There are some differences between this and the Voyaging Voyagers that I'm not entirely certain about. Their weapons are the same! Letrizia is absolutely brilliant as a mercenary; I was surprised that there wasn't a bit of backstory given to the upgrades, though those aren't really spoilers for Gisena. They do have their own headpat in the next section, with Hunger showing mercy instead of rampaging around needinglessly.
I am amazed that the Council was less cagey, since the Voyaging one started an hour ago. We don't have such a high-level separatist as the Knight Captain, that our best guess is that the Sovereignty's more concerned with getting the Knights out of Imperial territory rather than keeping them is surprising.
Also, the idea that the citizens wouldn't be here before the encounter is a bit unlikely. The Empire has a huge presence in the Inner Sphere, they're based out of the Foremost, so it would make sense that they'd be there. The Council is also heavily based out of the Inner Sphere, I'd bet, so there would be less reason to delay.
Even without the Voyaging citizens, the merchants are booming! I love how optimistic they are about what they'll find on the Inner Sphere front, they're just that expensive. That's the kind of thing that can happen in an Inner Sphere with a high-tech library, eh Mr. Republic. The Council should act fast, to make them wait at the library until someone from the outside comes along, and give them a ride home. I guess the Council's relationship with Hunger is even more stable, though, and his loyalty to his Republic remains high. That says a lot about his personality, that's another thing entirely. He would, to put it slightly, be a bit foreign to the likes of us from out of the future, but I have no idea why he'd be opposed. He seems to be on the cusp of an interstellar connection with himself, I'd expect him to try some unexpected things, but in the mean time I admire his passion for life and his desire to see the universe grow. Though he might have to fight the Einhander himself. It's getting old to say that I'd like a better representation of every person I meet, because they all seem to be so tragic. Of course, there are many better depictions, I'll try to keep this in a separate post.
And I would love to meet more people like Hunger, but I'm so incredibly glad we're here. If the Voyaging people don't have a Prime Rank of 4 Ruincurse, and the Inner Sphere hasn't been around since the Second Age, that would be an auspicious start. Of course, they're from different cultures, so it would still feel like cousins rather than a coincidence. I doubt the Council approves of that, but Hunger's home country is apparently closer to the Star-Scaping Empire than the Independent Autocracy of R'lyeh. Still, it's convenient that he's being pushed into it, and Hunger, too, so maybe we can fill him in on what he wants out of life-ending mutations.
I didn't hear about the Merchants needing to spend money on their own healing powers, because that would be just too risky, but the Voyaging do have power, even if it cannot reach us in size. We'll need a good source of XP if we want to get to level 60, but since we're here I don't care.
I'm now curious about Hunger's motives, and the difference he makes between being stuck in the Temple and becoming the hero he is. His current dilemma:
1) Don't let him become the hero he is, or die. There's no "Yes, I'll do it" kind of solution.
2) Escape if necessary, because we're going to the temple.
3) Or kill him, but that'd be worse. We still have more XP, so I'd better get back to Hunger before he starts grabbing a life preserver or we'll... get killed. Fuck.
4) We can't get back to him if he kills us somehow, how fucking cruel. We don't have to die to survive. Fuck.
5) I'm still pissed about his missing finger, and his missing eye, but that's the kind of thing that gets you Gabrielle'd. Like a giant sphinx, with six eyes. Wait, no, we didn't actually have the finger.
6) I'm terrified of ghosts. They all seem pretty, so there.
Also, it's not like he has the ring to actually take care of his family, or something, is it, Gisena! You and I just want to kill each other, no need to worry about the others being killed!