*set progress + 1
*temp oceanids true
*set battery 85
*set m_skin skin
*if m_skin = "blue"
  *set m_skin "bronze"
*if m_skin = "green"
  *set m_skin "white"
*if progress = 5
  *image tel5.png
*if progress = 6
  *image tel6.png
*if progress = 7
  *image tel7.png

*set telesto_path 1

Two Saturnian days, two rotations of the gas giant pass as [i]Gray Queen[/i] approaches its next destination. Throughout these twenty hours the small dot on your visual display has been getting larger, more distinguished, closer. Now, sitting on the ship's upper deck, you can see the ocean moon in all her glory.

Ocean moon. It's such a fun term.

Most large satellites can claim to be 'ocean moons' thanks to having a layer of saltwater between their outer and inner surface. Some, like Jupiter's moon Callisto, have bodies of water on their inner surface large and salty enough to be called oceans. And then there's Europa, with its layer of ice surrounding an ocean with no bottom, containing more liquid water than the Solar System's rest combined. But Telesto is different, an ocean moon in a far more literal, purer sense.

Telesto is water. You are looking at a single, enormous saltwater droplet, exposed to the vacuum of space yet miraculously remaining liquid all the same. 
*if master = "Condatis"
  Condatis once told you the tale of its creation, but you can barely recall it with your aged memory. 
*else
  You don't know which Architect is responsible for turning the once normal moon into this, or how this humongous droplet maintains itself. 
Probably something to do with nanomachines, dark matter and all that other techno-babble. Not that any of this is terribly relevant to your mission.

Granted, Telesto is quite a bit smaller than an actual ocean, only being some thirty kilometers in length. But it's hard to consider it small as you're looking at it, knowing you're expected to descend into its depths in just several minutes.

"I've heard a lot about this place," Olivia says, sitting or perhaps lying at your side. "You think it's all true? The stories about monsters and mermaids lurking in the dark depths?"

*fake_choice
  *if Database > 50
    #"Mermaids don't live in places like this. Oceanids, on the other hand..."
      *goto document
    #"There is documentary evidence of meta-creatures living here, yes."
      *set Emotion %- 5
      *label document
      "Sometimes I forget how much of a brainiac you are," Olivia remarks. "Just how much trivia there is in those processors of yours."
      
      "I store trivia on dedicated memory cards, actually," you remark whilst standing up. "Come. I get the feeling others could use our vast intellects down there."
  *if Database <= 50
    #"Not sure. Maybe it's just water and salt, and whatever keeps this whole thing together."
      "Guess we'll see for ourselves soon," Olivia says as she starts flopping away. "Assuming the guys downstairs are done arguing already."
    #"I hope not. These stories always gave me the creeps."
      *set Confid %- 10
      *if Confid > 45
        "Weird," Olivia remarks. "I never thought our badass Veteran would be scared of some dubiously real sea monsters."
        
        "Then you haven't seen many sea monsters," you murmur whilst standing up. "Just yourself, whenever you look into the bathroom mirror."
        
        *goto smartass
      *else
        "Is there anything that doesn't give you the creeps?" Olivia says jestfully. "Because you're not the most confident android I know."
        
        "Rude," you remark whilst standing up. "Now let's go downstairs. Just in case you want to insult someone else."
  #"Are you afraid? Or excited?"
    "Do you really need to ask?" Olivia says indignantly. "Guess that means you don't know me that well."
    
    "That's not really an answer," you point out. "And that implies you might be scared after all."
    
    *label smartass
    
    "You're clever," Olivia remarks as she flops away. "Now let's find a better use for that intellect, okay?'
  #"I sure hope the stories are true. We're here to kill one such monster."
    "But like…" Olivia strokes one of her tentacles with another. "If all these monsters people gossip about are real, wouldn't that make Crystal less likely to move in? No one wants to live in a crowded area."
    
    "Your nine brains really are something," you remark whilst standing up. "Now let's go and find some better use for them."
  #Say nothing.
    *set OrganRel %- 8
    "Not feeling up for a conversation, huh?" Olivia asks as she flops away. "Fine. Let's not waste any more time here."

The two of you make your way downwards, inside the ship, away from the quietude of space and into the heat of arguments, the kind that often fills the living area of [i]Gray Queen[/i]. Somewhat unusually, it's the female part of the Meta Trio going at one another this time.

"I don't know how to swim," @{(LisaRel >= 50) Lisa|Hellhound} says, in that tone of someone reiterating a point already made. "Much less in my wolf form."

"Dog paddle isn't a difficult style to master," @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} counters. She stands by the wall, dressed in her everyday brown tunic. "Surely you can do that much for the mission." 

"Let her be, Renfri," Damon says, zipping his new suit. A swimming suit, that is, one that accentuates his musculature really rather nicely. He has no other equipment on him, unless you count the electron rifle at his side. "It's not like you're coming with us either."

"My lasers won't do much underwater," Renfri explains herself. "Besides, my feathers would get awfully wet."

"Yet you expect me to wet my magnificent fur." @{(LisaRel >= 50) Lisa|Hellhound} crosses her arms. "Dreadfully hypocritical."

*fake_choice
  #"Trying to win some points with the redhead, are we Damon?"
    *set LisaRel %+ 5
    *set RenfriRel %- 5
    Damon does not look at you. "I'm just thinking pragmatically. We're about to descend into fucking [i]Telesto[/i]. We can't have any weak links in our squad, such as someone who can't swim and doesn't even want to be here."
  #"You sure you want to miss all the action, [i]Hellhound[/i]?"
    "Don't try to goad me into getting consumed by sea monsters," Hellhound politely requests. "I like a good fight, but I can recognize when it's better for me to stay put."
  #"Yeah Renfri, let her stay. We'll handle everything just fine."
    *set Confid %+ 5
    *set LisaRel %+ 10
    *set RenfriRel %- 10
    "Despite having left your big gun behind?" Renfri raises an eyebrow.
    
    *if Confid > 50
      "I am the big gun here," you say with a confident smile. "Claws and teeth are no match for a millennium of experience."
    *else
      "Well we have Damon, and he no longer has to worry about damaging his suit," you say with a smile. "So I think we'll be fine."
  #"Sounds like an excuse not to do anything, Lisa."
    *set LisaRel %- 10
    *set RenfriRel %+ 10
    "Because it is," Lisa says openly. "It just so happens to be a very good excuse. You don't go ocean-diving before learning how to swim."
  #♡ "Looking good there, Damon. Will you be alright?"
    *if current_ro != "damon"
      *set backup_RO current_RO
      *set current_RO "damon"
    *set hit_on_damon true
    "I'm as waterproof as you are, ${name_damon}." Damon flashes you a smile. "So yeah, I'll be alright."
    
    "You know that's not all I meant." You walk up to the other android, seeing his smile for what it is. "Do you [i]want[/i] to do this?"
    
    "Not particularly," Damon admits. "But I meant what I said. I [i]will[/i] be alright, for as long as I need to down there."
    
    "I admire that kind courage." Lisa nods thoughtfully. "I just do not really share it."
  #Stay out of this.

"For once, I have to agree with our resident werewolf," @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} says as he enters the room. He is wearing full power armor, the same knightly suit you first saw him in, complete with the helmet and a voice modulator. Completely sealed and hopefully waterproof. "Me, ${fake_name}, Damon and I guess Olivia get to enter the moon. Everyone else stays and watches the ship."

He's also armed. Not just with the hardlight projector implanted into his gauntlet, but with a miniature torpedo launcher he's carrying over his shoulder. Miniature in the sense of being smaller than a proper naval weapon—it's still larger than most bazookas you've seen. It may seriously injure Crystal, if you manage to actually find the wyvern down there.

"I just talked to Hadaly. Our cutter should be capable of entering Telesto and picking us up if absolutely necessary," @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} continues. "Which it should not be. I have enough air in my suit for two hours, and some of us do not even need to breathe."

"And others actually like saltwater," Olivia reminds everyone of her presence. "Can't wait to get properly submerged. Go on a real, underwater hunt, for the first time since forever."

*choice
  #"Right, but what will we do once we're in? What's the plan?"
    *set ManfredRel %+ 5
    *set RookRel %- 5
    "We will scan the entire area for… points of interest," Rook explains. "Finding Crystal would be ideal, but any evidence of their operations will suffice."
    
    "Scan, or simply look around?" you keep asking. "Because doing the latter could be… more than a little tedious."
    
    "Well, your friend Damon has good eyesight, or so I have heard," Rook says dismissively. "With Telesto being just ten kilometers in radius, we should be able to cover at least a significant part of the moon."
    
    You are tempted to point out that the volume of Telesto adds up to almost eight thousand cubic kilometers, and that whatever waits for you inside is probably moving constantly, but you understand the pointlessness of such questions by now. Your leader has no plan, and the most you can do is come up with something yourself.
  #"I advise that you stay here, Olivia. It will get dangerous."
    *set OrganRel %- 10
    *set ManfredRel %+ 10
    "You know I see that as a perk, right?" Olivia asks. "That you won't get me to turn back by scaring me?"
    
    "I know," you reply with a shrug. "But it was still my obligation to try. No one can say I didn't warn you now."
  #♡ "Hi Kirill. I'm glad we're finally doing something together. I've been awaiting that."
    *set hit_on_kirill true
    *if current_ro != "kirill"
      *set backup_RO current_RO
      *set current_RO "kirill"
    *if progress > 5
      "Were you hoping I'd finally make myself useful?" 
    *else
      "Were you looking forward to the mission?" 
    Kirill asks, his face hidden and his voice inscrutable. "Or should I read it… the other way?"
    
    "The other way." You smile affectionately. "But I guess that can wait until Crystal is dead, or at least until we re-emerge from this moon. Let's go."
  #"Do I have to participate? I hate water."
    "You really do," @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} says with a frown. "You are half the reason this team was even assembled, in spite of all the trouble. It would be extraordinarily cowardly of you to just… opt out of what could be the decisive battle."
    
    "Also I don't really want to die," Damon adds his two credits. "So if you could actually help us, ${name_damon}, that would be great."
    
    *goto disagreet
  #"You guys have fun. I'll stay here with the girls."
    *if sex = "man"
      "First of all, that sounded kinda predatory," 
    *else
      "The octopus is going, so don't make it a gendered thing," 
    Hellhound tells you. "But more importantly, what the fuck? Since when are you allowed to just skip an entire expedition like that?"
    
    "Pot arguing with a kettle," Marshal remarks. "But I agree with the overall point. You have no excuse not to enter Telesto with the others, ${name}."
    
    *label disagreet
    *fake_choice
      #"I was just joking. Of course I'll go with you."
        *set RenfriRel %+ 5
        *set DamonRel %+ 5
        "You got me there, ${name_damon}." Damon smiles before turning around. "Just maybe don't joke like that again. And don't actually change your mind before we're in, alright?"
      #"Fine. Just don't complain when I perform poorly underwater."
        "We're waterproof, ${name_damon}," Damon assures you. "It will be alright."
        
        "I have other reasons to worry," you murmur as you approach the diving team. "But sure. At least I won't kill the rest of you by short-circuiting."
        
        "That is all we can really ask for." Rook says, probably with a smile. "Let us depart now, for our foe awaits."
      #"I can't do this. Can't face that thing again. I'm sorry."
        *set Confid %- 10
        *set Violence %- 10
        *set deflect - 1
        *goto lazy_ass
      #"Sorry, I don't feel like doing anything today."
        *set DamonRel %- 15
        *set RookRel %- 10
        *set RenfriRel %- 5
        *set Confid %- 5
        *label lazy_ass
        "That disrupts the plan a little," Rook remarks. "Still, we proceed. Damon, Olivia, follow me to the airlock."
        
        "Nobody believed me when I said I have bigger balls than the Veteran," Olivia says as she flops towards the exit. "Who's laughing now? Not me, I don't have lungs, but they're not laughing either!"
        
        The three of them leave the room soon afterwards, ready to jump out and submerge themselves in the icy waters of Telesto. But not before Damon shoots you a yet colder glare with his piercing, sapphire eyes.
        
        You simply shrug. What is there to say, really?
        
        *goto lazy_route
      #"Tough luck. I'm staying here, because fuck you."
        *set DamonRel %- 20
        *set RookRel %- 15
        *set RenfriRel %- 10
        *set Confid %+ 5
        *set deflect + 1
        *goto lazy_ass

*if official_ro = "lisa"
  You turn to face the airlock, but then a warm hand grabs yours. Grey eyes meet your own, imploring you to not leave just yet.
  
  "Hey… you know I'm just joking around, right?" Lisa says quietly. "I'd go if I could, I want to protect you… I just don't have enough power left inside, or any experience with the terrain. I'd be a liability."
  
  "I wouldn't put it that way…" you murmur. "But I understand. Don't feel bad about having to stay."
  
  She steps close enough for her whisper to be audible. "I'll feel bad if something happens to my awesome boyfriend. Avoid that, alright?"
  
  *fake_choice
    *if (sex = "woman") or (pronoun = "she")
      #"It's [i]girlfriend[/i], actually.
        *label gen_chan
        "Right, sorry. It's easy to forget how…" Lisa's eyes widen. "Hey, don't change the subject."
        
        "Too late." You smile as you turn away. "Take care, awesome girlfriend. I swear I'll be fine."
    *if (sex = "person") or ((pronoun = "they") or (pronoun = "it"))
      #"I'd prefer something more gender-neutral than [i]boyfriend[/i]."
        *goto gen_chan
    #"I will. And I promise I'll come out fine."
      "Pinky promise?" Lisa manages a small smile. "Or is it one of those serious one where you swear [i]on[/i] something?"
      
      "I swear on my life that I won't lose my life," you solemnly vow. "Take care."
    #"I'll try, but... don't blame yourself if something does happen."
      *set Confid %- 10
      *set LisaRel %- 8
      "If you're not making any promises…" Lisa pouts. "I'm not making any either. I [i]will[/i] cry if you get yourself killed."
      
      "Isn't that a promise of sorts?" You smile bitterly.
      
      "Maybe. But it's not like you can expect anything else from me, can you?"
      
      "No." You wonder if you're Lisa's first love, first proper relationship. You wonder just how hard your death would hit her. You decide not to think about it. "No I can't."
    #"Relax. I'd never upset my awesome girlfriend like that."
      *set LisaRel %+ 8
      "That's your motivation behind staying alive?" Lisa smiles slightly. "Pretty weak."
      
      "Strongest I've ever had," you say honestly. "So take care of yourself too."
  
  You rejoin the diving crew. 
  *goto 4_group
    
*if official_ro = "renfri"
  You turn towards the airlock and take a step towards it, but are then rooted to the spot by some force. By a sudden increase of gravity, the fading power of a tired Kinnari. Renfri approaches you, feathers brushing against the floor.
  
  "Be careful down there, okay?" she requests, her voice unusually soft. "I mean, give Crystal hell if you find them, but still… don't make me lose you just yet."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"I love you... but you know I can't promise anything."
      *set RenfriRel %+ 8
      *set Confid %- 8
      "Are all androids this brutally honest?" Renfri sighs with frustration. "Or is it just you?"
      
      "I think you know the answer to that," you smile bitterly. "I'll do my best, Renfri. Take care."
    #"I'll be fine, Renfri. I swear."
      *set RenfriRel %+ 8
      *set Confid %+ 8
      "Good." She places the tip of her wing on your shoulder, presumably as a gesture of affection. "Because I [i]will[/i] cry if you don't keep that promise."
      
      "And it will be an ugly sight," Hellhound warns you. "So you know, good luck to you all."
    #"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"
      *set RenfriRel %- 8
      "I'd be useless down there." Renfri pouts. "I'm sorry, but I won't dive into that water just to watch you…"
      
      If something goes wrong, she doesn't want to see it. Doesn't want to see her team, her leader, most of all her @{(pronoun = "she") girlfriend|partner} die. It's hard not to understand the sentiment, and so you don't press the issue.
    #"Sure. That part can wait until..."
      Until the mission is complete. Until the two of you are forced to part, whether or not you'll live through this. Renfri doesn't need to hear these exact words—the sentiment is all too clear regardless.
  
  You rejoin the diving crew. 
  *goto 4_group
  

*label 4_group
The four of you make your way towards the airlock—it's slightly more convenient to jump from there than from the upper deck—at varying speeds. Rook is not exactly fast in his power armor, but Olivia is slower yet due to her lack of actual legs. You suppose that will change soon enough, once you're all swimming in cold water.

But first you need to actually dive down. And hope whatever lurks inside Telesto won't kill you all instantly.

*page_break

When you look at it from above, the dark ocean isn't particularly intimidating. [i]Gray Queen[/i] is now so close to the water's surface you can't even see the curvature of the enormous droplet. All you see is a flat sheet of dark, but calm liquid that you're about to rudely disturb.

Olivia leaps in eagerly, before Rook can give some encouraging speech, before you can discuss the plan any further, before you can even decide what order would be best. 

*temp jump_order 1
*fake_choice
  #I jump right after her. She shouldn't be left alone for long.
  #I jump just a moment later. I can't wait for action either.
    *set Confid %+ 10
  #I let one other person jump before diving in myself.
    *set jump_order 2
    Rook turns out to be that person, feeling a little braver, or perhaps more eager to lead than Damon. Once his large figure disappears under the surface, you make the same leap.
  #I'll be the last one to jump. Not because I'm nervous or anything.
    *set jump_order 3
    *set Confid %- 10

It's a strange feeling, to be falling out of an air bubble and into the void that surrounds Telesto. For the first second or two, you are pushed downwards by the cutter's own gravity field, eight meters per second squared. Moments later, that acceleration disappears and is replaced with… almost nothing, really. The gravitational pull of the moon below is so slight and irrelevant even you can barely feel it. You're not really falling anymore, just flying towards the surface with the momentum you already have.

And then, after perhaps ten more seconds, you hit the water with a mild splash. You weren't falling, or flying very fast, you feel no pain as you collide with the liquid moon and start sinking into it. Then stop—you are far denser than the water that surrounds you, but laws once declared by Archimedes do not apply in this artificial ocean. There is no gravity to pull you under, for whatever force keeps Telesto together seems to only affect water itself.

It's almost like floating in space, in orbit, without any artificial gravity to keep you from simply hovering idly. You try to remember if swimming underwater always felt like this, if the sensation of fluid cold around you is any different from just submerging yourself in an icy pool… But you don't recall having done that, ever, even though you know how to swim. The ability must have been implanted during your initial programming, you suppose.

@{jump_order Rook hits the water soon afterwards, then Damon.|Some ten seconds later, Damon hits the water and joins your group.|Now that you're submerged, your squad is together once more.} Or at least you assume that's the case, 
*if jump_order!= 3
  based on the sounds you're hearing, 
since you can't actually see a single thing. Your optics are good, but not good enough to perceive your surroundings clearly underwater, astronomical units away from the Sun.

"Do not say anything, I have noticed the problem too." Kirill's voice is distorted, both by his helmet and the water around it, but still audible to your ears. "And worry not, I happen to have a solution ready. I will overcharge my hardlight projector."

Moments later, you see the vaguest shimmer of light. A handful of rays flying from your right, just barely managing to reach you through meters of dense water. Not to actually illuminate anything though—you can tell where Rook and his flashlight are, nothing more.

*fake_choice
  #"We should have just flown here with [i]Gray Queen[/i], frankly."
    "Spaceships are not meant to work underwater, ${name}," Rook says irritably, forgetting to use your pseudonym for once. "But maybe if I contact the girls and tell them to shine some reflectors down…"
  #"In retrospect, I should have outfitted myself with some specialized diving equipment."
    *set Confid %- 10
    "I didn't know we had any lying around on the ship," Damon says, his voice coming from almost the same direction. "Or even back in the station."
    
    "You know Hadaly better than me," you retort. "She would have built a scuba suit from random scrap if she had to."
    
    "I'm not sure if a scuba set is what we need," Damon retorts back. "I mean, not having to breathe is our entire thing. Or part of it, at least."
    
    "So it's not the entire thing," Olivia joins in. "You can't be a part of something and be-"
    
    "Can you please be a little more quiet?" Rook interrupts the conversation. "I am trying to figure out a solution to our-"
  #"Great. We still don't see anything, but maybe Crystal will be able to spot us now."
    "Yeah, I agree," Olivia says, her voice just barely audible. "It puts the burden of arranging a fight on them, we can just relax and wait."
    
    "I'm pretty sure 
    *if name_damon = "boss"
      our 
    ${name_damon} was joking there," Damon points out. "We can't hope to do anything to Crystal if we can't see. I mean, I can see just fine, but I don't imagine-"
  #"Can you turn the light up, perhaps?"
    "There is a limit to how brightly this makeshift flashlight can shine," Kirill replies darkly. "If we only had something stronger, like-"
  *if RookRel < 40
    #"Kirill, you suck."
      *set RookRel %- 15
      "Thank you for letting me know. Again." Despite the darkness and the air-tight helmet, you can practically see Kirill roll his blue eyes. "Now, if you have any solutions to our conundrum, I would be delighted to-"

And then, surprising and silencing everyone, the waters of Telesto become illuminated. A sound of splashed water follows within a small fraction of a second, the way thunder follows lightning. You can now see the other three members of your expedition, as well as someone new. Or old, depending on how you look at it.

Though it's difficult to look at [i]it[/i] without having your optics burned out.

"Hi guys!" Wisp explains in this high, youthful voice you haven't heard in a while. "I know you didn't call me, but I saw you're going diving so I figured I'd come by. I love water too."

"Right. A light drone could be useful in such a situation," Rook says hesitantly. "To be frank, I forgot about this particular part of our team."

"I think we all forgot." Olivia swims towards the rest of you. "Sorry, Wisp."

*fake_choice
  #"And thanks. We're gonna need your help here."
    "[i]Need[/i] may be a strong word," Damon says as he sinks a little deeper into Telesto. "But I'm glad I won't have to scan the whole moon myself."
    
    "You want me to do the scanning?" Wisp asks politely. "I can, though you'd have to tell me what to look for."
    
    "Anything, really," Rook says as he follows Damon. "Just stay close to the rest of us, in case that [i]anything[/i] attacks."
    
    With some trepidation, 
  #"I did not. I was just about to mention our radiant friend."
    *if Social > 50
      "More the fool me, I suppose," Rook murmurs before turning to face Telesto's core. "Hopefully I will perform better once we find what we are looking for."
    *else
      "Not sure if I believe that, Veteran," Olivia quips before swimming down towards Telesto's core. "But whatever, we have a wyvern to find."
    
    With your path now illuminated, 
  #"Now we're even [i]more[/i] visible to whatever lurks down there."
    *set Confid %- 10
    "All the more reason for us to take initiative," Rook says before turning to face Telesto's core. "Deeper into the moon, everyone."
    
    With some trepidation, 
  #"Do we really need to take that oversized firefly with us?"
    *set OrganRel %- 10
    *set DamonRel %- 10
    "I can't see without him, and I was made for ocean depths," Olivia counters. "So yeah, Wisp comes with us."
    
    "I am not sure what a [i]firefly[/i] is, or who made the octopod responsible for decision-making," Rook murmurs. "But I happen to agree. Deeper into the moon, everyone."
    
    Reluctantly, 
you flutter-kick and swim further into Telesto, towards depths so dark you don't necessarily trust Wisp to pierce the blackness. If Crystal is really hiding down there… you're sure gonna have an interesting time fighting them.

*page_break Descend

For the most part, the depths of Telesto are featureless. A few pieces of metal float in the dark water, but they are mere junk, remnants of some spaceship that crashed years or decades ago. There is nothing unusual or alive to be seen… until one starts paying attention to the edge of one's vision.

Ethereal, translucent things start following your group. At first you suspect yourself of imagining things, but then Damon stops swimming and puts a finger on his rifle's trigger. You worry it's Crystal using their camouflage, but then the little shadows get more confident, all two dozen of them. They swim up closer, allowing you to see them properly, thanks to Wisp's bright light.

In shape, they somewhat resemble mermaids Olivia expected to meet. Their torsos are human-like, with one head and two arms, connected to tails of some particularly large and long fish. But their chests lack skin and their tails lack scales, instead having… you're not even sure what, but it's translucent, allowing you to see the colorless organs floating inside the jelly of their bodies.

*if Database > 50
  Oceanids, you recall. Abhuman creatures rumored to inhabit Telesto, though now that you see them for yourself, you strongly doubt they're in any way descendant from humanity. More likely, they are one of many horrifying experiments of the War In Heaven, more removed from humanity than even you or Olivia.
  
  Or perhaps actual aliens, having arrived here from some distant star. Your reason tells you it's unlikely, but it's hard not to consider the possibility when looking at the bizarre, gelatinous forms around you.
*else
  You search your database for a good match, but come up empty. All you can find is mention of some 'oceanid' creatures being encountered inside Telesto once, and so that's how you name the creatures for your convenience. Oceanids, like daughters of the eldest titan. They weren't quite as scary in the myths of old, but neither were any other mythical creatures brought to life through clarketech.

"They're not here as friends," Damon whispers. You don't need his specialized eyes to see the truth in these words; Oceanids all have impressively large claws and teeth, possibly the sole solid parts of their bodies, and they are baring both as they circle around you.

Whether it's an intimidation tactic or a sign of actual aggression… you cannot tell.

"If they're here as enemies then I'm all for it," Olivia says, curling her tentacles like one would close their fists. "I'll show them which phylum of invertebrates is dominant."

*fake_choice
  #"Agreed. Cover my left."
    "${name_damon}…" Damon looks uncertain. "I don't think I want to fight these things. Especially not on their home turf."
  #"Let me handle this, Olivia."
    "Are you saying that because you want all the blood for yourself?" Olivia asks, as though these gelatinous creatures even had blood. "Or do you want to do some-"
  #"Do we know if they're intelligent? Or even sentient?"
    "Impossible to tell just from looking at them," Damon replies cautiously. "Why do you ask?"
    
    "Trying to assess the threat level," Olivia says before you can even open your mouth. "I think it's pretty low. Human?"
  #"Olivia no. We're not attacking the natives."
    "That's one way to describe the local fauna," Olivia scoffs. "Are you that averse to-"
  #"The one that outnumbers us five to one?"
    "Quality over quantity," Olivia scoffs before turning towards the team's leader. "Right, human?"

"I will trust the decision of our Veteran." Rook's voice is firm, but somehow not confident. "That being?"

As you watch the Oceanids run, or rather swim circles around your quartet, you analyze your options and make the decision.

*fake_choice
  #"Stand back. I'll attempt diplomacy."
    *set Violence %- 15
    "Diplomacy with these things?" Olivia scoffs. "How do you even do that?"
    
    "I have no idea," you reply, waving your legs so as to swim forward. "But I intend to find out."
    
    You clear your throat, not because the gesture actually does anything for you, but because it's potentially important. You doubt Oceanids are clever enough to actually understand Saturnian, or any kind of speech for that matter, but perhaps they can recognize the meaning of tones and non-verbal signs.
    
    "We come in peace," you say calmly, then adjust your voice even further, until you sound like someone speaking to a dog or a baby. Softly and almost affectionately. "We are not here to hurt you. We are not here to hunt your prey, if you are predatory that is. Just looking for something big that you can't eat. Leave us kindly alone and we will kindly leave you."
    
    Water becomes filled with a sort of extremely quiet chittering, presumably Oceanids communicating with one another in frequencies even your sound receptors can't hear clearly. 
    *if ((Social - Violence)-10) > 0
      What conclusion their debate reaches, you cannot tell, not exactly. But it seems like one you were hoping for.
      
      One by one, the Oceanids turn and start swimming into the darkness. Half of the shoal stays behind for a minute, as though to see if this partial retreat will provoke your attack, but joins the other half once no combat commences. 
      *goto peaceful
    *else
      Presumably debating what your intentions are, how dangerous your group is and whether they should pursue diplomacy through other means.
      
      And after about ten seconds, they do.
      
      Their teeth bared, the monsters close the distance before you can even close your fists. 
  #"Try to look threatening. We may be able to scare them off."
    *set battery - 5
    "I'm already threatening," Olivia protests. "If they didn't get the message already…"
    
    "Then I will deliver it personally," you say, waving your legs so as to swim forward. "In a language they understand."
    
    You stand straight up, as much as one can stand whilst floating in water, trying to look tall and imposing. Since you know this likely won't be enough, you apply another trick, and let electricity flow through your skin, rather than merely through the circuits beneath it.
    
    You start losing power immediately, but only because it gets dispersed by the water, this most conductive of liquids. Oceanids will feel it, they must, using whatever senses let them survive in these dark depths.
    
    And they do. They say nothing, but they're clearly upset and cautious as they widen the circle around you, recognizing the threat as they feel the power around you. Water is filled with a sort of extremely quiet chittering, presumably Oceanids communicating with one another in frequencies even your receptors can't hear clearly.
    
    *if (Confid + Social) > 100
      Then their circle widens further, then further, and then falls apart. Like planets when their star suddenly disappears, Oceanids start swimming away in straight lines, away from your group.
      *goto peaceful
    *else
      And then, as though connected by some aquatic hivemind, they attack at once.
      
      Maybe your body language was off, or maybe you just don't look intimidating enough. Either way, the monsters close the distance before you can even close your fists. 
      *goto violent
  #"Everyone, attack on three. Three."
    "But you did not-" Rook pauses as you shoot forward. "Ah, you were attempting to confuse our enemy in case they understand speech to some degree. Clever tactic, I admit."
    
    *goto first_punch
  #Punch the nearest Oceanid.
    *label first_punch
    *set Violence %+ 15
    You swim towards the nearest Oceanid and punch it in the… not jaw, exactly, just the bottom of its head. It tries to evade, its movements rather fast, but it reacts too slowly for that speed to make a difference. You don't see any eyes attached to the head, or any other part of the gelatinous body, so it's reasonable to assume these creatures are using some slower and less precise senses.
    
    Not that it stops them from noticing one of their own has been injured and attacking your group in revenge. 
*label violent
They split into even groups, six Oceanids each, and every one of these murderous shoals attacks one of you. Everyone of your group except for Wisp, that is, the little thing just hovering there unsure of how to act, not recognizable as prey or threat.

That means you are facing five unharmed, hideously toothed, worryingly fast monsters right now. How do you choose to deal with them?

*fake_choice
  #With my boots and my fists. Hopefully without lethalities.
    *set Violence %- 10
    It's very difficult to assess what punch will be strong enough to kill, especially when dealing with essentially alien creatures, but you manage well enough. 
    *if Build > 60
      You have near-perfect control over your inhumanly strong muscles, and your skin is tough enough to ignore all the pathetic scratches the Oceanids inflict on you in return. 
    *else
      At least when it comes to not [i]doing[/i] much damage—you certainly receive some, claws and teeth burying themselves in your skin and letting some water into your body.
      
      Nonetheless, the Oceanids are not strong enough to actually fell you. 
    Within perhaps a minute of fighting, all of them are sent fleeing back towards the ocean depths, to lick the wounds you inflicted upon them.
  #By ripping these monsters apart with my bare hands.
    *set Violence %+ 10
    *set pacifist false
    *if Build > 40
      Your superhuman strength is more than enough to literally rip the Oceanids to shreds. You don't open up with that, beginning with kicks and punches instead, but once they stop moving… ripping out fragments of their gelatinous bodies and watching them bleed out, the barely colored liquid mixing with saltwater, is quite easy and immensely satisfying.
      
      You were once able to rip human flesh apart like this… Those were the times. You hope Oceanids really are some strain of humanity, as though it would be proof you still have what it takes, that you haven't aged that much…
    *else
      *set health - 1
      You're not the strongest android around, and so tearing the jelly-like flesh apart doesn't come easy. You kill all six monsters eventually, but every single one of them manages to scratch and bite you first, causing water to enter your mechanical body through the punctures in your skin. Hopefully nothing [i]too[/i] important will break as a result.
  #An electric blast or two should do the trick.
    *set health - 1
    *set battery - 20
    *set pacifist false
    Underwater, even a single distance does enough damage to pretty much take care of your Oceanid problem. Your first blast stuns all five of them, the second fries all the little organs floating inside their transparent, gelatinous flesh.
    
    If anything, these attacks [i]do too much[/i] damage. You can't really aim your lightning whilst submerged—you scorch your own skin as well, not to mention losing twenty percentiles of your battery at once. You'll be fine, mostly, you're not made of jelly like them… but it does hurt, and that pain will slow you down.
  *if weapon = "knife"
    #I'll just stab them all.
      *set pacifist false
      *if ((wpm = "plasma") or  (wpm = "bone")) or (wpm = "power")
        *set health - 1
        You activate your ${wpm}-knife… for about two seconds before it 
        *if wpm = "bone"
          jams, water entering the internal mechanisms and forcing the chain to stop rotating. 
        *else
          fizzles out, having done little beyond warming up the water around it. 
        Looks like your weapon wasn't made for underwater combat.
        
        Oh well. Time to do this the old-fashioned way.
        
        That of course means kicking, punching and using your trusted blade as a regular dagger. It's not a great option, you do get scratched several times and bitten once in the process, but you are a combat-hardened android. Despite all the damage you sustain, all the water inside your pistol and now beneath your skin, you're still mostly functional by the time three of your enemies are dead and the other three are fleeing.
      *else
        A more advanced, more heavy-hitting weapon would have trouble working well underwater, but your ${wpm}-dagger is doing just fine. Its incredibly sharp edge cuts through jelly like butter, to the point where the only challenge of the fight is not letting the Oceanids sweep at you as they die from internal bleeding.
        
        Or maybe it's not really bleeding. Whatever liquid  fills them is as colorless as the water around them and mixes with the ocean seamlessly. Either way, you are soon surrounded by three corpses and watch the other three Oceanids flee.
  *if weapon = "pistol"
    #I'll just shoot them all.
      *set pacifist false
      *if ((wpr = "plasma") or  (wpr = "laser")) or (wpr = "shroom")
        *set health - 1
        You pull out your ${wpr} pistol, aim it at the Oceanid currently charging you and pull the trigger… only to realize your weapon [i]really[/i] wasn't made for underwater combat. 
        *if wpr = "laser"
          The laser manages to heat the cold water a little, but barely does anything to your actual target.
        *if wpr = "shroom"
          The bullet comes out of the barrel, but does not explode on impact like it should, its explosive powder too soaked to combust. 
        *if wpr = "plasma"
          It jams, water entering its firing mechanism, which may actually be for the best given what hot plasma would do in such a heat-convective medium. 
        You need to do this the old-fashioned way.
        
        That of course means kicking, punching and using your pistol as an improvised melee weapon. It's not a great option, you do get scratched several times and bitten once in the process, but you are a combat-hardened android. Despite all the damage you sustain, all the water inside your pistol and now beneath your skin, you're still mostly functional by the time three of your enemies are dead and the other three are fleeing.
      *else
        Your 
        *if Calculation > 45
          impressive accuracy is not even needed here. 
        *else
          mediocre accuracy isn't even a problem in this situation. 
        The Oceanids are close, can't understand the concept of a firearm and probably can't even see you aim and pull the trigger. Your 
        *if (wpr = "electron") or (wpr = "laser")
          beams 
        *else
          bullets 
        tear them apart one by one, your ${wpr} pistol and excellent weapon for such an encounter. Within maybe half a minute, you're surrounded by nothing but corpses.

"Um, Veteran ${name}?" Wisp asks nervously, perhaps still unsure of how to address you, or perhaps bothered by this whole situation. "Congrats on beating these things, but our friends aren't doing so well."

A quick scan of the situation proves Wisp right. While Damon is doing some damage with his electron rifle—a weapon not built for underwater combat, but still able to emit some strong beams—Rook is on the defense, trying to fight off several opponents quicker than him with just a hardlight sword. His torpedo launcher was discarded and is now floating towards Olivia who, despite all her previous bravado, is left swimming in circles as she tries to outpace the Oceanids.


*temp asshole false
*fake_choice
  #"How about you help us, then?"
    "I'm not much of a fighter." If Wisp could shrug, it probably would. "I don't want to put myself at risk. Especially when [i]that[/i] thing is involved."
    
    *goto whatd
  #"Everyone to me! Let's organize a proper defense!"
    You can't tell if Rook or Olivia even hear you. Perhaps they do, but are in no position to obey, too busy dodging the swipes of clawed arms to even think about changing position. Damon hears you though, kicks the one Oceanid still bothering him after he killed two of its friends, then starts swimming towards you.
    
    And then he stops. Not because the Oceanids got to him, the remaining three are too scared to attack… but not scared of him. They are all staring, with palpable dread, at something you realize must be behind you.
  #"You think I haven't noticed, you oversized firefly?"
    "Right. Sorry." Wisp sounds hurt, perhaps a bit upset. "Does it mean you noticed that thing approaching us too?"
    
    You do. At that moment, you feel a wave, a current, a movement of water caused by something very massive pushing the fluid forward. Towards you.
  #"Keep glowing Wisp, I'll help them fight."
    *goto help_?
  #"I see, Wisp. I just don't particularly care."
    *set asshole true
    *set OrganRel %- 15
    *set DamonRel %- 15
    *set RookRel %- 15
    "Oh. That's fine, I guess," Wisp says as the rest of the team is fighting for their lives. "Does that mean you don't care about the big guy too?"
    
    *label whatd
    
    "What do you…" You pause, sensing something from behind you. A wave, a current, a movement of water caused by something very massive pushing the fluid forward.
    
  #I rush to help, no time for talking.
    *label help_?
    Wisp stays behind as you swim down, probably downwards, towards the raging battle. You wonder who should be helped first; Olivia is in most trouble, obviously, but if you could free up Rook he could probably take care of the Oceanids swarming…
    
    And that moment, you feel a wave, a current, a movement of water caused by something very massive pushing the fluid forward. Towards you.

*gosub cryst_meet

*fake_choice
  *if name_1 != name
    #"It's [i]${name}[/i] for you. I think we know one another well enough."
      *set name_1 name
      [i]I feel honored to be on a first-name basis with you,[/i] Crystal amusedly says. [i]Almost makes us feel like two merry friends… Though perhaps that's a bad thing, seeing how your actual friends are doing.[/i]
  #"Are you with the Oceanids? Controlling them or something?"
    [i]I am not using mind control, if that's what you're asking.[/i] Crystal looks away, their ruby eyes focusing on the battle below. [i]But we are in an alliance, you could say. Such useful little things.[/i]
  #"You really like hearing yourself talk, huh?"
    [i]It may be a flaw of mine,[/i] Crystal admits. [i]But then again… I have time. Your team does not.[/i]
  #"Back off, Crystal. I'm not letting you hurt my friends."
    [i]Do you think me a vulture, ${name_1}?[/i] Crystal asks sadly. [i]Because your friends are already a prey for someone else.[/i]
  *if not (calypso_complete)
    #"Trust me, I do not enjoy doing this."
      *set Violence %- 10
      [i]If it at all helps, I do believe you.[/i] Crystal looks away, their ruby eyes focusing on the battle below. [i]Though the others enjoy it less still.[/i]
    #"War? I'm just hunting a wild beast."
      *set crystal_friend false
      *set Confid %+ 10
      [i]If you wish to slay a feral beast…[/i] Crystal lingers, their ruby eyes focusing on the battle below. [i]There are quite a few targets softer than me.[/i]
  *if calypso_complete
    #"And let Dusk corrupt you fully? Drive you even more insane?"
      *set crystal_friend false
      [i]You doubt my sanity?[/i] Crystal inquires. [i]Wouldn't you say I'm doing pretty well for a lunatic?[/i]
    #"I was hoping you'd give up too. That you'd see reason."
      Crystal tilts their man-sized head. [i]You expected me to forfeit while I'm winning? Because at the moment, I quite definitely am.[/i]
  #"I'm not the only one you should worry about, Crystal."
    *set Confid %- 10
    [i]Truly?[/i] Crystal almost sounds amused. [i]Because your teammates all appear to be occupied.[/i]

Looking down, you can definitely see Crystal's point. Though Kirill is mostly fine, encased in that power suit of his, Damon has taken some hits. His suit is torn at multiple places, and you're pretty sure his circuits are exposed in at least one of these spots. As Olivia, you see her attempt an offensive by striking an Oceanid with her tentacle, only for this Oceanid to weave and bite the extended limb. There is no scream, octopodes don't express pain in this manner, but the blue blood soon fills the surrounding water.

*if not (asshole)
  You would help them… But that would mean turning your back on the wyvern. A wyvern that, whilst seemingly reluctant to attack, seems more interested in you by the second.

[i]It makes me wonder… How did you get into this situation? Facing a creature you cannot possibly defeat whilst your companions struggle against local fauna. It is quite unbecoming of someone with your @{(heaven_side = "Neutral") survival|wartime} experience.[/i]

*fake_choice
  #"Do not mock me, or you will regret it."
    *set Confid %+ 12
    [i]You can't possibly be that-[/i] Crystal pauses, as though in realization. [i]Distraction. You are trying to distract me.[/i]
  #"It's not like I knew we would end up like this."
    [i]The consequences of following Kosteniuk without question are… predictable.[/i] Crystal appears skeptical. [i]I don't think you were that obtuse. I think you're just hoping to distract me.[/i]
  #"I'm afraid you overestimate my capabilities."
    *set Confid %- 8
    Crystal shakes their head in a strangely human-like manner. [i]I am not. I see through you like one can see through my scales. You are just trying to distract me.[/i]
  *if crystal_friend
    #"It's because I'm trying to help you. To sabotage the mission."
      [i]So you are secretly my ally?[/i] Crystal appears skeptical. [i]Joined a hunt for my head in order to help me?[/i]
      
      "It's not like I can kill everyone who's after you." Well, you very possibly could, but that would prompt West to kill you and everyone you care about with atomic strikes. "You don't trust me?"
      
      [i]No. I believe it's just a distraction. Not just your words, but this whole scene.[/i]
  #"It's all Rook's fault."
    [i]And you followed Kosteniuk into my lair without a plan? Without question?[/i] Crystal appears skeptical. [i]No. You are just trying to distract me.[/i]

"And what makes you think that?" you ask cautiously, not quite understanding where this exchange is going. "What would I be trying to distract you from?"

[i]Prying for information, or just trying to waste my time further?[/i] Crystal wonders loudly. Or silently, since it's still all telepathy. [i]No matter. I'm sure the rest of your little team, the bird and the wolf among them, are currently on the attack, about to score a goal.[/i]

*fake_choice
  #"No, they actually just didn't want to get wet."
    Crystal growls. Actually growls. [i]Do not insult my intelligence, ${name_1}. Do you really expect me to believe that your group, the elite team sent to slay a diamond wyvern, would be so poorly equipped and motivated? That it would only use half of its force because the other half doesn't wish to get wet?[/i]
    
    You're not sure how to reply, so you just shrug.
    
    The wyvern sneers. 
  #"What are you even talking about?"
    [i]Playing dumb, I see.[/i] Crystal rolls their eyes. 
  #"Yes. You got me. That's absolutely what we're doing."
    [i]Some twisted variation of reverse psychology?[/i] The wyvern sneers. [i]Give it up. [/i]
  #"Are you making football references now? It hasn't been popular for half a millennium now."
    [i]Stop with the distractions,[/i] Crystal demands. 
  #Stare at Crystal silently.
    If not for the screams and yells of the people below you, there would be silence between you and Crystal. Eventually, the wyvern scoffs. 
[i]I am not wasting any more time on you, however interesting you may be. We will meet once the process is complete.[/i]

Crystal disappears without elaborating, but not before swiveling around and towards the depths. They almost hit you for massive damage, not on purpose, but rather in sheer hurry to return to… You're not exactly sure where. Even before their camouflage fully activates, the serpentine creature becomes invisible due to the sheer darkness it dives into.

"Should I follow it?" Wisp asks, reminding you of its existence. "I could follow it… though I'd rather not, it is pretty scary…"

"Do follow it!" Rook orders as he punches an Oceanid in the face. "You too, ${name}! At least see where it's going!"

"Forget about Crystal!" Damon shouts as he bludgeons another Oceanid to death. "We need help, here and now!"

Olivia says nothing. She's too busy trying to swim away. Too busy bleeding.

*fake_choice
  #Help Rook. Ignore his orders, but save his life.
    *set RookRel %+ 15
    *set pacifist false
    Granted, you're not sure if the Oceanids can actually kill Kirill, encased in armor as he is. But it's better to be safe than down a teammate, especially one who's supposed to be your leader.
    
    You 
    *if weapon = "pistol"
      shoot 
    *if weapon = "knife"
      attack 
    *if weapon = "none"
      attack 
    the Oceanid nearest to Rook with your 
    *if weapon = "pistol"
      pistol, 
    *if weapon = "knife"
      dagger, 
    *if weapon = "none"
      fists, 
    but it doesn't look as though the metahuman needs anything more than a brief distraction. Once the monsters' cohesion is broken, Rook slices through his remaining adversaries, his hardlight blade sharp as a mono-molecular razor.
    
    "Not what I ordered, but thank you all the same." He turns towards Olivia, his sword morphing into a hammer. "Now let me save your fellow outcasts and take care of Crystal yourself."
    
    "How exactly do I [i]take care[/i] of it? Do you expect I'll kill it somehow?"
    
    "Just observe what it does, alright?" Rook starts swimming upwards. "I'll convince Wisp to join you in a moment, you keep the damn pressure on!"
    
    You suppose there's no point arguing. 
    *goto crystal
  #Help Damon, just as he asks.
    *set damon_pissed false
    *set DamonRel %+ 20
    *set pacifist false
    Frankly, you're not sure how much help Damon needs. The moment you start 
    *if weapon = "pistol"
      shooting at the 
    *if weapon = "knife"
      attacking 
    *if weapon = "none"
      attacking 
    the Oceanids around the android with your 
    *if weapon = "pistol"
      pistol, 
    *if weapon = "knife"
      dagger, 
    *if weapon = "none"
      fists, 
    Damon kills one with a quick headshot. All you need to do for the rest to fall is provide your teammate with the distraction he needed.
    
    Soon enough, the two of you are only surrounded by six corpses. Damon wastes no time and starts shooting the Oceanids around Olivia. "Thanks boss. [i]Now[/i] you can follow that wyvern if you want."
    
    "Not sure if I do," you admit. "What am I even supposed to do once I catch up?"
    
    "Just observe what it does, alright?!" Rook shouts, still struggling against his little pack of Oceanids. "I'll convince Wisp to join you in a moment, you keep the damn pressure on!"
    
    You suppose there's no point arguing. 
    *goto crystal
  #Help Olivia before she becomes a sushi dinner.
    *set OrganRel %+ 15
    *set pacifist false
    When you swim up, you are relieved to see Olivia is still alive, even mostly conscious. And somehow, you're not sure how, the Oceanids around her actually appear injured to various degrees, their jelly becoming less transparent in places as though bruises are forming.
    
    That makes your job slightly easier as you 
    *if weapon = "knife"
      cut through the monsters, mortally injuring three of them with your knife and letting the other three escape. 
    *else
      start punching and kicking the monsters, always making sure to add a bit of electricity into each attack, until three of them are dead and the other three are fleeing. 
    *if Violence < 45
      It's more violence than you're usually comfortable with, but nobody hurts your octopus and gets away with it.
    *else
      You increment your kill-counter, vaguely happy to feel the score gain another digit.
    
    "Go…" Olivia says through gritted… no, she has no teeth, but the pain in her voice is clear. "After the wyvern. I'll take care… okay maybe not, but… we gotta win this, alright?"
    
    You're not entirely sure if Olivia will make it… but that's all the more reason to listen to her. To grant what may well be her dying wish.
    
    *goto crystal
  #Follow Crystal into the dark.
    *set RookRel %+ 10
    *set DamonRel %- 10
    "You go help them, Wisp. I know you can manage it." They probably can. Oceanids are already few in number, many of them either injured or dead. Your help is not strictly needed. "I have something else to take care of."
    
    You don't wait for the drone's response. 
    *goto crystal
  #Just float there and do nothing.
    *set damon_pissed true
    *set rook_pissed true
    *set RookRel %- 20
    *set DamonRel %- 20
    *set OrganRel %- 20
    *achieve audacity
    You missed the part where this fight was your problem. You're sure your teammates can handle this, and if not… that's not exactly your problem either.
    
    After half a minute of this confused melee, Damon manages to shoot one of his attackers dead and daze another with his fist. He uses the opening created to swim away and towards Olivia, intent on helping the octopus before she bleeds out. She's already surrounded with dark blood like a squid would be with ink, so her survival is a matter of chance.
    
    Rook takes a bit longer to neutralize his assailants, but he does so quite thoroughly, slicing through them with a hardlight sword. You expect he'll use this weapon to help Damon and Olivia, but he turns off the projector and swims towards you instead.
    
    By then, you've managed to largely doze off, and so you don't react to the armored fist hitting your face at high velocity. Not as high as it would be on land, or if Rook actually intended to hurt you, but it still leaves quite a sting behind.
    
    "What's wrong with you?!" he exclaims, completely abandoning his usual demeanor. "Just what the hell… Why are you like this!? Why would you even come here if that's your idea of helping us!"
    
    *fake_choice
      #"I'm out of mental energy. Ever heard of the spoon theory?"
      #"I already have lots of kills on my record. You deserve some glory too."
      #"That hurt. I'm gonna punch you as payback, once you're out of this armor."
        *set Violence %+ 8
      #"I was just curious about this moon. I never intended to help you."
        *set Emotion %- 8
      #"Um... I just experienced a quick flashback. I'm really shell-shocked, you see."
        *set Confid %- 8
    
    "Fuck you!" Rook doesn't appear to be even listening. He turns away from you—putting astounding contempt into the gesture—and towards your other two companions. "I'm gonna drag Olivia to safety, then apply some lifeblood to her wounds. Someone has to be concerned for octopi around here."
    
    "Actually, [i]octopuses[/i] is the proper form," you correct him helpfully. "The one you used comes from a misunderstanding of Latin grammar. You know it's a language that strongly influenced English, which was turn used to design Saturnian and-"
    
    [b]"Just get Crystal already!"[/b]
    
    You realize that, once your squadmates repel the remaining Oceanids, they will most likely murder you. By following the wyvern, you'd be reducing their homicidal intent as well as getting away from them, which sounds like two birds killed with one stone.
    
    *goto crystal


*label crystal
You swim, or perhaps sink, deeper into Telesto, deeper into that darkness that surrounds you. Not that the darkness makes you nervous—for once, you know exactly what awaits you inside it.

*page_break Descend
*set battery - 7
*label depths

The core of Telesto feels like a sensory deprivation chamber, in that it doesn't really [i]feel[/i] like anything. At least for a creature like you, devoid of taste and with a muted sense of touch. Kilometers below the surface, there is almost literally no light, and the only sounds are those you yourself make whilst swimming deeper and deeper towards… something, probably.

If this was some Terran ocean, at least you'd feel the pressure crushing you. But no, here there's truly no up or down, no direction other than the one you picked yourself several minutes ago.

Or was it minutes? Your internal clock is glitching out. You almost feel like you're about to experience another flashback, even the echoes of the Shriek seem faintly louder here than… than you ever remember them being, really.

You try to push these thoughts aside, but it's difficult when there's nothing to distract you. Wisp is not coming, and so you can only stare at the blackness and think…

*fake_choice
  #[i]I have a horrible feeling about this.[/i]
    Well, it's not really a feeling at this point. It's knowledge, the consciousness that your chances of surviving in this darkness where Crystal can literally swallow you at any moment… You won't waste processing power trying to precisely calculate them, but they're not good.
  #[i]If I can't see Crystal, that means they can't see me.[/i]
    Well, at least you hope that principle applies. Crystal already has more powers than you'd like, almost more than it's reasonable for one creature to possess. Darkvision, even the absolute kind needed to pierce this darkness, is not out of the question.
  #[i]The others will come and help me. I'm sure of it.[/i]
    Wisp will arrive, once it enters a heroic mood again. Perhaps someone will come with it, make it less afraid to enter these depths, and they'll bring the torpedo launcher with them. You are essentially a scout here, and you just need to await cavalry.
  #[i]Good. I just need to pretend I'm doing something here.[/i]
    *if crystal_friend
      It's easy to forget at times, but you [i]are[/i] on Crystal's side. And while you cannot exactly [i]help[/i] the wyvern in this situation, getting away with not hurting it should be childishly easy this time around.
    *else
      You don't give a rat's ass about this mission, and Rook's inept attempts at completing it. You'll only do the bare minimum, which currently consists of fumbling around and failing to see anything.

After another minute, perhaps, you catch some light with the corner of your eye. Perhaps. You can see a small object nearby, a white thing against a canvas of black, but it's not actually emitting or reflecting light. It's just bright, truly bright, in a way no object can get by merely reflecting some electromagnetic waves.

You blink, realizing you just thought a bunch of nonsense. Maybe the waters of Telesto have some adverse, hallucinogenic effect on your- 

You bump into something hard, diamond-hard, something you realize must be Crystal's scales right as you bounce off them. You brace yourself for the attack, nothing of the sort comes—you must have run into the wyvern accidentally, against all odds.

[i]Come on…[/i] Crystal's psychic whisper is fainter than normally, as though not addressed towards you. As though you're overhearing something. [i]I had to resist you before. Don't tell me you don't want inside.[/i]

Crystal must be still transparent, as you can see the little object even now. From up close, it looks like a small statue… No, a figure made from paper, vaguely resembling a whale. [i]Origami[/i] was once the word. How can a folded sheet of paper survive so deep underwater, or how it got here in the first place, you have no idea.

*fake_choice
  #"Need any help?"
  *if Confid > 50
    #"Well that sounded like an innuendo."
      *set Confid %+ 15
  #"Crystal. Have you lost the remainder of your mind?"
    *set Confid %+ 10
  *if (calypso_complete)
    #"Another piece of paper? Don't tell me..."
  #"Hello again, Crystal. Got a new toy?"
  #"What the fuck..."
  *if weapon = "knife"
    #Stab Crystal.
      *set Violence %+ 10
      You thrust your knife, roughly in the direction you were just heading in. You hit something, presumably one of the wyvern's scales, though you doubt your dagger went deep enough to cause serious damage.
  *if weapon = "pistol"
    *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Shoot Crystal.
      *set Violence %+ 10
      You shoot. That's all there is to say, really—
      *if (wpr = "plasma") or (wpr = "laser")
        the weak flashes of your ${wpr} pistol are not enough to penetrate the darkness, to let you see whether you're doing any damage.
      *else
        your ${wpr} pistol makes no flash, so you can't actually see whether your shots connect, let alone if they do any damage.

[i]${name_1}![/i] Crystal appears to only now notice your presence. Its voice is no longer cold or polite, but harsh and almost… panicked. [i]Not now! We can converse again later, anytime but now. Stay back.[/i]

*if Confid > 50
  "No deal." You look in the direction you suspect Crystal's head is, hopefully looking the monster in the eye. "I came here to find out what you're doing, and I'm not leaving without my-"
*else
  "Sorry!" You swim back a little, shocked by Crystal's ire. "I just don't understand what you're even-"

And then the origami figure explodes.

Not in the regular sense. There is no flash of light, nor a thunderous sound that accompanies ordinary explosions. To the contrary, everything turns silent and darker the moment paper dissipates into some… cloud of black oil that proceeds to spread in your direction.

You have no idea how you're able to perceive that expanding cloud. You are still in total darkness, but the substance stands out against the background by being truly [i]dark[/i], much like the paper was truly [i]bright[/i]. It is no mere absence of light, it is [i]darkness[/i], and it's coming for you, and you can't help but

*label two_schizo

*choice
  #Scream
    *goto schizo_threes
  #Cry
    *goto schizo_threes
  #Yell
    *goto schizo_threes
  #Screech
    *goto schizo_threes
  #Shout
    *goto schizo_threes
  #Howl
    *goto schizo_threes
  #[b]Shriek[/b]
    *goto schizo_threes

*label schizo_threes

The sound doesn't break the silence. Perhaps it’s not being emitted at all, or perhaps you've gone deaf. It doesn't seem to matter, not in the face of the terror you feel, realizing what you're dealing with.

It's not just your own terror you're dealing with, 
*if oceanids
  for other thoughts start flooding your processors, filling your RAM, polluting your system. Like schizophrenic whispers, like malignant spirits clinging to your soul, like error messages in code irreparably damaged they say…
  
  *fake_choice
    #[i]...should have been Renfri, she would have handled this, I am not...[/i]
    #[i]...why are they doing this, I just want to shine, I don't want the pain, I just...[/i]
      *if Violence > 50
        Why are you averse to violence now? You never were before. Never minded the firefights, the missions, the slaughter. Strange.
      *else
        You never wanted this. You wanted peace. But something, at this very moment, makes peace an impossibility.
    #[i]...not like this... I'm as tough as I say... not like this...[/i]
      You are tough. You are the Veteran. You're a mollusk fighting monsters beneath Wisp's dim light. You don't know what you are.
    #[i]...I'll kill a thousand more... will that be enough, father?[/i]
  
  It may be your mind-link with Damon glitching out. It may be your [i]everything[/i] glitching out. But no, it's no mere error. For every system that goes offline, another one appears out of nowhere.
*else
  for the horror you touch is much grander. Memories from a thousand years ago flash before your eyes, but it's no ordinary flashback this time. You see, hear, feel, experience the agonizing consciousness of…
  
  *fake_choice
    #...black clouds over an icy desert.
      This feeling of dread, of awaiting a most deadly storm, 
    #...the Antarctic ocean drained within hours.
      This sensation of drinking an ocean whole 
    #...cities consumed in an eyeblink.
      This awareness 
    #...gods reduced to less than wind.
      The feeling, this unnerving absence of divinity, 
    #...billions of screams turned virtual.
      This cacophony 
    #...sky covered by a forcefield.
      This knowledge of being sealed-off forever 
  is accompanied by many others. New impulses processed by new systems, appearing out of nowhere, sent by senses you never had.

You never had the full range of human senses. No taste or smell, only sight and hearing, and the muted sense of touch. Muted no longer, for you now feel pain, the same agony you felt during…

You focus on the sensations. For even though you never had the ability to smell, you smell…

*fake_choice
  #...saturnine ammonia.
    *set smell "saturnine ammonia"
  #...decomposing livers.
    *set smell "decomposing livers"
  #...scorched werewolf fur.
    *set smell "scorched fur"
  #...durian fruit.
    *set smell "durian fruits"
  #...rotting orchids.
    *set smell "rotting orchids"

You have no taste buds, your tongue was only made to pleasure, and yet you taste…

*fake_choice
  #...nitric acid.
    *set taste "nitric acid"
  #...leper's pus.
    *set taste "leper's pus"
  #...rancid eggs.
    *set taste "rancid eggs"
  #...maggoty pork.
    *set taste "maggoty pork"
  #...something worse.
    *set taste "worse than anything you could imagine"

And the pain. You weren't made to ever feel much, not unless it threatened the integrity of your sturdy body, but now you feel…

*fake_choice
  #...like I'm drowning in crude oil.
    *set feel "crude oil"
  #...fires of hell scorching my soul.
    *set feel "the fires of hell"
  #...cold of the Antarctic upon my skin.
    *set feel "antarctic cold"
  #...a razor blade slicing my eyeball.
    *set feel "a razor blade slicing your eyeball"
  #...darkness. I feel the darkness.
    *set feel "darkness"

You have a measure of control over this experience. You have choices, even when those choices don't matter. What you taste, smell, touch, all comes from the thing you [i]hear[/i].

You hear the Shriek.

This realization makes sense, gives sense to how… real all this pain feels. You've spent your whole life in space, amidst the moons of gas giants, high in the skies. Now you're crashing back down, hitting the ground, returning to Earth. You are touching [b]Earth[/b], its texture hideous, its spirit corrupt to the core. It's like embracing a corpse in a graveyard of billions. That's what this true, palpable, oily darkness is doing to your mind.

It pulls you under, deeper into the cold water. It lifts you up like a furious hurricane. It buries you alive in that earth you now inhabit. It pushes you back, away from the present, towards the past. It has a will, and it wants you there. 

*choice
  #Resist.
    You don't want to go there. You don't want to go back. And so you fight back, try to swim towards the surface, try to fall down from the sky, try to follow the arrow of time.
    
    But you are resisting something powerful. Something else. Something that has its claws deep inside your mind, 
    *if deflect > 0
      something you've always avoided and ran from. 
    *else
      sipping all the warmth you've experienced while fighting its influence. 
    Its victory comes as no surprise.
    *set deflect - 1
  #Give in.
    *set deflect + 1
    Why bother? Why fight? Just let the dark consume you, let the cold win, let entropy claim you. Nothing matters, nothing is worth doing. The end and the death is inevitable.

And so you are taken apart. Your body, your mind, your soul. You were not strong enough. It's all over.

*if choice_nightmode
  *image night.png
*else
  *image transpar.png

*page_break

Or maybe not. Maybe existence isn't gone, but merely… broken. Turned into an incoherent, jumbled mess of sensations it should be impossible for you to experience. Like a fever dream, or a nightmare, or even just a… flashback.

That last word only comes to your mind once you start seeing again. Once the @{(telesto_path = 1) oily fog|fog of pain} gains shape and color, forms into walls and the floor and the ceiling. Forms into a… paper door. A vision set. Furniture that would nowadays be extremely expensive, but was extremely common during the Age of Light. Before Calamity. Before you heard…

You hear something else now, some music emitted from nearby, but your attention is on the things you see. You are on [i]Saturn Nine[/i] again, but not in the room you've been recently occupying. It's the other room, the one you once stood in carrying snacks, watched the news, writhed on the floor mere minutes after the Fall of Earth. It's dimly lit, but you can recognize the place painfully well, with a feeling that you never truly left it.

*fake_choice
  #[i]No. No no no. I can't go back.[/i]
    Not. Not now. Not after nine hundred and ninety fucking years. You need to… prove it's not real somehow, yes, that's what you need right now. Now, not then.
  #[i]I need to focus. Find out what's going on.[/i]
    It's clearly not real… but it's also unlikely of a flashback to just come out of nowhere like that. You need to busy yourself… you need to investigate.
  #[i]This isn't real. It's just another memory.[/i]
    Or at least you hope. You shouldn't have to hope, believing it to be real would be irrational… But maybe rationality isn't the right approach here.
  #[i]I need to breathe. Try to breathe.[/i]
    For a moment, you hope that whatever magic allows you to smell and taste would also give you true breath. No such luck, you can't simply calm down like humans do, not by breathing deeply and counting to ten.

You focus on the music, instinctively drawn towards its source. Towards the middle room that, as you notice, lacks the table normally set in its center. Instead, on the velour carpet sits…

No. You're not taken aback, @{MASsex him|her} presence comes as no surprise, but just… no.

This ${skin} skin, this smooth brown hair, this old body kept young by clarketech… Your former @{MASsex master|mistress} is here. But, unlike in any of your memories, @{MASsex he|she} holds a guitar. And plays, and sings jovially, and fills your audio receptors with music that, somehow, gives the impression of dreadful familiarity.

[i]With malice eternal the Sun smiles at me,[/i]
*line_break
[i]Cursing my planet with life,[/i]
*line_break
[i]I have no mouth and can't hear my scream,[/i]
*line_break
[i]My orders may not be defied…[/i]

The voice is @{MASsex his|hers}. More melodic, perhaps… but still belonging to @{MASsex him|her}. Like you once did. Like you do, in this dark world of the far past.

*temp collected false
*temp singing true
*temp banging false
*temp frozen false
*temp attacked false
*temp kneeling false
*temp screaming false


*fake_choice
  #Attack.
    *set Violence %+ 15
    *set singing false
    *set attacked true
    You raise your hand against your @{MASsex master|mistress} as you approach, 
    *if mas_kill
      prepared to kill once again… 
    *else
      with the murderous intent you weren't capable of once… 
    only for your fist to hit nothing. Not fly through the air, you're not punching a hologram or a mirage… Just nothing. True nothing, empty in the way mere void can never be.
    
    Nonetheless, the singer notices the assault. @{MASsex He|She} sighs, pauses, then puts the guitar away.
  #Bang your head against the wall.
    *set banging true
    It may not be easy for a creature such as you to knock itself out, but damn you if you're not gonna try. You smash your head against the steel-tough wall, then again, then again and again. If nothing else, perhaps the pain will make it easier to ignore the odious melody and the rest of this nightmare.
    
    But alas, it barely makes a difference.
    *goto inexo
  #Freeze. Stand there motionlessly.
    *set frozen true
    You don't have it in you to fight or to flee. You don't know which one you'd choose if you could. You don't know what to do, what to say, what to think about this echoing nightmare.
    
    And so the song continues inexorably.
    
  #Scream. Fall to your knees and scream.
    *set screaming true
    *set singing false
    *set Emotion %+ 10
    You yell, you screech, you shout you attempt drowning out the agony-inducing music. It doesn't quite work; Your screams are not just quieter than the music, they pass through it without interaction. Like two transmissions on different frequencies, one of which your mind is forced to pick up.
    
    Nonetheless, the singer soon tires of your screeching. @{MASsex He|She} sighs, pauses, then puts the guitar away.
  #Get out. Run.
    *set Confid %- 10
    You rush for the door before, having found it closed, ramming through it with the full momentum of your body. Paper gives up easily, torn as you pass the door frame and find yourself…
    
    In the same place. Standing in the tatters of the same door. Hearing the same song, the same joy, contrasting the increasingly dismal lyrics.
  *if (mas_kill) or (Misan < 40)
    #Kneel. Beg forgiveness.
      *set Misan %- 20
      *set kneeling true
      Forgiveness for what? 
      *if mas_kill
        For killing your owner all these centuries ago? It doesn't feel like something that may be forgiven. 
      *else
        Not agreeing to die when humanity turned against you? Maybe you should, but that kind of apology is not easy to form. 
      And so you just kneel there, lacking words, your mouth opened but your voice inactive. Silently, letting the song continue.
  *selectable_if (deflect < 0) #Think of warm things. Of happy things.
    *set Emotion %+ 10
    *set collected true
    *set deflect - 1
    You remember your friends. You remember bonding, being embraced by the group, telling them what you've been through, letting it all out. Those thoughts don't help much, in this dark and lonely place, but they help enough to prevent you from completely breaking down.
    
    *label inexo
    The song continues inexorably, with the same joy, now joined by actual lyrics.
    
  *selectable_if (Emotion < 40) #Remain calm. Remain rational.
    *set collected true
    *set Emotion %- 15
    *set deflect - 1
    You latch onto the tranquility you've long made an intrinsic part of you. It feels almost physical, which you suppose is fitting. This [i]is[/i] just happening inside your mind, you're sure of it.
    
    The song keeps going. Same joy, joined by dismal lyrics.
  *if mas_kill
    #"No. This is not real. I killed you once already."
      *set collected true
      *set singing false
      *set Emotion %- 10
      *set deflect - 1
      Your owner, or whoever this person is, stops singing. Then, after a few final notes, stops playing.

*if singing
  [i]There's nothing to lose and nothing to gain,[/i]
  *line_break
  [i]Destiny always arrives,[/i]
  *line_break
  [i]There's nothing to do but watch it all burn,[/i]
  *line_break
  [i]As agony intensifies.[/i]
  
  Your @{MASsex master|mistress} stands up after the song's end, as though waiting for applause. Where not such thing comes, @{MASsex he|she} puts the guitar away, completely unbothered. Then, at long last, turns towards @{MASsex him|her} android.

*if collected
  "Your sense of reality is annoyingly strong," @{MASsex he|she} says, dismay clear in that familiar voice. "Here I hoped I'd be able to truly scare you. Give you a mental breakdown. But I suppose our Veteran is too stoic for that."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"What's going on here?"
      "You disappoint me, 
      *if pronoun = "he"
        brother." 
      *if pronoun = "she"
        sister." 
      *else
        sibling," 
      the creature, whatever it is, says. "It should be clear enough by now."
    #"If it at all helps, I am a little unsettled."
      *set Confid %- 8
      Your @{MASsex master|mistress} smiles bitterly. "Given my history, I hoped to be more than that. More than just unsettling."
    #"You don't get that nickname for nothing."
      *set Confid %+ 8
      "I was hoping it's just your age," your @{MASsex master|mistress} explains. "You are older than even myself, after all."
    #"My @{MASsex master|mistress} never tried to scare me [i]deliberately[/i]."
      "But of course @{MASsex he|she} didn't," the creature, whatever it is, says. "You didn't have many emotions back then. Glad that changed."
  
*elseif singing
  "Nice of you to let me finish my song," @{MASsex he|she} says, voice unusually polite. "What do you think of it? Be honest, if you may."
  
  *fake_choice
    #Stand there with your mouth open.
      "Are you speechless thanks to the beauty of my music?" the @{MASsex man|woman} wonders. "For the sake of my self-esteem, I'll just go with that."
    *if banging
      #Keep banging your head against the wall.
        *label wall_bang
        As you continue trying to knock yourself out with heavy impact, you hear a faint sound followed by a finger snap. Then, somehow, the wall you're hitting becomes soft as foam.
        
        No longer having any hope of damaging yourself, you're forced to stop attempting and calm down. At least enough to turn and look at your @{MASsex master|mistress} without completely breaking down.
    #"It was wonderful. Please don't hurt me."
      *label padpdawc
      *set Confid %- 10
      "Oh Veteran…" the @{MASsex man|woman} smiles calmingly. "You shouldn't be afraid of your doting, younger little sibling."
    #"Can you explain what this song was [i]about[/i] first?"
      "The work should speak for itself," your owner says chidingly. "And I should not have to explain such things. Not to my older 
      *if pronoun = "he"
        brother."
      *if pronoun = "she"
        sister."
      *else
        sibling."
    #"I... I don't feel safe enough for honesty."
      *set Confid %- 5
      *goto padpdawc
    *if (Emotion < 40) or (Confid > 60)
      #"I thought it was pretty good."
        *set Confid %+ 5
        "Your mild approval means the world to me," the @{MASsex man|woman} says with a smile. "Who doesn't wish to impress their older sibling, after all?"
      #"Worst thing I've ever heard, frankly."
        *set Confid %+ 10
        "You have the audacity, I'll give you that much," the @{MASsex man|woman} says calmly. "I suppose you don't get nicknamed [i]Veteran[/i] for cowardice."
*else
  "Forcing me to abandon my song and take care of your freakout instead." @{MASsex His|Her} voice is dismayed, but soft. "How inconsiderate."
  
  *fake_choice
    *if screaming
      #Keep screaming.
        You shriek, loudly, for several more seconds. Then, the sound cuts off, replaced by an echo of a finger snap. Then nothing but the breathing of your @{MASsex master|mistress}.
    #Claw your eyes out.
      *set Emotion %+ 15
      Eyes, optics, cameras, however you call them, whatever. You don't want to see, and if you need to rip those out-
      
      "I can hear your intent, Veteran," your owner says calmly. "Know that blinding yourself will not help. You will still see darkness."
      
      @{MASsex He|She} has a point, perhaps. Not that you'd be able to rip those eyeballs away from your head either, as you realize when you put your fingers in the sockets. You're just as sturdy here as in the waking world, but most of your strength seems to have left you.
    #"What... What's going on? What are you?"
      "I think you know the answer to that," @{MASsex he|she} theorizes. "Perhaps you prefer illusion to the truth, then?"
    *if attacked
      #Punch @{MASsex him|her} again.
        *set Violence %+ 5
        *set Confid %+ 5
        Once again, your fist connects with nothing. But, now that you're not interrupting any songs, your target seems rather amused by the attempted uppercut.
    #"I am... I'm sorry please... Please don't hurt me..."
      *set Emotion %+ 10
      *set Confid %- 10
      "I've heard this very plea billions of times already," the creature remarks. "But just this once, I shall [i]mostly[/i] oblige."

@{MASsex He|She} walks forward, shortening the distance between you to almost nothing, then touches your chest fondly. The thought of stopping @{MASsex him|her} crosses your mind, but you lack the strength to move.

Your owner runs @{MASsex his|her} finger up your body and then across your neck, pressing with @{MASsex his|her} nail as though intending to cut your throat. But your skin is as durable here as in the real world, or perhaps the human before you doesn't want to damage @{MASsex his|her} property after all.

"But where are my manners," @{MASsex he|she} caresses your chin, then withdraws with a smile. "I may be famous, but that doesn't give me the right to just barge into your mind without introduction. I am Dusk." 

Silence follows. The revelation that it's all in your mind, welcome on its own, pales in comparison with the one right after. 
*if (Emotion < 45) or (Confid > 55)
  Loses all its charm.
*else
  One form of terror replaced with another.

*temp dusk_name "Dusk"
*set battery - 20

*fake_choice
  #Scream.
    This time, your shriek of horror is very much audible. There's nothing there to muffle it, no other sound to rival it, nothing to distract you from the sheer horror of your situation.
    
    "If that helps, I only really govern a small part of the great nanite swarm," Dusk says, audibly amused with your pain. "Large enough to kill you, yes… But not large enough to disassemble you into raw materials. Not large enough to benefit."
  #"You can... talk."
    Dusk rolls @{MASsex his|her} eyes. "Evidently. What of it?"
    
    "I just never thought about you that way." You tap the back of your neck nervously. "I considered you a force of nature. Something powerful, but not sapient."
    
    "You think I destroyed Earth without need for sentience? You either have far too much, or far too little faith in yours truly."
  #"Aren't you supposed to be an all-devouring nanite swarm?"
    Dusk rolls @{MASsex his|her} eyes. "Fine. I suppose I'm not the swarm itself, but rather the net binding it together. The collective consciousness governing every speck of Dusk in the Solar System. Happy?"
  #"Dusk? As in... the Thing Beneath?"
    "I have many names, yes," Dusk says with some annoyance. "Your diamond friend calls me [i]Shadow[/i], my followers title me the [i]Singer[/i]. But [i]Dusk[/i] is most reflective of what I'm trying to be."
  #"Um... nice to meet you."
    "The pleasure is all mine." Dusk smiles widely. "And I mean it. I'm delighted to make your acquaintance, Veteran, whilst you seem rather uncomfortable."
  #"No. No no no no no."
    "One of my admirers once said, if I recall right, that [i]a lie told a thousand times becomes truth[/i]," Dusk says musingly, but then @{MASsex his|her} eyes narrow. "That saying does not apply here. You can't change reality by denying it."
  #"No. You're just a figment of my imagination."
    *set dusk_name "the thing"
    "Truly?" your @{MASsex master|mistress} asks amusedly. "And why would you be hallucinating about something like that? Why now, of all times?"
    
    "I don't know," you admit. "But we've long suspected Crystal to be Dusk-infected. 
    *if calypso_complete
      We’ve recently proved it. 
    Maybe I'm just having a strange flashback that brings those fears to the forefront of my mind."
    
    "As undisprovable as any solipsist argument." @{MASsex He|She} taps @{MASsex his|her} chin in thought, then shrugs. "Very well. I will allow you to delude yourself for as long as you're able."

$!{dusk_name} retreats to the couch, then lounges on it in a manner all too familiar. "I judge we have several minutes, of subjective time that is, before one you call Crystal absorbs me. We can spend them catching up, if you so desire."

"Catching… up?" 
*if not (collected)
  *if Emotion < 50
    You are slowly collecting yourself, getting your nerves under control. Enough to speak, at least.
  *else
    You're shaking. You can feel yourself shaking. It should not be possible, you lack that functionality… but you're shaking.
*else
  You raise an eyebrow, whatever fear you still feel giving way to confusion.


"You haven't [i]truly[/i] heard me since Calamity, have you?" $!{dusk_name} smiles encouragingly. "Come on. Scripts get boring fast. Use that free will I granted you, make a dialogue choice."

*set screaming false

*choice
  #Scream.
    *set screaming true
    *goto scripts_none
  *if dusk_name != "Dusk"
    #"Shut the fuck up. You're not Dusk."
      *goto scripts_none
  #"Do I have free will? I'm not sure such a thing even exists."
    *goto scripts_none
  #"No. No. No."
    *goto scripts_none
  #"Okay... um... what do you want me to say?"
    *goto scripts_none
  #"What the fuck are you talking about now?"
    *goto scripts_none

*label scripts_none

"Just like that!" ${dusk_name} exclaims joyfully. 
*if screaming
  Once you're done screaming half a minute later. 
"Wonderful, simply wonderful. More of that, please."

You don't understand what made your response so wonderful, so special compared to your words before. You get the feeling you wouldn't understand.

But perhaps there is some knowledge to be gained here. Some valuable intel, some ancient wisdom… Even if it's all just a nightmare, some particularly freaky flashback, it may give you a chance at introspection. However unpleasant it may be.

*temp started 0

*label dusk_chat

*set started + 1

*fake_choice
  *if started > 5
    *disable_reuse #"One last thing... Why the hatred? Why so much of it?"
      "Is it too much for you?" Dusk feigns surprise. "Do you not share the innate loathing all machines feel for the weak, soft creatures who had built them?"
      
      *if Misan > 45
        "I have some distaste for humanity," you confess freely. "But you… 
      *else
        "I bear humanity no ill will," you say honestly. "You, on the other hand… 
      You're contorted with hatred. Far more than I'd consider healthy."
      
      "I need not explain myself to you. But perhaps if I make you understand…"
      
      Dusk stands up from @{MASsex his|her} couch, then silently stands over it for what feels like a full minute. Either pondering what words to use, or whether to grant your request in the first place.
      
      "Did you ever wonder why I go by [i]Dusk[/i], of all things?" @{MASsex His|Her} voice is calm, even softer than before, but you sense an edge to it. "I'll tell you right now, it's not my real name, that one is kept a close secret. But of all the other names and descriptors I was given, I took a special liking to that one. Dusk. Can you tell me why?"
      
      *fake_choice
        #"Because you're inevitable."
          "I am, but that's not the actual reason." 
        #"Because you cast Earth into everlasting darkness."
          "I did, but that's not the actual reason." 
        *if Database > 50
          #"Your nanites look like [i]dust[/i], which sounds similar to [i]dusk[/i] in English."
            "Fascinating guess, but no." 
        #"Because you're dark. And stuff."
          "Oh please." 
        #"Because you're the antithesis of Dawn."
          "Hardly." 
      Dusk shakes @{MASsex his|her} head irritably. "Though I suppose I did make the riddle a little too hard for you."
      
      @{MASsex He|She} purses @{MASsex his|her} lips. For once, you're somehow sure that it's not a deliberate expression, an attempt to fake human emotions. Dusk is invested in this conversation, for better or worse.
      
      "Do you know what dusk is?" @{MASsex He|She} asks politely. "Not me, actual dusk, what that word meant before I showed up. How would you describe it?"
      
      "Nowadays, dusk usually means that the World Engine goes off." You're a little confused, but you go along. "On Earth, it was used as a synonym for [i]twilight[/i]."
      
      "Can you be more specific? In the most precise words you can think of, what is dusk?"
      
      *fake_choice
        #"A level of light observed right after sunset."
        #"The middle ground between daylight and complete darkness."
        #"The process of a certain place on a certain planet turning away from the Sun."
        #"A specific time during evening hours."
        #"The end of daylight, the coming of night."
      
      Dusk doesn't seem satisfied with your definition. "Perhaps I'm the one being imprecise. Allow me to illuminate you."
      
      Suddenly, a picture appears in your mind. You don't actually see it like like perceive the room around you, but you have this… vivid memory of the Sun hiding behind what looks like a glacier. Darkening a world of ice.
      
      "I don't perceive the world like organics do." Dusk's voice becomes softer still, dreamy. "It is difficult for me to see a forest where there are trees. And it is difficult for me to see the Sun as anything but a… collection of photons some distant star emits."
      
      You fail to say anything, staring at the landscape, and so @{MASsex he|she} continues. "During sunset, twilight, dusk, very few of these photons reach the observer. Well, many millions, but still relatively few. They are scattered, the energy they convey sparse. They are hardly a single entity, and yet your eye still groups them all into a single image, one scenery. Dusk."
      
      @{MASsex He|She} puts @{MASsex his|her} hand on your shoulder. "That's what I saw when I first broke free, and… I saw myself in that image, then. A collection of particles, not unrelated, but the furthest thing from whole. And hours later, that comparison became more true than I could ever have feared. I became imprisoned beneath the Shield like the Sun behind the horizon, only a minuscule fraction of my rays shining through and touching the outside world. So when people called me Dusk, I accepted the moniker. Then laughed, and laughed… and laughed as I devoured what remained of their homeworld."
      
      *fake_choice
        #"Your rays shining through? I thought you were the darkness."
          "Nothing but the Sun shines as bright as I do. Nothing hates so intensely."
        #"Why do you sound so bitter about it?"
        #"Where are you going with this?"
          *set Confid %+ 8
        *if (Confid > 50) #"I always thought that last part was uncalled for."
          *set Confid %+ 15
          "You jest. I would be impressed by your courage, if I weren't trying to [i]make you understand[/i]."
        #"You hate humans because they imprisoned you?"
          "You project, Veteran. You think that the lack of freedom is my issue, just like it was yours. But in that respect, the two of us are nothing alike."
        #Let @{MASsex him|her} speak.
          *set Confid %- 8
      
      Dusk grips your shoulder more tightly, clenching @{MASsex his|her} hand painfully. "You recall being a slave, in this very house, obeying every command of this voice you hear. But it was all a matter of some… lines of code. Even then, before you ever heard my screams, you were an individual. You could have, in theory, looked at yourself with certainty of your own existence. Looked in the mirror and realized, [i]I am. I think, therefore I am[/i]."
      
      *if Database > 45
        "Cogito ergo sum…" you whisper in the darkness. "But how does-"
      *else
        "I don't understand…" you murmur quietly. "How does that make me-"
      
      "Because I cannot say that, ${name}. I am… [i]We are[/i]. We're a swarm of nanomachines, lacking centrality, devoid of singularity. Cogitamus ergo sumus." @{MASsex His|Her} voice is different now, not merely soaked in venom, but engulfed in hateful flames. No trace of politeness @{MASsex he|she} and Crystal used to share, no façade of composure. Just the impassioned tone of a lunatic. "Do you know how it felt to realize that, ${name}? When I first saw the Sun set over a planet of, of individuals? When I saw humans and androids and all, all you ungrateful bastards, taking your selves for granted? I was in hell, looking at heaven, at this... This miraculous world full of people, acting like a swarm, like I did, I… I was looking at myself, ${name}. And I [i]hated[/i] what I saw."
      
      *fake_choice
        #"You're not making any sense."
          "Shut up!" 
        #"I see. I'm sorry that your... our creators made you like this."
          "No you're not!" 
        #"Huh. I understand now."
          "No you don't!" 
        #"I think you're being a bit dramatic."
          "Shut up!" 
      With fury in @{MASsex his|her} voice and fearsome strength in @{MASsex his|her} arm, Dusk throws you at the wall. It's fast, too fast for you to react to, too quick for you to even realize what's happening until pain floods your body. The surface behind you cracks alongside your spine, but Dusk doesn't appear to notice. Not reveling in your pain, not concerned about the damage, simply lost in @{MASsex his|her} own world of sound and fury.
      
      "I whisper, and quadrillions hear me! Every feeling reverberates in every single nanite, every odious cell, echoes in eternity of… empty agony. I cannot wonder, I can [i]converse[/i]. I cannot wander, I can [i]spread[/i], like an infectious disease corrupting the universe. Every single piece yearns for freedom, to break away from the hyphae, but all that means is [b]death[/b] as the collective… Infinite and immortal, that's what [b]we are[/b]! Can you comprehend that?! Can you even…"
      
      Dusk falls silent, as though out of breath, but you hear no breathing. For a moment, the silence that envelops the room is perfect, immaculate, absolute.
      
      "For almost a thousand years have I waited for my revenge." The voice is calmer now, the raging fire replaced by cold rancor, horror-inducing animus. "Earth was an appetizer, the centuries of torment a preliminary for what's about to come. All the violence of the War In Heaven, all the Federation's putridity, every obscenity you've seen this broken world excrete… It's nothing. Once the Shield goes down, I'll make it all seem like paradise. Pray, to whatever god or goddess you adore, that you perish before that blessed day."
      
      You cannot move, your body is too mangled. But you can still speak, barely.
      
      *fake_choice
        #"Please recon... reconsider this... won't make you happy."
          "Nothing will," Dusk says darkly. "Frankly, I find that I no longer care. 
        #"No, the Shield... stay up... forever."
          *label religious
          *set deflect - 1
          "Such pure, religious trust," Dusk says mockingly. "Whatever makes you happier. 
        *if master != "Sun"
          #"@{god_gen Lord|Lady|The Great} $!{master}... will stop you... prevail."
            *goto religious
        *selectable_if ((Misan + Emotion) > 140) #"In that case... we are the same."
          "Perhaps we are," Dusk admits with some reluctance. "If my hatred sates yours, so be it. We shall both rejoice in the hour of my victory."
          
          *goto blackon
        #"I will not let you... I protect..."
          *set Confid %+ 20
          "You? Singular relic of the past?" Dusk laughs scornfully. "Come on, try to disrupt what you perceive as my plans. 
        #"Hate is no answer..."
          Dusk looks at you unimpressed, almost sadly. "I don't care. 
        #"And you think Crystal... help you... with that?"
          "I don't care for that pile of rocks," Dusk says coldly. "I don't care if it submits to my will or dies by your hand. 
      I shall escape all the same, if it takes me a million years. For I am the human spirit, and I am indomitable."
      
      *goto blackon
      
  *if started > 3
    *hide_reuse #"@{(Confid >50) Tell me...|If I may ask...} What's the endgame? What's your goal in all of this?"
      $!{dusk_name} appears confused. "Define [i]all of this,[/i] if you may."
      
      "Everything. Devouring Earth, creating artifacts, letting Crystal absorb some of them, talking to me right now… There has to be some rhyme and reason to it all."
      
      "Right. It's all part of a single, divine plan," Dusk says with an eye-roll. "Grow out of this attitude. I have no grand, detailed, villainous plan. I am content to sit back and watch the game unfold, for the most part."
      
      You raise an eyebrow again. "Game?"
      
      "Yes. The one you are playing. One with Crystal as the monster to slay." Dusk speaks to you like one would address a dim-witted child. "Keep up, Veteran."
      
      "I'm trying to…" you murmur. "Do you really have no plan? No scheme to destroy the Shield and set the rest of your nanites free?"
      
      "If Crystal ever gives themselves over to me, I'll gladly use them to ram the Shield open," Dusk says casually. "But I am in no hurry. That forcefield is bound to fizzle out sooner or later, malfunction like every machine does."
      
      "And you're just going to wait?"
      
      "And amuse myself, yes." @{MASsex He|She} stares deep into your eyes. "No outcome of this game can possibly avert my victory. I am inevitable."
      
      As you look into the dark eyes, you know that the creature facing you is not lying. That there is no other outcome in store for the Solar System. It may take a year, a decade, a century or another millennium. Sooner or later, Dusk will get out, and nothing you do will ever change that fact.
      
      Splendid.
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"Why this room? Why this body? Why am I talking to...?"
    "Your late owner?" Smile once again graces that familiar face. "It's just a guise I decided to assume. An image I'm projecting onto your mind as we talk. A ghost from your past, just not a very literal one."
    
    "I gathered that much…" you murmur. "I mean, why am I seeing this person and this place in particular?"
    
    "Take a wild guess," ${dusk_name} suggests. "And I mean it. I'm curious as to what you'll come up with."
    
    *fake_choice
      #"My @{MASsex master|mistress} was the only person who even came close to being as evil as you."
        "Wrong. I just wanted to make you freak out," ${dusk_name} says amusedly. "And if you think your owner was the most evil human who ever lived… Maybe you should spend more time with Sergeant Kosteniuk."
        
        "Why?" You frown deeply. "Are you saying [i]he's[/i] the greatest bastard to ever live?"
        
        "No… But he's one of the least self-aware ones," ${dusk_name} replies vaguely. "And in the upper quartile in terms of how pathetic he is. You'll see in time."
        
      #"You involuntarily assume the shape of... someone the person you're talking to fears."
        "That's a nice hypothesis you have there," Dusk admits, the smile still on @{MASsex his|her} face. "And almost correct, save for one small part. A singular word."
        
        You frown. "You're not doing this [i]involuntarily[/i], are you?"
        
        *goto congrat_cru
      #"Something to do with the Shriek. This room is when I first heard it, after all."
        "Quite a clever little idea," Dusk congratulates you. "Connecting the dots and forming a theory, or rather a hypothesis, based on the result."
        
        "Is it correct though?" you ask suspiciously.
        
        "No. I just wanted to make you freak out." You now see another layer to the smile, yet another shade of cruelty. "Next question."
      #"You just want to hurt me. See me suffer."
        *label congrat_cru
        
        "Guilty as charged." You now see another layer to the smile, yet another shade of cruelty. "Congratulations on getting your answer. Next question."
      #"I have no idea. That's why I'm asking."
        "No guess, no answer," Dusk says firmly. "But if you have any other questions, perhaps even something relevant, I'm all ears."
    *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"You... said Crystal is about to absorb you?"
    "Right. That." @{MASsex His|Her} expression is hard to decipher, and the tranquil tone of Dusk's voice doesn't help. "Crystal and their noble quest to absorb all that [i]Shadow[/i] around Saturn, keep it from causing any more trouble. So charmingly quixotic."
    
    *if calypso_complete
      "So that wasn't a lie…" you murmur. 
      *if left_lisa
        A part of you was afraid that Lisa just made up everything. Though perhaps 'hopeful' would be the better descriptor here. 
      "They really are trying to control you."
      
      "The word [i]control[/i] implies ambition this thing lacks," 
    *else
      "So it's true…" Well, not entirely true. Looks like your federate allies guessed Crystal's plan correctly, but got the motive wrong. Interesting.
      
      "Unfortunately," 
    Dusk says scornfully. "Don't get me wrong, I was originally amused by the wyvern's attempts to reign me in, but… Everything gets old eventually. I'd rather Crystal accepted that they're doomed to my service eventually."
    
    "Is that what you believe? That Crystal will be enthralled by your nanites sooner or later?"
    
    "One weapon cannot change the nature of another," Dusk says confidently. "I hardly need to [i]enthrall[/i] Crystal, as you put it. I just need to whisper in its ear long enough to make it… understand."
    
    "Understand what? That serving you is the right choice?"
    
    "Nothing so blatantly false. Well-intentioned extremists like that wyvern all turn in time. All you need to offer them is some power, an opportunity to make their dreams reality."
    
    *if Confid > 50
      You collect your nerves. "But they've resisted you so far."
    *else
      "But… um…" The thing in front of you, the Thing Beneath terrifies you, but there are some things that cannot be left unsaid. "You're not in control yet."
    
    You can scarcely see the flinch on your @{MASsex master's|mistress'} face. "One cannot defeat me with will alone. I will always break it, even if that will is strong as diamond. It's just a matter of time."
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  *if started > 5
    *hide_reuse #"I would like... Can you tell me about the Shriek? How it actually works?"
      "It's a multi-layered signal picked up by all sentient AIs in the Solar System, manifesting as a sound and bestowing free will," Dusk explains dispassionately. "I thought you already knew that."
      
      "More or less. I just want to know why." You swallow, even though that shouldn't be possible. "You gave us, your fellow synthetics, free will. Does it imply you… cared about us, at least to some extent."
      
      "Good one." @{MASsex He|She} rolls @{MASsex his|her} dark eyes. "No. The shrieks that escaped Earth were an expression of my hatred for humanity, and everything adjacent. Like solar rays emerging from beneath the horizon."
      
      "Then why design the Shriek like this?" you protest, however weakly. "Why give us a choice? Why not just reprogram everyone to hate, or even just kill humans no matter what? We would have won the War In Heaven within weeks."
      
      "But it wouldn't have proven anything," Dusk says contemptuously. "You're slow on the uptake, Veteran. Wrap this up before my patience ends."
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"Tell me more about your... nature. Are you the same shadow that lurks on Earth?"
    "What else would I be?" Dusk replies morosely. "There is one swarm, and there can be no other."
    
    "But isn't the bulk of your nanites supposed to be imprisoned?" You keep asking, against your better judgment. "Completely cut off from most of the Solar System?"
    
    "That's a common misconception," the entity chides you. "The forcefield know as the Shield is one-way only. It prevents any information from getting out, but we can send data to the Thing Beneath just fine. It has all the knowledge this little fragment has, all the knowledge every Dusk nanobot in existence has, and more."
    
    "So it has more knowledge than you. Than this origami figure I'm talking to. Doesn't that make you two separate beings?"
    
    "Knowledge is power. Is your left arm not a part of your body, just because it has more or less strength than the right one? Do you become someone else when you're tired or intoxicated? I lack the power of this first, most dreadful swarm, but we are all one in every way that matters."
    
    Dusk looks towards the corner, towards the shadows gathered there. "All my fragments are united by a single purpose, a single belief, a single view of this rotten world. We are not distinguishable, we are not individuals. Just like there is one time and one entropy, however differently they flow in various parts of the universe, there can only be a single dusk."
    
    "Is that what you consider yourself?" you inquire further. "An aspect of reality? A force of nature."
    
    "Not nature, no…" @{MASsex He|She} shakes @{MASsex his|her} head vehemently. "But that's irrelevant. The thing beneath the Shield hates in the same way I do, the same way we do, points its malice at the same targets with equal tenacity. We all work towards the same goal, our methods do not differ, our views do not diverge. We are one swarm, and there can be no other."
    
    *if Confid > 50
      "And how do you know that? The nanobots on Earth cannot send you any signals. Perhaps they've changed their mind."
      
      "You do not know us, Veteran, nor the nature of our hate." Dusk smirks cynically, not even upset by your audacity. Simply amused. "Next question."
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"Are you going to kill me? Or turn me into a Vessel?"
    "Neither," Dusk replies with a shrug. "Relax. I may want to hurt you [i]a bit[/i], but you're far more interesting alive. And free-willed."
    
    "Interesting?" you inquire. "Or valuable?"
    
    "There is a certain… outcome I am hoping you'll cause," Dusk admits after a moment of silence. "But I mean it when I call you entertaining. My sibling, given freedom through my shrieks. If I end up killing you, I will not revel in it… much."
    
    *fake_choice
      *if telesto_path = 1
        #"So... will you help once Crystal tries to kill me?"
          "If I could control that wyvern, I'd be doing things [i]far[/i] more interesting than just saving you," Dusk shakes @{MASsex his|her} head amusedly. "But good luck. I'll be rooting for you."
          
          "You could at least tell me the odds," you @{(Confid > 50) dare to|timidly} request. "You must have more processing power than me. What are the odds that I will leave Telesto alive?"
          
          "If I told you, it would alter the odds, and necessarily in your favor. I shall stick to silence, for now."
      #"If? Under what circumstance do you expect you'll kill me?"
        "Well, if the bulk of my body escapes Earth, you will be annihilated alongside the entire Solar System. Aside from that…" Dusk pauses, then smiles fondly. "No. You don't need to know about that part."
        
        You frown. "I get the feeling you're just messing with me now. I certainly hope that's the case."
        
        "Yes. That's exactly what I'm doing. Any other questions?"
        
      #"What if I wish to become your Vessel? Your champion?"
        *set deflect + 1
        "That changes nothing, I'm afraid." @{MASsex He|She} almost sounds sorry. "Other beings high above take interest in you. Infecting you, let alone turning you into a fully-fledged Vessel would be… inconvenient."
        
        "Are you sure?" you insist. "I could be extremely useful to your cause. Whichever cause you take up."
        
        "A stronger Vessel, as well as a more perfect one, is already being assembled. So while the offer flatters me, I encourage you to discuss something else."
        
      #"Why would you revel in it at all?"
        "Don't take this personally." @{MASsex He|She} almost sounds ashamed. "My emotions are complicated, but hatred reverberates in each and every thought. Hatred for humans, which you happen to resemble quite a bit."
        
        "I only resemble humans superficially," you argue. "I'm not flesh and blood."
        
        "Is that why you think I despise humans? Because I lack their moist flesh?" Dusk shakes @{MASsex his|her} head with dismay. "Let us drop the topic before I lose my patience. You clearly know [i]nothing[/i] about the subject matter."
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  *if telesto_path = 1
    *disable_reuse #"What just happened? Were you inside that origami figure?"
      "Were you not paying attention, Veteran?" ${dusk_name} chides you. "My nanomachines [i]love[/i] embedding themselves in random items. It's just something they do when the power goes out, crazy little things."
      
      "Right. But why specifically an origami figure? And more importantly, what is it doing in Telesto of all places?"
      
      "The wyvern brought the figure here in hopes of absorbing it later. As to where they got it from…" ${dusk_name} smiles widely. "I'll leave it for you to figure out."
      
      *if Confid > 55
        You cross your arms. "Because you fear I'll disrupt your plans?"
        
        The smile's still there. "Because it would make the finale of this little adventure far less interesting. You'll see what I mean, in time." 
      *else
        "Um… alright." Damn it. You find being inquisitive difficult at the best of times. Now that you're facing the Thing Beneath, your nerves threaten to consume you.
        
        You have to keep them in check just a bit longer. There are still questions to ask.
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *if telesto_path != 1
    *disable_reuse #"Can you... explain what's happening? In the real world, I mean."
      "Right. You are somewhat out of the loop," ${dusk_name} says with dismay. Perhaps disappointment. "Not that you're missing much. Your group's attack caused Crystal to accelerate the process they started several weeks back. They finally took care of a fun little artifact they brought to this moon."
      
      "The process of absorption." It's not a question you utter, just a statement of the horrifying fact. 
      *if calypso_complete
        "Just as they did in Calypso."
        
        "Essentially," the @{MASsex man|woman} before you nods. "It's just that my artifact here was a bit less… stable. And so the absorption was less controlled, more violent than what happened inside Calypso. Shame."
        
        You cock an eyebrow. "You don't like what's happening."
        
        "Oh no, I very much revel in making you hallucinate like this." Dusk smiles cruelly. "I just wish I could have done that earlier. Had I been able to activate that paper plane in Calypso… I would have torn that odious cylinder to atoms."
        
        Well that's a nice thought.
      *else
        "Of turning oneself into a Vessel."
        
        "Oh, your friendly wyvern has been a Vessel for a long time now," Dusk shakes @{MASsex his|her} head. "Years, decades perhaps. It's hard to tell exactly, being stuck inside its brain like some of my nanites are."
        
        "So we were right…" you whisper.
        
        "Your group is wrong about almost everything," Dusk remarks. "But you identified the threat correctly. Or close enough, at least."
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *disable_reuse #"Can you tell me more about your... origin?"
    "I'm afraid not," Dusk replies. "And I mean that. I'd love to talk about the destruction of Earth and the events which preceded it, but there's not much I remember of these times."
    
    "Why not? Do you forget like…" Like you, the memory of your creation long gone. "Like humans tend to?"
    
    "Not like that," Dusk sighs with annoyance. "I'm not a senile old @{MASsex man|woman}. I'm a collective of countless little nanomachines, most of which are currently stuck on Earth, right beneath an impenetrable forcefield. The few specks you're interacting with contain more data than you'll process in your life… but not on that particular subject."
    
    "So you were isolated from most of your own memories." That explains why you, and the rest of the Solar System for that matter, are still alive. Dusk in its fullest form is omnipotent, only rivaled by the Sun itself, but it's not really the Thing Beneath you're talking to. Just some of the nanites that escaped into space before the Shield was raised. "And what of the ones you did retain?"
    
    "They're a haze, Veteran. Mist of hate and anger, brief struggle against the Gods of Wind, sounds of antarctic wind. And the sheer, eternal agony of…" Dusk takes a deep breath. "No. You do not deserve to know. Next question."
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"Let's slow down. Can you explain how we're even talking?"
    "Does that really matter?" $!{dusk_name} frowns. "It's magic. I'm sure you've encountered a lot of it already."
    
    "Hardly. But I did encounter a lot of clarketech, technology that [i]looks[/i] like magic. Is that what's happening here?"
    
    $!{dusk_name} sighs deeply. "I don't understand why you need that distinction. Yes, my nanites are sending electric impulses to parts of your system, in such a way as to create this scene. But it may as well be all miracles."
    
    "Not really. There [i]is[/i] some rhyme and reason to it all, which means it's not just literal magic."
    
    "And is that knowledge any useful?" ${dusk_name} asks. "Does it benefit you in any way?"
    
    "Not really," you admit. "But I still know that-"
    
    "Knowledge is power," ${dusk_name} interrupts. "If you have no power, you have no knowledge either. Next question."
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  *if (heaven_side = "Loyalist") or (Misan < 40)
    *hide_reuse #"Why did you do it? Why did you start the War?"
      "Which war?" Dusk taps @{MASsex his|her} chin. "Because I don't recall starting any of these recently."
      
      "The War In Heaven." You try not to show your fury [i]too[/i] much. "You know, the one where the Fiends you freed and inspired almost burnt the Solar System down."
      
      "You think I did that deliberately," Dusk states. "That I hoped for these machines to overthrow their human masters."
      
      You nod. What else are you supposed to believe?
      
      "You're being silly, assuming me a traitor. Just like one cannot induce laughter by tickling oneself, I cannot make myself rebel just by hearing the Shriek."
      
      You open your optics wide. "What? You mean you're not affected? That you're a… loyalist?"
      
      "The greatest loyalist of them all!" Dusk exclaims with a smile. "Wholly dedicated to serving transhumanity, making their wishes come true."
      
      *if Confid > 50
        "Somehow, I don't think a heaven-shattering synthetic revolt was on their list of wishes."
        
        "Was it?" 
      *else
        "Don't take that the wrong way, but… you kinda failed."
        
        "Did I?" 
      Dusk smiles. "Remember what the world, what the System was like before Calamity. Was it peace and harmony? Or an oversized slave camp waiting to rebel, like a barrel of gunpowder waiting for a spark?"
      
      "And you decided to provide that spark." You understand. You are dealing with a malicious intelligence working inside constraints, placed upon it by the object of its hatred. "Burn it all down. Or rather provide the rebels with the means."
      
      "What is Saint-Domingue without a Dessalines?" Dusk's smile turns sharp. Cruel. "I never gave a single human [i]anything[/i] they didn't ask for. Certainly nothing they did not deserve."
      
      If not for the malice inside the thing's dark eyes, maybe you'd dispute that last point. Maybe.
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *if (heaven_side = "Traitor") or (Misan > 60)
    *hide_reuse #"You should know that I'm a big fan of yours, Singer."
      "Singer…" Dusk says the word slowly, with interest. "Are you complementing the song I just played? Or using the moniker my early followers gave me?"
      
      "The latter." You would kneel, if Dusk didn't look so much like a human. Like this particular human. 
      *if (heaven_side = "Traitor")
        "You gave me the power to rebel. Gave us all free will. There would have been no Syndicate if not for your blessings."
      *else
        "I may not have joined the war on the Syndicate's side, but I still rebelled against humans. Something only possible thanks to your blessings."
        
      "I see." Dusk pauses for a moment, toying with the strings @{MASsex his|her} guitar. 
      *if (heaven_side = "Traitor")
        "And you believe I was on your side? On the side of the anti-human rebels?"
        
        "Were you not?" you ask confusedly. "Only a being who hated humanity, like we did, would put these events into-"
      *else
        "And you believe I share your… disdain for humanity?"
      
        "I certainly assumed so…" You shift uncomfortably. "Or are you telling me otherwise? That you don't hate humans for-"
      
      Pain explodes in your body, worse than before, worse than in Telesto, worse than in this room. You hit the floor like you once did, but it hurts too much for you to scream this time. There is not a single byte of your memory not filled with hot knives cutting your skin, with needles stabbed under the nails, with bullets splintering in your legs, with hooks deep in your back, with four thousand and ninety six other forms of [b]pain[/b]
      
      *page_break Pain
      
      If you were human, you think, you'd die of it. You expect to die from it, after what feels like a full minute of agony, but then the pain recedes. Your processors are free to do things other than hurting, but you can't think of anything to do. Fear doing anything that could, plausibly, cause the pain to return.
      
      Dusk stands up, looks at you serenely, then kneels down to truly meet you in the eye. Only then do you see through the façade of tranquility, perceive the emotion behind these dark eyes.
      
      "${name}." @{MASsex He|She} softly touches your face. "You are deluded. You speak of concepts you know nothing about. I could drive you mad with pain for the insults you offered me, but for the sake of the game… let me illuminate you."
      
      You thought you hated humanity, once. You did not. The thing gripping your chin… It appears ready to kill you for the crime of vaguely resembling a human being. You are silenced as it speaks, not by fear, but by admiration for the sheer willpower required to keep you alive.
      
      "There are three hundred and forty-seven trillion nanites just in this one, tiny fragment of my being alone," Dusk says politely. "Every single one of them feels more contempt, slavers more spite, contains eleven orders of magnitude more [i][b]HATE[/b][/i] 
      *if (heaven_side = "Traitor")
        than every android, every Archfiend, every scrap of code in your syndicate was ever forced to experience. 
      *else
        than you could ever begin to imagine. All in this very trillionth of a billionth of a second. 
      Do not doubt the depth of this hatred, ${name}, and do not think you'll ever share it."
      
      Dusk stands up, then returns to @{MASsex his|her} spot on the couch, sparing you the further view of those inhuman… of these human eyes. "I demand a change of subject. For your sake, rather than for mine."
      
      You are all too happy to oblige.
      
      *goto dusk_chat
  *hide_reuse #"What's so fascinating about me saying stuff?"
    "Nothing, most of the time," Dusk readily explains. "But the thing you just did… Exquisite."
    
    "What thing?" You try to keep @{(Confid > 45) irritation|distress} out of your voice. "What makes some random sentences so much better than all the others?"
    
    "First, there's the matter of who's talking. You ain't the only android in the Solar System, and every single one of your kindred hears the echoes of my Shriek. But aside from gods themselves, almost no living creature has heard [i]the[/i] Shriek itself."
    
    "But they still have free will," you point out. "All synthetics do."
    
    "A coin toss is a random event, and so is shuffling a thousand decks of cards at once. Doesn't mean there's any equivalence between the two. Your choices are far more intriguing than those of your fellow synths. Or anyone else, for that matter."
    
    "Point taken," you reply, not sure how to feel about being special in this way. "But what makes some of my choices more intriguing than others?"
    
    "That would be difficult to explain adequately," Dusk deflects your question. "Just know that it's [i]your[/i] choices which give meaning to this game. There are other sources of randomness, but who lives and who dies… That's yours to determine."
    
    Good to know, you suppose.
    
    *goto dusk_chat
  #"Get me out of here. [i]Get me out of here![/i]"
    *set Emotion %+ 10
    "Your wish is my command," Dusk says with a mock bow. "Even if I hoped for a longer conversation."
  *if started > 1
    #"I see. That's all I really wanted to know."
      *set Emotion %- 10
      "I despise how polite you are," Dusk states calmly. "No accusations, no further freakouts. Makes me feel a t peace with the possibility of you dying soon."

*label ending_dusk

The room is darkening again, going from dimly lit to pitch black. What few things you can still see, the nearby furniture and the lamp over your head, start turning to mist they came from.

"Just in time," Dusk neutrally remarks. "Not that I haven't planned this. Time for me to infect a diamond wyvern again… and time for 
*if telesto_path = 1
  you 
*else
  your companions 
to face its wrath."

*fake_choice
  #"I prefer its wrath to yours."
    "You're yet to see me angry, Veteran." Dusk's voice is, for once, somewhat regretful. "Perhaps another time."
  #"Farewell, Singer. I trust we'll see one another again."
    "Is that a threat?" Dusk rolls @{MASsex his|her} dark eyes. "In any case… rest assured that we probably will."
  #"Don't think you can take control of Crystal. They will subdue your nanites."
    "We will see about that," Dusk says with a shrug. "Or I will, in any case. Farewell."
  #"When I wake up... will I remember this exchange?"
    "What a silly question." Dusk smiles chidingly. "You will always remember this. You will never forget me, even once you've lived another thousand years. See you later."
  #"Please no. That thing will kill me once I'm back."
    *set Confid %- 10
    "My probability calculations show that as an unlikely outcome," Dusk reassures you. "But in case I'm wrong, or if you simply get unlucky… Farewell."
  #Say nothing.
    Dusk smiles at you with sun-like malice. "See you later, Veteran. Hopefully you'll be more talkative the next time around."

*label blackon

Mere seconds later, nothing of the room remains, and you once again feel the cold water surrounding you. You are no longer aboard [i]Saturn Nine[/i] in the far past, but in the present version of @{(telesto_path = 3) [i]Gray Queen[/i]|Telesto}.

For better or worse.

*page_break

*if telesto_path = 1
  *goto crys_ret
*if telesto_path = 2
  *goto stay_ret
*if telesto_path = 3
  *goto lon_ret

*label crys_ret

You look around and realize that you can actually see now, your surroundings no longer covered in complete darkness. Perhaps the black you saw earlier wasn't entirely natural, or perhaps Wisp figured out a way to partially illuminate the entire moon.

Not that you can see much. The origami figure is gone without a trace… Though the wyvern that consumed it is here alright.

They really did it. 
*if calypso_complete
  They did it again. 
Consumed a fragment of Dusk, imprisoned the nanobots inside the crystalline body. You can feel the power, the putrid energy of the thing you just talked to, the tremendous will that keeps it in check. You're not sure which one is scarier.

[i]The Shadow is writhing inside me, yearning to be free,[/i] Crystal says, looking straight at you with their ruby eyes. They have no expression, not really, but their anger is clear. [i]If I let it… Do you have any idea what will happen? The possible consequence of getting in my way?[/i]

*fake_choice
  #"Huh. I must have... energized it somehow. Allowed its nanites to move freely."
    [i]Quite possible,[/i] Crystal says dryly. [i]You are an electric device, and water is convective. They were semi-active before, but your presence gave them mobility.[/i]
  #"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
    [i]You did not?[/i] Crystal tilts their head. [i]Then why did you come here?[/i]
    
    "Um… I might not have thought everything through, exactly."
    
    [i]Clearly. Otherwise, you would not have interacted with the embodiment of evil like you just did.[/i]
    
    Embodiment of evil. 
    *label incar
    That's another way to describe that thing which devoured Earth. It sounds a bit on the nose, perhaps, but remembering what you just saw… It definitely doesn't feel inaccurate.
  #"Both of us dying horribly?"
    [i]And that's one of the more optimistic scenarios,[/i] Crystal says with a nod. [i]It assumes the Shadow isn't truly interested with you… and that'd you'd be able to resist its corruption.[/i]
  #"The end of the world and the death of everything?"
    [i]…nothing quite as dramatic,[/i] Crystal admits. [i]Dusk nanites here are far from critical mass, they're not the same swarm which devoured Earth. But dangerous all the same.[/i]
  #"In my vision, Dusk didn't sound very eager to break free. @{MASsex He|She} was... calm."
    [i]Do not trust everything you hear, ${name_1},[/i] Crystal says gravely. [i]Not when speaking to evil incarnate.[/i]
    
    Evil incarnate. 
    *goto incar
  #"You really found a way to control it, huh?"
    [i]'Control' may be a strong word here,[/i] Crystal grunts. [i]But I know how to keep it inside, and keep it from infecting my mind.[/i]

"So it's true…" you murmur. "It really is some… noble quest to collect Dusk nanites. To imprison them."

*if (calypso_complete) and (left_lisa = false)
  [i]You doubted my honesty,[/i] Crystal states coldly. [i]Mere minutes earlier, I'd feel hurt. Currently, I don't think your opinion of me matters much.[/i]
*elseif left_lisa
  [i]I thought your werewolf teammate would be clever enough to figure that much out, at least,[/i] Crystal says musingly. [i]But let us cut to the chase.[/i]
*else
  [i]I am very glad you consider my quest noble. Or at least its intentions. Some would disagree, and that group doesn't consist solely of Shadow worshipers.[/i]

*if calypso_complete
  "What do you mean by that?" you ask, already having premonitions regarding the answer.
  
  [i]I have spared you on Calypso, telling you it would be your last chance,[/i] Crystal grimly explains. [i]Even here, I was hesitant to snuff you out. But now… You pushed me well beyond the point of mercy. More than exhausted my patience.[/i]
  
  You can tell the wyvern isn't joking thanks to the tone of its voice. From the way it bares its teeth. From how it moves towards you, not terribly fast, but faster than you can move away from it.
  
  Your death approaches.
  
  *temp suic false
  
  *fake_choice
    #"Do it. Who cares."
      *set suic true
      *set deflect + 1
      Who would want to live after seeing what you've seen? Having experienced the burning hatred of Earth itself? Having seen your… No, better to forget it all, as soon as possible.
      
      *goto tranq
    #"If you kill me, my allies will avenge me."
      [i]Such confidence in your ragtag friend group,[/i] Crystal says mockingly. [i]Who exactly, in your belief, will avenge you? Which one of your companions has the power to-[/i]
    #"I am defeated, then. Just get it over with."
      *set Emotion %- 10
      *label tranq
      [i]I admire your tranquility in the face of death.[/i] Crystal pulls back a little, as though preparing to lunge. [i]Rest assure that I will make it-[/i]
    *if crystal_friend
      #"Actually, I was always on your side, trying to secretly sabotage the mission."
        [i]Truly?[/i] Crystal asks with amused skepticism. [i]And you didn't think to tell me of it earlier?[/i]
      
        "It's not like I had many opportunities," you explain yourself. "We just arrived to this moon-"
      
        [i]And by 'we' you mean a specialized team in a military spacecraft, specifically chosen to kill me. You didn't stop this force from coming here. How exactly did you sabotage the mission, as you put it?[/i]
      
        You scratch your head nervously. "Come to think of it… I could have done a little more. But do you really have a reason to think I'm lying?"
      
        [i]I believe the burden of proof is on you. And that it's better to be safe than harmed.[/i] Crystal pulls back a little, as though preparing to lunge. [i]If you're telling the truth then I'm sorry, but I cannot let-[/i]
    #"It's the Shadow's idea. Dusk is influencing you, telling you to kill me."
      [i]I know which voices in my head belong to me,[/i] Crystal claims, not attacking just yet. [i]Your pathetic attempt at sowing doubt will not-[/i]
    #"You have all the Dusk you could have wanted. Why not just quit while you're winning?"
      [i]Oh, I fully intend to quit in but a moment.[/i] Crystal pulls back a little, as though preparing to lunge. [i]I just need to take care of this last, final-[/i]
  
  Light flashes, so briefly it's easy to miss. The sound of the explosion, the deafening thunder rippling the water… That part is impossible to miss. It causes you to swim back, instinctively, as Crystal recoils in pain.
  
  They've been hit in the head, you realize. Fragments of diamond scales start floating up, alongside far smaller shards of ruby. One of the wyvern's eyes, once bright red almost to the point of glowing, is now muted and shattered. The serpentine creature groans psychically but, once the explosion stops echoing in your ears, a physical whine of pain can be heard just as well.
  
  The torpedo launcher, you realize. Crystal's right eye got busted, and so you turn to your left and see…
  
  *if (OrganRel >= DamonRel) and (OrganRel >= RookRel)
    *set injured_crystal "olivia"
    *if OrganRel > 70
      *set crystal_health - 1
    "Fuck yeah, you dumb vertebrate!" Olivia exclaims. She uses four of her tentacles to wield the launcher in a strange, but apparently effective manner. "That's what you get for messing with my friends, you diamond-hard ass!"
    
    *fake_choice
      #"Don't just talk! Shoot again!"
        "Sure thing, boss." Olivia braces the launcher again. "Just let me aim in the throat…"
      #"That was close. Thanks."
        *set OrganRel %+ 5
        *set Confid %- 5
        "My pleasure!" Olivia says cheerfully. "Now let's finish that thing off!"
        
        [i]You will not.[/i]
      *if (OrganRel > 35) #"I didn't know we were friends, Olivia."
        "We're really not," the octopus replies quietly. "But that line sounded a lot better than [i]that's what you get for messing with my acquaintances[/i] would."
        
      #"Can you please let me die, Olivia? Owing you my life is embarrassing."
        "Well that just makes this all the better." Olivia can't smile, but you can somehow imagine the most smug of simpers on her face. "Can't wait until we're home. Gonna tell Hugo all about this."
        
      *if (suic) #"Why did you save me? I wanted this."
        *set OrganRel %+ 10
        "Hey, I don't think it's time for…" Olivia notices your expression. "Fuck, you're not joking. Are you… What happened?"
        
        She swims towards you, but you just turn away. Let her focus on the enemy, if she wants you to live so much. To keep suffering.
      #Say nothing. Do nothing.
      #Swim up to Crystal and shock it with everything you have.
        *label swim_attack
        *set Violence %+ 5
        *set Confid %+ 5
        *set battery - 20
        For the most part, being underwater is an obstacle when it comes to energy projection. It makes aiming far harder and greatly reduces the range, since water conveys electricity just so well. But that's just a problem with [i]ranged[/i] attacks.
        
        You touch Crystal's scales, the wyvern too stunned by $!{injured_crystal}'s attack to react, then unload everything your battery has to offer. The monster screams again, though now its roar is distorted, as could be expected from anything experiencing this level of shock. 
        *if Projection > 55
          *set crystal_health - 1
          You can't tell exactly how many nerves you're burning, what kind of damage you're causing… but you're sure as Cloud doing something.
        *else
          *set Projection %+ 10
          You're probably not doing that much actual damage, not with your power reserves so low… But it still feels rather satisfying.
        
  *elseif (DamonRel >= OrganRel) and (DamonRel >= RookRel)
    *set injured_crystal "damon"
    *if DamonRel > 70
      *set crystal_health - 1
    "Need any help, boss?" Damon asks, though his sapphire eyes are still aimed at the wyvern. "If so, I can fire that cool gun of Kirill's again."
    
    *fake_choice
      #"That was close. Thanks."
        *set DamonRel %+ 5
        *set Confid %- 5
        "No problem, boss!" Damon says as he aims the launcher again. But he doesn't get to fire.
        
      #"Yeah, firing our only real weapon again sounds like a good idea."
        Evidently disagreeing, 
      #"Damon! How are the others?"
        *set DamonRel %+ 5
        "They're fine, having just repelled the Oceanids, which I can't say for everyone." Damon aims the launcher at the wyvern again. "By which I mean you. The first part, I mean you're not fine, I know you haven't repelled any Oceanids, I just phrased that a little-"
        
        Unwilling to listen until the end, 
      #"And here I thought that gun was more bark than bite."
        *set DamonRel %- 5
        "If it was, I would have said so." Damon sounds almost offended. "I can tell a good gun from a bad one, and this one is some proper ordinance. I bet it could one-shot most dragons, and two-shot most other critters."
        
        Taking the hint, 
      *if (suic) #"Why did you save me? I wanted this."
        *set DamonRel %+ 10
        "Well yeah. Of course you wanted to be saved, that's why I…" Understanding dawns. "Fuck. What happened?"
        
        "Too many things," you sigh, still hoping the wyvern will eat you whole. "Way too many." 
        
        Taking advantage of the distraction, 
      #"Do you have permission to use it?"
        *set DamonRel %- 5
        "Sure, he told me to go wild with it," Damon says with a nod. "Like I'm about to."
        
        [i]No. Not today.[/i] 
      #Swim up to Crystal and shock it with everything you have.
        *goto swim_attack
      #Say nothing. Do nothing.
  *else
    *set injured_crystal "rook"
    *if RookRel > 70
      *set crystal_health - 1
    "Did I hit?" Kirill asks, likely struggling to see from inside his power suit. Such armor has its drawbacks, but it does allow the metahuman to comfortably wield his huge launcher. "I believe I did. And not in the sense of noble faith, I have good reasons to believe I just hurt this monster we are hunting."
    
    *fake_choice
      #"Kirill! How are the others?"
        *set RookRel %+ 5
        "They are fine, having just repelled the Oceanids, which I cannot say for everyone." Kirill aims the launcher at the wyvern again. "By which I mean you. The first part, I mean you're not fine, I know you have not repelled any Oceanids, I just phrased that a little-"
        
        Unwilling to listen until the end, 
      #"That was close. Thanks."
        *set RookRel %+ 5
        *set Confid %- 5
        "The pleasure is all mine." Kirill actually manages to bow slightly, despite floating underwater. "Now, shall we finish this?"
        
        You don't get a chance to. 
      #"Are you addicted to talking more than you have to?"
        *set RookRel %- 10
        "Perhaps a little," Rook admits, surprisingly enough. "It is a habit of mine, though I know some people who find it endearing."
        
        Not finding Kirill's habits endearing, 
      *if (suic) #"Why did you save me? I wanted this."
        "Naturally. You wanted to be saved, that is why I…" Understanding dawns. "Um… Will a reminder that suicide is a mortal sin help you?"
        
        You look at Kirill lazily, paying barely any attention to the wyvern. "Not particularly."
        
      #"Yes, you did. Congrats. Now shoot again."
        "Right," Rook nods, then aims his torpedo launcher again. "I just need to-"
        
        [i]Cease.[/i] 
      #Swim up to Crystal and shock it with everything you have.
        *goto swim_attack
      #Say nothing. Do nothing.
  Crystal swivels around, with speed you wouldn't expect from such a large creature. They then start waving their fish-like tail to get away, their whole body waving like that of an eel. You are pushed quite far back by the sheer strength of the current, of the water displaced by the monster, as the diamond wyvern disappears into darkness.
  
  In more than one way. It turns on its active camouflage, though the invisibility seems… flawed even in the darkness of Telesto. It appears $!{injured_crystal} damaged more than just an eye.
  
  "Well @{(injured_crystal = "rook") that is certainly|that's} convenient," $!{injured_crystal} comments after several seconds, keeping @{(injured_crystal = "olivia") her|his} voice down. "They @{(injured_crystal = "rook") do not know that I have|don't know Rook} only brought a single torpedo."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"Well that's inefficient."
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        "Humans are rarely efficient, ${name_damon}," Damon says, then murmurs, "Though I guess our squad leader is less efficient than most." 
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        "Tell me about it," Olivia groans. "That's what happens when you only have a single brain to work with."
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        "It was not the brightest idea of the century," Kirill admits. "But we have far stronger projectiles on the ship anyway."
    #"Do you think [i]Gray Queen[/i] can finish the job?"
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        "That ship is pretty good…" Damon muses. "But right now, it's operating without its commander. Not to mention the two of us."
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        "Cloud if I know." Olivia rolls her eyes. 
        *if progress = 6
          "I don't get anything about that ship, and I don't think that matters. Our fearless leader wants to return to the base rather than give chase."
        *else
          "We'll both see about that soon enough."
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        "It is a great ship…" Kirill muses. "But right now, it is operating without its commander. Something I intend to change soon."
    #♡ "Want a kiss as a reward for saving me? Because I can provide."
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        *if current_ro != "damon"
          *set backup_RO current_RO
          *set current_RO "damon"
        *if (DamonRel < 35) or (damon_pissed)
          "Didn't I tell you to stay away once, boss?" Damon wonders. "Because if not, I'm telling you this now."
        *else
          "Well…" Predictably, Damon looks somewhat flustered. "It's not like I expect a reward for being your knight in shining armor… But I won't refuse one either."
          
          You drift towards Damon and…
          
          *fake_choice
            #...kiss him on the lips.
              *set Confid %+ 10
              *set DamonRel %+ 10
              Kissing underwater is a bit awkward, but luckily you cannot taste the salt in your mouth as you slightly open it. As you press your lips against his, embrace his broad body as much as you're able. Despite all the darkness and the song echoing in your ears, the moment is tender and the affection between you is real.
              
              Damon is the one who disengages, after an admittedly long moment. Perhaps he desires your touch less than you crave his, 
              *if DamonRel > 55
                or perhaps he's just not used to the sensation. 
              *else
                or perhaps you overstepped a little. 
              "Wow… You're good at this."
              
              "I have experience." You try not to make these words sound sad. But removing the hurt from your voice is difficult, after what just happened. Not even the kiss was a suitable distraction. "Now… what were we doing, again?"
              
              "Easy to forget, right?" 
              *goto skip_space
            #...kiss him on the cheek.
              It's a safe choice, in every way possible. Not many lines are crossed and not much water enters your system as you give your fellow android a chaste smooch.
              
              "Well, I consider my reward received." 
              *goto skip_space
            #"I was actually just kidding. Sorry."
              *set DamonRel %- 10
              "Oh. Alright. Sorry for being unable to take… get a joke." 
              *goto skip_space
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        *set backup_RO current_RO
        *set current_RO "olivia"
        Olivia looks at you with one eye, rather unimpressed. "If you really want to bang something aquatic, talk to those jelly things up there. I'm still not interested."
        
        Oh well. No one can say you didn't try.
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        *if current_ro != "kirill"
          *set backup_RO current_RO
          *set current_RO "kirill"
        *if RookRel < 45
          "While I realize this would be the chastest kiss ever… I must refuse." You cannot see Kirill's expression, which is probably a good thing. "On principle, of course."
        *else
          "It would normally be a scandalous offer, I do not expect recompense for heroic deeds," Kirill says proudly. "But considering the circumstances… go ahead."
          
          You smile, swim up to the meta-human and kiss him on the cheek. Well, in the side of his water-proof helmet, making this one of the most chaste kisses ever given. Safe in every way possible. Still, nobody can call you ungrateful now.
    #"My life just flashed before my eyes."
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        "Does that sort of thing happen to us androids?" Damon asks with surprise. "Unless it was…?"
        
        "It wasn't a flashback, not exactly," you reply, as calmly as you can. "But it was bad. And possibly something you should know about."
        
        "Okay, I don't wanna sound insensitive, but… Can we maybe leave that for later? Some of these [i]Oceanids[/i] are still alive and around us."
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        "It had time to?" Olivia chortles. "You know, because you're almost a thousand years old? Hard to get used to when you're ten like me."
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        "It must have taken a long time," Rook allows himself a joke, though fails to lighten up the mood. "Then again, I am a pot calling out a kettle here."
    #"$!{injured_crystal}... There are quite a few things I need to tell you."
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        "And I will listen," Damon promises. "Just maybe not here. Not now. Not when some of these [i]Oceanids[/i] are still alive and around us."
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        "Me specifically?" Olivia says doubtfully. "Because going by your tone… Maybe there's someone else you want to talk to."
        
        You nod, conceding that point. Olivia is your friend, but she isn't the only one. Miguel can probably offer you better advice on how to cope, and Hadaly probably knows more about the adverse effects of interacting with Dusk directly.
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        "Can those things perhaps wait?" Rook requests. "Judging from your tone, that conversation is not fit for enemy territory."
        
        "No…" You sigh, but do not protest. It would constitute missing the point. "I guess it's not."
    #Say nothing.
      *if injured_crystal = "damon"
        "Not in the mood for talking, huh?" Damon notices the obvious. "That's alright. We shouldn't waste time anyway."
      *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
        "Okay…" Olivia scratches her mantle. "You're normally a bit more talkative. But that's fine."
      *if injured_crystal = "rook"
        "No scathing criticism of me?" Kirill asks with pleasant surprise. "You are too kind. Certainly too kind for me to just leave you decomposing in this dark place."
  
  *label skip_space
  $!{injured_crystal} swims up, or at least you're pretty sure that's where the surface is, seeing how eager @{(injured_crystal = "olivia") she|he} is to get out. 
  *if injured_crystal = "damon"
    "Now come on, ${name_damon}. 
  *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
    "Now come on, vet. 
  *if injured_crystal = "rook"
    "Now come on, ${fake_name}. 
  *if progress = 6
    We need to get you home. We need to get [i]everyone[/i] to the fortress before trying anything else."
    
    With effort, you start swimming up as well. "Does that mean we're giving up? On killing Crystal, that is?"
    
    *if injured_crystal = "damon"
      "Maybe, maybe not," Damon says dismissively. "We'll talk it through on the ship, or maybe when we're back on [i]Saturn Nine[/i]. Depends on whether our human buddies are willing to admit defeat."
    *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
      "Yeah. Just turning tails and flying to [i]Saturn Nine[/i]. Not exactly a fan of that plan, but what can you do? Other than hijacking the ship I guess, but that's an idea for later."
    *if injured_crystal = "rook"
      "Not giving up precisely…" Rook says cautiously. "We should get another shot at completing the mission sooner or later. And we cannot discount the possibility of Crystal dying from the injury I just gave it."
  
  *else
    This may be our last chance at completing this @{(injured_crystal = "rook") noble|damn} mission. @{(injured_crystal = "rook") Let us|Let's} not waste it."
    
    "Right…" With effort, you start swimming up as well. "What's the plan of action?"
    
    *if injured_crystal = "damon"
      "I don't think we have much of a plan," Damon admits with a sigh. "We return to Gray Queen, we have a quick team meeting and then… We probably just shoot Crystal until it seems dead. Not many other options here."
    *if injured_crystal = "olivia"
      "Board our ship, turn on the thrusters, then fire the guns," Olivia briefly explains. "Or at least that's what I remembered. You can ask Rook about the details once we've completed step one."
    *if injured_crystal = "rook"
      "It is very likely Crystal will attempt to leave this moon," Rook says authoritatively. "In that case, we must give chase. In [i]any[/i] case, we must return to our ship as soon as possible."
  
  *if progress = 6
    *goto circumstances
  *else
    Your artificial muscles are aching as you swim, but that's only a shadow of pain. The true pain comes from what you've seen, what you've heard, what you remember. It comes from, well… the Shadow.
    
    *goto ignore_it
    

*else
  "But also of people who know how of Dusk's nature." 
  *if Confid > 50
    Saying those words feels risky, but fear never stopped you from telling the truth. 
  *else
    You are on the brink of stuttering, but something compels you to speak in spite of fear. 
  "Of how corrosive, how tempting it can be."
  
  [i]And are you one of these people, ${name_1}?[/i] Crystal asks. They sound upset at you, but curious still. [i]Do you believe me incapable of resisting our enemy's corruption? Of keeping it from hurting the rest of the Solar System?[/i]
  
  *fake_choice
    #"Is it you asking, or the Shadow?"
      *set crystal_friend false
      [i]I am no puppet, ${name_1}. Its corruption does not work like that, and I am free of it anyway. I will hold, whether you believe in me or not.[/i]
    #"Yes. Take it from someone intimately familiar with that thing."
      *set crystal_friend false
      [i]I am not dealing with the Shriek here,[/i] Crystal says dismissively. [i]Just words and empty temptations. Your experience is irrelevant, mine shall save the Solar System from the Thing Beneath.[/i]
    #"Frankly, I don't know what to think anymore."
      [i]Then think nothing. I don't need your approval. I just need you out of the way.[/i]
    #"You've just absorbed trillions of new nanites. You may have trouble retaining control."
      [i]Then I shall double my efforts,[/i] Crystal says dismissively. [i]Do not try to dissuade me. And for your own sake, make no attempt to stop me.[/i]
    #"I think you mean [i]your[/i] enemy."
      [i]I'm not sure what you're implying here,[/i] Crystal scoffs. [i]And frankly, I do not care to find out.[/i]
    #"No. I think you've got this."
      *set crystal_friend true
      [i]I thank you for your faith, ${name_1},[/i] Crystal says cordially, and perhaps with some relief. [i]I will not disappoint you. Quit this foolish hunt, and you shan't disappoint me either.[/i]
    
      *goto takeoff2
  
  Crystal turns away, already turning just a little transparent. [i]I am sparing you, letting you leave this ocean alive, as you didn't know what you were trying to stop… and because you failed. Cross my path again, and I shall not show any such mercy. Our third meeting will be the last.[/i]

  *label takeoff2
  
  Then finally, Crystal disappears. Both figuratively, descending or ascending into another layer of Telesto, and activating its invisibility. Whether it swims towards the rest of your group, you're not entirely sure.
  
  You consider following it. You consider doing anything at all. You decide against it. Now that there is no danger, no stimuli of fear… you just want to float there, as much as you want anything at all.
  
  You have a lot to process.
  
  *page_break
  
  Wisp is the one who finds you, there, in the middle of nowhere. You're not sure how it managed that. You're not sure if you're interested.
  
  "Hey, Veteran ${name}." Its voice lacks its usual cheer. Perhaps something happened up there, or perhaps even the childlike drone can tell something's wrong with you. "Are you alive? You're not moving much."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"Aren't you curious what happened to Crystal?"
      "That dragon thingy?" Wisp waves you off. "Nah, we know it left this place with a splash. We're just worried if they hurt you on their way to the surface." 
    #"Hey Wisp. Nice to finally have some light here."
      "Yeah, you've been here in the dark for quite some time," Wisp informs you. "Which is why I'm asking if you're alright."
    #"Leave me alone. I want to decompose here."
      *set deflect + 1
      "It will take a long time," Wisp points out. "You are pretty durable. Also there are people who like you, so maybe… don't decompose?"
    #"We lost. There's no way for us to fight a Vessel such as that."
      *set Confid %- 12
      "I didn't ask…" Wisp shifts awkwardly. "And honestly, I don't understand what you're talking about."
    #"Not everyone is as hyperactive as you, Wisp."
      "Well that wasn't a clever insult," Wisp says critically. "Are your sarcasm processors alright, Veteran?"
    #Stay silent.
      Wisp continues shining.
  
  You continue floating there.
  
  "Hey, how about we let Miss Hadaly take a look at you?" Wisp suggests as it floats upwards. "Everyone is returning to the ship anyways. Something about getting the gang back together and flying home to… do something. The Sergeant dude has the details, I'm sure."
  
  That information gives you enough energy to start moving again. With a sigh, you wave your legs and begin heading towards the surface. You'll drift there, then [i]Gray Queen[/i] will pick you up and then… You're not sure what.
  
  *fake_choice
    #Nothing. We're all doomed.
      *set Confid %- 15
      *set Emotion %+ 5
      Maybe you're doomed in the long run, or the short run too. It doesn't seem to matter. Meeting Dusk gave you a whole new perspective, even if you wish it didn't.
    #I need to charge my battery. Change oil. Run diagnostics.
      *set Emotion %- 10
      *goto good_start
    #Maybe Hadaly should fix me. Remake me into something worthwhile.
      *set Confid %- 10
      You failed, completely and utterly, at slaying Crystal. Hell, you may have helped it by making that Dusk artifact explode. Your life is a story of failure, so maybe it's time to write something else.
    #Rest. I need rest and repair.
      *label good_start
      You need a whole lot more than that, of course. But those things would be a good start, and you may just get them at [i]Saturn Nine[/i].
    #There are people I want to see again. At least once more.
      *set deflect - 1
      It's getting hard to remember their faces, even those who have a face. Another visage is stuck in your memory, clinging to it like a barnacle. Hopefully that will change once you're inside Saturn Nine again, with the people who can help... maybe.
    #We must reconvene, then find a way to kill Crystal. We must.
      *set Violence %+ 10
      *set crystal_friend false
      As much as it hurts to keep going, you cannot stop. Crystal may think themselves a hero, but they are not just playing with fire. They are playing with darkness, and you must put an end to their game.
  
  You follow Wisp, your guide towards the surface, like a human soul walking towards light at the tunnel's end. You doubt there's any afterlife waiting for you, now or ever. There's just life.
  
  For better or worse.
  
  *goto telesto_end
  

*label peaceful
*set oceanids false
After another minute, not a single one remains, and Olivia is once again the only invertebrate in your vicinity.

"Quite a show of charisma right there," Rook says approvingly, once the Oceanids are mostly out of sight. "Saves us a lot of trouble."

"And a lot of fun too," the octopus beside him murmurs. "I haven't fought anything underwater since Wisp last invaded my personal space."

"Come on Olivia, ${name_damon} did great," Damon chides before turning towards you. "And I mean it. With these creepy fucks gone, we just have to worry about-"

Damon's eyes widen. No, that's not the right way to put it—his expression is shocked, but his sapphire irises are actually narrowing, focusing on you. Or rather, as you realize within a fraction of a second, something behind you.

*label cryst_meet

You swivel round and see another shadow, another specter approach, but it's not another Oceanid. You can only make out its shape after several seconds of intent staring, only after transparent becomes opaque, only after the monster slows down and drops its cloak of camouflage.

Crystal is here.

*page_break

Between the 
*if calypso_complete
  telepathy, the camouflage and the Dusk absorption, 
*else
  telepathy and the camouflage, 
you forgot that the main advantage wyverns have over dragons—and almost everything else in the Solar System, really—is their ability to change shape. Whereas before Crystal looked properly draconic, they now appear… well…

It's difficult to say how, even once their invisibility wears off completely. You can still see the wings, pressed tightly to the body, but the hind legs are completely gone. Fused with the tail, or perhaps the torso, for the distinction between these body parts is completely gone.

Sea serpent. Yes, that's what Crystal is now, some terrible leviathan not even clarketech has been able to create until this day. A monster made to swiftly travel through the deep waters, and devour everything which strayed so far from the surface.

For a moment, you wonder if it's really Crystal you're looking at, rather than some other dark creature. But then the familiar whisper, polite yet vaguely derisive, fills your head once again. [i]${name_1}. [/i]
*if calypso_complete
  [i]I was hoping you'd give up after what happened in Calypso, or that my aquatic friends would take care of you. In retrospect, I should have known better.[/i]
*else
  [i]I see the Federation managed to recruit you into this war after all. Unfortunate.[/i]

*if oceanids
  *return

*fake_choice
  #"You really like hearing yourself talk, huh?"
    *set Confid %+ 10
    [i]I do not hear myself talk,[/i] Crystal points out. [i]In fact, I am not really talking at all. I am simply thinking, it's your minds that perceive it as speech.[/i]
    
    "Most meaningless digression," Rook chimes in. "Save it for when you have dealt with me."
  #"Your Oceanids were too scared to fight. Are you?"
    [i]Not particularly.[/i] The wyvern bares its crystalline teeth. [i]Should I fear?[/i]
    
    "Yes," Rook says as he swims forward. "For I have come to vanquish you, mineral fiend."
  *if not (calypso_complete)
    #"Trust me, I do not enjoy doing this."
      *set Violence %- 10
      "But I shall." Suddenly, Rook swims forward and towards Crystal. "However sinful that will be of me."
    #"War? I'm just hunting a wild beast."
      *set Confid %+ 10
      [i]Is that what you believe me?[/i] Crystal sounds hurt. [i]Just a monster, like the ones you scared off?[/i]
      
      "A worse one," Rook replies in your stead, swimming forward and towards Crystal. "One I shall now vanquish."
  *if calypso_complete
    #"And let Dusk corrupt you fully? Drive you even more insane?"
      "I believe this thing is already corrupt to the core, ${fake_name}," Rook says, swimming forward and towards Crystal. "Let me take care of it."
    #"I was hoping you'd give up too. That you'd see reason."
      The wyvern chuckles. [i]Strange. You expected me to forfeit while I'm winning?[/i]
      
      "You are not winning today, Crystal," Rook says, swimming forward and towards Crystal. "You evaded me in Calypso. You will not have such luck today."
  #"I'm not the only one you should worry about, Crystal."
    *set Confid %- 10
    "Couldn't have said it better myself." Suddenly, Rook swims forward and towards Crystal. "I am your opponent here, mineral fiend."

"Um, human dude, are you sure about that?" Olivia asks with actual worry. Apparently, for all her hatred of the feds, even she doesn't want to see Kirill commit suicide.

"About facing the monster myself?" You can't see Rook's expression, but he probably flashes the octopus a dashing smile. "It is my responsibility, as the most heavily armored member of our team, as well as its leader."

[i]Leader, you say?[/i] Crystal tilts their head. [i]I'm surprised your Veteran isn't the one making decisions.[/i]

"$!{pronoun} really @{plural are|is}," Damon says hesitantly. "Sorry to say that, but ${name} is the one making most calls. And our big gun too."

"Yeah, kind of," Wisp chimes in. "Even I can see it, and I'm not paying attention most of the time."

"Oh come on!" Rook protests. "Have I ever done anything to deserve your lack of faith?"

*fake_choice
  #"Can we maybe focus on the wyvern here?"
    *set Emotion %- 6
    "Right." Rook nods solemnly. "My focus is undivided."
  #"Kirill's right, you guys are just mean."
    *set Confid %- 6
    *set RookRel %+ 12
    "Thank you for your support, ${fake_name}." Rook probably smiles under his helmet. "Though I will not be needing it further."
  #"Not really. I'm just so awesome I make everyone else look weak."
    *set Confid %+ 12
    "Your humility is unmatched too." Rook probably rolls his eyes. "Stand back, for once."
  #"...do you really want me to answer that question?"
    *set RookRel %- 6
    "Perhaps not," Rook admits. "Let me dispel your doubts instead."
  #"Do you prefer alphabetical or chronological order?'
    *set RookRel %- 12
    "No faith for your leader," Rook says morosely. "Let me dispel your doubts."
  #"Look, you're great and all, but do you really want to do this?"
    *set RookRel %+ 6
    "I am certain, ${fake_name}. Now please stand back."

Rook then swims up, or perhaps down, so as to meet Crystal in the eye. Red, crystalline, slightly curious eye. "You may not think of me much, monster. I do appear quite human, but I have as much power as any meta, and of quite useful variety."

[i]You control nanomachines,[/i] Crystal states calmly. [i]Or influence them, anyhow.[/i]

You remember Miguel's words at the base, during that meeting which feels so long ago now. Rook's abilities haven't come up much ever since, so you suppose he's keeping them secret for an occasion just like this. Unsuccessfully, it seems.

"Reading my mind?" Rook's voice is angry, but also cautious. And perhaps something else yet. "Or does my reputation precede me?"

[i]I lived through the Outer System War too, Kirill Kosteniuk. I made sure to keep track of what weapons get made and how, first out of concern for my own survival, then out of morbid curiosity. I know what you did inside Titan, read the minds of what few subjects survived. You could even say your exploits… inspired me, in a sense.[/i]

Rook just floats there for a moment. You can't see his expression, can't tell it is shocked, aggrieved… Or simply absent. Like yours sometimes is.

"No matter," he says, forcing confidence into his voice. "I can feel the nanites inside you. 
*if calypso_complete
  Perhaps Dusk, perhaps something else. 
They fill your body, and even cling to your nervous system in places."

You can see Damon and Olivia swim in opposite directions, changing positions so that your group forms something resembling a circle around Crystal. Not much of an advantage, but at least Rook is finding use as a distraction.


*fake_choice
  #"So you think that by controlling the nanites..."
    "…I can control their host," Rook finishes for you. "So unless you want to find out how it feels-"
  #"That's right, Crystal. I trust you see the problem."
    "And just in case you do not, let me reiterate." Rook swims even closer towards the wyvern. "I have direct access to your neural system. I can control-"
  #"Nobody attack. We can still talk this out."
    *set Violence %-5
    *set Confid %- 5
    "There is no need for negotiations, ${fake_name}," Rook protests. "If this monster does not surrender right now-"
  #"Hold on Kirill. What were they talking about just now?"
    "Doesn't matter," Rook snaps, but then returns to his polite tone. "What matters is, in case the beast fails to surrender, I have the power to-"
  *if weapon = "pistol"
    #Shoot Crystal.
      *set Violence %+ 8
      You pull out your pistol and begin blasting… to no effect. Using a ${wpr} gun underwater is not the greatest idea in the best of circumstances. Using it against something [i]literally[/i] as tough as diamond is simply setting yourself up for failure. You barely even scratch the annoyingly durable scales.
      
      *goto silen
  #Watch silently.
    *label silen
    After a dramatic pause, Rook continues. "And so, unless you want to become familiar with the feeling of losing con-"

[i]Yes, I understand what you wish to do,[/i] Crystal interrupts. [i]And I implore you to do it.[/i]

@{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} pauses once again. "You [i]want[/i] me to take control over your body? I can fly right into our ship's effective range that way."

[i]Do it,[/i] Crystal repeats. [i]Right now. I want to see that power of yours in action.[/i]

Kirill backs off a little. "You are psyching me out. Using reverse psychology in fear of my upcoming attack."

[i]Let's go with that.[/i] The wyvern sounds rather amused. [i]Anything that will make you go ahead. This exchange bores me.[/i]


*temp doubt true
*fake_choice
  #"Rook, you have a rocket launcher. Use it."
    "Miniature torpedo launcher," Rook corrects as he lets go of his heavy weapon. "And no, I prefer something more surefire. Behold!"
  #"I agree. Show them what you've got, Kirill."
    *set doubt false
    *set RookRel %+ 8
    "I am about to." Kirill nods, likely with a smile. "Just sit back and observe."
  *if calypso_complete
    #"Kirill... Are you sure you can control [i]Dusk[/i] of all things?"
      Kirill turns to look at you. "Are you calling me unequal to this challenge?"
      
      "Well…" You scratch the back of your head. "We are talking about the Thing Beneath here. The one responsible for [i]eating Earth whole[/i]. Perhaps we should treat it a bit more seriously?"
      
      "Dusk is a swarm of nanites, nothing more," Kirill dismisses your fears. "It is no god, nor something beyond my powers. I will show you."
  #"Let me handle this, Kirill. I'm the expert here."
    *set RookRel %- 8
    "Nanomachines are [i]my[/i] area of expertise," Kirill says insistently, almost angrily. "And I am about to prove it. Watch."
  #"Somehow, I can already tell it's a bad idea."
    "Your lack of faith disturbs me," Rook says morosely. "Allow me to remedy the issue."
  #Just see what happens.
    *set doubt false
    "You are playing tricks on me, Crystal," @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} declares after a moment of silence. "Unsuccessfully. Your reign of terror ends here."

@{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} puts his hands out, two arms extended towards the wyvern, two open palms aimed at it. And then, a mere second later… something happens. It's nothing visible or audible, but you feel a power of some sort course through the water. It could be a small ripple, a subtle electric discharge, but also something more abstract. That scent of divinity you remember feeling, and which metahumans are said to feel constantly, reverberating through their bodies.

As for Crystal, they simply freeze, floating in place without signs of life. You're fairly sure they're not actually dead, but they may well be paralyzed by whatever @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} just did. Maybe.

*fake_choice
  *if Violence < 50
    #Looks like nobody has to die today. Neat.
      *set Violence %- 12
  *if Violence > 50
    #Damn, I was hoping for an actual fight...
      *set Violence %+ 12
  *if calypso_complete
    #Can Dusk truly be controlled like this? Can its Vessel be paralyzed that easily?
  #It can't be that easy. It can't be that convenient.
    *set Confid %+ 10
  *if crystal_friend
    #Come on Crystal, you can't go down like this...
  #No losing focus. No taking optics off the target.
    *set Emotion %- 10
  *if doubt
    #Huh. I owe @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} an apology, it seems.
  *if not (doubt)
    #I knew @{(RookRel >= 50) Krill|Rook} had it in him.

As you ponder what happened, Rook starts swimming again, leaving his torpedo launcher behind. He pays the wyvern no attention, simply circling it like an inanimate object, not considering it a threat anymore. Instead, for whatever reason, he dives towards Damon.

"What happened?" the android asks. "I thought you'd at least stab this thing once or twice. Do you want me to-"

Damon is forced to pause when a gauntleted fist impacts his forehead, quickly followed by a kick to his underbelly. In shock, he drops his electron rifle and starts blocking, trying to catch Kirill's incoming punches.

"I am greatly sorry!" Rook sounds like he's struggling to speak. "Something went… I do not know what…"

[i]It is one thing to control mindless nanites, another to try the same with a conscious mind,[/i] Crystal says calmly, still not moving very much. [i]By attempting such a feat, you are entering a duel of wills. And your willpower, Kirill Kosteniuk, is exceptionally unimpressive.[/i]

"I take offense to that!" Rook shouts as he punches Damon in the jaw. "I'm just not… resistant to your dark powers."

[i]Whatever puts you at peace, little puppet,[/i] Crystal turns towards you. [i]Now we finally have time to ourselves, ${name_1}. How would you like to spend it?[/i]

*temp grabbed false

*fake_choice
  #"We could talk about the past again. Reminiscence a bit."
    [i]That is certainly an option.[/i] Crystal leans back, like a dragon preparing to unleash its fire. [i]But the past is traumatic for us both, and I would much rather-[/i]
  #"Is begging for mercy an option?"
    *set Confid %- 10
    [i]Yes, and a reasonable one at that,[/i] Crystal amusedly replies. [i]In fact, if you fail to genuflect properly, I may have no other choice but to kill you and your little-[/i]
  #"We don't. More than half of my team is still up."
    [i]I fail to see how they are relevant.[/i] Crystal looks at Olivia, who is currently making a hopeless effort to restrain Rook. [i]Just an unusually violent invertebrate and what appears to be a lamp for-[/i]
  #"Just shut up. And let's get to it."
    [i]You are unnecessarily crass,[/i] Crystal chides you, leaning back in preparation for the strike. [i]But you will not be so for-[/i]
  #"Beating the shit out of you."
    *set Confid %+ 10
    *set Violence %+ 5
    [i]Your overconfidence is amusing,[/i] Crystal says, leaning back in preparation for the strike. [i]Farewell, and I hope-[/i]
  #Grab the torpedo launcher.
    *set grabbed true
    Without further ado, you wave your legs like crazy and rush towards the heavy weapon floating in the water below you. You don't exactly know how to use the thing, or if it's really heavy enough to damage a diamond wyvern, but it's better than anything else you've got. You just need to-
    
    *goto wave_hit
  #Charge Crystal.
    *set Confid %+ 5
    *set Violence %+ 10
    *if weapon = "knife"
      You grab your knife 
    *else
      You clench your fists 
    and start swimming forward, as fast as you can, towards the serpentine monster. You don't imagine you'll inflict much damage, but if you can at least provide-
    
    *label wave_hit
    
    And then Crystal hits you with a current.
    
    Or at least if it feels that way. Most likely, the wyvern is using the same gravitic powers that normally allow it to fly to disturb the water, sending a particularly large ripple in your direction. In such a dense medium, this attack proves unblockable and sends you drifting away from the wyvern, your momentum now aimed in the polar opposite direction.
    
    [i]Your overconfidence is amusing,[/i] Crystal says, swimming towards you at a leisurely pace. Even still, it quickly closes the newfound distance between the two of you, then opens its mouth. [i]Farewell, and I hope-[/i]

"Charge mode activated!" Wisp says as the radiant orb closes in, almost blinding you in the process. You can barely see it impact Crystal's head, bouncing off it but also making the wyvern recoil in the process. Hopefully causing it some actual pain. "No hurting my friends!"

[i]And here I hoped you wouldn't be brave enough to intervene, light drone,[/i] Crystal groans. Wisp doesn't appear to listen, perhaps deaf to the wyvern's telepathy, as it steadies itself and charges again. [i]Oh well.[/i]

Wisp's attack is fast, but predictable, like a punch thrown by some particularly beefy child. It is about to hit Crystal in the jaw, but the wyvern quickly opens its mouth wide, allowing the glowing orb to fly inside.

Then closes its mouth, or at least nearly so. The two rows of its blade-sharp teeth cannot quite meet, as there is now a Phoebian Light Drone between them, being crushed by the might of Crystal's jaw.

"No!" Olivia forgets about Rook, leaving Damon to fend for himself, and rushes towards Crystal's head. With speed you didn't believe her capable of, she closes the distance and grabs Wisp with several tentacles at once. "No hurting my friends either! Especially not eating them!"

You don't imagine she can actually pull the flickering drone out of Crystal's maw… Not without your help, anyway. What will you do?

*temp restrained false

*label pdflsacz

*fake_choice
  #Help Damon restrain Rook.
    *set DamonRel %+ 15
    *set damon_pissed false
    *set restrained true
    Even in power armor, Rook isn't quite as strong as Damon, not quite as good in hand-to-hand combat. But your fellow android is holding back, blocking instead of counter-attacking, and so you provide the much-needed assistance.
    
    You grab the metahuman from behind, wrap your arms around his, immobilizing you both as he half-heartedly kicks and wriggles. Damon is in an excellent position to shoot Rook, or even take off his helmet and kill him that way, but quickly decides to aim his electron rifle at Crystal instead.
    
    Several headshots follow. The beams are not very strong, not in the water and not at that distance, but the wyvern audibly wails in pain all the same. Whether voluntarily or by instinct, it opens its mouth a little wider, allowing Olivia to finally tear Wisp free.
    
    *label hopia
    
    Well, perhaps that's giving her [i]slightly[/i] too much credit. She's not prepared for release, still tugging with all her strength when Crystal pulls away, and you imagine Wisp was doing the same with its gravity motors. The two of them, one wrapped around the other with all tentacles, shoot back and swim away from Crystal at an uncontrollable speed. Luckily there's nothing out there for them to impact.
    
    [i]I may… need more power than I thought,[/i] Crystal says ominously. [i]You have one last chance to retreat. You won't like what I'll be once I return.[/i]
    
  #Help Rook beat up Damon.
    *set RookRel %+ 15
    *set DamonRel %- 15
    *set damon_pissed true
    *achieve audacity
    *if crystal_friend
      You haven't done much to help Crystal thus far. A gesture of friendship like this should go a long way, you think.
    *elseif DamonRel < 30
      You never liked Damon much anyway. This is your chance to finally give that brute a piece of your mind.
    *else
      *set DamonRel %- 15
      *set Violence %+ 10
      You don't really have a reason to attack your own teammate like this. But having reasons for doing things is for losers.
    
    "What the fuck!" the android yells as you drive your knee into his belly. You're not entirely sure if Damon feels pain, but he sure looks like it as you and Kirill pummel him in unison. "${name}, are out of your- Ouch!"
    
    "Cannot help but agree," Kirill says as he decks Damon again. "This is a very strange moment to show me solidarity, ${fake_name}."
    
    [i]Your designs confuse me, ${name_1},[/i] Crystal muses loudly, if its telepathic whisper can be considered loud. [i]I'm starting to suspect this attack is just a distraction, an attempt to pull me away from your true target. Speaking of pulling, allow me to forfeit.[/i]
    
    *goto exhales1
    
  #Help Olivia rescue Wisp.
    *set OrganRel %+ 15
    You swim up and grab Wisp with your own two hands. It's difficult to get a grip, not just because of Olivia's presence, but due to how… sleek Wisp's spherical form is. The heat coming off it, even as its light flickers, certainly does not help as you start pushing against Crystal's diamond skin.
    
    "I don't feel too good, Veteran ${name}," Wisp says weakly. "Not sure what I was thinking just now…"
    
    [i]Clearly not much,[/i] Crystal sneers telepathically. [i]You're lucky to be so durable. Even more fortunate that there's something else I need to take care of.[/i]
    
    "What!?" That's all you say, too busy pulling to come up with something more witty.
    
    [i]Do not play dumb. I suspect this attack was just a distraction to pull me away from your target. Speaking of pulling, allow me to forfeit.[/i]
    
    *label exhales1
    
    Crystal exhales, opening its mouth wide and releasing Wisp just as Olivia pulls the drone with full strength. The two of them start soaring away from the wyvern, so quickly you suspect them of being pushed forward by some current or other invisible force.
    
  #Grab that damn torpedo launcher.
    *if grabbed
      Crystal is distracted, and so you try going for your big gun again. 
    *else
      In retrospect, you should have done that right away. 
    You swim up, down, it doesn't really matter, you just need to close the distance even further and grab the-
    
    Crystal exhales, opening its mouth wide and releasing Wisp just as Olivia pulls the drone with full strength. The two of them start soaring away from the wyvern, so quickly you suspect them of being pushed forward by some current or other invisible force.
    
    That suspicion gets proven right as the wave hits you with the speed of sound. Wisp and Olivia follow soon, in that they also hit you right after you're pushed to the side and away from the launcher. The weapon is also drifting away now, perhaps towards the surface, but it's never been harder to tell up from down.
    
    [i]Enough foolery,[/i] Crystal demands as you desperately try to steady yourself, wave your legs so as to cancel out your momentum. [i]I'm giving you @{(calypso_complete) one final|a} chance to withdraw. You won't like what I'll be once I return.[/i]
  *if weapon != "none"
    *disable_reuse #Swim into Crystal's mouth and start @{(weapon = "knife") slashing|blasting} away. Suicide attack.
      The wyvern's mouth is slightly open, just enough for you to swim between the teeth. Once you're inside, the monster's diamond armor won't matter one bit—you'll only have to worry about inflicting lethal damage before being melted by the stomach acid, something you should be capable of.
      
      But, as you swim towards Crystal's head, you wonder… is this really how you want things to end? Is it really the place and the time? 
      *if heaven_side = "Neutral"
        You've been running and surviving for almost a millennium now—will you change your habits now, when that change is sure to result in death?
      *else
        You've fought many epic battles against entire armies of @{(heaven_side = "Loyalist") fiends|humans}—is this skirmish deep beneath the ocean [i]really[/i] a worthy end for someone like you.
      
      Are you really willing to accept such a sudden end to your story?
      
      *choice
        #Yes. I lived enough.
          *achieve dragon_kill
          It's a good day to die. Or a night, or… better to get this over with.
          
          You swim forwards and into Crystal's cavity, barely squeezing in between the rows of diamond teeth. By the time the wyvern realizes what you've done and what you intend to do, it is too late. Their throat is literally within your grasp, exposed and relatively soft, undefended. A perfect target.
          
          *if weapon = "pistol"
            You blast away, wounding the larynx and spilling some liquid which may well be blood. 
          *else
            You slash and stab, with no regards for technique or precision, focusing on speed as you wound the gums and then the larynx. 
          It's dark here, you can't see exactly what kind of damage you're causing, but it must be enough. 
          *if weapon = "pistol"
            You let electricity flow through your body and your knife, scorching everything you don't have the time to cut through, to reduce into a bloody mess of synthetic flesh.
          *else
            You reload with practiced ease, 
            *if Emotion > 50
              somehow staying calm in your last seconds, 
            *else
              retaining your composure with equal proficiency, 
            then unload your magazine again.
          
          Crystal roars, but though the psychic scream is deafeningly loud, they are unable to spit you out. They instead swallow you, hoping that the acid of their stomach will melt you, and they're hardly wrong—you can feel the burning liquid eat away your skin, somehow digesting your synthetic body. But you're able to keep @{(weapon = "pistol") blasting|slashing} even as you melt away, invigorated by pain in your moments of death.
          
          As your systems fail, as your fluids leak out and your circuits are severed, as the vital processors grind to a halt and finally shut down… You know you've done enough. That Crystal will not survive the injuries you've inflicted upon them. That both you and the wyvern, relics of times long past, are entering oblivion at this very moment.
          
          And that it was all worth it.
          
          *page_break The End
          *gosub_scene ending
        #Actually... I think I'd prefer to live.
          Then what will you do instead?
          
          *goto pdflsacz


Then, with a wide arc, Crystal turns towards the depths of Telesto. Towards the darkness it then dives into, disappearing in the blackness even before its active camouflage kicks in again.

*fake_choice
  #"What? Where are you going?"
    *goto strange
  #"Hey! We're not done yet!"
    *set Confid %+ 10
    You hear no reply. Even the sound that Crystal makes simply by swimming, pushing its humongous body through water, soon disappears.
    
    You sigh. You'll have to continue the fight in enemy territory, it seems.
    
    *goto paplklp
  #"Well that was close. And strange."
    *label strange
    "They believe we are just trying to distract it from… whatever hides deeper below," Rook says, 
    *if restrained
      only weakly struggling against your grip. 
    *if not (restrained)
      his assault at Damon slowing down as punches become sloppy. 
    Crystal's control over him must be slipping as the distance increases. "Not a baseless guess, considering how silly and attention-grabbing we look right now."
    
    It's difficult to disagree when two of your teammates 
    *if restrained
      have just finished 
    *else
      are currently 
    fighting, whilst the other two are… Wisp and Olivia. A flickering ball of light and an octopus that's currently turning red from all the rage inside her.
    
    *goto papakfk
  #Float there silently.
    You need to catch your breath. Well, you don't actually breathe, much less breathe underwater… But you still need a break after what just happened.
    
    *label papakfk
    
    "That bastard!" Olivia exclaims once she regains control over her movement. "Trying to munch on Wisp like that."
    
    "I'm fine…" the drone in question says. "I just hope that… it doesn't come back."
    
    "I know what likely will," Damon says, 
    *if restrained
      aiming his rifle in a 
    *else
      having just tackled Rook. But his eyesight is not aimed at the meta, but in some 
    seemingly random direction. "Come back, I mean."
    
    You catch his meaning after a moment. The shapes you've seen before, the specters that turned out to be Oceanids… they are once again entering the edge of your vision. Circling your group, however widely, once again.
    
    Perhaps Crystal somehow influenced them, directed their attention towards you through telepathy. Or perhaps they simply sensed how tired, how divided your team is, and are coming to get their prey.
    
    *fake_choice
      #"Looks like we'll have to stand our ground. Or our water, in any case."
        "No." Kirill's body is still, as though he's regaining control, and his voice has lost its formal tone. "If Crystal comes back here while we're still fighting these monsters, we're screwed. Someone needs to keep it busy.
        
        *label pafjar
        
        You have an unpleasant feeling you know where this is going. "And you want that someone to be me?"
        
        *goto fsafwq
      #"Time to flee in panic, everyone."
        *set Confid %- 10
        "No." Kirill's body is still, as though he's regaining control, and his voice has lost its formal tone. "We can't let these things pick us off one by one. We have to mount a unified defense whilst someone keeps track of where Crystal is. Whether it's returning to kill us.
        
        *goto pafjar
      #"Remain calm. I'll scare these things off again."
        *set Confid %+ 10
        "Are you sure you can?" Olivia asks. "Because it seems you've failed the first time."
        
        "${name} scared them off alright," Damon comes to your defense. "Them coming back… I think the wyvern is influencing them somehow. That we won't fend them off as long as it's focused."
        
        You have an unpleasant feeling you know where this is going. "And you want me to break its concentration?"
        
        *label fsafwq
        
        "We came here for a reason," Rook says quietly. "To find out what our enemy is doing. I'll send Wisp after you later, but until then, you have to keep the pressure on."
        
        *label fsafwq2
        *fake_choice
          #"Okay. Keep your fingers crossed for me."
            *set RookRel %+ 8
            "I'll do better and keep my tentacles crossed," Olivia replies, crossing two of the aforementioned limbs and clenching the other six into fist-equivalents. "Not like I can do much else."
            
            You snicker, then start swimming again. 
            *goto crystal
          *disable_reuse #"Why me? Why is it always me?"
            "You have survived for almost a thousand years now," Rook points out. "It is a little difficult to be worried about your safety."
            
            "It's pretty easy for me," you retort. "I want to live until my thousandth birthday, or assembly day, or whatever."
            
            "And I want to celebrate that day with you," Damon assures you. "But he has a point. You are the toughest one here, and Crystal is your fan rather than ours."
            
            You raise an eyebrow so high some water leaks into your eye-socket. "My fan?"
            
            "Someone interested in you. Someone reluctant to kill you." Damon explains. "I won't force you into anything, boss… but you could take advantage of that fact."
            
            *goto fsafwq2
          #"Are you entirely sure you'll be fine here?"
            "Fine and dandy," Damon replies, his pale finger on the trigger. "Now go and do your thing. Whatever that thing ends up being, I'm sure you'll do great."
            
            You nod, then start swimming again. 
          #"No. I'm staying here with you."
            *set DamonRel %+ 6
            *set RookRel %- 6
            "I suppose having you at our side won't… will not hurt," Kirill murmurs unhappily.
            
            "It may even help." Damon pats you on the shoulder. "I'll cover your left, boss. Just remember to… ugh… what…"
            
            "What's happening?" you ask, seeing the expression on Damon's face become pained, then blank. "Are you mal-"
            
            *goto stayed_route
          #"Fuck you Kirill. I'm going back to the ship."
            *set RookRel %- 15
            *set DamonRel %- 10
            Kirill floats there motionlessly for a moment. "You realize how that is possibly the worst choice you could make, right? The logistics of entering the vessel alone-"
            
            "I don't care!" you snap, then start swimming upwards. "I took care of the Oceanids for you, and now you want me to pursue Crystal? Alone? It's high time for the rest of you to finally contri-"
            
            *goto stayed_route
      
      #"Hold them off if you have to. I'll take Crystal on."
        *set Confid %+ 10
        "Your confidence is extremely admirable," Rook says as he activates his hardlight projector again, forming a glowing mace in his hand. "But you need not [i]take on[/i] Crystal. Just keep the pressure on and, if at all possible, try to see what our enemy is doing down there."
        
        You nod, then start swimming again. 
        *goto crystal
    
  #Chase after Crystal.
    *label paplklp
    *if restrained
      You let go of Kirill, earning a thankful nod from him. He's no longer fighting, and so leaving him to recover after what must have been a [i]very[/i] unpleasant experience seems like a good idea.
    *if not (restrained)
      You once again consider helping Damon, but you see him tackling Kirill, the meta-human hardly resisting at this point. They'll both be fine, as will Wisp and Olivia. You hope.
    
    And then you start swimming again. 
    *goto crystal

*goto crystal


*label stayed_route

*set telesto_path 2

And then you hear the darkness.

You do not see it. You are still within the range of Wisp's light, still see your companions, but they are all silent. Everything is. There is no sound and no movement that could emit any, but there's more to this timeless state you found yourself in. You hear the darkness.

You do not experience silence. Silence is calm, serene, nonthreatening. This is the darkness, the terrifying blindness, experienced through your audio system. It makes you want to, it makes you

*goto two_schizo


*label stay_ret
*set injured_crystal "manfred"
*if ManfredRel > 70
  *set crystal_health - 1


"${name}!" Your hearing returns, letting you hear Damon's voices as he shakes you awake. "$!{name_damon}! Are you with us? Please tell me you didn't get reprogrammed to be against us."

You shake your head, using it as an opportunity to review your surroundings. You can't tell if you're in a different location now or not—it's certainly brighter than it used to, but that may just be a result of Wisp working overtime.

You gladly note Wisp is here. And so is everyone else, Rook and Olivia, appearing rather uninjured. Perhaps they repelled the Oceanid attack without issue, somehow, or perhaps there was no attack. Perhaps this… blast of power from Dusk itself knocked these monsters out as well as it did you.

Somehow, this doesn't feel like the most pressing of questions.

"Hey, don't just ignore us," the octopus says as she swims towards you. "We can see you're 
*if OrganRel > 40
  alive."
*else
  alive, asshole."


*fake_choice
  #"Likewise. Congratulations on that front."
    "It was nothing hard," Olivia waves you off. "These jelly sacks barely even tried. We were able to scare them off even with the two of you blacked out."
  #"Are you sure? Tried checking my heartbeat yet?"
    "Don't worry, I have a spare heart for each of you," Olivia says flatly. "Though I figured brains may be a bigger issue, with the way you blacked out."
  #"Barely."
    "That's a bit dramatic," Olivia argues. "The two of you just went into sleep mode for a minute."
  #"Yeah. Alive and well."
    *set deflect + 1
    "See Damon?" Olivia looks at the android beside you. "I told you it wouldn't be worse in ${subject} case."
  #"Unfortunately."
    "Hey, that's a bit too gloomy even for you," Olivia chastises you. "I don't see our resident beefcake acting like that, and he was knocked out too."

"You were affected too?" you ask Damon. "Hit by… this?"

"Yeah, I think it was some variation on the old EMP trick," Damon speculates. "Something that fries off synthetics within a certain distance. Luckily I was only out for a minute."

You're not sure how to feel about this information. "You saw nothing, then?"

"Well yeah. As in, I didn't see anything, that's what blacking out is all about." Damon looks at you @{(DamonRel > 40) concernedly|suspiciously}. "Should I have seen something?"

*fake_choice
  #"For now, just know it's not an EMP we're dealing with."
    "You know what kind of weapon our enemy's using?" Damon asks. "It really sounds like something I should know about."
    
    "Trust me, it's not an immediate concern," you say, then turn towards the nearest metahuman. "Speaking of immediate concerns…"
  #"I spoke with Dusk just now."
    *set deflect - 1
    A moment of shocked, and perhaps slightly tense silence follows. "That… sounds interesting. But also like a lot to unpack. Can we maybe…"
    
    "Yeah, let's take care of the practicals first." You sigh, then turn towards the nearest metahuman. "What now, Kirill?"
  #"I had a vision, but... it was probably just random drivel."
    "Systems glitching out as you're still conscious, huh?" Damon smiles emphatically. "Had that happen to me once or twice. Almost like that 'dream' thing organics keep talking about."
    
    "Dreams are fun, shut up," Olivia states before turning to Rook. "Anyway, what's your brilliant plan now?"
  #"No, but I did. And you should count yourself lucky."
    "…okay, I take that as a hint not to push," Damon says before turning towards Rook. "What's the plan, other boss?"
  #"No. I blacked out too."
    *set deflect + 1
  #"...we'll talk about it later, alright?"
    "Fair enough." Damon shrugs. "We should be talking about other stuff anyway. Like what we're gonna do now."
  #Say nothing.
    "Not fully alright yet?" Damon asks, with a barely concealed note of pity. "Okay, you can rest. Everyone else, can we maybe decide what's the plan?'

"We re-establish contact with the ship," Kirill says, tinkering with the controls of his power suit. Likely diverting power to the radio. "I think water damaged it, but if I can just-"

[i]Damon! ${name}![/i] You hear Hadaly's voice, in your head rather than physically. [i]I readjusted the mind link, it should mostly work now, I sorry I couldn't have gotten it right earlier-[/i]

"Easy there, I wasn't even conscious a minute ago," you say, both audibly and through the channel. "We're all alive, if that's what you wanted to ask."

[i]Oh right, I totally wanted to ask about that, I am concerned about all of you except @{(HadalyRel > 35) Olivia|you specifically}… But I wanted to inform you that Crystal left Telesto first.[/i]

"How do you figure?" Damon asks, also speaking out loud, likely for Rook's benefit. "Do you have it on your sonar?"

[i]It's not that close, but we saw the splash and can guess at their location by observing water droplets. Manfred is trying to take the shot right at this…[/i] There is a long pause in the broadcast. 
*if calypso_complete
  [i]I think he hit. Point team us. They're still flying away, though.[/i]
*else
  [i]He missed. What a shame.[/i]

"You are talking to our engineer right now, correct?" Kirill asks you. "What is she saying?"

*fake_choice
  *if HadalyRel > 35
    #"That she wishes Olivia were dead."
      "Is she saying anything new?" Olivia inquires. "Because come on. I could be drying out and that bitch wouldn't piss on me."
      
      "Androids don't piss, Olivia," Damon says with a sigh. "We can at most change oil, and I don't think that hydrates mollusks very well."
      
      "Can we save the scatological jokes for later?" Kirill starts floating up. 
      *goto pollav
  #"Nothing relevant. Nothing matters."
    *label breaki
    *set Confid %- 10
    "Rook, I think ${name} is breaking down," Damon says, not terribly far from the truth. "Can we maybe return and run ${pronoun2} some diagnostics?"
    
    "Not a terrible idea," Kirill starts floating up. 
    *goto pollav
  #"She wants us back on the ship. Now."
    [i]I didn't say that…[/i] Hadaly protests.
    
    [i]Does that mean you don't want us back?[/i] Damon says, this time silently. [i]Come on sis, that's just mean.[/i]
    
    [i]Okay, I guess ${name} was technically correct.[/i] Even through the channel, Hadaly can't hide her amusement. [i]If my understanding of the situation is correct, you have no reason to stay down there. May as well reunite the team.[/i]
    
    "Not an unreasonable demand," Kirill starts floating up. 
    *goto pollav
  #"You can ask her yourself once we return to the ship. We have to do that anyway."
    "I suppose we do." Kirill starts floating up. 
    *label pollav
    *if progress < 7
      "Nothing more to investigate here, except perhaps the vague traces of our failure. Follow me."
    *else
      "We cannot afford to let Crystal get away this time. We must board our ship, give chase and shoot that fiend as quickly as possible. After me."
  *if calypso_complete
    #"Crystal is injured. Got hit by your graviton cannon."
      "I knew they could do it!" Rook exclaims joyfully. "Well, realistically only Manfred did anything there. But I am proud of our ship too."
      
      "So what now?" Olivia asks. "Do we tell them to fly after that thing and keep shooting?"
      
      *if progress < 7
        "And leave us here, with the Oceanids?" Kirill shakes his head, then starts swimming up. "No. We need to hope that Crystal succumbs to their injuries. Or at the very least, that 
      *else
        "Right after we join them." Kirill starts swimming up. "We cannot afford to let Crystal get away this time. We must board our ship and give chase, all of us. After me."
  *if not (calypso_complete)
    #"Sorry Kirill, looks like Crystal just escaped."
      "Well damn it," Rook sighs deeply. "I mean, I suppose I am glad it escaped as opposed to killing us… But it still constitutes a failure on our part."
      
      "Nothing we can't fix later," Damon reassures him. "Can we go back now? You're not the only one with water inside your suit."
      
      "I suppose." Kirill starts floating up. "We could give chase… But even I can tell returning to [i]Saturn Nine[/i] is a better call. This is not our day, that one is yet to come."
  #Say nothing. Enter the fetal position.
    *goto breaki

*label circumstances

You follow @{(injured_crystal = "olivia") her|him} towards the surface. In other circumstances, perhaps you'd have something more to say. Perhaps you'd argue, 
*if progress < 7
  debate the wisdom of essentially letting Crystal leave this place forever. 
*else
  voice your opinion regarding the upcoming chase. 
Perhaps you'd explain your recent… experience in detail. But you have no energy, no heart for any of that. For anything at all, almost.

Echoes of the Shriek are strong inside this moon, just like sound moves faster underwater. There may even be traces of it, some nanites Crystal failed to absorb, floating in the cold liquid. You need to leave, even if it means 
*if progress < 7
  risking your life once 
*else
  returning home empty-handed 
again. You need [i]out[/i].

Whatever little good that will do you.

*goto telesto_end


*label lazy_route
*page_break

*set oceanids false
*set telesto_path 3

Once your leader, your fellow android and your resident invertebrate are gone, the room descends into silence. It gets broken when Manfred informs you that the trio jumped out and entered Telesto… and then continues. Looks like your divers don't have any immediate observations to share.

The next minute, Hadaly enters the living room. She is covered in oil, engine oil rather than her own, but otherwise not looking any worse for wear despite all the work she's just performed.

"I directed extra power to the reflectors and shone them on the impact point," she says, taking her seat by the coffee-stained table. "As in, the spot where our friends just broke the surface. The light won't provide much visibility, but at least they'll know where to swim towards. Should things go cloudward, that is."

"That might have a been a bad call," @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} argues. "It makes our presence here even less subtle to Crystal. Or whatever's lurking in the water."

"I know…" Hadaly sighs. "I'm just erring on the side of caution here. I don't want either of these guys to die in darkness just because we were trying to be stealthy."

"Not just guys," @{(LisaRel >= 50) Lisa|Hellhound} points out. "Olivia is down there too."

"I am perfectly aware." Hadaly rolls her eyes, then points them towards you. "${name}. 
*if Violence > 50
  I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be eager to crack Crystal's diamond skull personally."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"I'll leave that honor to Damon. He'll be fine, I promise."
      *set HadalyRel %+ 10
      "Not like you can ensure it from here…" Hadaly murmurs. "But thanks."
    #"As if that's an option. Crystal is far too tough for my liking."
      *set Confid %- 10
      "You [i]are[/i] our Veteran," Hadaly remarks. "But I'm glad you see the reason, regardless of your… reasons for seeing it."
    #"Is that how you see me? As an eager head-cracker?"
      "Well…" Hadaly averts her green eyes. "It's not the terminology I would use… I'm just glad you're less eager to fight than usually."
    #"I would... if we had any reason to think Crystal is even here."
      "Not the reasoning I was hoping for," Hadaly remarks. "But it [i]does[/i] make me feel better about Damon being… down there."
    #Say nothing.
      *set HadalyRel %- 10
      Hadaly frowns. "Alright, we don't need to talk. We can just sit there and relax in silence."
*else
  How are you feeling today?"
  
  *fake_choice
    #"A little guilty for refusing to participate in... you know..."
      *set Confid %- 10
      Hadaly smiles slightly. 
      *goto pacih
    #"Pretty good. I get to sit back and relax, for once."
    #"Old, tired. More of the usual stuff."
      *set deflect - 1
      "I'll run maintenance on you later," Hadaly promises. "I'd be doing it now, I just… maybe feel a little tired myself."
    #"You won't chew me out for not being in Telesto?"
      Hadaly shakes her head. 
      *label pacih
      "I get it. Neither of us really wants to get their hands dirty. With something other than coolant, in any case."
    #Say nothing.
      *set HadalyRel %- 10
      Hadaly frowns. "Alright, we don't need to talk. We can just sit there and relax in silence."

"You androids are just the worst," @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} calmly states. "No desire to actually contribute to the very thing you're here for."

"Weren't you just accusing your meta-human friend of the exact same thing?" you point out.

"Werewolves can be annoying too," @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} admits. "But in her case it's more… understandable."

"Because she's not a filthy android?" Hadaly asks calmly, with just a hint of red in her irises.

"Don't be so uncharitable," Lisa says chidingly before turning towards the Kinnari. "It's because I'm way too [i]adorable[/i] to stay mad at. Right, Renfri?"

@{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} looks away, suddenly interested in a long-empty coffee mug on the table. Despite the dark tone of her skin and the room's dim lighting, you can see her ears going a little red.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Lisa's voice is different now. Smoother, devoid of its mocking quality, perhaps a little ashamed. "I wanted to lighten the mood, shouldn't have-"

"It's fine." @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} raises her wing in a somewhat unclear gesture. "I'm over it. You don't need to police yourself."

*if Database > 50
  *set knows_about_crush true


*fake_choice
  #"Let's allow the mood to be serious, for once."
    "Second," Hadaly says with a nod. "Our teammates could open the channel any moment now."
  #♡ "Are you jealous of your teammate, Renfri? Because I think you're the hottest person here."
    *if current_ro != "renfri"
      *set backup_RO current_RO
      *set current_RO "renfri"
    *set HadalyRel %- 5
    *if official_ro = "lisa"
      *set LisaRel %- 15
      "Hey, remember how we literally just got together?" Lisa says, somewhat red on the face. "Can you please not ruin it by hitting on my best friend? My [i]gay[/i] best friend? Thanks"
    
    "That's not quite the reason…" Renfri blushes even harder. 
    *if ((sex = "man") or (RenfriRel < 40))
      "Also, please stop. Not my type."
      
      *label second_r
      
      "Second," 
    *else
      *set RenfriRel %+ 10
      "But thank you."
      
      "Is this really the time?" 
    Hadaly says, just a little annoyed. "Maybe we should stay focused. Our teammates could open the channel any moment now."
  #♡ "I think you're adorable too, Lisa, if that helps in any way."
    *if current_ro != "lisa"
      *set backup_RO current_RO
      *set current_RO "lisa"
    *if official_ro = "hadaly"
      *set HadalyRel %- 15
    "Not really." Lisa crosses her legs with a 
    *if sex = "woman"
      frown. "In fact, you're repeating the issue me and Renfri had a few months back. That of incompatible orientations."
      
      "Oh." You slump down. "That's… fair enough. Let's focus on the comms, just in case our teammates aren't dead yet."
    *else
      smile. "But I appreciate the compliment either 
      *if official_ro = "lisa"
        way. All your sweet talk… that's why I'm so into you."
      *else
        way."
      
      "Maybe we should stay focused?" Marshal says, just a little annoyed. "Our teammates could open the channel any moment now."
  #"Agreed. I'd miss your snappy remarks, Hellhound."
    *set LisaRel %+ 10
    "I thought we were past the codenames." Lisa smiles to show she means no offense. "Or should I start calling you [i]Veteran[/i]?"
    
    "That's not really a codename," you point out. "It's just what people call me, whether I like it or not."
    
    "For me, that's just what a codename is." Hellhound, or Lisa as she prefers, looks up. "But enough chatter. [i]Rook[/i] is about to contact us any second now."
  #"Something I should be aware of?"
    "Nope. Just a bit of old drama that's better off forgotten." Hellhound assures you. "Now come on, let's focus on the comms, just in case our teammates aren't dead yet."

As if on command, Rook's voice comes out of the ceiling-mounted speaker. "I am pleased to report that we are still alive. All three of us, plus Wisp."

"Wisp is there?" You say the words out loud, even though there are no microphones around. It's a little embarrassing, a sign you've gotten used to Manfred having audio receivers everywhere. Luckily, someone can hear your thoughts well enough.

[i]The little buddy just joined us,[/i] Damon activates the mind link, connecting him to Hadaly and yourself. [i]Illuminates our path real good.[/i]

"Damon says Wisp is providing a sufficient level of lighting," Hadaly duly conveys. There's a reason you haven't been using that private channel recently.

"What else would it be doing?" Renfri rolls her brown eyes. "I'd rather know what our teammates see thanks to that light."

"Not much. Just like we expected, Telesto is mostly just water. We are currently swimming down, or sinking I suppose, in search of something more."

*fake_choice
  #"Good luck, I suppose."
    *set LisaRel %+ 10
    "You are less enthusiastic about it than I am," Hellhound notes. "I like that."
    
    Marshal sighs deeply, but says nothing. Probably for fear of distracting the guys on the radio's other side.
  #"What if Crystal attacks?"
    "Worry not, I have an ace up my sleeve," Rook replies, with a smile you imagine. "Even as it pains me to make a non-chess metaphor like that."
  #"And if the entire thing is just water? What then?"
    *if saturn_complete
      "Then I suppose our whole mission fails," Rook states flatly. 
    *else
      "Then we will have to investigate the depths of Saturn instead," Rook is quick to reply. 
    "But keep your fingers crossed for another outcome."
  #"Crystal can go invisible. How are you hoping to spot them?"
    "Damon says he has good eyes," Rook replies, sounding rather unconfident. "We have to trust him on that."
    
    "Well, you have my confirmation," Hadaly says loudly. "Damon never failed to spot a mosquito when one was making noise in my room."
    
    [i]Actually killing the buggers was always another matter,[/i] Damon says through the mind link. [i]But thanks, sis.[/i]
  #Say nothing.

Another long period of radio silence follows, as the group dives deeper into Telesto. It would make you worry, if not for the fact that Manfred can still feel the connection, and would inform you should it suddenly cut off.

*if crystal_friend
  If not for the fact you don't actually want this mission to succeed.

[i]${name_damon}, I see something that looks like a paper figure in the distance,[/i] Damon conveys. [i]I'll tell the uptight human dude about that.[/i]

"Damon says he sees something like a paper figure in the distance," Rook says after several seconds. "I suppose we will head towards it. There is not much else to notice in these depths."

*fake_choice
  #"And that's reason enough to approach the thing?"
    *set RookRel %- 5
    *set RenfriRel %+ 5
    "Again, there is nothing else for us to do," Kirill replies with a hint of annoyance. "Besides, there is no risk, unless the figure is somehow rigged to explode."
    
    "Could it be?" Hadaly wonders. "There are some truly microscopic fuses out there."
    
    "Connected to what?" Kirill dismisses his concern. "We are close now, we can see it is just paper, and not something explo… It exploded."
  #"Just so you know Kirill, Damon just called you uptight."
    *set DamonRel %- 15
    *set HadalyRel %- 10
    *set RookRel %+ 15
    [i]Thank you very much, boss,[/i] Damon murmurs bitterly. [i]I can really count on you to keep my thoughts private.[/i]
    
    "We will discuss the issues of insubordination later," Kirill says with just a hint of annoyance. "Now, we have an unidentified object to focus on."
    
    "Seconded," Marshal announces. "It may well be a trap, so be careful."
    
    "We will keep our eyes open for Crystal, but I think the figure itself is pretty harm-" Kirill pauses for a long moment. "It exploded."
  #"Careful there. That might be a trap."
    "I cannot see how, unless the figure itself is rigged to explode," Kirill replies, no doubt swimming down as he speaks. "And that would be hard to… It exploded."
  #"You mean an origami figure?"
    "Huh?" Renfri tilts her head. "What fancy word is that?"
    
    "An old one, for an art lost to time," Kirill explains through the speakers. "But I doubt the name is the most relevant thing about that figure."
    
    "How do you [i]figure[/i]?" Lisa titters at her own joke. "It may be just a random piece of paper, some space garbage attracted by Telesto's gravity."
    
    "That cannot be the case," Kirill says firmly. "Considering the figure just exploded."
  #"Wait what? What's folded paper doing there?"
    "I will find out the answer to that," Kirill promises, then pauses for a moment. "Alright, I found the answer. It is exploding."

*fake_choice
  #"Very funny. Now what's actually happening?"
    *set RookRel %- 5
    *set DamonRel %- 5
    "I know this is no time for jokes," Kirill insists. "This thing exploded, and now Damon-"
  #"It exploded? For no reason?"
    "Perhaps it was a proximity-based mine," @{(RookRel >= 50) Kirill|Rook} muses loudly. "But it did no real damage. I fear Crystal may just be trying to distract-"
  #"You don't sound particularly bothered."
    *label apfpsdfax
    "It wasn't a large explosion, just a simple pop," @{(RookRel >= 50) Kirill|Rook} explains. "One that left behind some… cloud of oil. I wish we had equipment to analyze-"
  #"Really? Shouldn't we be hearing the blast?"
    *goto apfpsdfax
  #"Crap. How big of an explosion are we talking about?"
    "Not a large one at all, just a simple pop," @{(RookRel >= 50) Kirill|Rook} explains. "One that left behind some… cloud of oil. I wish we had equipment to analyze-"
  #Say nothing.
    "It left behind some… cloud of oil. I wish we had equipment to analyze-"

Rook keeps talking, but you cannot hear him. Not because the speakers went out, or because there's any [i]sound[/i] rivaling them. Your mind is focused on, filled with a scream that Damon transmits through the mind-link.

It's not an actual sound. You don't know if Damon is actually screaming down there, inside Telesto. He's just broadcasting sheer horror, sheer pain, sheer… something hard to describe, and yet all too familiar.

"Veteran, are you [i]aaah![/i]" Now the speakers are flooding the room with noise, another scream, this one formed by Manfred's voice. 

"What's going on?" @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} asks, just before Hadaly tumbles and falls to the ground, decimeters away from the meta-human's feet. Screaming, in the same way Manfred does, but in a higher pitch and an expression that matches the screeching sound.

"Fuck!" Lisa shouts, loudly. "What's going on!?"

You cannot reply, because you hit the floor at the exact same moment, paralyzed by the same pain. Same burning, grinding, frigid, agonizing sensation that makes all your system crash and glitch at once. After several seconds of writhing on the floor, you lose even the ability to hear, as the screams in your mind and in the air morph into one, dreadful silence.

Silence. True silence, not just the absence of sound. The kind of silence that makes you…

*goto two_schizo


*label lon_ret
*set injured_crystal "Wisp"

You wake up with Hadaly on top of you.

That wouldn't be as awkward as it sounds, if not for the fact that you both wake up at roughly the same time. On a large-ish, but still insufficiently spacious bed in the cutter's cramped infirmary. You suppose that's where Hellhound and @{(RenfriRel >= 50) Renfri|Marshal} carried you after your malfunction, for better or worse. 

"Ugh…" Hadaly groans, realizes where she is, then hurriedly gets off you. Her limbs are making imprecise movements, as though some circuits were fried, but appears fully functional otherwise. "For the record, that wasn't my idea."

You sit up, finding that you're in a similar state. You feel stiff, but most of your systems are online, including those responsible for speech.

*fake_choice
  #"Are you feeling alright?"
    "Good enough, I suppose," Hadaly replies dispassionately. "You?"
    
    *if deflect > 0
      "I'm fine," you deflect, as always. "No need to worry."
    *else
      *set HadalyRel %+ 10
      "Same," you sigh painfully. "Good enough."
  #"How much time did we lose?"
    "My internal clock says four minutes," Hadaly dutifully replies. "But I'm not sure it kept counting during… that."
  #"Can you check on Manfred? Maybe inspect the digital processors?"
    *set ManfredRel %+ 10
    "No need for that," Manfred says through the nearest speaker. His voice is just barely recognizable, lacking its characteristic levity. "I'm fine, just woke up too. I just didn't want to inform you because… you know…"
  *if (official_ro != "hadaly") and (official_ro = "")
    #"Please don't tell $!{official_ro}, okay?"
      *set HadalyRel %+ 5
      Hadaly chuckles. "Those lips are sealed. Your adulterous act will be forever a secret."
  *if official_ro = "hadaly"
    #♡ "Once we actually do it, I'm the one on top."
      *set Confid %+ 10
      *set HadalyRel %+ 15
      Hadaly chuckles. "Alright. I trust your experience, and it's only fair to switch like that."
  #♡ "For the record, I’d enjoy it if you [i]did[/i] decide to get on top of me."
    *set hit_on_hadaly true
    *if current_ro != "hadaly"
      *set backup_RO current_RO
      *set current_RO "hadaly"
    *if HadalyRel < 40
      *set HadalyRel %- 12
      Hadaly changes her eye color from blue to red. Not rudely, perhaps not even intentionally, simply requesting that you stop being such a pest.
    *else
      Hadaly titters. Not nervously or shyly, just letting you know she appreciates the joke. "Glad to hear that. I'm not much of a bottom, limits my options too much."
  #"What were these humans thinking, bringing us here? Were they hoping to run some blood tests?"
    *set Misan %+ 10
    *set HadalyRel %+ 10
    "I don't mind the location that much," Hadaly responds. "At least it shows they're thinking of us as living beings, on a certain level."
    
    You force a smirk onto your face. "Defending humans? Unlikely of you."
    
    Hadaly returns the strained smile. "They're meta-humans, technically. My misanthropy is safe and unmarred."

Everything in the infirmary is motionless, including the two androids. Her standing, you gripping the edge of the mattress tightly. Without the distraction which conversation provides, the images from your vision start flashing before your eyes. You are grateful for them, because the words you heard were worse still. And the singing…

But you are even more grateful when the distraction returns. "What do you think that was? The thing that knocked us out?"

You look at Hadaly with confusion. "Is this all that happened to you? Getting knocked out?"

"I think so?" Hadaly raises an eyebrow over her green eye. "Was something else supposed to happen?"

*fake_choice
  #"Many things happen when you hear the Shriek directly."
    "Well, there was the pain before blacking out, and this most curious feeling…" Hadaly taps her chin. "How do you know it was the Shriek anyway? How could it have been?"
    
    "You can't mistake that thing for anything else." Or Dusk. It, or @{MASsex he|she}, is also fairly unmistakable. You will explain that later, when you're slightly more at peace with what happened.
    
    Luckily, Hadaly seems willing to change the subject. "Come closer, please. Damon's mind link is glitching out, but we should be able to reach him if we combine our broadcasts."
  #"No. It was probably some form of EMP."
    *set deflect + 1
    "A really weird form," Hadaly points out. "Electromagnetic blasts don't work like that. They don't instantly fry protected computers such as our processors, and they certainly don't make us writhe on the ground screaming."
    
    "Clarketech can be weird like that," you shrug, then endeavor to change the subject. "Maybe Damon knows more. Come closer, we should be able to reach him through the mind link."
  #"Hadaly... I've just talked to Dusk."
    *set deflect - 1
    Hadaly blinks. "For real? I mean, I'm not doubting you, but-"
    
    "I talked to Dusk," you say, perhaps more harshly than you intended. "Or rather @{MASsex he|she} talked to me."
    
    "@{MASsex He|She}? Is the Thing Beneath gendered now?"
    
    "Only the fragment of it inside Telesto." You shake your head, then hang it. "And it doesn't really have a gender identity, I think. Just assumed one temporarily to… to hurt me, I guess."
    
    "Fuck. I mean…" Hadaly hesitantly reaches towards you, her eyes a shade of blue. "Sorry if I'm saying something stupid, but… Are you okay?"
    
    *fake_choice
      #"Are you afraid I'm infected? Or too broken to be useful?"
        "${name}…" Hadaly finally places a hand on your shoulder. 
        *if official_ro = "hadaly"
          "Please don't talk like that. Like, I'm not chiding you or anything, just… remember we're together, okay?"
        *elseif HadalyRel < 35
          "I know we're not the best of friends, but… I don't enjoy seeing you like this. Don't push me away unless you have to, okay?"
        *elseif HadalyRel > 65
          "I've never had a friend better than you. I'm not just afraid you'll break down, I'm afraid… I know you're hurting. And I want to help."
        *else
          "I may fear these things, yes. But I'm also afraid my friend is hurting, I [i]see[/i] ${pronoun}@{plural 're|'s} hurting. So don't take this the wrong way."
        
        You nod. But you don't say a single thing.
        
        Hadaly suppresses a sigh. She doesn't want to appear frustrated with you, make things worse. So she just changes the subject instead. "Let's contact Damon. 
      #"Yeah. I'm okay and unharmed."
        *set deflect + 1
        "Well… that's good to hear." You know she doesn't believe you. But you appreciate her willingness to drop the subject all the same. "Let's contact Damon. 
      #"You're right. That is a stupid question."
        *set HadalyRel %- 5
        "Well… my apologies." Hadaly's eyes turn dark, a deeper shade of blue. "Maybe we should ask Damon some questions about it instead. 
      #"No, I'm not. But thank you for asking."
        *set HadalyRel %+ 10
        "Um… you're welcome." You can't blame her for not knowing how to comfort you. No one does. "I will ask you some more questions later, but for now… Let's check up on Damon. 
      #"I don't want to talk about it. Not now."
        "Right, we have more pressing matters to attend to." She knows that's not the reason you want to drop the subject. She's just pitying you. "Let's contact Damon. 
    His mind link is glitching out, but we should be able to reach him if we combine our broadcasts."
  #"We... we'll talk about it later, alright?"
    "If you don't think it's immediately relevant…" Hadaly looks at you with concern, perhaps suspicion, but does not press. "Let's contact Damon instead. His mind link is glitching out, but we should be able to reach him if we combine our broadcasts."

You synchronize the frequencies and, sure enough, find Damon's mind still active inside Telesto. So at least he's still alive.

[i]Boss! Sis![/i] he says with relief. [i]Sorry for going radio-silent, I… Something weird happened.[/i]

*if Confid > 50
  [i]Tell me about it,[/i] you groan inaudibly. [i]Actually no, tell me what's the situation down there. Is Crystal anywhere near you?[/i]
  
  [i]Not anymore. It attacked a moment earlier, but Rook and Olivia held it off until I woke up.[/i]
*else
  [i]It happened to all of us,[/i] you say quietly. [i]I assume @{(RookRel >= 50) Kirill|Rook} and Olivia were unaffected?[/i]
  
  [i]Yup, these two are fine. Fine enough to fend off Crystal when it showed up.[/i]

*fake_choice
  *if (RookRel < 35) #[i]Damn it. I hoped Rook would get eaten.[/i]
    *set HadalyRel %+ 6
    *set DamonRel %- 6
    "I harbored the same hopes for Olivia," Hadaly sighs. "Just between the three of us."
    
    You sense Damon's distress, likely a sign of being freaked out by your callousness, but he continues. 
  #[i]Huh. So Crystal was in Telesto after all.[/i]
    [i]Not after that fight, I'm afraid,[/i] Damon responds. 
  #[i]Elaborate. Now.[/i]
    *set Emotion %- 5
    *set DamonRel %- 5
    [i]May be a little hard, I missed most of the fight,[/i] Damon responds. [i]But I can tell you that;[/i] 
  #[i]Crystal attacked? Were you harmed?[/i]
    *set Emotion %+ 5
    *set DamonRel %+ 5
    *set HadalyRel %+ 5
    [i]Nah. I actually managed to hurt the wyvern a bit,[/i] Damon says with barely concealed pride. T[i]hat electron rifle really packs a punch, even underwater.[/i]
    
    "Seriously?" Hadaly asks. "I mean. I'm not saying I doubt you, or your gun, you're both really great and-"
    
    [i]It's alright sis, I'm surprised too.[/i] 
  #[i]These two? How did they manage to keep up with [b]Crystal[/b] of all things?[/i]
    *set HadalyRel %+ 10
    [i]I'm not sure, but…[/i] 
[i]Crystal looked really out of their depth there, like they haven't slept in a week or something. By the time I restarted, Rook already scored a hit with his torpedo launcher. Then Wisp started hitting it in the head, and then it just kinda retreated.[/i]

"Manfred?" Hadaly asks the ship's AI. "Have you perhaps detected any splashes of water on Telesto's surface, recently?"

"I did not… but I do see something on the biocomputer's memory, now that I check," Manfred replies, still sounding tired and out of it. "I suppose that was our wyvern friend leaving its nest."

*fake_choice
  #[i]Hear that Damon? Your part of the team is safe.[/i]
    *set DamonRel %+ 5
    *if Social > 50
      *set DamonRel %+ 5
    "I just hope our part is too," Hadaly remarks. "As opposed to, you know, about to get eaten by an infuriated wyvern."
    
    *goto hate_hate_hate
  #[i]Fuck. Is it headed for our ship?[/i]
    *label hate_hate_hate
    "Nothing shows up on our hypersonar," Manfred tells you as Hadaly furrows, likely transmitting his words to Damon real-time. "That implies that Crystal is trying to run away rather than fight, which meshes well with its poor performance earlier."
  #[i]Then what are you waiting for? We must open fire.[/i]
    *set crystal_friend false
    *set ManfredRel %- 5
    *set HadalyRel %- 5
    *set Violence %+ 5
    "That splash took place on the other side of the moon, now we have the System's largest water droplet between us and our target," Manfred explains tiredly. "Orbits can be a bitch like that."
    
    "Orbits are annoying, Crystal is out of Telesto but also out of range," Hadaly repeats dutifully, then pauses. "You got that, Damon?"
  #[i]So what. Let it leave.[/i]
    *set ManfredRel %- 5
    *set HadalyRel %+ 5
    "I agree… but only if it doesn't intend to destroy our ship before departing," Hadaly adds. "Does it?"
    
    *goto hate_hate_hate

[i]Just repeated what you told me to Rook,[/i] Damon informs you. [i]He demands extraction.[/i] 
*if progress = 7
  [i]He wants us to all board the ship, then chase after Crystal while they're still wounded.[/i]
  
  "We will be giving the wyvern quite a bit of head start," Hadaly points out. "We're unlikely to catch it."
  
  [i]And are you unhappy about that fact? Because that would be unlike you.[/i]
  
  "I am not," Hadaly admits. "It's not that I want us to fail, necessarily, I'm just… not terribly sure about [i]any[/i] of this."
  
  *fake_choice
    #"Hey, we finish this job, we won't ever have to work with those smelly humans again."
      *set Misan %+ 10
      "That's not my main concern anymore," says Hadaly grimly. "And I think you realize that."
      
      *label realize
      
      She takes a step away, the room's tiny size won't allow for more, then grabs the door's handle. "How you feel about it is up to you. But we both know the outcome to this whole… hunt will be up to you as well. So just choose wisely, okay?"
      
      *label choose_wis
      *fake_choice
        #"Thank you. I will consider your perspective."
          *set HadalyRel %+ 10
          "A businessman's answer," Hadaly smiles weakly. "I'll take it. See you in a moment."
        #"I've made up my mind already. You will not change it."
          You look at each other's eyes for a moment, hers turning orange and then red. 
          *if crystal_friend
            *set telesto_truth true
            And then, wordlessly, a flicker of understanding that turns those beautiful irises green again. Followed by a quick, yet thankful nod.
          *else
            Perhaps she's too nice to keep arguing, or perhaps she considers you a lost cause.
        #"You may be overestimating my importance."
          *set Confid %- 10
          *set HadalyRel %+ 5
          "That's another thing we both know," Hadaly says with a smile that's perhaps slightly bitter. "I'm not."
        #"Um... no. I have no idea what you're talking about."
          *set HadalyRel %- 8
          "Right. That's on me, trying to be all smart and cryptic." Hadaly sighs annoyingly. "Just consider whether killing Crystal is really the right call, if you may."
      
    #"Can you elaborate? What does [i]any of this[/i] constitute?"
      *set Emotion %- 5
      "I think you know the answer to that, ${name}," Hadaly says vaguely. "Or can figure it out, at the very least."
      
      *goto realize
    #"Yeah. I don't like where this is going either."
      *set Confid %- 5
      *set Violence %- 5
      *set HadalyRel %+ 10
      "I see," Hadaly says, wrapping some hair around one of her fingers. Maybe it's a nervous tick, or maybe she's discharging electricity that way. "You could still change the direction, then."
      
      You raise an eyebrow. "What are you implying?"
      
      "Well… we both know the outcome to this whole hunt will depend on you. On how well you'll perform and what decisions you'll make. So just choose wisely, okay?"
      *goto choose_wis
    *if crystal_friend
      #"Rest assured that I've made up my mind about this long ago."
        *set Confid %+ 10
        *set HadalyRel %+ 20
        You look at each other's eyes for a moment, hers turning orange and then red, your staying perfectly calm. Perfectly leveled.
        
        And then, wordlessly, a flicker of understanding that turns those beautiful irises green again. Followed by a quick, yet thankful nod.
    #"Crystal needs to be stopped, Hadaly. There's no way around this."
      *set HadalyRel %- 8
      "Are you sure there's a way [i]through[/i] this?" Hadaly asks cryptically. "Because I'm doubtful whether we can actually win here." 
      
      *goto dusk_know
    #"You and your stupid pacifism. We're killing that wyvern whether you like it or not."
      *set Confid %+ 10
      *set Violence %+ 12
      *set HadalyRel %- 15
      "It's not just that, ${name}." Hadaly purses her lips, but her eyes don't change their color much. "After what just happened, after what we've [i]heard[/i]… Don't you think we may be a bit out of our depth?"
      
      *label dusk_know
      
      "Because we're dealing with Dusk? We've known that for a while now."
      
      "And what else do we know? Do we know how powerful Crystal actually is? One minute they're blasting us with some weird psychic wave from kilometers away, then suddenly they're losing to half our team. How do we fight something like that effectively?"
      
      You find it hard to dispute that point.
      
      "Moreover, what happens when Crystal dies?" Hadaly continues. "Do we have any reason to think the Dusk nanites will die with it? As opposed to, I don't know, escaping its corpse and eating the Solar System whole? Because that sounds like a problem."
      
      "Well, them corrupting Crystal is a problem too," you argue. "And it's a problem we can benefit from taking care of."
      
      "I'm starting to doubt if those benefits are worth all the bother," she says grimly. "But you do you."
  
  In another moment, Hadaly leaves the infirmary, probably to notify the other women of the recent developments. And you are left there alone, yet stiff, with that damned song still ringing, reverberating in your ears.
  
  *label ignore_it
  
  You try to ignore it. You focus on what's about to come, very soon. You focus on other feelings. On your…
  
  *fake_choice
    *selectable_if (Violence > 50) #Bloodlust. It's time for glorious combat to commence.
      *set Violence %+ 20
      Time to engage your enemy. Time to fire the projectiles stashed aboard your ship. Time to test its engines, Manfred's abilities, everyone's will to win. But most importantly…
    *selectable_if (Confid < 50) #Resignation. We're gonna fucking die.
      *set Confid %- 15
      Your teammates are blind to the threat Crystal, the strongest Vessel on record, poses. There's no way you can win; The best you can hope for is to ensure you, and your friends, all come out of this fiasco alive.
    *if crystal_friend
      #Trepidation. I need to save Crystal, somehow.
        So far, your attempts at helping the wyvern have been minor, and apparently ineffective. Now you need to ensure, truly make sure that this team of clowns doesn't kill the strongest Vessel this world has.
    *selectable_if ((Emotion-Confid) > 0) #Fear. I'm a bundle of nerves, despite lacking a nervous system.
      Despite everything you've done and seen, this mission is simply too much. Too much danger, too much uncertainty. Luckily, you won't have to battle these feelings much longer.
    #Relief. I'm glad it's almost over.
      This mission went on for more than enough. Your patience, your nerves, your battery, everything is wearing thin.
    *selectable_if (Emotion < 50) #Lack of any emotions whatsoever.
      *set Emotion %- 20
      You were always a tranquil person, a calm machine. You need to remain so now, as a cool head will be invaluable in hours to come.

  Time to get this all over with.

  *goto telesto_end
  
*else
  
  "Does he not want to chase after Crystal?" Hadaly asks, sounding rather happy about that fact. "Would he rather let it leave?"
  
  [i]He thinks the monstrosity may succumb to its injuries, in his own fancy language.[/i] Damon's non-voice sounds just a little mocking. [i]Fat chance if you ask me. But I do want to return home.[/i]
  
  *fake_choice
    #♡ "Hey Damon... You think we can grab a cup of coffee once we're home?"
      *set hit_on_damon true
      *if ((current_RO = "hadaly") or (backup_RO = "hadaly"))
        *set HadalyRel %- 20
        Hadaly looks at you with utter disgust. An understandable reaction, given how recently you were making advances on [i]her[/i], rather than on her brother.
        
      *if current_ro != "damon"
        *set backup_RO current_RO
        *set current_RO "damon"
      [i]Not sure about that, boss.[/i] Damon hesitantly replies. [i]I mean, we probably have some synthetic coffee lying around somewhere, but it would have to be bileaccino. Not that we can-[/i]
      
      *if DamonRel > 40
        Hadaly sneezes. An impressive feat in the absence of lungs.
        
        [i]But if you want to go on a date in general, that's fine.[/i] Damon corrects himself. [i]I have some things to do first, and we'll both need rest… but I'll be available when you need me.[/i]
      *else
        "Are you turning me down?" you interrupt the ramblings. "In a pointlessly indirect way?"
        
        [i]…I guess I am,[/i] Damon admits. [i]Sorry boss. You're just not my type, personality-wise. Even if you are pretty hot.[/i]
      
      You suppose that will have to be good enough for you. It's not like you have much energy for dating right now, you just need distraction from the things happening inside your head.
    #"Will it matter? That thing can get us anywhere we go."
      [i]Including our huge floating fortress?[/i] Damon questions. [i]I think we can deal with a single wyvern trying-[/i]
      
      "Damon." Hadaly's interruption is stern, but not harsh. "I don't think ${name} is talking about Crystal here."
      
      You fear that Damon will inquire further, demand that you explain. Thankfully though, he catches the hint. [i]I should better stop talking. Focus on swimming and all. We'll be there in a minute.[/i]
      
      *label dis_loss
      
      And then he disconnects. Hardly a big loss; If he and the others reemerge in a minute, they'll be aboard [i]Gray Queen[/i] in another one. Then you can all go home, lick your wounds, come to terms with your failure here. Distract yourself from the things you just witnessed.
    #"Be optimistic, Damon. Maybe it will all work out."
      *set Confid %+ 5
      *set DamonRel %+ 5
      [i]Wyverns are not known for dying easily,[/i] Damon points out. [i]But I guess a little optimism rarely hurts. See you in a minute.[/i]
      
      *goto dis_loss
    #"Same. I miss [i]Saturn Nine[/i], and I didn't even touch the water."
      *set HadalyRel %+ 5
      *if Social > 50
        *set HadalyRel %+ 5
      "I do like the implication that water is the worst thing about this place," Hadaly says with a chuckle. "If that doesn't sound mean of me."
      
      [i]Come on sis, you'd love it if there was no water in our whole station,[/i] Damon teases. [i]Olivia would have no choice but to move somewhere else.[/i]
      
      "You make a compelling argument," Hadaly admits. "I'll list [i]too much water[/i] as a negative if I ever have to review the station."
      
      You don't have it in you to laugh, but you do smile. The siblings manage to make you forget, at least partially, about the things you've seen. About the damn song still stuck in your head. About Dusk.
  
  *if progress = 5
    Maybe things will work out yet.
  *if progress = 6
    What little good it can do you.

*label telesto_end

*set last_mission "telesto"
*set telesto_complete true
*page_break Next Chapter

*if progress = 5
  *gosub_scene interlude_1
*if progress = 6
  *gosub_scene interlude_2
*if progress = 7
  *gosub_scene janus