2/3 Dowser 2022/03/25(Fri)21:45 No. 1027308 ID: 77a030
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I look down at another map my scavenging partner gave me for this area. We are on the left side going to the west. He told me to take the main road next to the bottomless pit, but that if I did, there was a chance for Highway raiders who would try to collect a toll. They usually try to rob trucks, but robbing smaller vehicles isn't unheard of.

"You guys have knights?"
>"What?"
"Neumono hives. I heard you have queens and kings and stuff."
>"Oh! Well, we only have queens, we don't have kings or knights like royalty or anything like that."
"What about princesses?"
>"N- oh, wait, yeah! we do, sometimes. If the hive is big like mine is."

My scavenging partner has also marked a "shortcut" that can only be accessed by foot or smaller vehicles. There isn't a chance of bumping into raiders, but the trade-off is the chance of encountering wildlife and the remnants of tribal tobaks. Not a bad idea if I feel like going hunting this late into the scavenging run.

3/3 Dowser 2022/03/25(Fri)21:45 No. 1027309 ID: 77a030
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>"Soooooo... I'm... Sorry about the whole... Hug thing..."
"Huh? Oh. Don't worry about it. It wasn't entirely unpleasant."
>"I know, it's just that... neumono usually only do that to each other. Not to aliens, not to anyone."
"Are tobaks an exception? Or am I the exception?"
>"W-well, to be fair, I still don't know what you look like! So, it's really easy to imagine you as one of us, y'know? You're short and fuzzy, kinda like us."
"Does that make me some kind of 'cave neumono?'"
>"hah! funny you should say that. You're an honorary neumono in my eyes, Dowser. Would you like me to call you 'Dowser the cave neumono' from now on?"

He hasn't mentioned the Data Bank yet, it's like he forgot all about it. He seems to be in high spirits, which I prefer to how he was before when he was trapped in that building.

>"...And another thing... a-and I really hate to ask this from you, because you've done so much for me already! but... you don't have any more food, do you?"
"You already ate and drank all the stuff I had."
>"S-sorry! Forget I asked!"

He's probably stress eating because he's missing a couple limbs. I don't mind sparing a few unused rations to help him cope better. hopefully his healthcare allows for robotic replacements. No shame in it, Tobaks get them all the time.

Demand an Honorary Neumono Certificate in exchange for more food.

We might want to try to get some batteries for his goggles.
Go to the shortcut, hunt some meat for- what's his name?

>>1027310
Nah, get cyberlimb insurance instead. Space technology is cool.
Let's take the wildlife-infested path because I am a cheapskate and we looted so many cool guns! Razorworms aren't on the menu, right?

>>1027309
>He's probably stress eating because he's missing a couple limbs.
>Hopefully his healthcare allows for robotic replacements.
Nope! You’re wrong about all of that! Neumono can regrow their limbs! It’ll take a while, depending on how badly they’re injured, but if they have access to plenty of food, their bodies can use all those extra calories to start regenerating!

……I mean, that’s all just a bunch of rumors. You might want to ask Kiero, your Neumono buddy, if any of that is true.

>What do?
That depends. If you’re going to elevator 15, it’d be better to stay on the main road. But if you’re going to elevators 13 and 14, it’d be better to take the shortcut.

>>1027317
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! Have you gotten any messages from Clover? Did she manage to safely get away from the Razorworms? Is she planning on meeting up later or anything like that? She helped you to pay back that favor she owed you, so she won’t be asking for a payment this time, but I’m sure she’ll eventually want to meet up to hang out or something.

>>1027318
I would also like to know if tobkao made it out alright

well if the neumono is hungry it might not be a bad idea to take the shortcut route and see if you can't grab him something to eat. Even if you don't find anything it is a short route (right?) so you'd be able to get him somewhere he could grab some food quicker. I mean the guy did just lose some limbs and then was trapped for who knows how long basically bleeding out and blind I feel he deserves some sympathy.

>>1027313
>what's his name?
Kiero


>Would you like me to call you 'Dowser the cave neumono' from now on?"
Honestly this doesn't have a good ring. Coming from you this is a nice gesture but I'm not looking forward to explain this title to strangers. Maybe save that for special occasions.

>So, it's really easy to imagine you as one of us, y'know? You're short and fuzzy, kinda like us
We do look similar, at least superficially.
If my appearance make you feel more at easy it's even more strange that of all the aliens your hive seem to have avoided contact with us the most. Maybe familiarity wasn't the feeling you got when you actually saw one of us.


I'm sure you can have some fun with the culture shock circumstance, including the oddity of interacting with someone who can't see you at the moment, but eventually ask about Kiero in particular.
Is he an explorer? Scavenger? Prospector? Programmer?


>food
Is there any safe place along the way to buy supplies?

>shortcut
Considering we are in a motorized vehicle and have some nails left (I think) the wildlife sound less threatening than the raiders. However, considering how vicious the worms were, it's very likely that I'm underestimating the local fauna.
When you say tribal, what exactly are you referring to? Can you communicate with the? Any risk of cannibalism?
Maybe the main road is safer after all...

Dowser 2022/03/26(Sat)01:20 No. 1027323 ID: 77a030
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>What's his name?
Kiero.

>Neumono can regrow their limbs!
I don't know much about these kinds of aliens, but that seems too good to be true. Alas, I mustn’t be in denial on his behalf, he is probably going through the stages of grief all on his own, the poor guy.

>Elevator 15
We'll stay away from that one for now, that only goes down, not anywhere close the higher levels.

>How's Clover doing?
My PDA is still getting it’s signal blocked by the jammer, so I'm not sure. If I want to check, I need to turn it off. If I do that, the mechanic will probably notice the signature given off by the ore. I don't know how he'll react to it, so I need to decide if it's worth it. In regard to Clover though, it’d be a miracle if she got out of that without a scratch, so I am a little worried.

>Demand an Honorary Neumono Certificate in exchange for more food.
"Hey Kiero, how's about this; We'll take a detour to get you some food If I can get an honorary neumono certificate."
>"You know it doesn't work that way! But if you'd like, I can try arranging a meeting with my hive's queen, and then we'll see if we can't work something out!"
Half joking or not, that answer's good enough for me! Besides, main roads are overrated.

>The shortcut doesn't have razorworms on the menu, right?
Not likely, they prefer open areas with sand or soft dirt, this area is a lot more enclosed with a hard ground.

I shuffle over to the front, close enough to speak to the mechanic. I tell him to take the detour on the map so that we can hunt some quick game.
"Sure thing! Just try not to take all day, I still need to pick up the others after I drop you guys off."

We change course for the untamed shortcut. Kiero seems very excited about the detour, However I don’t think I have the heart to tell him that most of the wildlife on this layer of the planet taste awful.

>"Oh, and another thing Dowser, unless it's too much of a personal question, feel free to not answer, but who was it you were talking to earlier? It sounded intense. And how did you get a signal? I could barely get any myself when my devices still had battery."

>>1027323
Tell him some weird rock you have is talking to you.

When you two have a bit of privacy, let him know some funny rock projected a dead guy into your head, and that you are DEFINITELY not going insane or anything...

Also that they wanted you to leave him for dead.

>>1027324
>>1027325
Definitely don't. Half-truth seems to be the name of the game. Let's not expose our new headbud just yet. For MANY reasons, not least of which 'that sounds freakin' insane'.

Go with something like this:

"There's some weird new tech down here that apparently allows comms of sorts for Tobaks - something to do with our magnetic sense, I think? I scavenged it not too long ago and me and a new friend of mine - related to that find - were arguing a bit about what to do with you, that's all. Might consider selling it, might wanna keep it, we haven't quite decided. How's your hive deal with strange new acquisitions?"

>>1027326
Yeah, "a weird rock is talking to me" is a half-truth. What you just suggested there is a full on lie.

Just tell him you'd rather not say "for now".

>>1027327
I'm saying if we admit anything, make it more vague and don't mention the rock, i.e. the thing that enabled us to talk to someone was magnetic, we don't understand it because it's a recent scavenge and probably some kind of weird new tech that we may want to pawn off - and it enabled us to talk with a new friend who we met in connection to that find. Implying it's some kind of underground comms system that only works for Tobaks.

All of these are truths with omissions aimed at negating the existence of our headbud, hence "half-truths" - we can even say later that we're still in touch with them, or excuse any outburst to our new 'comms tool'.

We don't have to apply all of these excuses either, it's just a way to ease into the truth later "So you know how I said..." style, if we decide to try to offload the rock onto the Neumono hive, who at least aren't gonna be affected by it in the same way tobaks seem to be.

Frankly, just mentioning that this 'comms tool' is a magnetic-based thing recently scavenged carries a certain risk if anyone with actual knowledge about the rock hears about the find.

Also, remember that if we reveal the existence of the rock to Kiero, we would probably also reveal it within earshot of the mechanic (unless we lower our voice some, I guess). The more people know the more it's possible the truth leaks out!

just tell him you were trying to figure shit out and thinking out loud. Not to bring up bad memories but razor worms do kind make any situation more stressful then they already are.

Yeah, stick to half-truths, for now, revealing as much as you can without telling him explicitly about the rock or that the voice is entirely in our head. Of course, there's the danger that he calls us out on the jammer blocking magnetic waves, to begin with, but we can respond with "it has something to do with physical touching, I think."

>>1027326
This sounds more reasonable.

Oh, you were just "talking to yourself". It helped while trying to quickly think things over, sorry for the confusion.

Oh and it'll probably happen again, just a heads up.

We must use a different frequency on our devices than you guys, better attuned to cave coverage.
Take the jammer off to see if Clover’s okay, if he asks about it it’s just a funny rock.

I am also on the side of the half-truth.

Tell him some new guy in the caves has been butting in on your business and monitoring your activities. You seem to be stuck scavenging together.

It does sound like a bad idea telling him about signs of madness. Let's not do that.

The rock itself bring some problems. It would be best to keep it secret, but I'm not sure you will be able to with a jammer in a Neumono hive.
How much longer will the battery function? Does it have enough juice for the trip back? Can you find a buyer for the rock on the upper layer?

How about a compromise: "It is a very personal question, but I will tell you more if we have a moment alone. Please keep that conversation in secret."

>drop you guys off
So the return trip won't be this convenient...

>arranging a meeting with my hive's queen
Will you really get in contact with a political leader for a silly title?

Lets just say they're a very persistent colleague we're stuck with for now.

1/2 Dowser 2022/03/27(Sun)00:01 No. 1027408 ID: 77a030
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>How much battery does the jammer have.
Not much. Less than an hour, maybe 45 minutes. It uses less power the more I lower the range, but it's already set to the minimum.
>Enough juice for the trip back
Hopefully...

>Can you find a buyer for the rock on the upper layer?
Most likely. The most direct and obvious way is to find a buying at the depot. Seeing as they buy just about anything, they'll surely be able to identify it and give me a good price.

>Half truth
That sounds like the way to go. I like to be honest, but not if it'll make people think I'm crazy.

I decide to
"Oh, that? It was... Some new, experimental thing that got rolled out... Not completely sure how it works, but it allows me to communicate... through myself, without a phone or exterior device! Only seems to work for tobaks though, our biology is different, you know how it is."
>"Oooohhh, I get it! Tobaks have wires in them, right? I once heard someone say that you guys were practically built for cybernetics. They are rolling out all sorts of stuff for you guys, like cyborg parts and brain chips. What company did you work for to get those kinds of benefits?"
"I didn't receive it for working at a company! The only company I've worked for was Edevane, and that was a few years ago. Let me tell you, mikliks, on account of being weird, mutated plants, do not give good healthcare. I obtained this thing... elsewhere."
>"Well ok! It's good to know you aren't crazy."

I'm not crazy. I'm not.

"Dowser! I have just made a personal discovery! I think neumono are amazing! Do they make a noise? What noise do they make? Can you ask him for me? Please?"

If I Just ignore him, he'll go away.

"Nope! Also, do they lay eggs?"

I'm not crazy I'm not crazy I'm not crazy.

I think to turn off the jammer and message Clover, but I'll leave it until after I explain what the ore is to the mechanic, just so it doesn't set off any alarm bells. I'm a bit surprised he hasn't brought up the fact that I've had a jammer turned on this whole time, but I'm sure he respects my privacy.

2/2 Dowser 2022/03/27(Sun)00:01 No. 1027409 ID: 77a030
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Shortly after heading into the wild territory, it doesn't take long for us to spot A something that catches my interest. Looks like a tribal has already gone through the effort of taking down a Mudskimmer. He must've chased it for quite a while, they usually don't hang around dry areas like this.

The tribal is staring directly at us, sending us the universal tail signal for "Get lost."

This could either be one of a few things, either this guy chased that thing with at least one other, had the other haul off the leg while guarding the body by himself, or he is setting up a trap for other animals and there are other tribals hiding nearby.

Mudskimmer meat tastes... alright, actually. depending on if you eat it raw or not. It's suuuuper lean and low in fat, but it is good overall, so long as you don't cook it and make it too dried out and tough to eat.

This guy probably won't hand any over easy, but he must sooner or later learn that sharing is caring!

The mechanic looks over at me. Interesting. You have a plan?

What do you mean? Are you planing to just steal from the guy? Since when you've being hiding this dickish side?
If we are going with this maybe threat him with your weapon. I'm not sure.
You could shot in his general direction and have Raph take the meat while you keep this guy away.

Maybe he is willing to trade a limb. Do you have anything to offer he might want? Maybe the cigarettes?

>cook
How does that work? I can't imagine you have a long tradition of staring at campfires.

The most reasonable, ethical thing to do would be to trade. What have we got he might be interested in? A spare nailgun perhaps?

If you have nothing to trade, simply ask him where you can find your own mudskimmer. You can communicate, right?

Dowser 2022/03/27(Sun)04:42 No. 1027422 ID: 77a030
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I take a closer look at him, boy is he untidy. He has never tried a candy bar in his life, and it shows. It's hard to believe that I would have turned out that way had I been born a single generation earlier.

>Are you planning to just steal from the guy?
And ruin my streak of good deeds? No way! I'm on a roll and it feels so good.

>Threaten him with weapon
I don't think he understands that nailguns are a thing. I get the feeling that even if I did threaten him with a weapon, he still wouldn't back down. These savage types will just about die on any hill.
>Distraction
Could work. Wish I had brought a deck of cards or something to show him some magic tricks. I would need to get creative if I wanted to go down that route.

>You can communicate, right?
Let's see

"Do you speak?"
>"Lep let to dakto za lepdak!"
I don't understand what he said, but subtle queues tell me that he is disgruntled.

Guess I have no choice but to break out the tail signalling.

>Trade

I use my tails to signal the possibility of a trade. The translation comes out to something more along the lines of 'take for give piece'

>'What give for piece'

'What want'

He pauses for a moment.

>'Give sharp'

Sounds like he's interested in your pickaxe. How cheaply can you re-acquire one?

>I'm not crazy
You're not crazy. Your headbud just appears to be discovering the joys of learning new and exciting things that YOU don't already know and forming their own opinions about them. You should try to humour him a bit - like, aren't you actually genuinely curious and their own curiosity may be based off of that?

It's a fairly legit question to wonder how alien species are. Of course, you could just look up details later instead of asking a possibly embarrassing personal question.

(There's also a non-zero chance headbud could be trolling you.)

>Tribal doesn't appear to know much about civilization
Sheez, guess even if mining has been ongoing for a bit this is still a pretty wild region? Or he chased his prey pretty far. Or they avoid contact for the most part!

>Mudskimmer meat
You should ask Kiero if he knows what a Mudskimmer is and if he knows if it's safe for Neumono consumption - does his people forage on-planet at all?

>Trade pickaxe
A reliable pick (and weapon) for a hunk of meat may be a poor trade for you, unless it's easily replaced or he wants to trade a large part. Doubtful, given that it's HIS hard-earned kill and tribals live more hand-to-mouth. Then again, he MIGHT be stuck on the 'this is gonna be a pain to bring back home from here' aspect of it all, in which case you have an advantage in bargaining.

Do you have anything smaller and more immediately useful to the tribal? A knife, cloth, anything of the sort that'd actually LOOK useful or interesting to the tribal? You could also ask if the Mechanic has anything of particular use to a tribal. Again, knives and such tend to be useful tools, and mechanics tends to have a well-equipped toolkit. You can pay him back in actual money once you return, seeing as you've had a rather successful scavenging session.

>Danger sense
A secondary concern is that this tribal could just be here guarding the kill while a fellow hunter goes to fetch more people from his tribe to dress it. How freshly killed does it look? If it looks like it's been lying there for a while and he hasn't started to butcher it, you should resolve this fairly quickly before his buddies can show up to object to the deal. It's not worth spending time haggling (poorly, by way of tails) for a more hostile encounter.

>Doing the trade
Don't do anything to antagonize him. Indicate how much of the mudskimmer you want, agree to the trade (with something less valuable/useful if possible and do it without haggling too much if it seems he's just guarding the kill and waiting for his fellows). Indicate that he should cut off the parts of the beast that you agreed on. Put the pickaxe down outside yours and his reach and indicate he do the same with the portion you've traded for, over to the side. You can both approach your trades from different sides and pick them up without getting too close to one another.

Also, do the tail symbol for name and introduce yourself. You're Dowser!

Check inventory.

Ah- Maybe get your buddy to do the actual exchange; exposure to the rock or the jammer might freak him out. (Ask if he has a cheap knife on him before you hand him the pickaxe.)

>>1027408

Boyfriend mode engaged.

>>1027422

He wants weapons. A knife or similar would very likely suffice, particularly since I imagine he doesn't have (nor wish to risk) more sophisticated stone tools for butchering his catch here (which might be why just a leg is missing, at the moment).

If we've got a knife or two to spare, I think that's a fair trade, and could go a long way to establishing better relations.

As versatile and cool the pickaxe look it still should be a fairly common tool around a mining operation. Not only you should be able to buy a new one, you've being finding so many tobak corpses that your chances of stumble upon one with a similar tool should be pretty high. It's an acceptable trade, although I would expect a significant portion if not the rest of the carcass for it.

Trades like this are the kind of situation Clay criticized you the most and believe himself to be more capable. Why don't we take this small event as an opportunity to see what he can do? Not that he earned any trust so far, but better to try it now than never.

>>1027422
Lets just leave the guy alone and find our own. He isn't blatantly hostile, so lets just keep going.

>>1027422
Pickaxe or knife, I'd say.

>>1027427
Pretty much all this. Don't know about presenting yourself, i don't think he cares. You are also o crazy, this is just a consequence of interacting with an artefact. It's completely external to you.

Hey, Dowser, have you ever thought of tried dating a xenos before? Neumonos come in all sizes and shapes.

>>1027456
Hold on! Kiero is nice and all, and with his name there are a lot of jokes to be made, but I already have high hopes for Clover. That girl is precious.

Dowser 2022/03/27(Sun)17:32 No. 1027464 ID: 77a030
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>Also, do the tail symbol for name and introduce yourself. You're Dowser!
Unfortunately, there aren't any ways of conveying names in tail signals, it's entirely just a system for conveying simple concepts.

>Check inventory.

Let's see... Pickaxe, dimming goggles, PDA, maps, an empty water canteen, antivenom, 2 bandages, nailgun with one full 30 nail magazine, a tobak jammer as well as 1(one) neumono alien missing 2(two) limbs. No knife.

>Ask mechanic if he has a knife
"A knife? Not exactly. I have a toolbox sitting in the back with a saw you can use to cut off a piece, but I'd appreciate it if you could get it back to me."

>Give pickaxe
I guess it's the closest thing I have to something a tribal would want.

>Ask Clay how to handle it.
I suppose I should give it a try, seeing as he does criticize my way of doing things. I don’t fully trust him, but I may as well use him while I have him.
"What do you think, Clay?"
"Oh, you're asking me? That's new. Not that I mind. Let's see... I think the most obvious choice is to give him the pickaxe."
"Seriously?"
"It's not like it's your only pick. You do own a few spares."
"Those are cheap, I don't own anything of good quality like this one, seeing as I had to borrow this from Lyvy."
"Your scavenging partner is a jerk."
"Still, it's bad form to trade his pick to a tribal. Imagine how pissed he'd be."
"Once you get paid, you can buy him a better one."
"Not a bad idea, but a newer, better one would cost 100 zeny, at least."
"Think of the long term. Neumono share emotions with other neumono, right? If you can get Kiero to warm up to you, you can get his hive to warm up to you as well. They might be willing to offer you more than just a pickaxe as compensation."

>>1027464
Yeah true. We should be able to get a replacement, and some good vibes go a long way. Go on then, do the trade.
Even if you don't get a bigger reward, better relations with the tribe will be rewarding on its own. Connections, yo!

Yeah, as long as the guy doesn't storm up to us demanding his pickaxe back the moment we ascend that elevator, there shouldn't be a problem with trading it here. Make sure you get a decent portion, though.

>>1027465
Yes, i agree. A pick should be a common tool in this parts, you'll find or buy a new one soon enough.
Remember to hold the pointy end of it, don't show any aggressive sings.

I'm glad Clay is in agreement, but what I want to see is his negotiation skills. How much meat can he get out of this exchange.

Consider the idea of giving tribal Tobak hallucinations.
Stop considering, that's a horrible idea.

Anyway if this is really for a trap then he won't need to other three legs, or the tail, he can keep the rest though.

Be careful though, this Tobak seems more savage than other savages, I mean, he doesn't even clean his weapons, even cavemen realize that neglecting your weapon ruins it.

Motion for "gimme BIG chunk of meat."

Clay has gotten a lot more mellow and positive since a few hours ago.
A surpris, to be sure, but a welcome one.

Give the lad the pickaxe handle first for a big-o-chunk of meat.

Is really worth trading to get part of that hunt piece? I mean, we don't really need the meat, is only convenient. We might find more animals in the road in exchange of some nails and time.

>Long term
Long term thinking is good if it works out, agreed. Fine point about the Neumono empathy possibly leading to some sympathy from the hive.

>>1027507
The convenience factor is high though, with our jammer's quickly ebbing battery. You probably want to have some juice left for going through the elevator / into the city, so the rock isn't detected as contraband or whatever.

If we'd had something better to trade, I'd suggest going for it, but unless our aggressive tribal friend is interested in an empty canteen, bandages and antivenom... hey, if the antivenom could be communicated he might be interested, that's not exactly something that'd be easy for a tribal to get their hands on, and I'm guessing you carry that for A Reason around here.

Either way, make the trade, no need to leave Kiero starving (and you might go for a nibble yourself). Use the mechanic's saw to speed up cutting up the parts of the kill that are edible, if needed. Don't forget to clean it up afterwards! It's only polite not to leave giblets on your new friends' tools, after all.

1/2 Dowser 2022/03/28(Mon)19:05 No. 1027558 ID: 77a030
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>He doesn't even clean his weapons, even cavemen realize that neglecting your weapon ruins it.
Looks like he just used it, So I can't blame him for being lax in that regard. He himself on the other hand, looks and smells like he could use a shower.

>Clay has gotten a lot more mellow and positive since a few hours ago.
I've noticed that too. Since he stopped pretending to be some kind of company mercenary, he is developing a personality of his own. If I were to guess, he's being influenced by all the positive interactions I've had with people.

I decide to give him the pick, it wasn't like I need one now that I'm heading back.

I hold it out, pointing the handle end at him first. He reluctantly moves over to me. As far as tribals go, this is as trusting as they get.

>Get a big piece
I'll try to negotiate for as big a piece as I can get.

'Big piece' I signal with my tails.
>'Half leg.'
'Full leg.'
>'Half.'
'Full back leg.'
>'No. half.'
'Full tail.'
>'No. leg.'
'Full head.'
>'Full front leg.'
'Agreed.'

Haggling, the oldest trick in the book. I motion to hand over the pick, and he takes it.

>'I remove piece. you stay.'
'Agreed.'

>Is really worth trading to get part of that hunt piece?
Maybe, maybe not. I doubt I can kill anything on my own with a nailgun, which are more or less designed to puncture vital organs, as opposed to instantly killing wildlife. If I brang a harpoon, that might be a different story. the trade may be a little steep for meat that doesn't taste that great, but it's the only way I can get decent food down here.

He hacks off a front leg with the pick and hands it to me. I'm satisfied, not the best deal ever, but it's a decent enough piece, and I'd like to see Kiero try eating it all before we get off the elevator.

2/2 Dowser 2022/03/28(Mon)19:05 No. 1027559 ID: 77a030
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I walk over to the bike, leg over my shoulder.

>Our jammer's quickly ebbing battery. You probably want to have some juice left for going through the elevator
That's a very good point... I shouldn't be keeping it on when I don't need it on. In the interest of saving the battery for later, and also so I can send messages to Clover, I'll turn it off.

I turn to the mechanic and tell him beforehand about the ore

"Hey, so uh, you've probably noticed the jammer I've had on, right? Well, I found it, and I've been using it to hide an emission given off this item I found."
>"The rock?"
"Oh, you know about it?"
>"When you walked into that razorworm nesting area and I was by myself, I noticed the jammer was on and went to turn it off to save the battery. That's when I noticed that there was something giving off a signal. Sorry for invading your privacy, but my curiosity tends to get the best of me sometimes!"
"So... you won't mind if I turn it off now?"
>"Not at all! don't worry, I won't try to take it from you. To tell you the truth, I've never seen anything like it. It's a curious object, isn't it? Very colorful... very smooth."

"... On an unrelated note, have you noticed anything weird lately?"
>"You've noticed it too? It's fine. If we keep moving, it'll probably stop following us."

huh... anyway, what message should I send to Clover?

>>1027559
Oof, you don't have the ore back in its box? You're gonna need to put it back before you get to any more Tobaks, to limit the spread of whatever it does.
Ask the mechanic what he's been seeing. Can he point it out to you? Is it something... familiar, maybe? Something he heard about before? He may be affected already, which means you're going to need to explain what it did to you so he doesn't freak out.

>>1027559
kk, so lets make sure that we are on the same page. What is following us? If it is an apparition, great, we know. If it isn't, then that is something that needs addressed.

"Thanks for the save back there, hope you're not dead. Let's meet up topside at my place."

>>1027559
>"You've noticed it too? It's fine. If we keep moving, it'll probably stop following us."
What’s he talking about?

>what message should I send to Clover?
Let the mechanic know that you’re going to use your PDA, so that he knows to put on his goggles. Don’t want to accidentally blind the guy driving!

Then thank Clover for her help and make sure she isn’t hurt.

>>1027564
>Oof, you don't have the ore back in its box? You're gonna need to put it back before you get to any more Tobaks, to limit the spread of whatever it does.
Can’t do that. We only grabbed the ore, we never picked up the box.

Raph, I appreciate the discretion, but I should explain the jammer was less to hide this thing and more to avoid exposing us to it's effects. I don't think the hallucinations stop when we are no longer subject to the magnetic emissions. The thing following you must be the result of the brief period you turned off the jammer. It get more intense. I'm really sorry.

>>1027577
Good, but do we have a place up topside?
Tell her next time you will invite her for something nice for a change.

>Clay
I think that momment in which you chosed to save Kiero was what made the change. You weren't being trully altruistic before that, and Clay reacted to that. I think he was traying to see what made you tick, and you showed him, your true self.
You might not be a saint, but you are a very good person, Dowser.

Dowser 2022/03/29(Tue)01:04 No. 1027591 ID: 77a030
File 164854109876.png - (264.40KB , 800x600 , TQ11.png )

"What exactly are you seeing?"
"I don't mean to concern you! I'm just seeing things in my old age is all."
He looks both ways and leans in for a whisper.
"I haven't looked at it directly, but I think there's something back there with you guys, hanging off the back." The whispering is unnecessary but I decide to play along.
"What does it look like?
"I don't know, I can see right through it. Whatever it is, I can only see its outline occasionally. It's small and isn't adding weight to the vehicle."
Are you sure you're ok?
"I may be getting old, but I don't doubt myself, not for a minute. Be careful back there."
"Right... Well, I'm going to be using my PDA for a bit, so watch out for some of the light it may give off."
"No problem! It shouldn't be bright enough to affect my sight."

I need to be careful with where I keep the ore in the future, lest I expose others to its effects.

I hand the meat over to Kiero.

>"Hold on... is this your arm or something?"
"It's meat. Picked fresh from a dead wild animal carcass. Dig in."
>"Oh, Dowser, this is... Wow I... you might wanna look away for this."

I let him dig in while I go through my PDA contacts.

First off, I send Clover a message.

'Dowser(You): thanks for the save back there, I couldn't have done it without you. hope you're not dead.'
>'Clover:I'm not dead! O\︿/O'
'Dowser(You): are you hurt?'
>'Clover: only a scratch on my arm, no biggie! I hardly noticed because the bio armor worked so well.'
She is typing pretty slowly.
'Dowser(You): mind telling me how bad it is?'
>'Clover: It's still mostly attached <3'
'Dowser(You): do you... need a doctor?'
>'Clover: Scientists are basically doctors, right? I'll just make my way 2 them.'
'Dowser(You): well alright. would you like to meet up together some time.'
>'Clover: Sure!! name a time and place!~~'


We are on the road again and nearing the checkpoint. It shouldn't be long before we reach the checkpoint, but I still have time to burn.

How about you offer Kiero a hand? It must be hard to eat with only one arm in complete darkness. It will be an even harder task when we start to move again.
Just be careful to not get bitten. You wouldn't want to wait for your fingers to regrow.

Do you know a medical doctor? Asking a favor from one is the only timely thing you can do for Clover at the moment.
Not sure why we didn't regroup after escaping the worms. In hindsight we should have taken the wounded for a check up before travelling to the elevator...

Take a look at the back of the vehicle, to confirm it's an ore-hallucination. You're gonna want to tell him about it eventually... Also take a look around, see if anything's nearby.

Also chat with Kiero a bit, ask about Neumono biology. Confirm/deny rumors.

And tell Ralph he need to make peace with his ghost. This will keep following him, so he should be at least mentally prepared.

Maybe the bar near the entrance to this cave system would be a good meeting place.

Now that you have light, make a funny face at Kiero.

>Meeting place
Definitely somewhere where you can reward her for her stupidly brave and literally life-saving favor. Pick a bar, restaurant, mess hall or something similar that serves food and drink. If you can find somewhere where they sell something sweet and luxurious like desserts, that'd be ideal. Oooh hey, actually, does Kiero know of a food place that could fit the bill? Heck, if his Hive runs any side businesses maybe you could get to eat exotic food at an alien restaurant!

As for time... uh, this evening or tomorrow for breakfast/lunch? Whichever allows her to get medical attention and you to make preparations as well as enough time to resolve Kiero's situation, figure out a way to deal with the rock magnetism (need a faraday-style container, probably), fetch your reward of zeny from Napoleon, do some purchases and resolve any other matters awaiting you back home (like 'where's my pickaxe'). Keep in mind that Kiero's hive might want to send you back out there with some well-equipped worm-killin' people to fetch that valuable data that was left behind!

>>1027595
They might keep following him and come closer. We don't know how much exposure to the rock is required to fully form someone like Clay after all, whether it's just a matter of time, or if these shadows can fade in time if not exposed further. Didn't seem to have fully triggered with Axyl, after all, who also reported seeing a shadowy figure simply from getting close to the refinery, so that's... kind of an indication of this rock's reach.

>Warning Axyl
You could probably pop off a message to them and ask if he's seen any more shadows and tell him not to panic if they get closer and reveal themselves. Just assert you think there's some funny business going on, but whoever it is might not be inherently hostile, just to clue him in.

Meanwhile, out of the other Tobaks you've been with so far, Raphyl's definitely been the most exposed, so... you have to deal with that. Sure, it's his own fault, but it was due to a mix of curiosity and kindness, so some warning definitely seems warranted. He appears smart so you might as well suggest some things to him rather than have him panic at a new headbud before he can put two and two properly together.

>Warning / including Raphyl
To avoid the 'being seen as insane' thing, just tell him that truth be told, after getting the rock you started seeing a shadow too, and another Tobak reported something along the same lines who you think got close-ish to it. It seems like something about the magnetic nature of the rock does it and it may get more intense with more exposure, which he accidentally inflicted on himself. But you think that if he stays calm and keeps cool things will be just fine, even if things get a little weird.

Hopefully it won't be too troublesome to figure out. You don't think he should, uh, bring attention to those effects until you can figure out what this rock really is and does. Still, if it's fair to say the four - uh - two of you should keep in touch, yeah?

>Pass time
Definitely observe with increasing awe as Kiero devours that leg. If there is time left over and he doesn't end up in a food coma, ask him some edging-on-personal questions about his hive. What're they like?!

>>1027598
A Faraday Cage is not capable of containing magnetic fields generated inside of it.

Axyl was exposed to the rock effect from far away because of his sensitive antlers. It's not an indication of the rock's range for cave tobaks.

It's a good idea to warn Axyl.

>>1027608
Good point on the antlers. «Faraday-style» as in ‘like a Faraday cage only for magnetism, however that would work’, yeah. Should have clarified.

Dowser 2022/03/29(Tue)21:24 No. 1027618 ID: 77a030
File 164861424113.png - (211.91KB , 800x600 , TQ12.png )

>Do you know a medical doctor?
Eh, not really. All the good ones work for mining companies. The only one I know of is... less than legitimate.

>Take a look at the back of the vehicle, to confirm it's an ore-hallucination. You're gonna want to tell him about it eventually... Also take a look around, see if anything's nearby.
I look at the back, but I don't see anything.

I turn to Raph
"Uh, I think what you may have seen might be the symptom of interacting with something with hallucinogenic properties..."
"I didn't put anything like that in my vape. You have a nailgun, right? Why don't you fire a few shots, just to be sure?"
"Look... I went through a similar thing before, ok? It started with me seeing a shadow too."
"This thing isn't a shadow. It's like... an outline, but I only notice it at the corner of my eye. It doesn't work if you try to look directly at it."
"Well, uh... Make peace with your ghost, however long it may follow you."

I imagine this is how I'd sound if I told anyone about Clay, more the reason why I should keep it to myself.

>make a funny face at Kiero.
He seems too concentrated on eating than to see me do something foolish. For the best, perhaps.

>Warn Axyl about effects of ore.
I don't know if he has been exposed to it though. He did describe seeing a shadow, but that might just have been a person. I still don't know if the ore only effects Tobaks or not. Its full effects and origins are still completely unknown to me. Is it even from this planet? I sure hope it's worth something for all the trouble.

How about you offer Kiero a hand?
"Need a hand with that?"
>"It's ok! You've already done a bunch for me, I should be able to do this by myself."

"I wanted to ask another thing. What's your hive like?"
>"My hive? I suppose you could say they are a lot like me. We tend to be pretty serious at times, but we each have a softer side who we only show to those we trust. Some of us are pretty small like myself, with origins from jungles, while others are a lot taller, like some of the red grass and snow guys. Not to mention the queen! But in general, a lot of us are on the shorter side, at least compared to a lot of the other aliens. Let's see... We have some history, but in general, we have been a hive that got comfortable around caves since the primitive days and tried to become an asteroid mining company sometime after a really big hive war. The asteroid thing didn't pan out so well and we became an interplanetary excavation company soon after, and we came to this planet during its big 'gold rush' so to speak."
"I think I've seen a few of you guys working for the other companies."
>"Really? We don't... Oh, you're probably thinking of rogues. As far as we know, my hive is the only hive operating on this planet."
"What's a rogue?"
>"In simple terms, someone who is exiled from their hive, and is on their own. It's the last thing a neumono wants to be. It's... not a good existence, from what I understand. Many prefer death than to be alone."
Seems to describe my scavenging partner, even though he isn’t an alien.
"Grim."
>"I don't mean to bum you out! As much as I dislike feeling the empathy they give off, I try my best not to contribute to their misery. Next time you meet one, try to be nice to them, ok?"

Look dude, if this is a matter of pride I will let you struggle, but holding the meat near your face is very simple task for me. I got nothing to do other than watch you attempt to separate meat from bone with your teeth in a shaking mine car when you are completely blind. I'm worried you might stab your face.

So you guys used to hang out in dark caves without dark vision? How did you menage that?
Were those three variants of neumono already part of the hive since the primitive days? When and why did they join together?
A big war sound like an interesting event. What was that about?
What was the problem with the asteroid?
What is so special about our planet? Why is better to mine here than anywhere else?

What can possibly drive a hive to give a neumono such a cruel fate?

Of course, we should ask if neumonos make a noise and come from eggs. Clay asked, after all.

Ask neumono biology questions.

>Don't give solo Neumono any guff
Noted.

Helping him eat is really no bother, but he's free to finesse it himself if he feels fine. Sounds like he's got a good hive, though!

(And definitely sounds like they might be interested in strange magnetic minerals.)

>>1027634
I think perhaps we should get Clay to specify what kind of noise he means if that is to be asked.

>Will he be okay?
So, not to bring him down or anything, but will he be fine without an arm and a leg? Tobaks are 'almost built for cybernetics' or whatever - if they can afford 'em! - but how will getting prostheses work out for him? You don't exactly know a lot about Neumono biology.

>Tell Kiero of Clover and Raphyl
They were both really essential in his rescue as well, but he didn't so much see it. Give them their fair shake!

>Ask for diner tips for your meeting with Clover
Say, while he's chowing down, does he know of a good place to eat, someplace serving anything sweet?

I'm starting to think that the reason why everyone was dead in the place were we found the stone is because that shadow in the corner of their eye.
Maybe they all got in contact with the stone and produced massive paranoia.
At the beguining you saw it too, but now, you only see Clay.

>>1027652
Dowser's shadow was never see-through, was it? It was a uniform grey mass that came closer and cohered into Clay the more he paid attention to it.

Maybe our headbud's the result of a more special case, such as being exposed to the rock WHILE thinking hard about the shape at the edge of his perception? We'll have to keep in touch with Raphyl (and possibly Alyx) and see, I guess.

1/3 Dowser 2022/03/31(Thu)09:06 No. 1027723 ID: 77a030
File 164874280540.png - (263.29KB , 800x600 , TQ13.png )

"So, you guys used to hang out in dark caves without dark vision? How did you manage that?"
>"Oh, we didn't live in caves or anything. We just got more comfortable exploring them than other hives. I guess that was our specialty. There are no cave neumono, but I guess there are caving hives.
"Were those three variants of neumono already part of the hive since the primitive days? When and why did they join together?"
>"Oh... I don't know. I'm actually one of the younger members of my hive, so I wasn't around when all this happened. My queen would probably know, she's been around a while."
"A big war sounds like an interesting event. What was that about?"
>"There were plenty of hive wars, but there was a big one in particular which made us decide to make the jump off world. I couldn't tell you how it ended, since the details get all murky, all I know is that the war hive started it."
"What was the problem with the asteroid?"
>"Asteroids aren't like planets, they are built all sorts of different, and tend to have little quirks that are insanely difficult to work around. It's too risky for a small company like ours."
"What is so special about our planet? Why is it better to mine here than anywhere else?"
>"Because you have a very special planet. Abundant with all sorts of goodies, it’s no wonder why the first company to find out about this place tried to keep it a secret for so long. It's still fairly unknown, seeing as hardly anybody in the outer galaxy knows about tobaks or any of the other sapient species that live here. I think that’s because the big companies agreed to keep the cheap and readily available labourers a secret from governing eyes.

It only took a short while, but we arrive at the edge of the light field

"This is as far as I can go. I need to head back and return to the others."
"Thanks for the ride."
>"Yeah, much appreciated!"
"If you ever have a salvaged vehicle that needs work done to it, take it down to my shop on level three. You have my contact info if you need it."

I take my stuff and wave Raphyl goodbye.

2/3 Dowser 2022/03/31(Thu)09:07 No. 1027724 ID: 77a030
File 164874283134.png - (278.62KB , 800x600 , TQ14.png )

I slip my goggles on and we walk through the light blocking field into an open area with roads and a booth. I make my way over the building to gain access to the gate.

>"I-I can see again! I thought I'd never see another thing here again! Let me tell you, I've never been so happy to see caves again! Oh, I can see you now! Oh... sorry for getting blood on you."
"It's no problem. Just try not to get any on my goggles."

"I should probably let you know that Raphyl there and another tobak by the name of Clover were crucial in your rescue. I can’t take all the credit."
>"More than one tobak huh? I had no idea you were all so nice..."
"Not all tobaks are nice, but independents like to watch each other’s backs and help where we can."

"Say, where'd that meat go?"
>"I was full. It tasted a little funny, but I won't complain! I left what I couldn't finish back in that vehicle for the other guy to finish off."
"Awfully nice of you..." He does actually feel heavier, but I won't say anything. Don't want to hurt his feelings after all.
"On a semi related note, do you know any good places to eat?"
>"I don't suppose my company cafeteria counts. Well, other companies have semi-public restaurants, but those are usually too classy and expensive for normal tobaks."
"I won't lie, alien food beats tobak food by miles. Which explains why lots of us prefer to get paid with food."


"So, are you really going to be ok with just an arm and a leg?"
>"Trust me, I think I'll be just fine! "
It's good to be optimistic at even the worst of times.

3/3 Dowser 2022/03/31(Thu)09:07 No. 1027725 ID: 77a030
File 164874285602.png - (170.98KB , 800x600 , TQ15.png )

I walk up to the counter, still carrying Kiero on my back. Why in the world do they build these counters so tall? I can only just see over it.
"Uh... hello?"

>"Anything to declare?"
It's an alien. One of those funny looking ones.

This isn't a company depot, right? Just an elevator checkpoint. So, declare your weapons and jammer, plus an injured person who we need to escort to an actual doctor; no need to tell them about anything else.

>Anything to declare
"One rescue and that Razorwyrms remain terrifying."

What else to declare... uh, a nail gun? A jammer? Does that count? Actually, no, that's working equipment. Should be, anyway.

Assorted minor salvage, you guess, from the bits and bobs you picked up? You sort of prioritized the rescue this time, and had a cash-in from ambushing the bandits.

Maybe only declare things you have to, and definitely don't declare the rock. Keep the jammer on for now. If prompted about why it's on, say you forgot, if pressed to turn it off, do so, if it's just the alien here, then turn it on again once you're past.

>>1027726
Wait, aren't we going to take him directly to his hive?

You know what, let's not assume anything. Ask what he mean and tell the minimum amount of information necessary.

>>1027725
Aren't all aliens funny looking? What kind is behind the counter? One of the taller species I bet.

>>1027725
>Why in the world do they build these counters so tall? I can only just see over it.
It's not tall, you're just short.

>"Anything to declare?"
Tell them what you've got with you.

>>1027744
We've still got to get past this checkpoint and go up the elevator first.

>>1027725

Let's see ... a rescued neumono, some assorted junk, a few good deeds, and not much else.

>Anything to declare?
Just some funny looking ore we're hoping to get appraised, and a jammer. Don't specify whether the jammer is on or not unless directly asked though.

Dowser 2022/03/31(Thu)18:01 No. 1027782 ID: 77a030
File 164877487182.png - (288.56KB , 800x600 , TQ16.png )

>This isn't a company depot, right?
Just something put in to stop raiders and the like from freely traveling between the levels. To my knowledge, the Saxum Overwatch isn't a company, more of a loose police force of sorts to keep things in check. Which isn’t to say they aren’t bought and paid for by all the big companies in some form.

>Wait, aren't we going to take him directly to his hive?
Some of his hive are at his companies depot station, my plan is to bring him over to them and they can bring him to their HQ or whatever.

>It's not tall, you're just short.
I always forget that when I hang around people who are just as short as me all the time.

>Aren't all aliens funny looking? What kind is behind the counter? One of the taller species I bet.
They are all taller than us, with some neumono being the exception. Maybe Yich eaters too? I don't know, I've never seen one before.

The one sitting before me is a human. He is looking down at some kind of paper as he talks to me. I have a clear view of his boots, which by the look of it, seem as though he has never taken a step in any dirt or rocks judging by how clean they are.

>Ask what he means and tell the minimum amount of information necessary.
"Anything I should know about what you're asking?"
>"Just standard procedure. Just need to know if you're holding onto anything you're not supposed to like unapproved equipment or prohibited substances or whatever."
"Let's see... I have a nailgun, a tobak jammer, minor salvage, and small items I came in with like my PDA and bandages. I also want to declare that razorworms are terrifying."
>"You said it. I hate those things."
"Oh, also I have this rescued alien who needs to see a doctor."
>"Really, is that so-"
He looks up and sees Kiero.
>"Oh. It's just a neuomono. You want an aspirin or something?"
He sits back and stares at the both of us.
>"...This is the first time I think I've ever seen a space rabbit and a space goat next to each other. First time for everything, I guess. Is he wearing lipstick?"
"S-something like that."
>"Whatever. They don't pay me enough to care about who puts what on their face. One last order of business before I let you two through. What are your names and where are you two headed? It doesn't really matter if I'll be honest with you guys. I just need something to put on paper."

>>1027782
I guess there's no reason not to give your name, and state you're going in to finish the rescue mission and maybe look around a bit?

Kiero and... Bowser.

If it doesn't matter then our names are Yellow and Green. Two "L"s and two "E"s.
We are going to wherever the hive neumonos are.

>>1027782
I'm John Doe
He's Johnny Doe.

I always thought that neumonos were like dogs.

Odd phrasing, given we're nowhere near the goatiest species out there.

There actually is a reason not to give our real name here; someone trying to look into who brought the supernatural rock back from the group that got disappeared (assuming word gets back to the Heef and/or Pomi) will think to investigate recent arrivals at this checkpoint, given we'd have to go here if we were at the meeting place.

On that note, we want an alias that isn't painfully obvious, like one letter off or a physical descriptor. "Call me Nemo." (Plausibly sounds like a real name, while also being cheeky. At most, they'll figure out that this is a classic 'nobody' alias.) "I need to get this guy back to his hive. Maybe they'll finance him some cybernetics? I dunno."

>>1027782
>"Oh. It's just a neuomono. You want an aspirin or something?"
The fact that he's offering an aspirin to a guy that's missing an arm and a leg should let you know that Kiero's injuries probably aren't as bad as they look.

Or maybe he doesn't like Neumono for some reason.

We can give Kiero's name, I doubt they know that we saved him.
We can also give our name because they don't know our name either.
I mean seriously, they probably wouldn't know who took it, giving a fake name just gives them a lead.
"Dowser and Kiero."

>>1027804
I mean asprin is a blood thinner so it seems a terrible thing to offer someone with fresh limb stumps

>There actually is a reason not to give our real name here; someone trying to look into who brought the supernatural rock back from the group that got disappeared (assuming word gets back to the Heef and/or Pomi) will think to investigate recent arrivals at this checkpoint, given we'd have to go here if we were at the meeting place.
That said, no one will learn about the rock until well after it's explicitly out of our hands, and they'll most likely learn about the buyer first (like, learning "company X bought the rock" will be how they learned it turned up in the first place)

Lying about your name is weird, especially when you'll be going back and forth here in the future and people more observant than this fellow may catch on. It's Dowser and... (allow Kiero to name themselves on the off chance he DOES want to lie).

Man, that guy is REALLY just a wrinkly bag of skin, isn't he? Barely any fur at all! And where are his ears?!

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/01(Fri)10:52 No. 1027899 ID: 77a030
File 164883555862.png - (315.84KB , 800x600 , TQ17.png )

I decide to let Kiero give real identity because he already has his company affiliation, no need to hide it. I, on the other hand, who may have done something perhaps wrong along the line pertaining to property damage, may want to distance myself from it.
>giving a fake name just gives them a lead.
It's fiiiine, people put down fake names all the time. It isn't like I'll stand out.

"I'm Kiero! from the hive company."
"And I am... Jane Dow...ser..."
>"How original. That doesn't even sound like a tobak name. Where are all the y's?"
"Uhhh... Jany Doy."
>"Much better."
He writes our names onto a sheet.
>"Now, where you two headed?"
"To a depot area toward whichever elevator is heading up. Maybe hang around a bit while we wait for the elevators."
>"Thank you for your cooperation. You can head through."

"Isn't aspirin a blood thinner? Wouldn't that be bad for someone with open wounds?"
>"I wasn't offering it to the neumono. I was offering it to you, for that headache you got from stressing over such a thing."
"Huh? Do you dislike neumono or something?"
>"You must be new to aliens. You'll figure it out. We all do eventually."

"When's the next upward elevator arriving?"
>"Let me check... Elevator fourteen, in about fifteen minutes."
"Thanks. Well, have a good afternoon." I say, picking up my things and getting ready to head to the gate.
>"It's morning actually. Is there a reason you have a jammer, by the way? Eh, never mind. I don't actually care."

>Man, that guy is REALLY just a wrinkly bag of skin, isn't he? Barely any fur at all! And where are his ears?!
All of this is very true. Does he even have a single tail to balance himself with? I won't say any of this aloud, I don't want to hurt his feelings. He is very unfluffy. Would not hug.

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/01(Fri)10:52 No. 1027900 ID: 77a030
File 164883557203.png - (246.54KB , 800x600 , TQ18.png )

We head on through the gate into a larger area. There are a whole bunch of people, species from this planet as well as lots of aliens, almost all of which are taller than me and my green friend. I think we almost have one of everything besides some of the more fringe species, but for the most part, the area has loads of tobaks, around 80 percent from what I see.

There are all sorts of things like vending machines and lockers for people to use. I'll be on the lookout for miss Napoleon-complex who owes me half a grand in zeny, but it may take a while to spot her in a crowd. (Being so short and all!)

>"You know, being in public now, maybe this blood all over my face isn't a great look."
"It totally looks like you chewed off your own limbs."
>"Oh, wow it totally does."

I guess I need to burn 15 minutes before the elevator gets here.

>>1027900
Look for a water closet to wash Kiero off a bit. Also look for Napoelon.

Side thought: How much charge left on the jammer? Will it last you all the way up?

Hm. Can you recharge it here somewhere in a socket? And/or position yourself somewhere so that it being on isn't terribly obvious to all of the many, many Tobaks waiting on this lift?

Tose interstellar companies have an uncanny talent to attract an almost uniform number of each of their member species to wherever they go.

Unfortunately our payment will have to wait another meeting opportunity. Fifteen minutes is not a lot of time to wash blood on fur. We will be spending this time in the bathroom getting soaked from a sink and wasting all the paper towel just to go from covered in blood to partially smeared.

I bet your own arm would taste much better than the one you ate.

>>1027899
>"You must be new to aliens. You'll figure it out. We all do eventually."
You should ask Kiero what that guy was talking about.

>>1027900
Ask Kiero if he sees anyone from his hive.

>>1027900
Wow, they really don't give a shit. They seriously let you through with an ewar suite. You could really fuck things up if you turned that on high, what with gumming up all the comms in the vicinity.

By the way, does the jammer have eccm (counter-jamming, so using it to unjam an area if there is another jammer) and/or false positive creation capabilities?

--

Well, we only have fifteen minutes, so lets hoof it to the elevator.

>>1027900

There a washroom or somewhere Kiero can get cleaned up?

Wash dirty neumono.

>>1027900

Tolbak sighted! But who is she?

Let's get that blood of your face. You have to be... half presentable when we encounter your hive.

>>1027900
Ask Kiero if they’re a male or a female. You’ve never met any neumono before, so you’re not sure how to tell the boys apart from the girls yet.

>>1027944
Someone we don’t know.

>>1027966
We already know he's a boy

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/02(Sat)08:16 No. 1028021 ID: 77a030
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>Tobak sighted! But who is she?
I don't know. Some hired hand by the looks of it. probably waiting for someone to show up or for the elevator like all the other contractors that hang around here.

>How much charge left on the jammer? Will it last you all the way up?
For sure. it's more what comes after that which I'll need to be quick about, I'm not really comfortable with giving everyone around me imaginary friends.

>Hm. Can you recharge it here somewhere in a socket? And/or position yourself somewhere so that it being on isn't terribly obvious to all of the many, many Tobaks waiting on this lift?
There are a few places where I can charge stuff, unfortunately I don't seem to have a cable that'll plug into the jammer. Having it set to the minimum range and avoiding people is good enough for people not to notice I don't have it turned on. Some of the tobaks walking past notice, but they all know to keep to themselves.

>Those interstellar companies have an uncanny talent to attract an almost uniform number of each of their member species to wherever they go.
Must be a pride thing. Then again, you won't see any tobaks on any other worlds. Or any of the others for that matter. If we ever do go offworld, it's usually for jobs in dark places where nobody ever sees us, like vents or sewers.

>Ask Kiero if he sees anyone from his hive.
"Do you see anyone from your hive down here?"
>"Nope, and I wouldn't expect to, they don't know I would be around here after all. I do see one neumono, but she looks like she works for security."
"By the way, what did the guy at the desk mean about me figuring something out eventually about aliens? I feel out of the loop."
>"Us neumono are made of sturdy stuff! Not to say I didn't almost die myself before you rescued me, but we do have like... twelve hearts or something."

>Is there a washroom or somewhere Kiero can get cleaned up?
All I can see are these big 'bathroom' houses they put up everywhere. I don't know why they call them that, I would seriously not recommend bathing in there. But beggars can't be choosers, and it does at the very least have a sink in there.
"Try not to take too long to wash all that off, elevator will be here soon. Feel free to waste as many paper towels as you like, they let you do it."
>"Feel free to wander around, I'll still be here!"

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/02(Sat)08:17 No. 1028022 ID: 77a030
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>look for Napoleon.
I have yet to meet this Napoleon guy, and I am yet to know why he was so complex, but I'm sure we'll have a chance to meet someday.

In the meantime, I look for Louise, which doesn't take long, as I spot her signature red hat. She seems to be with an alien, a Pomi if I'm not mistaken. I don't know much about pomi, just that they import good sea food.

I try not to laugh, she's so short. I succeed for the most part, but I did crack a smile. She's like what, 5 foot something?

>"As promised."
She says, handing me the zeny chip.
"Pleasure doing business, Louise. Say, is that alien your escort?"
>"Oui. She is a geologist that needed protection while she came down to take cave samples."
"Awwww, Louise, who's your friend? He's adorable!"
>"Dowser? He is... Perhaps more... an associate."
"Why do you speak so funny?"
>"I speak eight languages, but I need more practise with English, as my French tends to show through a lot."
"Neat. I only know how to speak human."
>"je vois. I'm glad you were there to help me today. I did not want to have to ask Clover for help."
"Why not? Are you afraid she would say no?"
>"Non. Have you ever seen her say 'no' to anybody? It is just that she and I have history. She is nice, but her flaws put her on a path that I cannot foresee leading to any place good."
"You're probably just jealous because she's taller than you."
>"That too. She is unnaturally huge, why wouldn't I jealous? However, I do not envy being a scientist's pet."

Which scientist is petting Clover? You should introduce yourself to this one too.
Anywhere to spend these credits? Maybe on a lead lined box?

She should give Clover some credit, she helped a lot against those worm things. She might be too friendly, yes, but she is reliable.
I hope she gets safely back soon.

>>1028022
Please don't use that color for the Pomi text. It is really hard to read.

>english, french, only speak human
You are adorable.

>>1028040

Allow me to recommend the "Nice" or "Pony" theme for maximum pomi-text viewability.

>Scientist's pet
You dunno, it seems to come with awesome benefits? She has a Tobak biosuit and a railgun now! Crazy stuff, came in real handy when she basically took one a whole nest's worth of razorwyrms. Well, besides the BIG one the radio tower fell on.

(just stop and consider that this was something that actually happened)

Wow... yeah, that was wild. What a trip this has been.

Anyway, glad to see their scientist came out of it alright! Got any good core samples out of that run, ma'am? Say, if she'd like to avoid the raider danger in the future, maybe she should just hire some local, trustworthy independent Tobaks to take her samples for her?

(Also, you're a local, trustworthy independent Tobak.)

>>1028022
If the jammer's going to run out before you're clear and you don't have the shielded box anymore, then you need to ask someone for help. Hey you're talking to someone who can probably keep a secret why don't you ask her?

Dowser, you are kind of mean to the ladies. What is that about?
And you seem to have a very specific size preference.

What did you do to attract raiders with their pants down? Those guys were low on fuel, caring a hostage and afraid of be killed by someone name Lak.

Clover is a bit too wiling to take risks, but the things she is capable of doing are incredible. I asked her help expecting some cover fire, she end up wrestling razorworms and won! I never see anything like that.

> Ms. Napoleon complex speaks French primarily...
Oh my god, it keeps getting better. You can't not have her down as "Napoleon" in your PDA!

> I only speak human. :v
Humans have a lot of languages, actually! The one you're speaking is English, which was adopted by pretty much everyone. French is another, but it's a lot more niche, so I'm not sure how Louise came to learn it and... wow, six others before getting around to English. You should compliment her on her progress towards becoming a polyglot, BTW!

"By the way, Clover's scientist wouldn't happen to be a Yicht Eater, would they?" If so: "Ooh, yeah, that thing he said makes sense, now."

Dowser 2022/04/02(Sat)22:21 No. 1028139 ID: 77a030
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>Dowser, you are kind of mean to the ladies. What is that about?
I am? Maybe I've picked up some of Lyvy's mannerisms by accident. He isn’t mean to ladies, but he is mean to everyone.

>you seem to have a very specific size preference.
I don't know about that! While being tall is considered an attractive attribute in females, most including myself aren't super picky about it.

"Being a scientist's pet seems to come with some pretty awesome benefits. Have you seen the equipment they let her use?"
>"It's all neat now, but it'll go bad before you know it. Scientists push buttons and wait to see what goes wrong, it's their job. She signed every contract they handed her, so they can do whatever they want, like a full lobotomy or brain transplant. I distanced myself from them the first chance I got."
"You were around Clover's team of scientists?"
>"Yes, we were in the same control group in a study which examined the correlation between physical development and intelligence. I'd say the results speak for themselves if Clover's size and room temperate IQ are of any indication. Though that was years ago, I've moved on to other things."
"Give Clover some credit, she went above and beyond and wrestled razorworms today."
>"Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do..."


"What did you do to attract raiders?"
>"Exist, I assume. Perhaps they thought we were holding onto something valuable, or perhaps they would try take us hostage. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Hey Pomi lady, if you'd like to avoid the raider danger in the future, why don't you hire some local, trustworthy independent tobaks in the future? On an unrelated note, I am all those things."
"Is that an offer, is it? Perhaps we could work something out once I'm done with my job for today."
>"I would appreciate it if you didn't steal my clients, as much I can appreciate the hustle. If you're looking for work, you should maybe look into all those tobak disappearances. I hear they are paying for any clues you send in."
"Disappearances? What disappearances?"
>"People have been hanging up missing posters all over the place for at least a month or two. If you feel like playing detective, maybe look into that."

>Anywhere to spend these credits. Maybe on a lead lined box?
I don't see any shops down here, but I am thinking about all the new equipment I should get. I'm thinking a new PDA and goggles with all sorts of features. The only place I could spend any of this new cash are one of the various automatic vendors.

>Tobak Disappearances

Say... were any potentially in possession of mysterious packages, or killed with a nail shotgun and/or shot to the head, that are known? Or simply vanished to never resurface, body and all?

Any fancy pick axes around? Or other mining tools you could use.

>>1028139
Ask her if she knows where you could get an EM-shielded box.

Don't ask about the box down here, then. Save your credits and grab one of these missing posters to look into.

>>1028141
I just realize how strange those head wounds should be Dowser. At the time it was just a passing remark, it wasn't obvious to us what should be to him: if that was a bullet mark it meant it was done with a fire weapon that would blind any tobak around.
I don't think he could make the leap of logic to conclude it was a cattle gun. Is there even slaughterhouses for large animals around here? Maybe it's a component of the nailguns...

>missing posters
Do you know how many corpses I came across just wandering? It didn't even occurred to me anyone cared around here.
There is even some scientists interested in tobak corpses. That is what happened to those raiders, by the way. Although admittedly the guy who took them was a kidnapped scientist himself, so some of those could be alive.
What is the job? Locate their respective demise coordenastes? That is simple enough. Identify the dead? Very few I could do from memory. Discover who did it? There are so many answers for that one...

>steal my clients
You are a body guard. It's not like I can do what you can. I just fetch stuff.

>lined box
That wouldn't work.
Imagine if Dowser were to use a tinfoil hat that doesn't touch his horns. This tin Faraday Cage would prevent Dowser from sensing any other male tobak, but his own magnetic emissions would still be sensed by the others.
Just by explaining the properties we want for the box we would be revealing we are trying to hide something small that emit electric or magnetic signals. It shouldn't be a common item, so buying one would leave a paper trail for any future investigation.
If we want to keep this secret for much longer the best we can do is recharge the jammer. So if anything we should buy a cord.

>new PDA
If you can get one with non-luminous screen it would be a great improvement.
Just save some money to buy chocolate for Clover.

Dowser 2022/04/03(Sun)04:07 No. 1028167 ID: 77a030
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>Ask her if she knows where you could get an EM-shielded box.
I think it could be a good idea to know, but I feel like she'd only ask questions instead of giving answers. It's also a tad specific, I don't know where you could acquire one in the first place.

>non-luminous screen PDA
If there is such a thing, it'd be a convenient thing to invest in. But if I had the cash to shell on something fancy like that, I might as well get cool cyborg eyes, so I don't have to worry about light exposure in the first place.

I look around for the missing posters, and it doesn't take long to find a wall with a bunch. I can even see someone nailing a few of his own on the wall, he looks very uneasy though, probably the shy type who would rather not be here but misses someone too much.

I pick one of the posters off the wall and look at all the others. One thing becomes clear very quickly, all those who have gone missing were not affiliated with any company, or in other words, were independents. That explains why I haven't heard about this and also who no big investigation has happened, seeing as the companies have no reason to care.

All the disappearances range from going missing 50 days ago to as recent as 2 days ago. Apparently, they all just vanished without a trace, no bodies or big clues have been found. It seems to only happen to male tobaks who were by themselves, or very small groups that go missing all at once. Attempts to trace electronics always fail, so these guys aren’t all just getting lost.

Just then, I hear a familiar voice speaking frantically from an enclosed alley.
"It's fine! Everything worked out! Well, not everything... we can get the key back."
Another voice responds, a female, the species of which I am not familiar with.
>"Forget the key. We can get it back. You being out here and running your mouth is what might become a problem. You speak so much when you feel threatened, you know that? We didn't expect the raiders to turn on us soon, but had the circumstances been different, Stair would've locked you in that server room with a bomb collar strapped to your neck like your assistant."
"Th-that won't be necessary!"
>"I'm just telling it like it is. So. who besides the raiders knows about what you do."

Uh-oh. Keep listening, stay out of their sightlines if possible.

>>1028167
Sounds like the tobak with no pants that you rescued is here. At least we know he arrived safely. And it sounds like he's being scolded for running his mouth.

On one hand, I think you should reveal yourself to try and get a reward for rescuing the guy with no pants. On the other hand, I'm worried that the alien female might only threaten you to keep you from mentioning anything the guy with no pants said to you.

It might be best to just ignore them and go get Kiero, so you can be ready and don’t have to worry about missing the elevator.

>I might as well get cool cyborg eyes
Maybe I should start to collect those old e-books readers. Apparently they will be worth a fortune in the distant future.

Targeting unaffiliateds could be done by many opportunistic criminals, but to clean after imply a more methodical approach. Unless those people are really dedicate to avoid be investigated they likely have a use to the corpses. Which coincidentally remind me of Kell.

Just poke your head to see if he is about to denounce us for knowing too much. Although ironically bossy lady just made more incriminating comments than he ever did.

You should keep listening, for sure. I don't know if you can effectively peek without sticking your snout or horns out super far, however; it'd be gambling on who's facing the entrance.

... Maybe arm your nail gun, if you still have it?

>Secret laboratory, assistant with bomb collar, working with the raiders, Kell actually wanting to keep the bodies
It's getting more and more verified that Kellie is not exactly working for great people here! He didn't seem too terrible himself, at least. More stuck in a sticky situation (what with also being threatened with bomb collar!).

Let's hang back a bit and see if he'll actually blab (he might not, despite being a blabberer - you did after all, not act like a dick with him and also rescued his life). Maybe take a peek on who he's with? Not sure we should get involved in a longer conversation here. We do need to get back to Kiero before the 15 minutes are up and I really don't think we should miss our elevator, given the jammer battery situation.

Though you could rip the bandaid premptively and decisively get to know who this 'seems like trouble' lady is by peeking in 'by chance' to see him (plus whoever he's with!), then say 'Oh hey, it's that guy I rescued! You still doing okay there, buddy?' and just wander on up and get introduced to his skeevy and clearly criminal alien lady friend. Gives you a chance to control the narrative and steer it away from Kell having blabbed about the CAI.

>2+2=???
Weird magnetic rock that affects Tobaks weirdly. Tobaks that won't be missed (much) going missing.

Is someone kidnapping test subjects in the area?

>>1028167

Oh shit. Miiiiight be time to make ourselves scarce, since there is NO WAY, Pantless Mc Nerdface isn't going to recognize us and start babbling incoherently (again).

Is he about to spill the beans on us? Stick around and find out!

>>1028167
>ebook reader
Seriously, electric ink screens aren't that expensive. Rare maybe, but not expensive.

>EM Box
I mentioned before that we just need some fine metal mesh and line a box with it. It should make a decent faraday cage. The mesh could be off of window screens or computer filters.

keep flipping thru the sheets, but put your full attention on eavesdropping the conversation. Make sure you DO NOT get caught. They sound like the type that would reward your heroism permanently.

>>1028211
Well, we could do that, but we'd need to know what wavelength the ore is outputting, to ensure the cage is thick enough.
If we can get a box made of a high enough purity ferromagnetic material, that'd work too.

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/03(Sun)23:43 No. 1028214 ID: 77a030
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>... Maybe arm your nail gun, if you still have it?
I have it on me. I hold it close, but I hopefully won't need to use it.

I'm curious about the conversation, but I don't want to make myself known to them. I do want to take a peek, just to confirm that the voice belongs to who I think it does.

It's the pantsless guy. I actually forgot his name, I guess he wasn't really that memorable to me. He isn't looking my way, so he doesn't see me. I can't see who he is talking to, as she seems to be standing opposite to him just out of view. they are both in a dead end, I'm currently standing next to the only way out.

"Calm down, I didn't tell anybody directly about what I do. I may have said that I have a general interest in CAI, but I didn't talk about the project, I didn't even tell the raiders about what we've been working on." Luckily, he keeps mention of Axyl and I out of the conversation.
>"Good. Just wanted to make sure the tobaks that rescued you were still in the dark. But while we're on the subject of the raiders, what did you do with the two bodies?"
"I got that glade tobak to dump them at one of the dropoff points, they might be usable still. I was told that the third raider got off with the backpack, so I don't know what happened to him."
>"Don't worry about it. We're sending one of the fixers to take care of it."

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/03(Sun)23:43 No. 1028215 ID: 77a030
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"So... you weren't serious about the bomb collar thing, right? because I think I'm allergic-"
>"Half serious. As much as you should be kept on a tighter leash, Stair insists on giving you special treatment despite you being the most incompetent, inept, and quite frankly, moronic tobak I have ever met. He must know you're too stupid to conspire against him."
"Ah, that's a relief!"
>"The elevator going down will be here soon. It looks like I'll be taking the one going up. I despise aliens with every fibre of my being, so I'd really not stay here babysitting you any longer than necessary."
"Stair is an alien... do you hate him?"
>"Stair is a Yich Eater, one of the exceptions. his species don't have a company, and they certainly weren't around during the dominion wars. I respect him, and our goals happen to overlap."
"Why can't you be more like tobaks? Most of us don't mind the aliens."
>"We're getting off topic. You know where to go from here, and we're keeping an eye on you. I would suggest you refrain from any conversation involving CAI."
”…We still have a few minutes to burn… So… you watch any good shows lately?”
>”Ugh…”

It seems like they are still talking, and the elevator will be here in a few minutes. I could rip the band aid and go in, getting Kellie to vouch for me being a stranger while I can meet this bossy lady, and see if I can get information on these guys. That or I can simply move on with my day.

I don't think they're hiring right now. In fact I think they're clearing house. With a nail shotgun.
Let's go to the elevator early so we don't meet them walking out of the alley, and take special note of all the aliens who take the elevator up with you.

>You speak so much when you feel threatened
>who besides the raiders knows about what you do
Stealth would be counterproductive here. Your name's about to come up regardless, and then somebody's going to start on a plan for silencing you permanently. Better strategy is to let them know that trying to kill you would cause far more problems for them than it could possibly solve.

Walk into the alley, interrupt that conversation, name-drop one or more of the organizations your recent heroics have aided to such an extent that they might plausibly investigate if something terrible were to happen to you. Maybe something like this:

"Oh, hey, it's my friend the pantsless computer programmer! You telling these nice folks about the raiders I rescued you from? Certainly wouldn't mind getting paid twice, by two separate alien science security teams, for such a quick little side gig, but I can't stay and chat for long. Soon as the elevator gets here I've got to finish escorting somebody to the queen of the Hive Company. Probably going to invoice 'em for a replacement pickaxe, too. There were significantly more razorworms in that nest than I expected. Client's missing an arm and a leg, but, eh, you know how neumono are. Say, would you happen to know where I can find a spare power supply for a military-grade ECM backpack?"

Lots of threats implied, but nothing directly hostile or provably false. Verbally juxtaposing the razorworms and lost pickaxe implies unreasonable levels of hand-to-hand combat skill on your part, which is a lie of omission, but close enough to the truth that inquiry into events might seemingly confirm it.

>>1028211
>Rare maybe, but not expensive.
Limited global supply, high local demand, and megacorps probably don't want the barely-uplifted natives to become fully independent if that might interfere with extracting maximum profits from them. Seems plausible fully tobak-eye-friendly screens would be prohibitively expensive.

Ah, I guessed wrong. Deterrence might still be worthwhile, though.

>>1028215
I think you should pretend you didn't hear any of this, and maybe pretend you've never met Kell before either. Getting yourself involved is likely to result in threats of bodily harm if not outright assassination attempts. We don't know enough to report them to the authorities aside from the CAI research which is... probably illegal?

What's the moral thing to do here? I wonder if you should try telling the authorities. You don't have any proof though.

Walk away so they don't know you heard thme, but if possible keep an eye on the alleyway's exit to see what this middle-manager looks like.
It sounds like you'll be sharing an elevator with them.

Ideally we should avoid getting seen by Kellie (who'll be taking the other elevator so it's doable); at least we don't want him to introduce us to his boss.

I'm a bit torn, but it seems less complicating to just leave. Sounds like their business is skeevy enough that you could do with avoiding it! Kellie did say he might put you in contact with his boss, so it's not like you HAVE to have this conversation now. (Though, geez, now you have to hope they don't just want you for your body!)

>Chat with someone else to burn last few minutes
Maybe a quick chat with that shy Tobak who posted a disappearance note to see if there's any more information to gain? Or check in on Clay. You could just pretend you're on a hidden communicator as you ask how they're holding up.

>Dominion wars
What were the dominion wars now again? Whoever this was seems to hold a grudge against "aliens", which is weird if they are of an unfamiliar species to you! Could they be another intelligent species from your planet?

Note the details of this conversation, we are revisiting it when it becomes more relevant.

I'm not sure if this xenophobia and war commentaries is a reference I'm missing or something Dowser might know about. If dominion wars is the alien take over of this planet than she belong to a local sapient specie, but for what I know it could be a reference to an event in one of Lagotrope's quests.

It seems we will be sharing the elevator with boos lady. Try to pay attention to the female aliens you see there.

Let's get our soaked one arm friend.

>>1028215

If we go that route, best to slink back a good few meters and walk a little loudly, to make it seem like we're just now happening upon things and recognize this doofus' voice.

If NOT, then ... yeah, boyfriend material Kiero still needs a hand (and leg) to get out of the toilet-hut and into the elevator, after all.

>>1028215
This seems like something we shouldn’t get involved in.

Let’s go back to Kiero, he’s going to need help to get out of that bathroom house you left him in.

This guy... was talking about using the bodies of the tobaks we killed... Now he mentions a drop-point... And they are talking about it as a frequent occurrence.
You think that the desapearences of tobak are related to this? It's too much of a coincidence.

I would suggest to get away from there. You don't want to know about that. Not much you can do about it either.

> DEDUCTIONS
A "project" that involves CAI and needs lots of dead Tobaks... That's... No, it can't be... But then your kinds' reputation for being "made for cybernetics," plus your personal experience with doing screwy electromagnetic necromancy shit with your mind, uh... paints a pretty suggestive picture. Could a male Tobak effectively become a biological CAI under the right conditions? (Maybe our "Clay" iteration has some input on this theory?)

And I agree with >>1028228's assessment that we need to be on the lookout for a female non-Tobak native of this planet when we're on the elevator. How familiar are you with your planet's various sapients, Dowser? (We also have context, now, for some of the suspected bosses that raider was spitting at us - the "damn Yich Eater" is likely Stair or one of his associates, and it's possible that "Lak" or "one of those corporate hitmen" is the cleaner this lady was referring to, given that these raiders "betrayed" their group.)

> WHAT DO
Given that these guys were cooperating with raiders and need dead Tobaks - possibly where all the missing independents went - we don't want to be noticed by them if we can help it. If it's possible to head back to the toilets while keeping an eye on that alley's entrance, it'd be great to discreetly confirm our mystery woman's identity. If not, however, just head back to the toilets anyway.

Stroll on in, Dowser.

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/10(Sun)16:28 No. 1028786 ID: 77a030
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>What's the moral thing to do here? I wonder if you should try telling the authorities. You don't have any proof though.
Doing the right thing does give me a warm, fuzzy feeling, but I can't tell exactly what these individuals are up to. If they did do something wrong, there aren't really any proper authorities to tell. Closest thing we have is the Saxum Overwatch, which is a 'neutral' organisation which is completely toothless when it comes to anything other than handing out fines.

>You think that the disappearances of tobaks are related to this?
Correlation isn't always causation, but I wouldn't dismiss it entirely. Just who is this Kellie guy I rescued?

One thing I know for certain, I do not want to get involved with whatever those two are up to. I already have enough on my plate as is, and a hunch is telling me that they are a dangerous crowd. Just to be safe, I'll pretend I never heard any of this, and that I never met whoever this Kellie guy is. I leave and try my best to avoid being seen by Kellie, lest he try involving me.

>Whoever this was seems to hold a grudge against "aliens", which is weird if they are of an unfamiliar species to you! Could they be another intelligent species from your planet?
Tobaks certainly aren't the only intelligent species from my planet, but I would say that we are the favourites of the aliens, judging by how close to 75% of all uplifted species on this planet are a number of tobak variants. I know of about three other intelligent lifeforms besides tobaks, and two of those don't visit these parts much.

>What were the dominion wars again?
When the companies were in a big rush to set up operations within the ‘22 line’, there were a whole bunch of direct conflicts between the bigger corporations, a whole lot more fighting than they do now. There were team ups, betrayals, some companies even got kicked out of Saxum for good. While things eventually resolved, some parts of the environment never recovered.

>take special note of all the females who take the elevator up with you.
That sounds like a good idea. I'll be sure to be on the lookout.

As I go back to pick up Kiero, I stick around a little to see Kellie leave the alley, which he does in his usual timid manor. I wait to see if the other person that was talking to him leaves, but I never see anybody else walk out.

I pick my no longer bloodied friend and we get ready to head up to pay his little hive a surprise visit. A crowd of other independent tobaks builds up around the elevator as we all wait for it to open up. I get a few weird looks here and there from guys who have never seen a neumono outside the depot before.

The elevator doors open, and out comes an entire army of armed company tobaks. It isn't the most tobaks I've ever seen in one place, but there must have at least been hundreds packed into that elevator. They go on for as far as the eye can see. I can even see some vehicles here and there.

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/10(Sun)16:28 No. 1028787 ID: 77a030
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This whole thing looks... Excessive to say the least. I'm pretty sure these are the Heef company guys. I know hardly anything about Heefs, but if their actions are anything to go by, I get the feeling that they are hyper militaristic. Makes sense that their company specialises in making weapons, equipment, vehicles, and spaceships. That aside, I have never seen this level of escalation before. What are they doing? I'm sure there is someone in charge around here if I care to look.

A minute goes by as the whole army is marching past the other onlooking spectators and I. One group that passes by is what looks to be over a hundred different Sect from a hive. Not like a nuemono hive, but a Sect hive. Admittedly they have a bunch of similarities, but they work very different from all the info Kiero has told me. The fact that they are working alongside this army means that their Queen must be nearby.

One of them slows down to look at me. Creepy! what in the world is going on here?

Sect must have some sort of empathy sense too, like tobak and neumono. Maybe they can sense the rock too, and the jammer's only covering certain frequencies.
Just smile and wave! Their fluff puts neumono and tobaks to shame.

I doubt they have empathy sense, that's a specialized evolution and if you gave off empathy Kiero would be able to tell, they probably have something similar to your magnetic radar bout for communication though, which is probably what those antenna before, so we can expect hive response times on par with neumono.
Anyway yeah, just let them pass, probably eyeing you because you're really out of place, what with the wounded neumono and jammer and all.
Don't respond, just enter the elevator once they all leave, don't give them more reasons to be suspicious of you.

tilt head in confusion

>>1028787
Well you have their attention, ask what's going on.

> In Full Force
Considering the (I assume) high-stakes deal that wound up dropping off the face of Saxum (as far as they know), I wouldn't be surprised if the Heef thought the Pomi betrayed them in a significant way. You might be holding one of several MacGuffins that's about to spark a war!

> Your Response
Just smile and wave. The jammer's probably messing with them just like the other psychic species. Even if the "hive" nature of their abilities likely makes this a particularly unpleasant experience for them, we shouldn't just give them an opening to ask that we turn it off by asking if there's something they want or whatever.

"You need something?"

Man this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

> I get a few weird looks here and there from guys who have never seen a neumono outside the depot before.
They may also be close enough to sense you're carrying a running jammer.
Hey, if anyone asks about *that*, maybe you can bullshit that it's because you're carrying a neumono?

>Big armed force
I think some raiders messed with the wrong company, so they've decided to synergyze an enterprising taskforce to advertise what happens when you fuck with them. And they're sending a big excessive force because if they don't spend this year's nail budget, it will be reduced next year.

This might have something to do with the Heef and Pomi sour trade. That would mean either a war escalation between the two companies or the persecution of a third party.

Since you haven't established any wireless transmission abilities for the Sect yet I will not assume she (I'm just assuming they are infertile females because bees) did not notice the jammer but instead is looking because of the neumono trying to hide behind your back. Don't forget Kiero also have secrets of his own.
We don't even know what we should be hiding (other than the obvious) so just be naturally confused and answer any question with the minimum amount of information possible.

>>1028787
Shoot the shit as they say, make some small talk. Ask them if they like what they do. Any surplus mil tec store places they know where we can buy gear on the cheap?

So selling the junk+raider truck, selling the location to the dead tobak and their loot, us earning 500 muny just recently by helping the science group. How much are we going to earn for the previous two things? What happened to all the weapons and gear from those bandits? Were we not going to keep some of their weapons?

You said something in the last thread. Something about how females are probably the only ones strong enough to wear and utilize the the bio armor suits. Whay can we get if not those? Ceramic armor? Kevlar? Anything to stop nails and bullets? Power armor?

Regarding tobak anatomy and general anatomy, looking at something bright enough can make you go blind right? Well, what if we bought one of those flashlight torches? You know, those hand held torches bright enough that it can make fires or permanently blind you? Im thinking whats stopping us from using this as a weapon? People using nightvision goggles will probably get blindee if we shine the light in theirs goggles. For tobaks it would peobably blind them regardless.

You mentioned cyber eyes a few posts back. It might be worth investing in at least one cybereye. How much does a single one cost?

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/11(Mon)02:08 No. 1028842 ID: 77a030
File 164966813705.png - (240.59KB , 800x600 , TQ27.png )

>Their fluff puts neumono and tobaks to shame.
It's true. I feel outclassed.

>I think some raiders messed with the wrong company, so they've decided to synergize an enterprising taskforce to advertise what happens when you fuck with them. And they're sending a big excessive force because if they don't spend this year's nail budget, it will be reduced next year.
I would seriously not put it past some companies - this company in particular, to pull something like that.

>This might have something to do with the Heef and Pomi sour trade. That would mean either a war escalation between the two companies or the persecution of a third party.
One thing is for certain, these guys know more about something that I don’t, and I better move out of their way if I don't want to get trampled on.

>They may also be close enough to sense you're carrying a running jammer.
The Sect don't have any sort of electrical sense, at least none that I'm aware of. The surrounding tobaks don’t even notice because of the sheer volume of people in the area, making it hard to pin down where things are going by magnetic frequencies alone.

Man, this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Hopefully it only gets more normal from here… maybe I’ll need a long break after this.

I meekly smile and give him a little wave
He doesn't do anything in response
I tilt my head in confusion
He doesn't do anything in response
"You need something?"
Again, he does nothing to respond.

I guess it should come without surprise that he won't respond to anything I do to him, he is after all, completely unaware of anything is he doing, being a part of a hive mind and all. Another reason he wouldn't be able to speak is that he doesn't have a voice collar on. As a matter a fact, I'm surprised that he can see me at all considering how bad their eyesight is. Maybe he smelled me or something.
Kiero looks down at me.
>"What's with these guys?"
"The Sect? Just your average hive minded species. I think these guys are a little different from you though. A lot less individualistic. There is a queen around here controlling them all, that much is certain."
>"Can he understand us?"
"Probably not. Look into his eyes. See that glazed look? It's like the lights are on but nobody's home."
>"Can we snap him out of it?"
"It's possible. But if you think neumono rogues have it bad, you don't wanna know what these guys do to their rogues. I'll give you a tip though, it's the same thing they do to their injured."
>"That sounds ominous..."
"You know what, I might as well tell you. They straight up eat them."
>"Yeesh!"
"Yeah, these guys are wild."

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/11(Mon)02:09 No. 1028843 ID: 77a030
File 164966815837.png - (258.01KB , 800x600 , TQ28.png )

A jeep comes down the road and sitting in the front seat are three distinguished figures. A tobak of some importance, similar to the real Clay, judging by his outfit. I'm guessing he is a somewhat high rank in his chain of command judging by the beret. In the middle is the notably large Sect hive queen, also wearing some kind of distinguished uniform I can see she has a voice collar on, so she must be speaking to the others in some capacity. On the other end is a Heef, of the same species that owns the company. I still don't know much about them, other than that they are always angry looking, and it hurts when they peck you.

Company malitia leaders are usually called 'war bosses' by tobaks who don't bother to keep up with the proper terms, and you usually don't see more than one of them leading a large group. Seeing three war bosses in one spot, combining their forces together is an unusual sight to behold. They are talking with one another, but I can't hear what they are saying over the noise. The tobak of the group is holding some kind of device, I have no clue what it is.

Lets hope the device the tobak has is not something that is tracking the magic rock. Man we need a new case for that thing that is lined to block it out.

If they stop and all start looking over at you its time to sink into the crowd and leave. As it will prove its a device that can detect the rock.

Maybe you should start slinking into the crowd and leaving.

yeah this looks like something that is quickly escalating. Best we get going and return green-y back home before a bomb or something goes off and everyone starts shooting everyone. I'm exaggerating of course but if someone is marching around with this many bodies and this many guns you know that someone is probably about to have a bad day and I don't want to be anywhere around them incase their bad day becomes your bad day as well.

Oh, okay, guess the Sect are mammalians.

How many funny designs do the tobaks come in?


Let's try getting closer and watching what's happening.

>>1028843
That Tobak is getting squished up against the side of the jeep by the large Sect lady. I wonder if he hates it or if he's enjoying being so close to those huge boobs?

......damn, those things are huge! Try not to get caught staring at the giant lady's boobs.

I think it's best to leave before you get noticed, try to get closer to the elevator, or if they're still pouring out then try to just stay away and wait for a moment to leave.
If they are after that rock then you're a dead man, if they aren't you're still probably a dead man for tampering with the scene, let's just hope they go after the bandits thinking they have the rock instead.

Compliment the queen’s huge… armies where the drone can hear you. Then shuffle off into the elevator crowd. They might be more interested in seeing the neumono than you.

>>1028843
I had no idea hive queens were so top heavy, wow just. WOW! Those are some....attractive features. God I feel bad for the one button keeping hee shirt together. That must be one hell of a button.

Try looking normal and dont draw attention to yourself. As much as a mole alien carry a gree space dog can look.

>>1028842
>The Sect eat their injured.
It's possible the drone is staring at Kiero and it sees that he's injured, so it's wondering if Kiero is your food. You should head towards the elevator before one of those drones try to eat Kiero!

>>1028843
Damn! Those boobs are bigger than your head!

Whatever the war boobs bosses are doing, you don't want anything to do with it. Let's leave before you're caught looking at the Sect queen's chest.

>>1028842
>the Sect eat their rouges and injured
I don’t think eating the injured is limited to their own species. They might also eat injured members of other species. Which means that Kiero might become a potential meal if you don’t start moving away and going towards the elevator!

>>1028843
>notably large Sect hive queen
BOOBS!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

>>1028786

Somewhere, somehow, shit is about to get REAL for someone less fortunate than ourselves.

>>1028842
>>1028843

Jeez, these guys ARE creepy. And I thought Clover was a giant.

Anyway, looks like they're just making a perimeter to let their units move unobstructed. Might as well wait to join everyone else in what is apparently a really, really huge elevator.

Hm, could this mysterious boss lady be a Sect queen too? Possibly one who was ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL on one dude rather than go in person?

That, or Kellie had her on speakerphone, in which case wow, he really is that unwise.

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/11(Mon)13:15 No. 1028880 ID: 77a030
File 164970812960.png - (243.16KB , 800x600 , TQ29.png )

>Somewhere, somehow, shit is about to get REAL for someone less fortunate than ourselves.
I almost feel bad for whoever incurred the wrath of this particular company, but they must have really done something bad.

>If they are after that rock then you're a dead man
I'd rather not think of that possibility!

>That Tobak is getting squished up against the side of the jeep by the large Sect lady.
I'd hate to be in that position when they take a sharp turn.

>I had no idea hive queens were so top heavy
I mean, they are big, and don't move around a whole lot. I think she might be the same size as Clover, maybe bigger. Certainly wider, that's for certain. All the other sect females are closer to my size though.

>Those are some....attractive features
I'm can't say I see myself falling for a sect queen, but I do know a rogue or two who might be interested.

>Compliment the queen’s huge… armies where the drone can hear you
I do so, but the drone doesn't respond. Rude!

>Let’s hope the device the tobak has is not something that is tracking the magic rock.
None of them are looking my way, so that might mean I'm good. Whatever they are looking for, it is likely something unrelated to me.

>Let's leave before you're caught looking at the Sect queen's chest.
Looking at what? her - oh, I think she noticed me.
Uh oh we just made eye contact, she's looking at me.
She smiles and turns up her speaker.

>"Take a photo, it'll last longer! Or would you prefer an autograph? Only if you have a pen."

I didn't really care for either but now I'm upset that I lack a camera or pen. I need to bring those down next time. The sudden attention is too much for me, so I slink away into the crowd.

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/11(Mon)13:15 No. 1028881 ID: 77a030
File 164970815185.png - (249.77KB , 800x600 , TQ30.png )

>It's possible the drone is staring at Kiero and it sees that he's injured, so it's wondering if Kiero is your food. You should head towards the elevator before one of those drones try to eat Kiero!
Oh hell no, they aint eating my buddy! I make a bee line for the elevator, shoving my way past the Sect and tobaks to the elevator door.

Almost in the elevator, I slow down when I notice a very out of place tobak. He isn't from the company because he is wearing a red cloth around his neck with a distinctive lack of uniform. His left arm seems to be robotic, and he is wearing some sort of gas mask and cloak, equipped with something that is definitely not a nail gun. In his other hand is a device, the same device that was being used by the tobak in the jeep, same shape and color.

He stands still and looks at both of us. His intentions don't seem hostile but it's hard to tell. He doesn't say anything, he just looks intently at Kiero and I. Does he hate aliens or something? He better not be a neumono hater, because one of my friends is a neumono. After a while it's clear he doesn’t want to say anything, so we could walk right past. It's weird, I feel like I've seen this guy around before. I don't think he is going scavenging or spelunking, he doesn't have the right equipment. Maybe he's just an amateur?

>>1028843
This would be General Clay’s lot, right? I wonder if he went rogue and they’re here to hunt him down. Did you keep anything of his that might, uh, smell of him?

Insects tend to have a good sense for smells and pheromones. Maybe move discreetly away from them. Something twigged the one guy on you, after all.

>>1028881
Ask him what the strange device is.

>>1028881
Skilled bounty hunter? Seems important if he’s got one of those doohickeys while the three warleaders are sharing one. Plus all that bionic tech can’t have come cheap.

Ask if you’ve met before or if he just has one of those faces.

Try to keep a minimum distance, given the jammer and rock. You could also just try to give him a wide berth, but maybe you can ask what the heck all the hullaballo is about, since you’re both indies?

He may be one of those heavy duty merc types, watching over the proceeding army. I mean if he can afford a robotic arm and what seems like a normal gun, he's probably got resources closer to what clovers getting from those nerds.

Speaking of clover, has it been long enough that she may have gotten some kind of treatment yet? If so, send her a text if you can. She's a sweety, and I worry for her.

Dude, just say something. I don't know why you guys are even paying attention to me.

How hard would it be for Louise to disguise herself as the opposite gender?

Act casual. "Boy, a lot of interesting characters on this lift today!"

> Sensors
Sure, you can assume it's unrelated to you, but it's equally likely that the jammer is blocking the rock from detection. And this guy is much more likely to take note of that.

> Response
Don't pry beyond "you look familiar - have we met?"

If he doesn't hold up his end of the convo, just move past him with a "must be imagining it." Keep your eyes peeled for a female non-Tobak native to walk over that threshold after you at some point.

>>1028880
>Sect queen caught you looking at her chest
Look on the bright side, at least you learned something. You learned that this one specific Sect queen doesn’t mind you looking at her chest, since she wasn’t insulted enough to have one or more of her drones beat you up for doing that.

And you also learned that you really enjoy women with large boobs! If you could just find a woman with large boobs that would be willing to be your girlfriend, you’d be very happy right about now!

>>1028881
>strange tobak
>It's weird, I feel like I've seen this guy around before.
A big robot arm is hard to miss. Do you know anyone from the contact list in your PDA that has a robot arm like that?

well the odd guy has a real gun so he's either a merc that deals with things that need more then a few nail guns to handle, in the same kind of boat as clover, or some kind of hunter. Also pretty sure the reason he was staring at you is probably because it's not every day you see a crippled Neumono riding a tobak so was probably tying to figure out what the hell was going on there.

Dowser 2022/04/12(Tue)00:23 No. 1028999 ID: 77a030
File 164974821154.png - (242.94KB , 800x600 , TQ31.png )

>This would be General Clay’s lot, right? I wonder if he went rogue and they’re here to hunt him down.
That is a very interesting theory. Unfortunately, I may never know if this was the case, it's possible the whole thing will be covered up.

>How hard would it be for Louise to disguise herself as the opposite gender?
Considering she's still like a solid foot taller than a male, pretty difficult. She could maybe fool a few people if she folded her ears and crouched down just right.

>A big robot arm is hard to miss. Do you know anyone from the contact list in your PDA that has a robot arm like that?
I know plenty of guys with cybernetics, but most if not all work under a company. Independents with cybernetics are pretty uncommon.

>Skilled bounty hunter? Seems important if he’s got one of those doohickies while the three war leaders are sharing one. Plus, all that bionic tech can’t have come cheap.
>He may be one of those heavy duty merc types, watching over the proceeding army
Good points, seems this guy isn't here looking for salvage. Admittedly he looks the part to be some cool bounty hunter merc. I wonder what the gas mask is for - is it to hide his identity? Now that I think about it, his whole body is covered. Is he some kind of celebrity that doesn't want to be recognised? I am so getting a camera next time.

Kiero looks to me.
>"Dowser, I think... No. Never mind."
"What's up?"
>"I thought I picked up on something. False alarm."

"You look familiar - have we met?"
He shakes his head. At least he is responsive.
"Boy, a lot of interesting characters on this lift today!"
He does some sort of affirming nod. Is he a mute?
"Let me guess, you're looking at the neumono?"
He does a slow nod
"What does that device do?"
Confronted with a question that needs more than a yes or no answer, he thinks for a minute.
..."Is it a tracking device?"
He nods his head.
I wave him goodbye. He waves back and proceeds to walk away. So strange...

Kiero and I enter the elevator together and take a seat. The elevator fills with a mixed bag of tobaks and a variety of aliens. I try to keep track of all the alien females and non tobak natives that come in, but I can't see them all. When everyone is in, the elevator door closes, and we begin to ascend.

I look to Kiero beside me, he has an expression of discomfort. I don't need to be an empath to tell that he is feeling something he wants to get off his chest.
"Are you good, Kiero?"
>"Y-yeah... I'm just thinking about stuff is all."
"The data bank?"
>"Huh? Oh, no, not about that. I forgot all about that if I'll be honest."
"So, what's on your mind?"
>"Well... I think I'm just... among other things... trying to think of a way to properly, y'know... thank you."

> trying to think of a way to properly, y'know... thank you."

We’ll do you think you’re hive could pay me? I don’t mean to sound like an asshole trying to advantage of you or your hive but I only have around a months worth of cash left before I’m out on the street and starving. The whole reason I was down there was to find enough scrap to make ends meat but kinda put that on hold to help you out.

>>1028999
Tell him that once you're somewhere more secure there is something you want to talk about, something his hive might be able to help with.

Honestly I expect some form of monetary reward. It costed me some resources and I got some favors to repay as result. It's not that I can't get over if you can't pay though, so don't take this as a literal debt.
It would also be nice if this result in recurrent jobs. As an independent scavenger profit isn't always consistent. Maybe you will think of me next time you decide to walk across razorworm sands.
But if you are talking about something less professional we could hang out. You look like someone nice to be around, and I already miss how talkative you were before you started feeling self-conscious and shy.

>>1028999
I'unno, suprise me. Know how I can get some protection?

>Masked, entirely covered, Kiero reacting oddly
Coooould they have been a rogue in disguise? Neumono bionics are rare but not unheard of, right? If they were giving off a Tobak vibe (you wouldn’t know due to jammer)... well, we know something that does that. Don’t state this out loud, though.

Really, for goodness’ sake keep any indication of the rock on the down low. Given the military response from the Heff corp... eesh. Better make sure nobody even has a hint you have something until you decide to show it to someone who can actually handle it. This elevator is still a public place!

>Reward
Uh, well, you can’t exactly complain no matter what he feels will be suitable. But as an independent you can always use... well, a lot of things! Friends, money, tools, a place to offload decent salvage, heck a place to stay in a pinch. Not that you expect his Hive to instantly turn around and treat you super well. It’s a family business and all, and you’re an indie. But you hope one positive impression will count for something.

If he has to give it out of his own paycheck, eh, you wouldn’t want to be a huge economic burden and all - he’s gonna need those bionics, after all - but an introduction to his hive as a dependable guy would be cool. You’d be more than willing to help out on occasion for proper compensation.

Honestly you’re pretty stoked just at the prospect of having an alien buddy. First proper! (Except for the voice in your head.) If he’d put up with answering a bunch of probably stupid questions that’d also be awesome.

Money or gear is fine. Would you prefer a steady job with benefits to the life of an independent, Dowser?

>>1029020
Going by the goggles I'd say a more likely (though still strange) explanation would be a tobak, though with cybernetics that allow some neumono-empathy <-> tobak-magnetosense interplay.

>>1028999
Just see what he's thinking. He might have something more interesting to offer then you may think.

>>1028999
A new pickaxe would be a nice start.

>"I thought I picked up on something. False alarm."
"You would know about that more than i do, but if you ask me, i would pay attention to whatever your empathy picks up. This has been a really weird day, full of weird people and aliens."

>thank you
"If you are thinking about a proper compensation, you let the hive think about that, that comes with the job. But you are my buddy now, so don't worry your pretty little head about that. Or you could pay me with some alien food. Or you can introduse me to some neumono ladys. Is the Queen single?".

Hey, you think your hive would have some jobs for me? I am open to employment.

>>1028881

If it's some kind of communications device, it could be a short-range radio-like thing. Maybe he's an independent that's signed on for whatever ... Big Queen is about to do?

>>1028999

Awww ... poor guy. We're already friends and we've been hugging for at least the last hour, right? We'll figure it out.

But now I'm wondering if Mr. Robak (that's his name now) might not be a neumono in disguise. Did we get a good look at his tails, or were those covered, too?

1/2 Dowser 2022/04/12(Tue)13:02 No. 1029049 ID: 77a030
File 164979374490.png - (127.48KB , 800x600 , TQ32.png )

>I'm wondering if Mr. Robak (that's his name now) might not be a neumono in disguise. Did we get a good look at his tails, or were those covered, too?
'Mr. Robak' being a disguised neumono is a bit of a long shot. I couldn't see his tails because he was covered, head to toe with a long coat. I think it's possible he has some sort of medical condition, like if light touched him, he'll explode or something. It's also possible he is a full robot under there, or my personal favourite theory, a big pulsating mass of alien fungus.

>Would you prefer a steady job with benefits to the life of an independent, Dowser?
It has its pros and cons. In the past I worked for Edevane Chemicals as an excavator and later a sapper, all for a few years. but I got sick of being paid with company credit, especially for how dangerous the work was. I became independent to avoid being exploited, but if I can find a company that treats me right, I'd be on board.

"You're looking for a way to thank me?"
>"You did more than save my life. You saved my life, stopped me from starving, walked me to safety, and took care of me. I can't think of a reward that can make up for all that."
"I'unno, surprise me. Know how I can get some protection?"
>"Protection? Like armor? Sure, we got some stuff that can fit you, so long as you don't mind having our logo all over you. Unless you wanted Bio armor, but there's no way that wouldn't kill you. I tried putting on low grade stuff once and passed out from the pain. Maybe you can have some of the hive war hand-me-downs that suit you."
"A new pick would also be a good start."
>"When we get back, you can have mine. I'd give you all my equipment if I could."

He leans forward and looks down.

>"You know how I was all... fallen into despair and ready to die and all that... And I asked you to take that data bank instead of me... You think you can leave that part of the story out when I get back to my hive? We should keep it between us, I don't want them knowing I had preferred to let my hive grieve over some cave samples and ones and zeros."
"Oh. Yeah... we can keep that between us if you want."
>"You know, Dowser... I really thought that I would never see my hive again. I was fully prepared to die in there. We get a reputation for being tough, but I had never been so scared and alone in all my life. I'm surprised I hadn't starved when you found me. I could have been hours away from... yeah. I wasn't expecting anyone to show up, but you came for me when I needed someone the most. It might be cheesy to say or whatever, but... you're my hero."

Huh...

"Well, if we're thinking compensation... We'll let your hive work that out. You've been good company, and it's nice to travel with someone for a change. I did a lot of stuff, and it wasn't all easy, but I've not done my job yet, I still have to deliver you to your hive, remember?"
>"Huh, I guess so."

2/2 Dowser 2022/04/12(Tue)13:02 No. 1029050 ID: 77a030
File 164979375966.png - (228.97KB , 800x600 , TQ33.png )

"You guys can thank me with a reward later, but if you were talking about something less professional, we could hang out. You look like someone nice to be around, and I already miss how talkative you were before you started feeling self-conscious and shy."
>"O-Oh! Really? y-yeah! We should definitely hang out after I recover! Honestly, I'd really like it if we could- ... um, I'm not sure if you'd want to try it but..."
He looks away shyly.
"Hey Kiero. Is your company hiring?"
He jolts up and whips around to look at me, excitedly.
>"I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK! I-I mean... We don't really have a lot of non-hive employees but- I’m sure I can convince the others that we can definitely use someone like you! If we can't make it happen, maybe we can arrange a contract for the occasional job! You don't have to decide yet, but either way, I'd love to introduce you to my hivemates! We have these movie nights, and you should come to one, we got food and these cheesy movies where-"
He starts to ramble excitedly about movie nights.

"He's adorable."
Clay is making it appear as though he is some sort of Sect drone. I'm getting the impression that he is just very... impressionable. If I met more jerks, he’d probably start acting a bit more aggressive.
"I don't want to kill the mood, so whenever you're free, there's something I wanted to bring to your attention. It can wait though. You should ask him about what it's like off world."
I can't say other planets haven't gotten me curious, and it seems Kiero is more than receptive to answering more of my probably stupid questions.

You gotta agree with Clay, he is super adorable.

Ask about how Neumono reproduction (and his relationship status) works :V



But do definitely ask about what offworld is like, and/or his honest impression of YOUR Homeworld.

>>1029050
So your ultimate reward for skipping a movie night with Tobaks may be many movie nights with aliens...? Karma sure is weird! Sounds fun though.

>Questions
He can tell you more about the world up-elevator, and what it’s like traversing the stars from one planet to the next.

Also tell him he shouldn’t feel too bad for despairing though. He did power through it in the end! If he ever feels in the pits again, always remember it’s not over ‘till it’s over.

The Clay you meet in the in the radio tower was a danger and something to get rid of. The Clay you have now is nice and is worth the effort.

Satisface Clay's curiosity asking for him!

>>1029050

Fuzzy-buzzy mode engaged.

Yes, let's ask our boyfriend best friend about what it's like off-world. Kiero did mention they had done like, asteroid mining and stuff in the past, right?

>>1029050
Clay has a solid point, but here's a counterpoint: Clay is Adorable, with a capital A. Actually, all three of you are Adorable.
>he is just very... impressionable
Something to bear in mind then; seek out allies and friends, avoid jerks, and see about getting him some outlets, somehow. His mental health is a part of yours now. Don't know when or if he might go from Clay to Brick.
Slip Clay's question in when you get the chance; surely you're curious as well, right? Clay really does seem interested in getting off this world, is that your desire or his own? Don't stress about it, just ponder the thought.

For Kiero: Movie nights seem fun, but what else do him and his hive get up to? Let him ramble, it seems good for his mood. Also, what sort of work do Tobaks/non-Neumono's usually do for his hive/company?

You like bees, Clay? I got to admit, i wish i had a camera to take a picture of that drone lady. And yeah, he is way too adorable.

Anyway, let's ask about the outside world. The more we know the better, don't want to look like an ignorant grunt.

>... there's something I wanted to bring to your attention
As long as you can tell me without making me look insane in public go ahead. With some luck Kiero will keep talk about movies I never watched for long enough for my absence of attention to pass unnoticed.

Ask what was like to travel through space, what differences he between planetoids were more noticeable to him and what world he enjoyed the most.

Maybe he have some culinary opinions to share. Maybe he could help you chose some nice sweets to repay Clover. You got to present them later, after all she got hurt saving his life.

If his near death experience got he thinking maybe he will simpatize with your insecurities about how cheap the lives of your kind seem to be. You try to find some humor in the macabre, but whenever you come across a dead tobak a part of you is always conscious that could very well be you.
This could be the reason going off world is such an attractive prospect: the chance of be just another alien instead of the cheap and disposable local.

>He's adorable.
You know what, HRWNE was right: you should ask Kiero on a date. I'm not giving up on Clover, but since you are not a monogamous specie maybe this mess could work somehow.

>>1029059
This!
Also, forgot that it came up, but a rugged (non flash/Tobak safe) camera, and markers, could be invaluable. Maybe not useful all the time, but a camera could help with recon and identifying people, and markers could be useful for yourself or others.

>>1029050
>"He's adorable."
He's not a female, but yeah, he's pretty cute.

>Clay is making it appear as though he is some sort of Sect drone.
Just for fun, see if you can make him look like the Sect queen with the large boobs!

>You should ask him about what it's like off world.
Might as well ask and see what Kiero knows.

>suggestions saying to ask Kiero on a date
Woah! Slow down everyone! We just barely met the guy! Let's get to know him first before we go asking him on a date or anything like that!

sure, go ahead and ask about off world. Maybe also ask what his plans are after he gets back home. I mean with half his limbs missing I'm not sure how much more exploring he's going to be able to do.

Oh and he did say his have has some non-hive members working for it. Are these guys tobaks like yourself or other aliens. Guess I'm just curious who some of our potential future coworkers might be.

'If it's about someone on the elevator, get it out now. But yeah, otherwise, save it for later.'

If it's nothing urgent, proceed to ask about other planets.

If you go offworld you're gonna some REALLY comfortable goggles. I'm sure you're familiar with the sun and stars and how the average alien keep things lit?

Date date date date!
Also asking about what it's like offworld would be good. Kiero would probably be happy to tell you.

>>1029050
Hey Kiero, that fully outfitted Tobak had the right idea. Does your hive have anything me sized? Id like to get a helmet, a compatable rebreather system combined with a set of light dampening goggles. Body armor would also be ideal.

Can we check out how expensive torch flashlights or flare guns are? Those could be useful in a fight against tobak raiders a d foolish tribals.

Do you know what k8nd of gun that mute tobak had?

>>1029050
I dont think we asked this question yet, but what does our boy eat? Tobaks mostly want to buy food because the local food sucks. What's stopping him from making a bulk purchase of good food and using it to bargain goods? Someone else or some company already does that? Does Kiero's hive/company have good food? Are robaks omivores or carnivores? Why did we have a pickaxe as a melee weapon? Is it most for breaking through entrances and opening things like a crowbar?

>>1029050
He is adorable, but lets be clear, that doesn't translate to 'i wanna fuck the alien.' Especially with how strongly hetero we have been so far.

All of that being said, I think our rescuee may be crushing on us, probably due to transference and such just from being rescued (can't find a specific word for it, but it is sort of like stockholm syndrome with the rescuer instead of a captor or reverse white knight syndrome).

---

How do you feel about leading your own company? So what I am thinking isn't exactly that, but what if you headed a new semi-autonomous branch of the hive company comprised mainly of tobaks? Could help gather together the freelancers that are interested and you all would retain a pretty decent level of self-determination.

On the subject of sexing aliens and such, do we even have compatible genitalia? I mean, it seems like several alien species have the probe/drogue type system, but we could also have something different like laying eggs and then fertilizing the eggs after they are laid like a fish, or a cloaca system like birds, or even some other strange system that isn't any of those things.


I think we can rule out mitosis and asexual reproduction, but beyond that, all bets are off.

>>1029196
>Especially with how strongly hetero we have been so far.
Have we? Dowser was a little annoyed by every female he interacted so far.
He hate Clover's writing style, feel infantilized by her protective attitude and feel insecure because of her size. Louise is worth mocking for her small stature, he consider her egocentric and he didn't show much interest in developing a more friendly relationship.
The most hetero thing he did so far was accidentally stare at the sect queen boobs. He hasn't show much interest in anyone.

>>1029197
>do we even have compatible genitalia?
That would be a fascinating subject to explore but the more exotic sexual strategies are not really stimulating. I doubt anyone feel excited by insect genitalia or the courtship of octopuses.
The majority of species in this kind of quest will have breasts, and all will have penises and vaginas that work by rubbing one inside the other.

I'm a fan of the "date the green dog" vibe we've got going on here, but for now we should probably ask about important stuff like his thoughts on the tobak disappearances, or like, specifics of his hive's structure and capabilities. Offworld info would be valuable.

Are there any grand ambitions you've got? Something medium scale like >>1029196
mentioned would be fine to. I think we can leverage our gains to survive for a while without too much difficulty, but surely you want to get up to something a little more challenging. Risk it for the biscuit, and whatnot.

>>1029196
>He is adorable, but lets be clear, that doesn't translate to 'i wanna fuck the alien.' Especially with how strongly hetero we have been so far.
I agree with this.

>>1029200
>Have we? Dowser was a little annoyed by every female he interacted so far.
Being annoyed by certain females doesn’t mean that Dowser doesn’t like any females. He's allowed to not like certain females and still be hetero.

Let him ramble on about movies and just listen to Clay.

>>1029200
>Are we hetero?
>Dowser was annoyed by every female he interacted with so far.
So? That only proves that Dowser finds Clover and Louise to be annoying. That doesn’t prove that Dowser isn’t hetero.

>>1029236
Dowser for sure find "endowned female tobaks" to be attractive, like that one time he imaged Clay into looking like a nicely stacked female.

>>1029050
Is there anything stopping Dowser from THINKING words to Clay instead of saying them outloud? That way people don't look at him funny?

>>1029200
I will have you know that Mikliks have been established to have whatever the fuck they want so weird shit imo is not off the table (also this isn't a smut quest so I don't really get what you mean by 'this kind of quest').

kiero's so cute, time to make this gay

I think we are derailing the Quest a little here. This subject should be on /questdis/, not here.

He really is very cute....

Anyways we really do need to try and take advantage of his hive in a meaningful way. Everything we've heard so far indicates that they're a small operation just making ends meet, so they're probably not involved with whatever weird shit's been happening with this rock and the Original Clay and all of the other background strangeness Dowser is getting clued in on. This makes them a great private liaison from which to acquire something like that EM-blocking container mentioned earlier in the thread without setting off any alarms or arousing suspicion from corporate monitors, and maybe they could help gather information on Dowser's behalf too.

I've been thinking for a while, I'd basically want to avoid talking to anyone or drawing any attention until we offload this rock. Feels like carrying around a target. Do you have a plan for where to find someone to buy it, that won't get infected with hallucinations?

But also, listen to hive stories from your friend, on the way up the elevator.

Or rather, unless you decide to KEEP the rock, because you want to get further involved in the skulduggery afoot, or whatever. Risky, of course.

Tell Clay now's not the time to be a buzz kill. Ask our new buddy about other planets.

1/4 Dowser 2022/04/17(Sun)15:11 No. 1029548 ID: 77a030
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>You gotta agree with Clay, he is super adorable.
I guess, but Clay seems to have more of an affinity than I do.

>Satisfy Clay's curiosity
I signal for clay to continue with what he was going to say when Kiero looks away. As long as you can tell me without making me look insane in public, go ahead.

"Right, I'll make this very quick."

He moves off the bench and starts pacing around the crowd.
"I think we're being followed. I've been keeping a separate eye on everyone on the elevator for whoever was in that alley. I think I can see it, sometimes through your peripherals, hiding in the corner of your eyes. Someone invisible."

You better not be gaslighting me again, Clay.

"I swear, I'm not trying to mess with you! I think we're being followed, but I can't figure out how they are doing it, or why. I can only really see it when you're not looking directly at it. It's... weird. But yeah, that's all I have to say. Be careful."

Noted.

>Just for fun, see if you can make him look like the Sect queen
As much as I try, I cannot change his appearance anymore. Seems he has that level of independence.

>Clay really does seem interested in getting off this world, is that your desire or his own? Don't stress about it, just ponder the thought.
I ponder it lightly, wondering if Clay is also picking up on my thoughts.

"It couldn't just be my own desire, right? I'm sure in some capacity, we are all curious about what's out there, and to see it all for ourselves. We can't all live in our own heads."

I have wanted to leave. But I've felt that even if I did get the chance to go off world, a chance almost no tobaks get, that it wouldn't be in any free or favourable circumstances. I'm a little unique in this perspective when it comes to tobaks, many of us wouldn't ever consider leaving. as far as most are concerned, nothing outside the surface exists. Nothing besides the imported alien goods. Tobak life has always felt cheap, I've always wondered if leaving would give me the chance to be just another alien instead of a disposable local.

"It would be nice. But the choice is yours. Ultimately, you're the one who decides your quests in life. No matter what you do, I will encourage you so long as it is you feel it is right."

>If you go off world, you're gonna need some REALLY comfortable goggles. I'm sure you're familiar with the sun and stars and how the average alien keeps things lit?
Oh, I'm aware. If it ever came to that point, I'd probably want to get eye implants that let me see at that light level without blindness. Unfortunately, that procedure is absurdly expensive, so goggles it is for now.

2/4 Dowser 2022/04/17(Sun)15:11 No. 1029549 ID: 77a030
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"Can you tell me what the universe is like? like, traversing stars and planets and such."
>"I'll have to admit, my hive and I have been around, but we aren't spacers. We've been to asteroids and made the occasional stops at other planets, but the only places of note have really only been my homeworld where I grew up, and your homeworld. Did you know that my homeworld is on the complete other side of the universe? it's a bit sad to think, but my hive is probably farther away from home than any other hive."
"Huh. What can you tell me about your homeworld?"
>"Oh, where to start... We have two small moons. You know what moons are, right?"
"Kinda. Not sure."
>"Ok well in terms of suns, we have - wait, you don't know what a sun is either, do you?"
"I've never seen a sun before, nope. Have you seen the sun orbiting my planet? I hear we got a really big one."
>"Yours is huge! It's actually a big problem for getting in and out of this planet. Anyway, my home world has lots of life, really intelligent life, too! But more importantly, a lot of dangerous and aggressive life, to which I guess we're no exception. I can't remember much, I was a lot younger when I was on my world..."
"What is your honest impression of my homeworld? How does it compare to yours? Do you like mine or yours better?"
>"W-well, it's nice! Better than Asteroid mining, at least we can all breathe down here. The wildlife is a bit... Similar to my homeworld if I'll be honest. At least you don't have any neumono Predators. Or Salikai. But that's not to discredit razorworms or anything, those guys scared the hell out of me. I'll be honest, I really miss the sun, but we never run out of work here, so that's nice. It's a bit close but... I think I like my world better. Just by a bit."
What in the world is a Salikai
"What about your world's food? I wonder what you guys eat."
>"Meat! Well, we eat a lot of stuff, but meat is our favourite. We did lots of hunting, as we didn't do much besides the occasional foraging."

>Date
I'm not sure. when you're underground all the time, it's hard to tell what day it is. I also barely notice the time to begin with, I think it's pretty arbitrary, but the aliens seem to love it for some reason.

>The other kind of date
Oh. With Kiero? Can't say he's my type - He's pretty short. And also an alien I just met, which is probably more important. I don't think I'm a xenophile, but I also can't say I think about forming those sorts of relationships. I'll put it on the maybe pile and probably keep it there. I'll see how my other considerations turn out first.

"I would totally date him."
Yeah, but you're not real.
"I can still dream!"

3/4 Dowser 2022/04/17(Sun)15:12 No. 1029550 ID: 77a030
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It takes like half an hour, but we reach the level with the neumono company depot. It is located around many other buildings, and the area looks very empty on account of it being so early, most people are either asleep or out working. There are also some equipment stores around that are open, and I can find equipment I can buy with my newly acquired wealth.

>Can we check out how expensive torch flashlights or flare guns are?
Usually pretty cheap, the problem is with obtaining one and sneaking it around. The Saxum Overwatch considers light emitters contraband and will take them before you enter a dark area. They return them when you come back though. A torch might be 15 zeny for something cheap, and 30 for a flare gun with a few flares.

>Do you know what kind of gun that mute tobak had?
Can't say I do. Looks like it fires something like bullets, or even lasers of some kind.

>Why did we have a pickaxe as a melee weapon?
For killing small property and breaking and entering. And maybe mining the occasional loose mineral.

>How do you feel about leading your own company? / Headed a new semi-autonomous branch of the hive company comprised mainly of tobaks?
Sounds like a lot of work, but it's possible. I could get Lyvy to help, he has connections to lots of independent guys.

>EM-blocking container
I should think about getting one of those pretty soon... I only have about 10 minutes or so until the jammer runs out.

>Do you have a plan for where to find someone to buy the rock, that won't get infected with hallucinations?
Good question. If I get a container for it, I can keep it until I decide what to do with it. I can also try to find whatever company depots are open right now to see which can appraise it and give me a good price. I could also sell it to the neumono company, but I really doubt I'll get a good price.

Kiero sees the buidling and lights up
>"There they are! One of my hive is at the front there! We're just outside of empathy range, but if you bring me closer, she'll notice us if you don't call over to her first."

4/4 Dowser 2022/04/17(Sun)15:13 No. 1029552 ID: 77a030
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She seems to be in conversation with a tobak. To be more specific, A mossy tobak, one of a few subspecies of tobak. He is a little far from his biome, usually they really dislike dry areas, so I wonder what brings him here.

There isn't much noise in the background so I can hear them speak pretty clearly.

"You sure you can't go any higher? Maybe check the purity again."
>"I have already checked multiple times. one-thirty is the best price I can give you."
"Your scale must be off, Armada would give me twice that!"
>"The Armada company might be more interested. We are only really willing to throw around so much, we are more interested in cave samples and data at the moment. Sorry. You can take this to another place if you would like."
"Screw it. Like hell I'm gonna wait in line for an hour. You don't have a line, so at least you guys have that going for you. The sooner I can unload, the sooner I can get back to mining. And before you ask; no, I do not take company credit."

Invisible stalker. Great. Fantastic. When did this first begin? At the elevator?

>haggling
Just trundle on up without saying much. See that Neumono empathy in action!

Say hi when that concludes and ask if you can be let in to deposit one Kiero. You don’t want to interrupt a business transaction ‘n all, but the lad needs more help than you can give.

...Is that Moss and Fungus growing on that other Tobak?

>I only have about 10 minutes or so until the jammer runs out.
Get a box or charge the jammer immediately.

Hey, this might be the right place to ask if they have something to plug and recharge the jammer. At least enough to last until the next company depot.

A follower? Might be reason to turn off the jammer despite the risks.
Wait, or try and see if we can't get this other tobak out of the way and then turn off the jammer to see if we can sense anything or if Clay can sense/see anything.

I'd say you should never trust cybereyes, but it seems that due to your magnetic sense or some other quirk perhaps your eyes already can't be trusted. Tell Clay to give you a warning next time they catch a glimpse out of your peripheral vision. Other people have mentioned feeling it too, vaguely. Perhaps you could thwart the effect if you were to use the jammer's remaining power in a wide area burst?
So, there's a symbiotic relationship going on with that moss, right? Or does this just happen to any tobak that doesn't shower?

Let's hope Clay don't get the same allucination he was born off. There are any known source of camuflage against Tolbaks? Like something dampening electomagnetial fields or blocking your googles?

Not hard to imagine how we picked up the invisible stalker; they must have spotted us eavesdropping on the alleyway convo, seeing as we only assumed it was just Body-Tag and the lady.

I'd wait until this dude's business is concluded, but I feel uncomfortable not having other people's eyes on us at the moment. Walk up and wait your turn - assure her that she should wrap up what she's doing before she launches into a heartfelt reunion if she tries to initiate one.

If you can't see the stalker directly but can see something in your peripheral vision that suggest this less likely to be a physical camouflage and more likely to be an hallucination. What is the cause of it is hard to tell. if the cause is external it can't anything transmitted in a frequency blocked by the jammer.
The most dangerous possibility is that our perception of someone is being obfuscated, so we should assume this is the case until we find ourselves in a safe enough environment to be less paranoid.
It's possible it's the thing Ralph was talking about. In this case I don't know what it might want, because if it was the the stone it had plenty of opportunities to take it.
Might be worth recruiting Kiero's help. Mention to him you think someone might be following us, and ask him to warn you if he see anyone out of place. Maybe he is even aware of some tech that can camouflage against tobaks.

The stone not only have some interesting properties, it have intrigue associated with it. Whoever buy it might also be interested in the circumstances you found it and who else want it.
Before approaching ask Kiero if he knows her and if he thing you can trust her with a sensitive matter. If affirmative ask her to talk inside the building, the outside acoustics is not congruent with a private conversation.
You should discuss with the two neumonos what you have with you and if the Hive is interested. If the item is too hot for them ask for help with the container and for their discretion.
Guess that would also be the opportunity to clarify our earlier lie to Kiero.

If we end up going our separate ways after this give Kiero a hug when you say your farewell.

just get closer and wait for someone to notice you. I mean you're carrying a cripple on your back so you should stand out plus it would probably be rude to interpret a business meeting.