Part 11: Collateral Damage

I'm back, and I bring candy! Or at least an update, and that's like candy, right?

Sorry that the cheat update never materialized, moving took more out of me than I thought it would and having no net connection disrupted my workflow a lot more than expected. I'll get around to it someday, if only so that I can show everyone how to permanently disable enemy encounters.

Yep, you're seeing things. Any indications that I edited those posts earlier today are entirely illusory. Move along, citizen. _{Seriously though thanks for the bug report, I've fixed the four instances I could find.}

I'm glad you like it. Although, if you thought the catacombs were bad, wait until we get to  Buried Jinam .

I may just do that.

11: Collateral Damage


Where did we leave off?



Oh, right.



Shot Down (Viddler)




Our flaming transport plummets towards the surface of the shell. The camera pans away...



...to reveal an Ankaran battle group.



Commander! Several Jinam battleships have just appeared on radar.
You must protect the flagship at all costs!




The Ankaran ships open fire, but the smaller, more agile Jinam vessels easily weave between the shots.



One of them dodges directly into a beam and explodes, but the survivors open fire with ventral machine guns.




The Ankaran battleships don't fare so well. All of them are rocked by explosions, and while they're still in the air, they look a bit crispy around the edges.



The Jinam attackers aren't satisfied by this, and launch a swarm of missiles.



Missile after missile slams into the flagship...



...until, crippled, it begins to fall.


The flagship is doomed! All ships retreat!


Colonel, take the rest of the fleet. Get back to Ankara. The capital will need every ship. For freedom!





We'll be seeing more of him later. For now, however, it's time to get back to our regularly scheduled playable characters.


You'd better have some supplies for us soon.

The robots leave, and as soon as they're gone...





Ankara. We found you outside of town. We saw your ship crash and followed the escape pod to its landing site.
We must have been shot down...
What?
Nothing, nothing. Thank you for your kindness, but I have to go.
It's dangerous out there! There are enemy soldiers all over the place!
Soldiers? The Chosen?
Jinam soldiers. They've invaded...blamed us for the death of their president.
I have to find my friends...

Now, we can mine them for information. First up is to ask about the rest of the party.

Were there any other escape pods from the transport?
Didn't see any.
The Jinam soldiers have been rounding up strange types. They're holding some of them in town...
[Grubb] Have you seen a skinny guy with a mohawk?
Doesn't sound familiar...
[Corgan] Have you seen a swordsman anywhere near town?
The Jinam are holding prisoners in town; perhaps he's among them.
[Runner] Have you seen any robots around?
Town's crawling with 'em. The Jinam soldiers are all cyborgs.
No, no...I mean, a four legged one?
No...I don't think so...

A lot of the dialogue is inconsistent about whether the Jinam soldiers are cyborgs or robots; most NPCs use the terms interchangeably, and considering how prevalent biotechnology is on Septerra, there may in fact be no distinction.

Anyways, now that we know everything they do about the other party members (ie, sod all) it's time for current events.

[Jinam Soldiers] I thought the Shell 5 nations were at peace.
Used to be.
But, years ago, Jinam sent secret strike teams to wipe out our mining operations near the Core. We called it the Resource War.
Mining operations?
Both of our countries mine the Core for the material that surrounds it, called Corite. It's a gemstone more valuable than diamond.
One of Jinam's senators was responsible for the attacks, to force us out. Jinam apologized...but ten years later, the wounds have never healed...and now, Jinam accuses us of assassinating their president.
Doskias must be a part of all this...
[talk] Where's your capital?
Ankara? To the south...but the Jinam soldiers have it surrounded.
Why did the Jinam attack?
Our two countries have had an uneasy peace for several years. Now they claim we assassinated their president.

And that's it. Before we leave, though, let's repay their kindness by rifling through their stuff.




Jackpot! The Fast Shoes provide more armour and more speed compared to the Speed Shoes. It's not much, but it helps.



Welcome to a small Ankaran town I've never been able to figure out the name of.



Ignoring the ramp and instead heading right takes us to another bird.



Two birds fed!



Heading down the ramp reveals a family of three, but they aren't very talkative.





Sorry, I...
The soldiers are merciless, they're not even human...I don't want to attract any more attention to myself.

Fortunately, the other NPCs scattered around town are more helpful.


[talk] Are there many survivors?
Aye, they're hiding outside of town. They'll come back after the secret weapon has been rolled out...
[Doomsday Device] What's this 'secret weapon'?
It's just a rumour, but if it's real, it'll wipe out the enemy.
[Grubb] Have you seen a skinny guy with a mohawk around?
Someone like that was helping some of the refugees fix their wagons out east...near a wrecked ship.
[Runner] Have you seen a four-legged robot anywhere?
Sorry, just the two-legged kind, unfortunately...
[Corgan] Have you seen a swordsman around?
There was a stranger the soldiers captured...took down thirty of them before they got him.

Thirty sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, but that's probably Corgan alright. We also have a lead on Grubb, although when we finally find him you'll wonder how she knows this.



[Grubb] Have you seen a skinny guy with a mohawk around?
Nope.
[Runner] Have you seen a four-legged robot anywhere?
Nope.
[Corgan] Have you seen a swordsman around?
He caused quite a stir, killed plenty of tin boys before they captured him. Is he a friend of yours?
Yes...
Well, I picked up his weapon, after he was taken...here, you give it back to him.


Now that we have Corgan's sword, we just need to find Corgan. Bearing left from Malcolm and following the fence takes us to the exit to the world map, but just before we get there, we find him.


Corgan!
Maya! Get me outta here...
How?
I don't know, the guards never leave and I have nothing to fight them with.

Good thing Malcolm picked up that sword earlier.


Thanks, maybe now I can fight my way out of here.



Following the fence back to the right brings us to the guards, where it is time - once again - for Maya to be highly persuasive to robots.

Who did you capture?
An enemy spy.
What are you gonna do with him?
Execution!
Well, why not do it now? The scum killed my family!
Well, there's nothing stopping us...
Yeah, the brass already interrogated him anyway...
Let's do it.



Jinam ROBO units actually have a variety of attacks, but these two don't manage to use any of them before Corgan and Maya drop them.


There's a war on, these people aren't going to help us now. We should return to Shell 3 and cut our losses.
I'm not so sure. I think the Chosen may have something to do with this.

Maya has apparently decided to blame everything on Doskias as a matter of policy. Corgan wisely drops the subject.

With Corgan back in the party, it's time to tidy up here and move on. Step one: loot. The crates by the battlefield contain a loaf a bread, a Core Rune, and a root, for starters.



At the far right of this area, under the damaged bridge, is this device. Searching it yields a MetalCoat, robot armour which we can give to Runner once we find him.



Finally, Kin Ping's Boutique is left of the ramp, near Malcolm.



He sells the Napalm gun module and the Buzzsaw staff module. I grab one of each, along with a StrongEngine, and equip Maya with the StrongEngine and the Napalm. Sadly, there isn't enough cash left over to get a better sword for Corgan.



Napalm is a slower attack than Grenade, but hits harder and is especially effective against earth-elemental enemies, which are naturally vulnerable to fire.

We can also have Corgan talk to the townspeople:

Why aren't you with the other refugees?
Why die of starvation on the run, when I can die right here where I was born?

How can we find the Ankaran capitol?
It's south to south-east, boy, but the Jinam have it completely surrounded.

How goes your search for your friends?

Well, we have one of them right here, so it goes alright.

How much of your army remains?
Not much...we pray every day for help from our capitol, Ankara.



And that's all there is to do here. Tune in next time as we continue the search for Grubb and Runner!