Part 14: Metal Gear Levels of Convoluted Backstabbery.

Our arrival at Starbase 1 is uneventful.



: Psyme is not my daughter! Oh man! This can't get any worse!
: Once you've found a spot for the blessed event and signal us[, we] will bring her.
More typos here, this time the comma was replaced by a period, making it read as two fragmented sentences.
: Ok. Got to find a pond!



The pond is located in the bottom right yellow area so away we go!



Near where we picked up the Boomerang Impact Data, there's a Krill Boots panel to stomp, allowing us to make our way to the pond.



I've since realized what item I need to get past these but I don't recall when I get it. Sometime next chapter if I recall correctly.



: Oh man, I'm going to be a dad!!





: excuse ourselves. ... Uh, good luck pal!





Psyme starts bubbling and the screen fades to white.



what



: Are you ok? Where's the baby?
: What baby you imbecile?!!
: Err.......
We were not prepared for this. Again.
: Did you think I was carrying a child with a body like this? You are by far the dumbest guy I've ever met!
: Well how was I supposed to know you were going to sprout wings like a blasted dragonfly?! Why did this happen anyway?
: Boy you are think! Krill females have two maturation phases, one for us and one for our parasites! What's wrong with you?!
: I had no idea. Wow. So I had nothing to do with this?
To be completely fair to Recker, how WAS he supposed to know this? It didn't help that every Krill there made it sound like Psyme was going to have a baby and no one corrected him.
: Well... The parasite doesn't mature by age, it sort of...erm...responds to, uh... feelings and stuff.
: Oh, I SEE! Hah!!
: It's NOT FUNNY!!
: Phew... Oh man! Ok, so now you've got wings. Can you fly around flower to flower? What other freaky things don't I know about your species?
: Well moron. The wings are for you.
: Huh?!



: You triggered them to develop, so it's customary that I give them to you. Let me just... shimmy... out of... Here!





: I won't be growing them again anytime soon, so take care of those. Your parasite will do all the work I'm sure.
: Wow. So...uh, what does this mean? Like, between us?
: It means I follow nature's course and eat you.
: CRIPES!!
Satan's bunions!
: I'm kidding. It just means I like you. That's it. There, you dragged it out of me. I know I'm Krill so just forget I said it already.
: Psyme-



Psyme races off.

: PSYME!! Come back!



With our Girl Wings we can now fly across these gaps.



Emasculating, yet efficient!



You can move in all 8 directions while flying too, so they made sure to make you cross gaps like that.



This miniboss is a tough one. I missed getting a good shot of it, but it fires wave patterns out of both tips of its arms. The patterns intersect, making it hard to avoid taking damage.



The arms will fall off first, after which it will fire bullets from its main segment. The bullets will always be shot towards your current location, so continually moving is the only way to avoid taking lots of damage. Drops about 1800 EXP on defeat. Small amount considering its difficulty.





In this cave is the Bullet Data, Seeker Missile. I'm assuming it's like Rocket but homing, and perhaps not as powerful. Again, too slow for my liking.



I have no clue what it is with these floating islands but there are patterns of Krill Puck thingies all over them with nothing being hidden by them either.





This is the Impact Data, EXP Miner. Shooting the ground with it will occasionally "dig up" extra EXP bubbles. It's never that much though so it's only worth it if you really want to grind EXP.



A miniboss from earlier areas that we didn't encounter the first time, this worm is supposed to pop in and out of the ground and treetops. Unfortunately for it, I am way too powerful for it to handle and it dies in three seconds.



With our Girl Wings we can also explore other areas on the Forest Planet that were inaccessible.



Well that's an odd sprite.



In that cave in the last shot is the Cannon Data, Double Node Orbit. This one's pretty good but the orbit can be a bit confusing if timing is needed. Pretty sure there's a Triple variant, so this may become obsolete soon.



Yep, it's fun to slaughter the first enemies in the game by the dozens.



In the rainy section of the planet there's another room with floating platforms abounding.





Hidden underground here is the Impact Data, EXP Miner Plus. It's basically a more effective EXP Miner, dropping bigger EXP bonuses.





And this cave up here has the Impact Data, Super Vampire. It drops large health packs every 10 impacts. Very useful, I'll probably be making use of it on the fifth planet if I'm not using the Duo Counter to avoid that random battle glitch.





Finding the Super Vampire made me realize I'd forgotten this back a ways, since I had it before Super Vampire in my test run. Vampire is Super Vampire but less effective, however you *should* find it first, making it useful for about three minutes until you find the better version.



That's it for the Gun Data hiding on the planet, so back to Starbase 4.



: Later. Something's not right here.
: I'll check it.

Intrigue!



: It must've been Scarlet! I never should have trusted her!
: Hang on. It could have been Professor Zart.
: The anti-virus would have taken longer to incubate. So whoever the thief was would have needed to either wait until both were done, or steal them separately as they were completed.
: Scarlet would have waited for the anti-virus.
: And Zart would have only needed the original virus, and the Genome. So there's a time span between suspects. I need to find out when the crew went missing. Search the control center for clues.
: Ok.
Where's Professor Layton when you need him?

Entering the Comm Room automatically starts up a call to Tierney.



: It's good all right. Someone's made off with the virus. That germ you were willing to sacrifice the entire Earth fleet for, it's gone without a trace.
: No, it's quite safe.
: How? You think Scarlet Keys has it?
: I have it.
: That's impossible.
: Recker, I gave it to Commander Tierney.
: Wha- Blune! What on Earth are you... ARE you on Earth?



Also, tense music plays during this whole scene.
: You know Recker, war affects the lives of many people. Some would go to great lengths to see it end.
: You were working for Tierney all this time?
: No, of course not. But after our last meeting I was able to trace your line back to Commander Tierney. I'm sorry, but you gave me an opportunity. I took advantage of it.
: And you truly believe that giving this virus to Earth will save your people? Did our good Commander Tierney tell you its true purpose? Blune knows that it's not meant to eradicate the Krill people. Its sole purpose is to kill the alien matter.
: Recker, you were right. That alien matter is a bio weapon. If the Krill find all six planets first, they will use it to destroy Earth, and many planets after it. I believe the Tyrannical Overlord and High Command are working against the people's interests. That is why I went to Earth.
: And I suppose Tierney promised to use the virus to kill the alien bio weapon.
: Yes.
: If you infect the alien matter, what will happen to the six planets?
: They will, unfortunately, become uninhabitable.



Oh shit...



: Psyme! I can explain-
: Don't bother. I heard enough. It's Mister Tierney I want to talk to.
: Hello Psyme. I've heard impressive things about you.
: Cram it. In my hand is the anti-virus, created from your original strain.
: ...
For once, he's speechless!
: I thought Blune stole it!
: I... I didn't know about any anti-virus! You must believe me... the virus was the only thing in the lab!
: That's because the anti-virus had not incubated yet. Looks like we're in the driver's seat now!
: Recker, I order you to seize that anti-virus!
: Maybe we'll just call up the Tyrannical Overlord. I'm sure he'd love to have it.
: Enough! You are relieved of duty! Return to Earth immediately with the anti-virus or you will be charged with high treason!
: And I suppose you will report me through the proper channels? The same way you arranged that shindig with a high ranking Krill officer? Blune, has he introduced you to anybody else around the office? Gone out for coffee?
: Cool down!
: This is all a solo act, isn't it? Does anyone else know you ordered me to destroy the fleet? Or gut that mine? Who are you accountable to?! No one! You can't threaten me without implicating yourself!

: What do you want?
: There are still two planets out there. If you're willing to pull me out now you must know of at least one other.
: And what would you do with that information? Steal the bio weapon for yourself?
: I'd do that before I'd put it in the hands of you or the Krill Overlord.
: Do not bring the anti-virus to the Krill. Can we at least agree on that?
: Psyme?
: If he gives us the name of the fifth planet.
: I don't know which is the fifth planet, but... but I can explain the method you can use to find it.
: Go on.
: Recker. You realize this information will not help you. You do this and there's not a home to return to. Earth, Krill, everyone will want you dead.
: Then I will hope for a stalemate. Talk.
: Sigh... When the first human POW leaked information to Earth about the bio weapon, we planted probes on every unstable planet within range of the Krill's influence. With three of these Probes, we could triangulate based on long range resonances. Within days these prbes were discovered and jammed by the Krill. We only managed to get locations of two planets in time, the Forest Planet and the Ice Planet. We immediately set up bases on each to find other ways of identifying all six planets.
: So these probes are already on the four planets we know of. Easy. We only need three after all.
: Unfortunately one of them was the entry point for the Forest mining operation.
: Yeah, I pretty much blew that place up.
: So that's it then. We'll hold onto the anti-virus. If you're lying, it goes straight to the Tyrannical Overlord.
: The time for deception has passed. And Recker... You are on your own. Over, and out.
The screen goes blank.
: ... Well, Psyme. Anything you want to ask me? About Tierney? My mission?
: I think I got the picture.
: Are you surprised?
: No, not really. I've suspected you were soft on Earth for some time. But the sob story about your friends... Was that just cover?
: I wish it was. But no, I was never convicted and sent to some space prison. The only reason I'm out here in the first place is to ease my guilty conscience.
: I don't appreciate being lied to. But I suppose I did some lying of my own. I don't have the anti-virus. This is from a beverage machine.



: Holy Moley! You bluffed your way through that entire conversation?!
: I didn't become an officer at my age by being a pushover.
: So where's the anti-virus now?
: Let's think it through. We know Blune didn't get it. That leaves Professor Zart or Miss Keys. If it was Scarlet, she couldn't have gotten far, because she'd be on foot. If it was Zart, I'd need to plot every course and check Krill docking logs. Fun stuff.
: But we can't wait on finding the three Probes. Blune is probably on his way to find them first!
: Then you'd better go it solo. I'll find Miss Keys. I'll set up a frequency for the probes and our Comm system to share. That way we can use them as long range radios. The probes must be on the Fire, Ice and Sand planets. Go find them! And Recker...
: Yes?
: I'm still your superior. Lie to me again, and I'll kill you.
: This can't be good for our relationship.

She took that pretty well, all things considered.



Well, join me next time as we revisit old planets and probably get lots of new Gun Data.

-----

Current Weapon Data:

: 3 - Triple Cannon. Fires shots in a forward spread.
: 3 - Heavy Shot. A large projectile with a large hit area.
: 10 - Fork. Shots fork forwards.