a lot less confrontational? (Write in what you ask for.)
>Just hang up on Logan and thank him for what intel he did give. It was useful, but you doubted he could tell you any more than what he had already explained to you. Not to mention, Annie probably needing her radio channel again real soon...
>Continue heading eastwards to the frozen sector to find France. Glaucus had told you nothing about this place, and it seemed like there wasn't much of interest here, so it was better to just move onwards.
>Head over to the central office or testing chamber to get some data, medical items or supplies there. Maybe either locations had some weapons, or useful intel you could use? (Write in where you'll head to and what you'll look for.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(I made this update in a mild rush, so I hope there aren't too many errors in it. Either way, I'll make a 2nd update later today!)

>>6271170
>>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.
If things go sour don't shot, but try to deescalate the situation as we can.

>>6271172
>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.

>Head over to the central office or testing chamber to get some data, medical items or supplies there. Maybe either locations had some weapons, or useful intel you could use? (Write in where you'll head to and what you'll look for)

Remotes, reports, medical supplies (esp. medical nanites), and weapons, in that order.

Given this is pretty high-up in the facility the only weapons we are likely to get are guardsmen weapons - a spare carbine might not be too useful (unless we're trying to kit out KK) but a few more smoke grenades wouldn't hurt.

then
>Continue heading eastwards to the frozen sector to find France. Glaucus had told you nothing about this place, and it seemed like there wasn't much of interest here, so it was better to just move onwards.

>>6271172
We didn't demonise Viridian for scavenging dead bodies to survive, we can't really fault Glaucus for it either.
>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.
Well, I think she needs it. Just don't break our radio or have a breakdown.
>Head over to the central office or testing chamber to get some data, medical items or supplies there. Maybe either locations had some weapons, or useful intel you could use?
I guess just look for test records and subject data mostly. Maybe we'll find a file if we're lucky.

>>6271172
>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.

>Ask Glaucus to come over so she could have a private chat with Logan. Hopefully, it'd resolve some of the animosity she seemed to have towards him. And if she responded badly, you could always fire a warning shot or leave her be.
Despite there being some fear regarding Glaucus and her response to Logan, you weren't all that concerned about it. Hell, Mike's comment about eating people was met with a bit of a scoff from Zaria. "Hey, Viri also ate plenty of folk." Some of your men did seem to accept Zaria's sentiment, though Mike and a few others did remain a little bit weary of Glaucus. Either way, you felt that Glaucus needed to have a chat with Logan. So long as Glaucus was a bit more careful with the radio, you didn't think much would go wrong. Thus, you'd ask Glaucus to come over again. "Hehehe, I guess you really aren't sure about having me join you, huh? I wonder why that is, hehehehe." You tried to ignore what she said, telling her that Logan was on the radio and that he wanted to chat with her. Glaucus looked genuinely surprised, before walking over in a far more normal and calm way.

Lydia would hold up the radio, you hearing Logan speak a bit confusedly into it. "Mik? Lydia? Oh, thank you Annie... alright, I've gotten an extra radio from Annie to chat with so she won't need to pause her radio broadcast for us." You heard Logan say as Lydia hand the radio over to Glaucus. She carefully grabbed it, before speaking softly into the radio. "Logan." She said, you hearing Logan's tone shift. "Glaucus! Thank goodness, you're fine! Is everything okay over there? How are you doing?" Logan sound rather caring, Glaucus looking a little more reluctant. "I am doing fine, Logan... Why do you wish to talk now? I always thought you were too busyyyyy with other subjects to focus on meeeeeee." Logan would let out a sigh. "Glaucus, I... I am sorry I didn't give you the attention you deserved. Please, I wanna make it up to you, I wanna-"

You watched Glaucus hold her huge hand over the radio, blocking out the sound. "He forgot me, I will just forget him now, okayyyyy? I don't need Logan anymooooore. I have proven myself capable of defending myself!" Your men looked a little concerned, especially since it sounded like Glaucus was not exactly happy with what was going on. In fact, her voice sounded rather aggressive and confrontational. Fortunately, she kept her calm, handing the radio over to Lydia, whilst Logan was still talking. "-think that would be an excellent idea. We can stay in contact and watch over you to help you avoid all sorts of threats. Or, perhaps even direct you to some areas of interests where you can demonstrate your capabilities!" Lydia would awkwardly speak up into the radio, saying: "Um, apologies, Logan, but... I don't think she's interested." There was a moment of silence, Logan trying to process this. "Oh, ummm... okay, does she need anything else from us? I really wanna help her out right now!"

Lydia hesitated, before softly saying: "I... we'll discuss some things with her first and call you back later, alright?" Logan sounded even more saddened, letting out a quiet: "Oh, okay." Though, he'd also speak more optimistically. "Um, look after yourself, Glaucus! If you need me for anything, please contact me so we can help out! Oh, and hope to maybe eventually see you again!" Glaucus kept quiet, not even giving Logan her goodbye. And after Lydia turned off the radio, Glaucus gave a more forced and awkward smile. "That is the fiiiirst time he said he wants to visit me agaiiiiin... how funny, that he only wants to spend time with me when everything went to hell." And as Annie's voice became audible over the radio again, Glaucus became even more agitated. "Ahhhh, let me guess, he's with that electronic fox subject? Logan clearly has his favourite, and it isn't me-eeeeeee~" Glaucus let out another forced chuckle, before going quiet again, clearly deep in thought about... numerous things, probably.

>Head over to the central office or testing chamber to get some data, medical items or supplies there. Maybe either locations had some weapons, or useful intel you could use?
With Glaucus having had 'a chat' with Logan, you would tell hre that you'd head forward. "Oh, riiiight. I'll... leave you be agaiiiin. That is what you wanted, riiiight?" Before you could elaborate or say anything, she'd already grab onto a pipe further up, hoisting herself up and disappearing before cover. "We really ought to have a word with Logan on how he treated all of his subjects. It'd be pretty bad if we found Alexandra, only to find that she isn't fond of Logan at all..." Lars commented, to which your men all agreed. Regardless, you told your men to follow you to the central office Glaucus spoke of, wanting to gather subject data, remotes, medical supplies and maybe even weapons. Though, you did mention that you doubted there being any fancy weapons here. At best, you imagined finding some guardsmen weaponry around here.

Thus, you followed the path Glaucus told you to take, it not taking long for you and your men to reach the main office. And after taking some stairs up to reach them, you'd find yourself in a pretty massive control room with all kinds of diagnostics. One thing which instantly caught Lydia's eyes were a large display screen with all sorts of analog displays and a bit of a map of the water distribution system. And as your men looked around for the aforementioned data and supplies, Lydia would look at the display and analyse it. She'd soon speak up, bringing up something rather interesting. "Mik, there is... something very curious here." Lydia said, signalling you to come over. "Look, these pumps all bring water to the main generators. But, there's also a... large stream of water going deeper down to some unmarked location." Indeed, it seemed that water was previously transported to even deeper parts... to god knows what.

Aside from that, your men would find plenty of files on subject testing in this place. Some of these tests involved Glaucus of course, but others also involved some subjects you didn't know of: AX-50, BFS-71, and SC-7. These subjects also had some small files describing them, which you knew you'd have to read soon. Though, there was one particular file which Chrys found which was worth reading. "Hey Mik! Uhhh, there's... mention of some sorta huuuuge chamber for a subject called... Zephyr? It's... not too far away from here, and she has something related to power generation... ummm, maybe you haven't heard of her yet?"

>What do you do next?

>Look at the displays which Lydia was looking at. Maybe there were some files or reports nearby which explained where this water was heading to, or some details which you missed out on which could tell you a bit more? (Write in what you'll look for.)
>Read up on AX-50, BFS-71, SC-7 and maybe even Zephyr right away. These were unknown subjects, all of whom could potentially inhabit the flooded sector, if they had done tests in this place. (Write in what you'll try and look for whilst reading.)
>Head over to Zepyr's large chamber to see what it was all about. Any subject chamber which was mentioned in such a specific way had to be of interest, right? Hell, maybe you could find some things about Zephyr within said chamber? (Write in if you'll be on the lookout for anything specific.)
>Ask Katya, Thalia or maybe even Chrys about some of your findings. Maybe they knew some things about this place which you didn't know. (Write in who you'll talk to and what you'll ask them.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6271491
>Look at the displays which Lydia was looking at. Maybe there were some files or reports nearby which explained where this water was heading to, or some details which you missed out on which could tell you a bit more? (Write in what you'll look for.)
Where the water is going/what it's used for

>>Ask Katya, Thalia or maybe even Chrys about some of your findings. Maybe they knew some things about this place which you didn't know. (Write in who you'll talk to and what you'll ask them.)
THE WATER

If we can't find anything, cut the amount going down by 20% and see what happens

>>6271491
I am very disappointed in you Logan, I thought you were better than this and I can't fault Glaucus for feeling this way and losing a few screws if you neglected her as badly as she seems to think. Are there any more potential favouritism messes we need to be aware of from you taking parenting tips from Anderson? Can we at least be sure you were on good terms with Alexandra?
Oh well, I suppose a recurring theme of the scientists here is that they were brilliant but flawed people.
>Look at the displays which Lydia was looking at. Maybe there were some files or reports nearby which explained where this water was heading to, or some details which you missed out on which could tell you a bit more?
Fascinating. We still have power here or do the (so 2nd and 3rd millennium, like, c'mooooon) analogue instruments not need it and the water is still flowing anyway? Turn this place upside down for any engineering data that might tell us what's downstairs or, at least, where this mystery location is. if it's being drawn from the same supply as the generators, I guess it's saltwater? That said, what the hell is this power setup? They are pumping water to tidal generators sited below sea level. What in the conservation of energy FUCK is that? And where is the generator water even going once it's down there? I guess we could also see if we could shut some of the water off from here if we can, if that would help choke off the flooding. Or, alternatively, if it would be possible to restart a generator (probably not).
>Head over to Zepyr's large chamber to see what it was all about. Any subject chamber which was mentioned in such a specific way had to be of interest, right? Hell, maybe you could find some things about Zephyr within said chamber?
While our egghead types go over the control room, I want to check out Zephyr. The name rings a bell but I can't find any mention of her before. Huh. Obviously search for the usual documentation about the subject, but also go over the actual test hardware and containment chamber to see what we can learn about her abilities.
The other subject files we can peruse at our leisure later. We have heard of SC-7 aka Peripla before.

>>6271491
> Look at the displays which Lydia was looking at. Maybe there were some files or reports nearby which explained where this water was heading to, or some details which you missed out on which could tell you a bit more? (Write in what you'll look for.)

Search for any reports with water distribution, anything that mentioned where the water is being sent to in large quantities would help given we do have facility maps in-universe.

Also see if there's any schematics and/or blueprints that mentioned Titania's chamber given the location have to be constant for about 50+ floors or so. Also, if the flowrate is zero, cut the pipes then send a drone - or even Glaucus - down.

> Read up on AX-50, BFS-71, SC-7 and maybe even Zephyr right away. These were unknown subjects, all of whom could potentially inhabit the flooded sector, if they had done tests in this place. (Write in what you'll try and look for whilst reading.)

Subject form, temperament, abilities, etc. Any information we can gather on unknown subjects would help with our interactions with them, be it befriending or termination.

then
>Ask Katya, Thalia or maybe even Chrys about some of your findings. Maybe they knew some things about this place which you didn't know. (Write in who you'll talk to and what you'll ask them.)

Ideally we should all sit down and ask all three about everything we've discovered here, but if not... ask Thalia about the pipe (if she have seen unusually large pipe openings from the flooded sector) and aquatic subjects, ask Chrys about any arthropod subjects (given they're likely created by Anderson) and KK about anything that might've been a Roraima subject (and maybe also the pipe). Also try asking Logan if he knows about any of the subjects.

then
>Head over to Zepyr's large chamber to see what it was all about. Any subject chamber which was mentioned in such a specific way had to be of interest, right? Hell, maybe you could find some things about Zephyr within said chamber? (Write in if you'll be on the lookout for anything specific.)

Well, anything about this "Zephyr" lass sounds nice.

>>6271509
> If we can't find anything, cut the amount going down by 20% and see what happens
Not sure if the pumps have power given QM said "Indeed, it seemed that water *was* previously transported to even deeper parts... to god knows what."

>>6271580
Pretty sure the water would be used to cool down the central generator... aka whichever fission/fusion generator that went boom.

> I want to check out Zephyr. The name rings a bell but I can't find any mention of her before.
OOC knowledge: she's Kiyo's pal mentioned Thread#5, Kiyohime's Story.

> We have heard of SC-7 aka Peripla before.
From Georgi, who used to be her caretaker before everything went boom.

>>6271491
Didn't expect Logan to be Anderson but replace Spider waifu with Fox child. Hopefully this isn't a trend for Logan's other subjects. I'd hate for there to be two large batches of subjects with abandonment issues and pray that Alexandra is chill with both her creators. Though, even if not from what that one side story and everything else we found out about her implies, she's quite reasonable.

>>6271580
I assume that the power is on here as emergency power would make sense for something so vital to the facility's operation, broken or not. It also could be connected to tidal generators above here under the water and outside the facility. It also could be tied to the subject that was ominously hinted at in the last thread, as it seemed the water around them was boiling and turning to steam. So maybe it was feeding water to the chamber of a subject constantly at boiling temperature? Wouldn't be all that different from nuclear power, given it's basically just a steam turbine with a super hot cancer rock instead of dead tree rock.

>>6271603
Was going to post but you just responded and make a good point. Could also be a pump for a normal nuclear power generator. Could be both. Though if there's a desalination system which, given the nature of this facility I highly suspect, the water would probably be taken there as well.

Supporting. I want to extract as much intel as we can here before we go.

>>6271603
We've been told before that the facility ran primarily on tidal power, so it didn't have a main reactor like that to either cool or explode unless they had one in the basement for fuck knows what.

>>6271603
>Not sure if the pumps have power given QM said "Indeed, it seemed that water *was* previously transported to even deeper parts... to god knows what."
True the tenses are a bit weird there, Lydia used present tense in her description and that's what I'm going off.

>Look at the displays which Lydia was looking at. Maybe there were some files or reports nearby which explained where this water was heading to, or some details which you missed out on which could tell you a bit more?
You told Chrys that you'd check out Zephyr's chamber in a bit. But first, you wanted to join Lydia in admiring the analog display of the whole water distribution system. You asked where this place was getting power from, making Lydia speak softly. "My best guess... is that there is some emergency secondary power source. And given that most other electrical appliances here no longer work or are deactivated, the displays still have enough power to survive for... well, god knows how long." Afterwards, you'd ask if water was still flowing through the system. "It doesn't look like it, since we would've probably heard it. I think these values are the last values before the sensors probably gave in or things got messed up too much. That's my best guess, anyway."

You told her and some of your other more tech-savvy men to look for any engineering data or intel about what was downstairs. Your men would start rummaging files, not finding anything particular about where the water was being taken to. Thaddeus did soon find some papers which at least gave some details. "Mik, this paper here mentions somethin' about desalination, subject storage, as well as some sorta coolin' function. Though, it doesn't really mention anythin' else." Obviously, the list was rather incomplete, not giving a full picture. After all, it seemed like the water which headed down wouldn't really be used for any of those purposes, aside from maybe cooling something. You did wonder how much sense this all made, since the facility was supposed to have tidal generators. "The more I read through everything about this sector and see how it's set up, the more I'm starting to think that... that this place might have a different focus altogether." Lydia murmured, dropping some files on a desk.

"Most of this seems more focused on water transport and repurposing it for the facility. And they mentioned using tidal generators to power the facility... but wouldn't it be better to keep those outside of the facility and int he nearby ocean?" Lydia argued, before Mike calmly spoke up as well. "There is a lot of conflicting intel about this place. It'd not surprise me if we've been misinformed about this place, or that this place is connected to a different kind of power generating system." Lydia didn't seem too sure, whilst Thalia would share her own thoughts soon after. "Ummm, I've... been below here a few times, a-and ummm... have seen some parts of the depths. I think a large portion of it... might have been -what Thaddeus mentioned before... about, ummm, subject habitation and storage. You know, providing large quantities of water for us to live in." It did make the most sense, yet you could tell Lydia was very unsure of this place as a whole.

"Honestly, at this rate, I'd not be surprised if they also had some thermal generators, which are what this section is used for. Or hell, it might just be that there is a nuclear generator somewhere down here." Lydia commented, you wondering if there was a schematic of this palce somewhere. Or hell, even a schematic of the facility. Your men did keep looking, but it didn't seem like they would find any schematics for the facility as a whole. Just some of the water distribution system parts. "I believe to have found something of interest." Katya soon said, bringing over a file showing a schematic for some of the power generation systems and how they connected to the facility. Lydia and you looked over it, finding that the facility indeed had tidal generators more into the sea, AS WELL as some smaller geothermal generators. Though, there was one other file which seemed to pique Lydia's interest. "Mik, check this out." She'd point at some kind of reactor core, one which appeared rather odd. "This... is very odd. This diagram here reminds me of a... nuclear core, but it's lacking some important safety features and tools. It's... almost incomplete." Whatever this strange nuclear core was, it certainly helped further the theory that other forms of power were being generatedo r experimented with down here.

>Read up on AX-50, BFS-71, SC-7 and maybe even Zephyr right away. These were unknown subjects, all of whom could potentially inhabit the flooded sector, if they had done tests in this place.
Whilst Lydia kept checking out the displays, some of the schematics and mechanical parts of this area, you decided to ask for the files on AX-50, BFS-71 and SC-7. Artyom handed them over to you, before you started checking them all for important details. AX-50's file had a name, Amby Velasci, as well as some info about her creators: Cerro and Catherine. More importantly, the files mentioned some kind of test with pollutant-like chemicals to test sensory abilities with her gills. BFS-71 file gave the name Staphy Aerugi. Apparently, she was a Logan and Catherine subject, who needed to be tested on her chemical absorption abilities. Though, given how many dangerous chemicals were being tested on her, you worried that Staphy was treated in a manner similar to how Logan treated Glaucus.

SC-7 was a name and code you already recognised, given Georgi had worked with her and mentioned her being an Anderson subject. He also gave her name: Peripla Mackerras. As for why she was here, it seemed to do with some kind of chemical sensing test. Apparently, she had to recognise chemicals in water provided by this sector, as well as find chemicals in an area sprayed with various chemicals. Hopefully, Peripla didn't get too sick from having to do such dangerous and potentially sickening tests. Then again, given what Georgi had said of her, she could very well be the type to enjoy it.

>Ask Katya, Thalia or maybe even Chrys about some of your findings. Maybe they knew some things about this place which you didn't know.
The tests didn't reveal much about how the subjects behaved in terms of personality. Just that they did the tests, that they were all successful and that the subjects were unharmed. With that in mind, you decided to call Thalia, Chrys and Katya over. You told the three to sit down, them getting seated on some of the dusty chairs which were nearby. You'd ask Thalia about the pipe heading downwards, wanting to know if there were any unusual floods or parts where the pipe clearly opened up. "I'm... afraid I wouldn't remember. I just know a large portion of the flooding... wasn't caused by the water inside the system. I know because most of the water came from closer to the surface, not from elsewhere within the flooded parts." You afterwards asked about where all the water flowed to, Thalia appearing hesitant to answer. "I... I really don't know, Mik."

You asked the other two girls if they knew anything about subjects which might have played a role in this place. Given that Peripla was a fellow Anderson subject, maybe Chrys would have heard something from her about this place. "I'm... afraid I'm blank, Mik. I barely know anything about Peripla... Anderson said he wanted me to meet her, but... that never happened." You asked Katya if there were any combat or Roraima subjects who could play a role, making Katya think. "Given how a large part of this area is used for cooling, my best guess would be that there is some Roraima subject who requires a lot of water to cool down. Then again, this is an incredible stretch, so I decline to call this in any way logical." It seemed like the girls were also stumped about the questions you had for them. Then again, you at least knew some more things about this sector of the facility, and what some of the water was being used for.

>Head over to Zepyr's large chamber to see what it was all about. Any subject chamber which was mentioned in such a specific way had to be of interest, right? Hell, maybe you could find some things about Zephyr within said chamber?
With there clearly not being too much of value to be found in this place, you decided that it was probably for the best to just move on. Thus, you told your men to finish looking for intel and to follow you, them swiftly doing as told. And soon, you'd be back on the ground floor of this sector, asking the girls about what they knew of Zephyr. Thalia and Chrys were left blank, whilst Thalia had more to say at the very least. "Zephyr Darecko, codename 196-TB, was made by Tengri and Jabal. She is some kind of thunderbird subject. She is rather large from what I have been told, and befittingly has electrical powers. She apparently had some combative abilities, but was not purely designed for such purposes." You asked if Katya knew of Zephyr's main purposes, to which she shook her head. "Negative."

Whatever the case, you kept going in the direction of where the chamber supposedly was. It was a bit more to the north, meaning you had to take a bit of a detour from your main path. At least this gave you some thoughts about the main water transport and the pipes. You brought up sending a drown through them, to which Lydia hesitated. "It's gonna have to be a flying drone, and I worry that it'll be a bit of a maze to traverse... still, maybe we could attempt it..." You also suggested sending Glaucus down there, which made your men a lot more uneasy. "I don't know if we should trust her just yet." Mike said calmly, Thaddeus speaking more supportively. "Maybe we can look into it once we're done explorin' Zephyr's chamber?" It seemed like the best suggestion for the time being. However, Zaria soon spoke more curiously. "Speaking of Glaucus, is she still following us right now, Katya?" Right away, Katya turned her head around before nodding. "Affirmative. 1 o clock, at an angle of approximately 15 degrees."

It took a moment, but you also soon noticed Glaucus following you again. You decided to just leave it be, especially as you soon reached a rather large subject chamber. Way bigger than the average containment chamber anyway. The glass which looked into the chamber also appeared heavily reinforced compared to normal glass. The floor was also coated in a black, glistening material. There was what looked to be some kind of nest made out of metal wiring, pipes and other metallic objects. There were also a lot of heavy equipment, weights and things to hold onto. More importantly, you noticed that the room had sustained A LOT of damage. "Looks to me like... she might be a lot more of a Roraima subject than we expected." Evander calmly said as you looked into the chamber.

>What do you do next?

>Enter the chamber to see what it held. Perhaps you'd find some items of interest related to Zephyr, or some things which would tell you more about her? This place was left relatively untouched, so it seemed doubtful that it'd be trapped or a major safety hazard. (Write in if you'll search for anything specific.)
>Just look at it from the outside to see what the chamber contained. It was better to play it safe, than to risk entering an area which had reinforced glass and visible damage caused by some massive subject.
>Check for any nearby offices which could have data on this place or Zephyr. If Zephyr had stayed here for a while, which it did look like, then there had to be some documentation about her nearby. (Write in what you'll look for.)
>Just move on already and get back to your mission. This hunt for subjects and mysteries was leading you nowhere, and it was only going to take even more time to find France at this rate!
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Hope this update, and the previous ones haven't been... too messy and incomprehensible. I kind of made this one in a rush, since I have some important things I need to attend soon.)

>>6271817
>Check for any nearby offices which could have data on this place or Zephyr. If Zephyr had stayed here for a while, which it did look like, then there had to be some documentation about her nearby. (Write in what you'll look for.)
Remotes and files.

>Enter the chamber to see what it held. Perhaps you'd find some items of interest related to Zephyr, or some things which would tell you more about her? This place was left relatively untouched, so it seemed doubtful that it'd be trapped or a major safety hazard. (Write in if you'll search for anything specific.)
Everything goes, although OOC knowledge indicates Zephyr likes turrets for some reason... and she most likely doesn't live here ever since the kaboom.

then
>Just move on already and get back to your mission. This hunt for subjects and mysteries was leading you nowhere, and it was only going to take even more time to find France at this rate!

>>6271818
>Enter the chamber to see what it held. Perhaps you'd find some items of interest related to Zephyr, or some things which would tell you more about her? This place was left relatively untouched, so it seemed doubtful that it'd be trapped or a major safety hazard. (Write in if you'll search for anything specific.)
Inb4 we get ambushed
Guess either the water was for habitats of freshwater subjects or to cool down the nuclear subject while she worked in the power plant

>>6271910
Voting for this

>>6271818
>Check for any nearby offices which could have data on this place or Zephyr. If Zephyr had stayed here for a while, which it did look like, then there had to be some documentation about her nearby.
You know, the usual. Test records, subject information etc.
>Enter the chamber to see what it held. Perhaps you'd find some items of interest related to Zephyr, or some things which would tell you more about her? This place was left relatively untouched, so it seemed doubtful that it'd be trapped or a major safety hazard.
Get a sample of the black shit, I want to see what it is. Inspect the equipment and the nest with the drone and see if we can ascertain the cause of damage, since I don't trust there to not be any hazards still present.
Unless there's something really interesting warranting further investigation, move on after this.

>>6271924
Could also have been for general facility cooling. The facility apparently goes at least several miles down (how the hell are we going up and down all of this? Are we climbing the equivalent of a large mountain every time we enter and leave?), which means it would run headfirst into a minor problem called the geothermal gradient. While I don't know how many °C you get per km in this location on this planet (on Earth, it's >30°C per km in oceanic lithosphere), much of the facility would be lethally hot without active cooling.

>>6272118
I don't think they'd need to desalinate if it was for that level of cooling.

>>6272637
It didn't say anything about desalination specifically for the water being piped down. It sounds like it's still just seawater.

>Check for any nearby offices which could have data on this place or Zephyr. If Zephyr had stayed here for a while, which it did look like, then there had to be some documentation about her nearby.
Even though the chamber was right ahead, your first interest was actually looking for nearby offices to check for data. When you brought this up, Artyom scoffed a bit. "So, we're not first gonna explore the massive, damaged yet still intact subject chamber?" You told your men that the offices nearby would have the best odds of having actual files on what the chamber was for. Katya would quickly comment on such, clearly trying to back you up. "Indeed. Logic dictates that the research chambers besides the containment chamber, are likely to be used for documenting things within the chamber." With Katya having backed you up, your men would nod and follow you as you headed for the nearby chambers. You'd soon even split up, looking through each chamber to find as much as you could. And fortunately, it wouldn't take long.

"There's a room with a ton of files strewn about in here." Anon said over comms, after which Lars spoke up as well. "This chamber has a schedule of any and all activities in the chamber, and what Zephyr was up to before her move. Though, it seems to be dated from quite a while ago." Your men would also find some files about the chamber itself, how it was set up, the materials it was made out of, and the items within the chamber. There were also some files on how Zephyr had to be treated and her routines. Including the ones which she had whilst she was living in this chamber. With plenty of files being available, you'd quickly tell your men to come back, wanting to go over everything before heading into the chamber proper. Once you returned to the front of the chamber, you'd ask everyone to quickly give a rundown of what interesting details where within the files they had found.

"I took over a couple of files from the place I checked with Evander. It... mostly was just about all sorts of power readings from Zephyr, as well as energy levels within the chamber." Anon would say as he held up a bunch of papers. "Aye, what I found interestin' was that a lot of the readings were given on the magnitude scale, implying she had some sort of earthquake related abilities." Evander asked about it, which made Lars raise a small map with files. "I took the most recent files from the space I checked out. Zephyr was apparently moved at least 3 weeks ago, if these papers are to be believed. As for what she did before she was moved, it seemed she spent a lot of time heading further down to a space where she could test this seismic ability out. Apparently, there was some sort of special device she was working with which had to do with power conversion. She also did a lot of physical training within her chamber, and... apparently, there were some requests for books which were designed in such a way that she can read from them."

It already sounded like Zephyr had some unique tie between power generation and her abilities. Though given that she was a thunderbird, it was strange that she also had earthquake related abilities. "I found some papers about the components and items within the chamber. It looks to be designed just for her. The black stuff on the floor is actually some kind of shock and insulating material." Lydia said, showing off some of the diagrams and explanations as to what the used materials were. "Here's a little intel about Zephyr's personality, abilities and demeanour." Thaddeus said as he shared a relatively small file with you. Fortunately, it did reveal quite a bit.

"Report: Behaviour and data on 196-TB."

"Subject codename: 196-TB. Name: Zephyr Darecko. Feeding method: electricity. Creators: Tengri and Jabal. Current height: 15 feet."

"196-TB is a relatively large subject with an affinity for fighting. Subject is very blunt and quick to getting irritated. However, subject has also displayed friendly bonds with people who show her respect. Subject does not have any behavioral quirks of note. However, subject generally does require some mental stimulation through physical activity (weights and other training objects have been left in her chamber for such purposes.)"

"196-TB abilities include: Using body as a large battery, creating shocks whilst charged, bursts of movement paired with light and static electricity, launching lightning at targets, and directing electric energy into her fists to supercharge them. This last ability is by far the most dangerous of all, as it can reach strength levels great enough to create small earthquakes. As a result, her chamber has been highly reinforced to ensure she does not cause extreme damage to the facility."

"196-TB does not appear to have a strong relation with her two creators. As a result, regular meetings are not commonly scheduled. Subject interactions should be considered, due to her requesting this."

>Enter the chamber to see what it held. Perhaps you'd find some items of interest related to Zephyr, or some things which would tell you more about her? This place was left relatively untouched, so it seemed doubtful that it'd be trapped or a major safety hazard.
With the intel that you had, you decided that it might be for the best to send in a drone to check everything out. The papers already gave you a lot of intel, and the potential hazards within the chamber made it difficult for you to really think of exploring it yourself. Lydia would thus quickly do as told, activating a new drone which made Chrys giggle a bit. "Can... could I steer that later?" Though, given the risk of having her pilot it right now, Lydia would quickly shoot that down, albeit in a reassuring way. "Hmmm, maybe not now. But, when we set up a new base for the night, I'll gladly let you pilot a drone!" Chrys seemed satisfied enough, as you and your men watched the drone fly into the chamber.

The first thing Lydia would fly over to was the nest, finding it to not be... that much of a mess. At least, not a mess in that it contained rubble or chunks from the ceiling. "Surprisingly untouched." Lydia would comment, before Evander spoke up again. "Ya know, if she had... abilities to cause earthquakes or seismic activities, I can absolutely also see her chamber bein' reinforced well enough that... it only took minimal damage durin' the disaster." The drone would soon head to the equipment, indeed showing that most were just massive weights and objects designed for her to carry. Hell, one was essentially just a giant metal desk with plenty of dents in it and holes from where the thing had been punched. Though, the drone did soon pick up one intriguing thing in the chamber. "Hey, fly the drone over to that large metal object over there." Mike said, the drone spotting another slab of metal that was damaged a bunch. Though, there seemed to be... a very large poster of someone on it.

The poster was damaged quite a bit, having plenty of tares and signs of it being punched. The poster showed a man with rather pale skin, these tired yet confident eyes, and plenty of facial hair to cover his sickly features up. He had long, thin black hair, and a messy beard and moustache. He had this smile on his face which looked mildly smug, you already getting negative feelings about the guy in question. "Huh, who's that?" Artyom asked, Thalia gasping before softly saying: "That's... that's Elbrus." Upon hearing this, the mood seemed to become more amused. "Huh. Guess that Zephyr knows how to best treat that freak, huh?" Zaria casually said, before Mike spoke up again. "I'd do the same! Maybe we ought to collect mugshots of all the criminal fucks responsible for this disaster? It'd make combat training a whole lot more satisfying, that's for sure!"

>Just move on already and get back to your mission. This hunt for subjects and mysteries was leading you nowhere, and it was only going to take even more time to find France at this rate.
The drone would soon have looked at every object within the chamber, revealing some more damage inflicted by punches. Though, for the most part, the chamber looked to not be too interesting. At least you knew a whole lot more about Zephyr and her abilities, as well as that she required plenty of respect to befriend properly. Regardless, you told Lydia to make the drone fly back, it soon being brought back. And with that, you told your men that it was probably for the best to keep heading forward. After all, the chamber did not appear to have too much of interest, and you wanted to get back to looking for France. Your men would quickly agree, as you once more led the way eastwards. And fortunately, it wouldn't take long for you to reach the other side of the water distribution area.

"Well, looks like we're ready to finally head to the frozen sector now?" Alan would say curiously. Shortly after, Katya turned around and spoke up again. "Glaucus is still behind us, and is currently getting closer. I suggest we talk to her to inform her of what we are going to do now."

>What do you do next?

>Talk to Glaucus first. Maybe let her know what you found in Zephyr's chamber, or where you were heading now. Maybe you could also try and reassure her further to ensure she'd remain positive towards you. (Write in what you'll talk about to her.)
>Prepare for your trek in the frozen sector. It was either going to still be cold as hell, meaning you might need to prepare for lower temperatures. Or, it was going to have already thawed substantially, which could basically make this a more spoilt and rancid flooded sector... (Write in how you prepare.)
>Discuss your findings a bit more with your men. Zephyr's abilities, her relations with her creators, what she was up to. There was plenty to bring up and ask for opinions on. (Write in what you discuss.)
>Listen to Annie on the radio again. She could bring you some more news, or help you find France quicker. Hell, maybe you could even quickly chat with her again? So long as she wasn't too busy... (Write in if you try and contact her or askher for anything.)
>Chat about something else that was on your mind. Maybe a quick check with the girls to see how they were faring. Or hell, just asking your men how they were doing and if they were optimistic about your current situation. (Write in what you'll discuss.)
>Something else...

>>6272701
>Aye, what I found interestin' was that a lot of the readings were given on the magnitude scale, implying she had some sort of earthquake related abilities
What? Wasn't she a thunderbird?

>directing electric energy into her fists to supercharge them. This last ability is by far the most dangerous of all, as it can reach strength levels great enough to create small earthquakes
Huh, that doesn't seem physically possible

>>6272704
Nice, we know exactly what he looks like now
Just need the same for Roraima

>Prepare for your trek in the frozen sector. It was either going to still be cold as hell, meaning you might need to prepare for lower temperatures. Or, it was going to have already thawed substantially, which could basically make this a more spoilt and rancid flooded sector... (Write in how you prepare.)
Those are 2 different scenarios with 2 different methods of preparation, let's just head over and see what it's like first

>>6272706
I can't quite put my finger in it, but KK's last comment seems.....un-KK-like, in a way.
>Talk to Glaucus first. Maybe let her know what you found in Zephyr's chamber, or where you were heading now. Maybe you could also try and reassure her further to ensure she'd remain positive towards you.
Glaucus, you can't follow us in here. It's going to be dry, it's going to be freezing cold and we're going to meet people who will probably just try and shoot you and not want to talk to us either if you're there. You are going to have an even worse time than if you stayed here - we will be back, as we said.
Prepare for your trek in the frozen sector. It was either going to still be cold as hell, meaning you might need to prepare for lower temperatures. Or, it was going to have already thawed substantially, which could basically make this a more spoilt and rancid flooded sector...
Does everyone have enough warm clothing for low temperatures? Thalia, you're not wearing very much, are you going to be all right? I'm sure we have some blankets if anyone gets cold. Also, if it is all rotten, it's going to smell foul and be full of flies which is going to be awful for you three without helmets, even if KK probably won't mind. I can't imagine we have many spares or that there's any portable air filter masks around here.

>>6272748
>I can't quite put my finger in it, but KK's last comment seems.....un-KK-like, in a way.
Yeah KK suggesting socializing instead of neck snapping is bizarre.
I see no harm in letting Glaucus follow until it gets too cold for her. She's survived this long, she's not a baby who doesn't know how to survive.

>>6272706
>Listen to Annie on the radio again. She could bring you some more news, or help you find France quicker. Hell, maybe you could even quickly chat with her again? So long as she wasn't too busy... (Write in if you try and contact her or askher for anything.)

Any updates on Frances' whereabouts sounds nice, especially whether the Cooler Section is still cold or not. If we can get in contact with Frances on radio - even better.
Also ask her if Anastasia have executed Nikita as of yet.

then
>Talk to Glaucus first. Maybe let her know what you found in Zephyr's chamber, or where you were heading now. Maybe you could also try and reassure her further to ensure she'd remain positive towards you. (Write in what you'll talk about to her.)

Tell her where we're going into and ask her if she's comfortable with going into whichever inhospitable place we're going towards (either freezing cold or utterly rancid); if yes, then there's little reason why she cannot walk alongside us without all the sneaking and stalking (at least after we come back down for the cooler sectors), and if no... ask if she wants to stay in the safehouse.

>Prepare for your trek in the frozen sector. It was either going to still be cold as hell, meaning you might need to prepare for lower temperatures. Or, it was going to have already thawed substantially, which could basically make this a more spoilt and rancid flooded sector... (Write in how you prepare.)

If Annie (or Frances if we get really lucky) is able to provide any meaningful updates about the Cooler section then we go back up top for resupplies (and ditch the sonic cannon for another AMR while we're at it), if not... do a quick recon, see the state the coolers are in, then go back up top and prepare accordingly. If it's rancid, gas masks and/or hazmat suits for everyone, if it's cold, bring a few (or a dozen) thermal blankets with us. Either way, radio our hideout and ask which subject(s) are great at dealing with whichever state the coolers are in, e.g. Vinisha for rancid coolers, etc.

>>6272748
>I can't quite put my finger in it, but KK's last comment seems.....un-KK-like, in a way.
>>6272751
>Yeah KK suggesting socializing instead of neck snapping is bizarre.

I think she relates to Glaucus. She seems to care about a few subjects even if she doesn't so it much. After all, you saw how she seemed fond of Elodie despite the ant being terrified of her.

>>6272815
Supporting.

>>6272751
KK usually doesn't advocate for murder, what seems odd to me is the phrasing and that she spoke up in that way.
It's not so much that I don't think Glaucus can handle it, it's more than I don't really want her to come with us and want to dissuade her. She's nuttier than I want to deal with long term and could easily throw a spanner into our potentially quite delicate interactions with France.

>>6272905
That’s reasonable. Let’s phrase it a little differently so it doesn’t seem like we’re implying she’s too stupid to stay out of dangerous areas.

Gonna unfortunately skip out on an update today. Despite the fact that summer break has started for me, and I have ample opportunity to write, I have been utterly exhausted today for... god knows what reason. My apologies.

I'll try and compensate with 2 updates tomorrow, one in the morning and one in the evening. Emphasis on try though, as my energy levels can fluctuate wildly, I've noticed.

>>6273153
Eh, no worries Dr. Thorell and get well soon!

>>6273250
Smug like a slug seeing a bug in a mug under a rug being hugged?

Also... who's the blue ooze in the background again? 7-SM Juno Haldane?

>>6273296
Ya that 7-SM in the background.

>Talk to Glaucus first. Maybe let her know what you found in Zephyr's chamber, or where you were heading now. Maybe you could also try and reassure her further to ensure she'd remain positive towards you.
It actually surprised you a bit that Katya suggested to chat with Glaucus. You didn't think Katya was the type. Though, perhaps Katya just felt it was most logical to inform her, rather than have her come along and cause potential incidents within the frozen sector. With that in mind, you'd ask Glaucus to come over to have a chat. Right away, you saw the large slug girl appear from cover, before leaping back and forth between pipes and walkways. Until finally, she would slither up to you and your men. "Hellooooo. Are you leaving nooow?" Glaucus said casually, you telling her that you were indeed going to enter the frozen sector. Though, despite some hesitation on your part, you decided to offer her to join you and your men.

"Hmmmm, into the frozen sector... I did try and go in there once, and it wasn't... too niiiiice, I'll admit. Very cooooold." Glaucus said as she once again turned her head upside down in an unnatural way. You told her that it might still be very cold, but that there also was a chance that it was all rather rancid. Ironically, when you elaborated that a lot of food there would be spoiled and rotten, she did grow intrigued. "Oooooh, food does sound nice." Your men all looked a little concerned, yet didn't question Glaucus much further. You did warn her that there would be people out there who would try nothing but to kill her on sight. "Hmmmmm, shooty people aren't nice..." Glaucus pondered, before looking around. "Hmmmm, I thiiiink there's more fooooooood and people down heeeere. But, maybe if you get baaaack, I can join you agaaiiiiin?" With that in mind, you asked her if she wanted to go to the safehouse with your girls. "Safehouse? There's a safehouse for subjeeeeects?"

You explained that not too far away from here, there was a location where your girls were staying. It was outside of the flooded location though, which seemed to make Glaucus think. "Hmmmm... I don't knoooow. I really, really like this place. Lots of food, shooty people to kill and places to rest. Hmmmm, I'll... think... about it." Glaucus said, you accepting such and telling her that you'd be back soon. "Hehehe, okay... I will try and wait for you here. Maybe I can... find some shooty people to take as prisoner? I could show some of my powers to you theeeen, hehehehe." Lydia was quick to say: "Um, just... make sure you only go for shooty people who are bad, okay? If they don't shoot and act like us, ummm, try and not attack them right away!" Glaucus nodded quickly, before moving her arm up to a nearby walkway. "I will try and be back here when you get back here tooooo! Good luuuuuck!" She didn't seem too bothered by you leaving at all, which was at least reassuring.

>Prepare for your trek in the frozen sector. It was either going to still be cold as hell, meaning you might need to prepare for lower temperatures. Or, it was going to have already thawed substantially, which could basically make this a more spoilt and rancid flooded sector...
As Glaucus left the place, Artyom would speak up rather anxiously. "Mik, I really don't know if we should've told her what you said... or have offered her to join us. As... 'innocent', as Glaucus is, she clearly has some screws loose." Some of your men agreed. Though, Thaddeus would calmly speak up in your favour. "I think Mik had the best intentions and did well in talkin' with her. Though, maybe next time, we oughta discuss it together before we tell Glaucus such things about our gals." Regardless of how you handled Glaucus, your attention for now would quickly shift back to the mission at hand. You asked everyone if they had equipmen to help combat the cold, to which most of your men nodded. However, you also wanted to make sure Katya, Chrys and Thalia could survive the cold.

"I mean, I think I'll be fine... I endured cold ocean water, right?" Thalia said a little unsurely. Though, Chrys was quick to speak up more worriedly. "Ummm, I... am not exactly built for the cold. Do you guys have any spare outfits to use?" You mentioned that you did have some blankets, you already opening one of your backpacks to get some for her. After then looking at Katya, the owl would speak calmly. "I can tolerate low temperatures. My feathers assist in such things." Katya said as Chrys repurposed the blankets. With Chrys being the only to really need cold protection, at least for the time being, you would give everyone an overview of what to expect. It was going to be cold as hell, and potentially extremely rancid. If things were genuinely too bad, then you would probably just turn around and get some proper equipment to deal with it. Namely, hazmat suits. "Guess you're glad you got the hazmat suit already, huh, Mike?" Zaria would say, to some amusement from your men.

"I am very glad, yes. Let's hope I can also use it in some proper combat as well soon." Mike said eagerly, before you remembered that the girls might have to deal with flies given how they had no facial protection and how putrid it might be. Chrys and Thalia didn't seem to mind it so much, whilst Thalia did look a little unnerved. "We'll be fine." Chrys said again, Katya nodding along. "Y-Yeah, fine..." Thalia mumbled, before you stated that maybe you could find some gas masks lying nearby. It wasn't likely, but it was still something worth looking out for. You also mentioned wanting to listen to Annie whilst you made your way over. She could maybe explain how things were before you even got there. Or hell, maybe even help you communicate with France. With Annie’s help, you could even plan ahead for your second visit to this place, if that became necessary.

>Listen to Annie on the radio again. She could bring you some more news, or help you find France quicker. Hell, maybe you could even quickly chat with her again? So long as she wasn't too busy...
With that, you told your men to follow as you entered the dark tunnel ahead of you. Though,you'd also immediately turn on the radio, being hit with more of a pop song from Annie's station. You tried to communicate with Annie, it taking a while before she responded. "Good grief, you guys are getting further and further, huh? You're going all the way to the frozen sector." Annie said in a mixture of amusement, intrigue and concern. You asked if she had any way to contact France, to which she sighed. "Still none. Though, they were heading south last time I noticed any communications coming from them. My best guess is that they either tried to find a relatively space area in the frozen sector, or decided to leave it. Since I've heard nothing but... bad things about the frozen sector from the radio communications I listened in on."

With Annie sounding pretty pessimistic, Evander was quick to ask: "Nothin' but bad things? Then... shouldn't we maybe consider just turnin' around?" You heard Annie think to herself, before speaking more confidently. "Well, you could, if you think it's not worth it. But, you guys already traversed the upper flooded parts as well. Not to mention, all the other places you travelled through to get to me. Honestly, if there's anyone who would be the best for this job, it would be you guys." Annie sounded rather supportive. Though, Lydia was quick to say: "Honestly, the upper flooded parts weren't that tough to traverse. We only encountered Glaucus there, and she was easy enough to befriend." This was met with some surprise from Annie. "Wow, you managed to befriend her. Uhhh, well, excellent work! I know Glaucus is... a little strange, but it's good that you presumably looked past that and befriended her. I take it she's with you now?"

You stated that she stayed behind, mainly of her own volition. "Ah, I see. Well, in any case, I do suggest at least taking a peak at the frozen sector. For all I know, the intel I got was wrong and the place is a lot less bad than what I heard." You agreed with what Annie said, before asking her about Nikita. "Uhhh, Nikita.. okay, give me a minute, let me do some news first, then I'll tell you, okay?" Fortunately, the news broadcast didn't last long, her quickly returning with a more bemused tone. "So, Nikita... I just looked through some of the data files on injured men, and it does seem like they got into combat with a subject... and lost hard. It wasn't Anastasia, but they did get attacked by... huh, that's odd." Annie's bemused tone turned to bewilderment. "It says here... that they were attacked by what is believed to be Anofelis." Your interest was piqued, with Alan straight up saying: "Where the hell are you getting this info from?"

"It's in the government database. It says she stabbed Nikita and several of his men, some fatally... I think there is another subject out there who looks like Anofelis. And, the government is using what papers they have on Anofelis along with the subject's description which Nikita and his men gave... and coming to the conclusion that Ano is responsible for this." Your men looked unsure what to say. "Is... is that bad? What if people see Anofelis as a genuine threat and go out hunting for her?" Lydia said, before Anon shook his head. "I believe not. Annie, where were Nikita and his men attacked by this Anofelis-like subject?" It only took a second for Annie to give the coordinates, before quickly saying: "Within the combat sector." Anon gave an understanding nod, before speaking more confidently. "Since Ano is in the safe house on the literal opposite side of the facility, I got a feeling that she won't be hunted down anytime soon. Still, we might need to consider it if we befriend more death squads."

You were going to have to maybe ask Anofelis about this subject later. A lookalike of her causing trouble would definitely be worth investigating. Hell, maybe Anderson made Ano a sibling she never go to meet? Whatever was the case, you were at least glad that Nikita had been dealt with. You thanked Annie, happy to have talked to her. "No problem. Anyway, uhhh, I gotta go now. Gonna make some announcements. Hope you enjoy the music! Oh, and good luck, of course!" The music quickly started playing again, you telling your men that you'd do some quick recon. "Well, let's hope that this quick recon... doesn't result in us having to flee through god knows what path this time." Lars said a little teasingly, clearly referring to your last quick recon of the Queen's base. Of course, this place wouldn't be like that. It'd have far more environmental hazards, than truly hazardous subjects. Well, except for Grise. But hopefully, a shot from the plasma railgun and some help from Katya could help deal with her.

You kept walking ahead for some time, your men still chatting a bit about Glaucus, Nikita and the Anofelis look-alike. Though, you'd quickly start to notice that the air was quickly getting colder and colder. The air was still somewhat humid, but it was... a bit different from the humidity you had previously experienced. "My senses are starting to pick up a rather... unique... scent." Katya said a little hesitantly, before Thalia spoke up, having by now blocked her nose with her hand. "U-Unique? It... it smells like... death!" Thalia said frustratedly, before Anon spoke up as well. "Glad that I am not the only one who's... starting to suffer from this horrid stench." You also were able to smell the horrendous scent. The smell reminded you of some of the worst battlefields or trashdump planets you had been on. Except, this time, the smell wasn't as easily escapable to you and your men.

"I-It's the... c-cold f-f-for m-m-me, t-that's r-really b-b-bothering m-m-me!" Chrys would say as she shivered, holding her blanket tightly to try and keep warm. You would soon also find some patches of ice cold water and ice crackling under your boots. The place was getting colder and colder, the smell only getting more and more dreadful. Until finally, you would reach the entrance to the frozen sector. The two large, metal sliding doors which were presumably supposed to separate the two temperatures had been forced open with quite some force. And looking inside, you would find yourself into a very dimly lit, ice-coated metal reception hall. “H-How is it s-still so c-cold in here?” Chrys mumbled quietly as you and your men stepped forward to look around. Ahead of you, there was a small open space with some transport vehicles. The open areas headed all the way north and all the way east, whilst the rest of the space had dozens of storage units going all the way up to the ceiling.

The place you were in had mostly fruits, vegetables, some grains and other non meat and dairy products. Most of the storage containers looked rather... drenched and coated in filth, you approaching one and finding all the tomatoes inside of them to be badly spoilt. Worse, you stepped in some extremely gross looking puddles of fluid, as it was clear that this place was an insane violation to your health. Despite how gross and bad this place seemed, Thaddeus didn’t seem to bothered. “So, this is the infamous cold section. I... must admit, I had expected worse.” Anon was quick to rebuke, speaking in major disgust. “Yeah, because you don’t have to smell it!” You had to agree with Anon here. The scent was... almost gag-inducing. The only reason you were able to keep your calm, was because you knew you couldn’t just falter in front of your men right away. You had a mission, goddamnit!”

Afterwards though, Katya would speak up more calmly. “Given that we are not all perfectly equipped for this place, it would be logical to make this quick. If memory serves me correctly, The frozen sector is divided into several sectors. I believe we are currently in the main storage section. And above us, would be the main cargo entrance for outside food items. Below us would be the distribution centre for the food, as well as the reception for all greens from the green sector... I believe further below that, we will find some testing areas and subject storage areas.” It was nice that Katya knew so much about the facility, especially now that you were in this disgusting part. At the very least, there weren’t too many flies yet. But, the temperatures here clearly were not enough to prevent plenty of food from going VERY bad. Still, you were going to have to power through this place for at least a short while. Once you had found enough details about where France was, you could get the hell out of here.

>What do you do next?

>Explore the current floor for anything which might still be of value. Maybe there was still some food sector which had stayed cool long enough to not go bad. Maybe there even was some food still worth taking back to your girls to the far west from here? (Write in what you’ll look for specifically.)
>Find a way down or up to a specific area. The storage sector was clearly a rotten, hellish place which you didn’t want to stay in for too long. But, the subject storage areas might be of interest to you and your men. Hell, maybe the cargo area above here could provide some useful information? (Write in where you’ll go to.)
>Contact your girls back at base for help. Vinisha was probably used to places like this, so could be of use here later. Hell, maybe you could ask Anofelis to help you out around here. (Write in what you’ll discuss.)
>Retreat whilst you were still alive. This place was maybe not as bad as you had imagined it, but... the food stench was eye-wateringly bad. Not to mention, the diseases you could get from staying here to long. If France was seriously staying in this area, then he must be as insane as Feng. (Write in where you’ll try and retreat to.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(>>6273250 I love how Chrys looks... mildly concerned at the smug sea slug. I imagine that she did look at Glaucus like that the entire time they were together.)

(Also, the slime girl looks pretty damn good. Though, surprisingly enough, it actually more closely resembles a different slime girl than 7-SM...)

>>6273405
>Find a way down or up to a specific area. The storage sector was clearly a rotten, hellish place which you didn’t want to stay in for too long. But, the subject storage areas might be of interest to you and your men. Hell, maybe the cargo area above here could provide some useful information? (Write in where you’ll go to.)
Let’s try subject storage

>>6273488
Support, also while we're walking I wanna suggest two things:
>Contact your girls back at base for help. Vinisha was probably used to places like this, so could be of use here later. Hell, maybe you could ask Anofelis to help you out around here. (Write in what you’ll discuss.)
Warn the girls about Glaucus, she's a weirdo but that might be due to Logan's neglecting her somewhat, we did told her about this place and she said she's thinking whetever to go or not, just warning you guys in case she do goes there.

>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...
Quick rundown with both our squad and the girls of dangerous subjects we might find here. I believe Gris went here to feed and recover so there might be a chance she's here, ask the team to check the tablet for potential threats and ask the girls if they know/knew any dangerous elements who usually stay here.

>>6273405
Anofelis being blamed for taking out Nikita's group is a plus. It gives us a better alibi in case he does try and shop us considering we've been nowhere near the combat sector and his encounter with her did not involve us in addition to insulating her from any targeting. I also wonder what else Annie has broken into in the topside computer systems and if she's used it for anything bolder than messing with the intern maintaining the MGE and quietly monitoring things. Thanks for the vote of confidence though, foxy.
>Explore the current floor for anything which might still be of value. Maybe there was still some food sector which had stayed cool long enough to not go bad. Maybe there even was some food still worth taking back to your girls to the far west from here?
An area for the staff who worked here, hopefully containing some thermalwear that Chrys could, if not fit, at least make use of. Until then, perhaps she could ride inside KK's warm, soft wings?
>Find a way down or up to a specific area. The storage sector was clearly a rotten, hellish place which you didn’t want to stay in for too long. But, the subject storage areas might be of interest to you and your men. Hell, maybe the cargo area above here could provide some useful information?
See if we can find any sign of recent presence on the south side of this floor, then head south to the next area to look for them. If they're not there, then we can go down a level and loop back north.
Incidentally, somewhere not far to the south of here on the next level down (or whichever map level the 70th floor is on) is Elbrus' office as per Viridian. We could hit that up while we're here if we pass it.

>>6273250
Those great big hands are just for ruffling your hair, Chrys

>>6273405
>Explore the current floor for anything which might still be of value. Maybe there was still some food sector which had stayed cool long enough to not go bad. Maybe there even was some food still worth taking back to your girls to the far west from here? (Write in what you’ll look for specifically.)
Insulated outfits for both us and human-sized subjects (aka Chrys, Oreas, and Thalia).

>Contact your girls back at base for help. Vinisha was probably used to places like this, so could be of use here later. Hell, maybe you could ask Anofelis to help you out around here. (Write in what you’ll discuss.)
Ask whether Anofelis and Cortina can operate under the conditions inside the freezer, and possibly Oreas as well.

Ano for aerial mobility, Cort for her spore "camera"s (which IIRC works wonders with moldy biomass), Oreas for wall phasing so locked doors should be of little hindrance to her - and in case we're to encounter another death squad, all three have the ability to escape unharmed (Ano with mobility, Cort with illusions, Oreas can escape through walls).

Vinisha can survive here pretty much indefinitely but I'd doubt she'd be of much utility given our mission.
Morgan is straight out given our mission, and I'm not seeing any reason to bring Elodie along unless we're to see Kiyo.

>Something else...
Gas masks and/or hazmat suits for everyone in our squad. Not sure if we should keep the sonic cannon given its rather limited utility unless we're facing Diamond Dogs.

>>6273644
Elodie is not around anyway mind you, she is far away downstairs with Annie.

>Explore the current floor for anything which might still be of value. Maybe there was still some food sector which had stayed cool long enough to not go bad. Maybe there even was some food still worth taking back to your girls to the far west from here?
You told your men that you'd head to the lower areas soon, given that it probably had a lot more useful intel for you. Not to mention, it being far less disgusting hopefully. Though first, you told them to start looking for some staff areas here. Since this place was likely occupied by staff at all times, they probably had some clothing items lying about which helped them survive the intense cold. Thus, you told them to go looking for some thermalwear for Chrys. "T-T-That'd b-b-be n-n-nice!" Chrys said softly, wrapping her arms around herself to try and keep warm. Though, you asked Katya if she could maybe help keep Chrys warm using her feathers, Chrys seeming a bit unsure. "I-I d-d-don't... w-w-wanna f-f-force h-her t-t-to... k-k-keep me l-l-like th-that i-i-if s-she d-d-doesn't w-w-want me t-t-to!"

Despite Chrys not wanting to be a bother to her, Katya was quick to step over and move her wings over herself and Chrys. Katya didn't say anything, Chrys looking a little awkward about being kept around like this. Still, she didn't complain, soon letting out a more relieved breath. "This... this is nice..." With Chrys at least being kept warm, you would tell your men to spread out and search for equipment. You would head down one of the aisles containing some fruits and vegetables, the scent and sight making your eyes water. You powered through it, each step making you recoil as you stepped in cold puddles of... well, god knows what at this point. The good news at the very least, was that there were no swarms of flies or maggots around the place. Though given how close this place was to the surface, it wouldn't be surprising for it to eventually end up that bad.

"Mik, Anon, Evander, you guys holding out well?" Lars soon asked over the intercom, you hearing Evander speak confidently. "I've smelled worse chemicals. Still, t'is pretty bad, aye." Though, you heard Anon speak more disgustedly. "It's such a waste, all this food rotting like this. We've gotta at least take some of the still good things out of here so we can put them to use." If you found some items which were still fine, you could potentially take them. But, given how many bacteria there were by now and how spoilt some of the foods had gotten, chances were that anything you took from here were a major health hazard. Though, it were mostly fruits and vegetables so far. You didn't find any of the meats or dairy products yet. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be you who'd find it. As instead, you heard Lydia over the comms, gagging hard. "Oh good fucking god... that's... that is rancid. I just opened one of the containers... it didn't even resemble food anymore... that meat was... worse than any corpse I've ever seen!"

Right away, Thaddeus spoke up as well. "Yeah, don't... don't open doors marked with meats. It isn't a pretty sight." Zaria also spoke up, clearly receiving the advise a little late. "Blegh, that's... fucking nasty. There's a whole room with milk, but that shit has gone bad as well. God, I hate this place." You'd also check some of the closed-off rooms, finding one which... you think contained some chicken thighs. Colourless, foul smelling chicken thighs. Yeah, perhaps following the notes on the doors stating what they contained was for the best. Fortunately though, you soon heard Alan over the comms, bringing some good news. "I found some coats in this side-room. That's what we wanna get, right?" Immediately, you told him to grab several of them for yourself and the girls, wanting to quickly get the hell out of here. And fortunately, you'd soon regroup near the entry point to the frozen sector, your men seeming simultaneously relieved and disgusted.

"I feel like I need to take a long shower and burn this outfit now." Anon said quietly, before Evander spoke up as well. "Aye, I feel ya. I feel like even the superbase we could've gotten wouldn't do the job on cleanin' this." Mike would also speak up, eagerly raising his acid gun. "Want me to help clean you guys? I got a bunch of chemicals ready to be used, haha!" Some of your men chuckled, you meanwhile looking to Alan, who would give some coats to the subjects. "Thank you, Alan." Thalia said rather affectionately, Chrys also quickly running over from under Katya's wings. "Thanks, you guys. You're really kind for... taking the time to go through this place just for me." Chrys said happily, before also giving a quick nod to Katya. "Oh, and thank you, Katya, for keeping me warm. I-I hope you didn't mind it too much, hehe." Katya gave a slight smile and a quiet nod. "Alright, time to get the hell out of this place now, Mik. Where did you say you wanted to head to next?" Zaria asked shortly after, your men also eagerly wanting to hear where you wanted to go to next.

>Find a way down or up to a specific area. The storage sector was clearly a rotten, hellish place which you didn’t want to stay in for too long. But, the subject storage areas might be of interest to you and your men. Hell, maybe the cargo area above here could provide some useful information?
You told your men that you wanted to head to subject storage, asking Katya if she knew how to get there. "I believe there are several pathways down. I can try and lead the way." Katya said, you giving her the lead as you stated you wanted to stay on the south side of the frozen sector. There, you could find signs of activity from France, as well as potential clues as to who or what was in this place. If there was nothing of value within the southern areas or the storage section, you could head further south to try and find France in whatever area was there. Hell, you even remembered that Elbrus' office was somewhere in that area...

Katya led the way south, you already noticing a secondary entrance only a few minutes away from you. "Katya, where does that path take us?" Anon asked as you got closer to it. "If memory serves correctly, I believe that hall leads to a special meeting area for government workers, staff and subjects. I also believe it serves as a type of dining area for lower-ranking staff when there are no special meetings with visitors." A special meeting area could definitely have a lot of unique intel, or clues to the government's relation with this place. Though, you first wanted to find France and go downwards. At least this was a good place you could note down for future visits. Regardless, Katya would soon approach a large elevator with some transport vehicles. "Hmmm, there does not seem to be any damage to the elevator." She would try and activate it, before pausing. "It appears the elevators are inaccessible due to a lack of power. Very well then. There are emergency stairwells for this."

It didn't take long for you to find one such stairwell, Katya opening the doors at which point you were blasted with even colder air than before. Hell, the breeze felt like a mild blizzard, you feeling ice crystals and snow pummel you. The breeze soon subsided, as Chrys spoke up anxiously. "I... thought this place wasn't gonna get any colder than this." Lars would also approach the stairs, before speaking more curiously. "I wonder what's causing so much cold to come from deeper down." Thaddeus also stepped forward, already entering the stairwell. "Guess we're gonna find out for ourselves, eh?" Though after stepping into the stairwell, you and your men would immediately need to hold onto the railings the place had, as the place proved insanely slippery. "Katya, how far down do you think we need to go to reach subject storage?!" Mike asked in frustration, Katya calmly walking ahead of you just a tiny bit. "We are currently on level 30, if my memory serves me correctly. I estimate that we will need to go down to level 60 to reach storage."

>Contact your girls back at base for help. Vinisha was probably used to places like this, so could be of use here later. Hell, maybe you could ask Anofelis to help you out around here.
It looked like you were going to be in this stairwell for a good amount of time, unless if you wanted to slip down the stairs and break your limbs. Your men were obviously not pleased, with Zaria groaning as you decided to distract yourself a bit. You told your men that you could try and ask Annie to help you get in contact with the girls. That way, you could chat with them and maybe ask them for some things. "Uhhhh, what do you wanna ask from them?" Artyom asked more confusedly, you telling them if they could work effectively in such cold conditions and help you explore. Your men seemed a little unsure about your suggestion, but they decided not to really question you.

Thus, you would carefully turn the radio on whilst you were waiting for everyone to come down the slippery, ice-coated stairs. You would hear Annie's song, asking her to put you into contact with the girls back home. Annie didn't seem to respond herself, but you did soon hear the music fade as there was a bit of silence. You spoke into the radio, before hearing Laura speak up. "Ah, Mik! Is that you? What's up?" She said, before you heard her call the other girls over to listen in. You asked Anofelis and Cortina how they dealt with the cold, Cortina responding calmly. "I can tolerate very cold temperatures, but... I do not know how they might affect my spore abilities." Anofelis would take a bit longer to respond, before reluctantly saying: "Well, I... don't LIKE the cold. But, if you need my help, I can try and help out." Anofelis' tone would quickly turn more dramatic, as she spoke up worriedly. "Why are you asking? Is something wrong? Do you need our help?" She was clearly concerned for your wellbeing, you reassuring her that all was well.

You asked Oreas if she could deal with the cold as well, her speaking more confidently. “I think so, yeah. Curious what you need us for though.” You thus mentioned that you could use their abilities in a place like this. Mobility from Anofelis could be beneficial, both in terms of aerial movement and traversing areas like the one you were currently in. Oreas’ wall phasing definitely could help with locked doors, helping you access some more difficult to reach places. And Cortina’s cameras could work ESPECIALLY well in a place with all sorts of mouldy food. Hell, this might well be an area she could see from every single angle with her abilities. “Wha- food? You guys got more food over there?” Reika soon asked over the comms, you telling her that there was a lot of meat here, but that a lot had gone bad. “I don’t care about that! I wanna eat it! Take me along too!” Though, you’d soon also hear Morgan speak up. “What about myself? Wouldn’t a blade and metal work well in such a cold, harsh environment?”

You would tell Morgan that you’d consider having her join in, even though you didn’t know for sure if she would be valuable given your mission. “Oh, consider? Only that? My, I believe I would make for an excellent combatant in such an area! Why, I could take down Grise with great ease!” Morgan said confidently, at which point Thaddeus spoke up. “Aye, we can imagine. But, we also need someone to stay back and hold down the fort. And, someone with such great defences like yours would certainly be perfect for such a job, don’t ya think?” Morgan scoffed a little in response. “That is an excellent point. Still, I would not mind something different from guard duties. Perhaps it can be something to discuss when you return to this place?” Thaddeus glanced at you, clearly hoping that you’d appreciate his help with getting Morgan to focus away from your current mission.

On the topic of returning though, you would tell the girls to be on the lookout for Glaucus. “Ooh, you met another subject?” Laura asked curiously, you explaining your meeting with the seaslug subject. Though, you also mentioned that she was a little... weird. Mainly due to likely being neglected by Logan. You informed Glaucus of the girls’ location, which meant she could maybe go there. “Will she be coming here soon?” Oreas asked curiously, you telling her that you weren’t sure since Glaucus was thinking it over. Still, you wanted to let the girls know, as to not be scared when she did appear. “Ah, gotcha.” Oreas said, before Anofelis spoke up more optimistically. “We will watch out for her, Mikhail. We will treat her kindly, if she does come over here!”

>Something else...
With you still needing to go down quite a distance to get to subject storage, and the girls being able to chat with you from the safehouse, you decided to use the opportunity to gather some intel on where you were going. You told the girls where you were going, and that you were hoping to find France. More importantly, you mentioned Grise, since she was one of the main threats in this place. “Ah, the rabid wolf... You shall certainly be victorious in defeating her this time!” Morgan said eagerly, before you asked if the girls knew of any other similar threats in this place. There was a bit of silence, before you asked Anon and Lydia to check the tablet for any threats or news on this place as well. The silence was eventually broken by Kamara. “Ummm, I, uhhh, r-remember... some s-sorta... w-wolf subject? I-I recall Mona m-mentioning her.” Morgan would quickly join in, sharing her own knowledge on this wolf subject. “I do believe Mona and Illimani made some kind of snow wolf subject. Though, details are vague to me as well.

It was definitely something to look out for, since this did not sound like Grise, yet could still be related somewhat. Then again, given the lack of details from the girls, it could very well just be that they heard Mona and Illimani talk about Grise in passing. Fortunately, Morgan did remind you of some subjects which were previously mentioned. “I mentioned Anesa a couple of days ago, correct? She might also inhabit the frozen sector now. Not to mention, Valentina who would also likely inhabit that place.” Whilst they weren’t new threats you had to consider, they were still potential threats. Then again, Morgan did speak highly of Anesa, so she could be another ally to join you and your friends... if she was as reasonable as Morgan described. “There’s plenty of info about Anesa and Valentina on the tablet. I think befriending Anesa will be easier, since she is described as calm, compared to Valentina’s more... troublesome nature.” Lydia would quietly say, which seemed reasonable for the time being. Still, befriending two ice oni subjects would certainly be a boon to you and your men.

Unfortunately, aside from these mentions, there wasn’t too much else known about the inhabitants of the frozen subject storage. Thus, you’d simply thank the girls, before telling them you would try and head back soon to gather further supplies and talk with them again. The girls wished you good luck, before you turned off the radio and focused on making your way down. The slippery stairs were certainly a bastard to traverse, with your men occasionally slipping. Fortunately, holding onto the railing was at least feasible. Though as you headed deeper and deeper, it did become easier to traverse. Mainly because the thin layer of ice was replaced with a growing layer of proper snow. Until finally, you and your men could walk normally. Thalia soon also took a coat from Alan, as the cold was now also getting to her.

Until at long last, you saw a sign with ‘SUBJECT STORAGE’ besides one of the doors you passed. You tried to open it, but found that it wouldn’t budge. Fortunately, with some pushing from Alan and Katya, the door would break open and you were met with a rather haunting sight. It looked like any other subject storage area, with large glass chambers lining the hallways. But, the entire place was covered in snow and ice. It looked like a blizzard had passed through these parts of the facility. “Maybe the refrigeration system here still has power?” Mike asked hesitantly, Lydia shaking her head. “I doubt it. I think... something else is keeping this place cold.” Whatever was the case, you would step out of the stairwell and look to your side down the hallway. “Alright. According to this map, we can head east and then get to the main path connecting the various sectors.” Anon said, before Katya spoke up as well, having looked down either side of the hallway. “No threats visible within range.”

>What do you do next?

>Head a specific direction. Maybe the main path to the east of here would have some more worthwhile sights or chambers with useful intel. Though, the main paths were also probably where other death squads and threatening subjects were. Perhaps just going west instead was safer. (Write in where you’ll head.)
>Split up a little bit and explore the nearby area, before deciding on where to head to. Maybe you would find something useful when split up, or get a better idea on where you were and were you could best go to? (Write in how you’ll split up.)
>Just go in either direction and try and focus on something specific. Maybe footsteps in the snow, or signs of battle could tell you a bit about what was going on in this place or which parts would be the best to explore? (Write in what you’ll look for.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6273757
Anybody with any maps here? Shame Derek's in the sickbay. Also, a fresh blizzard in a facility without power? I think it's reasonable to assume we're well within Anesa's sphere of influence.

>Just go in either direction and try and focus on something specific. Maybe footsteps in the snow, or signs of battle could tell you a bit about what was going on in this place or which parts would be the best to explore? (Write in what you’ll look for.)
Footprints - especially those not of human origin (e.g. too large or too small, barefoot, resemblance to animal footprint, etc. that would readily indicate the presence of a subject) or of particular robotic patterns (indicative of Feng's Queensguard), signs of weapon dicharge, unusual ice formations (indicative of Anesa's presence), etc.

>>6273757
>Just go in either direction and try and focus on something specific. Maybe footsteps in the snow, or signs of battle could tell you a bit about what was going on in this place or which parts would be the best to explore? (Write in what you’ll look for.)
Any signs of habitation or recent activity

>>6273757
Don't worry, Morgs. You'll be coming out with us on our next adventure.
Well, cold does sink but I would suppose this is either Anesa or Valentina's doing. Hopefully it's the blue oni and not the ice-abusing pest, I'd rather not have to take the time and effort to box her ears and send her to the naughty step today - given the explicit mention of freezing water out of the air, I'm going to go with Anesa.
Also, has it been actually frozen or just kinda cold and slushy so far? If this place had stayed below freezing, all this food should not have gone off. Meats last for months on ice, minus some freezer burn. If this Anesa(?) has kept this area consistently freezing, we might find properly preserved food around here.
>Just go in either direction and try and focus on something specific. Maybe footsteps in the snow, or signs of battle could tell you a bit about what was going on in this place or which parts would be the best to explore?
and I'll also say to follow any signs of recent activity by a person, no matter what they are.

>Just go in either direction and try and focus on something specific. Maybe footsteps in the snow, or signs of battle could tell you a bit about what was going on in this place or which parts would be the best to explore?
Looking down either side of the hallway, your mind instantly went to Anesa given her main ability being turning ambient moisture into ice. More importantly, you mentioned that these temperatures would certainly allow plenty of food to stay good. "Guess if we find any steak, we oughta bring it back for Reika then, huh?" Thaddeus said, which you certainly didn't oppose. Though, before looking for any food in this place, you wanted to find some signs of activity in this place. Mainly, you wanted your men to search for footprints of subjects, or ones which showed a group walking in formation, since that was likely to be a group of Feng soldiers. "You really think they managed to get this far into the facility, Mik?" Artyom asked, you stating it was something to look out for. Footprints in the snow could tell you a lot about this place. "Alright, well, let's get searching."

You decided to just head eastwards for the time being, you and your men carefully looking around for any footprints ahead of you. "H-How cold is it in here? T-This coat's... already feeling like it's... h-helping less and less!" Chrys said whilst she shivered, Lydia checking her tablet before saying: "This tablet might not be accurate, but it says we're currently at 258 kelvin. Maybe a few degrees above or below that." Thalia would also shiver a bit, speaking softly. "Y-Yeah, this is... w-way colder than the temperatures I am used to!" Fortunately, you had plenty of coats to share around. Though, even you had to agree that this cold was inhospitable. Even your current armour barely managed to hold back the bitter cold. At least the layer of snow and ice wasn't too thick, meaning you were easily able to traverse the hallway ahead of you.

You and your men would pass by several empty containment chambers, laboratories and storage spaces. Most of the storage spaces were completely frozen over, their supplies unfortunately not really being of much use to you. Hell, some of the electronics and machinery you saw in the nearby chambers had been completely destroyed thanks to the level of frost. One interesting room you did encounter, was some kind of lounge for guardsmen. It had a few more coats, some frozen and untouched food in a vending machine. Though, looking around for signs of activity, Mike would see something rather strange. "Uhhh, Mik, I think I found some kind of sign of activity." Mike said, you going over to him as he pointed at a closet which contained all kinds of rifles. However, you instantly noticed that the guns had been bent and destroyed, rendering them useless. This was clearly not done by the cold, but rather by someone strong enough to bend metal... Something only a subject could do.

Regardless, you kept exploring, taking some of the meatier foods along for Reika. In the meantime, you tried to pay more attention to the footsteps, you still not finding any. Though, you did soon find something far more regrettable. You and your men would find a metal sliding door, Katya prying it open with some help from Alan. Though once the door opened, a thick cloud of cold air blew out of the room, at which point you saw the frozen and preserved bodies of three scientists. Chrys and Thalia gasped, whilst the rest of your men looked on in morbid curiosity. "Those poor scientists..." Lydia said, you getting a better look at the scientists. The female and two male scientists were all in different positions. The female scientist was on her side in the foetal position, her frozen expression appearing eerily peaceful. The first male scientist was seated against the wall, his face buried beneath his knees.

The second male scientist was a little more horrifying though, as you could see that his fingers were notably damaged and uncovered. He was positioned in a way that clearly showed that the poor guy had been clawing at the door. "Chrys, Thalia, Katya, do any of ya gals know any of these scientists?" Thaddeus carefully asked, Chrys anxiously looking at the corpses before shaking her head. Likewise, Thalia shook her head without saying a word. Katya would scan over the bodies, before speaking softly. "Negative. Scientists cannot be recognized." There wasn't much else of interest in the room, with the poor scientists clearly not having survived for very long in this hellish place...

Still, it was a find worth documenting and maybe investigating a bit further. After all, this could've been the doing of some cruel, sadistic subject.

>What do you do next?

>Check the bodies or the room for anything of note. Maybe a closer look would show more of who these scientists were, how they got here and how they ended up getting stuck and freezing to death. (Write in what you'll look for.)
>Set up a camera nearby. These guys clearly looked to have been forced into this place by a cruel subject. Perhaps said subject would return to take a look at their work in the future? If they did, you could take a picture of them and document them. Or better, follow them and kill them. (Write in where you'll put the camera.)
>Continue exploring the rest of the halls. Footprints, strange snow and ice formation, food, or even signs of combat were all valuable sights to you and your men at this point. (Write in if you search for anything special, or if you continue searching for what you already were searching for.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(bit of a shorter update, but my god have I been tired the past few days. Hopefully, this will get better over the summer. Though, given the travels I'll go on soon, it might remain somewhat low energy. Still, one update a day is not the worst thing... even if I did hope to go back to 2 updates a day.)

>>6274486
-15 is damn cold. Who even needs a food freezer this cold, unless it's mostly Anesa's doing? Maybe we can use it as an excuse to hug Chrys. For warmth, of course.
Hm. This doesn't really jog with any of the three resident subjects round here's MOs and there's no evidence for this being a Grise meat locker either, if she was smart enough to even do such a thing. For all we know, they could have just been trapped in here when the power went out and froze to death within hours of the Big Bang, which would speak more to the lack of safety compliance than anything. Still, I guess it's not beyond the realm of possibility that an otherwise non-evil subject could have shut them in here to die if they caused enough trouble for them. That and you can't throw a rock in this place without hitting three different undocumented subjects.
>Check the bodies or the room for anything of note. Maybe a closer look would show more of who these scientists were, how they got here and how they ended up getting stuck and freezing to death.
Do they have as much ice on them as the rest of the room, or are they mostly ice-free? Could be our only clue as to how long ago they died.
Do the scientists have any sources of information on or around them like ID, notes or PEDs? Are they injured?
Does the door or its mechanism have any sign of being forced before, or being sealed or locked before we opened it?

>>6274486
>Check the bodies or the room for anything of note. Maybe a closer look would show more of who these scientists were, how they got here and how they ended up getting stuck and freezing to death. (Write in what you'll look for.)

Basically what >>6274492 said,
IDs, how long they've been frozen, signs of struggle, signs of sabotage on the doors, etc.
(Looks like the work of either Valentina or Anastasia tbph, either as a "prank" gone wrong or as a deliberate act of murder and revenge for putting a fellow subject through freezing temperatures as punishment)

>Continue exploring the rest of the halls. Footprints, strange snow and ice formation, food, or even signs of combat were all valuable sights to you and your men at this point. (Write in if you search for anything special, or if you continue searching for what you already were searching for.)

If we don't have a map then continue the standard search - although we mustn't miss any opportunity to raid freezers and vending machines for Reika, or office spaces for documents.

If we have a map then prioritize freezers, food courts, medical rooms, and office spaces, we need food for Reika, and documents on... well, everything. Any first-aid kits and/or medical nanites we can find would also help tremendously.

>>6274485
>This tablet might not be accurate, but it says we're currently at 258 kelvin. Maybe a few degrees above or below that.
Uh, why does the tablet measure in kelvin? Is it facility surplus or something?

>However, you instantly noticed that the guns had been bent and destroyed, rendering them useless.
How about the ammunition?

>>6274486
>Check the bodies or the room for anything of note. Maybe a closer look would show more of who these scientists were, how they got here and how they ended up getting stuck and freezing to death. (Write in what you'll look for.)
Identity tags and any info on what subject they were assigned to.

>>6274501
I can't say this is Ana's doing, even if it it would be something she'd like to do. She's on a different map level and far away in the staff sector, where she's seems to have been the whole time. Maybe Valentina fucking up, I almost hope it is and she tries to troll us so we can demonstrate to her that you shouldn't mess with people who can mess with you right back (kinetically).

Speaking of Ana in the staff section, there's something odd. We gave Nikita coordinates to the staff section for his playdate with Mini Vinella, but he was cocking about in the combat sector instead. Where the hell was he even going?

>Check the bodies or the room for anything of note. Maybe a closer look would show more of who these scientists were, how they got here and how they ended up getting stuck and freezing to death.
Whilst Thalia could not recognise the scientist at a glance, you knew that there was a lot that the state of their bodies were in could still tell you. For one, you checked to see just how much ice and snow there was in their room, looking over the small chamber and noticing that there was already quite a lot of snow present. And given just how thoroughly frozen and frost-covered the poor scientists were, you knew that this hadn't been a recent thing. Though more importantly, you'd carefully approach the scientists to look for any IDs or personal items on them. You also asked Lars to check for injuries, which made him a little unsure. "I'll... I guess I can check. Though, it'll be difficult to check, since they've been frozen for a while." Whilst you checked the frozen corpses, you also asked your men to check the door, wanting to see if it had been forcefully opened or jammed in a way that implied this was done by a subject.

Whilst your men checked around the small room and the door mechanism, you would carefully try and grab the ID cards and personal items from the scientists. It was rather difficult, and you did accidentally chip off some bits of cloth and frozen flesh in the process. But, you did soon read and find some IDs. One of the scientists was a cryobiologist called Lukyan. The woman was a material scientist called Setsuko. The third scientist was actually an ethologist called Unathi. It didn't seem like any of the scientists were caretakers for any subject. You checked for further notes, and did soon find that Lukyan had a small handwritten note in his hand. And after carefully opening his hand up, you would get the chance to read his thoughts as he realised he was going to die down here.

"To those who I love so dearly, and my precious Isabella."

"If you are reading this message, then I am unfortunately no longer with you. I know this death is abrupt, and will bring you much pain, but know that I died happily, having lived a content life following my passions in science."

"I have enjoyed every hour at Valulori, working with amazing people to create amazing things which will hopefully help the galaxy in ways I cannot even begin to comprehend. Perhaps, as this message is read to you, some of my research has already been used in ways which directly help you."

"Do not blame Valulori or the staff for my death. My death was caused by an accident which I do not think anyone could have foreseen. I just hope that those who were with me were able to survive, and share the truth with the world about my final days in life."

"I have enjoyed every moment of life, and I hope that you can all continue living fruitful lives without my presence."

"I'll hopefully see you all again in heaven..."

Aside from the sombre death letter, there weren't any other final letters from Setsuko or Unathi. At least, none that you could readily find nearby. "Hmmm, aside from this one's fingers, I do not see any signs of unique injury. Though, I cannot be a hundred percent sure, given just how much damage the freezing process has done to the various body parts. Not to mention, needing to crack open the bodies to actually get a look at what happened inside of them. Either way, I feel like it really was just the cold that got to them. If I can make an educated guess, than I'd say that they died... quite a while ago." Lars would soon after say, having inspected the bodies as best as he could. Looking over the rest of your men and what they saw with the doors, Lydia would speak up calmly. "There are signs of the door having its internal mechanisms and machinery damaged by frost damage. However, there are no other signs of the door being sealed by force or locked in any way."

>Continue exploring the rest of the halls. Footprints, strange snow and ice formation, food, or even signs of combat were all valuable sights to you and your men at this point.
With the possibility of a subject being responsible remaining unknown, and the scientists themselves not really giving you any other clues as to what had happened, you decided to just keep on searching around. You told your men to once again follow you, telling them that you were going to keep on searching for France, subjects, survivors or anyone else of interest. Of course, you also hoped to find some freezers for meat for Reika, as well as office spaces. Of course, medical bays were also appreciated, but you knew those wouldn't be too common. "What about the scientists?" Chrys asked worriedly, before speaking more softly. "I... I don't wanna leave them like this..." Before you could say anything, Alan would carefully enter the room and put the frozen bodies on their backs.

He would cover them with snow, essentially giving them a makeshift burial. "Considering that Grise is here, it would indeed be most logical to hide their bodies from view. Otherwise, she might consume them and heal from them." Katya would comment afterwards, making Chrys look a little frustrated. Clearly, Chrys looked at the dead scientists in a vastly different light than Katya did. Regardless, the bodies would be hidden under snow, before you led the way further forward. You passed by several containment chambers, test chambers, and even a couple of food storage sections. The test and containment chambers didn't deliver much in terms of useful items. Fortunately, the food storage did give you a ton of frozen meat to work with. So much so, that Lars would eventually jokingly say: "At this rate, I might as well start using some of this deli meat as well for food!" Eventually though, as you explored an office, you would hear Katya speak up from outside the room, having spotted something very important.

"Subject spotted approximately 250 feet away from us. Subject appears tall, with large amounts of fluff, horns and some kind of tail. Subject also appears hooved." Though as you and your men rushed out of the room to see for yourself, Katya spoke up more alarmingly. "Subject is running the other way." With your thermal vision, you could indeed see a rather warm and tall subject running away from you. She was carrying backpacks with... well, you didn't know what. But, it probably was important.

>What do you do next.

>Chase after her right away. Clearly, she wasn't an evil subject, given that her first choice was to retreat. Chasing after her was maybe a little difficult because of some of the patches of ice, but should still be manageable. Hell, you could even yell at her to stop. (Write in if there's anything you do whilst chasing her.)
>Shoot at her from a distance to incapacitate her. You had plenty of ammunition to work with, and it was safer to shoot her than to risk chasing her to god knows where. (Write in who you'll get to fire the shot.)
>Get Katya to chase after her and hopefully bring her back. Katya managed to lift up and take down Reika. So surely, this fluffy yet tall subject wouldn't be too much trouble for her to pin down and bring to you. (Write in what you ask Katya to do.)
>Leave the unknown subject alone. She clearly didn't want trouble, was scared of you, or had some other reason to avoid going after you. Besides, chasing her could only incite her further.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6274839
>My death was caused by an accident which I do not think anyone could have foreseen.
Uh, unless you wrote this note posthumously it sounds like you did foresee it

>>6274842
>Get Katya to chase after her and hopefully bring her back. Katya managed to lift up and take down Reika. So surely, this fluffy yet tall subject wouldn't be too much trouble for her to pin down and bring to you. (Write in what you ask Katya to do.)
Just talk to her. Assure her we're friendly and try to get her to stop so we can talk to her as well, but no physical coercion or even getting too close.

>>6274842
Supporting >>6274846
A fellow subject should have a much easier time talking to another subject compared to a death squad member.

>>6274846
The circumstances behind the how he got fridged no one could have foreseen until after it happened and he was slowly dying from frostbite so it's not inaccurate. Supporting this plan. Hopefully Katya doesn't scare her off further and uses what limited people skills she has to the best effect. I initially was going to say whoever spotted us has to have good perception, but we don't have the best camo for a winter environment and I have no clue how well or poorly this place is lit. Still gonna chalk them up as medium at minimum but expect them to be a high unless they have specialized equipment.

Think this might be a new girl not in the tablet. None of the subjects with fur or described as fluffy match a skittish subject from my memory. Hopefully we can figure out who they are with the help of the girls.

>>6274881
It doesn't fit either Anesa or TD-26, since neither of them would run away. It could be Valentina beating a preemptive retreat, but who knows on the fluff? I get the impression that this sector isn't well recce'd and has a lot of unknowns.

Instead of just KK, how about both she and Chrys go, carrying Chrys if she needs extra speed? That way we don't make the big scary Roraima subject with absolutely no people skills do the talking. We did bring the bug along as an ambassador, after all.

and QM, could writing updates at half five in the morning be part of why you're so tired?

>>6274924
Supporting the Chrys+KK plan; most subjects wouldn't distrust an Anderson subject, but they WILL distrust anything that had gone through the hands of Roraima or Elbrus - and not without reason.

Personally I'd assume the subject to be an unknown arctic artiodactyl (likely a reindeer or goat of some kind given the horns, although yaks and sheeps aren't out of the question either), given neither dragons nor onis are known to have hooves or fluffy fur.

>>6273402
>>6273524
>>6274511
Just read through the sheets again, Nikita got his arse kicked by KB-18 Agiri Psyttal, Reika's big-bug murder-buddy whose tall stature resembled that of EM-33 Anofelis Toxori. Both are Anderson's collabs (Agiri with Roraima, Ano with Jabal), although Agiri can be readily distinguished by her four limbs instead of Ano's six.

>>6273296
No, it's "smug like a slug trying to hug a bug in a mug under a rug".

File: Longhorned-Highland-Bull-(...).jpg (400 KB, 1800x1200)

400 KB JPG

>>6274842
>Subject appears tall, with large amounts of fluff, horns and some kind of tail. Subject also appears hooved
Placing bets on the subject being based on scottish cattle

>Get Katya to chase after her and hopefully bring her back. Katya managed to lift up and take down Reika. So surely, this fluffy yet tall subject wouldn't be too much trouble for her to pin down and bring to you.
Seeing that the subject was quickly retreating, you would hurriedly tell Katya to go after her. You told Katya to just talk and assure that you were friendly. However, as Katya spread her wings, you told her to wait a moment before turning to Chrys. You asked her to join Katya, making the bug girl look anxiously at you. "W-Wait, are you sure? I-I mean... w-why me?" You reminded her that she was here for an ambassador function, and that Katya was maybe not the best at people skills. Not to mention, Chrys' size and her not being a Roraima subject would also make it easier to convince the unknown subject. Chrys looked over you and your men, before quickly heading over to Katya. "Okay, let's go. You'll protect me if anything goes wrong, right?" Chrys asked Katya, who already would grab the little bug girl and gave a quick nod. "Affirmative." And with that, Katya flapped her wings, before flying further ahead.

"Ya guys think it could be Nandi?" Thaddeus would ask, to which Anon shook his head. "I personally don't think it's her. For one, Nandi would probably not run away from us like that. More importantly, she'd probably have Zati with her." When Anon brought up Zati, Mike would speak up a bit more teasingly. "We would've also probably had an arrow fly at Thalia if that Zati gal was with her, hehe." Thalia clearly did not like the reminder of almost being shot, yet she kept quiet for the most part. "Imagine it being that, uhhhh, other Elbrus bovine subject... what was her name again?" Artyom asked a bit more amusedly. "Hapi, right? Say, maybe Thalia could convince her to stop being such a creep and join us." Lars responded, Thalia looking down in disappointment, continuing to not respond to the comments your men made.

In the meantime, you would carefully follow the path Chrys and Katya took, trying to already go after them just a tiny bit. Unfortunately, you'd soon see Katya appear in the distance again, looking your way before quickly flying over again. And once Katya approached, she brought some... unfortunate news. "I am sorry to announce that I was not able to keep up with the subject in question." She said calmly, as Chrys spoke up soon after. "It wasn't Katya's fault. The girl we were chasing went into a tunnel which had a ton of snow build-up and icicles. Katya unfortunately could never have predicted that there was so much snow and ice in it, which... well, made her crash." Chrys said more supportively, clearly wanting to show that Katya had a good reason as to why she failed. Unfortunately, Katya did not seem to care, instead looking at you and directly saying: "I will accept any punishment or disciplinary action as a result of failing to follow your orders successfully, Mikhail."

Obviously, you were not the type to punish Katya for messing up in an environment she probably wasn't really meant for. Not to mention, her flight capabilities potentially being hampered by having to carry Chrys around. Alan would even say: "Punishment? Pffff, Mik, you aren't gonna punish her, right? I mean, shit happens sometimes... we're not the government, y'know." The rest of your men were quick to agree, with Thaddeus right away saying: "Katya, ya have helped us out a ton. We're not just gonna punish ya now for making one error." Lars would also help out, making a solid suggestion of his own. "Hell, if we wanna chase the subject still, we can always just... try and look for her footprints in the snow. Given the details of the subjects, such as her having hooves, it probably won't be too difficult to track her down using the snow." Despite all the suggestions, Katya continued staring at you, seemingly expecting a proper punishment for her apparent mistake.

>What do you do next?

>Ask Katya why the hell she seemed so... insistent on being punished for her apparent mistake. Was this just a Roraima thing, or was this a common thing with all combat subjects such as herself? (Write in what you ask Katya specifically.)
>Tell Katya you weren't just gonna punish her for a mistake anyone could've made. Sometimes, people made mistakes, and Katya also clearly wasn't able to predict that something would get in the way of er flight path. (Write in what you'll tell her specifically.)
>Try and go after the subject with the tracks she might've left behind. At best, you'd just find her, but just a bit slower than if Katya had given chase successfully. At worst, you'd stray a bit too far away from the main path.
>The subject was probably long gone by now, so better to just explore something else. Perhaps going to the main hallway would lead to you spotting more subjects? (Write in where you'll head off to.)
>Set up some sort of a trap near where the subject passed by. A camera trap could spot her again and maybe show a bit more of what she was like. Or, you could set up some more serious traps to ensure she couldn't escape the next time. (Write in what kind of trap you'll set up.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(A rather short post because... unfortunately, someone had to roll a 1 today. Alas, the new subject might not be as easy to encounter because of that.)

>>6275305
>Tell Katya you weren't just gonna punish her for a mistake anyone could've made. Sometimes, people made mistakes, and Katya also clearly wasn't able to predict that something would get in the way of er flight path. (Write in what you'll tell her specifically.)
Shit happens, she shouldn't be worried about getting punished, hell if we got punished every time we lost a target during a mission we wouldn't be a Lodger right now.

>>Ask Katya why the hell she seemed so... insistent on being punished for her apparent mistake. Was this just a Roraima thing, or was this a common thing with all combat subjects such as herself? (Write in what you ask Katya specifically.)
Katya, why are you so insistent on being punished? I don't know what sort of brainwash Roraima did to you but stuff like that doesn't warrant a punishment. We said once and we repeat, she shouldn't let Roraima's abuse shackle her, requesting punishment for stuff she couldn't control, She seeing herself as a weapon with no other purpose, having no vision for her future other than goverment stuf, that's no way to live.

>>6275305
>Ask Katya why the hell she seemed so... insistent on being punished for her apparent mistake. Was this just a Roraima thing, or was this a common thing with all combat subjects such as herself?
We should make sure neither she nor Chrys were injured in the crash.
Also punish her.
Have her hop in place on one leg while patting her head with one arm and rubbing her stomach with the other at the same time, for one minute.
Truly my cruelty knows no bounds.

Mission failed, we'll get 'em next time.
>>6275305
First off KK, are you or Chrys injured?
>Tell Katya you weren't just gonna punish her for a mistake anyone could've made. Sometimes, people made mistakes, and Katya also clearly wasn't able to predict that something would get in the way of her flight path.
You were given a hasty task in an unsuitable environment for which you were not designed or trained to operate and failure should not, cannot and will not be held against you. While the lack of success is frustrating, you nonetheless attempted to carry out these orders to the best of your abilities and punishment would be counterproductive and serve no logical purpose. Merely learn from this experience, should you be called to attempt it again.
You can't win 'em all, girl. Nobody can, as much as Roraima though he could torture you until you could.
>Set up some sort of a trap near where the subject passed by. A camera trap could spot her again and maybe show a bit more of what she was like. Or, you could set up some more serious traps to ensure she couldn't escape the next time.
Leave a couple of camera traps and move on. This clearly highly skittish subject is going to be far away by now, possibly in a hidden bolthole and taking advantage of the terrain to evade us. We're just going to waste our time searching for them and should come back later.
>The subject was probably long gone by now, so better to just explore something else. Perhaps going to the main hallway would lead to you spotting more subjects?
Just resume our previous search. See if we can spot recent signs of people throughout the southern half of the cooler sector. At the end of the day, we're primarily here to look for some humans, not subjects.

In hindsight, it's probably a good thing we didn't pick up Nomi. I think she'd be taking the cold even worse than Chrys.

>>6275305
>Tell Katya you weren't just gonna punish her for a mistake anyone could've made. Sometimes, people made mistakes, and Katya also clearly wasn't able to predict that something would get in the way of er flight path. (Write in what you'll tell her specifically.)

Basically what you said, plus that first, punishing people for unknown factors does little other than wrecking morale and team cohesion; and second, we're just glad they're okay - KK's airspeed is no joke and crashing from that isn't something we'd like to try any time soon - hells, if anything we're more surprised by her being able to fly AT ALL in such limited spaces like tunnels and corridors, so not being able to fly through icicles shouldn't be anything that warrants punishment!

Tell both KK and Chrys they're brave girls and hug them lots. Tell them not to push themselves and if a place is too narrow / cluttered / inhospitable to fly in then... don't. We don't want them to get hurt esp. when out of combat.

then
>Ask Katya why the hell she seemed so... insistent on being punished for her apparent mistake. Was this just a Roraima thing, or was this a common thing with all combat subjects such as herself? (Write in what you ask Katya specifically.)

Ask her how she was usually treated for such incidents, whether it's common for Roraima to do so, and whether is it common for other scientists to do the same. In no uncertain terms tell her such actions are hella abusive and we will neither condone such actions nor do it ourselves.

>Try and go after the subject with the tracks she might've left behind. At best, you'd just find her, but just a bit slower than if Katya had given chase successfully. At worst, you'd stray a bit too far away from the main path.

The tunnel having more ice and snow meant it's likely to be closer to whatever's causing the blizzard here, we should be on the right track.

(out-of-universe question: Dr. Anderson, I know you aren't her in-universe creator, but how is KK capable of flying straight up again? does she have integrated thrusters or anti-gravity systems to augment her flight?)

>Tell Katya you weren't just gonna punish her for a mistake anyone could've made. Sometimes, people made mistakes, and Katya also clearly wasn't able to predict that something would get in the way of her flight path.
After Lars made his suggestion, you agreed that it would be for the best to just go after the unknown subject using her tracks. Though before heading out, you would walk over to Katya. You looked up at the owl subject, before telling her that she couldn't succeed at every mission you gave her. Especially since this was potentially an area she wasn't familiar with at all. She clearly was designed for more open areas, rather than cramped and snowed over tunnels. "I have trained for such areas in the past, albeit not with snow as an obstacle. However, this does not change the fact that I failed the assignment you gave me, which should require some form of reprehension." Katya said calmly, you telling her that you really wouldn't hold it against her. She did her best, but sometimes things go wrong, and punishing everyone for the smallest failure would not be beneficial in any way.

"This was not a small failure though. My purpose is to follow your orders, to track subjects and to combat subjects. Failing at such tasks should not be tolerated." You mentioned that failure, no matter how gravely it affected you, would still not make punishment logical. Hell, you told her that this was just a learning moment for her, helping her improve her own performance in the future. "This is... logical." Katya mumbled, before you told her that you wanted to keep her morale up, and punishing her would not help with that. In fact, you reassured her that team cohesion and her wellbeing were important to you. You even stated that you were more concerned with if she was injured or not. Katya seemed a little surprised, before speaking calmly. "Negative. I have not suffered any injury from the crash."

Given the speeds she could travel at, you stated that you were relieved she was okay. Though, you also quickly turned to Chrys, asking her if she was fine. "Sure. A fall won't do much to me. And the snow did cushion the blow a ton. Honestly, I think the cold got to me more than anything, hehe." Chrys responded, before she looked over at Katya. "You know, Katya, for someone who has never flown in snowy areas like this, you did a very good job!" The rest of your men would also nod along, clearly wanting to give Katya some praise. You would even say that they were both brave for chasing after the subject so fearlessly. You'd give Chrys a quick hug, her seeming a little surprised but clearly accepting. You also would try and give the tall owl subject a hug, which made her stare down at you in confusion. "I do not... understand this sudden affection." Katya quietly mumbled, you telling her not to push herself and to look after herself. You didn't want her to hurt herself, since you did care for her. Not just as a fellow combatant, but as an individual.

>Ask Katya why the hell she seemed so... insistent on being punished for her apparent mistake. Was this just a Roraima thing, or was this a common thing with all combat subjects such as herself?
As you pulled away from the hug, you did actually get curious about the punishment Katya demanded. You asked her why she was so insistent, especially since it clearly was the result of Roraima's abuse and brainwashing techniques. "Because it is most logical for failure to result in punishment. My purpose in life is that I must follow your commands and assist you on your mission. After all, I am designed for combat and chasing down enemy forces. Failure of any kind can lead to you being endangered, or having to get into combat which you should not be in. Therefore, I believe it is only logical that I receive some punishment." Obviously, after hearing this, you wanted to make sure Katya got it through her head that she wasn't bound to the 'purpose' she was given.

You quickly stated that her purpose was one forced onto her by Roraima, and that she shouldn't shackle herself to his abuse. You reminded her that she could find a new purpose in life now, or to become more than just a living weapon for her superiors. Katya did not respond, staring at you in a way where you could at least tell that she was listening and thinking about what you were saying. Shortly after though, you asked her if she was usually punished for such mistakes, and what kind of punishments that even resulted in. "Failures such as these indeed result in punishment in the form of electric shocks through my collar." You asked her if such punishments were common, her giving a slow nod. "Such methods were employed by several other scientists, namely those under Roraima's authority. I do not know if it is common among other high-ranking staff." Obviously, you assumed Logan wouldn't be the type to do such. But, it was concerning to think that scientists like Elbrus had access to these kind of disciplinary methods.

>Try and go after the subject with the tracks she might've left behind. At best, you'd just find her, but just a bit slower than if Katya had given chase successfully. At worst, you'd stray a bit too far away from the main path.
You told Katya that you wouldn't punish her, since it was insanely abusive and pointless. You would never condone such actions and would never hurt her to discipline her. Katya seemed to understand, quietly nodding along before speaking softly. "I... see, Mikhail. I... I promise I will not fail you a second time." Her tone did change a tiny bit, sounding a little more unsure of what she was saying. Still, you suggested to just track the subject's footprints. And since Chrys and Katya mentioned there being more snow, you got a feeling that it was close to whatever was causing the blizzard down here. Your men agreed, as you right away would lead the way, heading to where Chrys and Katya crashed, before following the footsteps in the snow.

It didn't take too long, requiring a few twists and turns. You'd pass by more subject chambers, a couple of larger test chambers, before reaching the small side tunnel. Indeed, there was a lot more snow and ice in it, you even having to crouch a few times to deal with the ice. "And ya think ya could've flown through this?" Thaddeus asked Katya, who spoke without hesitation. "Affirmative. However, I... believe I might have miscalculated my odds and the necessary movement whilst I was following the subject." Regardless, you'd keep going for quite a while, before reaching a VERY large hallway. It was presumably the main hall heading south to god knows where. The entire place was covered in a thick layer of snow, there being quite a large number of foot prints going all over the place. Looking to your right, you saw what you presumed to be the southern exit. And looking left, you saw that the hall continued for a very long distance.

Subject chambers lined the main hallway, some being rather massive and even having some snowy landscapes within them. It was actually quite impressive how these chambers looked from a distance. Though, as you looked around, you'd feel a lot of air coming from the north. It brought some snow with you, you and your men having to use your hands to block out the snow. And from the snow, you would see something quickly approaching you from within the snow. It was a subject, a relatively tall one from the looks of things. She had wolf-like ears and a tail wagging behind her, as Katya spoke up soon after. "Unknown subject approaching. It appears to be canine or lupine in nature..." You had to be quick though, as the subject was rapidly approaching you along with the snowstorm which made it difficult to see them clearly...

>What do you do next?

>Fire a warning shot at the approaching subject. From a distance, the subject looked VERY similar to Grise. Of course, Grise wouldn't care much about a warning shot, but it'd at the very least let her know you weren't gonna go down without a fight. (Write in who fires the warning shot.)
>Get in a defensive formation right away. You didn't wanna scare the subject away by immediately attacking her, but it was still a good idea to prepare for Grise to appear from behind the snowstorm. (Write in how you'll set up your defences.)
>Yell at her to get her attention or to slow her down. If it was Grise, then you would at the very least lure her your way which made her more predictable. And if it wasn't Grise, you could make them aware of your presence. (Write in what you'll yell at them.)
>Get Katya to flyover to see if the subject would chase her or not. If it was Grise, she'd probably just focus Katya down. And if it wasn't Grise, Katya could maybe talk to them and see what their deal was.
>Hide nearby in a chamber or office space. Better to hide and see what the subject did, before acting out on your own. (Write in where you'll try to hide.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Alright, I don't know if I'll get an update out tomorrow, since I'll be going on vacation for two weeks to England with a friend of mine. I'll definitely make updates throughout this period, since I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to actually write, but it will definitely reduce my update output a bit. Hope you guys won't mind that too much.)

(As for your (>>6275378) question about KK, she does indeed have some miniature thrusters which help her with sustained high velocity flight. I think one anon compared it to the MCU Falcon in the past, which I think is a fairly accurate way to describe her flying abilities.)

(Anyway, if I missed anything or made any errors, please let me know. I am admittedly a little on edge because of this holiday, so I may have missed questions or made some mistakes in this update. Please let me know.)

>>6275879
>Get Katya to flyover to see if the subject would chase her or not. If it was Grise, she'd probably just focus Katya down. And if it wasn't Grise, Katya could maybe talk to them and see what their deal was.
I wanna see her fly through a corridor with such dense ice - what does she do with her wings?

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Excellent, that takes the hug counter up to 7. I think we short circuited KK's brain a bit there since I don't think she's ever gotten any kind of physical affection from anyone before, which is a depressingly common thread among subjects. We should continue doing it when opportunities arise to get her used to it as part of teaching her to be a person with self-value. Next up, feathery headpats (when we can reach......) and wing snuggles. Bonus points if we can completely break her composure.
>>6275879
>Hide nearby in a chamber or office space. Better to hide and see what the subject did, before acting out on your own.
I think it's a fairly good chance this is Grise, in which case we can try and force a rerun of our first encounter in a room with a chokepoint entrance. Everyone in here with us in a battleline at the back and KK waiting near the door in case she needs to grab her. I wonder if she's regenerated from our last encounter by now.
Even if it's not Grise, it could well also be a hostile unknown local subject as well. Launch a drone to go and check her out while we prepare the ambush.

>>6275881
Welcome to Blighty, enjoy yer stay. If you wind up in or around Kent, I might crash your party.

>>6275914
Supporting this. I don't think it's Grise, I doubt the QM would make us run into her again so soon, and given there was another subject here not five minutes ago I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of her friends, and I'd rather not have our introduction be how we shot one of her friends. Besides, I believe Katya is the most perceptive of the girls with us and with her speed she should be fine. Hell, if I'm wrong and this actually is Grise I kind of want to see how well she can handle dealing with her in a one on one. Given the introduction to this thread, I have a hunch she's adept at dealing with mindless opponents.

>>6275879
Can't believe you are going to England. Should have gone to Ireland, Scotland, Wales or any other celtic portion of the isles instead of the anglos. And a word of advice, stay out of London as much as possible if you can, the clocktower isn't worth being in that hellhole of a city, and given the nature of the M25 you'll never leave it if you have the misfortune of being stuck there.

>>6275879
>Get in a defensive formation right away. You didn't wanna scare the subject away by immediately attacking her, but it was still a good idea to prepare for Grise to appear from behind the snowstorm. (Write in how you'll set up your defences.)

Standard anti-Grise formation, ready the railgun load the launchers, load the C-08 grenade rifle with the HE (if we have dual-purpose shaped-charge/HEAT grenades like IRL 40mm 'nades then even better) and the underslung launcher with smoke.

while
>Get Katya to flyover to see if the subject would chase her or not. If it was Grise, she'd probably just focus Katya down. And if it wasn't Grise, Katya could maybe talk to them and see what their deal was.

Have Chrys take to the air as well (and hovering/circling further back), once again, most subjects might hold a lot more reservations against Roraima and/or Elbrus subjects compared to Anderson's, and KK should be able to buy enough time for Chrys to rejoin our lines even assuming we're encounter Grise or another rabid Roraima/Elbrus subject.

>>6275920

>If you wind up in or around Kent, I might crash your party.
Unfortunately, the closest I'll be is Putney. We're going to head the exact *opposite* direction from Kent for the entire vacation, it seems.

>>6275929
>Can't believe you are going to England.
Hey, after going to clean, pristine and modern India, I had to be a bit more adventurous and head to a more... rough and brutal country. Something unlike anything in the Western world...

>Should have gone to Ireland, Scotland, Wales or any other celtic portion of the isles instead of the anglos.
We'll be staying in London for... just three days, really. My friend REALLY wanted to visit London once, so I couldn't say no to that. The rest of the holiday will be spent near Cardiff in Wales, Edinburgh and Inverness. So, really, not much in Engerland.

>And a word of advice, stay out of London as much as possible if you can
Too late, we're going there now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honestly, the only reason I am excited to go to London... is because we'll be near Richmond park, which has MOTHERFUCKIN' STAG BEETLES. Fuck all the rest of London, I just want my goddamn beetles!

>>6276041
Dr. Thorell, your entomophilia is showing.
Also, is it just me... or does subject IB-79's antennae look oddly similar to the mandibles on a stag beetle? IIRC both the Chrysididae and the Carabidae have segmented antennae quite different from those on IB-79... and moths usually have feather-like antennae instead of... whatever IB-79's having.

>>6275879
The visibility inside a snowstorm is rather limited, and given the subject is making a beeline towards us I doubt we have enough time to set up an ambush.

>Get in a defensive formation right away. You didn't wanna scare the subject away by immediately attacking her, but it was still a good idea to prepare for Grise to appear from behind the snowstorm. (Write in how you'll set up your defences.)

Have every weapon trained on the wolf and get KK ready to tackle the subject in case our fire failed to achieve immediate incapacitation like our last run-in with Grise or Reika. Also get KK and Chrys ready to give chase in case the wolf turned tail and ran.

then
>Yell at her to get her attention or to slow her down. If it was Grise, then you would at the very least lure her your way which made her more predictable. And if it wasn't Grise, you could make them aware of your presence. (Write in what you'll yell at them.)

Tell the wolf subject to slow down, we're here to talk and don't want to hurt innocents, but we're still rather on edge after our last run-in with another wolf subject so we might misinterpret her actions as hostile.

If the wolf talks it's probably not Grise, but if the wolf is animalistic and missing an arm...
Grise was noted to be "extraordinarily aggressive and mindless, rushing anyone she spots and attacking right away" so it is in-character for her to rush us in case she identified us as potential prey; however, we cannot rule out the possibility of the wolf being an innocent Mona/Illimani subject with white fur.

>>6276041
Central London is Kent-adjacent. I can jump on a train and be in Putney in <90 minutes for a tenner at the weekend. But real talk, I can't imagine you wanting some random guy off the internet showing up and I'm not a beetle fan.
Don't get eaten by provincial savages while you're off the maps. We will await your return when you re-enter civilised territory with an internet connection.

>>6276062
>he hasn't realised Anderson is the QM's self-insert

>>6276062
>Dr. Thorell, your entomophilia is showing.
I freakin' love bugs! If I could make a bug into a cute anime girl, I would do so right now!

>or does subject IB-79's antennae look oddly similar to the mandibles on a stag beetle?
I can definitely see it a little bit. The little bits that jut out do kind of make it look like jaws. If they pointed straight up, you'd probably get a decent enough set of jaws.

>IIRC both the Chrysididae and the Carabidae have segmented antennae quite different from those on IB-79... and moths usually have feather-like antennae instead of... whatever IB-79's having.
I think they look most similar serrate or clavate antennae. Though, the original pic does make it a little more unique compared to normal antennae.

>>6276193
>I can't imagine you wanting some random guy off the internet showing up
I mean, I once met up with a guy I got to know over discord. We went to Amsterdam together, which ended up being quite nice. I honestly don't think it'd be too bad to meet up with people you get to know online. Especially those who share the same intere-

>and I'm not a beetle fan.
GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!

>We will await your return when you re-enter civilised territory with an internet connection.
I joked to my friends that I am gonna go to something even more primitive than last year's destination. They probably suspect somewhere in fucking Africa... it'll be funny to send them some pics of Big Ben and what not.

>>6276219
>I freakin' love bugs!
Delivering 10000 australian wasps to your current location

>They probably suspect somewhere in fucking Africa... it'll be funny to send them some pics of Big Ben and what not.
Make sure to caption it something funny, like "I'm really out in the boonies now"

>>6276193
>he hasn't realised Anderson is the QM's self-insert
Oh I know, 'is 'andle i' lit'r'lly "Anderson Thorell", wha' els' an' I gunna call 'im? "Dr. Gauthier"?
(preemptive apologies for my utterly horrendous impression of a British accent)

>>6276309
> Delivering 10000 australian wasps to your current location
For the love of all that's holy, PLEASE DON'T GIVE HIM IDEAS! I'm soooo holding it against ya if we're ever to encounter some rabid Anderson-made wasp subject.

>>6276309
>Delivering 10000 australian wasps to your current location
Bold of you to assume that I would dislike that. Wasps are based.

>>6276392
>For the love of all that's holy, PLEASE DON'T GIVE HIM IDEAS!
Bold of you to assume that I haven't already made a wasp subject ;) maybe there will be a subject more fitting of the previous Anton's description.

Also, I'm on the airport, waiting for our flight for a while. Maybe I can write a bit of an update in the meantime...

>>6276421
> Bold of you to assume that I haven't already made a wasp subject ;)
Oh no. Oh noes. May Alpha Copernicus have mercy on our souls.
(Incidentally Chrys might be part-wasp herself given the Chrysididae family is also known as cuckoo/emerald wasps)

> maybe there will be a subject more fitting of the previous Anon's description.
As in stag beetle subjects, Australian wasp subjects, or...

>>6275879
>>Get Katya to flyover to see if the subject would chase her or not. If it was Grise, she'd probably just focus Katya down. And if it wasn't Grise, Katya could maybe talk to them and see what their deal was.
Safest bet so far plus defensive positions.
>>6275920
Did we also hug Chrysidius beforehand or is she also included togueter in the hug list? Dont wanna leave out this poor neglected girl.
>pic related
I think that is the perfect level to hug a taller woman, you reach all the soft spots plus her wing span can cover Mik easily
>>6276219
Yo Anderson how was India by the way? Did you see anything funny?

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>>6276751
I don't think we did give her a hug before. Funnily enough, that's because she, like Oreas, has been remarkably emotionally stable and resilient (she was neglected, but seems to have largely taken it in stride compared to the likes of Vinisha and her baggage) given the circumstances and so has avoided triggering the hug response until now.

Our shoulders are about level with her hips, so we have to raise our arm up a bit to wrap around this tall girl's midriff - it'd be easier if she was just a few inches shorter. Incidentally, much of her stature is in her legs and, if we both sat down, we'd be more or less shoulder to shoulder to with her. You are right about the wings though, I have a need for feathers. They're just sitting there tragically un-snuggled now. I think KK might get rather flustered and confused if we asked heh.

>>6276760
>I have a need for feathers. They're just sitting there tragically un-snuggled now. I
Me too friend. She did give Chrys the feathers cocoon hug so there’s definitely hope for us.

>Get in a defensive formation right away. You didn't wanna scare the subject away by immediately attacking her, but it was still a good idea to prepare for Grise to appear from behind the snowstorm.
Knowing how best to handle Grise, you told your men to get in a defensive formation. You told them to have every weapon aimed at the wolf, before telling Katya and Chrys to get ready to give chase if the wolf ran again. "M-Me, chase Grise?" Chrys said so quietly that you almost barely registered it. "Mik, what formation?!" Artyom asked, clearly not being familiar with how you dealt with Grise in the past. You told them that the railgun was key, Thaddeus having already readied it. You also told Evander to prepare his grenade launcher with the strongest explosives he got, as well as Anon with some smoke grenades. "Roger!" They said in unison, whilst the rest of your men got close together as the snowstorm approached.

>Get Katya to flyover to see if the subject would chase her or not. If it was Grise, she'd probably just focus Katya down. And if it wasn't Grise, Katya could maybe talk to them and see what their deal was.
As the wolf subject got closer and closer, you would tell Katya to already flyover. "Affirmative." Katya said, you paying some more attention to how she flew around, now that you had heard of her crashing once. You just hoped that Katya could retreat if the wolf subject attacked her. After all, Katya could still pounce the wolf if she somehow survived all the counter fire. In fact, Katya could act as a final option to deal with Grise in case everything failed. Either way, Katya would spread her wings, you noticing some snow blowing away behind her. You noticed that some jets were assisting her in getting off the ground, her taking a few fast steps forward before leaping into the air, before quickly flying over to the approaching snowstorm and disappearing from view.

With Katya in the air, you told Chrys to also take to the air to act as a scout from a distance. Chrys was taken by surprise, before opening her carapace and taking to the sky. "R-Right! I'll do my best, Mik!" Thus, she also took to the sky, loudly buzzing as she went further up and between you and the snow storm. However, as things went quiet and you and your men pointed your guns at the incoming snowstorm, something seemed to change. The snowstorm seemed to grow weaker, some of the snow particles passing over you, not hitting you in the slightest. You did feel plenty of wind battering you and your men, but the snowstorm seemed to avoid you. And through the snow particles, you saw the dark outline of Katya with the wolf beside her. The wolf was no longer running, appearing rather calm as it walked beside Katya. The wolf was only a tiny bit shorter than Katya, and appeared to be walking rather casually over to you and your men.

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And as the snow storm died down more and more, you'd finally see more and more details of the subject. And to your relief, the wolf subject was not Grise. Hell, you doubted this girl was related to Grise in any way, given the way she appeared. She did have pristine white fur like Grise, but her skin was darker and her appearance far cleaner and pleasant. She wasn't roughed up or bloodied or tattered at all. Hell, the only bit of red she had, was a cute little cape she wore. Behind a large set of glasses, you saw these curious, friendly, pearly eyes looking over you and your men. "I presume that isn't Grise?" Artyom asked, at which point the world girl grew particularly excited. "Oooohhhh, it is true! You... you befriended some of those soldier folk! Ahhhh, apologies! I was just obscuring myself in snow! I don't wanna deal with angry guardsmen, troublesome subjects, or... well, the uhhhh, more aggressive guys you look like..." The wolf girl said excitedly, some of your men already lowering their weapons.

Of course, some remained sceptical, even as Katya spoke up. "Upon seeing that this subject is not Grise, I decided to try and converse with her. It appears to have worked, as she seems to be of a low threat level." This made the wolf girl look a little confused. "Ummm, can you... can you start talking more normally now? The way you talk is, ummm, kinda weird." The wolf girl said, before Thaddeus spoke up in a cautious yet open tone. "What's yer name and codename?" The wolf girl would put her claws together. "Oh, my name is Kenai Amaruq, codename SW-21, which stands for snow wolf!" She let out a quiet giggle, before speaking a little more anxiously. "Ummm, you... you guys got a lot of guns... ummmm, you... I, uhhh, must admit they're... kinda scaring me." She rubbed the back of her head, clearly being a bit on edge as well.

>What do you do next?

>Tell your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out. (Write in if you tell your men anything on how to treat her.)
>Since you had no clue who she was, and you had no clue what her intentions were, it was far safer to keep your guns out. Let her know your reluctance, but that you were willing to let her talk to convince you. Hell, maybe she could do something to show that she was trustworthy. (Write in what will make you lower your guns.)
>Since Grise was still in this area, and Kenai was clearly a fellow wolf girl, the two might just be working together. In other words, it was a pretty good idea to keep your guns at the ready. You weren't going to be tricked by an intelligent, snow wolf!
>Ask her some questions about... well, anything. Who she was, who her creator was, why she was running around making a snowstorm, who she saw here previously... (Write in your questions.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Anderson doesn't have a license to post on 4chan so the superior scientist has to post his update for him. He has some responses for people here too but just because he no longer has his spider wife by him to act as secretary doesn't mean I am her replacement, so you'll just have to wait for him to file out all the necessary paperwork first before you can see it.)

>>6277502
Well the writing style does seem to check out.
Does England have 4chan blocked or something?

>Tell your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out.
Ask her the standard set of questions.

>>6277502
>ll your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out. (Write in if you tell your men anything on how to treat her.)
She seems nice
>he no longer has his spider wife by him
Did he really leave behind his waifu to take a vacation? Not very nice of him.

>>6277502
>Tell your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out. (Write in if you tell your men anything on how to treat her.)

Personally I'd say "treat her like we do Morgan" given she's likely a Mona/Illimani subject.

>Ask her some questions about... well, anything. Who she was, who her creator was, why she was running around making a snowstorm, who she saw here previously... (Write in your questions.)

Ask who her creators are (which we sorta know but needs confirmation) and how she feels about them, what her powers are, what's going on around this place since the KaBoom and why there's so much ice and snow here, whether she knows any subject around here (esp. Anesa given her ice powers), whether she've seen some horned and floofy subject around here, etc.


Tell her we've sorta heard of her - a Mona / Illimani snow wolf subject - from Kamara and Morgan, and we know neither scientists make rabid subjects like Roraima or Elbrus did. Illimani subjects all tend to be honorable (if a bit looney) folks, and Mona's subjects are only as evil as their co-creators are, so we trust her to be honorable like her half-sisters.

Tell her we're pals with Kamara and Morgan, and we apologize for scaring her given we've encountered a rabid white wolf subject and was still a bit on-edge.

>>6277502
>Tell your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out.
Well, she doesn't seem threatening and her logic seems sound but, if she has anything up her non-existent sleeve and isn't as friendly as she looks, she's standing next to the second most dangerous weapon here. I'm not particularly worried.
>Ask her some questions about... well, anything. Who she was, who her creator was, why she was running around making a snowstorm, who she saw here previously...
Who is her creator(s)?
Does she know any of these three or any of the others back at base? Do they know of her?
We saw a subject not long ago. Tall, horned, tailed, hooved, fluffy. She ran away and we lost her, do you know who that was?
Has she seen any other death squads or subjects roving around here recently?
And then the Standard Questionnaire

Don't mind Katya here, that's just how she talks. Blame Roraima for that.
and speaking of, well done KK.

>>6277508
Anderson is experiencing the joys of trying to post on 4chan on public wifi.

>>6277514
All our girls are going to need financial literacy and scam awareness courses in the postscript.
I fully expect Annie to have a podcast on GalNet.

>>6277521
Have we heard of her? I have no recollection of hearing about any wolves from those two and haven't seen anything on a brief archive search.

>>6277542
>Have we heard of her?

Refer to
>>6273756
> The silence was eventually broken by Kamara. “Ummm, I, uhhh, r-remember... some s-sorta... w-wolf subject? I-I recall Mona m-mentioning her.” Morgan would quickly join in, sharing her own knowledge on this wolf subject. “I do believe Mona and Illimani made some kind of snow wolf subject. Though, details are vague to me as well.

>>6277545
That'll be why, I searched the past threads for it and not just a few updates ago.
It sounds like neither of them actually know her, though she might know of them.

>>6277514
Chrys is really adorable here goddamn

>>6277592
It's Chrys, 'nuff said.

>>6277521
>>6277542
Voting for this

>>6277502
>>6276219
QM?

>>6278582
In case you missed it repeatedly, the QM's on holiday right now - updates will be slow and sporadic for the next week and a half and he may not be able to post at all if he has bad luck with hotel wifi network bans.

>>6278582
Still on his bongland vacation
Not even halfway done

>Tell your men to lower your weapons. Given that Katya deemed her a low threat, and she appeared to be rather kind, it was probably better to just be nice to here. Hell, if you were nice, she'd maybe even help you out.
Despite you and your men still being on edge, you decided to give her a chance and told your men to lower your weapons. Kenai immediately let out a sigh of relief, as you mentioned that she did not appear threatening. "Thanks! I... I promise you that I am not a threat at all. I mean, I don't like getting into fights at all, and... You guys seem nice too, so I don't see why we'd need to get into a fight and... Yeah, hehehe." She giggled a little anxiously, as your men lowered their guns. Your men remained vigilant though despite their curiosity and openness. After all, Kenai could still jump you at any time. Then again, any attempt to jump you would be rather pointless, given that she was standing next to a highly effective subject disabling weapon in the form of Katya.

>Ask her some questions about... well, anything. Who she was, who her creator was, why she was running around making a snowstorm, who she saw here previously...
With your guns lowered, you would take the lead in asking Kenai some questions. And, whilst you knew she was made by Mona and Illimani, you wanted to be certain. So, you asked her to the confusion of your men. Kenai was more than happy to explain though, her tail wagging. "I was made by Illimani and Mona! They're great! Gosh, I could tell you all about them. They're wonderful!" Obviously, you agreed to hear what she had to say. Though, the news of Illimani and Mona's death was... something you would have to avoid mentioning for the time being. "Well Illimani is always so kind and relaxed. He was the one to give me my abilities and told me I'd make for a wonderful communications subject on colder planets. Guess I am lucky then that there's so much snow and frost here thanks to Anesa and what not, hehe."
It looked like she knew plenty of things about the subjects in this place, given that she so eagerly mentioned Anesa. Still, she wasn't done chatting still, as she eagerly continued about Mona. "Anyway, I also really love Mona. She is so sweet, gentle and caring! My, I always feel terrible when that horrid Elbrus and Roraima so brazenly pushed themselves onto her! I could strangle those bastards!" There was a genuine hint of rage and fury in Kenai's voice, which made some of your men look rather approvingly. Katya didn't really seem to care, whilst you saw Thalia looking a little bit unsure on what to think. Regardless, you mentioned how you actually knew of her already, which made her look most curious. "You do? Ahhh, how do you know? Did some of my siblings tell you?" You explained that you were friends with Kamara and Morgan, the former not eliciting much of a response whilst the latter certainly got Kenai's interest.

"Ooh, you know Morgan! That's amazing! Morgan is pretty cool! I mean, I don't remember meeting her before, but Illimani spoke pretty highly of her!" You mentioned that Illimani did indeed have loyal and honourable subjects, which made Kenai chuckle. Though you also pointed out that Mona's subjects were quite pleasant, minus the ones influenced by Elbrus and Roraima. It made Kenai look more disappointed. "Yes, that's true. Those bastards... Ugh, why must they ruin so many good things?!" This actually got you to ask if she knew any of the three subjects you were with. Kenai tilted her head and looked at the three subjects you were with. “Hmmm...” She stared at Chrys, who had landed not too long ago, before looking at Thalia. She pointed at Thalia a little bit, taking a deep breath, before putting her hand to her chin. She finally looked over at Thalia, who would look a little unsure how to respond. “I have... no clue who these girls are.” Kenai then said with a surprisingly confident tone.

“Ah, I should maybe introduce myself to you gals as well!” She’d go over to Chrys, giving the small bug a handshake. Chrys seemed amused, happily shaking along. Afterwards, she’d also give Katya a careful handshake, which made the owl look a little unsure. And finally, Thalia received a handshake. “I take it you came from those underwater parts to the left of here. I heard a lot about ‘em, yep.” Kenai said, which made Thaddeus speak up as well. “Really? What did ya hear? And who told ya?” Unfortunately, Kenai was quick to rub the back of her head. “Well, ummm, I mean... I heard it was flooded and... pretty scary from some guardsmen. I haven’t really gone down there myself to see though...” This immediately made you ask what people she had seen down here, specifically asking about death squads and subjects. “Death squads? That’s... are you guys a death squad?” To this, Lydia gave a more calm and friendly response. “On paper, yes. In practice, we do prefer using reason over deadly force.”

Kenai was clearly taken back, before just nodding again. “Well, ummm, I did... see some folk running down here, going after some of the other subjects down here. I’ve been whipping up snowstorms to distract ‘em whilst I scout for people to communicate with.” This seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask about her powers, Kenai’s tail wagging. “Weeeeell, I can manipulate ice and snow! Like... I can sorta attract it or move it around in some way. I have no clue how it works. I think Illimani once explained it to me, buuut I kinda forgot. But yeah, check this out!” She’d twirl her hands, as you saw snow particles starting to form between them, as well as snow moving from the environment towards the growing storm of ice crystals between her hands. “I especially love running around, forming snowstorms with all the snow that’s present here. It’s brilliant!” Afterwards, she stopped moving her hands, before continuing to giddily explain her abilities.

“Aaaaand, to help me further, Mona and Illimani also gave me some real good scent abilities, cold resistance and some sorta thing with my paws to not sink in snow or slip on ice. Perfect for tracking stuff, communicating over great distances. It’s like... well, this environment was made for me, haha!” Though on the topic of this environment, you wanted to know what was going on around this place. Especially in the context of the disaster. This actually got Kenai to think for a bit, even sitting down with crossed legs. “Pffffff, I... don’t know, really. I just remember being in my chamber as things went to crap, there being a lot of shaking and glass breaking, before the lights went out. I started running around, looking for people, as the cold spread more and more. Anesa and Valentina were causing a lot of trouble forming ice and what not, which was nice for my running but... not as nice for all the people around here. I think most folk have already fled this place, but I’ve been looking around for anyone in trouble to try and save them. It’s... not the most pleasant of jobs, but I wanna do something here, especially since I know humans like you folks can’t tolerate the cold very well. Heck, look at Chrysidus over there. She can’t deal with this cold either!”

With her having brought up Valentina and Anesa, you decided to ask a bit about them. “Well, they’re... Valentina can be a bit of a prick. She loves freezing my legs whenever I pass, because I prevented her from doing some awful ‘prank’ to some folk who were retreating. Let’s just say... she froze the floor under a bunch of guardsmen who were fleeing from the cold to try and hurt them. Ugh, terrible, she is! Nasty to me as well! Anesa is a whole lot sweeter, that’s for sure. Maybe a little bit... direct and critical, but she means well. She’s also pretty damn smart I’d say. Not to mention, her having helped to form ice all over the place!”

At this point, you were curious if Kenai had spotted some other subjects around, mentioning a fluffy, horned subject. “Fluffy, horned... Ah, Gwenllian! That’s probably who you spotted. Yeah, she’s a rather shy gal. Very sweet, despite the fact that she was made by that moron Elbrus. I haven’t had too much of a chance to chat with her, but she’s sweet.” You elaborated that you saw her and that she ran away, making Kenai nod. “Yeah, she does that a ton. Like I said, she’s pretty shy. I don’t know why, but... I am sure she might’ve just seen you as a threat or something.” Your men looked over at Thalia, her immediately realising that you and your men expected an explanation as to who this Gwenllian was. “Ummm, I... don’t know who she is.” This didn’t just intrigue your men, but also Kenai, who spoke more cautiously. “Why’s everyone looking at you? And what do you mean, you specifically don’t know who she is- waaaait a second.” Kenai squinted her eyes, before speaking a little more cautiously. “You’re another one of Elbrus’ creations, huh?”

Thalia appeared most anxious, before nodding. But, before your men could speak in favour of Thalia, Kenai would thankfully come to the logical conclusion. “Well, these guys seem to trust you. I take it you’re like Gwenllian. Nice, gentle and... not a troublemaker, unlike him.” Thalia rubbed the back of her head and gave a quiet response. “Heh, yeah... I-I try and be a better person than... he was.” Kenai would quickly shift tone to a more gentle and optimistic one. “Well, I am glad to hear that!” She’d even give Thalia a quick pat on the back, before she spoke up a bit more. “Anyway, some other subjects I spotted... well, I saw a creepy nurse subject of some kind. She was rather aggressive, stabbing me with a goddamn medical knife or whatever it’s called! She ran after I bit into her wing, which I would NOT recommend by the way, cause it tasted HORRID! But yeah, she might be around here still... Other than that, uhhh, I’ve seen this terrifying wolf subject around here as well. I tried befriending her, but she immediately attacked me and... utterly terrified me. Blegh! Only reason I escaped from her was cuz I blasted her with snow and ran through the snow.”

Given that this very much sounded like Grise, Anon was quick to ask: “Was she bloodied, did she carry a knife and, most importantly, did she bite you?” Kenai seemed surprised, nodding quickly. “Yeah, she was bloodied and had this... massive square blade, yeah! Didn’t bite me though. Why, do you guys know of this freak?” Thaddeus spoke up right away, happily patting his railgun. “Aye, we... also had an encounter with her. Her name is Grise, and we read about her aplenty.” Kenai nodded quietly, before Lars spoke up as well. “Apparently, she has some... interesting effects with her bite. So, if you are bitten, we suggest you find some medical help right away.” Kenai scoffed. “Don’t worry. I’m juuuust fine.” Though to this, Katya would seem to speak up. “It is impressive that you managed to outrun Grise.”

The compliment made Kenai beam with pride. “Heh, of course! I’m real quick! No way she’d just... catch me like that!” Unfortunately, Katya’s attempt to socialize a bit was undermined by what she said next, revealing her more... analytical and battle-oriented mindset. “Based on what I have read and seen of both of you, I would have estimated your chance of success to be only 41%, given your reliance on snow and friendly demeanour. Not to mention, Grise’s ability to take a lot of damage before retreating.” As Katya kept talking, Kenai’s pride turned to confusion and bewilderment, you quickly explaining that Katya was a little... strange due to Roraima’s treatment. Kenai’s expression turned more saddened, before speaking in a sympathetic tone. “Oh, you poor girl. I am sorry to hear you had to deal with that. I hope you’re doing a whole lot better now with these wonderful soldiers and subjects.”

Katya did not show much emotion, calmly responding: “Your... sympathy is appreciated, but is also not needed.” Kenai seemed unsure what to say, you deciding to just switch topic, as you told her that your defensiveness towards her was the result of your previous encounter with Grise. “Ah, gotcha, gotcha. I don’t blame you at all.” You then remembered the other girls you got back at the base, bringing up the girls who you hadn’t named yet: Anofelis, Oreas, Vinisha and Reika. Unfortunately, Kenai did not seem too familiar with them, as she responded after a good amount of thinking. “I have heard Oreas’ name before... Anofelis also sounds familiar, I think?” It seemed that Kenai knew very little about your own subjects. But hey, at least she knew plenty about this place and the subjects which inhabited it. Though, you still had a couple of questions prepared for her. In fact, you asked her the main list of question you had for practically every staff member and subject you encountered.

You started with the disaster, given that she had already brought it up. “Hmmmm... Well, I was in my frozen, snowy chamber. Then, there was a lockdown with staff retreating due to some subject escaping. Then, things went dark, the earth shook and I was deafened by something. Then, things collapsed, my windows broke and there was no more electricity. Some guardsmen told me it was some massive subject which nobody had ever seen. Oh, wait, one thing I do know! It came from the, uhhhh, from the western part of the facility! Yeah, that’s where some guardsmen were going to contain this unknown subject!” It was at least something new. It was especially useful since you had quite a solid access to the western section of the facility. Though on the topic of the disaster, you wanted to know what she knew about Titania. “Ummm, she was the biggest ever subject made? She was made by Tengri aaaand she was pretty famous. Aside from that, not a clue. Why, what’s up with her?”

You told her that you had gone to her chamber and wanted to know more about her location, given that she was so huge. “Ahhhh, I see... You think she could have played a role in whatever the heck is going on in the facility now?” Kenai asked, which you couldn’t confirm still. Next, you asked her if she knew of any escape routes, to which she shook her head. “Uhhh, not a clue, I’m afraid. Maybe you can go further up in this place to the surface? I... think that some transport ships came through here in the past, so there probably is a way out here.” Another location you wanted to ask for were Roraima and Elbrus’ location, given that they could tell you a ton about this place. “If I knew where they were at... I would’ve rushed down to them a long time ago to beat the living daylight out of them myself! So, no, sorry.” Given that she was clearly interested in beating up Roraima and Elbrus, it brought you to your final question: her plans for the future.

Kenai didn’t seem to think about it for too long. “Well, I just... wanna keep looking for people down here to help out and talk with. Maybe send messages around! Though, I will say, there’s fewer and fewer people around here for some time now. Still, I wanna make sure this place is completely fine before I go elsewhere. Not to mention, it being... quite nice to just wander around here, given my abilities, hehe.” It did make sense that Kenai would want to stay here. Just like Glaucus, it seemed that her current environment was just perfect for her. Still, her abilities in this place could be EXTREMELY useful to you. Tracking down folk, exploring locations of interest, not to mention her being easily able to traverse these icy halls. Hell, one could consider Kenai the perfect little tour guide to the frozen sector!

>What do you do next?

>Ask Kenai to lead the way and show you around the place. Maybe she could take you to some of the other subjects in this place, or locations which could be of particular interest to you? (Write in where you ask Kenai to take you.)
>Ask Kenai to join you in your hunt for France. Maybe her abilities could help you in tracking down other death squads of interest. Or, she could just be an extra set of arms to help you explore this place. (Write in what you tell her about France and your mission.)
>Tell her that there likely are no more survivors in this cold and wretched place, if what you had seen previously was any indication. Perhaps it was better she knew, so she could help people elsewhere, such as in the flooded sector. Or hell, even with your own girls! (Write in what you tell her.)
>Thank her for the information, before telling her that you would be going further down to explore on your own. Clearly, she was busy with other things, and she might make talking with France a little more complicated, given the secrecy of your mission. (Write in what you tell her, before leaving her.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Anderson still needs me to act as a messenger. Also I found your spider wife. She's going to help me now because SOMEONE didn't stick right by her at all times before everything went to shit.)

(Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me? Good grief, the reception in this area is terrible... I'm sorry everyone for needing to use another scientist to share my reports with you guys. Alas, I have entered a dark, long forgotten and dangerous place. Somewhere no death squad would even dare go. A place of psychopaths, monsters and mad men... The United Kingdom...)

(And golly, it seems that I don't just need a monster girl facility license to post updates, but also good fucking reception, which this place in Wales does not have. Hope that explains why this merry good friend of mine has been posting my updates intead. Hope that doesn't lead to any issu-

>>6278988
She's going to help me now because SOMEONE didn't stick right by her at all times before everything went to shit.
(H-HAINA?!)

(Anyway, as for my trip to the UK, it has been eventful. I have seen a female stag beetle (sadly no male but I'll find one after the vacation I hope), and also explored lots of spots in London and Wales. Coal mine was especially lovely. Met up with plenty of friends and will explore Cardiff tomorrow.)

(I also experienced some more... interesting things. Such as, not even an hour after I landed, some hobo threatening to beat me and my friend on the Underground after I told him "in the wrong way" that I wouldn't give him any spare change, which was very funny.)

(>>6276528
>As in stag beetle subjects, Australian wasp subjects, or...
Australian wasps... Ten thousand of em ;) )

(>>6276751
>Yo Anderson how was India by the way? Did you see anything funny?
God, the India trip was a year ago, but I can still tell you a bunch of fun things which happened as if they happened yesterday. Given my posting issues though, I'll instead just list a few things which I think are noteworthy, of which you can pick the most interesting ones you wanna hear about. Then, I can hopefully post those stories later when my internet is better and I can properly fucking post.)
The Malabar squirrel incident
the monkeys
the elephant incident
the sweet fish lady
fish restaurant "celebrities"
Tibetan colonies
the bull temple milk incident
hare Krishna temple
I probably have more stories which I can't remember since it's late whilst I'm writing this, but I can hopefully tell more about em soon. Along with maybe some stories from this place. For the time being, I suggest just checking out the threads from after I got back from India, since they got plenty of details and stories iirc.)

(Anyway, hopefully my 4chan license has been accepted now and I can post. If not... welp, guess I'll have to save onto this until the end of my fucking vacation.)

>>6278988
WELCOOOOME BAAAAAACK ! ! !
>>Ask Kenai to lead the way and show you around the place. Maybe she could take you to some of the other subjects in this place, or locations which could be of particular interest to you? (Write in where you ask Kenai to take you.)

If she knows where Anesa or Gwenllian is, lead the way.
(Also, are we close to where Viri is? Viridian also mentioned Gwenllian and Sirona, aka the "creepy nurse")

then
>Ask Kenai to join you in your hunt for France. Maybe her abilities could help you in tracking down other death squads of interest. Or, she could just be an extra set of arms to help you explore this place. (Write in what you tell her about France and your mission.)

We've heard from Annie that his group was also subject-friendly and helped out RM-1720-c Idalia Helvia by faking her death.
(Katya, any pointers on this Idalia?)

>>6278992
Good to see you're still alive and kickin', doc.

>>6278992
>For the time being, I suggest just checking out the threads from after I got back from India, since they got plenty of details and stories iirc.
Errrm... which threads?

>>6278988
Seems like someone's brain is full of High Speed Thoughts. "SW" actually stands for "Slow down, Woman"
So, sounds like she met our resident Mengele, aka Sirona. We don't know what her capabilities are so that's mildly concerning but I think Grise is generally the bigger threat here.
>Tell her that there likely are no more survivors in this cold and wretched place, if what you had seen previously was any indication. Perhaps it was better she knew, so she could help people elsewhere, such as in the flooded sector. Or hell, even with your own girls!
I'll straight-up lay our cards on the table here. The Facility is dying. Large areas are completely destroyed, all the subjects - both good and bad - are running amok, supplies are running out, thousands are dead, hundreds of death squads just like us have been sent in with orders to shoot everything that moves and no help is coming. She clearly has a good head on her shoulders and an eagerness to help, so why not come with us? We've been disobeying our orders for the last week and a half to rescue subjects, eliminate threats and help out staff (if not us, then who?) and we couldn't have done it without all the subjects by our side and someone able to track by scent would be a great help. While this place is great for her, it's unlikely there are any more survivors to be found here; having all frozen to death, fled or been murdered by Grise or Sirona by now. So how about helping us find Gwen and Anesa and Kiyo if she's here, though we don't know this IC, locate the other probably-friendly death squad (known to have faked the death of a subject) we came here to contact, paying a visit to Elbrus' office nearby and accompanying our adventures to rescue more people?

If she doesn't want to join us for good, we'll settle for just being our guide around here while we search for friendly subjects and France's lot and encouraging her to search further afield afterwards.

-----

Kenai is a place in Alaska (possibly RE the Kenai Peninula wolf) and Amaruq means wolf in a dialect of Inupiaq (reeeeeal original), by the way. Quite what the joke is with the 21 I don't know.

The mention of SAR makes me think that particularly KK, Anofelis and Kenai would all fit VERY comfortably into their relevant niches in that field. KK in the wilderness, Anofelis in the urban or subterranean environment and Kenai in the mountains or Arctic.

>>6279089
We met Viridian around the location of Andrei's office, so on the other side of the facility to the west and further down. Her location information has not been updated since the start of the quest where it was already stale and we don't know were she went after our meeting.

>>6278988
>Ask Kenai to lead the way and show you around the place. Maybe she could take you to some of the other subjects in this place, or locations which could be of particular interest to you? (Write in where you ask Kenai to take you.)
Anesa or Gwenllian locations? Hell yeah

>>6278992
>I also experienced some more... interesting things. Such as, not even an hour after I landed, some hobo threatening to beat me and my friend on the Underground after I told him "in the wrong way" that I wouldn't give him any spare change, which was very funny.
Lmao
Never change, London
(Assuming it didn't happen in Whales)
Congrats on surviving

Alright, I am currently in Edinburgh. Travelling with my friend has mostly been lots of fun, but also very time- and energy-consuming. I'll... maybe see if I can make an update tomorrow or some time the day after, but I really can't guarantee anything.

One thing is for sure though: my entomologist ass prefers going south, rather than going to England. This place is nice, but is lacking in cool bugs to witness. Maybe next year, I'll plan something proper to Indonesia or something.

Oh, also, fuck the UK government and their nanny state BS. Struggling to post to 4chan is one thing, but blocking me from some discord channels because they are tagged NSFW? Come the fuck on, bro.

>>6279091
>Errrm... which threads?
I believe the end of thread 6 and the start of thread 7 have plenty of info about my trip to India. I'd be happy to repeat some of my stories though.

>>6279141
>Never change, London. (Assuming it didn't happen in Whales). Congrats on surviving.
Wales was very pleasant. Aside from two hobos arguing on the streets of Cardiff, I never felt anything bad there. It was lovely, honestly. Hotel was a bit mediocre, but it was to be expected. Also, everyone we tell about the London story corroborates that the city is filled with terrible people. It's not entirely true, given that we saw plenty of lovely folk. But yeah, London definitely felt the most aggressive and dismissive of our presence.

Now to hopefully get some good rest and less conflict between me and my friend in the morning. We wanna explore the castle and also do a tour looking for Puffins on Saturday.

>Just check discord
>4chan is being banned in the UK tomorrow

Saraaaaaaaah, I'm gonna need you to post my updates until I get back.

In all seriousness, I hope this won't affect too many of you guys. I know one anon in the thread will be impacted, and I am pretty disheartened by that fact. Hopefully, any of you British anons will be able to deal with this in some way...

>>6279871
glad to be hearing bruhtain is going well enough for you. As for the India stories im interested in the the bull temple milk incident and the hare Krishna temple

>>6279897
Before britain potentially nukes me from explaining stuff until I get back to my home country, I might as well use my time to explain these little stories.

>Hare Krishna temple
This is the less interesting story, but it's still pretty neat. In Bengaluru, there's this rather modern temple called the ISKCON temple. It's really modern, well maintained and nice looking, as well as being something tourists can easily do. However, there are two paths you can take to go up. One is just a normal path upstairs, but the other is special and consists of 106 steps which go upwards. On each step, you're supposed to repeat a mantra about Krishna and Rama, it goes something like:

>Hare krishna, hare krishna. Krishna Krishna hare Krishna
>Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare

You had to do this each step along with all the other people there, before stepping to the next step and repeating the process. It was soothing, but I also noticed plenty of people behind me staring at me in awe. Not to mention, the regulars who were taking the normal path and looked up at me in mild confusion as to what some non-Indian dude was doing there.

>The bull temple milk incident.
Now, this is a funny one. We went to the bull temple in Bengaluru. It was an amazing temple complex dedicated to the bull servant of the gods, Nandi (I think you can see where a certain subject got her name from.) We even got to see an intense show in the evening where they played wild instruments and we stared at the bull statue as it was covered in flowers. It was lovely, up until the musical ritual was finished.

My family and I were swept along into the crowd of people towards the bull statue. We had to walk around the statue, touching some flames, praying to the bull, doing the usual hindu religious stuff. Until, we got to the back of the cow, where a Priest sat with a bowl of milk. This priest was handing small spoons of milk to the worshippers ahead of me, which the worshippers drank from their hands. Now, I was the first of my family in line to receive this milk, so I couldn't use my parents or brother as a reference as to what I had to do with the stuff. So, looking at the people ahead of me, I believed that I HAD to drink it. No worries, right?

Wrong.

I was handed the milk in my hands, and I foolishly decided to drink it. And it tasted fucking awful. It was warm and tasted like how an animal farm smells. I think it might have been... EXTREMELY fresh, unpasteurized milk, which I had never had before. Either way, it was terrible, and I had to hold myself back from not gagging in front of the priest. Worse, the fucking milk had spilled past my sleeves and into my clothes, making the smell constantly permeate from me. It was terrible.

Afterwards, I told my parents and brother I had drank it, which they said I didn't have to do. So, I basically almost threw up during a holy ritual because I got a little bit too intimate with the religious activities.

>>6279874
Oh goddamnit! Haven't I done enough for you? Ugh...At least I'll have Haina with me.

>>6279964
Shut up, you. You're not even supposed to be on set until we start filming your introductory scene for the next act. Gimme that cue card.

>>6279910
>bull temple milk
>And it tasted fucking awful
I have tasted raw milk, it doesnt taste awful. You might have drunk bull "milk"

>>6279980
Not possible, I’ve had bull “milk” and it was delicious

>Ask Kenai to lead the way and show you around the place. Maybe she could take you to some of the other subjects in this place, or locations which could be of particular interest to you?
Since Kenai was clearly eager to continue exploring the place, you decided to ask her if she could lead the way around this place. More specifically, you wanted to be taken to Anesa or Gwenllian given how they seemed like reasonable enough folk. Kenai's tail wagged, her eagerly nodding. "I wouldn't mind to take you to them at all! I mean, I don't know their... EXACT locations, but I can track them quite readily once I catch their scent. Gwenllian won't be too difficult to track, given how I recognise her scent quite easily. She might be a little bit shy though, so don't be surprised if she tries to run if we see her again! Maybe just... let me do the talking with her when we do see her. She trusts me after all! Or well, I think she does." Kenai would eagerly head forward, her humming to herself as she headed down the large hallway. "What about Anesa? Can your olfactory skills pick her up as well?" Anon asked, to which Kenai would tilt her head. "I can? It's just that... she tends to either smell of alcohol or just... water? It depends, really."

As she led the way to the north, she'd soon look over her shoulders and at the other girls. "So, uhhhh, ya guys got... lots of subject friends, huh?" You confirmed again that you knew plenty, having already named a bunch of them to her a moment ago to see which she knew. "We've also met and heard of plenty of other subjects in passing. Some of which... were not the friendliest." Thaddeus would comment, Kenai nodding quickly. "Yeeaaah, your mention of that other wolf gal showed. Not all subjects are... as friendly. Mostly the Roraima and Elbrus ones, since... y'know, those guys aren't the nicest of scientists." You saw Thalia looking a little guiltily at Kenai, whilst Katya remained as emotionless as always, not responding in any way.

However, Lydia would take notice of Thalia's demeanour and was quick to speak up. "Those two were indeed crooks. But, not all Roraima or Elbrus subjects are that bad. Just look at Katya here!" Kenai nodded along happily, clearly wanting to show her support. "Of course! Not all of them are bad! It's just... y'know, there's a lot who... aren't that nice?" You would quickly mention having met Viridian. Along with Gwenllian and Thalia, she was solid proof that not all Elbrus subjects were that bad. "Viridian?! Isn't she that evil giant scorpion girl?! No, wait, that's... Viiiiiiiihhh... Vinella! Yeah, that's her! Wait, who's Viridian then?" Kenai said curiously, you explaining that it was a giant snake subject made by Elbrus, who had mentioned Gwenllian in the past. "Ahhhhhh, I see. So she's another friend of yours! How sweet!" You also mentioned that Viridian had mentioned Sirona, who sounded awfully like the creepy nurse she had been attacked by.

"Ohhhh, Sirona... so that is her name. Well, hopefully we won't encounter her again. I do NOT wanna be stabbed by her again!" Kenai said a little frustratedly, after which Artyom spoke up more aggressively. "Don't worry about being stabbed by her. We're going to make her eat lead, acid and fire before she gets the chance to do such." Kenai looked a little intimidated, you deciding to shift the topic to Viridian again, asking your men if she was close to here. "Given that she is a snake, I highly doubt it. Besides, we last saw her... what, heading south from underneath the green sector, right?" Lars would say, before Anon spoke up as well. "My best guess is that she avoided going to where Feng is and headed towards the flooded sector. Hell, maybe she went even further south, given that it isn't exactly explored by death squads who could pose a threat to her."

>Tell her that there likely are no more survivors in this cold and wretched place, if what you had seen previously was any indication. Perhaps it was better she knew, so she could help people elsewhere, such as in the flooded sector. Or hell, even with your own girls!
Kenai giggled after you mentioned Feng again, before saying something... rather sad. "You guys sure have seen and explored lots of places. I am eager to see how things are faring in the rest of the facility, after I've saved the people who are still down here!" This left your men staring a bit awkwardly at each other, as it was clear that Kenai had no clue just how seriously affected the facility had been by the blast. In turn, you would let out a sigh and tell her what had was going on. You told her that the facility was not brimming with life at all, and that facility was in fact dying. "D-Dying? What... I mean, that's just... an exaggeration, right? I know stuff's bad, but like... the facility can bounce back from this, right?" You explained that it was essentially a free for all, with subjects and survivors running amok, all of them trying to gather supplies to try and survive this mess.

"Well... the government will give supplies once rescue operations start, right? I mean, you guys are sharing supplies and helping subjects and scientists..." You finally revealed that the government had given you and hundreds of death squads a single task: to kill everything that had survived the blast which had destroyed large parts of the facility. There would be no help from the government. Her ears went flat, her tail hanging low as she stopped walking. "B-But... w-what about the... the people I led... out of this place? O-Or the messages I shared between some of them?" Kenai mumbled anxiously, at which point Lydia responded. "If they got lucky, they may have gotten together with other survivors, and are still alive somewhere. But, most people..." She didn't continue, Kenai looking down a bit and clearly taking everything in. "No... No! No, this... this can't be true! You... you're lying to me! This isn't true!"

Kenai was clearly not taking the news well, Mike calmly yet firmly responding. "I'm afraid... that the government wants to wipe the slate clean. Most death squads are just here to clean up what has survived. We don't know WHY they are doing this but... they're doing it." Kenai shook her head again, raising her voice a bit. "No! You... why would you say that?! What about all the scientists?! What about the people who looked after me and my friends?! Why would the government just try to kill them?! They did everything the stupid government wanted!" After Kenai spoke up, Katya would share her own thoughts, doing so bluntly. "The reason for why the government is doing this is... something Mikhail and his men have speculated about for a while now. Whatever the reason might be, it does not change the fact that the government is not focused on saving people." Kenai would speak up more aggressively now. "No! Shut up! I don't believe you guys! Why would they not do such?! It... it doesn't make any sense!"

After Kenai spoke up in frustration, your men were left unsure what to say. Fortunately, there was one person to help, that being the small bug girl by your side. Chrys would walk up to Kenai and stood beside her, before speaking softly. "I know it sounds... ridiculous, Kenai. But... Mikhail is being honest with you. The government is... not our friend here." Kenai would remain frustrated, Chrys taking her hand and trying to speak more hopefully. "But, umm... Mikhail IS a friend, and... you can trust him to tell the truth... and you can trust him to wanna help people out and do the right thing, just like what... you wanna do." Kenai kept looking down at the ground in anger, yet would seemingly calm down just a tiny bit. "We can still... save some people, Kenai. We can still try and... help people out and help them survive. It just has to be without the government. Why the government doesn't want to help us is... something we'll have to figure out on our own, I'm afraid." Kenai went quiet, yet clearly saw that you were just trying to tell her the hard-to-swallow truth.

>Ask Kenai to join you in your hunt for France. Maybe her abilities could help you in tracking down other death squads of interest. Or, she could just be an extra set of arms to help you explore this place.
Given her wish to continue helping people, you decided to ask her if she wanted to join you and your men in your travels. You remarked she had a good head on her shoulders, and that her help would be appreciated. “So, the government... wants to eradicate all life, but you guys are against that? Explain that to me.” Kenai responded in a more conflicted tone, probably just wanting to know more about your position and the whole government situation. Thus, you told her the truth: You were disobeying the government and doing the right thing in the form of saving subjects and staff, as well as eradicating any major threats.

Kenai scoffed a little when you explained yourself further, her mumbling softly. “I guess. So, you keep subjects as friends when the government wants you to eradicate them for... a reason you don’t know. How does that make any sense?” You explained that you had befriended subjects after you learnt they weren’t a threat, stating that your subject friends had actually helped you out a ton. Hell, without them, you would’ve probably suffered far more down in this place. You then told Kenai that someone with her abilities could be helpful as well, and that she could help you save more people away from this place. “Maybe I could... but, I also enjoy staying here. It’s... a safe place.” Kenai mumbled, you agreeing that it seemed relatively safe. Though, there clearly weren’t any more survivors down here. Most had fled or frozen by now. Or worse, killed by Grise or Sirona. “You... you don’t know that for sure...” Kenai said as she glanced to the side.

Obviously, you didn’t know for sure if this place was empty of survivors. But, given how this place had gotten frozen over and appeared rather empty, you felt confident in saying that there weren’t too many people left who could be saved. Hell, after finding Anesa and Gwen, it probably was for the best to just get out of here. Kenai thought about it, before you mentioned that there was maybe another group worth finding down here. France’s group, who had another subject by their side. In other words, another group worth befriending. “So, there are more death squad groups who... are disobeying the government?” Kenai said in mild confusion, Mike responding more happily. “Guess you aren’t the only one questioning the government’s reasoning for doing all this crap.” After Kenai scoffed quietly, you would once again reiterate that she was welcome to join you, but that it was fine for her to just be a tour guide. “I... I wanna think about this. This is all... a lot to take in at once, I must admit.”

Before you could accept the offer though, Kenai would ask some more questions, clearly wanting to know more about what was going on. “So, what exactly happened to the facility? You guys say you don’t know everything, but... then why did you come here? Did... did you kill any subjects before you figured out most subjects aren’t that bad? W-What about scientists?” She then asked one question which was going to be difficult to answer, to say the least...

“What about Mona and Illimani? Does the government want them dead as well?”

>What do you do next?

>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here. (Write in how you answer her.)
>Tell Kenai you can’t answer some of her questions, but still answer those which could be answered. Telling her of Mona or Illimani’s fate would not please her at all, so just keeping it a secret now would... probably be smart. (Write in how you’ll explain being unable to answer some of her questions.)
>Ask Kenai some questions as well. Clearly, she had specific ideas about the government and its relation to the facility. Maybe she could elaborate on those? Or some of her knowledge on subjects and the scientists in this place? (Write in what you ask her.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(After 2 weeks of vacation, I am finally back home! And... well, I am a little exhausted, which meant that I procrastinated this update until late. Which is great, given that I need to wake up early tomorrow. Yaaaay.)

(Overall, my vacation was nice. I don't think I'll ever go back to the UK, because... it's not really my type of country for vacation. Not that many cool animals to see (aside from a stag beetle and some puffins I saw), and the climate isn't for me. Still, it was nice, and I am glad to have done it. I'll gladly tell you guys some stories from my travels if you're interested.)

(Anyway, hope that this update is good. My exhaustion and the time away may have made some storybeats leave my mind and reduced my writing quality, but I am sure that as I go back to my regular update routine, things will become less hazy.)

(Also, >>6279980
Not possible, I’ve had bull “milk” and it was delicious
Hi Elbrus! Nice to see that you also survived the disaster! Now please stop talking about the things you did with Hapi.)

>>6283486
>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here. (Write in how you answer her.)

I'm sorry Kenai. I am so, so sorry. Mona's body was recovered some time ago by another death squad. Annie reported on it. She died from the disaster rather than having been murdered, if it's some small comfort. Illimani however. He died protecting one of his other subjects. The only major scientists that are safe at this moment in time are Anderson, as the government captured him before we even arrived and Logan, because we helped save him for Annie. We don't know what happened to the others and if they are alive or not.

She's going to need a hug. And let's not just dodge the question. It's better she learns this now rather than later. Hiding it now she's directly asked will only make things worse.

>Ask Kenai if she wants to speak with Annie given she made a eulogy for the two. Also give the offer of help from Annie to get revenge if she wants that.

She might not seem like the vengeful type but it might be a good way to get her to join us. Having a dedicated tracker like her would be amazing for hunting down subjects we really want to join us like Kaenum.

Welcome back Anderson. Sad the trip wasn't as good as you hoped considering you aren't going back, but that's what you get when you spend so much as a minute in London.

>>6283486
Welcome back.

>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here. (Write in how you answer her.)

> So, what exactly happened to the facility?
Something here went boom and turned quite a bit of the facility - and quite a bit of Valulori island itself - into a large crater.

> You guys say you don’t know everything, but... then why did you come here?
We were hired by the Tri-Euna Federal Government to do what we're told to do, but are largely treated like mushrooms: fed shit and left in the dark.

> Did... did you kill any subjects before you figured out most subjects aren’t that bad?
Thankfully no. The first subject we've met was Chrys and the second was Oreas so we very quickly learned not all subjects are rabid monstrosities like Grise and Sirona.

> W-What about scientists?
When we befriended Oreas we also befriended her caretaker, Laura Porcher. We've also found Logan and helped him reunite with Anna the schizofloof radio host.

> What about Mona and Illimani? Does the government want them dead as well?
Yes. They are on the government hit list.
Mona was killed in the blast while Illimani was murdered by another Death Squad but thankfully bought enough time for 26-BS Esmaldo to escape.
Also supporting >>6283560.

>>6283486
How long has it been since you last saw a living human, Kenai? It's approaching three weeks post-disaster now.
>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here.
We don't know exactly what happened. If the government knows, they aren't telling. None of us were told anything. Nobody down here seems to know for sure either. All we've pieced together is that a subject called "the Demon" escaped, there was havoc, subjects including Titania were released to try and stop her and then there was a massive explosion of some sort that annihilated much of the central facility. We've got a map here, this is what it looks like now.
We were promised a lot of money to take part in this, but very quickly realised it was a bad job we were being lied to about and the Valulori rabbit hole went very deep indeed. We've killed some bad people and one very bad subject, but we haven't murdered any good people. It's a good thing Chrys was the first one we met and surrender to us to set us on this path early or our answer could have been quite different.
Only Elbrus and Roraima are wanted alive. But I'm very sorry to say that.....neither Mona or Illimani are still with us - Mona tragically lost her life in the disaster, while Illimani was killed helping Esmaldo escape.

I suppose this was inevitable once we started talking about how dire things are. Kenai is definitely about to crash out but, if we don't tell her, she's probably going to want to search for them and be even more upset later about being lied to. Best to try and gently rip the plaster off now and deploy tactical hug.

>>6283486
>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here. (Write in how you answer her.)
So, what exactly happened to the facility - Still getting details. We know that a huge demon subject second only to Titania in size breached containment, and shortly after that a giant explosion went off at the top of the facility leaving behind a massive crater. Some time after that, GalGov arrived and condemned the place, sending in mercenaries like us to do the purge rather than dirtying their own hands.

Did... did you kill any subjects before you figured out most subjects aren’t that bad? - Nope, luckily Chrys was the first subject we encountered.

W-What about scientists? - Nope, didn't see any of those until after Chrys

“What about Mona and Illimani? Does the government want them dead as well?” - We can safely and truthfully say that GalGov does not want them dead (because they're already dead. I think it's better to sit on this info for a bit. After almost breaking down so recently after hearing GalGov was the enemy, there's no way she's ready for this bombshell.)

>(Overall, my vacation was nice. I don't think I'll ever go back to the UK, because... it's not really my type of country for vacation. Not that many cool animals to see (aside from a stag beetle and some puffins I saw), and the climate isn't for me. Still, it was nice, and I am glad to have done it. I'll gladly tell you guys some stories from my travels if you're interested.)
Good to hear it was nice even if you don't want to do it again. Always interested in stories.

>>6283560
>Welcome back Anderson. Sad the trip wasn't as good as you hoped considering you aren't going back, but that's what you get when you spend so much as a minute in London.
Ironically, London wasn't even... THAT bad. Aside from a hobo being hilariously aggressive not even an hour after we landed, most of it was pretty alright. Hell, one of the highlights of the vacation was going to Richmond park and finding a female stag beetle there. It's just that big, busy cities really are not my thing at all and I'd much rather spend my vacation in a warmer country with more nature. Hell, I think this holiday was... more of a holiday for my friend, who hasn't gone on vacation in ages and really wanted to go on vacation without relying on his family too much.

>>6283601
>Good to hear it was nice even if you don't want to do it again. Always interested in stories.
I don't have too many exciting stories, I must admit. Guess the highlights I can name and share in full detail are:
- Finding the female stag beetle
- The hobo story
- Puffin watching
- Holding an owl outside Edinburgh castle
- Going into a coal mine in Wales
- Swimming in Loch Ness

Aside from that, most of the things we did were... walking around cities, visiting medieval monuments and the usual touristy stuff. Like I said, it's not the most exciting of vacations, and the only reason I really think I'll ever return to the UK is because of some of my friends who live there.

Anyway, I'll head to a nature park in my country with family today to hopefully find a male stag beetle. I will be back home pretty late in the evening, soooo here's hoping I won't be exhausted when I get back home to write an update. I'll probably try and make an update on my phone whilst we drive back home.

>>6280372
I did not expect to see a fellow Hapi fan.

>>6283486
Glad to see you back! I am looking forward to seeing more subject's by our two favorite scientists!

>>6283571
>>6283560
>>6283564
Voting for this. We must sadly tell the peppy, excitable and adorable tan wan what happened to her parents. Better to rip that bandaid off now but be gentle and kind about it. Deploy comfort head pats after tactical hug if requested. Maybe we can even have a group hug.

>Answer some or all of Kenai’s questions. Kenai craved answers, and it was for the best to just be honest to her and let her know what the hell was going on and why the government was the bad guy here.
You decided to tackle her questions one at a time, starting with something that was less troublesome to answer. After all, if you told her what had happened to Mona and Illimani right away, she would probably be too devastated to really listen along. Thus, you started telling her what had happened to the facility first. You told her that you weren't all too sure and that the government may or may not know what was going on. Either way, they wouldn't tell, what was going on, nor did anyone you had seen so far know what was going on. You just knew that some subject called 'The Demon' escaped, causing a lot of trouble. Titania was apparently released to deal with her, before the massive blast happened that destroyed most of the facility. You'd even show the tablet to prove what was going on. Kenai looked at the map, before softly speaking up. "So... what about... I-Illimani and Mona?"

You told her that you'd tell about them soon, her clearly wanting to hear so right away. Though before she could insist on hearing the terrible truth, you reassured her that the context was important. Kenai gave a quick nod, before you explained that you came here for the money it could've provided. But, once you realised just how deep the rabbit hole went, it became impossible for you to go through with killing innocent lives. Even for all the money the Tri-Euna Federation could give you. Of course, you admitted that you did kill some bad folk and even a single bad subject, which made her speak up more worriedly. "W-Who was it? And... w-what bad things did she do exactly?" You explained the murder rabbit rather quickly, pointing out that she had most definitely been a threat to your men. Hell, once Alan showed his prosthetic nose, Kenai seemed to agree that killing Caera was reasonable.

You would also point out that the first subjects you met actually became your allies. Namely, Chrys who would nod quickly. "They did scare me at first, but... they were very reasonable from the get-go! Heck, I joined them now because... well, I wanted to help them befriend more subjects like you!" You mentioned how, after you then also befriended Oreas, it sorta put you on the path to befriend reasonable subjects. From then on, you'd only kill subjects like Grise or Sirona. Though, Kenai would once again ask about the scientists, who were clearly of interest to her as well. "So, what about non subject survivors?" She asked calmly yet still rather anxiously, you explaining that most scientists were actually wanted dead. All except for Elburs and Roraima, for some reason. "Why those two?! They're awful! What kind of sense does that even make?!" Kenai would yell out, before you explained that you had left plenty of other survivors alone.

You were quick to give some examples, mentioning Laura and Logan, the latter of whom you even reunited with Annie. "In case you're curious, I think that, aside from... maybe Titania and this 'Demon' subject, Annie is probably the biggest target for the government at this point. At least, if what the government has said about her is true." Anon would mention, clearly trying to show that you REALLY were not helping your stance with the government, if your treachery was ever discovered. "Okay, so... you're clearly against the government, because they act weird and evil..." You added onto that that the government relation with death squads was clearly not an equal one. Hell, you felt that the government treated you extremely poorly, which somewhat strengthened your contempt and desire to disobey them. "That does make a whole lot of sense... Still, I don't get why the government wants everyone dead except for Roraima and Elbrus. If they feel that every bystander deserves to die, then those two deserve an even worse fate!"

There was however one other scientist who was apparently being kept alive: Anderson. You stated that he was captured and apparently kept alive, which seemed to confuse her a bit. "Why him? I mean, I know he isn't the worst scientist. I heard a lot of good things about him, but... is there a reason why he survived?" Though, her disgruntled demeanour quickly faded, excitement building up quickly. "Are... are Illimani and Mona with him? Is that... why I can't visit them? Because the government kept them alive but wants others dead?" Unfortunately, it seemed that the news about Anderson being left alive had given her the wrong impression. You repeated that only Roraima and Elbrus were truly wanted alive, before finally deciding to bring the bad news. Not only were the two of them on the hitlist, but... they had also unfortunately been killed not too long ago. You watched as Kenai's ears went flat, her tail pointing straight down and her freezing up. She went eerily quiet, slowly looking down at the ground.

Given the lack of reaction, you calmly yet reassuringly told her what had happened. Mona's body was recovered by the death squads, her having died in the blast. Illimani died protecting one of his subjects, Esmaldo to be specific. And after a moment of silence, you would apologise for her loss, her still not having reacted. Kenai would look around at you and your men, before slowly turning around and stumbling forward. She appeared to be shaking, your men looking concerned at her. Kenai would wander for a short few seconds, before falling to her knees. She'd stare down at the ground, before you heard her starting to sob. Carefully, you approached her and put your hand on her shoulder, once again apologising. Kenai didn't respond, instead just letting out more tears before crouching down and covering her face behind her claws. Your men kept their distance, as you let Kenai let out her tears for as long as was necessary.

For several minutes, Kenai would keep sobbing. She at least accepted your comfort, you thinking she could use a hug. You’d get beside her and hug her, which she unfortunately rejected as she pushed you away. Though, after your attempt, she did finally speak up again. “M-Mikhail... I...” She hesitated, before looking away. “H-How could... t-the government do this to them? T-They slaved a-away, d-doing as told... a-and... n-now, they were m-mercilessly k-killed... a-and for what reason?! H-How could they j-just...” She stopped talking, continuing to sob more. You weren’t the only one to stay by her side though, as Chrys soon stood right beside Kenai as well. Chrys put a hand on Kenai’s shoulder, Kenai looking up for a second, before continuing to cry.

>What do you do next?

>Let Kenai cry it out. The two people she presumably cared about the most were dead, and it was going to take a while before she’d get over it. Hell, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to bring you over to Gwenllian or Anesa, if she didn’t get the chance to process what had happened. (Write in how long you’ll let her cry before doing something else...)
>Tell Kenai some good things about Mona and Illimani to help her cheer up. Obviously, you didn’t know much about the two, but reminding Kenai would help her maybe cheer up just a tiny bit. Even if it would be in a painfully bittersweet way. (Write in what you tell Kenai.)
>Let Kenai talk to Annie to listen to their eulogies again. That way, she could listen to another subject talk about her two creators, and just how painful their loss was to the entire facility, not just her.
>Give Kenai the option to go somewhere private to cry on her own. Maybe just giving her some time on her own would help her calm down. Or at the very least, it’d make her worry less about the task you had given her.
>Ask Kenai if there was anything you could do to help her feel better. Whilst she presumably didn’t want a hug just yet, there were still other things you could do for her. (Write in if you’ll make any suggestions as to what you’re willing to do for her.)
>Ask Kenai to keep leading you further. Whilst she was clearly hurt by what had happened, you knew that walking forward could get her mind away from the news. And even if it didn’t, you also knew that finding Anesa could help, since she trusted the ice oni as well. (Write in how you make this suggestion to her.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6284170
>Let Kenai talk to Annie to listen to their eulogies again. That way, she could listen to another subject talk about her two creators, and just how painful their loss was to the entire facility, not just her.

>>6284170
>Let Kenai cry it out. The two people she presumably cared about the most were dead, and it was going to take a while before she’d get over it. Hell, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to bring you over to Gwenllian or Anesa, if she didn’t get the chance to process what had happened.

>(Write in how long you’ll let her cry before doing something else...)
We'll allow her to cry for one hour max

>>6284170
And there's the crashout. Entirely understandable really.
>Let Kenai cry it out. The two people she presumably cared about the most were dead, and it was going to take a while before she’d get over it. Hell, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to bring you over to Gwenllian or Anesa, if she didn’t get the chance to process what had happened.
We don't know, Kenai. All we can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other to keep on moving. To save who we can. To keep searching for the answers. But you're not alone - your sisters and friends are still out there and they need help - both ours and yours.
Just sit down with her for a while. If she's still completely comatose after 15 minutes or so, have KK gently pick her up and carry her with us.

>>6284170
Supporting >>6284221

>>6284170
>>Something else...
Could we get a transmission to one of Mona's girls in the base? Maybe explain to them what is going on and see if they could give some support.

>>6284060
>I did not expect to see a fellow Hapi fan.
>fellow Hapi fan
You disgust me.

>>6284170
>Let Kenai cry it out. The two people she presumably cared about the most were dead, and it was going to take a while before she’d get over it. Hell, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to bring you over to Gwenllian or Anesa, if she didn’t get the chance to process what had happened. (Write in how long you’ll let her cry before doing something else...)
>Let Kenai talk to Annie to listen to their eulogies again. That way, she could listen to another subject talk about her two creators, and just how painful their loss was to the entire facility, not just her.

I think it's best to get her in contact with Annie after she's gotten most of the grief out of her system. Losing a loved one is hard. Losing two at once however... I think her knowing how much everyone else in the facility cared about the two and how she's not alone in this pain will help her a lot, but it's clear she needs a bit of space.

>Let Kenai cry it out. The two people she presumably cared about the most were dead, and it was going to take a while before she’d get over it. Hell, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to bring you over to Gwenllian or Anesa, if she didn’t get the chance to process what had happened.
Since you had only just met Kenai, you knew that there wasn't much you could do right now to help her out. Still, you would try to give her some comfort. You reassured her that you would let her cry for as long as was necessary. She nodded, continuing to sob and let out some whines of despair. Your men would in the meantime look around the place, Mike and Alan already heading for what appeared to be a frozen over food court. Anon and Lydia would check out some maps to analyse what was potentially ahead of you, as well as checking for any news updates. Though, everyone did remain relatively close, knowing that you couldn't just leave Kenai alone. Fortunately, it took Kenai about 8 minutes before she finally spoke up again. "O-Okay, I... I've... I-I think... I-I'm done." She said with still tearful eyes, letting out another few sobs before looking at the snow covered ground.

"S-Sorry... I-I... I p-promised t-to lead the w-way, I-I just..." She'd once again start sobbing, clearly being far from done with letting her emotions spill out. You reassured her that it was still fine, before telling her it was good that she kept putting one foot in front of the others to keep moving on. You then stated that she could still save many other innocent lives, and that you could find answers together. Not just with you and your men, but with siblings who also all wanted to know why this happened to Mona and Illimani. "I-I... d-don't want answers... I-I want... w-whoever is responsible... t-to be p-punished... to suffer l-like how a-all other innocent l-lives were m-made to suffer d-down here..." Kenai would respond soon after, which was certainly a shift in tone you and your men hadn't expected.

>Let Kenai talk to Annie to listen to their eulogies again. That way, she could listen to another subject talk about her two creators, and just how painful their loss was to the entire facility, not just her.
You told Kenai that it was better to focus on saving those who were still alive now, her not really responding to it as her mood had shifted from grief to something more akin to vengeance. Thus, you told her that you wanted her to meet someone who could help her cope with what was going on. She did look a bit curious, as you explained that you could contact Annie, since she had given both Illimani and Mona a eulogy which showed just how beloved they were. Kenai seemed to think about it for a moment, before nodding. "T-That... I-I'd like to h-hear it, y-yes." You even suggested that she could talk with the other Mona and Illimani subjects you had with you, to which she quietly nodded. "T-That would b-be okay, I-I guess..." With that in mind, you'd ask Lydia to turn on the radio.

Lydia swiftly did as told, you being shocked to hear some metal play over the radio. It made Kenai raise an eyebrow, speaking in confusion. "W-What is this?" She said in genuine bewilderment, to which Thaddeus responded. "Annie plays music for people to enjoy. Suppose someone must've asked her to play this song." Kenai clearly did not enjoy the music at all. Of course, you would quickly try and talk into the radio to reach Annie. And after a moment, you would hear the music fade and heard Annie's voice. "So, how is the frozen sector, Mikhail?" She said in a bemused tone, before you would explain that you met a new subject in the form of Kenai. "Oh, really now? I mean, I'm not surprised you made another friend. At least, if what I can find about her in the database is anything to go off of, I presume she is a friend." Annie said casually, after which Lydia spoke up more softly. "Um, she is indeed friendly... But, she is also not really feeling all that well."

This got Annie's tone to shift, going from her usual attitude to a more soft one. "Oh? What's wrong? Did... did she get attacked by anyone? Is she in need of medical assistance?" Annie asked, before Artyom responded. "No, we just told her that Mona and Illimani died not too long ago." He said bluntly, which made Kenai tremble and let out some more tears. "Oh. I can understand why she must be feeling so poorly then. Is there anything I can do to help out?" You then asked her to give the eulogy for both of them again, since it could help remind her just how beloved her two creators were. Annie paused for a moment, before presumably speaking to Logan. "Can you just man the station for me for a moment? Here's some song requests I got you can play right after this one finishes." She mumbled away from the radio, before you heard her speak directly to you again. "It's... getting late, so news is kind of slowing down now. So, I'll give the eulogies again. This will take a short ten to twenty minutes."

Kenai nodded and spoke in a weary and pained voice. "Y-Yes, I... I want to h-hear it." There was a short pause, before Annie spoke up again. "Of course, Kenai. It's... also a pleasure to meet you, by the way. I've read through your documents, and you seem like a wonderful person." Kenai smiled a tiny bit, wiping away some tears before Annie started giving both eulogies. You and your men went quiet, as Annie once again covered the life stories of the two scientists, the great things they did, the things they enjoyed in life and what led to their unfortunate passing. Kenai listened diligently, sniffling a bit and wiping away her tears as she heard all the positive words about her creators. Though, as the eulogies came to an end, Kenai also seemed to grow more resentful. Especially as Annie explained how death squads were responsible for Illimani's passing.

Once Annie finished, she'd speak up calmly. "I... hope that was good, Kenai. I know that, I cannot do their lives justice in even an hour of talking, especially since they weren't my creators. But, I hope that it was still good." Kenai would look down and think for a moment, before speaking more determinedly. "Where are... where are Illimani's killers now?" There was a moment of silence, before Annie spoke up a little unsurely. "They are... currently outside of the crater, from what I gathered. I believe they intent on heading down here again in the near future though." This was met with Kenai inching a bit closer to the radio and speaking in a rather eerie tone. "Where will I be able to find them?" Annie paused, before speaking more concernedly. "I... take it you wish to avenge Illimani." Kenai started trembling in rage, her hands turning to fists before she spoke more assertively and aggressively. "T-They killed the people I love the most! They did so f-for no good reason! I want to find them a-and... and kill them! I don't care who they are! T-They deserve to die!"

The shift definitely concerned your men somewhat, Annie speaking more calmly and reassuringly in the hopes of easing Kenai's rage. "I understand that you feel this way, but I heavily suggest you... resist the urge to go after them. At least for the time being." Kenai raised her voice somewhat in turn, cutting Annie off. "Why?! These bastards don't deserve to be spared! They aren't like Mikhail and his men! They're crooks! M-More monstrous than any subject created down here! They deserve to be killed!" Annie remained calm, yet spoke with a more firm and confident tone. "I know... and I agree that they need to be put to justice. But, the issue is, that these are dangerous death squads we're talking about. If you go after them, there is a good chance that... they will kill you."

Kenai did not care at all, grabbing the radio and speaking directly into it. "I'd rather die than let them get out of this place unharmed! I'd rather risk life and limb than let Illimani die for nothing! I want these bastards dead! I don’t care how they die, so long as they die!" Annie was taken back, yet remained calm in her response. “I understand your frustration. Alas, I don’t know when or where they will come back down. And even if I did know, I don’t think you should blindly chase them to get revenge.” This was met by Chrys also speaking up worriedly. “Kenai, please don’t risk your life for something like this. You can help us out instead, r-right?” Kenai glanced at Chrys, before she raised her voice even more in a clearly emotional tone. “I wanna help you out too! But, I also wanna kill these guys! I want them to suffer for what they did!” Afterwards, Lydia approached and put a hand on Kenai’s shoulder. “Kenai, please... You’re clearly still... emotional from the news. Don’t... don’t let your anger get ahead of you and get you into danger.”

Once again, Kenai let out more tears, responding to Lydia and Annie. “W-Why not? D-Did you lose your c-creators?! T-The people y-you cared a-about the most?! W-Why w-won’t you just... t-tell me where these b-bastards a-are so I can get rid of them?!” Kenai would start letting out more tears, as Annie remained quiet. Either she was thinking through on how to respond to this comment, or she had no real retort. After all, she was lucky enough to have her creator saved by the likes of you and your men. One thing was for sure though: Kenai definitely had a more vengeful side. Though her impulsive nature certainly made this side a bit of a risk...

>What do you do next?

>Tell Annie to give Kenai the help she needed. Whether that would be in regular updates on Illimani’s killers whereabouts, or by sabotaging the killers in such a way that they’d get into dangerous situations. Just like how she had helped you sabotage Nikita. (Write in what kind of help you’ll ask from Annie.)
>Tell Kenai that you’d help her in dealing with Illimani’s killers yourself. You were a fellow death squad after all, so you could learn of their whereabouts as well and maybe help Kenai in her mission to punish the killers. (Write in what kind of help you’ll offer.)
>Try to calm Kenai down in some way. She was obviously still extremely volatile from the news, so it was for the best she keep her calm and not make any rash decisions. It’d be a waste if she got herself killed in her mission to get revenge. (Write in how you calm her down.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6284483
>Try to calm Kenai down in some way. She was obviously still extremely volatile from the news, so it was for the best she keep her calm and not make any rash decisions. It’d be a waste if she got herself killed in her mission to get revenge. (Write in how you calm her down.)
It's only human to want to see one's parents avenged, but the situation is... those murderers are equipped with power armor and machine guns and Kenai isn't exactly meant for combat - given how much she struggled against the likes of Grise and Sirona - unlike Morgan, KK, or Reika, so blind rage would likely achieve little than getting herself killed for nought. We need a solid plan - and the subjects currently upstairs - to enact our vengeance and make it *stick*.

>Tell Kenai that you’d help her in dealing with Illimani’s killers yourself. You were a fellow death squad after all, so you could learn of their whereabouts as well and maybe help Kenai in her mission to punish the killers. (Write in what kind of help you’ll offer.)
TBPH I'm somewhat inclined to use this as a "testrun" for an all-subject-patrol by getting Morgan, KK, Reika (once she recovered), and Cort in the same formation, with Kenai added to the mix. We feed those murderers information about "some white wolf subject we've lost track of in a blizzard" and out of Kenai's snowstorm came an entire doomstack. Annie can help us coordinate Kenai group's maneuver so they get a higher chance to intercept their targets.

>Tell Annie to give Kenai the help she needed. Whether that would be in regular updates on Illimani’s killers whereabouts, or by sabotaging the killers in such a way that they’d get into dangerous situations. Just like how she had helped you sabotage Nikita. (Write in what kind of help you’ll ask from Annie.)
Coordinations, enemy movements, intel, etc. are always good, and helping coordinating our Subject Patrol with our primary group even better. Helping us send those murderers on a one-way trip to Vinella or Anastasia is also an acceptable alternative.

>>6284480
>as Annie once again covered the life stories of the two scientists, the great things they did, the things they enjoyed in life and what led to their unfortunate passing
Hope she didn't repeat the "his greatest subject" line for Illimani this time

>Tell Kenai that you’d help her in dealing with Illimani’s killers yourself. You were a fellow death squad after all, so you could learn of their whereabouts as well and maybe help Kenai in her mission to punish the killers. (Write in what kind of help you’ll offer.)
We'll get her the opportunity she wants - in exchange she has to work with us and follow a good plan. We'll take these guys down without casualties on our side and without being discovered by GalGov.

>>6284483
>Tell Kenai that you’d help her in dealing with Illimani’s killers yourself. You were a fellow death squad after all, so you could learn of their whereabouts as well and maybe help Kenai in her mission to punish the killers.
Kenai, Kenai, Kenai. We're willing to help you, but you've got to work with us here instead of running off half-cocked and only adding yourself to their corpse pile. What do you think they would have to say about you doing that if they were still here? No, you need to follow a plan, work with people (Morgan will certainly want in) and have some patience if you want to see them dead.
After we wrap up here, we'll be going to save Jabal and Catherine from the same fate. That comes first and they aren't even down here right now but, when they are and Jabal and Catherine are safe, you'll get your chance.
>Tell Annie to give Kenai the help she needed. Whether that would be in regular updates on Illimani’s killers whereabouts, or by sabotaging the killers in such a way that they’d get into dangerous situations. Just like how she had helped you sabotage Nikita.
We're going to want information about this group. How many people, what they're carrying, their temperament and, once they're back down here, updates on their location.

>>6284554
The issues I see with that is not having them available on our missions (I don't really want to go anywhere without at least one combat subject with us) and, more importantly, lack of leadership. All of our fighting girls are single combatants and we don't have a standout leader to take command and coordinate both in combat and out of it. While Morgan might be able to fill in in a pinch, I wouldn't entrust a battle against a death squad to her. Still, I suppose any one of the MKR trio could take most death squads apart on their own.

>Try to calm Kenai down in some way. She was obviously still extremely volatile from the news, so it was for the best she keep her calm and not make any rash decisions. It’d be a waste if she got herself killed in her mission to get revenge.
Whilst Kenai's desire for revenge was a little surprising considering just how peppy she had been, you also did understand her frustration. Hell, you sympathized with it, it being natural to want the death of innocent lives to be avenged. You'd tell her such, her responding in clear fury. "E-Exactly! So, l-let's find these bastards and... m-make them feel the same pain they m-made Illimani suffer through!" Kenai would repeat, you telling them that it was a bit more complex than just finding them and shooting them. You mentioned that these guys had armour, powerful weaponry and combat experience. And with potentially large numbers, a non-combat subject like her was going to struggle taking them all down. Kenai would speak up in mild defiance to you though, responding with: "I fought back against Sirona and Grise though! Those two are tough, so I'm sure I can take those worthless bastards in a fight!" Whilst she did survive against those two, you still were certain that she could not win a fight against that large a number of death squad soldiers.

>Tell Kenai that you’d help her in dealing with Illimani’s killers yourself. You were a fellow death squad after all, so you could learn of their whereabouts as well and maybe help Kenai in her mission to punish the killers.
Your comment made her lower her head a bit, clearly not pleased that her wish for justice could not be fulfilled. However, you reassured her that you'd help her in finding the killers so they could be put to justice. It made Kenai's demeanour change again, her looking far more optimistic. "Y-You would?" You reassured her that you were fine in helping out a bit. You just needed a solid plan and maybe some help from some subjects. Hell, Annie could help as well. "Yeah, I... ummm, I can look into some options." Annie said a little reluctantly, perhaps not being too eager to help you out in Kenai's hunt for revenge.

You suggested that you could trick the death squad in going into the frozen sector, tricking them into coming here where she could then far more easily deal with them due to her snow. And not to mention, help from some of the gals you had who might also want revenge for Mona and Illimani's deaths. With Annie giving you further intel, there was no way that they could avoid being utterly decimated. "Okay, I am in. Let's get those bastards to come down here!" Kenai said in a confident tone, her grief having turned to determination to kill this death squad. Of course, you did ask her to work with you and to follow the plans you'd come up with. "Mhm, I'll join you. So long as we quickly get them down here. I... I wanna make them suffer! I wanna take their guns and... make them feel exactly the same way Illimani felt!"

It seemed you had gotten another ally. One who was eager for action, despite her somewhat lacking combat capabilities. Though, Kenai was maybe a little too eager, given what she'd say next. "A-And after we kill those d-death squad bastards, we'll get the ridiculous government workers who gave those orders to kill Illimani down here as well! They deserve to die as well for everything they've done!" Whilst getting one group of death squad soldiers to come down here to get killed was easy, getting government officials down here was going to be impossible. You told her that you actually hoped to find some of the other scientists to save them. Logan was only the first, with Jabal and Catherine hopefully being saved from the same fate as Mona and Illimani. Kenai would think about it, before speaking softly. "That... I agree that saving them is good... b-but why not just... fight the government? They've killed hundreds... betrayed hundreds... They deserve to be punished as well!"

Hearing her so passionately advocate killing government officials, Mike would speak up. "Look, we all want to give those in power their due punishment. But, I think it's better we first guarantee that the folk down here are safe from them. The government has a massive fleet right above us, which could easily stop our incursion and render our efforts moot." Annie would also speak up again. "Believe me, Kenai, dealing with the government will have to come later. For now, just focus on helping Mikhail out. He'll figure out a plan to help you take the ones responsible for this down, okay?" After Annie finished talking, Kenai looked rather frustrated, yet gave a quiet and accepting nod.

>Tell Annie to give Kenai the help she needed. Whether that would be in regular updates on Illimani’s killers whereabouts, or by sabotaging the killers in such a way that they’d get into dangerous situations. Just like how she had helped you sabotage Nikita.
As a sign of goodwill, you'd ask Annie about the people responsible for killing Illimani. You wanted their coordinates, where they had gone off to, and maybe even a potential direction you could lure them to. After all, why have Kenai fight the death squad herself, when throwing them at Vinella would be far less dangerous, easier to set up and befitting of what they had done? Unfortunately, Kenai did not like that suggestion, quickly shaking her head and speaking up. "No! I want to see those murderers myself! I want to look them in the eyes and tell them their punishment to their faces! I don't wanna just send them off to somewhere else to be killed! They deserve to be reminded of their heinous acts! I... I need to look them in the eyes and remind them of the horrible things they did!" It was a shame that you couldn't deal with them in the same way as Nikita. But, you still had plenty of options when it came to dealing with them still. All you needed was some solid intel from Annie...

“Okay, give me a moment to check everything.” Annie said, her going quiet for a minute, during which Mike would approach Kenai. “Trust me, Kenai, you’re not the only one who wants the government to pay for the crap they did. They didn’t just treat the people on this planet brutally. They’ve got a streak of cruelty spanning the galaxy... and we’re going to make them pay for it.” Kenai nodded, wiping away her last tears before speaking determinedly. “I want that. If there’s... one thing I cannot stand at all, it’s injustices like that.” She looked down again soon after, kicking some nearby snow. “To think... I believed they’d save innocent folk. I just hope that... the people I saved here didn’t run into death squads or government people.” Shortly after though, you heard Annie return to the radio, sharing some intel on the group responsible for Illimani’s death. “Okay, so it’s a Blackstar group consisting of 9 soldiers. They were mainly exploring the western parts, before heading further up to around the same level you were on. In fact, I believe they may have taken some kind of shortcut to the south of where your other girls are staying.”

Given the effort it took you to get to the floor your girls were on, it made sense that those guys would’ve had to take a different route to get up to where you were. Still, it begged the question if they actually were getting close to your girls. Regardless, you’d ask Annie if she knew what equipment they had, to which she spoke calmly. “Data regarding their ammo usage shows they probably just use small arms. Maybe one or two soldiers have shotguns.” Up next, you asked for their temperament, which made Annie speak less certainly. “Reports indicate that they are... mixed in terms of temperament. Blackstar documents call some of them ‘reliable’ whilst others are labelled more negatively. One is reportedly a gloryhound, and another is described as ‘volatile’. Government documents describe them rather neutrally, so I imagine they follow government orders well enough as to be seen as valuable assets.”

It looked like you were dealing with a group who wasn’t entirely composed of sociopaths and mass murderers. Though, Kenai was quick to voice her opinions on the men. “Bastards, all of them. They all deserve to suffer for what they did!” Your men didn’t appear too sure, as the descriptions did indicate that they weren’t ALL terrible. Still, killing an innocent man was hard to justify, no matter what...

>What do you do next?

>Ask for further intel from Annie about these guys or what the government has to say. There was plenty she could inform you about right now. (Write in what you ask.)
>Thank Annie for the intel, before telling Kenai to lead the way again. Once you recruited Anesa and found France, you could hopefully either start focusing on your new mission, or the old one. Hopefully, Kenai wouldn’t mind the latter.
>Discuss your current arrangement with Kenai. You knew who she wanted dead, where they were going next and how you could potentially get rid of them. But, it was going to be a lengthy diversion from your own mission. Perhaps you could discuss the deal you had with her right now? (Write in what you discuss with Kenai.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6284768
>Thank Annie for the intel, before telling Kenai to lead the way again. Once you recruited Anesa and found France, you could hopefully either start focusing on your new mission, or the old one. Hopefully, Kenai wouldn’t mind the latter.
I have wanted to take down the more deranged squads for a while now, but this one looks like it's going to be a bit morally ambiguous. Maybe once we have them captured we can just let Kenai decide - though it'll be tough sparing any that see us working with subjects anyway.

>>6284768
>Thank Annie for the intel, before telling Kenai to lead the way again. Once you recruited Anesa and found France, you could hopefully either start focusing on your new mission, or the old one. Hopefully, Kenai wouldn’t mind the latter.
Well, that's a problem for later. For now, let us resume what we were doing.
We can slot her in for some psych sessions with Kaenum after we find her (along with nearly everyone else, that is). Perhaps we can also give her some firearms training or melee training from Morgan if she's so intent on fighting.

>>6284768
Oh great, another "orders are orders" bunch we have to put down thanks to the GalGov.

>Thank Annie for the intel, before telling Kenai to lead the way again. Once you recruited Anesa and found France, you could hopefully either start focusing on your new mission, or the old one. Hopefully, Kenai wouldn’t mind the latter.
We need numbers and allies, period. And we really need her to have a long talk with Morgan - talking to a fellow Illimani subject would likely help her calm down enough to not do anything rash... and Morgan do sorta need to learn when lethal force is necessary - if just to prevent more innocents from being murdered.

>Thank Annie for the intel, before telling Kenai to lead the way again. Once you recruited Anesa and found France, you could hopefully either start focusing on your new mission, or the old one. Hopefully, Kenai wouldn’t mind the latter.
After you had gotten all the intel you needed, you would thank Annie for everything she had told you. "No need to thank me, Mik. Anyway, do be careful out there. And good luck with your current mission. If you need my help for anything, I will try and contact you as quickly as I can!" With that, the broadcast returned to more metal music, you quickly turning off the radio before turning to Kenai. You asked her to lead the way to Anesa again, stating that you wanted to continue with what you were doing. "Right. I'll... lead the way." Kenai said in a still sombre tone. Her mind was still stuck on the death of her creators and avenging them, you calmly telling her that you were quite happy to take down a more deranged bunch of death squad soldiers. "You are?" Kenai asked curiously, the rest of your men seeming to question your comment just a tiny bit. Of course, you elaborated that you'd have to see how the squad behaved and if some were more morally grey, something which your men nodded along with.

"Morally grey?" Kenai asked in confusion, you explaining that some of the men may have not been so kill-happy towards Illimani. This was met with a resentful comment from Kenai, showing her disdain for the mere idea of sparing those who were reasonable. "They didn't stop those who killed him. They still let him die. It doesn't matter why they didn't act. They still deserve to be killed for what they did." You told her that maybe she could decide once you had actually captured the squad and gotten everything you wanted to hear from them. "Killing the shitty ones is totally understandable. But, I do agree with Mik here, Kenai. It's better we at least listen to all of them to see how they felt about killing Illimani." Artyom calmly said.

Kenai responded with a single scoff, before she'd quietly lead the way down the snowy hallway. Her previously peppy and eager demeanour was completely gone, her not saying a single thing as she took you towards the centre of the frozen sector. You'd soon talk about Kaenum, mentioning that she'd be helpful in getting some of the subjects to deal with their traumas, which made Zaria speak up. "I fear that most subjects are gonna need a whole lot more than just some therapy sessions, Mik. Especially considering the hell most subjects have gone through since the day they were born." Afterwards, Lars also gave some thoughts in a mildly concerned tone. "Not to mention, that Kaenum herself might also be traumatized after... experiencing god knows what in this place." You were hopeful that Kaenum would be okay. Though of course, you couldn't say for sure if her therapy would be of any help.

One thing you did know would help the girls would be some proper combat training. You mentioned firearms training, as well as melee training. You even suggested that Morgan could teach it, given her affinity for blades. "Don't forget Katya. She can definitely teach others." Alan would say in a more optimistic tone, to which Katya responded softly. "Whilst I do believe that I am skilful in combat, I am not sure if my ability to teach others is effective." In turn, Mike spoke up as well, clearly wanting to discuss this further. "I wouldn't mind teaching some of the girls how to use guns. Hell, we've already given some of the girls guns, right?" Chrys would nod and speak up casually. "You gave Oreas a gun, if I recall correctly. She even practiced a tiny bit with it whilst you were travelling into the deeper facility parts." Afterwards, Thaddeus would approach Kenai to try and get her involved with the conversation as well. "We could certainly give ya some weapons as well, Kenai. Help ya become a proper combatant."

Kenai scoffed, before looking away. "I won't need weapons. I'll just need my bare hands and claws." Thaddeus awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, before softly saying: "Well... maybe ya can consider it." Kenai didn't respond further, as Alan spoke curiously. "How strong are you, Kenai? I take it you're pretty tough." Kenai was quick to respond, showing her claws. "I'm pretty tough, yeah. It was one of the things I was designed for. Helps me carry stuff through the snow and easily fight back against anyone in my way. I haven't practiced much in terms of combat though, but... I know how to punch and slash." In turn, you would tell her that it was nice that she had some combat experience. You even mentioned how she could work with Morgan, since the knight lizard needed to REALLY learn to let go of her sense of honour and focus on using lethal force. "Why? Does Morgan not wanna kill the people who deserve to be killed for their crimes?!" Kenai would respond in clear disdain.

"Well, she loves her honour and code. She opposes killing people, it seems." Anon said calmly, before Chrys spoke up again. "She thinks she's a knight. Which... well, she is in appearance and ability. But her mannerisms are also... a little too, uhhhh, 'knightly' for her own good." Despite Morgan's knightly code, you still felt that the two could work together quite well. They could balance each other out, potentially subduing their weaknesses. Kenai's blind rage could be reduced, whilst Morgan's hard-on for honour could be subdued as well, if the two were to interact with each other enough. Not to mention, they were both Illimani subjects, so they were bound to relate well with each other. Kenai seemed open to the suggestion of talking with her, though wouldn't really ask more about Morgan. In fact, she kept rather quiet, as she led the way and you and your men kept on chatting for a while.

File: IO-15, Anesa Yamaru.png (1.07 MB, 850x1189)

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Only after twenty minutes of wandering the frozen maze, did Kenai pause. "She is nearby..." She said, raising her hand before pointing ahead. You stuck close to her, your men all pausing their conversations as you would slowly but surely walk down a more narrow hallway. The sides were lined with larger test chambers. Some of the chambers appeared to be underwater, presumably being designed to replicate arctic waters. Though eventually, you reached a large chamber which was even more icy than other chambers. In fact, the chamber contained these large spires and pillars of ice crystals, furniture and other objects. The entire place seemed surprisingly nice, despite it all being made out of ice. In the centre of the room, you saw what appeared to be a large packet of pristinely white ice. You couldn't see through it at all. Though as Kenai approached it, you heard it cracking and watched as extremely cold air suddenly rushed from it. It was almost like a fog started filling the room, as Kenai took a step back. You heard a soft yawn, as the cold air made your men raise their weaponry in response.

From the large ice structure, you soon saw a large figure appear. She looked to be a bit taller than Kenai and Katya, the figure stretching her arms before looking over you with her piercing pinkish red eyes. “Kenai, it has been a while and...” She glared at you and your men, before speaking with a somewhat more sceptical voice. “It seems you brought friends.” The fog of ice would move to the side as the ice oni looked down at you with a distrusting gaze. “I presume you are not here to kill me, despite you pointing those... terrible things at my face. Must you grace a lady with such a vicious presence without any proper introductions between us?” Your men were already lowering their guns, having only raised them to make sure that she was the subject you were looking for, and not some kind of threat.

>What do you do next?

>Introduce yourself in a calm and friendly manner. From the sound of things, Anesa was another Viridian-like subject: Haughty, self-assured and soft-spoken. As such, introducing yourself in a formal way would get you in her good graces in no time. (Write in how you introduce yourself.)
>Give Anesa the honour to introduce herself first. It was rude to right away talk about yourself, when she presumably was more than eager to explain who she herself was.
>Ask Anesa some questions about this place, who she was or intel she might find useful. Intel was what you were here for, after all. (Write in what you ask her.)
>Give Anesa something to right away gain her trust. Maybe Evander could share some of his moonshine, or you could answer some of her own questions to gain her trust? (Write in what you give to her.)
>Ask Kenai to do the talking on your behalf. She knew Anesa best, so she could hopefully give a positive impression of you to her. (Write in what you ask Kenai to say.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6285248
>Give Anesa the honour to introduce herself first. It was rude to right away talk about yourself, when she presumably was more than eager to explain who she herself was.

then
>Introduce yourself in a calm and friendly manner. From the sound of things, Anesa was another Viridian-like subject: Haughty, self-assured and soft-spoken. As such, introducing yourself in a formal way would get you in her good graces in no time. (Write in how you introduce yourself.)
Apologize for not recognizing her visage and pointing our weapons at her - we were still rather on-edge after hearing Kenai's story of fending off Sirona and Grise.
then introduce ourselves starting with Mikhail given he's the squad leader.

then, as a gesture of apology
>Give Anesa something to right away gain her trust. Maybe Evander could share some of his moonshine, or you could answer some of her own questions to gain her trust? (Write in what you give to her.)
Evander's moonshine. Onis can't really live without alcohol.

then
>Ask Anesa some questions about this place, who she was or intel she might find useful. Intel was what you were here for, after all. (Write in what you ask her.)
Any subject(s) she knows, her views on her creator(s), what happened when the VRC went boom, how many death squads she fought off, etc. Plus the List.

>>6285248
that was all rather anticlimactic really
>Introduce yourself in a calm and friendly manner. From the sound of things, Anesa was another Viridian-like subject: Haughty, self-assured and soft-spoken. As such, introducing yourself in a formal way would get you in her good graces in no time.
Given we're the strangers who barged into her house and briefly pointed guns at her, I think we should be the ones explaining ourselves first. Keep it brief.
First, apologies for the guns. One can never be too careful with potential surprises in this place, particularly with unfriendly and unknown subjects in the area. We are Mikhail, leader of this rather unusual death squad and we have been searching for you to speak to.
Then cede the floor to the others in the room for a full introduction round.
>Give Anesa something to right away gain her trust. Maybe Evander could share some of his moonshine, or you could answer some of her own questions to gain her trust?
>Ask Anesa some questions about this place, who she was or intel she might find useful. Intel was what you were here for, after all.
After that's done, offer the oni some of Evander's best paint stripper as an (heh) icebreaker and we can start getting down to brass tacks. We are obviously not here to indiscriminately murder like most of our peers and are here in search of a different squad who have also been apparently disobeying their orders to kill everything. We're making a few detours to get some help finding them and meet some of this area's friendly faces - you are a known reasonable individual and Morgan has spoken highly of you to us. Who have you seen around here recently, either human or subject? What do you know of Valentina and how to avoid a confrontation with her? And then bring out The List. Of course answer any questions she has, she hasn't asked us anything yet.

>>6285248

+1 to >>6285299

>>6285248
>>6285299
+2
We really should tell the squad to stop pointing guns in the face of every new being we meet, it’s rude

And the torso is a much better target anyway

>Introduce yourself in a calm and friendly manner. From the sound of things, Anesa was another Viridian-like subject: Haughty, self-assured and soft-spoken. As such, introducing yourself in a formal way would get you in her good graces in no time.
Given that you and your men barged into what was essentially her home and pointed your guns at her, you felt that it was fair that you introduce yourselves. Thus, you calmly apologised for the guns, stating that you and your men had to be sure what you were encountering. "Considering that I presume Kenai led you this way, I am sure she would have told you that I am not one for combat. At least, unless I have a good reason such as needing to defend myself." You accepted that you were wrong, before introducing yourself as the leader of your unusual death squad group. You stated how you had hoped to meet her and talk with her, since she seemed rather knowledgeable about this place. "Hm, I see." Anesa said calmly, before you offered your men to introduce themselves. Your men quickly did such, some like Lydia and Anon even apologising for the rough first meeting. Anesa did seem to become a little less sceptical as your men all introduced themselves, her even smiling a little bit.

"Well, you seem like... a colourful group of soldiers. It is also reassuring to see that some of the people coming down here are more reasonable." Anesa responded, before soon looking over at the girls who were with you. "I am curious... about you three, however. Would you also like to introduce yourselves?" Anesa asked Thalia, Chrys and Katya. The three looked at each other, before Katya stepped forward. "Katya Kesselring, ATO-4013." Anesa tilted her head, before speaking softly. "Who is your creator, if I may ask?" Katya didn't hesitate, calmly responding with: "Roraima." Anesa nodded understandingly, before speaking softly. "I take it... you were designed not to be the talkative type by that crook." Katya gave no response, just giving a quick nod.

Anesa would look over at Chrys, who waved a little hesitantly. "Such an adorable little insect girl. You... clearly are not build for such an environment, huh?" Anesa said in a more warm tone, Chrys nodding and giving an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, I-I'm just glad Mikhail gave me this coat... I-It's freezing here!" Anesa chuckled in response, before Chrys continued. "Um, I'm Chrysidus Carabid, IB-79. But, uhhhh, just call me Chrys. I was made by Anderson." Anesa let out an amused scoff. "I aready imagined he was your creator. He is... very fond of his insect subjects." Chrys nodded, before quietly adding: "Don't forget spider girls... he likes those too." Anesa nodded, before then looking at Thalia. Your own Elbrus subject would try and keep her calm, yet was clearly nervous to once again introduce herself. "I'm... Thalia Rinne, PS-2020... I am... an Elbrus subject." Anesa's smile faded just a tiny bit, her speaking softly. "I see..."

>Give Anesa something to right away gain her trust. Maybe Evander could share some of his moonshine, or you could answer some of her own questions to gain her trust?
Anesa quietly glanced over at Thalia, an awkward silence hanging between them which you decided to break by giving a piece offering. You told the oni that you had something which could hopefully be considered a gift. "Oh my, how thoughtful of you." She said in a surprised tone, you asking Evander about the booze he had. "Aye, it's gettin' good. Could maybe use a few days to become perfect, but it'll hopefully be good now as well!" He said eagerly, rummaging through his bag before grabbing the large container and filling a glass with it. Anesa calmly approached, towering over Evander before gently bowing and accepting the glass. She'd sip from it, before nodding approvingly. "It could indeed use a few more days. But, it certainly is far from bad. You certainly have a talent for making drinks." Evander seemed proud of the compliment, smiling and nodding confidently.

>Ask Anesa some questions about this place, who she was or intel she might find useful. Intel was what you were here for, after all.
With Anesa enjoying the glass of moonshine, you would ask her if you could ask some questions. "Oh, of course. So long... as I can ask you some questions as well." You quickly accepted, before you asked who she had seen around here recently in terms of subjects and humans. "Subjects... Hmm, well aside from Kenai over here, I have only really encountered Valentina often. Though, I try and avoid her, given she is rather devilish and snarky. Almost a bit... childish, one could say. Aside from her, I have only met that other wolf subject, who is the reason I was in cryptostasis." This got your men curious, with Zaria asking: "Cryptostasis?" Anesa nodded and walked over to the icy cocoon she had come from. “I can create these chambers of ice, which help me recover more quickly. Tengri designed it for me.”

Given that this was another person who encountered Grise, your men were quite intrigued to say the least. “So, how did fighting against Grise go?” Thaddeus asked calmly, Anesa sighing. “Painful. She cut off my hand with that blade of hers. I only stopped her after enough of my ice crept over her body and made her retreat.” It sounded like Anesa was another decent combat subject. Obviously, she wasn’t as effective as Katya, but it was still another subject who held her own against the white wolf. Regardless, you wanted to know if she saw any other subjects, to which Anesa shook her head. “I do not move around very much. It is much more pleasant for me to stay here. Kenai tends to deliver me news from time to time, which I rather enjoy.” Anesa looked over at Kenai, before tilting her head a bit. “Kenai, is something wrong? You seem... rather dour.” Kenai sighed, looking away pondering for a moment before bringing the terrible news to Anesa as well.

“Mikhail here told me that... Mona and Illimani died.” Kenai said softly, Anesa letting out a gasp and putting her hand in front of her mouth. She’d look down a bit, before closing her eyes for a moment. “Illimani...” She whispered, before Thaddeus stepped forward and explained what had happened to Anesa as well. Anesa got seated on the floor, looking down and patiently waiting for him to finish. Once Thaddeus finished explaining everything, he’d calmly say: “We know that yer also an Illimani subject. So... we’re sorry to inform ya of this.” Fortunately, Anesa took it a whole lot better than Kenai, simply nodding before speaking more softly. “It’s... it’s okay. Thank you for informing me. It... it hurts me to hear all of this. I wish I could have done something to help him. But alas, it is too late now.” Kenai would also join in on the conversation, speaking more aggressively. “I’ll be joining Mikhail here, so we can... hunt down the people responsible, Anesa. If you want, I imagine that Mikhail wouldn’t mind you joining.”

Whilst you were keen on befriending subjects and having them join, it was a little odd that Kenai instantly offered an invitation to Anesa like this. Fortunately, Anesa would shake her head, responding in a relaxed tone. “Whilst I appreciate the offer, I wish to stay here for as long as possible. It is... relatively safe, especially considering what monsters might be walking the empty halls now. Besides, I do not think... Illimani would have wanted me to go out of my way to avenge his death.” Kenai scoffed in turn, not saying anything else. It was nice that you didn’t need to console Anesa regarding the death of Illimani. Perhaps she just... expected it already. Regardless, you’d use the opportunity to ask about Valentina, since she seemed like one of the more ‘monster-ish’ types to walk the halls. Mainly, you wanted to know how to deal with her in a way to avoid confrontation.

“Well, I believe first impressions really matter. She will test you with some tricks and teasing. At worst, they may lead to some minor injuries. Just don’t get upset at her for these little pranks, and she will be more respectful and friendly. More importantly, she is rather crass and to the point. Don’t get upset at her for her blunt nature. Honestly, given how many subjects you have by your side, I feel like it should be easy enough to befriend her, since she will be quicker to trust you. Oh, and don’t praise Elbrus around her. He is one of the few people she actively wants to see suffer.” Zaria chuckled and spoke up in a more snarky tone. “She’s not the only one.” After which, Artyom more proudly said: “Guess we already have something in common with Valentina then.” Though looking at Thalia, you knew she was extremely uncomfortable to hear that Valentina was not fond of Elbrus. She probably was afraid that Valentina would distrust her. Then again, you could always vouch for Thalia.

“So, what is it you are doing down here, if I may ask a question of my own?” Anesa soon asked, you explaining that you were originally here to find a death squad to ally with. This got you asking about her encounters with death squads, which made her think. “Death squads such as yourself... I have actually not encountered any of them so far. I have encountered facility staff, but no death squads akin to you and your men. Though, Kenai did tell me of her encounters with people who hunted for subjects such as ourselves.” It was annoying that Anesa could not tell you about France’s location. Still, there was more intel she could provide, you wanting to know a bit about her creators. Mainly, how she viewed them. “I take it this has to do with... my calm reaction to Illimani’s unfortunate passing? Believe me, it hurts me immensely. I just... believe a lady such as myself needs to keep her calm. Besides, Illimani would not have wanted me to cry over his passing...”

You told her that it was just curiosity, since you wanted to know what the various scientists were like. “Well, Illimani is... was a wonderfully bright and kind man. A true beacon of kindness within this cold place. He was... a true father to me. He taught me so much and gave me so much in life.” She looked a little down again, quietly mumbling: “It is a shame I won’t ever be able to thank him for everything he did for me.” There was a short pause, Anesa contemplating things before you asked about her thoughts on Tengri. “He was... an okay man. He was far busier than Illimani, given his position in the facility, so he unfortunately did not spend too much time with me.” Anesa would pause, before looking right at you and saying: “I presume he has also either passed or not been found yet?” Given her calm reaction, you would tell the truth and explain that Tengri had indeed died. Anesa froze and actually looked just as disappointed as when you mentioned Illimani’s death. She looked away, before nodding. “I see...”

Not wanting to further spoil things, you decided to mention how Morgan had spoken highly of her. This got Anesa to smile a bit. “Ah, you are allies with Morgan as well?” She said in a more hopeful tone. “Aye, we met her and almost got into combat. But, Mikhail managed to convince her to back down. So now, she’s a lovely ally of ours.” Evander said proudly, at which point Mike spoke up as well: “She’s only a tiny bit annoying with her hatred for guns...” Afterwards, Artyom said: “Don’t forget her obsession with using her blade in honourable combat.” This made Anesa chuckle quietly. “That does sound like Morgan, yes.” With this, you would ask Anesa about Titania. She was a Tengri subject, so surely she’d know about her. “Titania? Oh dear, what happened to her, if I may ask?” You explained that she was gone, which surprised Anesa quite a bit.

“How strange... So she is nowhere to be found. Perhaps she went off-planet?” You stated that you had no clue, but that you wanted to know as much about her as possible. And fortunately, Anesa was able to oblige. “Titania was... well, Tengri once told me that she is a bit of a worrywart. She wants everything to go exactly right, or she becomes nervous or starts acting strange. Still, she was quite obedient and eager to help out.” There was a pause, before she spoke more quietly. “I think it might have to do with... Andrei. He apparently helped out quite a bit with the creation of Titania and was highly interested in her creation process and size. I do not know why though...” This was met with some curiosity, as you didn’t really know much about Andrei, aside from the files you read and Vinisha’s comments. “But wait, we read about all of Andrei’s subjects... It said nothing about him working on Titania.” Lydia said curiously, Anon already getting the tablet ready.

“Well, for one, it was not a lot of work, if what Tengri told me was correct. More importantly, I am sure you are most aware of Andrei’s... secretive nature. He could’ve very well erased all signs pointing to his contributions for... who knows what reasons.” Anesa calmly responded, which was disappointing. But at least you now knew a little bit more about Titania and her creators. With that in mind, you decided to ask about Elbrus’ and Roraima’s locations, since you wanted to find them still. “If I knew Elbrus’ location, it would be of no use to you. After all, had I known his location, I would have told Valentina about it... and she would’ve dealt with him shortly afterwards.” Anesa said in a more amused tone, before looking back. “Still, the path to his office is... not too far from here, if I recall correctly. Valentina already rummaged through it though, given how eager she was to find him.” She said calmly, which was maybe worth checking out later.

“As for Roraima, I would sadly not know. My best guess would be that he would be in the staff room. But, that is just a guess.” Anesa continued, you explaining that that place was blown up in the disaster. This made Anesa raise an eyebrow, as you asked her what happened during the disaster. “I was informed there was some kind of blast and things have gone poorly, but... I must admit that I have not been informed of much. I take it something went wrong downstairs near the generators... did the government not explain what was going on?” Kenai scoffed and spoke in a more sarcastic tone. “Naaaah, in fact, they haven’t told anyone! They just send in... death squads to kill innocent people, and are now keeping quiet about everything!” Anesa looked far more confused, before shaking her head. “Okay, I am extraordinarily out of the loop here. Would one of you be so kind to explain what is going on? What happened to the facility, and what is the role of the government?”

You still wanted to ask about the escape routes, what Anesa had been up to and her plans for the future. Unfortunately, it seemed that just like with Kenai, Anesa was in the dark about the facility’s current fate. In other words, you had to explain things again. Fortunately, just like the list you asked each subject you met, it was becoming something of a routine to explain what the hell was happening on the surface.

>What do you do next?

>Tell Anesa the story you know. There was a large blast, death squads were sent in to eradicate survivors and the government was hiding everything from the public. (Write in what you tell her specifically.)
>Ask her some more questions about what she has been up to, ways out of the facility, other subjects she knows or even how to get to Valentina. (Write in what you’ll ask.)
>Find a way to comfort Anesa a bit. She clearly was saddened to hear that Tengri and Illimani were dead, but was probably just trying to hold back her grief to appear lady-like. (Write in what you do to comfort her or get her to open up.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Apologies for the delay yesterday. Procrastination is a bitch, and I ended up too tired to start writing an update yesterday. Fortunately, I got it done today with... a bit more procrastination. But, better late than never, right? Especially when it's a large update.)

(Anyway, I feel like I need to do a monthly check-up to see how you guys are feeling. You guys got any comments or feedback you wanna give me in terms of writing, pacing, characterization or what not? I feel like I haven't really put in the right amount of effort as of late, so I wanna improve a bit and get some really solid updates out again.)

>>6286356
>Tell Anesa the story you know. There was a large blast, death squads were sent in to eradicate survivors and the government was hiding everything from the public. (Write in what you tell her specifically.)
Same thing we told Kenai
Demon subject escape, big explosion, GalGov betrayal
Feeling like Andrei must have been the main demon subject maker with how no one seems to know her and how big she was

>feedback you wanna give me in terms of writing, pacing, characterization or what not
It's all seemed pretty good lately
Only thing that I can remember to complain about is the excessive and sometimes nonsensical write in prompts. It's enough to have
>something else..
At the bottom.

Something like
>Give Anesa something to right away gain her trust. Maybe Evander could share some of his moonshine, or you could answer some of her own questions to gain her trust? (Write in what you give to her.)
From >>6285248 is ok but
>(Write in how long you’ll let her cry before doing something else...)
Was just ridiculous

>>6286356
>Tell Anesa the story you know. There was a large blast, death squads were sent in to eradicate survivors and the government was hiding everything from the public.
Same old story. Government didn't tell us any details and nobody we've met knows the full story. What we've pieced together is a subject nicknamed "Demon" escaped and tore things up, subjects including Titania were released to combat her and then much of the central facility was atomised in a massive explosion. FedGov proceeded to hire thousands of death squads like us and told them everyone was contaminated and needed to die - why they really want you all dead, we don't know. So here we are two and a half weeks later - thousands of people are dead including at least three major scientists and five subjects, all the subjects are loose, the whole planet is under a naval blockade and comms blackout, a large part of the facility is a giant crater, there's heavy and spreading flooding just to the west, supplies are low, death squads are still hunting everyone down and no official help is coming. It's not good out there, if I dare be so presumptive.
>Ask her some more questions about what she has been up to, ways out of the facility, other subjects she knows or even how to get to Valentina.
We've been looking for ways to smuggle subjects off planet. Don't suppose you have any ideas?
Any local points of interest we ought to investigate or staff still around here?
What subjects can you tell us of or about? There's a lot with poor documentation or off the record entirely.

By the way, Kenai will be coming with us and we'll also be taking any other willing subject back to our hidden subject safehouse where we already have quite a number so it may be about to get lonelier around here. We'll be pursuing Illimani's killers on the side as a favour to Kenai but our primary focus is on rescuing Jabal and Catherine to save them from sharing Illimani's fate as well as subjects and staff as we go and put a stop to Feng Zetian's reign of terror. We're probably the closest thing to an actual rescue team down here and we couldn't do it without our subject allies. Really, we need all the help we can get here and think you'd be better off with us but, if you wish to stay here, we bid you good luck. I think you'll need it in the coming weeks as the situation continues to deteriorate down here.

-----

I wonder if the abrupt and unclaimed disappearance of some of the known subjects we picked up has been noted yet. Chrys, Kamara and Morgan have all been missing for over a week and now Reika has vanished too and multiple cooler section subjects could be about to as well for good measure. I'm not sure how often they were encountered prior but I feel like at some point, someone is going to wonder where they've gotten to even if there's nothing to link it to us.

In other news, I cleaned up the facility maps and added them to the Document for quick reference

>>6286510
"The Ice Queen and Her Wolves?"

>Tell Anesa the story you know. There was a large blast, death squads were sent in to eradicate survivors and the government was hiding everything from the public.
Without hesitation, you told Anesa what had happened. Mainly, that some kind of demon subject escaped. "Demon... Hmmm, I am trying to think of any demon subjects I can name at the top of my head. I do not think... Tengri made any such subject. It must have been a rather massive subject, if it could've caused what happened to the facility." You elaborated that the demon was the least of your concerns, given that there was a massive blast in the centre of the facility. And most importantly, the government decided to betray everyone in the facility. You stated that the government had gotten death squads to do the dirty work, but that the government kept a lot of details a secret. Not a single person knew the full story of what actually happened to lead to all of this. You also gave a chronological report, mentioning how the demon escaped, caused some chaos before other subjects were deployed to take her down. "I imagine it would have to be combat subjects who did such a job... Perhaps you could seek out some of Tengri's main combat subjects? Cyra, Nandi, Zati... Ah, Shesha as well. And of course, Titania."

You responded that Titania was indeed released to combat the Demon, and that after the release the blast occurred which destroyed the facility. After the blast, you were hired to kill everything that was 'contaminated'. "I believe that 'contaminated' is code for 'anyone who knows too much'." Mike commented, after which you stated that you weren't entirely sure why the government wanted everyone dead. One thing was for sure: there were tons of deaths. Three major scientists, five subjects and thousands of workers for the facility. Not to mention casualties amongst the death squads, which made Anesa ask: "And I take it that the death squads will not leave until each and every single survivor is dead?" You confirmed that the planet was essentially under a blockade and that there was no communication with other planets possible. And things would only get worse as supplies ran out and flooding filled parts of the facility. "I suppose I am lucky, given how... I simply need water at cold enough temperatures to survive." Though, given how the only source of water would soon be ocean water, this did beg the question if she would really be as fine as she thought she'd be.

>Ask her some more questions about what she has been up to, ways out of the facility, other subjects she knows or even how to get to Valentina.
You decided to then ask for ways to smuggle subjects off planet, since it was one of the main question you asked each and every subject. Anesa would think about it for a moment, before speaking calmly. "To the south of here and closer to the surface. That is where the main entrance to the facility was located. It has plenty of vessels which you could try and take."

Taking some space vessels was a decent option. Though, you'd have to contend with the massive blockade and the fact that the ship would probably look very suspicious amongst the ships the government was using around the planet. Still, it wasn't the WORST idea. Aside from the main entrance, you were curious what other locations she might know of around here. "In the cold sector? Well, I would suggest sticking to the upper parts, since they seem safer. They're relatively warmer as well, which is why I prefer sticking to these parts. Aside from that, I do not think there are too many spots of interest." You asked if there was any useful staff still around, to which she sighed. "I think... there was a small contingent of soldiers to the north of here. Though, if I recall correctly, they left a good while ago to head elsewhere." It seemed that the frozen sector wouldn't have much life inside of it that wasn't subject-related, which did sound risky considering your mission to find France down here.

Since it were only subjects, you decided to ask about all the subjects she knew. "Well, I can name quite a large number. I suppose you are already familiar with most of the ones down here. But, I can name a few Tengri subjects as well." You asked about Nandi and Zati first, since you already knew a tiny bit about them. You even mentioned having seen them, and the fact they shot an arrow at you. "Zati can be rather hot-headed, so it doesn't surprise me she tried something like that. Though, did she injure anyone?" Anesa asked, to which Thaddeus responded: "Well, she seemed to aim it at Thalia, for some reason." Anesa nodded, thinking before seemingly realising what had happened. "Thalia... you are an Elbrus subject, correct?" Thalia nodded reluctantly, Anesa continuing right after. "I believe that Zati has quite the hatred for Elbrus' subjects. She probably saw Thalia as a threat which needed to be... eliminated."

The comment clearly hurt Thalia, before Anesa took a more optimistic tone. "I think it might have been Nandi who prevented a lethal shot though. Nandi is a very calm, philosophical and gentle giant. She is essentially Tengri's subject guardswoman. She is extremely durable, intelligent and aware of her surroundings. Most importantly of all, she isn't as brutish as Zati, and would have probably convinced her to go for a warning shot." It was reassuring to know that Nandi was not a trouble-maker. Though, the other subjects Anesa would present were... well, all subjects you already knew a bit about. Shesha, Oneira, Toyotama, Kiyohime, Shu-huo... these were all subjects you had already been informed of quite a bit in the past. Anesa would try to dig a bit, before sighing. "Well, I know a few by name only, since I barely got to interact with them or only heard of them through the grapevine. There was this beetle subject Tengri worked on with Anderson... PB-548 or 'Nubao' who had some kind of pheromone ability."

Anon would start noting things down on the tablet, whilst Anesa kept thinking to herself. "There was... 33-AS, a millipede subject of some kind who was apparently rather huge. I had hoped to meet her, but never got the chance, sadly... Ah, there's Melanie, HA-50, some kind of harpy subject with hypnotic abilities... Tsuchi, I think her name is... Her codename was LB-31, and she was some kind of swordsmith subject. There was the trio of subjects he made with Roraima who I know very little about, except for the fact that they were moreso Roraima's subjects. Oh yeah, there was some small feline girl prankster who was rather harmless and adorable, according to Tengri." Anesa pondered a bit longer, before sighing. "That is all I can remember at the moment. Maybe more will come back to me in the near future, but... this is all I can say for the time being. Maybe I can elaborate in some way on the subjects I did mention?" She asked that last question in a softer, less optimistic tone. She probably couldn't tell you more than what she had already told you.

It could be worth asking her after this. Though first, you would let Anesa know that Kenai would be joining you. Anesa seemed mildly surprised, yet nodded understandingly as you explained that you’d take her and other willing subjects to a safehouse where there were plenty of other subjects already. “I see. Well, I suppose it will become... a lot lonelier down here. Perhaps Valentina will still be with me?” Anesa said in a more amused tone, before you explained that you’d also head after Illimani’s killers as a favour to Kenai. Though, you’d also explain your main missions: saving Jabal and Catherine from death, and killing Feng Zetian. Anesa’s expression became more shocked, as she spoke softly. “You... you are going after her? I... I imagine she has gotten quite powerful, now that she can infect anyone and everyone with her hideous corruptive nanites.” Hearing that Anesa knew of Feng, you were quick to tell her that any help was appreciated in dealing with Feng, indirectly offering Anesa the chance to join your group.

“Whilst I do appreciate the offer and see the value in it, I think I will... pass on it still. I adore this place and consider it my home. And, whilst I can tolerate warmer parts of the facility safely, this place is built for my survival.” Anesa commented, you stating that you completely understood her logic. Yu even wished her good luck, stating that the next few weeks would get rather difficult down here, as more death squads would get to this place. “Considering how few I have seen down here so far, I imagine that this place is not entirely popular among the death squads.” Anesa would confidently comment, to which Anon said: “It’s probably because of Grise and how difficult it is to traverse, given the constant cold and snow.” This made Anesa scoff, before smugly saying: “And who do you think is partially responsible for that?”

Anesa had told you a decent amount of intel about this place, the facility and the things she knew. She was clearly knowledgeable, but she didn’t appear to be the extremely broad source of intel about the facility you had hoped for. Then again, you could always dig deeper into some of the information she presented to you and your men...

>What do you do next?

>Ask Anesa some more questions. She brought up plenty of interesting topics she could delve deeper into. Tengri himself, the facility, the subjects she knew. Hell, she even knew about Feng, which could prove beneficial. (Write in what you ask her.)
>Convince her to join you right now or to head to the safehouse with the other subjects. Whilst this place was cool and safe for her now, the lack of guardsmen and subjects to fight back against encroaching death squads, things were going to get dangerous very quickly here. (Write in how you try to convince her.)
>Thank her for the intel before heading further forward. Hopefully, Kenai would be able to track down France and his men sooner than later. (Write in how you’d look for France.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6286900
>Something else...
Given the amount of frozen meat we're carrying, shouldn't we be heading back to the safehouse a bit before going back down? Really don't want to go anywhere deeper without getting the food we're carrying somewhere safe first.

>>6286900
>Ask Anesa some more questions. She brought up plenty of interesting topics she could delve deeper into. Tengri himself, the facility, the subjects she knew. Hell, she even knew about Feng, which could prove beneficial.
Talk to us about Tengri. She's only the third Tengri subject we've met after after Viridian and Glaucus but we forgot to ask Viri and Glaucus was.....Glaucus.
Ask about the areas to the south of here. Our maps are barebones at best - what and who might we find there?
What does she know of Feng? Her growing power is why it falls to us to put her down and why we're jonesing for all the information and allies we can get. We've already given her something of a black eye.

Now please promise us something. If Sirona and Grise get too much to handle, if floodwater starts coming in here or if death squads start showing up, come and find us in the engineer dormitory in the area two spaces west of the main transport hub on the [???] floor instead of staying and trying to fight it. Too many good people have died already, I don't want to see your name there too.

And then we move on to continue the search. We should probably pursue Gwen and Valentine if Kenai can find her before then though, so let's head back to where we saw Gwen to pick up the trail.

>>6286939
We're still in a sub-freezing environment, it's not going to defrost while we're still in the cooler section. The plan already is to find France and then head back, after picking up the local frens and with a brief detour to check out Elbrus' office if people want to do that.
Before we head back, we should be loading up on all the food we can carry though. We're not carrying that much food right now.

>>6286896
>You decided to then ask for ways to smuggle subjects off planet, since it was one of the main question you asked each and every subject. Anesa would think about it for a moment, before speaking calmly. "To the south of here and closer to the surface. That is where the main entrance to the facility was located. It has plenty of vessels which you could try and take."
Oh shit, finally someone knows how they did this, and somehow it wasn't Annie
For the suspicious issue, maybe we can slap a Lodger or even GalGov logo on the side?
Guess we should check the model first

>I imagine she has gotten quite powerful, now that she can infect anyone and everyone with her hideous corruptive nanites
Woah, hey, she couldn't always do that? Her scientists have already cracked the modification process? We might just be fucked.

>Ask Anesa some more questions. She brought up plenty of interesting topics she could delve deeper into. Tengri himself, the facility, the subjects she knew. Hell, she even knew about Feng, which could prove beneficial. (Write in what you ask her.)
Yeah uh what did she mean by now in that line about Feng?
Not a question but tell her about the safehouse and that she's welcome there if circumstances in this area change.
As facility head did Tengri have any emergency saferooms or resources or anything? He sounds like a huge weeaboo by the way.
That beetle subject sounds interesting, what more can you tell us about her? Chrys and Katya, you familiar with a beetle subject? ....Katya?

>>6286939
We could offer to escort Anesa to the saferoom if we're going back there, but I don't think she'll accept given what she just said about this place. We should get an icebox too, the meat will spoil quickly outside the deep frozen sector, especially if we have to carry it through the chilly sections which have tons of rotting stuff already. Also we picked our current subject companions to meet Frances, so I'd like to find his team before going back and swapping out party members. We can stow the meat somewhere cold and come back for it later if it's such a risk or burden. Maybe even have Anesa keep it frozen.

>>6286950
I don't think there's anything new about Feng there. We already know she can use her nanites to dominate both humans and subjects alike, and it sounds to me that she was just referring to her now being free to do that rather than having suddenly developed a new ability.

Even in the upper frozen section that's not freezing, it's still refrigerator temperatures so it should be very slow to defrost and spoil. We can pack ice into the boxes to keep it frosty on the journey back home later, and perhaps salvage a freezer unit from somewhere to preserve it back at the hideout.

>>6286510
Kenai, it's rude to roll your eyes at people like that.

By the way QM, how tall is Kenai? I suppose she should go on the fren sheet now she's seemingly sticking around.

>>6286900
Also more questions:
Does she know anything more about the main entrance and the vessels it has?
Why does Zati hate Elbrus subjects and not Elbrus himself?

>>6286959
>Even in the upper frozen section that's not freezing, it's still refrigerator temperatures so it should be very slow to defrost and spoil.
Yeah, but the food that was already there is spoiling, we'd need an icebox or at least an airtight container to protect our good stuff from all the bacteria in that area. Salvaging a freezer would be great.

>Ask Anesa some more questions. She brought up plenty of interesting topics she could delve deeper into. Tengri himself, the facility, the subjects she knew. Hell, she even knew about Feng, which could prove beneficial.
Since Anesa was likely not going to join you on your travels, you decided to ask her a few more questions before you left her. For one, you wanted to know more about Tengri and how he was. After all, you hadn't gotten the opportunity to learn more about him, aside from Viri and Glaucus. Though, the latter would not really tell you much about him, for obvious reasons. "Well, what is there to say? He was... a highly intelligent but flawed man. He was well-mannered, respectful, understanding, reasonable... but also far too focused on doing his job effectively, too focused on discussing and philosophizing things to really get any major changes rolled out. Either he had strong bonds with his subjects, or the bonds were non-existent and he was blissfully unaware of his failure to socialize. I suppose I was mostly in the latter camp." She seemed a little sombre to bring it up, Chrys speaking softly. "I know that feeling..." Anesa nodded to what Chrys said, looking away for a moment before continuing.

"Tengri was... a bit better with younger subjects, I will admit that. When I was much smaller, he cared far more for me and visited extremely often. He did have... modest expectations for me as well, telling me that I will do great things. Though, what these great things were, I would sadly not know." She would scoff, before taking a more amused tone. "That Nubao girl was... one he was quite fond of due to her being rather small, from what I have been told." This actually got you curious about Nubao, wanting to know anything else about her. You even asked Katya and Chrys if they knew anything. "Negative. I have not heard of the name or the codename before." Chrys would however ponder about it for a second, before asking: "Can you say her codename again?"

Anesa calmly said: "PB-548.", Chrys thinking about it a bit longer before speaking more confidently. "I think Anderson did mention her... I think, she has some really powerful pheromone abilities... Yeah, that... that was it! I was told people are required to have hazmat suits when they interact with her." Anesa seemed surprised to hear Chrys knowing a bit about this beetle subject, Anon right away trying to dig for more info. "What else do you know, Chrys?" He asked calmly, Chrys once again going back to thinking. "Nubao, Nubao, Nubao... PB-548... I don't know much else about her, I'm afraid." Fortunately, Anesa would quickly reveal a bit more about this mystery beetle. "The chemicals she release... I believe they are akin to what a queen bee can release, albeit affecting humans specifically. I do not know how it works exactly, but I imagine it gives her substantially influence over people."

Hopefully, Nubao would use her control over people in a far less horrid way than how Feng used it. And you weren't the only one to notice the similarities. "Do you think... she could be a danger to others like Feng?" Lydia asked soon after, Anesa pondering before shaking her head. "Nubao uses pheromones to control people. Feng... directly injects her nanites into people to control them. It's a complete takeover of the willpower of whoever she affects." You asked what else Anesa knew about Feng, her taking a deep breath. "She is one of the few subjects who feeds on fear. Her body can sense fear in people somehow, which... makes her nanites more active. Before you ask, I have no clue how it works. But, it is what I was told about her by Illimani. She was actually almost terminated after getting a bunch of guardsmen killed, but Andrei insisted she not get terminated." It was a shame to hear that Andrei preferred keeping a monster like her alive. But, given what he himself had written about her, he clearly viewed her as a valuable asset, despite the horrors she had committed.

"I... also would not be surprised if her influence on subjects is limited somewhat." Anesa would add soon after, which surprised your men. "What makes ya say that?" Thaddeus asked, to which Anesa spoke calmly. "From what I have gathered, she views herself as the zenith of all subjects and would not want to risk another subject from taking her thunder. Perhaps it's entirely wrong, and she has far more subjects at her disposal than poor Oneira. But, I have a hunch she might only accept less popular subjects, or those who are practical to have around." Whilst it was heavy speculation, and not something you should bank on, the possibility did give you some hope. After all, if it were only soldiers you'd have to deal with in combat, it'd be far easier to deal with her. You told Anesa you'd keep what she said in mind for when you did go after her. You also reminded her that you felt it was important to learn as much about Feng as possible before you went after her to take her down.

You'd ask further about the areas to the south of here, wanting to know what was to the south. "Well, it depends on the level you go to. As aforementioned, the upper parts has the entrance and some vessels. There is also some kind of meeting room, from what I remember. If you head south from the distribution hub, you would likely just enter a large office and logistics space. At least, that is what I was told about the location in the past. If you were to head south around these floors, you would get to another office space, from what I recall. Elbrus' office is also there, but I believe you already know about that." Anesa continued, you asking for further details about the main entrance. "I would sadly not know too much about the vehicles or what the entrance is like. My best estimate... is that it is largely a security area and has a large amount of guardsman barracks."

With the mention of Elbrus office you had two important questions. For one, you wanted to know why Zati hated Elbrus subjects and not Elbrus, which made her scoff. "Is this because of the fact Thalia got shot at?" Thalia looked a little worried, clearly not wanting to discuss this again. Fortunately, Anesa was quick, responding with: "I believe she just associates all Elbrus subjects with... well, Elbrus himself. So, since she hates Elbrus first and foremost, she hates all his subjects by association. I know that is disappointing to hear. But, as said before, Zati is stubborn and hot-headed. Even if she knew that Thalia is innocent, she might still attack her because she just wants to cause a fight." It wasn't a satisfying answer, but at least it told you a bit more about what Zati was like as a person. And from the sound of things, she sounded like a bit of a twat. Regardless, you would next ask if Tengri had an emergency saferoom, which surprised Anesa a bit.

"Hmmmm, I do not recall him having any emergency saferooms. He does have an office, which is located in the staff area. But, I do not think that is what you mean...” She pondered a bit longer, before shaking her head. “I do not think he had such locations. Apologies.” You thanked her for the information, even if it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. You also reminded her that the safehouse you had was always welcoming new subjects. You even insisted giving her the exact location, which made Anesa curious. “I will certainly consider it. But, since this location remains safe for me, I will opt to stay here... as I mentioned before.” You did ask her to come to you if things became too unbearable here. Grise, Sirona, the floodwater, they were all threats which could hurt her survival chances substantially. You didn’t want her to die, given how many innocent people had already died. “I understand your concerns, Mikhail. And I thank you for having them. I will always keep the option in the back of my mind.”

With that, it seemed like you had asked everything you wanted to ask. You told your men it was time to move forward, since you wanted to find France, Gwenllian and Valentina still. You asked Kenai if she was able to find them, to which she nodded softly. “I will try...” She commented calmly, before your men would all thank Anesa and wish her good luck. “Thank you for your kindness. I wish you luck with your various missions... And Kenai, don’t let your rage control you too much. I understand your wish for vengeance, but... be careful out there.” Anesa would say as you got ready to leave, Kenai sighing and responding annoyedly. “I will be fine. Don’t worry about me.” With that, you and your men would head out of the chamber, Anesa getting to work on forming some small structures out of the ice within her chamber. You told Kenai it was probably good to head back to where you last saw Gwen, Kenai responding quickly. “I know how to find her.”