After the excitement of the new area had finally worn off, Yuri had asked for a map of the area to be displayed. Studying the Lutsk sector map, examining its planets and starlanes... he had come to the decision to set down on the closest planet: Popash.
Running on reserves due to being awake for a few days, Yuri had allowed the crew time for rest and recovery. After taking care of the docking procedures, Yuri, as well as Nia, had both dropped themselves into the closest bunks, and fallen into a deep sleep. Waking up many hours later and finding Nia already gone, Yuri scoured the ship from top to bottom, finding no signs of any of his friends.
Deciding that they had gone out to celebrate their victory over Panfilov, Yuri took the orbital elevator down to the planet, stopping at the Module Company store on the way. After speaking to the store clerk, he had bought three modules for a total of 35G... the sick bay MK 1, security room MK 1, and accounting office MK 1.
With his new purchases in hand, Yuri set out to look for his friends again, deciding that the best course of action would be to start at the tavern. Not spotting his crewmembers amongst the patrons, Yuri continued inside: hoping to at least find some information before leaving.
"Well, what do you know... so you're from Ropesk are you?" A male adventurer asked from one of the tables. "Seeing as the Lutsk sector is so much closer to Central Elgava than the Ropesk sector is... I bet you were blown away by what a flourishing place Lutsk is! Not like back home eh?
"How did -"
Yuri's question was cut off by a laugh from the man, who answered his question. "The look on your face, I remember having the same look on mine when I first came out here."
"You're from Ropesk?"
"Actually No." He began. "Though I came from a small nation similar to Ropesk. When I first found my way into Elgava my reaction was exactly the same."
He joined the two at their table, talking with them for a while about several things: their journeys into space, and module design companies. "As long as you have the blueprints for a module, you can have it built at any remodelling shop" the female adventurer had added, letting him know to buy every set of blueprints he could get his hands on.
After thanking them for their time, Yuri had approached the bar, joining in on a conversation that the bartender was having with another patron.
"...sectors around here are completely overrun by the Novgorod Pirates. The boss of the local division: Balik, is so powerful not even the military seems to be able to do anything about him!"
After confirming with the bartender that no jobs were available "I can't say I have anything for you." He told Yuri... the teen left, continuing down the main street as he examined the shops.
Slowly passing a corner cafe as he turned into another street, he spotted Nia, Kira and Torlo sitting around a table laden with food... a feast fit for a king.
Spotting Yuri looking on with a fond gaze in his eyes, Nia waved him over, holding a glass of Yuri's favourite drink in the air. Hurrying to join his friends, Yuri laughed with the others as Nia accidentally spilled the contents of the drink down Torlo's back.
During their stop on Perekop, they visited Effimov Inc, to which they were denied entry due to some ruff looking guards, and talking to the Effimov weapons employee at the tavern... they had accepted a mission to transport delicate precision instruments to Nezhatin.
Due to the sensitive nature of the precision instruments, battles had to be avoided at all costs, as they were extremely vulnerable to shock. On the way to their destination, they had been ambushed on three separate occasions by Novgorod Pirate ships... and each time, they had barely managed to escape.
On Nezhatin, after acquiring two more module blueprints, and receiving their payment from the tavern barkeep, Yuri and co had met, and run into someone who, unknown to them at the time, would come to be a valuable member of their crew.
In the corner of the tavern, accompanied by a small child, Yuri said hello to an old man; nursing a cup of tea in his wrinkled old hands.
"Well, well. Travelling the sea of stars at such a tender age." He said, lifting the cup to his lips to take another sip. "What an interesting young man you must be. My name is Gen Nadiy... and this is my student, Alik Kovalenko."
Patting the boy beside him on the shoulder, Gen prodded gently, encouraging the boy. "Come on now Alik, don't be shy."
The boy stuttered out a "N-N-nice to meet you" In a low voice, dressed head to toe in a long grey cloak and brown undershirt; grey hair covering his eyes... head bent low.
"Well as you can see, conversing is not Alik's strongest point. But he is the most promising young mind I have ever tutored." The old man said with a small smile.
Gesturing to the seats opposite, he invited them to join their table, making polite conversation.
"You said he was the most promising young mind you had ever tutored. So, what do you tutor him in?"
"What do I tutor my student in, you ask? Well, let me see..." He said, turning to Nia. "I teach him to read the course of a battle and to predict its most likely outcome."
Examining the group of four through trained eyes, they stopped on Yuri, and Gen continued. "You look like you have promise yourself young man. Would you care for an introduction to the rudiments?"
Excited at the prospect of learning something new, Yuri readily agreed, never letting another lesson pass him by.
"Very good, very good. Just a taste mind you, but let us begin." He said, hand stroking his chin thoughtfully at where to start.
After almost half an hour of lecturing the group in the changing tides of battle, and imparting his wisdom on the ways of successfully and efficiently controlling two ships at once...
"You can now have two ships in your fleet. Please use your newfound power for good." He finished. "Hm. Though there is nothing I can teach you at the moment, if you be patient and apply yourself, and if I see that you've grown the next time we meet... I may have more to teach you."
Leaving the two with a big thank you and a wave goodbye, the four friends situated themselves at another table, ordering food and talking together. At one point, Torlo spoke up, noticing a news report on the monitor in the corner of the tavern, showing the dissolution of the Dominion of Ropesk.
"I wonder what's gonna happen to Ropesk now. Whaddya think?"
"It'll probably be a confused mess for a while." Nia answered, watching the report with interest. "But then the Central Elgavan Forces will take it over and that'll be that."
"I wonder if there's still going to be an arrest warrant out for me."
"It's right there in the Space Pioneering Law. It was Panfilov's responsibility to protect his territory, and he didn't. I'd say you're off the hook kid."
"You think so? Well that's good to hear!"
Downing a shot, Nia laughed. "If it was me, I wouldn't lose any sleep over a stupid little arrest warrant anyway. I got bigger fish to fry."
Watching her with a weird look, Torlo replied for the group, making them all laugh. "Uh yeah. But that's you."
And as his friends laughed around him, Yuri joined in, glad at the turn his life had taken. His sister was safe, Panfilov was gone, and he'd finally taken the first big step into his space journey. At the moment, life couldn't be better, and he knew who to thank.
Nia's hair and chest bounced as she laughed, almost spilling the bottle of scotch, and nearly knocking Torlo out as she tried to steady it. This sent another fit of laughter rippling through the group. Yuri watcher her, this Launcher that had literally fallen out of the sky and into his life.
Yes. He thought. I definitely need to find a way to repay her.
After blasting out of the spaceport and leaving the planet Nezhatin behind them, Yuri and company found themselves attacked by the much-feared Novgorod Pirates... who seemed to be lying in wait.
It appeared that their luck had finally run out.
Unlike the military forces of Ropesk, who used outdated, unmaintained ships, the pirates of this sector were the opposite. The Sokol and Bodry-class ships seemed to put up a much better fight, even by themselves.
The second and third waves also consisted of a Novik-class destroyer, making things much worse. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, they had managed to scrape through the fights, with the STARGAZER taking heavy damage, even with Nia running interference in the DAISY.
A few thousand miles from Ketrzyn, the young Captain's attention was taken by a call of "Yuri?" from his sister. Currently stationed to the left of the captain's dais, she had taken up a role as an operator on the bridge, also acting as Fire Control Coordinator in Nia's absence.
"What's up Kira?"
"There's a large ship heading this way." Kira said, activating the monitor as a large ship barrelled towards them, opening a communications channel.
A thin man with an aqua shirt under a dark blue jacket appeared, light brown hair slicked back... a stray curl hanging down over his forehead.
"... do you read me? this is Dedon Galkin of the Novgorod Pirates. I don't appreciate the way you've been treating my associates, so now you have to answer to me!"
The communications channel ended with an eruption of fire from Galkin's ship, rocking the STARGAZER, as the command crew threw themselves into action. Glancing at the screen on his console, he saw the DAISY already ahead, light attacks peppering the opponent's hull.
Despite outnumbering Galkin with the STARGAZER and the DAISY, his ship seemed to be better all across the board. It's speed surpassed that of the STARGAZER, and its weapons could hit harder and faster than their own. Not to mention how much of a beating Galkin could take.
Yuri had ordered a weapons barrage on the enemy, who had taken no less than three of those.
After nearly ten minutes of a battle that was very clearly one sided, Torlo voiced his frustrations.
"That bastard's still hanging on!"
"Don't let him get away! Prepare for pursuit..." Interrupted by the shaking of the ship, Yuri let out a Yikes Grabbing the console for stability. The laserfire from the approaching fleet exploded between the two engaging ships.
"Hot Grus! Central Elgavan Forces eh? all right men! time to pull out! come about!" Galkin called out to his command crew, throwing a look to his enemy. His ship turned quickly, blasting off the other way before the military could pursue them further.
"Damn it! we almost had him! who are these guys, breakin' up our party?"
"These guys are the Central Elgavan Forces. Try to keep your temper in check, okay there sport?" Nia's voice called out over the Fleet's intercom network.
"What are they doing here?"
They watched as the fleet of five Elgavan ships closed the distance between them, distinguished by their silver and red hulls. The communications alarm sounded as Kira accepted the incoming link.
"Central Elgavan Forces here, Commander Oleg Vladykin, Zone 4 fleet. Are you all right?"
Before he could answer, Torlo interrupted again, an annoyed look on his face. "Are we all right!? We almost had him I tell ya!"
"Be quiet Torlo! he'll hear you." Kira whispered, touching the older boy's arm lightly. Noticing the break in the conversation, Yuri spoke up before Torlo could continue.
"This is the Captain: Yuri. I appreciate your support."
"Good, it looks like you're all right then. Hm... you seem young for a captain. Still, you did a fine job holding your own. I'd like to meet you in person sometime, if you have the chance. If you ever come by the Lutsk Base, please drop in and see me. Until then, safe travels to you!"
The communications link cut off as the group watched the ships' thrusters flare up, propelling them away from the battlezone.
"There they go...hmph, they let the pirates get away!"
"Are you going to see that Commander?"
"What, you don't want me to?" Yuri asked, responding to Kira's question.
"I just don't think that getting involved with the military is a very good idea."
"No, huh?" Yuri began. "They might know something about Epitaphs though. I don't think it'd hurt to just check it out."
The silence of the room was a welcoming one. After all the commotion and battle that the last few days had brought, Yuri needed to get away from everyone for a bit... just to clear his head.
Making his way to one of the storage holds on the lower decks of the ship, Yuri shut off the lights, activating the hull's exterior camera. Fashioning himself a makeshift seat from the many storage boxes currently inside the room, he lay back, hands behind his head, watching the beauty of the Triglav Nebula pass them by.
The mobile terminal he had in his lap glowed a brilliant blue, flashing as the information on the celestial object flowed.
Otherwise known as the Butterfly Nebula... a planetary nebula, at the last stage of a low-mass star's life as it casts off its gaseous envelope and becomes a white disk. The expelled envelope of the dying star breaks out from this disk to create twin lobes.
The natural light from the nebula filtered through into the room as Yuri stared out at the object before him. The two, twin blue disks intersected at a pinkish star, surrounded by a crown of black and white.
His attention was focused on the nebula before him... so much so, that the hissing of the door opening didn't make him even flinch.
As Nia stepped through into the room, she wouldn't have even noticed him sitting there if the exterior camera hadn't been on. Relaxing atop the storage boxes, back propped up by even more, bathed in a brilliant blue light.
The door shut behind her, footfalls echoing off the walls, she wasn't even sure if he had noticed her... then his feet shifted slightly, making room for her.
She sat opposite him, legs hanging down towards the floor as she watched the teenager before her.
"So this is where you ended up? Nice place. I might have to steal it more often." She began.
"I just..." He took a breath, releasing it slowly. "... needed some time to myself. Everything's so loud all the time. I kind of miss the quiet."
"Well you definitely picked a nice spot to appreciate it, let me tell you." She said, fingers running along the dusty boxes behind her. "All dark and dusty. Though the nebula looks amazing."
"I don't mind the dark. But yeah, I guess you could say the nebula is enjoyable. Though I prefer the company more."
Having her fill of the conversation, and especially Yuri's answers (he wasn't acting like himself), she decided the best way to approach the topic at hand.
"Regardless, I did a little digging and uncovered some info on our Mr Galkin." She said, pulling out her own mobile terminal. "Looks like he's ranked pretty highly in Balik's division of the Novgorod Pirates, it seems he appeared out of nowhere a few years ago."
She watched Yuri shift his gaze away from the nebula for the first time since she'd spotted him, moving his body to mirror her sitting position, as he diverted his focus.
"Anything else?"
"Not much." She replied, sifting through the information she had been able to scrape together. "Nothing on where he came from or any of his past careers, though rumours floating around peg him as ex-military."
"So it's a dead end?" He asked. "Well what about the pirates? Or that ship he was using? It seemed to trump the DAISY and the STARGAZER at the same time. Not even Panfilov's VARYAG could do that."
"Ah." She began, thumbing back a lock of stray hair. "Now that I can answer. While it's unknown just how widespread the Novgorod Pirates are, they do use a number ships, mostly led by Novik or Gnevny-class destroyers. However, a lot of the higher ups use what's called a Rurik-class cruiser. Great armour and mobility, as well as other stats that are nothing to sneeze at."
"All in all, I'd say we'll be outclassed if we keep at them. While we might be able to take out many of their lower-level fleets, if they come at us with Rurik's or anything of the like, we won't last long at all."
"So, what? We buy another ship?" Yuri asked.
"If you'd asked me earlier I'd have laughed at you. You definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it. Now though, I'd say whatever that old coot spouted at you did something. While I may not be completely confident that you can manage it yourself, with time, you will."
"Then It's solved. We buy another ship."
"Not quite." She said. "While the DAISY faired okay against the Ropesk Security Forces, this Otlichny-class destroyer blew them out of the water. Now though... the Interplanetary Union of Elgava is the greatest superpower in the SMC, if Balik's division of the Novgorod Pirates can't be taken out even with the Local Lutsk forces, then we don't stand a chance."
Nia paused, fingers flying over her mobile terminal as she sorted through the wall of white text in front of her, eyes bouncing around as she tried keeping up.
"In addition, I've been reviewing our past battles, and compiled some notes of interest. I doubt even with a second Otlichny we would be able to make much headway against them."
"But we're doing fine now? With a second Otlichny they won't be a threat to us."
"It's not the lower fleets I'm worried about. It won't be long before Galkin shows up to challenge us again, and if he does, sure we may pick up a win by some miracle; but how long before they start sending in the big guns." She asked, eyes locked on to Yuri's red orbs. "We can't fight forever Yuri. Even the strongest fall. The smartest make mistakes. And if we slip up, it'll be bad."
She saw the look of disappointment on his face. She hated being the bearer of bad news, but she knew he could handle it. He wouldn't give up when the chips were down.
He hadn't when going up against Panfilov. And he sure wouldn't now.
"So what's our plan?"
"Well kiddo, we might not be able to fight the pirates head on. But I say we check out what that Commander Vladykin wanted to talk about. It might not help us against the pirates, but Grus if it doesn't pique my interest."
With that, the conversation ended, and the two friends fell into a comfortable silence, blue light shining down on them... and the sound of humming engines putting them at ease.
After a quick stop at Perekop for some much-needed ship repairs, Yuri had decided to explore the rest of the sector, hoping to tick the planets Lutsk and Klaipeda off the list.
As they pulled into the spaceport, they noticed just how full it was compared to the other planets, and Kira had nearly been trampled on no less than three times. At the elevator, down the hall and to the left, they found a sign pointing them to the Spacefarers Guild.
Just inside, was a lone control panel in an empty room, a single door along the back wall. On the entry panel, instructions were already set out, telling them to choose from the available candidates. After scrolling through the names for a few minutes... Nia, Torlo and Kira throwing in their opinions; they made their way through the door and into a waiting area.
Nia, who had been to a few of these guilds before, explained how many captains liked to hire crew from the guild than off the streets, as they offered a better crop of candidates.
I don't have nearly enough crew yet. Yuri thought to himself. Maybe I should try talking to some people here.
There was a purple display that covered the back wall of the room, smaller monitor screens lining either side of the walls, with several already in use. The room was almost deserted, save for the five occupants currently inside. One was talking to himself in the back, obviously drunk by the smell, the other was asleep. The last three were wide awake, and the group wandered over to the pair talking in the corner.
They were both dressed in dark green jackets lined with yellow, a dark bluish green shirt underneath fastened at the waist by belts. The man had long dark brown hair that sat past his shoulders, and a well trimmed short goatee beard; while she sported shaggy brown hair that barely kissed the tops of her shoulders.
Yuri made eye contact with the man, who stepped forward, his friend backing up to the wall to give them some privacy.
"I'm Poplo the leader of the Trump Mercenary Squadron. If you want to hire me as a part of your crew, my cost is 500G."
"I'd really like you to be a part of my crew Poplo."
"Would you now?" He asked, hands on his hips. "If that's the case, then show me your phenomena log."
"All right."
Handing it over, he watched Poplo's face as the older man scanned his log. After a few seconds, his log beeped, and he watched the man's eyebrows rise.
"Huh. This isn't bad. Of course, I've seen a lot better too." He said, handing back Yuri's log. "Still, I guess I could join your crew, if that's what your aiming for."
"Yes please!"
After the exchange of payment, Poplo advised them that if they were looking for crew, they wouldn't find anyone better than him. He had also advised them on Gadina's skill, and with their approval, signalled her over with a nod.
"The name's Gadina, I'm second in command of the Trump Mercenary Squadron. If you cough up 300G, I wouldn't mind joining your crew."
It wasn't even a question if he wanted her to join or not. Of the five names, these two were heads and shoulders above the rest. "I'd really like it if you'd be a part of my crew Gadina."
"Okay, let's see your phenomena log then." Repeating the same process as her friend, Yuri watched her respond enthusiastically. "Well, well! This isn't bad. Not bad at all! It'll be a pleasure to work with you Captain."
"Great!" Yuri began with a smile. "We'll probably hang around for a little bit. But when you're ready, report to the STARGAZER... slip 495."
After talking with an odd man on the way out, an old wiry bastard, as Nia would later describe, they left. Torlo had advised that "ya get what ya pay for" and for 23G, Yuri definitely agreed it wasn't worth it.
The tavern on Lutsk was definitely unlike the others they'd visited.
Big, bright and loud, it was crowded to bursting, and one wall was a big window, overlooking the main street.
As they walked in, they were hit with the raucous laughter and smell of alcohol, as a woman in a bandana nearly ran into them, holding aloft a tray of empty beer mugs.
"The name's Rufina Bondar. Welcome to my tavern." She greeted, a smile on her face. "Please... eat, drink, and be merry."
She was built more like a man in Yuri's opinion... not fat, but fuller, and with more muscle than other women.
They moved over to one of the empty tables near the bar, watching as the proprietress served a few customers, before taking their order, and returning in record speed.
"Say, by the way... let me introduce you to one of my employees. She's someone real special this one. Come over here a minute Tatiana!"
From amidst a group of patrons at the back, emerged a teenager with reddish hair, and a grey tank top.
"Yes Rufina?" She asked, coming to a stop beside the older woman.
"See? Isn't she a lovely flower?" She turned to the group, placing a hand on the younger woman's shoulders. "A fine worker too. She keeps the customers coming back just to see her pretty smile."
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Tatiana Agarkov."
She's right. Yuri thought. She really does have a nice smile.
"Tatiana?" Torlo interrupted suddenly. "Tats baby. It is you! You're Tatiana from Mill City on Bagut, right?" He shouted, jumping out of his chair. "It's me, Torlo. We used to play together when we were kids. Aw c'mon! Don't you remember me?"
She squinted in thought, getting a good look at him. "Torlo? Wait a minute... you mean you're Torlo, the bully of Mill City?"
"Yeah. Heh. I guess that'd be me." He began, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Man, it sure has been a while. So, you're working here huh? I can't believe I ran into ya after all this time."
Watching with interest as Torlo came to stand beside her, Tatiana appeared less enthusiastic about their reunion than Torlo... trying her best to remove the latter's arm, currently slung over her shoulders.
With no success.
"What a coincidence huh? The two of you running into each other all the way out here?"
"Ha ha! She used to be my girl you know. But then she up and moved away one day... just about broke my heart in two. Had some real good memories together though..."
Yuri, Nia and Kira watched as Tatiana shot a glare at Torlo, shoving him aside. "Don't believe a word that guy says! He's full of it! The only time I was ever his girl, was in his dreams. We were just neighbours, that's all. I swear."
Realizing her annoyance at his words, Torlo tried changing the subject. "Hey, come to think of it... you got a big brother, don't you Tats? He still livin' with you?"
"No, he's... uh..."
"What? What's the matter?"
"I don't know where he is, he joined the Elgavan Forces, and about six months ago, I lost all contact with him. I keep asking the base about him, but the only thing they tell me is that he's on a mission. I've been so worried!"
After the turn the conversation had taken, Tatiana had joined them, taking the seat beside Yuri that had previously been occupied by Torlo, who was now sitting at the head of the table.
The group made light conversation with Tatiana, who had been making small talk with Nia and Kira. Yuri, who had been listening in, glanced over at Torlo, who's face had been scrunched up in thought.
"Come to think of it, you said your bro was in the army, didn't you Tats?" At her nod, he turned to Yuri. "We ought to ask Commander Vladykin if he knows what he's up to. It's a long shot, but who knows? We can go pay him a visit over at the Lutsk Base."
"Really? Do you think there's a chance he might know something?" She asked hopefully. "Take me with you then! I want to ask him myself!"
"Well..."
"There's no harm in her tagging along, is there Yuri?" Torlo finished, before leaning in to whisper into his Captain's ear so as not to be overheard by the girls. "Man, do me this one favour, okay?"
"All right. If that's what you really want. But what about Rufina?"
As if summoned, she appeared behind Tatiana, scaring Torlo. "Oh Don't give me a thought. I know how worried poor Tatiana's been."
"Oh thank you Rufina."
"Good! Then It's settled."
On his return trip from the bathroom, Yuri stopped by the bar to pick up another round of drinks, overhearing Rufina muttering to herself.
"That good-for-nothing butt kisser..." Noticing Yuri standing there, she stopped partway. "Oh sorry. I was just thinking about my ex-husband. He's the world's biggest loser, that man is!"
The anger in her voice, and the way she wiped down the bar as she spoke, made him cringe. This man really must be something.
"He came to me looking to borrow money the other day. Can you believe the nerve? Of course I refused in no uncertain terms. Since we split up, I heard he got himself a tavern on some other planet." She continued. "So I thought he was finally doing all right for himself, but I guess not. I hadn't heard from him in ages, and what does he say to me? Lend me some money."
She threw the towel down with a grunt, before moving on to the glasses.
"I sure do know how to pick 'em I tell you..."
Exchanging conversation with the proprietress as she arranged their order, he took the tray, approaching the table mid talk.
"Zakhar's been in the army for five years now. And in all that time, no matter how busy he got, he always found enough time to stay in touch with me." Tatiana said to the table at large. "We're the only family each other's got. We always promised we'd never lose touch. Now. I just don't know..."
Minutes later though, the topic had changed again.
"I dunno. I just don't like him, that Commander Vladykin guy."
"Why not?"
"It's just this feeling I get." Torlo said, taking a sip from his drink. "Like maybe he's in cahoots with the pirates or something. That's what I think anyway."
"Do you really think he could be?" Kira asked, snagging a chip from the centre of the table.
"Things like that happen all the time Toots. That's just the way the universe works. You got a bad feeling about him too, don't ya Yuri?"
"Oh I don't know. I don't like having preconceived ideas about people." Yuri answered, noting the attention on him. "I'd rather just keep an open mind."
"Yeah, that could be true. But I don't exactly hear you sayin' you trust him either!"
"I guess you got me there."
"Torlo, you're a lot smarter than you look sometimes." Nia complimented.
2027 Edge street, Rosalie, Klaipeda.
That was the address that they had been given, on the whereabouts for the president of Efimov Inc.
As they made their way down the street, searching for the correct house, Yuri wondered why a man like Karlo would be living in a place like Rosalie anyway. The people were more likely to rob you after you'd already been robbed. Then kick you afterwards... just for good measure.
That got Yuri thinking. If anyone came looking for him, they certainly wouldn't be looking for him here.
"There it is." Torlo called out, pointing to a house two doors down. The entry was dark, a brown wooden door, with a frosted glass panel around head height. The group crowded underneath the covered entry, Nia, Torlo and Kira right behind Yuri, who knocked on the front door.
A young man answered the call. His brown hair was spiked up neatly, grey shirt underneath a black chest guard and shoulderpads. If he was shocked at the group's presence on his doorstep, he didn't show it.
"Karlo Efimov?"
"That's right. I'm Karlo Efimov, former president of Efimov Incorporated. And who might you be?"
After introducing themselves, Karlo, apparently realizing they meant him no harm, invited them in. Leading them to his living room, they all took up seats around the open fire pit, nursing drinks.
"The Novgorod Pirates set their sights on my father's business. They murdered him in cold blood and took over the company." The young man explained, staring at the fire which flickered in his gleaming brown eyes. "That's why I've been here, devoting myself to the betterment of a new module, a module that will help me defeat them.
Looking up at Yuri sitting across from him, he spoke, clear and calm... almost pleading. "Yuri, will you help me defeat the Novgorod Pirates?"
Looking at the other three quickly, he already knew their answer, having already come to a decision before seeking him out.
"Yes."
"You will? In that case, please accept this." Karlo said, handing Yuri a palm sized blueprint card. "They're blueprints to a shield frame module I developed. Install it aboard your ship and it will raise its durability."
After explaining the concept behind his Shield Frame MK 1, the conversation turned to the Novgorod Pirates, and Karlo himself. "And I'd like to join your crew, if you wouldn't mind. My maintenance skills are solid, and I think I could be of help.
Accepting the offer, Yuri turned to Nia and smiled.
Yes. He found himself thinking. Things are definitely looking up.
"Unh..."
On their way to the Lutsk base, Yuri found himself conversing over the comm with Nia, who was currently piloting the Daisy.
"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's not good to hold it in you know." Yuri said, hearing the noise she'd made.
"I don't have to go to the bathroom, I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"You remember that Commander Vladykin guy that popped up when we were fighting the pirates."
"What about him?" Yuri asked, curious as to her line of thinking.
"I dunno. I just get this weird feeling that he let the pirates get away on purpose."
"On purpose? Why would he do that?"
"I'm not sure. But there's a lot of folks in cahoots with the Novgorod Pirates around here. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the military was in on that action too." She replied, finally getting it out.
"Wow! I hope not."