WARP Cleanup Quest

drearyArchon said:

For Part I, I'm torn between warning mom not to take the surgery and just reminiscing with her for (possibly) the last time.

Maybe we can do both by reminiscing some story that's pertinent to our situation.

For Part II... Kimber already said she'd like Chelsey to be Captain so her trying to sabotage us now tracks. We should investigate.

Edit: This might do it for part I

[] (Part I) Sorry for all the trouble I've put you through, Mom. I'm glad that didn't lose you too.

As a way to imply to Mom that she should stay as she is and reject surgery?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Voting is closed. Here's how it's going down:

(Part I) Sorry for all the trouble I've put you through, Mom. I'm glad that I didn't lose you too.
That is, an indirect plea via past happiness to decline the brain surgery. Because maybe there can be future happiness.

(Part II) Plan: Favor + Investigate


Oh, and editing this in with the update...

---

It hurts to lose a loved one. It hurts even more to lose a loved one from preventable bad health.

At K Corp., that's why we sweat, bleed, and cry at work; our efforts could save your life and those you love. We'll make sure that everyone can live the joyous lives that you all deserve.

No more tears.

As you walk to your mother's room in Medical, you draft and redraft your plan for the upcoming conversation. You think of the possible dead ends where she ignores your pleas to reject the brain surgery, and how you might convince the Branch Manager and Director to leave her alone.

Convince the Branch Manager and Director, huh. But until the moment you enter her room, you continue cycling through multiple lines of conversations.

When you walk past a couple guards and into her room, your mother smiles at you from her bed. Nothing fancy for clothes; as one might expect from a patient, she wears a white medical game, un-styled long black hair, and chain cuffs on her wrists and ankles. "Ji-Min! It's so nice to have a proper farewell. Maybe W Corp. isn't the worst-awful Impurity that the Head needs to purge."

There's the defeated tone that you need to stop. You hug her. "Sorry for all the trouble I've put you through, mother. I'm glad that I didn't lose you too."

From the corner of the room, Director Puck, Engineering's spider-legged brain box, speaks in a high-pitched tone. "I have a tight schedule. Five minutes for your final words."

And there's your first goal: to convince your mother to make an objection, buy more time to think of something, and get her out of immediate brain surgery.

"Thank you," says your mother.

"Five minutes, start."

"We..." Your voice trails for a moment. "We managed to enjoy some good times together, right?"

"Goodness, yes! It feels like only yesterday that my eyes were watering from that ridiculously spicy red chili paste when I visited." She rubs her eyes. "I'm tearing up just thinking about it."

"It took a lot of effort for us to reconcile, didn't it? Doesn't it feel like we only started to truly enjoy life? It's like there's so much more that we could be doing to make up for lost time."

"It does, but... this also feels like I'm ending on a good note."

"Brain surgery is, uh, ending on a good note?"

"I lost my husband, but I learned that you're alive and that you still consider yourself as my daughter. My final moments are with you instead of dying on a smoke-covered street. And I'll still be able to support you after I'm gone. Most lives don't get such a nice ending."

You glance at Director Puck, who stays still. At this rate, five minutes will pass without your mother changing her mindset, let alone buying more time from management.

It might get ugly, but perhaps she'll respond if your voice your heart's desires. "I don't want to lose you. My heart aches at the thought that you won't be around. If you protest the surgery, maybe we can find a way to..."

Your mother covers your hand. "There's no point in holding on. I already betrayed L Corp.; even if I was freed, I can expect Shi Association's assassins. And the brain reading that W Corp. did to view my memories... you know that the technology damages the brain. From what I was told, I can only remember the past few hours ever since they started the reading."

"It doesn't mean that you have to give up! You could start a diary, or I could remember everything for you, so won't you please reconsider?"

She sighs. "Ji-Min. Do you remember how we always argued that I was getting in the way of what you wanted to do - joining W Corp.? What I want to do is help you in the only way that's left to me."

You pause and recall the frustration from your past.

"If you want to end it on an argument... it'll sadden me, but you're free to do so. However, just like you, I won't be dissuaded."

"Last minute," says Director Puck.

"If you say so." You give one last hug. "Mother, I love you."

"And I love you too, Ji-Min." She hugs you tight for as long as she can.

"Time's up." Director Puck calls for the guards outside. "It's a shame to rip apart a mother and daughter, but alas."

Both you and your mother look and smile at each other for as long as possible. The guards roll her bed out the door and down to Engineering.

---

"Ji-Min... why...?" Your mother, strapped to the operating table, stares at you in utter panic as Director Puck crawls up to her head and one of the legs turns into a drill.

You run to her, but you're not getting anywhere. You call out, but there's no sound.

"Aren't you my daughter? Didn't you love me!? Why didn't you convince me that it would be like--" she screams as the drills pierce her skull.

Your eyes fly open.

"Ji-Min!" whispers Blaine as you both lay in bed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." You take a deep breath, then mentally tell yourself that it was just a dream, and that you tried, and that if you couldn't come up with something despite your best efforts, then that conversation from a couple days ago was doomed from the start. "I think I might go in early. Don't really feel like sleeping anymore."

"I'm here if you need me, okay?"

Also, it makes a convenient excuse to examine your knives undisturbed. If Blaine says the Branch Manager is encouraging the Udjat to sabotage you, then you decide that it's best to investigate before anyone else is around to ask questions.

You get changed and go to work. When you arrive, you go to the armory and take your knives. On the floor right there, you disassemble your knives and inspect them for signs of tampering or bad parts beyond what regular wear and tear should indicate.

"Captain," Kimber says, "what are you doing?"

Your skin jumps. "Uh, this? I was... was taking apart my knives. It's important to know your weapons inside and out."

"I was told that it was Engineering's job to maintain our weapons and design new ones."

"Okay... what're you doing here so early?"

"Chelsey wanted the Udjats to check in on you. She's still getting ready, but I was already up. I don't know about Irmtraud, but don't hold your breath for Rama."

"Oh."

Kimber folds his arms. "You're acting strangely. What's going on?"

"Is that any of your business?"

"Considering that our lives are in your hands, it does become my business. Or is your management style about using tyranny to let unaddressed problems grow?"

You go back to examining your knives while Kimber sighs.

Nothing. That can't be, can it? Again, you look through the parts. You find no problem.

"Captain, are you really that opposed to letting Chelsey take over? It's in our crew's best interests for someone levelheaded to hold the reins. Inspecting your knives isn't going to make your worries go away."

Oh, yes it did. At the least, your knives are functional. You reassemble your knives. "You don't need to worry this time. Chelsey and I agreed to take care of the passengers this week."

"I still don't feel comfortable with you in charge, and you clearly don't trust the crew enough to communicate whatever it is that's bothering you."

"Shall I expect gossip?"

"I don't gossip. But I won't lie if someone asks about what you're doing or my opinion on how you're doing."

"I wasn't planning on lying as well. All I did was exactly as you saw."

You return the knives, then both of you leave the armory. Kimber heads to the lounge while you walk around the halls before the day starts.

---

When the strongest train of the week arrives later that day and your crew heads into the cab, you scroll though camera feeds of the cars.

"Shi-t," says Rama. "Ten minutes and you're still researching?"

"Someone else is taking care of the train for you, and you still want to complain?"

"Ignore him," says Chelsey as she scrolls through a midair panel. "Did you find the Shi passengers?"

You shake your head. "Inspections couldn't and we couldn't. We'll just have to watch out. Open it up."






Before your mopping inspection, Chelsey pays you a visit while you put a passenger back onto their seat. "Captain, I wanted to thank you for catching that Shi passenger earlier."

"No problem. You definitely pulled your weight. Need something, Chelsey?"

"You overheard Rama talking to Kimber about you 'running scared' earlier, right?"

"I did."

"Is everything okay? This morning, you were distraught and left early. And when I asked the Udjat to check in on you, Kimber said that you were acting strangely and disassembling your knives. What's up with that?"

"I needed to take my mind off... well, it wasn't a good dream last night."

Chelsey thinks for a moment. "Is there anything about the crew that you want to talk about?"

"Not really."

"Okay. Well, I do want to talk about one of the Udjat's concerns. Rama is at a point where he's ready to go from 'neutral' to 'me' because, in his words to Kimber, he'd rather listen to a jerk with her head still attached."

"Uh..."

"I was originally thinking about stepping back and watching to see if you self-destructed, but for whatever reason that possessed me, I wanted to ask if there's anything that I can do to help."

"I'm really being perceived as that paranoid?"

Chelsey nods. "Even if I become Captain now, my first order of business would be to figure out what's bothering you, and whether it represents a threat to the crew. I know that you're not the type to change personalities overnight, so would you mind sharing?"

Your turn to think for a moment. From Chelsey's perspective, you woke up distressed and rushed off to work, and then another agent found you disassembling your knife. The distress was a one-off thing related to your asset work and mother, so that doesn't need to be discussed.

You did, however, harbor enough suspicion to warrant investigating your knives. If the Branch Manager has "stirred the pot" to the point where problems are manifesting, and Chelsey is offering perhaps the only opportunity to resolve the problems together, it shouldn't hurt to at least throw out a trial balloon question.

"Did Kimber and Irmtraud ever discuss what the Branch Manager said to them?"

"The Branch Manager? I do get the impression that you're not on the best terms with him, but I haven't heard anything actionable that he wanted the Udjat to do. When Kimber and Irmtraud spoke to me at dinner a few days ago, the only thing I heard was that the Branch Manager praised them for doing a good job so far. And they looked so proud of themselves." Chelsey folds her arms. "Now I'm paranoid! If he wants to praise the Udjat, then why wasn't I praised? Rama, I understand, but me..."

You think about it, but you keep your thoughts to yourself and shrug. After that, you think about what you should do next. Right now, you could ask for Chelsey to keep an ear open for anything that the Branch Manager wants done by the Udjat. How would that come across? Ohers already see you as paranoid, so it's not strange to ask. And if the Udjat is conspiring against you, then you just won't get an answer.

The question, then, shouldn't hurt. All that's left is to phrase your question in a way that doesn't make it look like you're asking a favor. "Do you, uh, want to keep me abreast of the Branch Manager's intentions with the Udjat? None of us want unnecessary friction."

"No problem."

After mopping, the crew returns to the lounge. You look at the Passenger Advisory Report for the week after on your wPhone. It's Schedule I, but that's nothing compared to this gem in the footnotes:

Public Relations will be unable to evaluate all passengers. The threat assessment in this report should be taken as the minimum rating. Please be advised that activation of Rabbit Protocol will be at the sole discretion of Inspections.

Or, in plain language:

If we screwed up, Rabbits will annihilate you with the passengers.

A few minutes later, every Udjat agent, even Rama, gathers at the lounge exit. "We'll be in the conference room," says Chelsey.

"That's ominous," Blaine says to you. "Did you live a good life?"

You schedule a meeting with the Director.

"I'm rooting for you; wherever you go, I'll be made to follow."

...

"Transfer?" asks the Director. "I see no reason. You excel at exactly one thing: cleanup."

The grandfather clock in his office ticks while you think of what to say. "But I'm an asset."

"And?"

"I thought W Corp. would take me into consideration."

"Overcharging. Is that not an option?"

"But even if I send someone down to Engineering, is there any guarantee that it'll be enough? Overcharge was meant for mid-level threats. When I think of someone strong like Aurél, even an agent bursting with electricity isn't an obstacle."

The Director folds his arms and sighs. The ticking continues.

"Have I done a good job of handling the passengers?"

"Yes."

"Have I done a good job of managing the crew?"

"Yes."

"Have I done a good job of producing mission results?"

Three tick-tocks pass. "Yes."

"How have I not proven my value? I can fight passengers, I can scout in the middle of a war, and I can take down any target."

"I remain bitter that you didn't immediately report the Kandy and risked Imamu's death." The Director looks at the grandfather clock. "However, I suppose none of it is truly unforgivable, and the results that you produce outweigh your problems, for now. I offer this compromise: I'll set up the paperwork for your transfer, but execution is contingent on crushing Teresa and firing of the Branch Manager."

You look at the grandfather clock as it ticks. The potential "death train" is a couple weeks away. Will you have enough time?

"Proof. Show me that you're worth the transfer."

The only thing that arguing can accomplish is rescinding the transfer. You grit your teeth. "I understand. Thank you for the opportunity."

"Dismissed."

---

The next morning, you wake up to an alarming email in your inbox:

We regret to inform everyone that there was an assassination attempt last night. A security detail was escorting Branch Manager Talgat and Director Ghaith to the hotel when they were attacked by assassins. The Director lost his life and the Branch Manager also suffered a near-lethal injury. Fortunately, the Branch Manager survived and made a full recovery.

Followed by another email:

Hello all, and nice to meet you. At the behest of HQ, I will temporarily manage General Services - Acting Director Pankaj.

"What a night," Chelsey says.

Irmtraud mumbles in agreement as she rolls over on her pillow. "All that hard work, and what does the Director get? Death."

"Crap," says Blaine. She yawns. "It's supposed to be my day off, but I guess I need to meet the new boss."

All four of you get ready. Your heart pounds, every beat as impactful as the tick-tock of the grandfather clock, as you ponder what the change in your boss spells for your future. Together, on high alert (higher than usual, as any travel during wartime requires alertness), you all make your way to work.

In the conference room, you meet a pudgy older man with short black hair. While his face may be shaved, the same can't be said for the back of his hairy hand. He looks at the crew with the same lifeless expression that inspires so many in the City. "Good morning, I count everyone plus someone on their day off."

Blaine nods. "Came all this way just to see you."

"I'm Acting Director Pankaj. Due to Ghaith's untimely passing, I'll be managing General Services. Normally, I work under the Vice President of Southern Affairs at HQ as a communications specialist, but I have been given the opportunity to pick up where Ghaith left off."

The rest of you introduce yourselves.

"I'm Ji-Min. Cleanup Captain of the morning crew."

He nods. "Let's talk alone after the meeting."

"I'm Blaine. Nice to meet you."

The Acting Director smiles. "Glad to see such dedication."

"Chelsey, from Udjat. In the brief time that remains for us to work together, I hope that it'll be productive."

"I've heard good things about the Udjat's contributions." After introductions and announcements ("Ghaith's funeral will be postponed."), the Acting Director dismisses everyone except you. "Ji-Min, was it? Talgat told me all about you. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

A pro-Talgat Director. You deflate.

"As I understand, you, Ghaith, and Talgat were all involved in a dispute. Luckily, someone from Internal Affairs will finally be arriving in a couple weeks to duly investigate." The Acting Director smirks. "I imagine that it'll go quickly without Ghaith."

You take a deep breath. "And what happens after the investigation?"

"The IA writes their report. The final decision about who to dispose of rests with the Vice President."

Where there's smoke, there's fire. If the Acting Director is pro-Talgat, then the Vice President might also be... well, maybe Internal Affairs can apply pressure on your behalf. You hope.

"Any other questions?"

"I have a transfer pending. What's the status of that?"

"It'll stay pending. If the Vice President agrees with your position, I'll execute the transfer upon the elimination of Teresa. There won't be any need to question the former Director's judgment. Oh, and since you're such an eager asset, I do have a mission for you. This one's a suggestion from Talgat, actually."

"Can he order me around during a dispute?"

"It's fine if I'm issuing it. Anyway, your PAR this week says you have nothing threatening, which means you have free stamina and personnel to spare. We received reports that L Corp. and G Corp. will make a push to capture this station, so you need to gather volunteers from your crew - no coercing the Udjat - and organize the contribution to the defense."

You open your mouth to argue about how dangerous and unfair it would be for the crew to stand on a battlefield where multiple powerful forces are expected to gather, but then you realize that your risk-benefit ratio isn't the point and the Acting Director isn't a sympathetic ear. There's only one correct response: "Understood."

---

INSTRUCTIONS Submit a plan for the following.


-[] Day Off. Distribute AP into one of the following.

--[] Play defense. There goes your easy week because screw you. Week 22 (Day Off) L Corp. and G Corp. roll d6 for X / If AP<X+15, each participant must roll for a saving throw / All Assistants will contribute the maximum AP.
---[] Mother. Add 7AP.
---[] Katherine. Add 3AP.
---[] Lorine. Add 3AP and decrease Favors -3 with Lorine.
---[] Blaine. Add 3AP.
---[] Chelsey and Irmtraud. Add 6AP and make Chelsey the Captain.
---[] Overcharge. Clear the quota. Selected agent (Lorine or Blaine) must roll for a saving throw.
---[] Contribute AP to the Day Off quota:


-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.

--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the Work quota:
--[] Chelsey's Strategy. If Chelsey is Captain, clear the quota.

Note #1: Rabbit Protocol is on cooldown for the current week and next week.
Note #2: You may prefix one request with "(Authority)" this week (force one agent to follow that request, regardless of Rapport or Favor), unless you are no longer Captain.
Note #3: Agent (excluding you) cannot contribute more than 3AP in a week across Day Off and Work.

Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 22 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<3, all agents take -20HP


No action is currently asked of the following, but is published as a notice:

Passenger Advisory Report's roll (Week 23): (2)
Week 23 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<15, all agents take -40HP / Conduct Emergency check / [???]

Note #1: Due to a large increase in combat-oriented passengers, the PAR receives a -1 modifier.
Note #2: Public Relations will be unable to evaluate all passengers. The threat assessment in this report should be taken as the minimum rating. Please be advised that activation of Rabbit Protocol will be at the sole discretion of Inspections.


-[] Relationships. Spend time with another agent. Increase Rapport +1.

--[] Kimber
--[] Lorine
--[] Blaine
--[] Chelsey. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 with Rama.
--[] Rama. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 for all other agents.
--[] Irmtraud. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 with Rama.
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP.

Note: Agents from Udjat will resign after this week, Week 22.

---

PREPLANS. See spoilers for specific details. You may submit a custom plan.

[] Plan: Resign as Captain to get Udjat help
[] Plan: Overcharge Lorine

Voting is closed. And the revolving door of Captain goes around and around.

"I need volunteers," you say to the crew in the lounge one morning. "Who wants to join a battle?"

The crew looks at each other, except for Lorine, who stares at you.

"A battle?" he asks. "And by volunteers, you mean that I'm not even getting paid? Why should I want do something like that?"

"Because it would be a great help to W Corp.? We'll be defending this train station."

"I don't know..."

"I'll help," says Blaine. "And we'd love for you to join us, Lorine. A contribution here is worth a large credit to our careers. One of our former agents, Katherine, took the opportunity in a similar situation and boosted herself."

Kimber shakes his head. "Lorine, you don't need to let them pressure you into joining."

"But now it looks like I should."

With your allies under control, you turn your attention to Chelsey.

"No," she says, "I don't think so. We have permission from the Deputy to resign this week because we're not risking the trains next week, and we're certainly not risking a battle."

Blaine whispers into your ear. "Do you think it'll be enough? The other assets plus us?"

If it comes down to it, you might have enough to get through the battle. However, better safe than sorry, which means you need the Udjat, and that means you need Chelsey. "Chelsey, I'm sure that Dias would appreciate you opposing L Corp."

"I'm sure she would, but as much as I hate to admit it, others in Udjat are more qualified than me."

Kimber nods. "Captain, you aren't the best judge for what we should do. Just because there's something that Lady Dias would like doesn't mean that we should carelessly risk ourselves. I would rather die knowing that the Udjat found the best possible benefit for my sacrifice."

Irmtraud frowns. "And I just don't want my death to be avoidable."

At this rate, none of the Udjat are going to be of any help. You think of what else you can do to persuade them. "What if I resigned as Captain?"

"Seriously?" asks Chelsey. "It's our last week, and only now you're willing to let me be Captain? That's mean."

"I mean, I could wait you out, because I doubt that the Acting Director will let the role boomerang back to me. And it's not like I'm not asking you to take up your scimitar against a Color."

"But we might have to. I mean, isn't that what pawns are for? And if you want my help that badly, doesn't that make this battle extremely risky?"

Kimber and Irmtraud mumble in agreement.

"Chelsey," you say, "I'm pretty sure that you'll be fighting on a battlefield, if not alongside W Corp., then someday soon alongside a weaker team. And you won't have a Passenger Advisory Report to tell you what you're up against, or even if your group is secretly expected to sacrifice itself."

"Are you saying this is the easiest battle that I'll get to fight?"

"You're working alongside an asset, which means that W Corp. won't want to assign me or my team to a suicide mission." Well, that's probably the Branch Manager's hope, but he isn't the one issuing you orders on the battlefield. Not that Chelsey needs to know. "You can use this chance to show why you're more valuable than a pawn - W Corp. desperately needed your help, you volunteered, and you survived. A veteran is more valuable than a rookie."

Chelsey sighs, then turns to Kimber.

Kimber shakes his head. "If you join, that's your risk. You can't expect me to deal with every situation for you."

She turns to Irmtraud.

"It makes sense, I guess? I've got two strikes, so the Deputy's evaluation of me isn't that great, but I'm only joining if you do."

Finally, Chelsey turns back to you. "Okay. Irmtraud and I will join."

You smile. "I appreciate your decision, Captain."

...

A few hours before the dawn of your regular day off, all the wPhones beep in the hotel room.

"That's our cue," you say.

Irmtraud groans. "It's too early for war."

"Oh, and I'll be taking the lead on this." You smile at Chelsey. "Because, y'know, asset."

"You enjoy taunting me too much."

"Hope it's quick," says Blaine. "Whole fucking battle in the morning, then we report to work like it never happened. I know I volunteered, but... ugh, there's nothing worse than overtime."

The four of you finish preparations and scramble to the train station, where you report to your designated K Corp. commander. They wear the same black-green body suit as the other guards except for a pair of horns on the helmet.

"W Corp.," says the commander. "Your Wing is supposed to be neutral, so you can all put on our body suits to hide you affiliation. A few others from your group already arrived.

A group of three dressed in K Corp. body suits greet you.

"Hi," says Lorine.

"Brought the crew?" asks Katherine.

"Yeah," you say. Next to Katherine, you see a figure standing alert. "Is that my..."

"Right. Quiet except for delivering mission reports, and still has the Teresa-tech. Exemplar asset."

"Who?" asks Chelsey.

"Nobody you know."

A couple minutes later, your team changes outfits to look like a group of regular K Corp. guards.

"Front lines," says the commander.

Your team follows his directions to a smoky large four-way intersection. Fixers hide themselves behind covers like streetlights and buildings while your team joins a lineup of other K Corp. guards and some Zwei behind a bunch of small barriers. All that's left is to wait as a blood-red dawn rises.

...

A formation made up of creatures that conjure the word "demons" in your mind advance upon your position. Buzzing over them are multiple G Corp. soldiers with stingers coming out of their hips, sort of like wasps.

None of your allies complain. Neither do you.

The wasp soldiers plummet into your lineup. One wasp pierces through the helmet of a guard. Another wasp attacks Lorine; he shields his head but grunts as a stinger pierces his chest.

A floating droid with a green eye, however also stabs Lorine, and he's back on his feet. Lorine bashes in the wasp's head with his bat as electricity crackles.

Meanwhile, the demons on the ground reach your line. One guard gives one a good smack, but another demon opens its massive mouth and chomps the head right off the body. Another demon stabs its tentacles at Blaine.

However, her hatchet glows blue, and she swings. A trail of blue light follows her hatchet, and the demon's tentacles fall off. The demon propels itself for a bite, but one chop splits it in half. It vanishes in a puff of smoke.

A wasp soldier and demon "tag-team" against Chelsey and Irmtraud. The demon leaps for a bite at Irmtraud, but she jukes out of the way. However, the wasp soldier homes in on Irmtraud before she can react, but not before Chelsey skates forward.

Chelsey kicks up, and connects with only enough impact that the wasp soldier veers off-course. As the wasp soldier lands, Irmtraud tightens her grip on the scimitar and slashes the wasp soldier. Meanwhile, the demon and Chelsey leap against each other, and the speedy slash from her scimitar outpaces its bite.

Another demon leaps at your mother, but it hurtles through her like she's nothing but smoke. As it lands, you slash it. A wasp soldier lands and draws a knife of their own, but Katherine stabs and electrocutes them with her rapier before they can close any distance.

Fixes behind you deal with any enemies that broke through the lineup. The ranks of the enemies in for of you have thinned, but you spot a fresh wave in the distance.

"Are we done yet?" Irmtraud asks.

"Fun never ends," says Katherine. "Just humans and part-humans this time; I don't see more of those... creatures. What the hell were they?"

The new enemies break into a sprint once they get within fifty meters of your position.

A Zwei shakes their Zweihänder. "Bring it on!"

An enemy swings their sword. The Zwei braces for a parry, but the sword smokifies through theirs.

"Huh?"

During the Zwei's confusion, another enemy gets behind the Zwei and swings a hammer onto their head.

These smoky tactics must be Lantern Office.

But before you engage a Lantern, you notice another person moving almost like a blur. When another K Corp. guard puts up their shield, this enemy smokifies through it, then grabs the guard's head from behind, and stabs one of their long wrist blades through the helmet.

"Trash," says Teresa. He drops the guard to the street with a clunk. "These losers are pushovers; take them down."

You stand still long enough to shout, "back me up!" to your teammates, then advance on Teresa. If you can just kill him, here and now...

"We're coming," says Chelsey.

"We're busy," says Katherine.

A Lantern intercepts your path, armed with a sword. You cut off their wrist before they can react, and as they fall to the street, writhing and screaming, two more Lanterns take their place. Two allies leap in front of you.

"Irmtraud," says Chelsey, "cover the other side. I'll take this one."

"Got it."

Left Lantern engages in a swordfight with Chelsey and Right Lantern shoots Irmtraud. The shot rips through Irmtraud's body sit, and she grunts, but Irmtraud slashes her opponent.

Meanwhile, Left Lantern's sword smokifies through Chelsey's parry.

"What!? Agh!"

Left Lantern slashes at Chelsey's vulnerable spot, and you slash at Left Lantern after their attack. You hear another pained scream as Irmtraud attacks a Lantern about to attack you.

"Thanks," you say.

"Whatever," says Irmtraud. A couple more allies join.

"Everyone okay?" asks Blaine. "Lorine and I made it."

Chelsey engages a Lantern from an incoming group. "Their weapons phase through stuff. Be careful!" She focuses on the Lantern's sword. However, despite her warning, they never smokify it and just stabs her. Chelsey drops to the street and covers her stomach wound.

You recognize the flaw all too well: Chelsey overcompensated against the surprise phase by looking for the smoke, but that slowed her reaction against the Lantern's basic speed. Fixers nearby who don't have K Corp. body suits or droids to heal them for a second chance already litter the street as corpses.

As the Lantern aims their sword at Chelsey's head, Lorine suffers a blow as he breaks away from his opponent and bashes the Lantern's head.

Irmtraud lets her opponent's sword smokify through and counter-slashes.

As you balance you speed and monitoring of the Lantern for feints, overhead buzzing tips over your concentration.

"Blaine up!" you shout. The Lantern slashes you, but you have just enough attention to make it a trade of blows: you suffer a minor blow that the body suit can heal for you, and you slash the Lantern's neck open.

Blaine leaps up and hacks the wasp soldier homing in on Irmtraud's head.

"Headdamn!" yells Teresa. "K with W stunts? Fuck that."

As Blaine lands, Teresa advances on her. You and Irmtraud intercept him.

"Oh, fuck off." Teresa smokifies between you both.

You predict that he'll solidify facing your backs, and so you roll to the street. From the street, you watch as Irmtraud turns, only for one wrist blade to skewer through her helmet... and the other wrist blade stabbing where your head would've been moments ago.

Teresa smokifies to the side as Blaine swings her hatchet at where he stood. Irmtraud falls to the ground, motionless. When he solidifies, Teresa blocks Chelsey's slash and smokifies back. "Yeah, you're all gonna die."

A wasp soldier makes a running landing next to Teresa. "Retreat!"

"The fuck?"

"We almost had them until Aurél revealed herself."

"That Bitch Fixer?"

"The order went out to retreat. It's a shame, but at least we forced K Corp. to reveal her location."

"Wish I could've said 'hi' to W Corp." Teresa looks at you team. "Or maybe they'll do it for me."

He flips a rude gesture and vanishes in a puff of smoke. As enemy combatants flee in your direction, you get out of the way and watch them escape, and like that, your battle to defend the train station ends.

"Irmtraud!" says Chelsey. She hurries over and kneels next to her. "Are you okay?"

"I doubt it," says Lorine.

Your visor doesn't detect any vitals. Chelsey should know that, too. You remain silent as the crew gathers around Irmtraud's body.

---

Later that evening, when Blaine and Chelsey return to the hotel from work, Blaine pulls you aside. "Ji-Min, do you have a minute?" She glances at the window.

"Sure." Afte a silent Chelsey leaves for dinner, you and Blaine step outside the hotel. "What's up?"

"It's about Internal Affairs. The Branch Manager instructed me on how to respond in case I, the agent you saved with the Kandy, gets asked any questions. But he's super-worried that you'll use them to crush him."

"He's worried? That's a nice change of pace."

"The thing is, I'm also a little nervous. Instead of monetary payment this time, I... 'heatedly' negotiated with the Branch Manager to be made a Company Asset and get out of the crew. I'll be transferring at the end of the week, the same time as the Udjat's departure."

"Oh wow. But I thought you wanted to prioritize your family?"

"More than anything." Blaine folds her arms and sighs. "My life... it wasn't supposed to get this complicated."

"Will you be okay?"

"I don't know. If you use IA to crush the Branch Manager, I'll probably get crushed as collateral damage. I mean, I can't ask you to prioritize me over yourself, but... wait, you actually already did! But what I mean is, I just wanted you to know what's at stake." Blaine takes a deep breath. "And I still want to help you defeat the Branch Manager. It's just that his downfall via IA is bad for me."

There won't be much time for Blaine to help in some other way, but you leave that unsaid. "Thank you; no promises, but I'll keep you in mind."

"That's all I can ask for."

"Speaking of helping me defeat the Branch Manager, I wanted to ask about the Udjat sabotage thing."

"Yeah?"

"You mentioned that the Branch Manager wanted Kimber and Irmtraud to sabotage me. But Chelsey mentioned that the only thing they told her about was being praised by the Branch Manager. What do you make of that?"

"Hmm." Blaine thinks. "I guess that they're either not as close to each other as we thought, or else Chelsey lied to your face. Probably the former, because I get the impression that Kimber's opinion on Chelsey collapsed. But you can see for yourself tomorrow, and we can gossip more back inside."

You ponder her opinion. "I see. Thanks."

When you return to work the next day, you notice a certain lethargy over the crew. It's not the first time that an agent died; perhaps it's because of the Smoke War still raging, the temporary extra mopping due to one less agent for the time being, or that it had been so long (loosely speaking) since an agent died, but nobody has many words to share.

During your asset meeting, after the Acting Director mentions that Amita should be able to return this week ("She's been navigating the Backstreets for a while, apparently."), he mentions the upcoming Teresa assassination mission; Katherine's recent work discovered Teresa directly visiting Lucifer Central Workshop for his battery needs. Next week will be a fight in enemy territory to eliminate him once and for all.

In the cab, Chelsey scrolls through a midair panel. "It's another train of Zwei. Discipline sort of held out, but we'll go in and see for ourselves. Open it up."

---

Later in the day, you get a meeting summons from Internal Affairs, whose representative arrived at your train station. In the conference room, you meet an older lady dressed in a suit with a folder on the table. Most of her curly short hair is still brown, and she scrutinizes you the moment you enter.

"Good afternoon." The lady offers you a smile. "You must be Ji-Min. I'm Avetis from Internal Affairs, and I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise," you say.

"I imagine that you've been busy with the passengers, and then you even participated in a large-scale battle. You must be under a lot of stress and exhaustion."

"If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't be here."

Avetis nods. "As you know, I'm here to evaluate the complaint that you and the former Director made related to the Branch Manager violating the gift policy. This meeting is confidential, and you're free to leave at any time."

"I understand."

"Do you still stand by the complaint?"

What are you going to do, contradict yourself and destroy your credibility? "I still do."

"Please recount to me what happened."

You explain how the Branch Manager wanted your cooperation for the brain repair surgery, and the Kandy he offered for your cooperation.

Avetis raises an eyebrow. "You're reporting the Branch Manager over the same gift policy that you violated?"

Your face reddens. "It wasn't, uh, my finest moment. I felt more secure with the Kandy."

"It's okay; I understand that your job is a harsh one. Continue, please."

You describe how you used the Kandy to save Blaine, and that you reported your act to the former Director. He confronted the Branch Manager, who presented his own narrative about your collusion with the Director, and then the Director entered the complaint.

"Thank you. Now then, part of my job involves evaluating the evidence. The most reliable confirmation is going to be a reading of your memories, but company policy forbids forcing employees to undergo reading."

"Do you want me to, uh, volunteer?"

"That would be ideal. Since you're a Company Asset, I normally only need the Acting Director's permission, but he declined. However, I can still ask you directly."

"How much do you need to read?"

"Unfortunately, I would need to read over a long period of time to confirm your narrative. Not just the moment when you received the Kandy, because there's a risk of memory tampering, but whether your actions remain consistent with your memories. For example, if I read the Branch Manager's memories, and he's innocent, then none of his memories would be concerned about hiding the Kandy and the truth."

"And if I decline?"

"It won't be an admission of anything. I'll write my report, and your Vice President will decide. If I don't report solid evidence one way or the other, then they'll use their 'personal judgment'."

Your throat tightens. On one hand, you have nothing to hide. Any competent brain reader can grasp the truth; with this, you can remove the Branch Manager, and if the Teresa assassination mission succeeds as planned, you can finally transfer out of the crew.

On the other hand, memory-based procedures over a short period leave the brain's other memories intact, but what Avetis proposes will degrade your brain into a forgetful state even worse than the time before Teresa repaired your brain. And that was only to repair your physical brain so that it worked correctly, not restore memories. Who knows what this'll spell for your career?

There's also Blaine. There's evidence in your memory that she's colluding with the Branch Manager, and so she'll go down with him.

Perhaps you can decline, but the report won't necessarily be favorable, and it's a huge ask for the Vice President to side with a puny asset instead of the Branch Manager. Maybe there's someone with the Vice President's ear that you can somehow talk to who's sympathetic to your situation? Ghaith wasn't the only director who opposed the Branch Manager. But can you really gamble on them?

---

INSTRUCTIONS Select one of the following.

--[] Permit mind reading. Severely damage Ji-Min's memories. Full transition to asset. Decrease Ji-Min's maximum AP available from 5AP to 3AP. Terminate employments for Branch Manager and Blaine.
--[] Decline mind reading. Await the Vice President's decision. There may or may not be an opportunity to influence the Vice President's decision. Blaine becomes Company Asset. [???].


Note: the following will occur after this decision: Week 23 (Day Off) Teresa rolls d6 for X / If AP<X+5, Game Over / Assistants make major effort rolls / Ji-Min contributes 3AP (if selecting permit mind reading or 4AP (if selecting decline mind reading)