#lots of long conversations with this gimlet reveal

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #39

Welcome to the last session of this little Terra campaign, not as cheerful of a vacation as one might have hoped. First thing that happens is that Gimlet, who has very recently stopped crying for the moment, makes his way to visit Uffe at the medbay. Uffe notes his crying, but doesn’t say much more about it. Gimlet starts with asking whether Uffe remembers the conversation the two of them had at Elucia Vhane’s ship. About that not being part of the Inquisition thing… Uffe is obviously not happy to hear this. I mean, he likes knowing it better than he does not like knowing it, at least now he knows Gimlet is a threat. Gimlet attempts to make it clear that he wishes no harm, but Uffe points out that as he said back at Elucia Vhane’s ship, it really doesn’t mattter, if Inquisition wants information it will get it. Then he kindly tells Gimlet to fuck off. Gimlet complies.

Meanwhile Saef and Gorm have made their way to the inner courtyard of the palace where the Custodes are training, shirtless. Bertram asks if Gorm would like to partake in a brawl, team-fight or one on one, and Gorm goes for one-on-one with Bertram. Gorm manages to get a hit in, but Bertram is really fast, getting two hits in for every one Gorm manages, and Gorm is soon downed. Bertram takes this as a moment to teach Gorm that when he attacks in melee, he leaves himself open for a counterattack. Gorm thanks Bertram for the lesson and then goes to nurse his wounds at the side, while the Custodes get to beating each other up. It is absolutely insane to watch.

At some point the woman from earlier comes to collect Saef for his sanctioning. Gorm is forbidden from coming with him, but he does give Saef a hug. Then there’s stuff that no one shall know about. Saef gets back to Gorm a changed man, for one he has a staff now! And a nice badge! Also horrible scarring on his face and his eyes don’t work very well anymore. But he is sanctioned now, and Gorm couldn’t be prouder. Saef tells him he is now part of the Imperial Guard stationed near Dew Mountain, but he is allowed to finish his unfinished business before he joins. Gorm says he has a thing he needs them to talk to Gimlet about, so together they go find him.

Gimlet has gone and found his dad, who is having a dinner somewhere, and notices that his son is upset. Gimlet tells his dad about grandma, and Valance seems to think it explains some things (though not why the Inquisition was so keen on getting their hands on Gimlet’s ma). He asks if Gimlet can shape-shift, and Gimlet, to his credit, tries, but it doesn’t seem to work. Gimlet gives his dad a new phone and Valance says he is leaving with the Ultramarines in the morning and he’ll attempt to locate some other members of their family. Gimlet also tells his dad about having to reveal his friends about his secret identity and how upset they are with him. Valance comforts him saying that they wouldn’t be angry if they didn’t love him, and Gimlet needs to give them time to get over it. The two hug. Gimlet says he wants to go to drink his sorrows away, and invites his dad to come with, but Valance is very insistent that this is not the time for drinking and takes Gimlet back to the palace to get some sleep.

But some sleep is not what Gimlet will get as there is a knock on their door and Gorm and Saef informing him they need to talk. Gimlet invites them in, but Gorm asks him to come out and takes him to this cool-ass bike Gorm loaned from the Custodes. Gimlet asks if Gorm is going to kill him now, and Gorm just tells him to get on the bike. Gimlet does and they take a slightly bumpy ride into the Terran night, stopping at a mountainous area. They get off, and Gorm takes off his shirt, revealing that he is still quite beat up from the training before, and also that he has some sweet tats all over his body. 

Gorm says that he needs to tell Gimlet something. He, nor Saef, didn’t appreaciate what Gimlet did back there. Luckily(?) for Gorm this is not the first time he has dealt with this level of betrayal. Gorm says he has a saga to tell, and makes it clear that this is not for Gimlet’s journal, to be shared with the Inquisition.

Gorm tells a tale of three young boys on Fenris, who went out boating and met a Kraken. One of the boys told the others they should lead it back to the rest for the glorious kill, one of the boys told the others they should lead it away to spare bloodshed and one of the boys said nothing. They led the Kraken back to others, and the Kraken was slain. Later these three boys were chosen by a sky-warrior to be tested, for a chance to ascend into their ranks. They were made to drink blood, and while others were turned into raging beasts by this, the three boys were not. Their task was to hunt down a beast. One of the boys suggested that they might kill one such raging beast, and pass the test, one of the boys suggested they return and let the sky-warrior know something was up and one of the boys said nothing. Again they followed the first boy’s suggestion and passed the test, and were made into Space Wolves. And those three were from then on known as Olaf, Gorm and Uffe. 

As Gorm relays this story he is getting more and more wolfed out. As he sees it, they cheated the test, and this is why he has not yet conquered the curse. But Gorm is a Grey Hunter now, he needs to control it. He failed the first test with Olaf, but now Gimlet can be his new test. Gorm tells Gimlet that no one will miss him, except maybe his dad (ouch) and that Gimlet and his deeds anger him deeply. Gorm tells him that if he had known who Gimlet was, he would have stayed away from him, he would have never told him everything about the Wolfs. Gimlet counters that he never wrote it down, never shared it with anyone and never will. Gorm says that merely the fact that it is in Gimlet’s head is too much, Gorm can’t trust in Gimlet as a friend anymore, and he can’t know that Gimlet will never share the things he knows, and more importantly neither can Gimlet. Maybe one day Gimlet will be a High Inquisitor, and it will give him more power to have the Space Wolves erased, and what then? Gorm won’t be around to stop him.

Gorm asks how Gimlet will make it right. Gorm has a suggestion, after their adventure is done, Gimlet will come with Gorm to Fenris and they will have someone erase everything Gimlet knows of the Space Wolves from his head. He asks if Gimlet wants to be a friend and Gimlet replies that he always wanted to be Gorm’s friend, that he never wanted to be against Gorm. Gorm lets him know that Gimlet can’t have any more secrets, and he can’t do his things on his own behind others’ back. 

Gimlet apologises to both Gorm and Saef. Saef takes this moment to say his piece, saying that he is angry about being left out, that Saef has worked so hard trying to save his friends and this whole time Gimlet knew why they had to die, that there was no saving them.

Gimlet says that once they find Vivek, they need to take him somewhere and not tell Gimlet where he has gone. Gorm says this is out of the question, since Gorm and Saef are his friends. Gimlet points out Vivek isn’t really his friend. Gorm says they’re in this together, no more secrets, maybe Gimlet will just have to learn to lie to the Inquisition, as a show of his changed ways.

Why do you kiss Inquisiton ass anyway? Gorm asks. To keep myself alive, says Gimlet. Gorm wonders if it’s worth it living as a coward and a liar? Saef and Gorm both agree that they would rather die for their friends. 

Gorm says that from now on, Gimlet must be more loyal to his friends rather than the Inquisition. Gorm makes the point that he is more loyal to the Space Wolves rather than his friends, but he has always made it clear, people know this about him. He wants Gimlet to consider and consult both Saef and Gorm before he makes any decisions. Gorm makes it clear that they’re on the same side.

Gimlet says he was ready to tell Saef and Gorm, after he had gotten his new mission, but the correct opportunity never came. He apologizes for being an ass.

The talk turns to Gimlet’s current misssion. Gimlet is certain something has happened on Elucia Vhane’s ship, which may or may not be related to Inpax no longer being an Inquisitor, and Gimlet having to kill her. Gimlet starts crying at that, and Gorm asks what’s the problem with killing Inquisitor Inpax, and, if he’s so keen on keeping her alive, why just not do that? Gimlet says Inquisition will kill him if he doesn’t, and Gorm asks why he is so afraid of death. Gimlet laments about not being able to pay back for not standing up back in Limestow. Gorm says it should be more important to stand up right now, not in the past, and Gimlet shouldn’t worry about dying, but rather worry about dying for the right cause.

As far as Gorm and Saef are concerned, that though Inpax has been cordial to Saef, she hasn’t exactly been a great friend, and has been especially bad for Vivek and Eden. Gimlet mentions Inpax used to be in a relationship with Lu Yan, Gorm shrugs non-commitally saying that sounds like Lu Yan’s problem. and says there’s always a way to fix things. They just need to first learn what has happened, and then decide their course of action. Gorm points out he almost killed Inpax way back when, but because of Gimlet telling it would keep Saef safe, he did not. Gorm really doesn’t care about Inpax, the main goal, as far as he is concerned is getting Gimlet out of Inquisition. Gimlet is pretty sure that is not possible. Seems like they have a plan.

Gimlet mentions to Gorm telling Uffe about his not-so ex-Inquisitional status. Gorm says that he is not quite sure if Uffe remembers the saga Gorm told the others, and asks the others not to mention it, he wants to bring it up himself. 

Saef mentions that he has a secret that he has been keeping from the others, well, it’s another person’s secret. He’d like to share it, but he’ll have to okay it with the other person. Gimlet asks if it’s about Ahram. Saef says no, but he can talk about Ahram as well, once he learns about what’s up with him anyway. 

Gimlet asks everyone not to reveal Alex, as he is still working undercover under Inquisitor Corrida. Gorm says he doesn’t even know who to reveal this information to (or “nobody I know gives a shit” is the exact words). Gimlet sighs and says Alex just “needs a good man to lay with him”. Maybe that could be accomplished on Fenris? Gorm doubts it.

With the conversation done, our heroes take a much smoother bike ride back to palace and go to bed. In the morning our trio makes their way to the infirmary to pick up their friends and watch over the ritual that makes people into dreadnoughts. Uffe and Ahram are there, both doing alright, and ready to leave. 

They are about to start with the dreadnought-process, when a final person makes an appearance, a tall, very familiar person of the Primarch. Everyone drops to their knees. Trixa makes the universal Mechanicus Windows start-up noise of distress, attempting to get to her multiple knees with mild success. Guilliman tells them once again to be at ease. He goes to the bedside of brother Leviticus and appears to pray over him. He then joins our heroes and lets Trixa start working. Guilliman explains the procedure as it happens, Gorm and Gimlet are very attentive and poor Saef has no clue what’s going on (even if he could see clearly). Guilliman does mention that usually the person’s squadmates are present at the ceremony, but none of Brother Leviticus’ comrades made it, so that explains Guilliman’s presence.

After the ritual is done. but before Guilliman leaves, Gorm asks permission to ask Guilliman a question, which he is granted. So Gorm asks, how did he know that his brothers were beyond redemption, which woof, quite a question. Guilliman says he can see why Gorm would wish to ask such a question, knowing his mission. Though there is courage in hoping for redemption (since it is hard to know another man’s heart), there comes a point where things that have been done must outweigh that hope. It is not an easy decision to make, but rather than knowing the other person, the decision can be lived with if one knows oneself, one’s duties and one’s heart. Gorm admits that he might have made a mistake about that in the past (referring to Snorri), and Guilliman says sometimes mistakes are unavoidable. Gorm says that hearing that the primarch himself had trouble with the decisions he had to make makes him feel a bit better. Guilliman bids his farewell and leaves. 

Outside the medbay there are already several Ultramarines in wait, as well as some clerks who crowd Guilliman. Guilliman lets his men know they’re leaving in 40 minutes. The Ultramarines go pick up their brother and also one of them hands Gorm his spanking new medkit. Gorm asks about the possibility of catching a ride with the Ultramarines, so the man checks and says there is some space on ship number 6, provided our heroes will know when to get off themselves. Ride secured yay! Our heroes and pals make their way to the ship. Gorm and Uffe do some last minute (secret) shopping (Gorm gets a listening device, Uffe buys a packet of smokes), and then they are off Terra. 

There are a couple of phonecalls that are made as soon as our heroes get on their way. Gimlet calls Lu Yan, and lets her know what’s the situation regarding himself and Inpax is. She is obviously distraught by the news, she doesn’t want Inpax to die. Gimlet asks if she knows at all what happened to Alex. Lu Yan says Alex texted her about leaving the planet Gimlet was on and sending a report to Inpax (to which Inpax never replied, which is not at all unusual). After a little bit of silence there came a ton of confused texts and then nothing, which isn’t really helpful.

Gimlet also calls Cayenne to let her know they’re okay, but no longer nowhere near Ostara, so could they get her to pick them up? In the end they agree that Cayenne will meet up with them on Dew Mountain. Gimlet asks Cayenne if she knows anything about Elucia Vhane’s ship and / or Inpax. Cayenne tells him that Elucia Vhane told her about a slight Nurgle problem she left to go deal with. Inpax in turn left Cayenne’s ship about a day after, taking Eden and all her men with her. Cayenne is glad to have Inquisitor-people off her ship, not so glad to hear Gimlet is still part of Inquisition (does that mean she has been double-paying him??).

Gorm makes a call to Fenris to the rune priest Sveleighr, who’s looking over his case. However the call goes, it shan’t be reported here.

Gorm also makes a call to his friend sergeant Carl of the Sable Swords, catching him just in time for his break. They chat a bit, Carl is happy to hear from Gorm, quite envious of his visit to Terra and delighted when Gorm tells him that he has been picking up some healing methods because of Carl. Gorm asks Carl what he is up to, and Carl tells him that he’s still on Dew Mountain, or nearby, on a new accinment, which turns out to be helping a tech-priest in dealing with a Nurgle infestation on a rogue trader ship, Elucia Vhane’s ship New Dawn to be precise. Gorm asks whether there’s Inquisitors around, and Carl informs him that all the people (aside from Elucia Vhane’s AdMech) were evacuated onto the planet before him and his squad got there, so he can’t help Gorm there. Gorm asks after Vivek, but Carl says he doesn’t know the AdMechs around. Gorm lets Carl know that he’ll be getting there soon, and would love to meet up and / or kick some nurgling butt.

[atomicbritt]

A Big list of True Crime Podcasts

I was working on making an new True Crime masterlist but the podcast section was getting way too long. So enjoy listening to these great podcasts on real life crime! (feel free to add on)

74 Seconds: The story of a July 2016 traffic stop that ended with the world watching a man die, live on their phones. This is the story of that man, Philando Castile, and the officer who is about to go on trial for his death, Jeronimo Yanez. Through comprehensive reporting, MPR News examines this intersection of race, policing, justice and safety in America. A lot can happen in 74 seconds.

Accused: When Elizabeth Andes was found murdered in her Ohio apartment in 1978, police and prosecutors decided within hours it was an open-and-shut case. Two juries disagreed. The Cincinnati Enquirer investigates: Was the right guy charged, or did a killer walk free?

All Kill no Filla: Join comedians Rachel Fairburn and Kiri Pritchard - McLean as they explore a shared passion, serial killers. Each episode the pair will talk all things murder and macabre and have a right laugh doing it.

Already Gone Podcast: Stories of the missing, the murdered, the mysterious and the lost.

And that’s Why we drink: And That's Why We Drink is a paranormal and true crime podcast hosted by Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz, and boxed wine. Join us every Sunday for some chilling ghost stories and downright terrifying true crime stories.

Atlanta Monster: From the producers of Up and Vanished and HowStuffWorks, Atlanta Monster aims to tell the true story of one of Atlanta’s darkest secrets, almost 40 years later.

Australian True Crime: Think nothing ever happens in your town? Australia's suburbs are home to some of the most mysterious and disturbing true crime cases in the world. Meshel Laurie is a true crime obsessive. Emily Webb is a true crime author. And together with expert interviews with writers, victims, investigators and perpetrators, they probe the underbelly of our towns and suburbs, and uncover the darkness at the heart of Australian life.

Black Hands-A family Mass Murder: This is the story of a mass-murder that divided a nation - a story that began in a rickety old home on a cold June morning in 1994, where five members of a seemingly ordinary New Zealand family were gunned down. There were two suspects. One lay dead from a single bullet to the head. The other was the only survivor: David Bain. Since then the country has asked: who killed the Bain family? David or his father Robin? In this podcast, Martin van Beynen explores the case from start to finish, picking through evidence, the mysteries and motives, and interviewing never-before-spoken-to witnesses. He seeks to finally answer the question: Who was the killer?

Caliphate: In the war on terror, who is it that we’re really fighting? “Caliphate” follows Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism for The New York Times, on her quest to understand ISIS. 

Canadian True Crime: An independent podcast telling stories of cruel people who committed heinous acts in Canada, with a focus on honouring and respecting victims and survivors.

Casefile: Fact is scarier than fiction.

The Cleaning of John Doe: True crime scene cleaning stories from your host, Vanessa Phearson. She takes you on a journey of her experiences cleaning up the aftermath of some of the grisliest, most heartbreaking and most intense cleanups a crime scene cleaner can face.

The Clearing: When April Balascio was 40 years old, something she’d feared for decades was finally proven true. Her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, really was a murderer. The Clearing is about what came after April called a detective in 2009 to tell him about her suspicions — a call that led to her father’s arrest and eventual conviction on multiple murders — and tracks the emotional journey as she and host Josh Dean dig back into her childhood, unravel the truth of her father’s life, and overturn a viral online narrative that had turned Edward Wayne Edwards into a kind of serial killer caricature.

Cold:  Susan Powell vanished on Dec. 7, 2009. Her body has never been found. From the beginning, West Valley City, Utah police suspected Susan's husband, Josh Powell, had murdered her. They never arrested him. COLD dives deep into the case files, uncovering never-before-heard details. You'll learn why Susan stayed with an abusive husband, why Josh did what he did and how the justice system failed Susan and her two boys.

The Color Line Murders: Historical true crime podcast telling the stories of lynching victims in the American South

Court Junkies: Imagine being wrongfully convicted for a crime you didn’t commit, or imagine your child’s killer is still on the loose even though there’s enough evidence for an arrest. I want to help shine light on the injustices of our judicial system. I delve into court documents, attend trials, and interview those close to the case to help me tell their stories.

Criminology: a true crime podcast that takes a deep dive into some of the most famous cases in the annals of crime. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford will give you every details of these infamous crimes. Each season is a new case told over 8-10 episodes.

Crime Culture: Hayley Langan and Kaitlin Mahar talk about true crime, pop culture, and how the two relate. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder how the hell you got here. Episodes air every Tuesday!

Crime in color: Your weekly look at people of color in true crime hosted by Keyerra. I'm not only telling stories but also bringing light to cases. This podcast isn't only about murderers/serial killers, but it's also about victims, survivors who were able to make it through a terrible life changing event or the wrongfully convicted who had their lives ruined. All of these are important and I want to tell their stories.

Crime Junkie: A weekly podcast dedicated to giving you a true crime fix. Every Monday, Ashley Flowers will tell you about whatever crime she’s been obsessing over that week in a way that sounds like you're sitting around talking crime with your best friends. The storytelling is straightforward and free of rabbit holes so the cases stay suspenseful and are easy to follow. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’re a Crime Junkie! You’ve found your people.

Crime in Sports: Two comedians take an unmerciful and hilarious look at athletes who have lost big games...with the law! Crime in Sports does the research, and finds the funny in the world of sports true crime. New episode every week!

Crimetown: Welcome to Crimetown, a series produced by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier in partnership with Gimlet Media. Each season, we investigate the culture of crime in a different city

Culpable: Culpable explores unsettled cases where the people who seem deserving of blame have somehow eluded justice.

Cults: Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults. Cults is part of the Parcast Network and is a Cutler Media production.

Carruth: The "miracle" began Nov. 16, 1999, when Cherica Adams was shot four times in Charlotte, N.C. A hitman tried to murder Adams, the girlfriend of NFL star Rae Carruth, and their unborn son, Chancellor Lee. But the hitman failed. Now, a year-long investigation exposes stunning new details of the crime that shocked the sports world—and the impacts still being felt years later. Hosted by Charlotte Observer reporter Scott Fowler, who has covered this saga for 19 years.

Dark Poutine: True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.

Dirty John: Dirty John is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by journalist Christopher Goffard and created by Wondery and Los Angeles Times.

Disgraceland: A true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Thirty minute episodes that trace the most insane criminal stories surrounding our most interesting and infamous pop stars.

Dr. Death: We’re at our most vulnerable when we go to our doctors. We trust the person at the other end of that scalpel. We trust the hospital. We trust the system.Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away.But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. Which begs the question: who - or what - is that system meant to protect?

The Fall Line: The Fall Line Podcast is a true-crime audio serial focused on marginalized communities in Georgia, and covers one story per season. Sometimes we investigate, sometimes we reveal--but we're always telling stories of people who have been passed over by mainstream media

Female Criminals: The true crime podcast where women aren’t just the victims. Every week, we examine the psychology, motivations, and atrocities of female felons.

Fruitloops - Serial Killers of Color: a weekly podcast where two true crime enthusiasts bring you stories about people of color who rarely get media coverage - bringing diversity to the true crime conversation.

Generation Why: Two friends, Aaron & Justin, discuss theories and share their opinions on unsolved murders

Gone: Have you ever spent hours looking for something you simply lost? How about a hundred years? How about looking for a missing airplane?  Or a vanished civilization? Every other Monday, Gone searches for everything lost. From D. B. Cooper to the Holy Grail, the Etruscan language to early Russian cosmonauts; if it disappeared, we’re looking. After all, just because something is gone, doesn’t mean it can’t be found.

Court Junkies: Imagine being wrongfully convicted for a crime you didn’t commit, or imagine your child’s killer is still on the loose even though there’s enough evidence for an arrest. I want to help shine light on the injustices of our judicial system. I delve into court documents, attend trials, and interview those close to the case to help me tell their stories.

Criminal: Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.

DETROIT: “Murder City” Podcast: Seven the General & friends share funny Prison stories as well as Real Life issues surrounding incarceration & its effects on the black communities

Hell and High Horror Podcast: Hosts Austyn and Repy are two average young women who are casually obsessed with true crime and horror. Every week a topic is chosen and each host presents a story of murder, mystery, or the paranormal along with some comic relief and banter.

Hollywood & Crime: Docu-drama about the Black Dahlia murder in 1947 - and a dozen other murders happening at the same time in suspiciously similar circumstances …

Hostage: Some terrorists use weapons. Some use information. The scariest use hostages. Every Thursday, Hostage tells electrifying crime stories culminating in intense, life-or-death negotiations. Within the stories, we examine tactics used by the FBI’s crisis negotiation unit, world governments, and even hostage’s parents, highlighting the techniques that saved lives, and the moments where everything went tragically wrong.

In the dark: Reporter Madeleine Baran examines the case of Curtis Flowers, who has been tried six times for the same crime. For 21 years, Flowers has maintained his innocence. He's won appeal after appeal, but every time, the prosecutor just tries the case again. In the Dark is an investigative podcast from APM Reports. Season One focused on the abduction of Jacob Wetterling.

It's About Damn Crime: Tired of hearing the same old true crime stories? Then you've come to the right place! Welcome to It's About Damn Crime. A true crime podcast where co-hosts Brittney and Justine discuss true crime cases featuring people of color. So please give it a listen. Promise some of these cases will be brand new to you!

Killer Queens:Two sisters get together to discuss a different case straight from the headlines or news feed. If you like to hear 90's lingo, obscure quotes, and the occasional (perhaps frequent) curse word in your true crime stories, then this is the show for you. TTYL.

Kingpins: Undeniable power. Unbelievable stories. Unlikely origins. Kingpins follows the rise and fall of rulers of the underworld. Every Friday, we examine the leaders of organized crime rings, and how money and power corrupted and changed their communities. What makes a kingpin or queenpin, and how can we stop them?

Last Podcast on the left: covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers

Let's Not Meet: These are stories of real encounters with creeps, murderers and psychos. Told in the form of a campfire narrative, Let's Not Meet sets out to prove that real monsters are not that of fiction novels or horror films. The real monsters are the humans that walk among us every day of our lives.

Let’s Read: The Lets Read Podcast centers around narrating True Scary Experiences from real people, just like yourself. Ranging from creepy stalkers to paranormal encounters with the other side. My goal is to lull you into beautiful nightmares.

Lore: the frightening history behind common folklore

Man In The Window: The Golden State Killer : In Man in the Window, Paige St. John, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter has uncovered never before revealed details about the man who would eventually become one of California's most deadly serial killers. From Wondery and the LA Times comes a new series that traces his path of devastation through his victims' eyes.

Married to Murder: a true crime, comedy podcast and we cover cases where couples kill together or each other.

Martinis and Murder: Hosts Daryn Carp and John Thrasher chat about creepy crimes and mysterious murders...while mixing up martinis! Each fun new episode will focus on a new crime, the crazy details and of course the theories about how it all went down.

Misconduct: is a true crime podcast hosted by Colleen and Eileen (who also happen to be related). Each week we will be discussing the facts, the theories, and our opinions of resolved and unresolved crimes, wrongful convictions, and miscarriages of justice.

Missing: hosted by bestselling crime writer Tim Weaver. Over the course of an entire season, the show investigates the world of missing people – who disappears, why they disappear, the pressures of life on the run, and who tracks them down – and charts the progression of a missing persons search.

Missing and Murdered: Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970’s and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl’s family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo.

Missing Maura Murray: a true crime podcast about the mysterious disappearance of Maura Murray. Maura was a 21 year old college student in February of 2004 when she inexplicably drove three hours from her dorm in Amherst, Massachusetts to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and vanished.

Moms and Murder: a true crime podcast featuring two friends gabbing about their favorite guilty pleasure, true crime.

Morbid: It’s a lighthearted nightmare in here, weirdos! Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist.

Murder Down Under: Two dorks, one continent, and a whole lot of slaughter

The Murder In My Family: Murder is a crime of many victims. It affects not only the murdered, but also those who loved them. The Murder in My Family tells the effects of murder from the perspective of the family members of the victims... 

Murder Was The Case: Criminologist Lee Mellor discusses the darkest, most perverse, bestial crimes known to man. You can’t handle it. Tap out now.

Murderous Minors: A true crime podcast bringing tales of killer kids. Factual stories of murderous children throughout the years- a parent’s worst nightmare. 

My Father the Murderer: Just how much of the story of ‘how you came to be’ makes up who you are? It's not a question most people think about, but for journalist, Nina Young, it's a question she can't avoid because she might not be here today if a woman hadn’t lost her life late one night in the bush in 1977. In this six-part podcast, she's going to finally let the skeletons out of her family closet and find out the truth. A truth that will take her back to the scene of the crime and face to face with some uncomfortable truths.

My Favorite Murder: Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, two lifelong fans of true crime stories. Each episode the girls tell each other their favorite tales of murder, and hear hometown crime stories from friends and fans.

Mystery Murdery Thingy: Do you like Mystery? Murder? Thingies??? Mario and Chloe are making a podcast for people like you!

The mysterious Mr. Epstein:  We now know that Jeffrey Epstein was a sexual predator. He was also accused of fraud, embezzlement, coercion and more. But for most of his life, he was a mystery to the public, and to many of the people who knew him. In this six part series, we peel back the layers of Epstein’s life to detail his financial and sexual crimes, and his network of enablers, with original reporting and interviews.

Nothing Rhymes With Murder: Join Kate and Georgie on a global journey of MURDER. Every week a new country and true crime gem as well as fun hotspots to visit. Remember kids, life is a journey, don’t let murder stop you! ✈️??

Once Upon A Crime: THE podcast for the true crime addict. True crime stories are told chapter by chapter - kidnappings, murders, mysterious disappearances, serial killers, celebrity crime and more.

Overkill: After 19-year-old Aya Velasquez died mysteriously in Harding Park, no one seemed to care. At least not until a preteen medium accidentally summoned Aya herself to solve the mystery. With no memory of her death and no shortage of questions, Aya must make friends with her fellow ghosts and discover the truth behind the Midwest’s most haunted park. Based on EVP audio recorded by M.A.A.G. (Mothers Against Aliens and Ghosts), Overkill is a comedy podcast, a murder mystery, and a love story all wrapped in one vaguely supernatural package.

Pretty Scary: True crime, conspiracy theories, ghosts, aliens, and things of that sort. Hosted by comics Adam Tod Brown, Caitlin Cutt, and Kari Martin.

The Pros & Cons: Hosted by veteran true crime television producers, Bethany Jones and Adriana Padilla (formerly of the Queens of Crime Podcast), The Pros & Cons is the ultimate insider look into the world of true crime with insight from the pros and cons that actually lived the cases.

Real Crime Profile: Join Jim Clemente (former FBI profiler), Laura Richards (criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard) and Lisa Zambetti (Casting director for CBS' Criminal Minds) as they profile behavior from real criminal cases.

The RFK Tapes: When Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, a lone gunman was captured at the scene, revolver in hand. It seemed like an open and shut case. So why did the police keep evidence hidden away for decades? Over ten episodes, hosts Zac Stuart-Pontier (Crimetown) and Bill Klaber (author, Shadow Play) comb through previously secret police tapes and track down the people who were there to investigate troubling questions about one of the most significant crimes in American history.

S'laughter: True Crime Podcast: A UK true crime podcast with a comedy twist. 30 somethings Lucy and Emma tell each other true crime stories, whilst injecting a little dark humour along the way. Nominated in the true crime category in the British Podcast Awards 2018. Lucy and Emma pride themselves on being well researched and telling you everything there is to know about the crime in question. So listen, enjoy, and remember, listening to S'laughter doesn't make you a psycho, killing people does.

S-Town - a podcast from Serial and This American Life, hosted by Brian Reed, about a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who's allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But when someone else ends up dead, the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man's life.

Serial: The podcast everyone’s already heard of. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season.

Serial Killers: Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories.

Slow Burn: On Slow Burn, Leon Neyfakh excavates the strange subplots and forgotten characters of recent political history—and finds surprising parallels to the present. Season 1 captured what it was like to live through Watergate; Season 2 does the same with the saga of Bill Clinton’s impeachment.

Snap Judgment: If you like highly-produced storytelling, then this show is for you. Snap Judgment covers a variety of topics every week that explores the human condition. They’re currently covering stories about true crime, such as Marina Nemat’s remarkable story of being imprisoned in Tehran as a teenager and the unlikely ally she found inside.

Small Town Murder: Two comedians look at a small town, what makes it tick, and a murder that took place there. In depth research, horrible tragedy, and the hosts' comedic spin on the whole thing. New episodes every Thursday!!

Someone Knows Something: A series produced by CBC that examines unsolved cases of missing or murdered individuals.

Something Scary: Do you wanna hear something scary? Join Sapphire and Markeia every week as they bring you the creepiest ghost stories, urban legends, and folktales.

Southern Fried True Crime: Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South.

The Strange and Unusual Podcast: The unknown, it lies at the root of all fear, and has inspired legends, folklore, superstition, mythology, and even murder throughout history. Still today we feel the shadowy presence of our ancestors' struggles to explain the mysterious in our lives, as we continue to keep fighting to keep our monsters in the dark. Welcome to The Strange and Unusual Podcast, a podcast with a focus on dark history.

Stranglers: True crime podcast retracing the Boston murders of 13 women during the 1960’s.  

Sword and Scale: Podcast covers the ugly underbelly of true crime. Be prepared to never sleep again…

Taboo, Schadenfreude and Murder: Welcome to Taboo, Schadenfreude, and Murder. A podcast by two sisters that will cover all manner of taboo subjects: some illegal, some immoral, some societal. We bring a surface level discussion to the world’s taboos.

The Teacher’s Pet: Lyn and Chris Dawson appear to have the perfect marriage. He's a star footballer and popular high school teacher. She's a devoted wife and mother. They share a beautiful home above Sydney's northern beaches. But when Lyn goes missing, dark secrets are buried. This is no fairytale, but a sordid story of strangely close twin brothers, teenage student lovers, and probable murder. The Australian's Hedley Thomas digs deep into a cold case which has been unsolved for 36 years, uncovering startling new evidence.

They Walk Among Us: They Walk Among Us is an award-winning weekly UK true crime podcast covering a broad range of cases from the sinister to the surreal.

Thin Air Podcast: Two English majors investigate cold cases by examining evidence and interviewing people involved with the original investigation.

The Thing about Pam: Two days after Christmas, 2011, Russ Faria came home from game night to find his wife, Betsy, dead. He was soon charged and convicted of her murder. But Russ Faria insisted he did not kill his wife. Betsy’s brutal murder set off a chain of events that would leave one man dead, another man implicated, and expose a diabolical scheme.

Thinking Sideways: Investigating things we simply don’t have the answer to. Sometimes you have to think a little sideways to come up with a plausible solution to the mystery.

The Trail Went Cold: a true crime podcast where writer Robin Warder examines unsolved mysteries and offers his own theories as to what really happened.

True Crime Addict –  Investigative journalist, James Renner, tackles the cold case of Maura Murray while coming to grips on his own downward spiral.

True Crime All The Time: This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously.

True Crime Brewery: Jill and Dick are a married couple who love to drink beer and discuss true crime. Join them at the quiet end of the bar. Dick will bring along an excellent beer from the region where the crime occurred. He will give us a little beer lesson and review before Jill starts off their true crime discussion. The discussions are well-researched and in depth. Dick is a physician and often shares his medical expertise at Jill's urging.

True Crime Fan Club: A podcast for the ultimate true crime enthusiast. A glimpse into the life and crimes of some of the most demented minds. You will not want to miss an episode.

True Crime Garage: Each week Nic & The Captain get in the garage and talk true crime and drink beer.

True Crime Historian: remembers the famous and forgotten scandals, scoundrels, and scourges of the past through newspaper accounts in the golden age of yellow journalism.

True Crime Japan Podcast: A podcast devoted to true crime and mysteries from Japan.

True crime Obsessed: Recapping True Crime Documentaries with Humor, Sass, and a well timed Garbage Bell

True Crime Sweden: True Crimes from Sweden, told in English!

True Murder: Penned as the podcast about “the most shocking killers in true crime history and the authors that have written about them,” journalist Dan Zupansky interviews those who are the most obsessed with criminal cases: true crime writers. Less produced but still engaging, True Murder covers some of the most brutal moments of criminal history, like the gruesome story of Theresa Cross, the mother who slowly killed two of her children, with the youngest daughter barely making it out alive.

Twisted Philly: There’s more mischief, mayhem and nefarious goings on in the city of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection than Billy Penn could have ever imagined.

UK True Crime Podcast: We examine lesser known UK cases in depth, talk to true crime authors, review products/shows and interview other experts in the field of UK True Crime to offer you the very best insight and analysis.

Unravel: Unravel True Crime is a podcast where, each season, some of Australia's best journalists investigate unsolved crimes.

Undisclosed: The Undisclosed podcast investigates wrongful convictions, and the U.S. criminal justice system, by taking a closer look at the perpetration of a crime, its investigation, the trial, and ultimate verdict... and finding new evidence that never made it to court.

Up and Vanished: Up and Vanished is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Payne Lindsey. The series takes an in-depth look into the cases of people who have gone missing. The show is produced by Tenderfoot TV.

Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories: Highly immersive true crime podcast that sometimes feels more like a old time-y audio drama.

The Vanished: Covering missing persons, one episode at a time.

Why Women Kill:  When a woman commits murder, she’s often given a label: “The Woman Who Snapped,” “Black Widow” or “Angel of Death.” Do these labels help us explain why women murder, or do they mask the truth? Join the true crime writer Tori Telfer as she uncovers what drives women to kill, presented by CBS All Access.

Wine and Crime: Wine & Crime is a new true crime / comedy podcast. Join three childhood friends as they chug wine, chat true crime, and unleash their worst Minnesota accents!

The Wonderland Murders: the tale of a violent home invasion robbery and the revenge rampage that followed. It involves a drug-fueled gang of criminals, a crazed crime kingpin– and the world’s most famous porn star on a downward and deadly spiral.

You Must Remember This: All about “the secret and/or forgotten history of Hollywood’s first century”; not a true crime podcast, but due to the nature of Hollywood’s first century, there is quite a lot of crime in it, like the Black Dahlia case, or a whole season about Charles Manson!

Zealot: A podcast about cults.

[ciathyzareposts]

Star Control II: Summary and Rating

For the box art, the developers seem to be paying homage to L. Ron Hubbard.

           Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters

United States

Toys for Bob (developer); Accolade (publisher)

Released in 1992 for DOS, 1994 for the 3DO console; later fan ports to other platforms

Date Started: 23 March 2019

Date Finished: 14 May 2019

Total Hours: 47 Difficulty: Moderate (3/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)

       Summary:

Star Control II takes the ship-by-ship action combat of the original Star Control and places it solidly within an adventure game of epic proportions. In a galaxy of more than 500 stars and 3,000 planets, a captain must build alliances, find artifacts, mine minerals, and coerce information from alien races so that he can ultimately throw off the yoke of the Ur-Quan Hierarchy and free Earth and its allies from slavery. Gameplay comes with a lot of lore and plot-twists, but every so often it reveals its origins and requires the player to defeat enemy ships with selects from his own armada, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities. Although the sense of an open world and a nonlinear plot both end up being somewhat illusory, the game is still fun and memorable.

****

         In the comments for my winning entry, several readers have offered descriptions and text that occurs when you try some of the game’s alternate strategies, such as surrendering to the Ur-Quan, provoking the Orz, or selling your own crewmembers to the Druuge. Most of them are either dead-ends or offer such harsh consequences that you’d best not do them in the first place.

One thing I was curious to check out is what happens if you wait out the game’s time limit. The Melnorme originally told me that the Earth would be destroyed in January or February of 2159, but my actions in the game managed to delay the apocalypse by almost two years. As I sat in hyperspace and watched, nothing much happened until November 2159, when the Supox and Utwig returned to their original systems, much diminished. 

           No one remains but the Ur-Quan.

          Around the end of 2159, the Kor-Ah won the civil war and started to circle the galaxy, destroying each sentient race in turn. Some of their ships reached Earth in April, but they weren’t here to destroy Earth just yet. I fought a few dreadnoughts and the horde moved on. The Arilou, Umgah, and Zoq-Fot-Pik were all gone by June 2160, the Supox and Utwig a month later. By October 2160, the Ur-Quan fleet had reached the “southern” end of the galaxy and destroyed the Yehat. Finally, in November, I received a broadcast from the Ur-Quan notifying me of Earth’s destruction, and the game was over. My ship was parked right next to Earth at the time, and I was hoping I’d see a bunch of dreadnoughts approaching it, but alas, it wasn’t quite that detailed.

              The “bad” ending, unless you’re a big Ur-Quan fan.

           If I hadn’t cheated a bit during the game by reloading when an expedition proved a waste of time, I probably would have run into issues with the time limit. Watching the slow destruction of every race, along with the intelligence that they possessed, would have been mildly horrifying. But apparently you can still win the game at any time during this process, with nothing altered in the endgame sequence.

I confess that the last bit bothers me a little because it’s indicative of the approach taken by the game as a whole. When I started playing Star Control II, it gave the impression of an open-world game with multiple narrative possibilities. But it turns out you have to follow a few paths in a relatively specific order, and most of the choices turn out to be illusory. Oh, it certainly does better than the typical RPG of the period, I hasten to add. It was just a bit disappointing to find that open exploration isn’t really rewarded. If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon a key location amidst all the planets in the vast galaxy, you probably won’t be able to do anything because you haven’t bought an important piece of information from the Melnorme first.

I have similarly mixed feelings about the game’s approach to the alien races and racial characterizations. On the one hand, I enjoyed the variety. When you’re making a game (as opposed to shooting a film or television show), you have the freedom to make some interesting races without worrying about the CGI budget. I appreciated that there were no “bumpy forehead” aliens except perhaps for the Syreen.

            I could have done with less of this.

          I also don’t fault the game for broad characterizations. It’s a longstanding trope of science fiction and fantasy to paint races with a broad brush: the wise elves, the logical Vulcans, the proud Klingons, the evil orcs, and so forth. You rarely have time to explore the detailed characteristics of an entire culture. It’s perfectly acceptable that Star Control II decided to highlight one major attribute of each race, such as cowardice, depression, loneliness, and greed. When it did go into more detail, such as in the case of the Ur-Quan and the Syreen, the detail was generally good, and it was rewarding to unlock those stories. I also appreciated the consistency of characterization. The Spathi locking themselves under their own slave shield amused me to no end because it was perfectly in keeping with the Spathi personality–and, in hindsight, 100% foreseeable. 

But I also felt there were too many moments of outright goofiness and parody among the racial interactions. The Orz, the Pkunk, the VUX, the Umgah, and the Utwig mostly just exhausted my patience. I couldn’t help but think how the same races with similar characteristics might be handled with less silliness. We don’t have to look very far to find an example. Starflight and Starflight II had some of the same broad racial characterizations, but rarely crossed the line into outright slapstick. I felt the stories and plot twists of those games were much better, too.

Nonetheless, I understand why Star Control II is regarded as the better game: it’s all about the combat. I wasn’t any good at it, but I can see why people like it. Until I played it, I wouldn’t have thought that a single choice–what ship to pilot–could have so many tactical implications. There are 14 ships that can join the New Alliance and 13 potential enemy ships, resulting in 182 potential battle combinations, and each has completely different tactical considerations. (With the Super Melee application, you can fight any of the ships against any of the others, for 625 possible combinations.) Slowly mastering the strengths of your ships and learning the weaknesses of the enemy ships is a huge and rewarding part of gameplay. Later in the game, when you have to fight multiple ships in a row, there are strategic implications for what ships you send into combat first and which you reserve for later in the battle.

             The typical outcome of my combats.

           Still, the nature of combat, plus the lack of “character development,” really makes this a non-RPG, which means it might not do so well on the GIMLET as an RPG. I played it as an exception. I don’t want to hear any future comments along the lines of, “Well, you played Star Control II, so to be consistent, you should also play This Game.” The point of exceptions is that I don’t have to be consistent with them.

As to the GIMLET:

1. Game World. Star Control II manages to check most of the boxes in this category. It has a rich, detailed backstory, an open world, a clear place for the character and his quest, and an evolving game state that responds to the player’s actions. (I particularly like how the starmap continually updates to show the dispositions of the various races.) The plot and its twists are original and interesting. The only fault I can find is that there isn’t much to see or do in the open universe. I wish the creators had seeded more planets with optional encounters and finds, perhaps replacing the system but which you purchase all your technology upgrades from the Melnorme. Score: 8.

2. Character Creation and Development. Alas, there is none of either except for the ability to name your own captain. Even if you regard the ship as a “character,” it doesn’t get innately better so much as it gains better equipment. Score: 0.

3. NPC Interaction. Another strong point. I’ve given my thoughts about the NPC personalities, but I should add that even goofy personalities are better than we get from the typical RPG of the period, which is no personality (or even NPCs) at all. I wish there had been more honest variety in dialogue options instead of one that’s obvious, two that are stupid, and one that’s evil. The Starflight games did a better job giving the player real “options” when talking to different alien races even though they came in the form of “stances” rather than specific dialogue choices. 

I should also note that most NPCs aren’t individuals but rather representatives of their races who somehow know the previous conversations the player has had with other representatives. But the game otherwise hits most of the criteria for a high score hear, including a plot that advances based on NPC interaction. Score: 7.

             My thoughts exactly.

              4. Encounters and Foes. The game has an original slate of foes (ships) that require you to learn their individual strengths and weaknesses. There are otherwise no real “encounters” in the game that aren’t also NPC dialogues. Score: 6.

5. Magic and Combat. I can’t give a high score here because my scale is about RPG-style combat and the various tactics and strategies that draw from attributes, skills, and the player’s intelligence rather than his dexterity. Still, as I discussed above, the choice of ship and the way you plot long combats create some important tactical and strategic decisions. I just wish combat has always been about ship versus ship. The planets, which show up suddenly as you switch screens, were unwelcome guests. Score: 3.

           The asteroids, on the other hand, I didn’t mind so much.

         6. Equipment. All of the “equipment” in the game is ship-related rather than character-related, and it all applies to the flagship, which a good player arguably does not rely on. I wish there had been opportunities to upgrade the other ships in the fleet. It would have been tough to offer meaningful options with so many of them, but even just generic attack or defense improvements would have been nice. Beyond that, it’s fun to figure out how to best make use of the limited modular space on the flagship, particularly as new options come along regularly. Score: 3.

7. Economy. There are really two economies in the game: the “resource unit” economy that lets you build a fleet and equip your flagship, and the Melnorme “information” economy that depends on bio data and Rainbow World identifications. I found both rewarding enough for about two-thirds of the game. Score: 7.

8. Quests. The game has one main quest with a few options (though, as I mentioned before, a lot of the options are illusory) and side-quests. There’s only one ending. Score: 4.

9. Graphics, Sound, and Inputs. I don’t have many complaints in this category. The graphics are perfectly fine for the scope and nature of the game; the sound effects are fun and evocative throughout; and it’s hard to complain about the interface of a game that supports both joystick and keyboard inputs and lets you customize the keyboard. I had problems in combat despite these advantages, but I don’t think I can blame the game.

I do have one major issue, or several related issues, that fits into this category. The dialogue is delivered one line at a time in a huge font. You can hit the SPACE bar after each bit of dialogue to see a transcription in a smaller font that you can barely read. Either way, if you don’t make your own transcriptions or screen shots (which must have been tough for an era player), the dialogue is lost once you leave the screen. In most cases, you can’t prompt the NPC to speak the same lines again, and there’s no databank in which to retrieve it as there was in Star Control II. Thankfully, I took copious screenshots, but they’re a cumbersome way to review previous dialogue and I think the game should have offered a better system. Score: 6.

             This text is better than nothing, but it’s still not very easy to read.

          10. Gameplay. I give half-credit for non-linearity. The game is more linear than it seems when you start, but you still have a lot of choices about the order of your activities. I also give half-credit for replayability. As I mentioned earlier, many of the “options” seem illusory, and a replaying player might find himself swiftly on familiar paths, but there is at least some variety for a replay. The hourly total is just about right for this content, and while I had difficulty in combat, I still managed to win with an acceptable number of reloads, so I can’t fault the difficulty. Score: 7.

That gives us a final score of 51, surprisingly close to the 53 I gave both Starflight and Starflight II, which had actual characters and character development. But reviewing those games, I’m reminded how awful combat was, and how many issues I had with the interface. I’m thus comfortable with the rating. 

              The ad makes it seem like the game’s enemies are the Umgah.

          There are plenty of players, however, who would consider a 51 an insult. Star Control II still continues to make “best games ever” lists compiled by various publications. In a March 1993 preview in Computer Gaming World, Stanley Trevena liked the game enough to put it on his “top ten list of all time.” “It is not often,” he says, “that such a perfect balance is struck between role-playing, adventure, and action/arcade.” In the November 1993 issue, they gave it “Game of the Year” in the adventure category (or, at least, it tied with Eric the Unready). Dragon gave it 5 out of 5 stars. It’s rare to find an English review out of the 90s, though for some reason European reviews tended to put it lower, in the 70s.

The 3DO version from 1994 has some significant differences from the DOS version. It has an animated, narrated introduction and cut scenes plus voiced dialogue for the conversations. (My understanding is that the open-source Ur-Quan Masters would use some of this voiced dialogue but re-record others.) Some readers encouraged me to play this version specifically because of the voices. I’m not sure I would have liked it better. There’s really just too much dialogue overall. Some of the voices are good: I appreciate the Vaderesque bass of the Ur-Quan, the lispy enthusiasm of the Pik, and the weird Scottish accent the creators gave to the Yehat. For some reason, they decided the Shofixti was a bad English translator of a 1970s Japanese kung-fu movie; the Orz, Spathi, and Utwig are just annoying; and the Umgah is the stuff of nightmares. The Talking Pet is the worst, with some ridiculous southern “Joe Sixpack” accent. I was also disappointed by the Syreen, who sounds like Doris Day rather than . . . well, honestly, I’m not sure what would have done justice to the Syreen. How do you blend a fierce Amazonian and a seductive vixen in a single voice?

Star Control II left a satisfying number of mysteries, such as the fate of the Precursors and why they seemed (to the Slylandro) to be nervously searching for something. We never learned about the Rainbow Worlds or why they (apparently) form an arrow pointing to the “northeast” of the galaxy. We never learned what the Orz did to the Androsynth, what the Orz really are, and how they relate to the Arilou. I was disappointed that we never found out why the Ur-Quan destroyed historical structures of humanity, including some places we weren’t even aware of. I was disappointed to find that most of these questions are unanswered in Star Control 3 (1996), although we do apparently learn that the Precursors genetically modified themselves so they would have the intelligence of cows, thus protecting themselves from a race that periodically harvests the energies of sentient races. I think the creators missed an opportunity by not making the Precursors actual cows. There could have been a Gary Larson tie-in and everything.

           The creepy cover to the game’s sequel.

          The direction of Star Control 3 reveals some of the background drama between developer Toys for Bob (authors Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford) and publisher Accolade. According to Reiche and Ford, Accolade gave the developer such a limited budget that they had to essentially work for free for half a year to create a quality game. Accolade would not increase the budget for the sequel, so the original creators refused to develop it, and the job went to Legend Entertainment instead.

In 2002, authors Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford made the source code available for free, and some fans used it to create The Ur-Quan Masters for Windows, with multiple releases starting in 2005. It has since been ported to multiple additional platforms. The effort also led to the creation of the Ultronomicon, a Star Control II wiki.

The Star Control trademark passed to Infogrames when it purchased Accolade in 1999; Infogrames soon rebranded itself as Atari. When Atari filed for bankruptcy in 2013, its assets were sold. Stardock Corporation managed to acquire the Star Control license and produce Star Control: Origins (2018). Set 26 years before the original Star Control, the game would seem to retcon when Earth first encountered alien life. During development, Stardock claimed to be in contact with Reiche and Ford, and were developing the game along their vision, although they couldn’t technically participate because of their Activation contract. If this relationship was ever friendly and cooperative, it soon became otherwise when Reiche and Ford announced they would be creating Star Control: Ghosts of the Precursors and Stardock started selling the first three Star Control games on Steam. Both parties counter-sued each other for copyright and intellectual property violations, and Steam removed the Star Control titles (including Origins, at least temporarily) after receiving DCMA takedown notices from Reiche and Ford. As far as I can tell, the litigation is still ongoing.

            Combat in Origins has improved graphics but seems to adhere to original principles.

        Toys for Bob still lives as a subsidiary of Activision, and Reiche and Ford still continue to direct the development of its games. I don’t think we’ll see them again, however, as none of their titles are RPGs. (For more on Reiche and Ford, see Jimmy Maher’s excellent coverage of Star Control II from this past December. My favorite part is when Reiche gets fired from TSR for questioning the purchase of a Porsche as an executive’s company car.)

I am often dismissive of calls for remakes, usually considering them to be the products of dull, dilettante gamers who can’t handle any graphics more than 5 years old. But I would like to see, if not a remake, a modern game that has the basic approach of Star Control II (and, for that matter, Starflight)–perhaps even one that realizes it better by offering truly alternate plot paths. We have plenty of games (although, in my opinion, not enough) that allow us to explore open worlds; have any so far allowed us to explore an open universe? Perhaps that’s what we’ll get from Bethesda’s forthcoming Starfield.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/star-control-ii-summary-and-rating/

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #52: Epilogue

The epilogue takes place during five years after the encounter in the Necron temple. It involved several conversations between our heroes and NPCs and a meet up on Cayenne’s ship, as well as some check-ups on NPCs’ fates that will not be reported here (as there’s a separate document for that and I’m not rewriting it). But onto the epilogue stuff.

Near the end of the five year period finds us in a non-descript planet somewhere within the Ultima Segmentum. There is a coffee house there, patronized by workers’ on their lunch breaks as well as some old people, and now a visitor. Bettie the old owner of the place greets the new comer, who asks after Lu Yan, who works here. Bettie calls for Lu Yan, who comes to the front and immediately recognizes her friend Gimlet. The two retreat to Lu Yan’s little apartment to catch up. Gimlet has come to pick Lu Yan up after all these years, now that he is finally in a more secure position. Lu Yan is quite happy to go, even if she likes the people around. Gimlet also finally is able to tell Lu Yan what became of Inpax. He has no idea if Inpax is even alive at this point, but he hands Lu Yan a drawing of what Inpax looks these days (presumably). Lu Yan asks if they could go see if they can find her, and Gimlet says maybe, though they still need to be careful. Lu Yan gets to packing and off they go.

Rat breaks her silent treatment for Saef after a year, when Theo stops suddenly answering her messages. With Saef’s help Rat manages to locate Theo, and Saef asks to meet up with her afterwards, which they do. She is quite different already, still a teen, still sporting the old dusty aviator’s cap, but her clothes are different and there’s turquoise hair peeking beneath the cap. She lets him know that Theo is struggling, but for now he is safe and Rat is going to help him the best she can going forward. Saef asks how Rat has liked the Ynnari, and Rat admits that they are strange in many senses, but they have some dealings with humans (references to the group’s leader’s “big blue boyfriend” are made), so they are not opposed to Rat keeping in touch with Theo, though of course they are careful. All in all, it is different, but for the first time in her life Rat feels like she is loved because she is an eldar, not despite it. Saef says he is glad to hear that, and they hug when they part (though Rat complains loudly as teens are wont to do).

When Gorm reaches Fenris, he reports his mission to Sveleighr, and then asks him to arrange a meeting with Ragnar Blackmane, his company’s leader to discuss Trazyn the Collector. Sveleighr does just that. Gorm tells Ragnar what he saw and says he believes it was fate that he would see a Primarch believed dead through the portal. It is unsure whether the Primarch is a clone or if the corpse had been stolen, but it is clear that it is in the interests of the Imperium to get to the bottom of it. So Gorm requests Ragnar a transfer to the Deathwatch. Ragnar asks if this is what Gorm wants and Gorm tells him how Fenris started to feel different ever since Gorm had returned. Ragnar can sympathize, as he has been in the bad graces of Wolves himself before, but he hopes one day Gorm can again call Fenris home. Gorm’s request is granted and Ragnar bonks his head against Gorm’s and tells him to make Ragnar proud.

We also take a look at Gimlet’s final meeting with Inpax. He finds her at the transport room, examining her new face in a mirror. Inpax admits some strangeness to her new look, but supposes it’s a matter of getting used to it. She tells Gimlet to do better than his predecessors in the Inquisition, and Gimlet says he’ll try to do her proud. He also slips some extra money to her pocket while she isn’t looking. They also hug, though Inpax isn’t a fan, and with that Inpax is sent off to her new life.

We next pick up with Gorm some years in Deathwatch with his new kill team. One morning no one can find Carl, who has also become Gorm’s squad mate. Gorm eventually finds him in the infirmary, having a little bit of a cry. Gorm sits down next to him and asks who died, and Carl informs that both Stuart and Aaron have lost their lives in the Plague Wars. It has hit Carl kind of hard, two of his boys gone at the same time, and he can’t stop thinking that when he was saying goodbyes to them he hadn’t expected to never see them again. Carl can’t help but think if he had been there, as the squad’s apothecary, could they have been saved, especially since they haven’t heard anything from Trazyn for half a year. Gorm tells him that no one is blaming them for not being there, and that Stuart and Aaron died doing their duty. Besides if Carl had been somewhere else, the kill team would have lost their sergeant. Carl says Gorm is right, and Gorm offers him a drink from his flask. Carl mentions that Stuart had told him that the party in Saef’s room was the best party he had ever been to. Outside, they can hear sergeant Argyros calling for morning brief, so Carl grabs also a mint from Gorm as apparently their sergeant doesn’t take kindly to drinking.

Before meeting with his friends on Santa Maria, Gimlet goes to meet up with Tabasco. They have kept up a long distance relationship over the years so Tabasco is very glad to see Gimlet after a long time away. Apparently the leader of the Pepper clan has recently been assassinated and that has caused some political turmoil among the Rogue Traders, which Tabasco is very much sick off. Gimlet asks him to join him his crew, but Tabasco says he can’t leave his sister in a pickle, but once that is settled, he’s more than happy to re-unite. Then they go canoodle in the ship’s library.

Gorm’s hunt brings him to Fenris for the first time in years. Gorm is happy to show his teammates the sights, but most exicted he is about getting to see Uffe again. It’s been near five years, and Uffe hasn’t changed much. They greet each other with warm hugs and head bonks, and settle down to eat together. Uffe has been working as a Lone Wolf all these years, mostly as a scout and / or sniper, and he seems to be content in his lot, though Gorm says he can always get him into Deathwatch if need be. When Gorm asks after Vivek, Uffe pauses for a moment, and says that’s a topic best talked in private. Gorm suggests they go on a hunt, as they never did figure out who was their pack’s leader all this time, so they do. Away from others’ ears, Uffe lets Gorm know Vivek is no longer on Fenris. Several close friends (and his brother) having died made it impossible for Vivek to not do something. Uffe asks Gorm to not ask more of his task or where he is at, just for everyone’s safety, but Uffe knows where he is, and he can only hope Vivek finds some peace so he can come back home. Gorm agrees and adds that they, Vivek and Uffe both, deserve to be happy. The hunt ends with Gorm winning, but he hands the leadership of the pack to Uffe while he is gone, telling him to take good care of the pack. They return back to a night of drinking and partying. An attempt is made to get Sergeant Argyros to drink, but he resists.

It’s been five years and our heroes have not seen each other, and in fact keeping in contact has proved quite difficult as well. Gorm is the first one in the meeting place in his black Deathwatch armor, several xenos-collected memorabilia attached to his armor, including two heads of Trazyn the Collector. Gimlet joins him soon, and he is in Inquisition uniform. Saef is not far behind, also in uniform. There’s hugs all around as the three settle down around a table. 

Gimlet tells everyone that he has been promoted to Inquisitor, and though he is not completely free of High Inquisitor Marbray, he has been offered much more freedom. He is now gathering up a crew including Lu Yan and Alex, his father as a Navigator and Tabasco eventually. Gorm reveals he had planned on going to kill Marbray if she proved troublesome, but things turned out alright it seems. Gimlet apologizes to Saef, Saef had contacted him asking after an AdMech that got caught by the Inquisition and Gimlet couldn’t tell him what was going on, because he was in quite a bit of hot water at the time. Saef says he understands. He asks Gimlet how did it turn out on Triplex Phall, since after Saef learned that Z47r had been executed, he had contacted Gimlet and Gorm, unsure if Z47r had finished his work with the virus-people. Gimlet says he let High Inquisitor know and it has been dealt with.

Saef has joined the Fermund Scorpions, making new friends. Apparently army life has been mostly boring, though he has managed to get some more interesting missions, for example next he is going to a Blackstone fortress. Upon being asked about his relationship with Demir, Saef says that they have managed to meet a few times, but since Demir has rejoined Triplex Phall AdMech forces, they mostly communicate via texting. Gimlet makes an offer for Saef to join his crew, it would be certainly more freedom than the army (although obviously Demir can’t come, since Marbray is still after the AdMechs). Saef says he’ll have to think about it after he’s done with his current mission.

The hunt for Trazyn still continues, Gorm tells. Other than that he has enjoyed Deathwatch, continuing his priestly education with the Deathwatch Chaplain. He mentions Stuart’s and Aaron’s passing, and also that Stuart enjoyed their party. He also mentions meeting with Uffe, and suggests that Gimlet could hire Uffe if he needs Space Wolf to help with Inquisition business, as Gorm is quite busy with the Deathwatch (but in emergency he is also available). Gimlet says he’ll think about. 

Greetings and news now shared our heroes get to drinking and reminiscing that takes the night. And that’s the end of this story, for now at least.

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #27

My note-taking sure does suffer when I get back on board as GM (mostly bc it’s hard to talk and take notes at the same time), uhh, let’s see what I can gather from this session of our space-faring adventures. Apparently a lot. It’s so long, I’m not even going to format it, like I usually do, sorry. :P

We start with a little blast from the past, namely the past of one Gorm Oddmundson. His pack is hunting down some straggler orks on a planet and had stopped in a cave for the night. Three packmates, Olaf, Knut and Ivar go to take a look around the parameter. They plan amongst themselves about breaking off from the pack and going to hunt some orks, when Gorm joins the trio. He has something to say, about talking about people behind their backs. The trio feigns ignorance, so Gorm spells it out, pointing at Olaf and saying he knows what he has been talking. Apparently the trio isn’t too keen on having Rolf as their leader, and would much rather have Uffe lead the pack, and Olaf has been going around saying that stuff. Gorm thinks he should wolf up and just challenge Rolf, as that’s the proper thing to do, but Olaf says he doesn’t want to lead anyone. Gorm doesn’t think Uffe wants either, though who even knows with that guy? Never talks (and that’s going to be a problem if he is to become a leader, just saying), barely is around the pack, seems like a guy Gorm would never get along with. It was from Snorri that Gorm has heard all this from, apparently Snorri having been Olaf’s next target for manipulating. Olaf says he was just looking out for the guy, as Gorm is so keen on bullying him, but hey, a misjudgement of character, Snorri was dumber than Olaf thought (or closer to Gorm than he thought). 

Gorm turns his attention to Knut and Ivar, says they should stop listening to a guy like Olaf. The two seem to stand steady with their friend. Gorm accuses Olaf of encouraging Knut’s odd, sorcerous habits, which Knut denies. He’s just a curious man. Gorm says that they should all cut it out and think of the pack, to which Olaf says that hey, no matter what, there’ll be no pack. Gorm punches Olaf. Olaf challenges Gorm to a fight. They get to wrestling on the ground, and Olaf has no trouble pummeling Gorm into the ground, until Gorm reaches a breaking point, the wolf overtaking him and with one swoop he accidentally severs Olaf’s throat. 

The sounds of the battle has brought to the site Snorri and the pack’s leader Rolf. Gorm is quick to profess his innocence, how killing him was an accident. Knut and Ivar are just as quick to point the blaming finger at Gorm, saying he started it, saying he meant to kill Olaf all along. Rolf orders Knut and Ivar back to the camp. Ivar orders ”the nerd” (aka Snorri) to come along. Left alone with Rolf, Gorm explains the situation as he has seen it. Rolf is sympathetic, but he says that he can’t keep Gorm in the pack. Gorm thinks this is a huge mistake, that he’ll be playing right into whatever Olaf was attempting to pull. Rolf says he’ll take the pack to Fenris, to see if this can be mended, and as for Gorm, he needs to go out on his own, and when he’s ready, there’ll be a pack for him to return to.

Back at present. One day Saef comes to his room to find it surprisingly empty. From the walk-in closet, Rat’s voice comes, telling that Vivek got an important sounding phone-call and rushed off, and that Theo has finally been taken in by Eden to be fixed. There’s a thing Rat wants to show Saef. She steps out of the closet, having discarded her cap, goggles and scarf, showing Saef that she’s very clearly not human, an eldar as suspected. Saef’s only reaction is to pat her on the head. Rat is worried that things are going to get troublesome soon, as even if xenos are somewhat tolerated among Rogue Traders, untrained psykers are not and Konstantine is starting to reach the ends of his capabilities as a teacher with her strange talents. Saef says he’ll figure something out. Rat counters that he doesn’t even know what eldar are like, like she’s heard they’re into torture parties, maybe Rat is also into that, what’s Saef going to do then? Knock her to her senses, Saef says. And that’s that conversation. Oh, and Rat’s bi, while she’s at it.

Gimlet goes to visit Apple Blossom. She looks a lot better than last time Gimlet saw her, although she has received some cybernetics. She thanks Gimlet for saving her life, as well as apologizes for attempting to kill him. The matter of cultists is not a thing she is too keen to talk about, so having Gimlet here to talk about Limestow and stuff like that is good distraction. Gimlet asks what she knows of Cara’s people. Apple says they had been coming to the planet for a while. It was her understanding that her aunt PomPom had met them on Terra some time back. The group was mostly psykers and they helped to grow the fruits in exchange for food. Cara, Apple says, didn’t appear to be a psyker, but then again, she didn’t appear to age at all, so something might have been up there. Gimlet asks if she knew at all where they came from. Apple says she doesn’t, it was strange, they didn’t have a ship big enough for void travel, but they weren’t from the next planet over. Gimlet asks if she knew Cara’s son, and Apple says ”Demetrius? Of course” and when Gimlet reveals that he is Demetrius, Apple says she sees the resemblance. Gimlet asks if Navigators said anything to Apple and Apple recalls a conversation she had with little Demetrius, where Apple asked about them going home and Demetrius claiming to be the ship’s navigator. When Apple questioned his lack of a third eye, Demetrius said that his father told of birds on Holy Terra who could always find home. Speaking of Cara’s husband, Apple says she got the impression he was alive, Demetrius spoke of him often, but he never came with the group. Gimlet asks if there was any trouble with Tanner after Cara was killed, or after Limestow. Apple says that Aunt PomPom was great at keeping herself clean from everything, but when shit started turning south, she made sure Apple was on the planet to keep her out of trouble. Gimlet thanks Apple for the information. When he gets out, he passes Habanero Pepper on his way to visit his wife.

Lu Yan calls Gimlet, distraught that Inpax has a) kicked her out of Inquisition, b) broken up with her and c) left her behind on a planet. Gimlet is completely dumbstruck by this turn of events. Lu Yan can’t say what brought this on, Inpax was her normal self, if busy what with dealing with Kane Bullard, and then few days before they were meaning to leave, Inpax got a bit quiet, and then boom, break-up. Gimlet tells her that he’ll get to the bottom of this. Lu Yan just needs to hold tight, and maybe Gimlet can persuade Captain Pepper to pop by to pick her up

Saef and Inpax There’s a knock on Saef’s door and it’s Inpax who hands Saef a pissed-off cat and then asks about someone going to see her prisoner. Saef admits to giving the bunny for Eden to look over, because it was strange and technical. Inpax questions if that is only it, just that, after that, her prisoner has started to malfunction, so hopefully Saef is happy about that. Saef does not know anything about that. Inpax sounds quite frustrated, pointing out to Saef that Eden is involved in many deaths, including on Dew Mountain, because it continued its creators’ work. But, Inpax isn’t here to wax philosophy about the nature of guilt. She has information on Ahram Demirci, the Triplex Phall citizen, who was reported dead some 15 years ago after going missing in an expedition arranged by a rogue trader named Elucia Vhane. Inpax also hands over Saef two pieces of crystals, which appear to be two thirds of a whole. Apparently they were looted from Kane Bullard’s Ahram (one belonged to him, one to Saef’s Ahram), who is waiting execution. Upon Inpax leaving Rat asks Saef what he has and he shows the crystals. Something about the crystals draws Rat in. She asks can’t he feel the energy in Saef’s Ahram’s crystal. Saef feels around it (and perils of the warps again, woops, like fifth time in a row). And yeah, there’s some kind of weird energy. Not quite psychic, but something related anyway. Saef better ask around about that.

Gorm has returned! Our fine folk have crowded to the shuttle bay to greet their friend. First all the rest of the people who were visiting Fenris unload, though noticeable Layla is missing. Gorm and Uffe step out of the ship last. Noticeably Gorm’s hair is missing. And there’s new tats where the hair used to be! Hugs are had between our three heroes (and in the background Vivek makes a beeline towards Uffe to retrieve his chip thing). So how was Fenris? Gorm (and Uffe) got promoted. No longer (young and dumb) Blood Claws, they’ve risen to the ranks of the (middle-aged and slightly smarter?) Grey Hunter. So all in all, better than expected. And Gorm had told Fenris about Gimlet and Saef and they are cool in Fenris’ books. Also Layla was taken by the Wolves! Gimlet panics for a bit, asking if Gorm is saying she was taken by bad wolves. But no, the Wolf Priests of Fenris judged Layla worthy of attempting to become a Space Wolf. She just needs a bit more training, on Fenris, which is what she is currently doing. Gimlet asks about Jennifer. Gorm says they haven’t really talked, she’s probably bit angry, but she also knew this could be coming.

There’s a mission that Gorm and Uffe has been set up to. They need to find a Rogue Trader by the name of Elucia Vhane, who came upon some kind of a blood ritual in the Eastern Fringes, which may or may not have been performed by a former packmate of Gorm. Also Saef should come with on account of his… (good fashion sense?) warlock-iness. Vivek’s presence was apparently requested by Elucia Vhane, no idea why. And Gimlet can come too (yes please).

So what were you up to? Gorm asks. Gimlet tells that he killed an Inquisitor, to which Gorm says ”Inpax!” and offers a hand for high-five. Saef high-fives him. Gimlet offers a correction in the form of telling the story of the last campaign. In the middle, the subject of Vivek refusing medical treatment comes up. Gorm asks what the hell was up with that? Gimlet says it was probably because  Vivek hates him. Saef offers the much more charitable ”personal reasons”. Vivek claims those ones, and refuses to elaborate, much to Gorm’s annoyance.

Uffe interrupts the reunion by saying that Gorm should go inform the Captain that they need to get a move out, they’re on a time crunch, apparently. Gorm grumbles at that, but says he’ll go do that.

Gorm tells Gimlet and Saef to show Uffe Gorm’s room, as they are bunking together, while Gorm goes to inform Captain Pepper of their new destination. When they reach Gorm’s room, but before Uffe gets inside, Gimlet asks Uffe if Gorm is okay. Uffe asks is there some reason Gorm wouldn’t be, and Gimlet just says that they left to Fenris in such a hurry. Uffe says that Fenris called, and then fails to elaborate. Gimlet bids goodbye and exits the conversation towards the bar. Uffe comments to Saef that Gimlet is a bit awkward before going inside.

So to get to the Eastern Fringes to meet up with Elucia Vhane, Santa Maria will have to do some warp-traveling. There’s some... incidents. Ghost ships in the warp one day, and one night, Gorm wakes up in his room to the ship shaking, and next to him Uffe is making a pained sound, in a middle of a nightmare. Gorm goes to wake him up, carefully, and nowhere near his claws. Uffe pounces him nonetheless, suddenly all wolf-like. Gorm, who was expecting this, dodges, wrestles him to the ground and sits on him, until he calms down. First thing Uffe asks when he comes to is whether he hurt Gorm. Gorm assures him that he’s fine. Uffe thanks Gorm and just instructs him to sit on him if it happens again. He doesn’t seem too keen on getting back to sleep, but Gorm says it’s fine, he’ll keep watch.

Unbeknowst to Gorm and Uffe, Gimlet has also been woken to the shaking, has heard the noises coming from the other room and drawn just the wrong conclusions. Yes, those conclusions.

Saef and Konstantine have taken up some meditation on account of not wanting to fuck around with the warp during warp travel. During a break, Saef says he has some things he wants to ask Konstantine about. First are the pieces of crystal Inpax gave him, Konstantine can’t help Saef, but upon learning Rat sensed something in them, Konstantine says best not to touch them, in case they’re eldar things. Then Saef shows the jewel he got from Inquisitor Fane. This Konstantine recognizes. It’s Blackstone, an extremely warp resistant material mostly found on Necron tomb-worlds, extremely valuable, often sought by Mechanicus. Konstantine advises Saef not to wear either of them as jewelry, and Saef says he’s been thinking about getting a cat paw necklace. Konstantine admits that he’s more of an owl person, personally, and shows Saef a hankerchief with an embroidered owl in the corner his mother made him. 

Then there’s one last thing, namely what’s the future for Saef? Konstantine says that to become a sanctioned psyker one must be taken to Terra to be evaluated. A lot of people don’t make it, but Konstantine has high hopes for Saef. And then? Saef asks. Well, and then, one gets assigned to a career within the Imperium. Saef doesn’t appear happy to hear that, Konstantine says he has a pamphlet and he has crossed out the most deadly careers. Besides, Saef has had twenty something years of living freely (and is going to have at least few years more) unlike Konstantine who was taken in as an 8 year old. Nothing to complain about, yay?

In the morning Uffe asks if there’s training grounds or something of the like in the ship he could go to let off some extra steam. Gorm takes him there, but upon Uffe asking, says he won’t join him at this time, as he has some people he needs to talk to. Gorm goes to Saef’s room and knocks on the door. When Saef’s voice asks who is it, Gorm replies ”your mom”. Rat comes to open the door and tells Gorm he shouldn’t use that, because Saef won’t open the door for his mom. Gorm asks if Vivek is in (he is) and if they could go get a drink together (sure). Unfortunately, Gorm had forgotten that Gimlet appears to have made the bar his second home. Gorm instructs Vivek to act like they haven’t noticed Gimlet (who doesnt appear to notice them) and they take a booth somewhere far away from him. 

Gorm sits Vivek down and tells him that Uffe had told him about the incident with Vivek. And in fact a similar incident happened last night, but Gorm managed to calm Uffe down. But now Gorm wonders how Vivek managed to calm Uffe down, since Vivek is a tiny man so him sitting on Uffe would do nothing. Vivek says he doesn’t know if he did anything. Vivek had seen that Uffe was barely standing straight, so he had forced him to go to sleep. Later he heard Uffe making noises in Fenrisian (he mimics it well enough for Gorm to recognize the words) and went to wake him up, and at that point Uffe attacked him. Vivek was unarmed, and it was a terrifying situation. His father had always told him that if one gets caught in the factory’s machines, it’s better to go through than try to struggle away, because you might lose a limb, but you won’t die. So that’s what he did, apparently clinging to Uffe, and attempting to calm him down. Maybe that helped, or maybe Uffe realized Vivek wasn’t a threat because he wasn’t struggling. Nonetheless, Uffe came to, and immediately removed himself from the situation. Gorm asks whether Uffe hurt Vivek, and Vivek takes a beat too long to answer, saying that hey, he’s alive. Gorm questions where Uffe hurt Vivek, but Vivek says it doesn’t matter, skitarii are sturdy, and Eden stitched him up, though there will be scars. Gorm is of the opinion he should have told Uffe in the moment, but seems to agree that it wouldn’t be any use at this point. Vivek says it won’t do any good, him knowing, Uffe will just beat himself up over it. That’s apparently the reason he didn’t want to get healed by Gimlet, as he was worried that Gimlet would tell Gorm, who Vivek wasn’t sure at the time knew about this. Gorm says that the turning into a wolf is something that happens to the Space Wolves, but it’s a thing they do not want spread around, just like the AdMechs have stuff they don’t want spread around, but it seems like Vivek is not planning on talking about it to anyone.

With that settled Gorm and Vivek move towards Gimlet’s table. Gorm asks what’s up, but Gimlet seems reluctant to answer. Vivek says he should probably go, that Gimlet wouldn’t want him to be here. Gorm says that Vivek should stay, and this is just the kind of stuff he was talking about when he said he’d beat the two up if they didn’t get along. (Vivek says they are getting along, Gimlet’s going to be the best man in his wedding etc.) Vivek continues saying he doesn’t want to be here, and he’ll just go back to Saef’s room. Gorm says that Uffe is at the training grounds, and after a brief hesitation Vivek says that maybe he’ll go there to catch up with him.

Gorm sits down and asks Gimlet to tell him what’s bothering him. Gimlet is a bit overwhelmed about the whole Inquisitor Fane thing, killing him (he shows Gorm a pic of the corpse, ”nice headshot” - Gorm), but mostly about the things Fane said and knew. Gorm shrugs, and says that’s just another secret for Gimlet to keep. There’s another thing, Gimlet says that his best friend’s gf just dumbed them, and Gorm is like ”I don’t have a gf?” and Gimlet says that he meant Lu Yan. And poor Gorm (on account of barely knowing how relationships work) is like, have they tried marriage? Gimlet is like, yeah, and Gorm says that sometimes people break up, which is surprisingly profound. Gimlet says he’d want to get Lu Yan back to Santa Maria at some point so she wouldn’t be alone, though he’s not quite sure if it’s a good idea. This conversation leads Gimlet to mention that he heard stuff from Gorm’s and Uffe’s room last night. To which Gorm is quick to say Gimlet heard nothing weird, just a normal thing that happens between people who are closer than friends occasionally. So did you or did you not have sex, Gimlet asks. Gorm recoils at the thought, claiming that’s weird, so the matter is dropped. Inpax also worries Gimlet, Gimlet says, mostly the fact she is on the ship and Gimlet has killed an Inquisitor. Gorm says there’s no reason Inpax would or should know about that, but if Inpax needs to be offed, Gorm volunteers. (Gimlet says that is not necessary) Also Gimlet mentions that he has learned his true name, that of Demetrius. Gorm is surprised, he asks if that’s what Gimlet wants to be called from now on, and Gimlet says no, Gimlet is fine for the moment.

Gorm joins Uffe at the training room, where Vivek also is (though he leaves when Uffe gets an actual sparring partner). Uffe mentions to Gorm that Vivek appears to be more talkative towards him again, and that has seemed to cheer Uffe up somewhat.

Gimlet comes to visit Saef and lets him know that Gorm should not be talked about the demons etc Saef summoned. Saef is in complete agreement. Gimlet says that he has told Gorm that it was Inquisitor Fane that summoned the demon in the tank chamber, just so Saef knows that their story is straight. (and Vivek should be informed about their cover story too) Gimlet asks Saef if he has mentioned this to Konstantine, and Saef says that he and Konstantine have definitely talked about some things.

Saef texts Demir to ask if he has ever seen crystals such as the ones Inpax gave him. Demir replies that yeah, as a kid at his father’s lab, but they were whole and stuck to some xenos armor. Saef asks if Demir knows anything about the people who work / used to work with his father. He comes back with three names, a big name tech-priest on Triplex Phall X56r, Eden’s dad E-F \ 721 and an Inquisitor by the name of Engarde that Demir liked as a kid (bc he’s softer than an average AdMech).

THE END