Sector I – Interact (Touma), Recruit (Okami)
Maya handles the administrative paperwork while you prepare to recruit Yukimura Okami. You make sure to take some time to catch Touma for a quick one-on-one chat.
)( EXTRA EVENT – TOUMA I )(
)( EXTRA EVENT – RECRUITING YUKIMURA OKAMI )(
Sector II – Build (Ship Conversion)
With the security systems cracked wide open, the ship is all yours. Now comes the process of remodeling the insides for UNSEAT's use, as well as getting rid of the Valgruss Combine's iconography. This is, of course, hampered by the fact that you can't do this in-house.
(-2 Resources)
(Ship Conversion is in production. You may BUILD an additional item next turn)
Sector III – Train (Subaru) – 3, 6 = 9 (FLAWED SUCCESS)
Geta-Pi-Theta indulges Subaru's more thief-y instincts by giving her a series of security systems and wiring puzzles for her to solve. He makes sure to explain the mechanics behind the various systems he gives her if she screws up, which Subaru seems to appreciate.
(+1 EXP to Subaru)
Sector IV – Scan – 6, 3 = 9 (FLAWED SUCCESS)
Michelle continues, with machine-like efficiency, to provide you with information on Heroes you can recruit.
REPORT 1: (Roll 3) This one isn't super difficult to track down. There's been a rash of social media posts about supposedly supernatural goings-on at a public high school in Adachi; objects moving or floating mysteriously, strange lights and invisible walls keeping people out of certain rooms. After coordinating the social media posts with school records and security footage, you track the source of the incidents to one NAOKO KIRIGAYA, a freshman and recent transfer.
Sector V – Train (Hikaru) – 2, 6 = 8 (FLAWED SUCCESS)
Falter Silk is initially a bit unsure of what to do about Hikaru, considering the differences between wizards and magical girls. However, he focuses instead on helping Hikaru with his nerves and anxieties. Falter instructs Hikaru carefully, using guided meditation and focusing practice to help tune his mind. It does seem to work.
(+1 EXP to Hikaru) (*HIKARU LEVEL UP* Gains the Determined Trait)
Sector VI – Heal (Touma)
It seems Touma is recovering nicely. Aside from some leftover aches and pains, he seems to be in good spirits.
(Touma recovers 1 Health)
Sector VII – Recruit – 6, 1 = 7 (FLAWED SUCCESS)
Thanks to the successful handling of the first incident, Odessa has a surplus of candidates to join up. Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of time to winnow through all the amateurs and would-be alien fighters to get the actually competent individuals. She's going to be busy for a while.
(+1 Combat Personnel)
(Cannot use the Recruit Action next turn)
* * *
TURN 6 – DRAMA PHASE
EXTRA EVENT 1
It's not hard to find Touma; he tends to hang out a lot in Sector II, shooting the shit with the motor pool mechanics and generally tinkering with things. He seems to find it relaxing.
You make your way into the motor pool to find Touma on his back underneath one of the cars the base uses for transport. You can hear the sound of a wrench clinking against metal as he works. He's muttering under his breath, just under the range of your hearing.
You rap your knuckles against the side of the car. "Hey, Itagaki-san. You alright down there?"
His legs start slightly before he slides out from underneath. His shirt is crisscrossed with grease marks, and a sweat-covered bandanna covers his hair. "Hey, boss. Did you need something?"
You shrug. "I was just curious as to what you were doing. Am I interrupting?"
"Nah. Just some routine maintenance work. I usually work on motorbikes, but cars aren't that hard for me to fix up."
"I wouldn't know. Never been much for fixing machines. I was too busy with other stuff."
Touma shrugs. "Eh, it's no big deal I guess. So, did you need something specific?"
SELECT AN OPTION
[ ] Ask something about himself (his past, his family, his ambitions, etc.)
[ ] Ask something about his powers (how he got them, what he thinks of them, etc.)
[ ] Ask something about his teammates. (what he thinks of them, how they treat him, etc.)
[ ] Suggest something else (write in).
* * *
EXTRA EVENT 2
It's late at night when you go to recruit Yukimura Okami. Oku-Tama station is almost empty this time of night, so you should have plenty of privacy to chat.
The night is cool and still as you sit on the bench at the platform, your long black coat pulled close as you scan the concrete walkway. It's not hard to spot your target as he walks onto the platform and pauses.
Yukimura Okami is a tall, rail-thin man in his mid-twenties. His hair is shock white and slightly spikey, fanning out around his head like bristles, cut so you can see the slight point of his ears. His face is long, his nose is broad, his eyebrows are bushy, and there's a hint of a beard at the point of his chin. His eyes are pale blue, and there are notable bags under them. He's bundled up, wearing a puffy gray coat unzipped over a ragged green t-shirt and a pair of heavy-duty sweat pants. He walks slowly, his dirty, sockless shoes making almost no noise on the concrete. His demeanor is morose and quiet. (Almost too quiet, like he's actively trying to control himself.)
He stands there, eying you as you sit there. There's heavy tension in the air until you speak.
"Before you bolt," you say as you turn to face him, "I should say I'm not here to hurt you or anything."
"Don't believe you," he says. His voice sounds exhausted. (Though there's an undercurrent of aggression there.)
"I figured you wouldn't." You lift the plastic shopping bag up from its spot beside you and shake it demonstratively.
His gaze follows it. "You're bribing me with food?"
"It's all prepackaged and still sealed, so it's not tampered with. Besides, you look like you haven't had a decent meal in… ever." You set the bag down and scoot down the bench away from it, then turn away.
There's a minute or two of silence, then a rustle of plastic and a ripping noise, followed by a loud sniffing noise and the sound of eating. Slow, methodical eating. Despite yourself, the hackles on the back of your neck rise.
You wait for a break in the eating noise before you speak. "I'm with UNSEAT. I-"
"I know," he says before taking a gulp from the bottle of soda that was in the bag.
"Then you probably guess why I'm here."
"Yes."
"Would you be interested?"
"Hrm."
You glance over your shoulder at him. He's seated with his back turned to you, his shoulders slightly hunched as he digs into the store-bought bento. After a few moments his shoulders relax and he exhales, letting the empty box thump onto the ground.
"Better?"
He nods.
"There's more where that came from. I know you have a…" What would the proper term be? Condition? Issue? Curse?
You pause as you hear him inhale loudly through his nostrils. "You came alone."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
You turn a bit more. "How do you know I don't have snipers or something nearby?"
"Would've smelled them." He turns and glances at you over his shoulder, his face in profile and his visible eye tilted back slightly. "You smell… nice."
That's probably the weirdest compliment you've ever heard. "Thanks?"
"Thanks for the food. Leaving now."
"Wait." You hold up a hand as he starts to rise. "Do you really think you can survive much longer like you are right now?"
"Doing fine."
"No, you're not," you stand up, hands in your pockets. "I'm no doctor, but I recognize the signs of malnutrition when I see it. You're starving. But you're used to it; otherwise, you wouldn't have had the self-control to eat as slowly as you did. Let me guess, you've had this problem for some time."
His shoulders square slightly. That struck a nerve.
"Plus, I doubt you came by your… abilities naturally. If you keep this up for much longer, your body's going to break down. And if someone's after you, then I doubt you'll be in the condition to do anything about-."
He moves quickly. He covers the few feet between you and where he was in the space of an eyeblink. His hands grab your coat lapels and yank you close. His nostrils have flared as his eyes are almost glowing with the way his head is backlit.
"You know nothing," his voice comes out in a rasp. "Stupid, coming out here. Chasing me. Chasing a killer. I could gut you wi-"
He pauses as he hears the click of the gun's hammer. The barrel of your pistol is pressed up and under his ribs. He meets your eyes.
"I'd let go, if I were you," you say calmly.
"You wouldn't."
"Wanna bet?"
"Won't work on me."
"Yeah, but how long will it take for you to heal?" You push a little deeper. You see him wince. You don't break eye contact.
His hands slowly release and drop to his sides. He takes a few steps back. "You've killed," he says. A statement, not a question.
"I have, yes," you reply. "Bloodlessly, but I've killed before."
"Was… it easy for you?"
"No. You?"
"No." He shakes his head, then looks at you. "You can help me?"
"We'll certainly try. No promises, but it's better than the alternative."
He looks down at your pistol, then smiles faintly. You can see a hint of a sharp canine in his smile. "Fine."
* * *
The world shifts into a shadowy stage. Wind blows through the surroundings, rustling the leaves of the trees overhead as Yukimura walks. As he walks, he lets his feet slide out of his shoes and slowly removes his jacket, letting it slough down his back. He then slides his shirt up his chest, revealing the barcode tattoo on his left pectoral before letting it dangle in his hand. Then, as the world is illuminated with blue-white light from the full moon above,
the music begins.
As the light plays across his body, he glances skyward, then hurls his shirt to the side. His spine arches as his hands clasp to either side of his face, his eyes twitching as he stomps a foot. He spasms, his eyes glowing brilliantly blue as he writhes in pain. He hunches forward as his skinny muscles throb, then buldge out unnaturally, moving from his arms inward and then down his legs. Biomass forms from seemingly nothing as his shoulders broaden and his fingernails lengthen like short knives. Bristly white fur springs up along his arms and shoulders as his ears lengthen and grow tufts of hair. His teeth lengthen into sharp fangs as his veins glow with a pulsing blue light.
He lets out a lupine-like howl as his spine arches, then drops forward into a low, crouched stance. His fingers drag across the ground, sending sparks in all directions. He holds his position for a few moments, then lunges towards the camera with unnatural speed. There's a flash of blue light in a claw-slash pattern before the screen goes black.
\ HERO GET! YUKIMURA OKAMI – FENRIR /
* * *
EVENT
You're in your office when a call from Nelson comes in over the teleconference line. He doesn't look happy. (Then again, he never looks particularly happy any time you talk to him.)
"Nelson," you greet him cordially. "What's the problem this time?"
He sighs. "Why do you assume there's a problem?"
"You're calling me over an official line. That generally doesn't mean anything good."
"Point." He pinches the bridge of his nose before making eye contact. "Alright, I'll be blunt. The Monorons are requesting that we remand Sakuina into their custody for extradition to their home planet."
"Did they say why?"
"According to the pair in charge of their diplomatic team, they want to put him on trial. Apparently Sakuina attacked their planet a while back and they want to make a very public show of him."
You hmm and lean back in your chair. "Do you believe them?"
"Honestly, it's hard to tell with them. But given what we know about the Valgruss Combine, it makes sense they'd want to get their pound of flesh."
"We're still interrogating him Nelson. Can't we just deny their request?"
Nelson frowns. "We really can't. The Monorons are one of our few extraterrestrial allies and we really can't afford to piss them off."
"But-"
"No buts, Hongo-san. This is an order."
You grimace and consider your options.
[ ] HAND HIM OVER – You're not sure you'll get much useful out of Sakuina, and handing him over makes sense diplomatically.
[ ] WE NEED MORE TIME – You could probably convince Nelson buy you a bit more time. It'll piss the UN and the Monorons off, but you need that information. (Costs Favor)
[ ] SUGGESTION – Write in something else.
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