Chapter 12
Skill Breakdown
"You shouldn't be pushing yourself with those injuries, my lady." Dido fretted over Illustrious
"I'll be fine Dido. A few cracked ribs won't stop me from keeping up on my paperwork." Illustrious suppressed a grimace. Truthfully, sitting at her desk like this was painful, but it would take more than a little pain to keep her from her duties. "Thank you for your concern though!"
"Yes Ma'am..." Dido shifted awkwardly. "Well... I'll go put on some tea then..." the Royal Maid gave her mistress a short bow before leaving the office.
"Some Tea would be quite nice, thank you." Illustrious said as Dido left the room. After she was gone Illustrious let her expression fall into one of concern. The reports she was working on showed a harsh truth; the Royal Navy forces on Malta were desperately low on air power. Illustrious's injuries were keeping her from fighting effectively, and Unicorn was still young and inexperienced in real combat.
As for the RAF, they were down to just ten obsolete Gloster Sea Gladiators, and could barely deploy three at a time. Hope, Faith, and Charity could only serve as a flimsy shield against the mounting Sardinian and Iron Blood raids. There where plans being drawn up for Ark Royal and Formidable to ferry fighters into range of the island before flying them the rest of the way, but such support had yet to arrive.
"Miss Illustrious..?" A knock at the door interrupted Illustrious's grim analysis.
She recognized Javelin's voice and took a moment to recompose her expression before calling out "Come in!"
The purple haired destroyer entered the room with a nervous expression. Illustrious noticed that the ends her hair were slightly wet, and guessed that Javelin had come here just after bathing.
"I... may have made a huge mistake!" Javelin started. "It could be really bad!"
"How bad are we talking?" Illustrious asked.
"Like... War with the Eagle Union bad! Maybe even worse!" Javelin began pacing in front of Illustrious's desk.
"War with the Union..? Javelin that doesn't make any sense, what are you talking about? Can you start from the beginning?" The Armored carrier asked.
"It's about Procurer." Javelin took a deep breath and centered herself. "Unicorn and I took her out for a little training exercise, mostly just to see each other's rigging."
"Did everything go ok?" Illustrious asked.
"There was a small incident or two... they're part of why I'm worried..." Javelin admitted.
"No one got hurt, right?" Illustrious assumed everything was fine, but she still had to ask.
"Yes, but..." Javelin's expression darkened "...Procurer Shouldn't be OK. It feels wrong to say this, but she should be unconscious in the infirmary, or worse." The destroyer shook her head. "The worst part is that Procurer doesn't seem to consider what she's doing to be anything miraculous. That's what scares me the most."
"Tell me exactly what happened." Illustrious leaned back to ease the pain from her ribs before motioning for Javelin to take a seat.
"The first thing is her rigging." Javelin sat down in one of the chairs in front of Illustrious's desk. "Appearance wise, it looks like silver Conquistador's plate mail, but with a different helmet..." The destroyer snapped her fingers as she remembered something. "Oh! Can I draw something really quick?"
"Sure... but why?" Illustrious slid Javelin a notepad and a pencil.
"Procurer's armor was painted with blue patterns, as well as... this symbol." Javelin drew a hexagon divided into six even sections before sliding the notepad back to Illustrious. "The symbol was white, and set upon a blue background. It was on her shoulders, so it's likely an identifying mark. It's probably the symbol of either the Trade Federation or the Confederacy of Independent Systems."
"Hmm..." Illustrious examined the marking. "I'll see if Headquarters recognizes it. Did you find anything out about the Federation or the Confederacy?"
"Yes, I asked her a little about them. Apparently one is part of the other." Javelin began to explain. "Analyzing what she said, the Confederacy is some kind of military alliance and the Trade Federation is a member. Military assets, like Procurer herself, are contributed to the Confederacy by it's members in exchange for power."
"Wouldn't that turn into an arms race?" Illustrious pondered. "The more ambitious members might turn on one another too."
"Honestly, we didn't really get into it." Javelin admitted. "She did mention that the Trade Federation was the leading contributor, but only third in line to lead the "Separatist Council". I assume that means there's some kind of Chairman and Vice Chairman to keep the others in line."
"Separatist Council? That sounds like a revolutionary group." Illustrious frowned. "I hope she's not a communist, that's the last thing we need right now."
"I doubt that a Trade Federation would be a collectivist group." Javelin said. "Procurer also mentioned she was a converted Cargo ship, so they're clearly still engaging in trade."
"Ah, so we were right to guess that. I still think a converted cargo ship would be a poor warship though." Illustrious said. "How did her combat abilities look?"
"They're borderline overwhelming." Javelin answered, and Illustrious's eyes widened with surprise. "She's armed with laser weapons and a powerful shield. She's also all but immune to torpedoes."
"That's quite a lot..." Illustrious mumbled "Let's unpack them one at a time. Tell me about her lasers." The white haired carrier pulled out a fresh paper and prepared to take notes, though it was going to be awkward to write with her left hand.
"Procurer is armed with three different types of laser weapons." Javelin began. "The first is a Quad Laser Battery. As the name implies, it has four barrels mounted in a single turret. They seem to fill a similar role to our AA guns." The destroyer paused for a moment while Illustrious jotted down the information.
"The second type is the Assault Laser Cannon." She continued. "They're single mounted, and I think they're similar to our multipurpose guns." She put a hand on her chin and thought for a moment. "Maybe calling them that is a mistake. Procurer didn't hesitate to use them on fighters when she was facing multiple targets, but doing so was definitely overkill. The few targets she hit with them were completely obliterated."
"The last were her Turbolazers." She continued. "They were also single mounted, and they're definitely her heaviest armament. She only fired them once, but I'd say they're at least the equivalent of a Battleship's main guns." The destroyer paused again. " I... can't really say what size guns they'd be though, it's hard to guess because they're lasers."
"That's quite the heavy armament for a carrier." Illustrious said as she finished writing. "Is there anything else you'd like to add in regards to her weapons?"
"Yes. All of her weapons are mounted in a way that allows for extreme firing arcs and they're also capable of 360° rotation. The quads look like they're able to elevate a full 180°, and even her Turbolazers are capable of firing straight up." Javelin motioned with her hands. "Procurer used this to full effect when Unicorn started pressuring her with fighters. She was willing and able to use her Turbolazers as AA."
"That's certainly something to note down." Illustrious said. "She also has powerful shields on top of all this?"
"Yes. I saw them first hand too, though they're essentially invisible until struck." Javelin confirmed. "We did a little training exercise to finish up the rigging demonstration. I managed to hit her in the chest with an HE shell, and Unicorn strafed her too. That's actually when one of the incidents I mentioned happened..." The purple haired destroyer awkwardly scratched her cheek. "One of Unicorn's fighters actually crashed into Procurer too, and it even lit her on fire..."
"Goodness! And she wasn't hurt!?" Illustrious asked.
"No! She was fine! When Unicorn asked her about her shields later, Procurer even said that he shield was at over 80% of it's total strength." Javelin replied. "She demonstrated it by smacking herself in the chest. Her gauntlet should've clanged against her chest plate, but instead her shields blocked the blow. They actually had a pretty rainbow coloration as they dispersed the impact."
"That's quite strong. Blocking something like a crashing fighter is unheard of." Illustrious said. "Is that why you said she's immune to torpedoes?"
"No, I said she's immune to torpedoes because she doesn't float the way we do." Javelin answered.
"What does that mean? How could she float a different way?" Illustrious asked.
"I mean she's not buoyant. When she stepped off the end of the pier she sank just as fast as any human wearing plate armor would." Javelin clarified. "And yet... she still floats. It's like gravity simply doesn't affect her when she doesn't want it to."
"Are you sure she can ignore gravity?" Illustrious found it hard to believe. "If that was true, why would she sink?"
"She sank because she believed me when I told her she would float like I did..." Javelin answered. "She actually spent several minutes underwater, and I had actually called Truant to help us recover her. Then she just popped out of the water." Javelin motioned with her hand. "She just shot out and hovered over us with her arms crossed. Then she scolded me for pranking her! As if I was playing a joke!"
"So she was flying then?" Illustrious asked. "That's hardly ignoring gravity."
"What she does is Not the same as flying!" Javelin defended her claims. "There's no sound! She doesn't have any propellers, jets, or anything! I walked right under her and didn't even feel a stiff breeze!" The destroyer jumped to her feet. "She was just standing there! Menacingly! She stood there just as easily as I'm standing here now, only she was 30 feet in the air!" She began pacing again.
"Javelin! Calm down!" Illustrious tried to calm her subordinate.
"She doesn't even know how she does it!" Javelin continued on undeterred. "We asked her about it you know! And do you know what she said!?" The destroyer began to mimic Procurer's voice. "Oh, they're just repulsor lifts! They're omnipresent back home, don't you have any? Oh, you want to know how this actual miracle works? I have no idea! It's black hole magic or something! Haha!"
"Javelin, I need you to ju-" Illustrious began attempting to calm Javelin's growing hysteria, but was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.
"I've brought the tea my lady." Dido's voice came through the door. "Is everything all right? I can come back later if you're in the middle of something." Javelin had frozen when she heard the knock, fearing that they might be overhead. She relaxed slightly when she recognized Dido's voice.
"We're fine Dido, you can come in." Illustrious called out. Javelin moved stiffly to her seat as Dido entered the office. The Royal maid deftly balanced a tray with a tea set on it in one hand. She moved to the desk and quickly poured both Javelin and Illustrious a cup, before stepping back and giving Illustrious a shot bow.
"Thank you Dido. Would you mind checking on Unicorn and Procurer for me?" Illustrious asked. "They're probably grabbing a late lunch at the Canteen." The carrier guessed. "Right Javelin?"
"Yes." Javelin's response was short and robotic.
"I will do as you ask and then return here my lady." Dido gave another short bow before leaving the room.
Illustrious watched her go before picking up her tea cup and taking a small sip. "I'm glad you've calmed down. Are you feeling better now?" She asked Javelin.
"No..." the Destroyer's teacup rattled against its saucer as Javelin began to tremble. "I should've left her there. I should've just let her sink into the Mediterranean and disappear." Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she silently wept. "But I didn't! Instead I brought her here! She could easily destroy the Royal Navy, and it would be all my Fault! Everyone is going to die cursing my name, and I deserve it!"
"Hey, don't talk like that!" Illustrious stood and circled her desk to stand beside the distraught destroyer. She gently took Javelin's teacup from her and placed it on the desk before pulling the smaller girl into a one armed hug with her good hand. "Shh... it's ok. You saw someone in trouble and you helped them, no one can blame you for that."
"But she's more dangerous than any Siren we've ever encountered!" Javelin weakly protested.
"Then someone incredibly powerful owes you a favor!" Illustrious countered. "Procurer isn't our enemy Javelin. Even if she was, we would just assemble a fleet to defeat her, just like we've defeated Purifier and Tester."
"You only believe she can be beaten because I haven't told you the worst thing I've learned..." Javelin had stopped crying, but her voice sounded defeated. "She's missing half her rigging. She called herself "little more than a lightly armed support ship" without it." Illustrious felt Javelin shake her head. "All that power, and she thinks she's weak without the rest of her rigging."
"Losing half of her rigging must feel horrible, it'd be like losing half of yourself." Illustrious rationalized "It's no wonder why she's selling herself short."
"If half of what she told us in the bath was true, she really is significantly weaker without it." Javelin said. "She said the section she's missing is her "Carrier Ring" and that's where all her aircraft are." The destroyer shivered. "She told us it carried 1500 fighters!"
"1500!" Illustrious stiffened. "Are you sure she didn't say 150?!"
"No, she really said 1500!" Javelin confirmed.
"That's an outrageous number!" Illustrious was shocked. "She has more air power than the entire Royal Navy!"
"It gets worse!" Javelin cried.
"Worse?!" Illustrious was beginning to understand why Javelin had broken down.
"She told us she also carried some support ships. Their name was just a model number... I think it was C-9979." Javelin began explaining. "She said they were a militarized version of the cargo barges she had when she was a cargo ship."
"She carries her own barges!? On top of all those fighters?!" Illustrious exclaimed. "Just how big is Procurer's ship!?"
"I didn't ask... but I guarantee it's a colossal." Javelin grimaced. "Especially considering that the barges are as big as Unicorn and can carry 30 fighters themselves!"
"So carries barges the size of Unicorn!? Did she say how many!?" Illustrious asked.
"50! And they can fly by the way!" Javelin answered.
"50... that means they can carry her entire fighter compliment." Illustrious did the math in her head. "If they the barge's fighters are independent of Procurer's, then that's 3000 fighters." Illustrious released Javelin and returned behind her desk.
"Now you know why I thought fighting Procurer would be like declaring war on the Eagle Union." Javelin shifted in her seat. "I can't imagine fighting her. She could probably fight the entire Royal Navy at once, all she would have to do is hover above us and drown us in fighters."
"Then we must simply avoid fighting her." Illustrious mussed. "If we could get that kind of power on our side however..."
"I guess I didn't think of it that way..." Javelin said sheepishly. "I was so afraid of fighting her, I didn't consider what she could do on our side."
"The biggest question I have now is; wherever did she come from?" Illustrious asked rhetorically. "She fell from the sky, and she doesn't seem to be a Siren."
"I don't know..." Javelin though about it, "She talks about her technology as if it's commonplace."
"The Trade Federation and Confederacy both sound like large groups too, yet we've never encountered anyone like them." Illustrious mussed.
"Maybe she's from the future..?" Javelin offered. "She seems futuristic enough, and it's generally accepted that the Sirens come from the future too."
"Perhaps you're right, but then why would she come back in time?" Illustrious asked. "You originally said that you thought she was a new Kansen. Have you changed that opinion? Because if she is new, the time travel would make even less sense."
"No, I'm still convinced she's a new Kansen." Javelin shook her head. "In fact, after seeing her feel out using her rigging, I'm sure of it." The purple haired destroyer put a hand to her chin. "I guess that does contract my time travel theory though... Maybe she got sent back by mistake, or fell out of time, or something?"
"It seems that the more we learn about Procurer, the more questions arise!" Illustrious sighed.
"Speaking of learning more about her, I was hoping to check her skills. Could I have the Wisdom Cube scanner?" Javelin asked.
"Sure. It's in the cabinet over there." Illustrious retrieved a key from one of her desk drawers and handed it to Javelin. "It's one of the older models, so be careful with it."
"I will." Javelin crossed the room and unlocked the cabinet. "Oh wow! You weren't kidding about it being an older model! I haven't seen one of these in years." The destroyer examined the device. It looked like an oversized voltage tester crossed with an electrocardiogram machine, and it had four input wires with electrodes at the ends. She turned it over in her hands and smiled sadly at the scuffed symbol of the old Azur Lane on the back.
"My Lady? I've returned." Dido knocked on the door.
"Come in Dido." Illustrious called the maid in. "Did you find them in the Canteen?"
"Yes, Miss Procurer and Miss Unicorn where both there. They appeared to be finishing up their meals." Dido reported. "Though Miss Unicorn looked quite subdued, if you don't mind me saying."
"I'd better go and catch them before they leave!" Javelin said. She scampered over to Illustrious's desk and quickly drained her tea cup before making for the door. "Thanks for listening to me again! I'll report back later!"
"Javelin! Could you slow down for... and... she's gone." Illustrious shook her head and smiled to herself. "At least she's in higher spirits."
"Um... did you need anything else my Lady?" Dido asked.
"Yes. Please send a message to Headquarters. Ask them if they have any information on this symbol." Illustrious handed Dido the sketch Javelin had made earlier, as well as a report on Procurer. "Send this report too. I'd like to see if anyone has any insights they can add an the matter."
"Yes Ma'am! I'll begin preparing the message right away." The Royal maid turned and left the room with the materials.
Once she was alone, Illustrious turned to the large map of the Mediterranean she had on the wall. "1500 fighters..." she said to herself. "With a carrier like you by my side, I could end the war in the Mediterranean in a fortnight..."
"Hey! Wait up!" Javelin called out to Procurer and Unicorn as they left the Canteen. The purple haired destroyer jogged up to them with a strange device in her hand.
"What's that contraption?" Procurer pointed to the device.
"It's a Wisdom Cube scanner. Remember how I said I wanted to check your skills?" Javelin asked. "This will do the actual checking."
"You know, we've never gone over what these skills actually are." The Lucrehulk said. "You mentioned that Illustrious had shields she could summon with a skill, right?"
"Correct. Illustrious can summon shields around three smaller Kansen of her choosing." Javelin answered. "She usually gives the to the girls on the front lines." The destroyer began walking towards the bunker the Kansen lived in, so Procurer and Unicorn followed.
"If she's summoning them, where do they come from? And how is she giving them to others?" Procurer asked.
"Nobody really knows for sure, there's a solid theory though." Javelin answered. "It's widely accepted that the Wisdom Cubes are behind it. Illustrious's Cubes react with ours, and it causes our Cubes to project a shield around us."
"I assume the evidence backs up this theory?" The Lucrehulk asked.
"Skills can only effect Kansen." Unicorn chimed in. "Remember how we knew you were a Kansen when we first met? That was because my skill was affecting you."
"You can feel when a skill is being used too." Javelin added. "One of my skills only affects me, and I get a tingling feeling in my legs when it activates."
"Hmm... that's pretty solid evidence." Procurer thought it over "So why is it still a theory then?"
"Because it can't really be observed." Javelin answered. "No matter how many sensors you point at a Kansen, you'll never pick up any changes in their Cubes when the skill activates." She kicked one of her legs forward. "It's the same with their body, any sensation you feel when a skill activates is all in your head, like kind of phantom pain." The destroyer shrugged. "Technically, it could be something else in our bodies or our rigging that causes the skills to manifest. You could also argue that's a moot point because our cubes created our bodies and rigging in the first place."
While they had been discussing skills, the three of them had made their way into the Bunker where they usually slept. Javelin led the way to Procurer's own room, and opened the door and stood aside to allow the Lucrehulk to enter.
"Well, come on in then!" Procurer invited her friends in behind her as she entered her modest lodgings. "Is there a reason we're doing this here?" She was a little embarrassed by how bare her room was, due to her lack of possessions.
"Yeah there is..." Javelin began unwinding the wires of the Wisdom Cube scanner. "I know it's a little...um...awkward, but these electrodes need to be placed on your bare skin as close to your cubes as possible." She held up the ends of the wires, which were capped with four patches, two red and two blue. "So you'll need to take your shirt off. Sorry!"
"This is a one piece dress! It's the only outfit I have!" Procurer protested. She really didn't like the idea of being the only one in her underwear. "Why do we need the electrodes anyway? Can't I just activate the skills?"
"It's not always clear what a skill does when you activate it. Just firing them off could be dangerous!" Javelin answered. "And some skills only activate under special circumstances, like if you're badly wounded. The scanner circumvents any uncertainty by reading the skills directly from your Wisdom Cubes." The destroyer glanced at the door. "Um... I could leave and let Unicorn handle the scans, if that would make you more comfortable?"
"I'm only a trainee... but I'm still a medic!" Unicorn reassured her. "I will be very professional."
"No, you've both already seen me like that, so it's fine if you stay." Procurer sighed. "I just don't like being without my clothes!" She unzipped the back of her dress and began disrobing. "Ugh... why couldn't we just do this when we were in the bath!" She thought.
"Hey, lots of people are uncomfortable being naked. Don't worry about it!" Javelin chuckled.
"I'm perfectly fine being naked!" Procurer said. "I said I don't like not having my clothes!" The Lucrehulk carefully set aside her outfit.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Javelin handed the first pair of electrodes to Unicorn.
"No!" Procurer shivered as Unicorn placed the first patch over Procurer's heart and the second on her back between her shoulder blades. "The clothes make the woman! Their quality is a symbol of my status. If I'm not wearing a proper outfit, someone might mistake me for a worthless commoner!"
Javelin didn't know what to make of that statement, so she just smiled and nodded while handing Unicorn the other two electrodes.
"Wait, why are you putting them on my head?" Procurer asked when Unicorn placed the patches just behind each of the Lucrehulk's ears.
"The ones on you head will scan the Wisdom Cube in your brain. It's embedded in your Cerea...thingy..." Javelin trailed off. "...you know, the brain stem!"
"The Cerebellum." Unicorn corrected. "It's theorized that the cube in our brain... is what allows us to control our rigging. That's why it's there, so it can modify our fine motor control... and apply it to our guns." The support carrier displayed her knowledge.
"I thought you were a trainee medic, not a neuroscientist." Procurer commented.
"It's important to know!" Unicorn blushed. "That's why head trauma can effect your rigging too."
"Can we get to the test already?" As interesting as this conversation was, Procurer would rather get this over with.
"Right." Javelin fiddled with the scanner for a moment. "You're going to feel a small jolt."
"Urk!" Procurer flinched as the jolt of electricity went through her. "What kind of scanner shocks you?!"
"Yeah... these older models can be kinda rough." Javelin answered as Unicorn removed the electrodes. "But we're all done!" Procurer quickly put her clothes back on, before Javelin handed her the scanner. "So? What have you got?" The destroyer asked.
"Hmm..." Procurer looked at the screen. "It looks like I've got six skills."
"Six!?" The Royal Navy shipgirls exclaimed in unison.
"Is that bad...?" The Lucrehulk asked.
"No, it's fine! We were just a little surprised" Javelin answered before Unicorn could. "What color are they?"
"There two red, two yellow, a blue, and a purple." Procurer frowned. "One of the reds and yellows are grayed out though... looks like the purple one is too."
"Purple? I've never-" Unicorn started, but Javelin stopped her with a hand wave.
"The grayed out skills can't be activated for some reason." Javelin answered. "What do they say?"
"The red skill is called "Pride of the Trade Federation" and it allows me to fire a special barrage with all weapons." Procurer answered, oblivious to Javelin and Unicorn's exchange.
"Barrage skills are pretty common for Battleships, but they're also pretty useful!" Javelin replied.
"The yellow skill is called "Lucrehulk's Gift." Procurer continued reading. "Oh! This let's me gift fighters to other ships! That's a favorite tactic of mine. I guess that means the grayed out skills are related to my carrier ring then..."
"Gift fighters? How does that work?" Unicorn asked.
"I just send fighters to land on other ships, usually Munificent Cruisers or Recusant Destroyers, who often have no fighters of their own." Procurer explained. "The fighters would then use them as a launch point to intercept enemy strike craft or to launch attacks of their own."
"That's certainly... unorthodox." Javelin commented. "And the purple one..?"
"The purple skill is all glitched out. It's just a random collection of numbers and symbols." Procurer answered.
"Must be an error, that scanner is pretty old." Javelin waved it off. "I'd avoid touching that skill until we know for sure though. What about the active three?"
"Looks like the blue skill is called "Blockader" Procurer began reading off the scanner again. "It reduces shield damage to all C.I.S. ships in the fleet by 10%, but deactivates when pursuing the enemy."
"That's a passive fleet defense skill. They're kind of rare, but more common for high ranking capital ships." Javelin said. "It makes sense you'd have something like that, based on what you've told us about yourself."
"The other red skill looks like another barrage skill" Procurer smiled at Javelin's praise as she continued. "It's called "Full Firepower: Neimoidian Core" and there's a footnote; skill overridden by "Pride of the Trade Federation" when available."
"So you've got a second barrage skill just for your core? That's pretty interesting." Javelin said. "So what's the last one?"
"The last one..." Procurer scrolled through the data. "The yellow skill is called "Active Control Connection". Allied ships with the "Fully Automated" skill receive a 20% boost in shields, Evasion, Firepower, Aviation, and Reload. Allied ships with the "Partially Automated" skill receive half of the previous effect." The Lucrehulk scrolled some more. "Scarab Droids, Vulture Droids, Hyena Droids, Tri Droids, and HMP Predator Droids are 30% more efficient when under my control. C-9979 transports from my own compliment also receive this efficiency boost."
"That's a flagship skill!" Unicorn shouted "They're super rare! You're like her Majesty!" The support carrier was practically jumping with excitement. "We should go show Miss Illustrious!"
"Well, I've been the flagship on several operations. I was pretty successful until Ryloth." Procurer said.
"What was all that about Droids?" Javelin asked, putting her hand on Unicorn's arm to calm her down and stop her from leaving.
"Scarab Droids, Vulture Droids, and Hyena Droids are all attack craft I've commanded before." Procurer answered. "Scarab Droids are pretty old though, they've been mostly phased out." The Lucrehulk thought for a moment. "I've actually never heard of Tri Droids or HMP Predator Droids though, but I'd assume they're more of the same."
Their discussion was interrupted by an insistent knocking on the door, which was soon opened to reveal the Royal Maid Dido.
"Miss Illustrious needs to see all of you immediately!" She urged them.
Authors Note: Damn, I really can't right more than on chapter a month. I really tried to this time, but I just couldn't hammer it out.
What do you think of the skills I have her? I decided to give her three skills for each half of her ship. The barrage skills are self-explanatory.
I gave her the "Blockadder" skill as a reference to a similar skill she has in the Empire at War mod: "Fall of the Republic" (which I would highly recommend BTW, it's on steam workshop.) I based it on Graft Zeppelin's "Iron Blood Wings" skill, though it's a bit inferior.
"Active Control Connection" is her big skill. I've had this idea kicking around since I started the story, and I actually referenced it in chapter 4. Procurer can basically enhance any C.I.S. Droids around her, and that's the basics of what I was going for with this skill. It's essentially a combination of Vittorio Veneto's "Eternal Light of Sardegna" and Graft Zeppelin's "Iron Blood Hawk". This means Procurer stole both of GZ's skills, haha.
I kinda debated not making "Lucrehulk's Gift" a skill at all. I've always planned to have Procurer "Gift" her fighters to other Kansen (Specifically Javelin) to help protect their agency as she power creeps them. However, hooking onto non-carriers is something the Vulture and Hyena Droids themselves are known for, rather than Procurer or other Lucrehulk's. I decided to just make it a skill in order to preload it as something that's possible, rather than having it show up by surprise later.
Can anyone guess what her hidden purple skill is? It's not gonna be relevant for a long time, but it's a special tool that will help us later.
I hope this chapter wasn't too dry, I know I'm dumping a lot of lore and technical stuff here. Don't worry Spirit will blow some stuff up in her section.
Speaking of Spirit, this is your last chance to suggest a name for Spirit to give her Bulin roommate! Please suggest something, only one person has and I suck at naming things, haha. I'd like her name to have some reference to the C.I.S. As a Confederate ship is naming her.