>Contact Annie and Logan about this find. Perhaps they'd be able to do something with it after you shared your location with them?
Given how major of a find this was in the ruins of the facility, you knew you had to contact Annie right away. You told Anon to turn on the radio, Annie already being busy giving some announcements over the radio. Thus, you waited for her to finish, the girls all looking intrigued at the vat. "They're so much... smaller than I remembered them being." Haje mumbled as she looked at the vat, to which Sibilia responded: "Well, you probably were a lot smaller when you first came out of it. It looks to be just the same size as when I first stepped out of it." Afterwards, Mike would ask: "So, wait, you remember stepping out of it? Isn't that like... the moment you were born essentially?" Sibilia nodded, after which Morgan casually elaborated. "T'is something I remember as well. It was a bit confusing, but it did not take long for me to form a blade and realise my destiny as a knight!"

Before you could ask about the existential implications regarding this topic, Annie's announcement came to a stop and she started playing music again. Thus, you asked Annie to hit you up right away, her not taking too long to respond. "What is it Mik? Is there an emergency?" She immediately asked, you telling her about what you had found. Given that Logan was trying to fix a vat, you imagined that he'd be particularly interested in this. Annie did seem extremely intrigued by this. "Where did you find this? Somewhere in the weapon storage sector, I assume?" You told her that it was indeed in the weapon storage sector, after which you asked what you had to do with it. Obviously, carrying it around didn't seem like the most reasonable thing to do, given that it was a rather massive thing. At least it wasn't bolted into the ground unlike most vats you encountered. Regardless, you suggested maybe talking to Logan about it, given his presumed interest in the vat.

"For sure, I'll forward you to him right now!" Annie happily responded, the line going quiet for a moment before you heard Logan, him speaking extremely eagerly. "Okay, so Annie told me you guys found an intact and complete vat, right?" You confirmed what you found again, to which Logan responded: "Okay, is it already placed into the floor, or is it still in a crate or something?" Looking at the vat, it quickly became apparent that it was not attached to anything and still in the crate it was presumably stored in. "Yes! Okay, this is excellent! It will speed up my work substantially. Now, you guys are in the... south-western weapon storage, right? If so, that's not too far from the server room we're in. Issue is that we will be on the move tomorrow to head to the communications sector. Worse, that this is on the same floor as Feng, right? How far is she from your current location? Would it be possible that she finds it and takes it before you can bring it to me?"

You confirmed that Feng was indeed close-by, having already raided this place for weapons, electronics, batteries and more things. Logan clearly wasn't too pleased to hear this. "That's... not great. I suppose we're lucky she or her thralls didn't spot this thing then. Either way, we cannot risk her getting her hands on it. Not just because of my research interests, but because she could do some pretty dangerous things with a working vat. Do you still have Reika or some other strong subjects by your side?" You mentioned having Reika by your side right now, but also having a few other strong subjects. "Okay, maybe Reika can carry it on her own in the box. She just has to be really careful, given how delicate those vats can be... My suggestion is to either carry it to some hidden corner where nobody can easily access it, perhaps even blocking it off in a non-conspicuous way... Or, you find a way downstairs where we can maybe pick it up."

Given that this was ANOTHER diversion you'd be taking right after spending a whole day not travelling the direction you wanted to take, your men weren't entirely too eager about this. But, they kept quiet, you asking if he needed a few components rather than the whole thing. "I mean, I'd prefer getting the whole vat. The vat I am working on is pretty battered and a bitch to work with. This new vat could easily be placed in a research chamber, attached to a powerful energy source and filled with organic material and nutrients and be used to create new subjects. Hell, I could even start experimenting with something I've had on my mind for a while: finding a way to recreate subject remotes." The latter suggestion instantly stunned your men. "Wait, subject remotes as in... the ones which can alter subjects?" Logan spoke up eagerly. "That's the plan, yes. It could help subjects out by maybe fixing some of their weaknesses. Or hell, flesh out their existing abilities. Obviously, even with this vat, it'd be... a pretty substantial task to try, but at least it'd be something worth trying."

Looking around for another way to easily transport the whole vat, you did momentarily glance at the carrier vehicles. Looking at the nearest, it was clearly not going to function, unless if you wanted to stick Oreas in it as a battery. Though, even if the thing did work, having Oreas power it would utterly exhaust her and probably not take you very far. And given that most other vehicles had been damaged or robbed of parts, you knew the only option you had now was having Reika carry it or hiding it somewhere. You could carry it up to Sukirno's base to keep it safe, but that was going to take A LOT of time given its size and weight. Not to mention, Reika not being the most graceful in going through that stairwell. Still, Logan clearly wanted this vat for his highly beneficial research, so you couldn't just do nothing with it...

>What do you do next?

>Carry the vat around, either bringing it to Alexandra or somewhere further away from Feng's base. Reika probably wouldn't mind it, since she was a strong gal.
>Bring the vat back upstairs to Sukirno's group, who could hopefully protect it. Reika could either slowly and carefully carry it up the stairs or find an elevator shaft to bring it up through. Either way, it was gonna take a bit of time. (Write in how you bring the vat upstairs and to where.)
>Just leave the vat here. Feng had clearly already pillaged this place, so it seemed unlikely she'd come back here and find the vat again. You could even hide it in a remote corner and block it off to ensure nobody spotted it. (Write in where you leave the vat and if/how you hide it.)
>Ask Logan which option he preferred. He'd probably understand the conundrum you found yourself in, and would give a suggestion which he would be happy with whilst also helping you out. (Write in what you ask Logan specifically.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6420644
>Carry the vat around, either bringing it to Alexandra or somewhere further away from Feng's base. Reika probably wouldn't mind it, since she was a strong gal.
Too bad we don't have Gwen, but Haje should be able to help as well.

>>6420644
>Carry the vat around, either bringing it to Alexandra or somewhere further away from Feng's base. Reika probably wouldn't mind it, since she was a strong gal.
Who needs horsepower when we have manticorepower? Put it on one of the transporters and have Reika (or other people if she needs a break or to go do something else) push it along with someone to steer. Easier, faster and safer to move it that way. Maybe have Morgan secure the box to the bed and reinforce it a bit to keep it safe.

It's too valuable to leave and who knows when we'll get the opportunity to deal with it next? Bring it with us until we reach a location where we can bring it down to Level 4 somewhere we can leave it for Annie's people can retrieve it. Tell him our route and ask where we can drop it off for him.

>>6420648
>>6420650
Supporting. Seems I missed a fair bit since this thread started. Starting story has a name I've not seen in ages. I wonder if she's still alive or not. But forgetting that and focusing on the now, this right here is a jackpot. Imagine all that we could do with the remotes, let alone a vat. We can even play build a waifu if we really want to, as terrible of an idea that probably is.

>Ask Annie to inform the others of the discovery.
I think our other subject friends deserve to know. Plus, I think the other members of our squad, especially Zaria, will be quite interested in this find.

>>6420644
> Ask Logan which option he preferred. He'd probably understand the conundrum you found yourself in, and would give a suggestion which he would be happy with whilst also helping you out. (Write in what you ask Logan specifically.)

Does he (or Annie) know of any paths downstairs near our current location? Also, does either of them know the location of Akexandra's group or at least one of her messengers?

> Carry the vat around, either bringing it to Alexandra or somewhere further away from Feng's base. Reika probably wouldn't mind it, since she was a strong gal.
> Something else...

Can we push around those carrier vehicles, and if no, can we construct a makeshift trolley / dolley / wheelbarrow from the vehicle chassis? We have Morgan so we can probably do some basic metalworking, and as long as we can get a free-rotating axle or two (plus their accompanying wheels and tyres) we can move the vat along flat ground without requiring a combat / scout subject to carry it around all the time.
(or basically supporting >>6420650)

Also supporting >>6420849 on contacting France's team if we aren't in any hurry.

>>6420648
Haje have low strength... for a 11.5ft / 3.5m subject; not sure how her pushing strength and/or carrying capacity would compare to a medium or high strength subject of a smaller size though.

>>6420896
Low strength for a subject approximates to that of an average human scaled to their size. At 11.5ft, Haje should have the strengty of multiple people - the way it increases with rank has always been vague and I'm unsure of how strength scales with size in subjects either but I'd peg her as being weaker than Reika, a bit weaker than Kenai and on par with Iliara and Katya for comparison.

>>6420896
>Haje have low strength... for a 11.5ft / 3.5m subject; not sure how her pushing strength and/or carrying capacity would compare to a medium or high strength subject of a smaller size though.
Is she not the bigger and stronger sister of Ophidia who was tossing Reika around like a child?

>>6421057
Considering she's not stronger than Ophidia and Reika wasn't bashed about at any point I can recall, I'm going to go with no, potential incidents as little girls notwithstanding.

>>6421070
>Considering she's not stronger than Ophidia
?
>Reika wasn't bashed about at any point I can recall
??
Did you read the last thread? Oph pretty obviously had Reika on the ropes despite literally everyone else whaling on her.

>>6421080
Reika and Ophidia shoved and wrestled inconclusively like two drunks in a bar. Neither managed to get any decisive hits in for most of the fight and, while Ophidia got some licks in and would likely have won eventually, Reika was not "tossed around like a child" at any point. I'm not sure where you heard Haje was stronger either.

>>6421098
>Neither managed to get any decisive hits in for most of the fight and, while Ophidia got some licks in and would likely have won eventually
That's not the impression I got. As I recall Reika's hands/claws were mauled by the time the fight ended.

>I'm not sure where you heard Haje was stronger either.
Just the way she was presented afterwards. "We just went through hell beating Ophidia and now we need to be really careful dealing with her big sister" kind of feeling.

>>6421110
Ophidia managed to lunge at and bite Reika a couple of times while being restrained and briefly slip out of her grip after relieving her of several fingers. In terms of strength, they were quite close to evenly matched - Ophidia may have had the edge but she failed to decisively overpower Reika in the contest of brute force or even fully break free at any point, much less throw Reika around. Albeit like I said, I think she might have won eventually by attrition in a 1v1.

I think the attitude to Haje was just an abundance of caution. We knew she was physically bigger and older and that the MGE (which stated her to be medium strength) can be inaccurate and we didn't know much else about her, so it was possible she was just as much of a potential threat as Ophidia was.

>>6421149
>Ophidia may have had the edge but she failed to decisively overpower Reika in the contest of brute force or even fully break free at any point, much less throw Reika around
While getting shot at by us from every angle, weighed down by Sibilia in her freaking mouth, slashed by Morgan, Idalia, Kenai, etc. It wasn't a close 1v1 like you're implying. I can't imagine that Ophidia, still managing to overwhelm Reika under all those handicaps, would have needed to win through attrition.

Like, especially Sibilia. When we did the can we lift her challenge, Reika barely managed even a little distance using her whole body and even her wings. Ophidia was fighting with that weight on her lower jaw, and all the other shit we were throwing at her, and still winning.

>I think the attitude to Haje was just an abundance of caution. We knew she was physically bigger and older and that the MGE (which stated her to be medium strength) can be inaccurate and we didn't know much else about her, so it was possible she was just as much of a potential threat as Ophidia was.
Well, what makes you say she isn't? We haven't seen her fight yet, all we know about her is that she's Ophidia's big sister. She's literally bigger, the natural conclusion to draw is that she's also stronger, no?

>Carry the vat around, either bringing it to Alexandra or somewhere further away from Feng's base. Reika probably wouldn't mind it, since she was a strong gal.
With the vat clearly being important to Logan, you decided to carry it with you for the time being. Though, instead of having Reika carry it around on her back and having her be extremely careful with it, you instead had a different idea. You asked Reika to carefully place it onto a nearby transport vehicle which still had wheels, Reika nodding before carefully looking on how to pick up the vat. In the meantime, you turned to Morgan and asked her to do some metalworking on the transport craft so that you could easily push it around and have it work as a trolley. "Of course, Mikhail, allow me!" Morgan would approach the vehicle as well, during which Logan asked: "So, what are you guys gonna do with it?" Thus, you explained your plan: given how valuable the vat was, you couldn't leave it behind. So, you planned on bringing it with you until you found a pathway down to the 4th level where he, Annie and their allies could easily pick it up.

"That might work, yes. Though, given we are heading out tomorrow, we should probably coordinate our movements together in a way that makes it so you don't end up missing us. I suppose tomorrow, Annie can keep an eye out on both of our locations so we can make sure things run smoothly." In turn, you mentioned the route you'd be taking, taking the southern-most route towards the combat sector. "That'd be perfect. If I recall correctly, there is in fact a few transport elevators directly down in the office to the... west of the combat sector. If you go down those, you should cross our path." It seemed everything worked out perfectly for you, you having a whole day to bring the vat over. Even then, if you missed out on delivering it on time due to you getting side-tracked, it would presumably be relatively close to the communication centre Annie and Logan would be staying at.

>Something else...
With there being a relatively clear path to bring the vat to Logan, you asked him to tell Annie to inform the other members of your group of their discovery. Especially since several of the girls in that group and Zaria would take great interest in it. Upon saying that though, Viridian cleared her throat and softly asked: "Ummm, Logan, could... I get a remote if you g-get the thing to work?" Logan didn't hesitate to answer, unfortunately bringing up some major realities. "It would be possible, but keep in mind that even with a working vat, creating a second remote for a subject can be... troublesome. Research on secondary remotes has shown them to require extremely fine calibration to create them, with catastrophic consequences if it's messed up. But, if you know a place where I can get documents about your remote, your own creation, the genetic sources which were used, and perhaps some of your current genetic material, I could certainly give it a try!"

Logan did sound optimistic, and you had already gotten some files on Vinisha from Andrei's office. But, for the time being, just bringing the vat would come first. Figuring out what to do with it could come next. "Either way, I'll tell Annie to inform your friends, Mik." Up next, you asked if he knew about Alexandra's group and her whereabouts, which made him think out loud. "Hmmmm, Annie mentioned something about her being constantly on the move, essentially partaking in guerrilla warfare. I suppose I'll ask Annie to track Alexandra a bit more if possible so she can give you updates as well." You thanked him for the intel, before telling him you'd try and bring the vat to him as soon as possible. "No need to rush it too much, Mikhail. I'd rather you be careful and slow than hurry up, get into trouble resulting in you getting injured. Keep your radio on tomorrow so Annie can quickly contact you for any updates on our location!"

You told Logan you'd try to remember it, before thanking him for the help. And thus, you turned off the radio and focused on Reika and Morgan. Reika was thankfully being extremely careful and slow with the crate containing the vat. Though, part of it wasn't just out of diligence, as you saw her actually trembling whilst holding it. "It's not too much to carry for you, is it Reika?" Alan asked reassuringly, Reika shaking her head before letting out a strained: "No!" It was obviously insanely heavy, even for Reika. "How's reforming the carrier vehicle going, Morgan?" Antonin asked in turn, her busy removing any extraneous pieces whilst reinforcing the platform the crate would be placed onto. "Maybe don't mess with it too much. Just make sure the vehicle can be safely moved with the vat on top of it." Anon suggested, Morgan nodding before removing part of the drivers position, her opening the vehicle up and giving easier access to the steering wheel and controls. Though obviously, it didn't seem like the controls would be of much use with a lack of power.

Thankfully, Morgan would carefully push the vehicle, before saying: "Okay, I've removed all the break systems and made it possible to push it now. Though, I am not entirely sure about if the steering system still works." To test if it worked, Mike would step into what remained of the drivers seat, trying to see if he could turn it. Unfortunately, steering did not seem possible, Derek soon checking it out before saying: "It appears to be a drive-by-wire system. So, we're gonna have to work with the wheel position we got now." It wasn't too bad, you needing to mostly go in straight lines with the vehicle anyway. Thus, you told Reika to carefully place the vat down, her immediately doing so somewhat loudly. Though fortunately, checking the crate, the vat appeared undamaged and safe. You told your men to strap it down, to which Arty said: "Finally, I can use those metal wires I've been carrying for a while now!"

Thus, you and the girls carefully secured the crate onto the transport vehicle with wires, after which you'd carefully try and move it. The vehicle was unfortunately a whole lot heavier now with the vat on top of it, but it was not too much for Reika, who could easily pull the thing. The only issue remained a lack of steering, but that was only a minor issue you could easily solve. "You know, thinking about it, having this vehicle could be really good for... a variety of things. We can have people rest on it if they're injured, or use it to carry other heavy equipment." It genuinely seemed like a nice little addition to your party. Until you had to give it to Logan and Annie for them to take along...

>What do you do next?

>Quietly get out of the storage sector and start heading eastwards towards the next location. You'd hopefully catch up with some of your forward scouts once you reached the main pathway heading east, at which point you could tell them about what you were carrying.
>Try and place some other equipment on the carrier vehicle, now that you were able to. You could put your backpacks on it, or have Oreas sit on it and take things a bit easy if she was feeling weak still. Hell, you could even get Lars to sit down in the vehicle and start cooking dinner for you guys whilst on the go! (Write in what you place on the vehicle.)
>Chat on the way over with your men or some of the girls. Maybe you could chat a bit with Oreas to see how she was faring, or with Reika and how she felt carrying the vehicle. Maybe you could discuss the remotes with Vinisha or some of your other girls who'd like one. (Write in who you chat with and about what.)
>Look around for anything else of interest whilst heading forward. Obviously, the chances of finding another untouched vat were close to 0, but there still were other items of interest around you could possibly find here. (Write in if you look for anything specific.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6421163
>If I recall correctly, there is in fact a few transport elevators directly down in the office to the... west of the combat sector.
Uh, is he sure those are still operational given the state of the facility?

>>Chat on the way over with your men or some of the girls. Maybe you could chat a bit with Oreas to see how she was faring, or with Reika and how she felt carrying the vehicle. Maybe you could discuss the remotes with Vinisha or some of your other girls who'd like one. (Write in who you chat with and about what.)
Now that this is actually viable, what do any/all of the subjects remember about their remotes? How were they used, where were they stored, anything they can recall.

>>6421166
>Chat on the way over with your men or some of the girls. Maybe you could chat a bit with Oreas to see how she was faring, or with Reika and how she felt carrying the vehicle. Maybe you could discuss the remotes with Vinisha or some of your other girls who'd like one.
I'd like to take the time to talk to Kaenum since we haven't really had a personal chat with her yet and she seems like she'd have a lot to say. Why does she do what she does, what drives her? What does she enjoy about philosophy? She's been quite quiet compared to our earlier interactions. Does she have any advice for us on managing an increasingly large group of people, some of whom may not get on? Does she have anything she'd like to personally ask us? And what does she really think of everything that's happened and is happening, y'know? I'd also like to gauge her with a couple of no-win dilemmas like the classic trolley or tunnel problems - I'd like to see her wriggle her way out of those ones since I think they'd smack her right in the morals.

>>6421158
I wrote a lengthy riposte but realised that we're interpreting events quite differently and the likely outcome is we bicker for a while and continue to fail to agree so I'll put a pin in this for the sake of avoiding that.
I'll admit that the part about Sibilia's weight doesn't make sense given their stats (which, on paper, should make them about the same), though it's possible QM forgot how much she'd been written as weighing. Regardless of how we think they stack up though, the original point was that Reika being manhandled and thrown around by Ophidia is just factually not what happened. Why it didn't happen and whether it could have happened in theory is another matter entirely.

Size is not everything, it's an effective base for their strength but their strength rating is how strong they are in relation to their size as a kind of multiplier. Haje has a couple of feet on her sister but is two entire strength tiers below her, so I think I'm fairly safe in assuming she does not have the same physical power as Ophidia. Vinisha is canonically weaker than Chrys despite being much bigger than her thanks to her much worse strength rating, for example.

-----

I'm fairly certain Viridian has not snuck her way into the party and that we have indeed removed the systems to break and not brake the wagon.

>>6421273
>I wrote a lengthy riposte but realised that we're interpreting events quite differently and the likely outcome is we bicker for a while and continue to fail to agree so I'll put a pin in this for the sake of avoiding that.
Fair.

>I'll admit that the part about Sibilia's weight doesn't make sense given their stats (which, on paper, should make them about the same)
Aren't the stats often inaccurate? I don't understand why you'd trust them over what we've actually seen happen.

>Regardless of how we think they stack up though, the original point was that Reika being manhandled and thrown around by Ophidia is just factually not what happened
I guess we have different definitions then, because I would say Ophidia being able to tear up Reika's hands and rip off fingers/claws without getting injured in return, while under all those handicaps, is manhandling her. Maybe she wasn't LITERALLY thrown around but she was getting worked.

>Haje has a couple of feet on her sister but is two entire strength tiers below her
Like I said, aren't those inaccurate? I'd like to see her actually use her strength before making any judgements.

If she is weaker, it's like when the boss becomes a playable character and instantly gets nerfed :(

>>6421285
I don't classify her injuries as being manhandled because she just got bitten a couple of times and wasn't thrown about, pushed around (aside from being shoved back briefly a couple of times), launched, knocked down, pinned, battered etc.

I'm taking the fren list profiles as accurate since we have the primary sources right in front of us. They're given to us as completely filled in profiles for people we know directly and have often differed from the MGE in a more accurate direction (or exist at all) and have held up under any verification we've done. In a meta sense, I think it's the QM just out and out telling us what their stats are since it's reasonable to know them in that context.
Given that, it's possible there's fuzz in Ophidia's stats but I think her STR bears out accurately given I interpret her contest of pure strength with Reika as being by and large a draw and she didn't seem to have crossed the line into Very High - YMMV, other interpretations ae available.

>>6421294
>I don't classify her injuries as being manhandled because she just got bitten a couple of times
I think that when the bites are taking off fingers they're no longer *just* a couple of bites, but again different definitions it seems.

> In a meta sense, I think it's the QM just out and out telling us what their stats are since it's reasonable to know them in that context.
Maybe OP can weigh in?

Even if they are word of god accurate, we don't know the exact point high ends and very high begins. It could be that most of the high subjects we've seen are on the weaker end of high while Ophidia was right below the line of very high. I just don't see how they can be viewed as equals given how the fight played out, but I guess I have to accept that you view them that way.

>>6421166
> Quietly get out of the storage sector and start heading eastwards towards the next location. You'd hopefully catch up with some of your forward scouts once you reached the main pathway heading east, at which point you could tell them about what you were carrying.

while
> Chat on the way over with your men or some of the girls. Maybe you could chat a bit with Oreas to see how she was faring, or with Reika and how she felt carrying the vehicle. Maybe you could discuss the remotes with Vinisha or some of your other girls who'd like one. (Write in who you chat with and about what.)

Supporting >>6421205 on asking our subjects about their remotes.

>>6421273
As a utilitarian, the trolley problem is a typical "lose less" problem where inactivity has a tangible cost and the value of each life has to be weighed individually (although TBPH with manually-operated rail switches you can probably time the switch to intentionally derail the trolley and save everyone... or conversely cause the trolley to ride on both rails and kill both groups); and as a motorist, the tunnel problem is a plain old false dichotomy where it assumes evading the pedestrian child would automatically kill the passenger and there are no other likely scenarios - yet there's a pretty high chance for the passenger to walk away from a collision with a wall without serious injuries assuming the passenger is wearing seatbelts and the vehicle is properly designed with crumple zones, reinforced pillars, and airbags... but on the other hand certain types of collisions with the tunnel entrance would probably cause the car to spin out and hit the child anyway - momentum of a speeding automobile is no joke.
... also, this is probably why railroad workers have derailers and drivers are supposed to slow down before entering any narrow sections of a road, and also probably why most highways have fences and walls to deter pedestrians from entering in the first place.

... and preemptive apologies for overthinking.

------

>>6421308
>>6421294
From what I remembered of the fight, the one-on-one fight went largely in Ophidia's favour not quite because she can overpower Reika but rather she can hurt Reika without getting hurt back - Reika is "only" high durability but Ophidia is very high durability (same level as Morgan's plate armour, neglecting size difference), so Ophidia can cause non-critical injuries to Reika but Reika was unable to hurt Ophidia back - Ophidia can bite Reika's hands / claws and cause damage, while Reika's nominally-AP barbs did absolutely nothing when Ophidia blocked it with her bare hands. Only Sibilia's proboscis, Morgan's Nightsword, and Idalia's raptorial claws can pierce Ophidia's armour with any certainty... hence last thread's discussion on armour-piercing weapons (HEAT rockets, HEDP grenades, plasma rifles, laser rifles, AMRs, plus AP rounds for every gun) and Kenai's Morgan-forged sword - we want most of our group (both human and subject) to do more to a very/extremely high durability subject than maybe distracting them if we got lucky.

From the subjects we currently know of:
Very High Durability: Anastasia, Cirra, Haje, Morgan, and Ophidia
Extremely High Durability: Vinella and Sibilia

>>6421532
At the end of the day, aren't all philosophical dilemmas false dichotomies? They're supposed to make you choose in a pure theoretical scenario and think about your values and positions, like all scenarios like that, they break down once you overanalyse them and start introducing outside variables. It's the principle of the thing.

Gonna skip out on an update today. I had some pretty intense fieldwork today for university, working on a field planting crops for three hours straight in the sun. I got a pretty major headache still which is... ugh. Hopefully this doesn't affect my responses to you guys' discussion too badly.

>>6421205
>Size is not everything, it's an effective base for their strength but their strength rating is how strong they are in relation to their size as a kind of multiplier.
This is very true. Though, even I admit finding it difficult to really determine how much it multiplies stats compared to other small sizes, especially since most subjects I've rolled with haven't been too outlandishly different in size. So far, Sibilia and Ophidia really are the first cases where I had to take their disproportionate size into account, so I might have forgotten once or twice, like you mentioned.

>I'm fairly certain Viridian has not snuck her way into the party
Hey, be glad that it wasn't VINELLA who I mistakenly wrote into the update.

>that we have indeed removed the systems to break and not brake the wagon.
No need to rub it in further :(

>>6421308
>>In a meta sense, I think it's the QM just out and out telling us what their stats are since it's reasonable to know them in that context.
>Maybe OP can weigh in?

The friendly and allied subject sheets are indeed completely transparent and accurate to the subjects. The government sheets often contain propaganda and lies to either make subjects seem more threatening than they really are, or to fill in blanks based on speculation.

Hope I didn't skim over anything in my tired state. I've got more fieldwork tomorrow, but it'll probably be a bit less intense given the cooler weather AND the fact it isn't a 1.5 hour drive away. So, I'll try my best to get an update out after all that fieldwork.

>>6421551
Welp, at least the trolley problem have a somewhat optimized solution: assuming the net utility loss caused by the loss of one life is about equal to that of any other in the hypothetical group of six, then of course the loss of one life is preferable to the loss of five - it's damage control by that point, and the long-term moral solution would be to make sure it doesn't happen again and we don't need to sacrifice lives just to keep the others safe.

The tunnel problem, on the other hand, does not have an optimized solution. Assuming no party is at fault (aka led to the situation due to negligence and/or malice) and the net utility loss caused by loss of one life is about equal to that of the other, then mathematically speaking either action would be equally correct, and once again, the mathematically sound long-term moral solution is to make sure it doesn't happen again.

>>6421662
>The friendly and allied subject sheets are indeed completely transparent and accurate to the subjects. The government sheets often contain propaganda and lies to either make subjects seem more threatening than they really are, or to fill in blanks based on speculation.
Ok, I thought the friendly ones were just the government ones, with any discrepancies we observed corrected as they came up. Haje is the weaker sister confirmed. Morbidly funny that Ophidia would call her for help when Haje is less battle capable.

Thank you for the clarification.

>I had some pretty intense fieldwork today for university, working on a field planting crops for three hours straight in the sun
A rather unusual curriculum.

>>6421532
>From what I remembered of the fight, the one-on-one fight went largely in Ophidia's favour not quite because she can overpower Reika but rather she can hurt Reika without getting hurt back
OP has just said that the matching STR stats are 100% accurate and he may have goofed with Sibilia's weight treatment once or twice, so I'm forced to accept this. Ophidia definitely felt stronger though, so I'm privately headcannoning that she's at the top ranks of high tier strength while Reika is more in the middle.

>Only Sibilia's proboscis, Morgan's Nightsword, and Idalia's raptorial claws can pierce Ophidia's armour with any certainty
Are you sure about this? I'd expect Reika's barb harpoon tail to have way more power than any of those three. I thought Morgan was able to land the killing blow because Ophidia was worn down to the point she could no longer cover her vulnerable areas. Until that it didn't seem like Morgan was having much of an effect.

>>6421897
While Morgan got a free strike on Ophidia's vitals by way of her being largely incapacitated, she managed to nearly cut her tail off earlier as well and stabbed through her wings so her blade was evidently had the potential to seriously hurt Ophidia but seemed to need a good strike with force or repeated attacks to do so.

>>6421908
The wings were getting damaged by our bullets, so no surprise there. Didn't remember the tail, that could be big if it was armored like her forearms. Guess Morgan's sword might have some nanite magic for a sharper edge or something.

>Chat on the way over with your men or some of the girls. Maybe you could chat a bit with Oreas to see how she was faring, or with Reika and how she felt carrying the vehicle. Maybe you could discuss the remotes with Vinisha or some of your other girls who'd like one.
With the transport vehicle turned into a nice cart for Reika to move around and the vat secured, you told everyone to keep going. After all, you didn't want to keep your scouts waiting. Thus, you led the way once more, Reika pushing the vehicle behind you. In the meantime though, you decided to ask a bit more about the remotes, asking your girls about what they remembered about their remotes. How often were they used, where were they kept, what did they look like, things like that. "I certainly remember my remote. It was a sleek little piece of technology, somewhat similar to that tablet you guys got. Albeit, with an antennae of some kind. Cerro used it to design my armour so that it looked fitting of a knight, whilst working well with my powers. Illimani didn't use my remote too often, but he might have used it when I wasn't around to increase my durability. As for where it's stored, I would unfortunately not know... I presume it was kept in Illimani's office." Morgan answered first.

"I think my remote was held onto by Cerro, since I never saw Mona using it on me. Cerro was the one who gave me my abilities whilst Mona was the one to really test them out and train me. Come to think of it, I think... Mona didn't keep a hold of my remote out of fear that Roraima or Elbrus would sneakily grab it and... y'know, do their things with me." Oreas seemed both grateful and saddened to come to this conclusion, it definitely being very concerning that Roraima or Elbrus would steal remotes to mess with subjects who weren't their own. "Trust me, Elbrus would absolutely pull a stunt like that." Sibilia would mumble, Eric even scoffing: "Those two ruined more subjects than this entire disaster probably has ruined."

This made you ask Eric and Sibilia about her remote, the two eager to talk. "Thankfully, Anderson took control of it to ensure Elbrus didn't mess with it." Eric said more happily, Sibilia rolling her eyes. "Yeah, he kept it somewhere nice and safe, such as behind a bunch of books and trinkets, forgetting he had it and that... y'know, I could use a few upgrades as well. Maybe if I was a spider subject instead, he would've kept it somewhere more obvious where he wouldn't forget it." Sibilia clearly still believed Anderson had abandoned her, or at the very least neglected her. "He could've done a better job upgrading you, but... let's not go on a tangent about that right now, Sibby." Eric suggested, Sibilia nodding and accepting the suggestion. You decided to ask Haje about her remote, surprising her. "Umm, well... I think you could ask Logan about it. He was the one who used it most often, so he probably knows where it was kept, hehe."

You then asked Reika about her remote, the manticore being a bit focused on pushing the vat still. "My... my remote? I dunno. Roraima probably has it. Not that stupid Jabal." She said bluntly, before focusing on pushing the vehicle, it being clear she was a bit busy focusing on pushing the vehicle. At least she seemed happy to do so, clearly enjoying the exercise a bit. Thus, you looked to the last subject currently with you: Vinisha. You asked her about the location of her remote, her speaking in a more hesitant tone: "I... wouldn't even know where to begin with where Andrei might have kept my remote. He was a very careful and diligent person, so I imagine he put it somewhere extremely hidden and well-protected, along with his other subject remotes. Last time I saw it though, it was when he suggested he'd try to fix the issues I have with my abilities. But, whether or not he tried, I'm not really sure." It would have been a sweet thing for Andrei to fix Vinisha. Though, it did beg the question what might have gone wrong with Vinisha that not even he could fix her...

This left you discussing the remotes with your girls, you also discussing Kenai, Idalia, Chrys, Iliara and Kaenum's remotes, given that they weren't present to discuss them now. Fortunately, it wouldn't take too long before you'd reach the exit to the storage sector, where the five subjects were waiting for you. "I presume that thing Reika's carrying around is the reason you guys took your sweet ass time getting here?" Iliara teasingly remarked, Chrys immediately asking: "Yeah, what is that thing." You explained that it was an untouched and pristine vat, something Logan was heavily interested in because he could use it to possibly make new remotes for subjects. "So, could that also mean us?" Kenai asked eagerly, you confirming such but stating it'd take a lot of effort to manage. It'd obviously not be an easy task, based on what Logan said. The girls still seemed excited though, as this was clearly an opportunity to make some changes to them in the near future.

Regardless, it was time to head forward again, with Idalia asking: "Should I head forward again to scout ahead?" Afterwards, Chrys would also elaborate on what they had spotted on the way over. "We didn't really see much on the way through the storage area. Actually, you guys probably found something more important than we did, hehe." Obviously, the girls mostly were scouting for threats, but it was indeed amusing that you found something valuable through sheer luck whilst they spotted nothing. Regardless, you were okay sending the girls forward a bit. Aside from Kaenum, who you told you had a philosophical question to. "Oh? Please, do tell me what is on your mind, Mikhail." Kaenum curiously asked, you telling the other scouts to head forward. Idalia, Chrys, Kenai and Iliara thus started heading past the checkpoint and down the long hall eastwards, you and your mean following behind at a slower pace.

You walked beside Kaenum and mentioned she had been a bit quiet compared to what she was like earlier. "Admittedly, I did not feel like my thoughts were something you and your men were interested in. Which is totally fine, by the way. As passionate as I am to share my thoughts, I know it sometimes is better to hold back as to not overwhelm or bother people." You could tell some of your men, like Mike and Arty, where pleased with the fact Kaenum willingly held back her discussion. Though, Oreas would softly respond: "You don't have to hold back all the time though, Kaenum. You can still share your thoughts when we're discussing things you feel you can share your opinion on." Kaenum smiled and nodded understandingly. "Of course, Oreas, I try to share my opinion when I think it fits. It's just that I do wish to be careful and not give unwarranted thoughts or suggestions. I also want to give people space, rather than bombarding them with my thoughts." This made you curious as to what drove her to be something of a philosopher and why she enjoyed it so much.

Kaenum pondered about the question for a while, your group quietly waiting for a response. "There are several things which intrigue me about philosophy. So many mysteries and questions to the world and the way we live our life. Why are we here? What is our purpose in life? What goals do we set for ourselves? Obviously, some of these questions are... vague and somewhat flowery, nor do they always give satisfying answers. But, I do think these questions can help people find purpose in life, to burn brighter and help others. This is especially the case for subjects, who will have far different questions about the world and existence than humans. It's this... possibility of helping them realize their purpose is, ultimately, their choice, even here and especially now, which I enjoy about philosophy. It may indeed be vague, or... perhaps even self-indulgent. But it can bring purpose to people, and help them realise more about their world and the way they experience it. Suppose that also goes hand in hand with my skills as something of a subject therapist, hehe."

Hearing this, you decided to ask her for some help with something on your mind, that being how to manage your group. Given how large the group was, there was going to be some conflicts, which made Kaenum think. “I am surprised you ask me about this, Mikhail. And though I appreciate your desire for my advice, I feel it is unneeded. You are a skilled diplomat and leader after all, and the most recent evidence of this is how you managed to get Morgan to become accepting of firearms.” Morgan smirked when Kaenum said this, clearly agreeing you had done a good job in convincing her. “Still, most of the people here are on amicable terms. If you were to find someone who works poorly with another from a rivalry or personality clash, it would be best to try and make them to talk things out, preferably naturally.” Kaenum continued optimistically.

Admittedly, it was somewhat obvious advice, but Kaenum already had pointed out that you were good with people skills. Still, Kaenum had a bit more to suggest. “If things become too unmanageable between individuals, draw a firm line. Possibly even separating them if it's bad enough. Some people will just be incompatible, yet that doesn't make them incapable of cooperation with one another. Ensuring that they can still indirectly help each other should be the goal if mending that bridge between them isn't possible in a reasonable timescale. In these cases, the best you can do is try and foster a respect for their rival or enemy, no matter how begrudging. Sometimes, that's the only spark needed to turn their rivalry more friendly." Hearing this, Mike would casually say: “So, a friendly rivalry? That’s what you mean, right?” Kaenum nodded eagerly. "Yes! Turn them from bitter and hateful rivals to less vehement competitors!" It was easier said than done, but it might be a decent option if mending the relationship truly was too difficult to manage.

Regardless, you then asked if she had any questions for you, wanting to know if she had some thoughts she had to share. Kaenum was deep in thought, before softly responding. "I suppose I have two questions on my mind. Do you believe everyone is capable of redemption? And...Where do you draw that line? Similarly, based on that line, who do you think is redeemable of those who have ill intent? The second question is... Well, I know it's selfish, risky, and you'll likely decline but...If you see Grise again... would it be possible for me to talk to her? At a distance, of course, but...I want to talk to her before anything else happens at least." This question stunned most of your group, with Artyom immediately taking a sarcastic tone. “Sure, why don’t we chat with the rabid animal intent on killing us? That seems like a brilliant idea! Maybe we should have a lovely chat with Vinella and Feng as well. I’m sure that’d also be a great idea!”

The rest of your men all seemed to agree that this was not the best of plans, with Lars even saying: “I know it’s Mik’s decision to make, but I heavily advice against this. If you knew Grise before she went... completely insane, Kaenum, then I am sorry you had to lose her like this. But, I doubt there’s much to save her with.” There was however one subject who disagreed. “What if we recreate her remote?” Oreas casually brought up, all eyes going to her. She looked around for a moment, before glancing at the vat. “We can ask Logan what he needs. We could even consider it a test run for creating new remotes. If it doesn’t work, well it means Grise will stay the way she is now. But if Logan DOES succeed...” The thought of fixing Grise with a new remote did seem intriguing. Andrei’s files did mention how she was designed to work with military forces before Roraima ruined her.

Kaenum also seemed eager about the possibility, even if it was clearly a big risk. It was perhaps something worth discussing at a later time once the vat was fixed and could be given a test run. For the time being though, your men were adamant in not wanting to interact with Grise just yet. With that in mind, you decided to ask Kaenum two more questions, the first being what she thought about the disaster and how it affected the facility. Kaenum was still a bit optimistic from the possibility of fixing Grise which Oreas brought up, though did speak in a more calm tone for your question. "It is in many ways a blessing and a curse. For many, the freedom to make their own path, to choose their own purpose, was denied to them. Many were made to be unquestioning tools or weapons. This gives them a chance to realize they are much more than that. It also means that many subjects who were abused by their caretakers or creator will be free from that torment. Free from Roraima and Elbrus. And that alone has given many subjects hope... Many people view fire as a force of destruction when in truth it is one of change. I only wish that flame didn't have to burn so many in the process."

It really was a very Kaenum-esque response to give, the other girls at least seeming to agree it did bring them a bit more freedom at the cost of lives lost. With that in mind though, you decided to hit her with a bit of a curveball, asking your final question in the form of the classic trolley problem and whether or not she’d pull the lever. Kaenum’s eagerness quickly faded, as she would look a bit more concerned. “Oh goodness, that problem.” Kaenum hesitated, before finally responding: “I think I would... I would... mmmm... not pull the lever.” Hearing this made some of your men curious and a few amused, as it was clear she was not too confident in answering such a moral dilemma. “But, that means killing 5 people, instead of just one. Isn’t that wrong?” Mike teasingly asked, Kaenum looking even more worried. “Well, I-I would like to pull the lever, but... I-I couldn’t. I can’t enact such a violent and painful death against an innocent person.”

Before your men could press her further, Kaenum took a more firm stance and actually spoke back in a surprisingly bothered tone. “I’ve always hated the trolley problem. It forces you to make two terrible decisions which both will cause grief and pain.” To this, Lars would calmly say: “Hey, relax Kaenum, it’s just a hypothetical. We’re just having a bit of fun.” Kaenum still looked a little glum. “I don’t like thinking of such choices. How would you feel if I made you hypothetically choose whom of your friends you’d sacrifice if we encounter Vinella or some other horrible threat?” For the first time since you met her, Kaenum genuinely sounded upset and a bit bothered, this entire hypothetical clearly having made her upset.

Thankfully, Kaenum quickly took a few deep breaths before nodding. “Sorry, I... I shouldn’t lash out the way I did. You and your men just were curious and... were trying to amuse yourself.” Kaenum would grab the instrument from her back, before asking you: “Is it okay if I just... play some music to myself? Just to soothe myself a little bit.” Your men were genuinely surprised by what had happened, none of you expecting her to respond THIS strongly to what was just a silly hypothetical in your mind. Then again, Kaenum probably didn’t like to be faced with such tough decisions...

>What do you do next?

>Tell Kaenum she could play some music. You obviously didn't mean to upset her so much with what you imagined was just a silly question. (Write in how you respond to Kaenum.)
>Ask Kaenum if you could still chat with her instead. You still were happy to discuss topics such as Grise, or the disaster or anthing else that was on your mind with her. (Write in what you try to discuss with Kaenum.)
>Just have some chats with the others whilst you let Kaenum cool off. It wouldn't take long before you hit the next area, so to kill what little time you had left, you could chat with the girls about their remotes or creators. Or you could talk about Kaenum's surprising outburst with the rest of your men... (Write in what you discuss and with whom.)
>Just quietly head forward. Maybe you could listen to what your men were saying on the way over to the next area, or you could just think to yourself about what you'd do once you reached the next area.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Alright, got this in early today after fieldwork was surprisingly shorter than yesterday. We had a lot more people in the field to help out which made it easier. Idk if I'll get a 2nd update in again today, but I'll try my best if within the next 9 hours there are enough responses.)

>>6421897
>A rather unusual curriculum.
(It's part of a setup. I'm looking at insect predation rate in wild cabbage field with Sweet Alyssum and Fennel intertwined in the field. It's quite fun, but the planting was definitely exhausting. Fortunately, the next parts of the fieldwork shouldn't be as intense... I hope.)

I did suspect that one would break her brain
>>6422032
>Tell Kaenum she could play some music. You obviously didn't mean to upset her so much with what you imagined was just a silly question.
I mean, sure, we are looking for people anyway.
The situation we find ourselves in is full of cruelties and pain and it's wholly possible we might be confronted with an impossible choice to make at some point, as much as we hope that won't be the case and work to avoid it. Like if we can only rescue some of our friends, who do we leave behind? What if we have to sacrifice someone who doesn't deserve it for the sake of everyone else? Etc. The trolley may be a clichéd hypothetical but it may prepare people for when it stops being a hypothetical.

>>6422032
> Tell Kaenum she could play some music. You obviously didn't mean to upset her so much with what you imagined was just a silly question. (Write in how you respond to Kaenum.)

Jokingly respond that the scenario isn't even that hypothetical given we *are* passing through areas where Vinella might be heading towards - and then calmly explain that although we're doing our best to prevent those worst-case scenarios from becoming reality (case in point: the number of forward scouts we sent out to minimize the likelihood of us getting ambushed by the likes of Vinella) there's never a guarantee that we wouldn't face a no-win scenario in this current situation - a tactical blunder dealing with Feng almost got us TPK'ed and was it not for us getting lucky we'd have already lost squad members when we first faced Reika (or even Caera). Yes, the only "good" solution to a no-win scenario might be preventing it from happening in the first place, but the current situation inside the facility is dire enough that the "nobody dies" scenario is a luxury (that we're constantly working towards) instead of any guarantee.

Plus, from our encounters with Reika and Sirona we can say with some certainty that we might need to intentionally maim hostile subjects to even begin to talk to them without risking the lives of others. And of course we had to put down the likes of Ophidia and Caera just to make sure they don't kill more people - if the facility was fully functional we can probably return them to containment instead having to resort to killing them, and was it not for the likes of Roraima and Elbrus we we'd probably have a lot fewer hostile/insane subjects in the first place (only Ataraxia and Anastasia were insane due to genetic failure instead of intentional design).

It is noble to be averse to hurting others and maybe even admirable to always attempt a peaceful solution no matter the odds (which is also why she's the team diplomat), but the current situation meant sometimes death and suffering might be unavoidable and the only thing we can do would be to minimize the losses instead of preventing it outright.

(Basically supporting >>6422060 but drawing more from our past experience inside the facility.)

>>6422032
>Tell Kaenum she could play some music. You obviously didn't mean to upset her so much with what you imagined was just a silly question. (Write in how you respond to Kaenum.)
Sure, if we run into Grise then Kaenum can try talking to her. It wouldn't cost us anything to try.
I'd say it is possible for most people to at least want to redeem themselves but not everyone has the strength nor the inclination to pursue it.
Moreover, redemption is not the same as absolution. You aren't immune to the consequences of your actions just because you feel remorse for them and some crimes are too great to ever forgive.

>>6422032
>Ask Kaenum if you could still chat with her instead. You still were happy to discuss topics such as Grise, or the disaster or anthing else that was on your mind with her. (Write in what you try to discuss with Kaenum.)
Who would we sacrifice to Vinella? Evander, easy. Teach him to call us lad when we're his boss.
More seriously, what's her plan to save Grise? Maybe we can workshop something together. I too wish to save everyone we can. Hell, even Feng and Vinella if it's possible. Grise may be not as tough to help as we think, I remember Reika talked about conversing with her so it's not like she's completely feral. Might not even need a remote.

>>6422271
>>6422352
Supporting these. I'm surprised Kaenum's pacifism goes to the point she'd not save people because it'd directly cause the death of someone, yet the fact she says she'd like to pull it but can't is something of a red flag to me. Is that some built in feature that she has? We probably should dig a bit deeper into the why.

>Tell Kaenum she could play some music. You obviously didn't mean to upset her so much with what you imagined was just a silly question.
You told Kaenum it was fine for her to play some music, the bird girl nodding before calmly speaking up again. "Thank you, Mikhail." She was about to grab her instrument, before you teased her by mentioning that the hypothetical about Vinella she suggested could become reality soon, which made most of your girls a bit more concerned. Kaenum let out a quiet groan before speaking calmly. "That doesn't change the fact it's not something you wish to consider, correct? Preferably, we would never have to face that scenario, given how painful of a decision it'd be." You agreed it was something you were trying to avoid, even pointing to your usage of forward scouts to prevent such a scenario. Though, you'd also admit that there was always a chance you'd stumble into a scenario where you couldn't win. You even brought up how you almost had such a scenario with Feng's forces not too long ago.

Obviously, you hoped to continue your current streak of not losing anyone, but you knew there was a good chance you'd have to make a tough decision at some point in the near future. The girls obviously weren't happy to hear this, your men not seeming to mind too much as they just accepted it. "I really hope we do not have to make those decisions." Kaenum mumbled as she already held onto her instrument, you agreeing that you hoped it'd never come to that point. Still, it was for the best to prepare for the inevitably situation that some people would have to be left behind, or wouldn't join you off-planet. Kaenum nodded understandingly, before saying: "I completely understand, Mikhail. It's just not something I like to think about. Regardless, I would still like to hear your thoughts on my request regarding Grise. Of course, I can understand if you need some time to consider the possibility, given that I imagine it won't be an easy task."

You honestly didn't mind letting Kaenum talk to Grise if you encountered her. Though, you did admit it might have to involve maiming her like you did with Reika and Sirona. Hearing this, Kaenum looked a bit more uneasy, before Alan spoke up. "Don't worry, Kaenum. Reika actually didn't mind being maimed by us. It helped us chat with her without her attacking us." Reika would also speak up whilst continuing to push the vat on the transport vehicle. "Losing my arms was stupid... so was getting my neck injured... but, it did mean Mikhail... could tell me that training was done and... I didn't have to fight them!" You also mentioned Caera and Ophidia, who couldn't be talked to because of the risk they posed, which might be something you had to do with Grise if it was unmanageable to talk with her. Lastly, you mentioned that it really was just Roraima and Elbrus who had forced the facility into this situation, something Kaenum didn't really react to aside from showing a look of disappointment.

Seeing her disappointment and hearing her starting to play her instrument, you decided to cheer her up a bit more. You remarked how noble it was that she was so averse to hurting others, finding it admirable that she always wanted to find peaceful solutions even when the odds were stacked against you. Kaenum did smile as you mentioned this. "I try to be open to the possibility of redemption and enemy forces redeeming themselves. Everyone has the capability to do the right thing. All it requires is a chance to do so." Kaenum responded, after which you mentioned how you also wanted to answer her question about redemption. You mention that you agreed redemption was something most people would want to get a chance at. Though, you also admitted your doubt that everyone was strong enough to actually seek out that redemption and improve themselves. "Well those who truly want to seek redemption might just need a bit of help. Some don't know it's possible and change is scary to most, even if for the better. But that small bit of help can be all that is required. "

Kaenum spoke reassuringly and happily, clearly believing that redemption could come easier if people were there to help out. And whilst it was true with cases like Reika, you knew that redeeming Elbrus or Roraima with 'just some help' was a very optimistic way of view things. This actually made you mention that redemption was not absolution, and that the consequences of negative actions could not always be mitigated. Not to mention, the fact that some crimes may just be too serious to forgive. "If you're talking about people such as Elbrus... I cannot blame you for feeling that way. Then again, having seen first-hand what he is like, I fear he'll never change his ways. With subjects, I am far less inclined to believe that, given how many are victims of circumstance." Kaenum responded calmly, which seemed like a fair suggestion, given just how many subjects were designed to be mindless killing machines, even though many probably didn't want to be used for such a purpose.

Regardless, things went quiet for a bit as Kaenum played her instrument and the rest of your men started to mumble a bit to each other. Though after a while, you decided to ask Kaenum what sort of plan she had for Grise. Obviously, you needed to workshop things, mentioning how you could maybe even try and communicate her without a remote. "I was hoping to try that, yes. We just need to restrain her for your safety, then I can try and let her know that everything is fine and she is safe with me." Afterwards, Chrys would raise her hand and spoke eagerly. "I can maybe try and put her to sleep! That way, we don't need to injure her and we can safely restrain her!" Kaenum was clearly in favour of this suggestion, nodding along and looking for what the rest of your group would say.

Though, so far, most of your men didn't seem sure what to add to the suggestion, given that saving Grise was probably not something high up on their priority list right now...

>What do you do next?

>Continue workshopping how you'd save Grise, when you could try and do this and what you'd need. Maybe your men could get involved with the discussion, or you could just keep it between you, Kaenum and whoever else was interested. (Write in what you discuss regarding Grise.)
>Chat a little bit more with your men about something else that was on your mind. The discussion with Kaenum had been fun and given you some new ideas for in the future, but there were other points of interest you wanted to discuss still. (Write in what you discuss and with whom.)
>Just quietly head forward, perhaps listening to Annie on the radio or Kaenum's musical skills. It probably wouldn't take long before you reached the next sector and reunite with your scouts.
>Something else...

>>6422896
>Continue workshopping how you'd save Grise, when you could try and do this and what you'd need. Maybe your men could get involved with the discussion, or you could just keep it between you, Kaenum and whoever else was interested.
We're going to have a lot on our plate for the foreseeable future and Grise is going to have to slot into the priority list somewhere - we'll try at some point but it probably won't be soon short of a random encounter. She can try communication at her own risk but we must operate on the likely assumption that Grise is mindless and will have to be violently subdued and is too strong to safely restrain. Unless she somehow manages to talk her down, the only way this extremely dangerous and violent individual who has attacked us before and may hold a grudge on top of it all is coming with us is when she is made physically incapable of harming us (by way of a snapped neck and shattered jaw at minimum), especially if we have to spend many hours dragging her across the facility to throw into a vat. While I'd rather not have to maim her, the safety of both ourselves and everyone else not called Grise unfortunately trumps any emotional sensibilities around her that we do not have the luxury of indulging.

-----

So, uh, what are we going to do about Haje not knowing Mona is dead? She's going to find out eventually if we don't tell her at some point and the crashout is going to be spectacular given her already fragile mental state.

>>6422896
>Continue workshopping how you'd save Grise, when you could try and do this and what you'd need. Maybe your men could get involved with the discussion, or you could just keep it between you, Kaenum and whoever else was interested. (Write in what you discuss regarding Grise.)
She was pretty close with Reika, right? Make sure she gets an opportunity to talk to Grise and win her over too.

File: Long spoder buk.png (96.3 KB)

Kimmy stumbled upon a long buk about spoder on the table. Note galore, though it's seem to be just a cover-up for a fanfic that Anderson wrote down. How horrifying, indeed.

File: Kimmy roasting marshmallow v2.png (83.6 KB)

>>6422997
Off to the burning bin it's go..
She already copy it into digital format already to skim through it, later.

File: Wagon ride.png (78.0 KB)

>>6422998
While, Kimmy reading that fanfic. She did some digging around onto Anderson's folder's off to the side and finds a random well-dressed spoder png and many other stuffs.

File: spoder fanfic.png (110.7 KB)

>>6422999
She respin the fic a bit differently compare to the original that Anderson wrote when live reading.
It's was decent lewd fic to say at least. Kimmy seem to like it.

File: Spoder sack.png (68.1 KB)

>>6423004
Oh look, Nicola's here somehow..

>>6422896
Supporting >>6422930

I think a potential issue with Grise is that Roraima has apparently made her mentally retarded to the point that she's basically just an animal running off of instinct and training. So if we restored her mind with a remote, would she even be able to handle the weight of suddenly comprehending everything she's gone through and done? A problem for later, maybe.

>>6422896
> Continue workshopping how you'd save Grise, when you could try and do this and what you'd need. Maybe your men could get involved with the discussion, or you could just keep it between you, Kaenum and whoever else was interested. (Write in what you discuss regarding Grise.)

Definitely Reika in the front with Kaenum, Reika being her friend and all.

In case Grise is hostile to even Kaenum and Reika: Kaenum retreats, Morgan and Idalia (plus Artyom and maybe Sibilia) would begin targeting Grise's joints to delimb her and prevent her from attacking others later; Kenai can probably help the other combat subjects restraining Grise. Shattering Grise's jaw would prevent her from talking but IIRC most Roraima subjects are a lot less threatening once they're missing a few limbs and chained to a flatbed.

>>6423179
The issue with Grise is that her chomper is her primary weapon. If she manages to lunge at someone whem ostensibly restrained like Ophidia did she could cause nasty injuries and not just that but there's also her venom to consider. Her teeth nicking someone is a major hazard and if she gets the wrong person in the party the consequences could be catastrophic. Breaking her jaw would make it much more difficult for her to engage in opportunistic biting of stray fingers.

Also for that reason, we should never put Reika anywhere near Grise and, preferably, not engage her in melee at all. If she gets a good bite in on Reika, we'll soon have two rabid animals to deal with.

>>6423085
On a technicality if her mind was hijacked by a literal psychopath then she's not really responsible for all what she had done is she? (Granted, I'm pretty sure there's a *reason* why she's still instinctively hates Roraima with whatever little shred of sapience she still clung on to.)

But yeah, the trauma's gonna be real heavy if she's ever restored to the "big K9 doggo" pre-Roraima state and... welp, Kaenum's right here and we'll do our damnedest to make sure Roraima wouldn't be anywhere near her new remote. Wouldn't say no to a second Kenai though.

>>6423196
So Morgan and Sibilia in front of Reika, and maybe shove the Drakescale shield (or some other Morgan-reinforced metal) into Grise's mouth then. The key is to leave a channel of communication open in case she can still communicate in any meaningful manner (guess we REALLY need to ask Reika to clarify whether they were friends before or after Roraima turned Grise rabid, and what that "friendship" entailed) and I'm pretty sure she'd have problems lunging at anyone after she's missing at least an arm and a leg.

Good catch on the venom though - Sesia had shown that subject venom can and will affect fellow subjects (and given Roraima and Elbrus we sorta have to assume the worst), and Ophidia showed Reika can and will be hurt by a fellow high strength subject (if only non-critically, but with venom anything that can break her skin would be a problem) - I'm now just glad Chloe can't infect other subjects with her spores... or at least I hope.

>>6423228
I don't think she's capable of communication so it's a bit pointless but if you're really insistent then just anything that physically prevents her from biting like a muzzle or bit will do. I'm taking no chances with her.

Morgan and Sibby are really the only ones who I'd trust to be exposed to her and her teeth will just break on Sibby. Ideally we deal with her at a distance using ranged weaponry and subject attacks and use only them two to fend her off.


Complete aside, RE Mona, I do want to ask Kaenum about how and when to break this news to her. We need to tell her but we can't do it if she's going to have an emotionak breakdown here when we can't afford it.

>>6423249
Welp, I'm not saying no to putting a HEAT warhead through her center mass if/when Grise is proven to be incapable of communication. Unless we can readily make remotes for non-Logan subjects the whole "Grise salvation plan" would be a moot point either way and if anything we'd rather not run into her AT ALL before we recruit more firearm-proficient subjects (esp. those with high-powered weapons). Especially because both options for ending her threat for good (killing her outright or subduing her and rebuilding her back to original specs assuming it's even possible) would likely require chasing her down with high-agility AMR-proficient subjects and Katya is currently with France's group and isn't exactly likely to be with our group at all times in the future either.

Definitely ask Kaenum about how to handle the Mona situation.

>>6423418
>Definitely ask Kaenum about how to handle the Mona situation.
This is a good idea, maybe even have her with us when we break the news.

>Continue workshopping how you'd save Grise, when you could try and do this and what you'd need. Maybe your men could get involved with the discussion, or you could just keep it between you, Kaenum and whoever else was interested.
Whilst Chrys had given one suggestion to help Grise from causing trouble to you and your men, you still knew there was more to discuss. Obviously, saving Grise would have to come at a later time, which you readily admitted to Kaenum. "I understand. You encountered her in the frozen sector, correct? It is quite a way from here, so it will probably take time to head back there and find her again." Kaenum responded in turn, after which you mentioned that she could try and talk to Grise at her own risk. You did have your doubts that Grise would understand Kaenum, given her animalistic and violent nature. Kaenum nodded softly, looking rather disappointed as she tried to play her instrument yet again, yet still listening along to what you had to say. In the likely situation that Kaenum couldn't talk Grise down, you suggested having Reika do the job, much to the surprise of your men.

"Reika? Talking down Grise? I'm not sure that's... the best idea. No offense, Mik, Reika." Artyom said in mild disbelief, Reika not seeming to really understand yet seeming mildly curious as to why you suggested her for the job. You brought up that Reika and Grise knew each other, looking over to Reika to hear what she had to say. "Yeah, I fought her a couple of times! She was pretty stupid and mean to me, constantly trying to attack me... But, I also now know that is because of Roraima being stupid to her or something. If you think I can talk to her, I wouldn't mind trying to." You did start to hesitate, given how Reika seemed to not have the best relationship with Grise. And considering the effects of Grise's bite, perhaps it was for the best Reika did not try to go for a diplomatic role, lest you end up with two murderous rabid animals chasing after you.

With that in mind, you decided to discuss combat strategies, since incapacitating her perhaps was the best option you had. "It worked with Reika, didn't it? Maybe it'll work with Grise as well." Anon mentioned as well, Reika ironically enough even nodding along in agreement. You believed snapping her neck with Katya's help could do well, or simply destroying her legs and arms, making it impossible for her to really fight back properly. Though if that proved difficult, you'd certainly take your safety over Grise's survival, even if that meant something a bit more lethal. You did also suggest having Idalia and Reika attack, even though the existing fear of Reika being bitten still lingered in your mind. Sibilia also came to mind, given her easy resistance to being bitten. "You know, I could just throw myself at her and pin her down. For all we know, she won't be able to lift me up, hehe." Sibilia responded to that suggestion, which could work given how effective it was against Ophidia.

Kenai also came to mind, given her speed and strength, perhaps allowing her to restrain her. You also suggested shattering Grise's jaw, since this could perhaps disable her ability to bite, which could certainly reduce the risk of getting close to her. "Once she's restrained, I could form a metal mask around her mouth to really ensure she can't bite. Or perhaps some steel wire she can't bite through." Morgan suggested, as it seemed you had a variety of tools you could use. But even then, it was going to be an uneasy battle. For the time being, you decided to settle with what you discussed for now, not wanting to dwell on it too much. Your men did keep discussing Grise and her abilities, even chatting with Reika a bit. Kaenum had gone mostly quiet by now, just playing her instrument as you kept travelling down the dark tunnel. However, you soon got beside Kaenum and quietly asked her about an issue you had: You needed to tell Haje about Mona's death.

"Hmmm, why not tell her now? I believe it might be for the best not to hide the truth from her too much." Kaenum suggested, you agreeing it was important to tell her, but that you also didn't want to have her breakdown right in the middle of your mission. Kaenum hesitated, before asking: "It is almost night, correct?" You knowing it was indeed starting to get time to set up a base somewhere soon enough. "Once we are settled down at our temporary base for the night, you should tell her. It'll give her the opportunity to talk with other Mona subjects as well as let her have people around her to support her." It was probably for the best, especially since there was a good chance Haje would figure out eventually that Mona had passed away already. You thanked Kaenum for the advice, her quickly nodding before just quietly going back to her instrument. By now, it was clear Kaenum needed to soothe herself a bit by playing her instrument. But, you knew she soon had to maybe quiet down, as you saw your scouts in the distance.

Chrys, Kenai and Iliara were waiting at the entrance to the next sector, you already noticing that the next sector wasn't an ordinary office. For starters, dim light came from the space, meaning either the place somehow had a power source which still worked, or that someone had brought one in to replace the damaged ones. As you reached the entrance, you found that the floor was completely dark, covered in a thick layer of what appeared to be dirt. This dirt had come from the nearby chambers, of which most had been broken open. The chambers all contained a variety of plants. None of them were crops used for consumption, instead all being ornamental or wild foliage. Though, the overgrowth thankfully wasn't too extreme, most plants only barely creeping out of the chambers. However, what was surprising was that, aside from the dirt and broken windows to chambers, the place looked somewhat clean. There was no rubble, no signs of looting or anything.

"Looks like we found ourselves a miniature green sector, perhaps used for testing or something like that." Iliara suggested, Kenai seeming a bit more bothered as she quietly panted. "It's... warm in here. I don't like it at all." Though it wouldn't take long before someone noticed one of your girls was missing. "Where's Idalia? Did she already move forward?" Lars asked, to which Chrys calmly responded: "She decided to head a little bit further forward with her camouflage. She said she wouldn't go too far ahead." Looking around, you saw that there were three main paths you could take, one left, one right and one straight ahead. There were also some industrial catwalks above you, but they weren't all too far above you or your men. At least compared to the catwalks you had traversed previously.

>What do you do next?

>Explore the lobby for any hints about what this place is, why it was the way it was and what path would be the quickest to move further ahead. Maybe there was a reception desk you could check out? (Write in what you look for around the lobby.)
>Ask your girls for advice. Surely, some would know more about this green sector, what it was about and why it was in the state it currently was in. (Write in who you talk to and what you ask.)
>Just split up and go exploring. You had plenty of combat forces by your side that splitting up and covering a lot of ground wouldn't be too dangerous. (Write in how you split up.)
>Just head straight ahead to hopefully get to the other side of this sector ASAP. It wasn't worth to stay here that much longer and get sidetracked even further.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6423007
(Oh god, of course Kimmy foun MY spider smut... At least she didn't tell the full thing and spun it into something more wholeso- Oh FUCK, uhhhh, hi Nicola? What are you doing here?)

>>6423920
Huh, I thought Reika and Grise got along better based on this bit from thread 10.

>Still, this did make you wonder if she knew any other dangerous subjects from Roraima who were maybe out and about. You even brought up Grise, which made Reika look more irritated. "Grise is annoying! She's so stupid and constantly goes on about blood and stalking! She also talks stupidly and constantly mentions killing Roraima!"

Guess I was wrong :(
If I'm also wrong about how feral Grise is, and she's not capable of conversation as the above quote implies, I'd rather not confront her until the remote to fix her is complete or attempted and ruled impossible.

>>6423924
>Just split up and go exploring. You had plenty of combat forces by your side that splitting up and covering a lot of ground wouldn't be too dangerous. (Write in how you split up.)
Idalia's scouting ahead and will alert us of danger, so we can just let everyone fan out and search the sector.

>>6423924
>Explore the lobby for any hints about what this place is, why it was the way it was and what path would be the quickest to move further ahead. Maybe there was a reception desk you could check out?
Any kind of computer. Power means it's accessible and we can have a poke around to see what they were doing here and who lived here. Also if there's a way to access the CCTV here since that will have been running too or any paperwork left around.
>Just split up and go exploring. You had plenty of combat forces by your side that splitting up and covering a lot of ground wouldn't be too dangerous.
Usual rules. Split up, but don't wander off. Every group has a combat-capable subject with them.

>>6423924
>>6423924
> Explore the lobby for any hints about what this place is, why it was the way it was and what path would be the quickest to move further ahead. Maybe there was a reception desk you could check out? (Write in what you look for around the lobby.)

We need information, easy as that. Name plaques, files, electronic devices, anything that could help us discern the original purpose of this place (plus who - and what - worked here) sounds mighty fine right now.

> Ask your girls for advice. Surely, some would know more about this green sector, what it was about and why it was in the state it currently was in. (Write in who you talk to and what you ask.)

Personally I'd just ask everyone where we are and if anybody knows who might be here.
Given our current location and the direction of where various subjects are last spotted... the power source might have been repaired/replaced by CF-40 (last spotted west of the combat sector), but the overgrowth of plant life might suggest VV-35 which was known to be violently overprotective of her plants (the two other subjects with control over plant life, FF-68 Hegemone and PF-4), were last spotted in the green sector and thus likely closer to the middle-north parts of the facility instead of southwest where we currently are), and we did recover medical files related to VV-35 on the same level we currently are on. There are also two plant-based subjects with unknown whereabouts (Jasmine the "the//rapist" and VL-60 Tammy) and both are degenerate Elbr*s subjects so it's probably better to stay really cautious and make sure to not step on any plants here. Also get the melee subjects ready to assist in case the plants here turns out to be more ambulatory than they should (aka if PF-4 is somehow here).

> Something else...
Personally I'd rather not split up any more than necessary - Chrys, Kaenum, and Iliara can take off and give us a literal bird's eye view of most of this sector, but I'd rather have the human complement (plus non-flying subjects) close together and ready to engage potential hostiles at a moment's notice.

------

>>6423007
I see why Anderson escaped off-planet when/before the facility exploded, and decided to put himself under the mercy of the TEF instead of remaining inside the facility for one more day...

(Personal headcanon: a few threads back someone mentioned Elbrus might have his depravity enhanced by one of his subjects... and Jasmine just happens to fits the bill perfectly.)

>>6424026
>a few threads back someone mentioned Elbrus might have his depravity enhanced by one of his subjects
As I remember it wasn't just idle speculation but canon - some character mentioned Elbrus was just normal brilliant when he first got here, and only later did he degrade to depraved brilliant.

>Explore the lobby for any hints about what this place is, why it was the way it was and what path would be the quickest to move further ahead. Maybe there was a reception desk you could check out?
>Ask your girls for advice. Surely, some would know more about this green sector, what it was about and why it was in the state it currently was in.
Not wanting to rush in or split up extremely suddenly, you decided to first look around the reception area with your group. You'd tell your men to look for computers, offices or even security posts. Things which would help you figure out what this sector was about, who was here, why the electricity was on and other useful intel. Your men and the girls nodded, starting to look around the place. You headed to the reception immediately, finding that most of the computers looked to be in pristine condition to use. Immediately, you tried to turn it on, but found that it wouldn't. Fortunately, you quickly found that the main reason was because it and none of the other smaller appliances were plugged in, surprisingly enough.

Plugging them all in did allow you to turn them on, you soon being met with a boot up screen. Though as the device started to load, you'd hear Sigit from the other side of the room. "There's a closet here with tons of broken computers, electronics and equipment just... thrown in it." Derek would also speak up, doing so in a more disappointed tone. "Some of these things have really been thrown in here with little caution. So I doubt we'll be able to salvage much from here. Not sure who did this or why, but it has left most of this stuff unusable, I'm afraid." Afterwards, Oreas spoke up as well as she carefully walked up to one of the lights in the wall. "I can... sense a pretty weak electrical current in this place. There's not a whole lot of power going through here. It does seem to come from a consistent source. It's not some small battery powering this place."

In the meantime, you found the computer had finally finished loading. However, instead of being met with a log-in screen, you saw that the computer still had to be set up. The operating system, security, connecting it to the facility servers, all still had to be done. Unfortunately, you didn't really know how to do these things, and even Ignacy who was nearby would seem unsure about setting everything up and actually connecting the thing to the facility domain without a lot of know-how about the facility's computer network. Regardless, you'd look for paperwork, and did thankfully find a few cabinets with notes about what the purpose was of this place. It seemed that this green sector was mostly for creating ornamental plants for test and containment chambers. It also seemed to be designed as a space for staff and scientists, providing semi-fresh oxygen into the facility without having to constantly pump in air from the surface. Though, intel about subjects which stayed here was sadly non-existent.

With that in mind, you decided to ask your girls about this place, wanting to know who or what might be staying here. You already had a few ideas, mentioning CF-40 from the tablet, VV-35 and Jasmine who were both mentioned by Thalia, as well as Tammy who was mentioned by Landon. Jasmine and Tammy both were particularly troublesome in your mind, given them being prolific Elbrus subjects. If they were down here, then it meant having to be cautious and avoid damaging plants. The other plant subjects which were on your mind, such as PF-4, didn't seem likely to be here given they were last spotted in the green sector. The girls unfortunately didn't seem to know much about what was going on, but did have a few thoughts which could inform you about this place. "I doubt Jasmine or Tammy are responsible for what's going on around here. It seems too distant from people they'd want to target." Sibilia would loudly and somewhat confidently say from the other side of the room.

"Kuzu might be around here, but I do somewhat doubt she set up all of this. She doesn't seem like the type to do so, unless if she really wants to help the plants grow better." Iliara also responded, after which you waited to hear what the other girls had to say. Unfortunately, after a bit of mumbling amongst the girls, it became clear that they really didn't know who could possibly be around here to set this all up. Still, you knew a bit thanks to your exploration here. Someone had set up entirely new computers around here and stuffed old and broken equipment into a nearby chamber. There was a continuous power source from some kind of generator, and the place had been tidied up aside from the dirt everywhere. With that in mind, you decided it was probably for the best you stopped exploring this part and move forward.

>Just split up and go exploring. You had plenty of combat forces by your side that splitting up and covering a lot of ground wouldn't be too dangerous.
With Idalia already moving ahead, you felt that the forward path would be pretty safe already, given that she'd be able to alert you of danger ahead. Thus, you'd tell everyone they were free to split up. Albeit, so long as they had a combat capable subject by their side. You also wanted Chrys, Kaenum and Iliara to head forward to give a bird's eye view of the sector. "Sounds good to me." Chrys mumbled, as it seemed you'd divide into three teams. Chrys would head forward to try and catch up with Idalia, with Morgan there to support her as the main combat subject. The second team would be led by Kaenum with Kenai to fight if things went wrong. The third team was Iliara with Reika, even though Reika was still busy pushing the carrier vehicle around. As for your men and the other girls, they'd split evenly over these three teams, acting as the main combat forces to deal with whatever hostiles were down here. "You heard Mikhail, split up, everyone!" Anon would right away remark, as everyone started forming teams.

Eventually, you had your three teams. The forward team was Chrys, Morgan, Vinisha, Antonin, Ignacy, Mike. The team heading left consisted of Kaenum, Kenai, Sibilia, Haje, Eric, Artyom, Sigit. Lastly, there was the team heading right was led by Iliara with Reika, Oreas, Derek, Lars, Anon, Alan, Reika continuing to carry the vehicle. With that in mind, you'd tell everyone to keep their radios on to update each other on what you found, as you joined the group heading forward to even out each group. Thus, you started heading forward, keeping your eyes open for more objects of interest...

>What do you do next?

>Look for something specific as you travelled further forward. Maybe there were some types of storage or utility rooms around which you were interested in. (Write in what you look for.)
>Chat with the members of your subgroup to hear what their theories were about this place and who might be here. Or to chat about something else that was on your mind. (Write in what you discuss.)
>Suggest some things to the other subgroups. Maybe tell your men what to look for, or give the others some tips on how they could maybe search the place. (Write in what you tell the other groups before heading forward.)
>Just quickly and quietly head forward. This sector wasn't too large, so if you were quick, you could get through here without it taking too much time.
>Something else...

File: level 3.png (66.2 KB)

>>6424420
>Suggest some things to the other subgroups. Maybe tell your men what to look for, or give the others some tips on how they could maybe search the place.
Can Oreas help in tracking the power to its source for some clues?
Sibby keeps her thermal mode on to see through those plants, as well as anyone else with a thermal scope etc.
Left and right teams, stick their heads into any side rooms for any signs of habitation
Whoever has the drone, send it up to search around from above on thermals as well.

I wonder if Annie would know about CF-40, she seems like the kind of subject she might do stuff with.
Also, who's Kuzu? VV-35?

-----

unrelated, posting the updated level map for the reference of that one anon who won't use the doc

>>6424420
Supporting >>6424445

>>6424420
>>6424445
+2

>>6424420
>>Chat with the members of your subgroup to hear what their theories were about this place and who might be here. Or to chat about something else that was on your mind. (Write in what you discuss.)
>Discuss who and what might be here.

>Suggest some things to the other subgroups. Maybe tell your men what to look for, or give the others some tips on how they could maybe search the place.
You really didn't have too many plans on how you'd look around whilst split up. But, you did ask Oreas if she could try and track down the power source with her abilities before you split up. "I'll try. I can sense a bit of the power source, but I don't know if I will be able to track it down completely." Oreas responded a little hesitantly, after which you asked Sibilia to use her thermal vision to see through the plants. She could check for any survivors or subjects hiding within the green. "You got it." Sibilia said, her tapping her visor. Lastly, you told both the team heading left and right to be on to actually check each room for signs of habitation. You imagined that whoever was staying her would probably have a place to stay at away from the main hallway running through the sector. "This is going to take a while, I imagine..." Arty calmly responded, as you thus led your men forward, Reika pushing the vehicle down the right path whilst you headed forward.

>Chat with the members of your subgroup to hear what their theories were about this place and who might be here. Or to chat about something else that was on your mind.
As you and your group quietly headed forward, you'd quickly stumble onto more chambers, finding each to be relatively similar to the last. Though what was surprising was that some of the chambers had been modified to resemble test chambers you walked past. Most of these modifications were rather makeshift and made with whatever was available, such as tables being used for obstacles, electronic wires being used to create patterns on the floor and even what appeared to be firing ranges made out of wall panels with markers on them. They were extremely simple and cheaply made though, but their purpose as recreated test chambers were obvious to you and your men.

"I'm starting to think whoever is down here really likes testing." Mike mumbled, after which Igancy bemusedly asked: "Bit strange to rebuild a bunch of testing chambers when the training sector isn't too far from here." This made you ask Chrys, Morgan and Vinisha who they thought could be down here. "I'm really not sure... I don't know any test subjects who would be this eager to set this all up. I don't know any subject this eager to continue with tests." Chrys mumbled hesitantly, which made Vinisha speak up curiously. "I... do remember Andrei mentioning how... Tengri had a subject who was convinced she was creating tests. Someone similar to Chloe in some way? Maybe it could be them?" You obviously hoped whoever was down here wasn't like Chloe, but since this subject was a Tengri subject, there was a good chance she was actually reasonable. Soon after though, Morgan also chimed in, naming not one but two subjects who she believed could be responsible for the very odd situation this place was in.

"I believe this to either be the work of Amby Velasci. You mentioned finding her file recently, Mikhail, and seeing this place reminded me of her, given how at home she felt doing tests. The only issue with Amby is that... she is a mostly aquatic subject, so I do doubt that she managed to find her way here. The other subject who I believe could be responsible is Jeanne. She's a rather sweet subject designed by Mona and Cerro somewhat resembling me, who was created not too long before the disaster struck. I can imagine her wanting to create more training grounds to test her abilities." It seemed this Jeanne was a likely candidate along with the Chloe-like subject, though you did also consider CF-40 given where she was located according to the tablet. "Whoever it might be, they probably aren't the brightest subject around, considering just how close-by the testing sector is." Ignacy responded in turn, as you and your men passed by more and more chambers.

After a few more minutes of wandering forward though, you'd hear Anon over the radio. "Guys, can you hear me?" You and the rest of your men told Anon you could hear him, at which point Anon announced: "We found the power source to this sector. Someone got some pretty basic generators and connected them to the light system, it seems. It's very rudimentary however, and whoever set this up clearly isn't the smartest because they forgot to attach the generator to... a bunch of other important things, such as surveillance and test-chamber control systems. Even though those connections are right beside the input for the lights in this entire sector." At least your men had found the power source for the time being, and figured out that whoever was here was really not the best at setting everything up.

>What do you do next?

>Ask Anon to do something with the power source. He could turn it off and disable all lights in this sector, making it more difficult to be spotted. That, or whoever was down here could be lured over if he turned off the generator. (Write in what you tell Anon and his group to do.)
>Start calling out to whoever was here. It didn't seem like whoever was here was much of a threat. Besides, you had Morgan and Vinisha and her rocket launcher by your side in case whoever showed up ended up being a threat. (Write in how you call out whoever is nearby.)
>Just quietly keep going and head to the other side of the miniature green sector. You'd probably find whoever was down here by just looking around long enough. And if you didn't find anyone, you and your men could just keep going further forward.
>Discuss more with Chrys, Morgan, Vinisha, Antonin, Ignacy and Mike. Maybe Morgan could tell more about Jeanne, or Ignacy, Antonin and Mike could share their thoughts about what was going on in this sector. (Write in what you discuss.)
>Something else...

>>6425014
>>Ask Anon to do something with the power source. He could turn it off and disable all lights in this sector, making it more difficult to be spotted. That, or whoever was down here could be lured over if he turned off the generator. (Write in what you tell Anon and his group to do.)
>Turn off the generator! Lure the inhabitant!

>>6425014
>Ask Anon to do something with the power source. He could turn it off and disable all lights in this sector, making it more difficult to be spotted. That, or whoever was down here could be lured over if he turned off the generator.
Unplug it and wait nearby to see if anyone comes to check it out. Probably no use plugging in the CCTV since I imagine the security station PC got chucked on the heap with the rest.
>Discuss more with Chrys, Morgan, Vinisha, Antonin, Ignacy and Mike. Maybe Morgan could tell more about Jeanne, or Ignacy, Antonin and Mike could share their thoughts about what was going on in this sector.
Tell us about Jeanne. Is she another lizard knight of honour and valour?
What about Mica? She might fit the bill, though dunno if anyone here knows much about her.

>>6425014
>Ask Anon to do something with the power source. He could turn it off and disable all lights in this sector, making it more difficult to be spotted. That, or whoever was down here could be lured over if he turned off the generator. (Write in what you tell Anon and his group to do.)
Hook up the surveillance system. Grant Annie eyes in the area and she'll be able to tell us everything of interest.

>>6425014
> Discuss more with Chrys, Morgan, Vinisha, Antonin, Ignacy and Mike. Maybe Morgan could tell more about Jeanne, or Ignacy, Antonin and Mike could share their thoughts about what was going on in this sector. (Write in what you discuss.)

Ask Morgan about Jeanne as this is a subject we know little about. Maybe also ask her about Amby's physical description as well.

We know with some certainty that the Tengri subject Vinisha mentioned is FN-38 Mica Reza (shroom girl, "assistant researcher", not a Catherine/Jabal subject). The test chamber is unlikely to be for AX-50 Amby Velasci given she's probably not tested for working with terrestrial plants and the file we recovered was about her ability to sense chemicals in water with her gills.

> Ask Anon to do something with the power source. He could turn it off and disable all lights in this sector, making it more difficult to be spotted. That, or whoever was down here could be lured over if he turned off the generator. (Write in what you tell Anon and his group to do.)

Supporting >>6425058 on hooking up the CCTV and maybe ask Annie / Logan how to set those things up.

.... right, how much charge does Oreas currently have? If she's feeling peckish she can definitely top up on electricity here.

(Doubt switching off lights and/or generators would help us much given it could easily blind our own scouts and be perceived as a hostile action. Plus none of the test-junkies sounds like the hostile sort.)

>>6425014
Addendum to >>6425184: ask Iliara who "Kuzu" is.