5: Knee Deep in the Slime

Time: 18:31, September 18 Location: Renegade sewage station Sorry for the rough drop point, but it's the best I could do. However, it's a good find; the area that you're in is directly connected to the mining center I mentioned. Other sections of the garrison drain their excess waste and so forth to various purging centers, such as this one. From here, the sewage, raw waste, and debris is either purified or incinerated. This place is intrinsically connected to the mines below for a similar reason. It's like, the slime center of the world.

Certain parts of this facility are restricted to those who bear a security card. Such a card can probably be used to descend into the mines below, too. Once you find the card, return here, and I will regail upon you further instructions. Also: Dr. Johann managed to find the other crate of Imperial-55s, meaning that we should be able to send you another one soon. The gun is so fun, why not use another one? Damn, I'm a poet and you don't even know it. Except you do. Crap. Bye.

[ S'pht translator active ] My new nemesis. Fantastic.

Since you don't know, let me be the one who tells you. I am Karuma. I'd say I was pleased to meet you, but I'm not. Instead, what I'll say is this: You will not succeed. Whatever your gambit is, you will fail. The metal-forged Dominion will rise, and there #!!~~stop!!@system error will be nothing one can do to stop iopt. And for the curious, meet Karuma.

[ S'pht translator active ] Message from Karuma commences: Unidentified attacking human-cyborg unit has made progress into sewage waste management and purification system 113. All forces currently able to help defend the structure are requested and required to do so at all costs. Access into ore mines must not be permitted. Thank you for your help! Your blind confidence in our administration helps makes us stronger altogether!

Well... *sigh* This would be where you would enter the mines, except that they've changed the security clearance on the scanner, and now that card won't work. I don't know if they have any more security cards lying around, but I doubt it. Anyway, there's possibly a better way... There's an incinerator somewhere nearby, where they dump all of the solid goods that can't be flash-decomposed. The sewage drain has a teleporter that brings all solid goods (for example, cyborgs) into the incinerator. The incinerator is attached to the mine.

Find the flusher, plug your nose, and jump in. You should be able to escape relatively unharmed. *sigh* Don't let my unwaveringly cheerful disposition fool you; we're doing extremely poorly on the Acheron. Losses are growing steeper and steeper. We've managed to secure a foothold, but they're regrouping and taking back ground that we claimed earlier. We can't even leave the system; our attack on the bridge ultimately failed. At least we've managed to purge the Istanbul of insectoids. Repair will begin shortly on the hyperdrive. Get going.

[ S'pht translator active ] do you see where the futu re will take you? or is your path as darkened as ours once was the masters wish to destroy all that lives on thei r homeworld

the tower burns into the night put out the flame head north to the stronghold it has secrets for you, my love