Let's Play Galaxy Angel, Chapter 3, Part 3: Worst Spy Ever
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I'm impressed, Team Milfie. You suddenly showed up in full force. Even people who didn't want to vote for her voted for her. Even Russian spambots voted for Milfie. And even when I counted out the results and put all the valid votes in their proper categories... Milfie still won. I guess Team Ranpha is voting for her in the meantime or something, since they can't vote for Ranpha during her own chapter and I know Ranpha supporters are probably the most vocal in chat. Either that or a lot of people on my flist wanted to grow up to be spaceships.
When we left off, Tact resolved to find this mysterious other guy who looked exactly like him on the ship. He spends so much time looking that Lester comes to find him, reminding him that he was supposed to get back to work soon. Lester also mentions having seen the other Tact in the dining hall, upon which Tact explains everything. Lester... well.
Lester: Ever hear that, near the time of their death, you can see someone in two places at once? It's space doppelganger syndrome.
I'm not entirely sure whether he's joking or not.
Ranpha's been hiding around the corner and spying on Tact the whole time. She admits that she never saw Tact go to the dining hall the entire time she's been following him, so maybe he is innocent, but then who's the other one? The "space ghost", "long-lost twin", and "newly-awakened psychic ability" theories are the best they can come up with, all of which Tact rejects outright. Lester goes back to the bridge to let Tact go find this duplicate of himself, and Ranpha resumes stalking.
Mingling time!
There's a choice to go up to A Block on the elevator with Milfie (impresses her) or stay down in B Block where Ranpha can see you (impresses Ranpha). Team Milfie won the poll and Ranpha is getting a bunch of affection points this chapter as it is, so I go with Milfie. Ranpha decisions are a little difficult to balance because you often have to choose between her and Milfie or between her and Mint.
Milfie's luck punishes us anyway because she and Tact get stuck in the elevator. While they're trapped, Milfie asks Tact about the real culprit who was looking at Ranpha in the shower, and she assures him that she believes it wasn't him. While they're waiting for someone to get them out, Ranpha loses patience and pries the door open with her bare hands. That's what a rigorous exercise regimen does for you, I guess... She then tsuns and runs off to resume stalking.
We haven't looked at the affection levels in a while. Everyone's gone up since we last saw them, but Milfie and Vanilla are in the lead right now.
Other scene notes:
-Looking in the dining hall doesn't do anything. The fake Tact is already gone. He didn't even eat anything.
-Chromier "Shotabait" Quark also supports the space doppelganger theory.
-Creta accuses Tact of stealing one of her Ricky Kart concert photos. What does the fake Tact want with that? She makes such a fuss that all the other mechanics hear... and promptly confess to also being Ricky fangirls. Even Ranpha starts getting in on the idol gushing...
-Shiva's maid hasn't seen the fake Tact around. It looks like he hasn't gotten there yet.
Well, nothing conclusive so far. Tact stops by the convenience store to take a break, and Ranpha reveals herself again to accuse him of something else: taking her wallet charm. Now, on top of the fake Tact and Creta's photo, we have to look for a charm that looks like a hammer. (You're technically given a choice here, but the other choices -- refusing outright or offering to replace it -- just tick her off and you have to look for it anyway. Besides, we're already looking for stuff.) Another half hour of searching, ahoy!
Forte takes apart her guns and puts them back together blindfolded for fun. She can even tell when Ranpha switches the screws around on her and takes one of the springs. How often does she do this?
Often enough. Now we have to find the screw, too. The firing range is on D Block, this hallway is on C Block, and we can't find him... so that means he's on either B Block or A Block. Considering all the stuff that's gone missing, Not!Tact probably has it, too.
Other scene notes:
-Nothing in Milfie's room. Ranpha seems to think that finding the charm is more important than finding the fake Tact...
-Mint reads Tact's mind, but still can't be convinced that he's innocent. After all, she can only read people's surface thoughts.
Well, there's one missing item down. The charm was under Ranpha's bed. Ranpha runs to grab it, trips... and, just when you think you're going to get another contrived-circumstance CG, she instead crashes into the table and gets a bruise on her head. Well, then. (200th screenshot is Ranpha's room! Before you ask, I don't know how those windows work in space.)
[BGM: Ranpha's Theme (Arranged)]
After assuring that Ranpha's okay, Tact asks about the charm. Ranpha's little brothers gave it to her as a parting gift when she left home for pilot school. The symbol is supposed to bring good luck with money and help Ranpha get rich. Her family always embarrassed her by fighting over everything, but she really loves them -- and she has gotten rich, thanks to how well the Angel Wing gets paid, which is why she believes so strongly in charms and fortunes...
Ranpha doesn't care so much about the fake Tact anymore now that she found her charm, but Tact certainly does. Lester calls Tact on his communicator and mentions that the security cameras just saw not!Tact heading for the park. He can't see much, since the whole ship's security system hasn't been working properly since the Moron Brigade hit the hangar with that missile that blocked the exits. Tact and Ranpha head for the park.
WE HAVE ACHIEVED DERE
temporarily.
Tact and Ranpha can't find the double in the park. Ranpha starts to confess that maybe she might have been wrong about him, and just as Tact is about to respond, the power goes out and all the lights shut off. Ranpha panics and doesn't let Tact leave to look for the cause of the disaster. She reasons that it's safer if they're together... or maybe she's just scared. Tact gives up and just sits with Ranpha, holding her hand and trying to cheer her up. All of a sudden, the power comes back on.
Of all the people to show up alone and unguarded in what is currently the most dangerous area of the ship.
And when there's an opportunity... someone's going to take it. Before anyone can react to the fake Tact showing up, he uses a smoke bomb to cloud the park, and when it clears, neither Ranpha nor Shiva can tell which the real Tact is. The fake one can even perfectly copy Tact's voice and facial expressions and repeats everything he does. Fortunately, Ranpha has the perfect solution.
Violence.
The real Tact only comes out of it with a black eye, but the fake responds to a threat by revealing itself to be a robot. Tact recognizes it as an optical camouflage probe, a machine often used by intelligence networks; it uses 3-D imaging to copy the appearance of humans. It looks like it was sent with that missile that hit the hangar, and the sound of a camera that Tact heard after the fight was the probe seeking him out as the captain and taking pictures to copy his appearance.
Ranpha has had quite enough of this. She one-shots the probe by kicking it and causing it to explode. Looking through the wreckage turns up all the missing stuff. Tact reasons that all the stupid things that happened were diversions and the probe was actually supposed to determine that Shiva was on the Elsior. Seems pretty reasonable. I mean, look at who sent it. Those idiots probably think that sending robots to steal concert photos of 14-year-old boys and look at people in the shower is the greatest evil plan of all time.
Sudden scene change!
Dark Chick: Sherry Bristol
EONIA-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
We switch to the bridge of the... I have temporarily forgotten what it's called, but it does have an actual name. Anyway, it's Eonia's flagship. Eonia orders his immediate subordinate, Sherry (who is apparently also his only living subordinate on the ship; everything else is automated), to tell the Moron Brigade to "take things seriously from here out". Shiva is to be captured and the Elsior and Emblem Frames are to be shot on sight. If they can't do it, Prince Hairbow is more than willing to do it himself.
Back on the Elsior, Tact shares his suspicion that the probe found out where they're going to Drive Out. It'll be more difficult from here on out. Tact puts the Angel Wing on standby, and the Elsior leaves Chrono Drive, only to run into an enemy fleet -- just like he predicted.
It could be worse.
I'm impressed, Team Milfie. You suddenly showed up in full force. Even people who didn't want to vote for her voted for her. Even Russian spambots voted for Milfie. And even when I counted out the results and put all the valid votes in their proper categories... Milfie still won. I guess Team Ranpha is voting for her in the meantime or something, since they can't vote for Ranpha during her own chapter and I know Ranpha supporters are probably the most vocal in chat. Either that or a lot of people on my flist wanted to grow up to be spaceships.
When we left off, Tact resolved to find this mysterious other guy who looked exactly like him on the ship. He spends so much time looking that Lester comes to find him, reminding him that he was supposed to get back to work soon. Lester also mentions having seen the other Tact in the dining hall, upon which Tact explains everything. Lester... well.
Lester: Ever hear that, near the time of their death, you can see someone in two places at once? It's space doppelganger syndrome.
I'm not entirely sure whether he's joking or not.
Ranpha's been hiding around the corner and spying on Tact the whole time. She admits that she never saw Tact go to the dining hall the entire time she's been following him, so maybe he is innocent, but then who's the other one? The "space ghost", "long-lost twin", and "newly-awakened psychic ability" theories are the best they can come up with, all of which Tact rejects outright. Lester goes back to the bridge to let Tact go find this duplicate of himself, and Ranpha resumes stalking.
Mingling time!
There's a choice to go up to A Block on the elevator with Milfie (impresses her) or stay down in B Block where Ranpha can see you (impresses Ranpha). Team Milfie won the poll and Ranpha is getting a bunch of affection points this chapter as it is, so I go with Milfie. Ranpha decisions are a little difficult to balance because you often have to choose between her and Milfie or between her and Mint.
Milfie's luck punishes us anyway because she and Tact get stuck in the elevator. While they're trapped, Milfie asks Tact about the real culprit who was looking at Ranpha in the shower, and she assures him that she believes it wasn't him. While they're waiting for someone to get them out, Ranpha loses patience and pries the door open with her bare hands. That's what a rigorous exercise regimen does for you, I guess... She then tsuns and runs off to resume stalking.
We haven't looked at the affection levels in a while. Everyone's gone up since we last saw them, but Milfie and Vanilla are in the lead right now.
Other scene notes:
-Looking in the dining hall doesn't do anything. The fake Tact is already gone. He didn't even eat anything.
-Chromier "Shotabait" Quark also supports the space doppelganger theory.
-Creta accuses Tact of stealing one of her Ricky Kart concert photos. What does the fake Tact want with that? She makes such a fuss that all the other mechanics hear... and promptly confess to also being Ricky fangirls. Even Ranpha starts getting in on the idol gushing...
-Shiva's maid hasn't seen the fake Tact around. It looks like he hasn't gotten there yet.
Well, nothing conclusive so far. Tact stops by the convenience store to take a break, and Ranpha reveals herself again to accuse him of something else: taking her wallet charm. Now, on top of the fake Tact and Creta's photo, we have to look for a charm that looks like a hammer. (You're technically given a choice here, but the other choices -- refusing outright or offering to replace it -- just tick her off and you have to look for it anyway. Besides, we're already looking for stuff.) Another half hour of searching, ahoy!
Forte takes apart her guns and puts them back together blindfolded for fun. She can even tell when Ranpha switches the screws around on her and takes one of the springs. How often does she do this?
Often enough. Now we have to find the screw, too. The firing range is on D Block, this hallway is on C Block, and we can't find him... so that means he's on either B Block or A Block. Considering all the stuff that's gone missing, Not!Tact probably has it, too.
Other scene notes:
-Nothing in Milfie's room. Ranpha seems to think that finding the charm is more important than finding the fake Tact...
-Mint reads Tact's mind, but still can't be convinced that he's innocent. After all, she can only read people's surface thoughts.
Well, there's one missing item down. The charm was under Ranpha's bed. Ranpha runs to grab it, trips... and, just when you think you're going to get another contrived-circumstance CG, she instead crashes into the table and gets a bruise on her head. Well, then. (200th screenshot is Ranpha's room! Before you ask, I don't know how those windows work in space.)
[BGM: Ranpha's Theme (Arranged)]
After assuring that Ranpha's okay, Tact asks about the charm. Ranpha's little brothers gave it to her as a parting gift when she left home for pilot school. The symbol is supposed to bring good luck with money and help Ranpha get rich. Her family always embarrassed her by fighting over everything, but she really loves them -- and she has gotten rich, thanks to how well the Angel Wing gets paid, which is why she believes so strongly in charms and fortunes...
Ranpha doesn't care so much about the fake Tact anymore now that she found her charm, but Tact certainly does. Lester calls Tact on his communicator and mentions that the security cameras just saw not!Tact heading for the park. He can't see much, since the whole ship's security system hasn't been working properly since the Moron Brigade hit the hangar with that missile that blocked the exits. Tact and Ranpha head for the park.
WE HAVE ACHIEVED DERE
temporarily.
Tact and Ranpha can't find the double in the park. Ranpha starts to confess that maybe she might have been wrong about him, and just as Tact is about to respond, the power goes out and all the lights shut off. Ranpha panics and doesn't let Tact leave to look for the cause of the disaster. She reasons that it's safer if they're together... or maybe she's just scared. Tact gives up and just sits with Ranpha, holding her hand and trying to cheer her up. All of a sudden, the power comes back on.
Of all the people to show up alone and unguarded in what is currently the most dangerous area of the ship.
And when there's an opportunity... someone's going to take it. Before anyone can react to the fake Tact showing up, he uses a smoke bomb to cloud the park, and when it clears, neither Ranpha nor Shiva can tell which the real Tact is. The fake one can even perfectly copy Tact's voice and facial expressions and repeats everything he does. Fortunately, Ranpha has the perfect solution.
Violence.
The real Tact only comes out of it with a black eye, but the fake responds to a threat by revealing itself to be a robot. Tact recognizes it as an optical camouflage probe, a machine often used by intelligence networks; it uses 3-D imaging to copy the appearance of humans. It looks like it was sent with that missile that hit the hangar, and the sound of a camera that Tact heard after the fight was the probe seeking him out as the captain and taking pictures to copy his appearance.
Ranpha has had quite enough of this. She one-shots the probe by kicking it and causing it to explode. Looking through the wreckage turns up all the missing stuff. Tact reasons that all the stupid things that happened were diversions and the probe was actually supposed to determine that Shiva was on the Elsior. Seems pretty reasonable. I mean, look at who sent it. Those idiots probably think that sending robots to steal concert photos of 14-year-old boys and look at people in the shower is the greatest evil plan of all time.
Sudden scene change!
Dark Chick: Sherry Bristol
EONIA-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
We switch to the bridge of the... I have temporarily forgotten what it's called, but it does have an actual name. Anyway, it's Eonia's flagship. Eonia orders his immediate subordinate, Sherry (who is apparently also his only living subordinate on the ship; everything else is automated), to tell the Moron Brigade to "take things seriously from here out". Shiva is to be captured and the Elsior and Emblem Frames are to be shot on sight. If they can't do it, Prince Hairbow is more than willing to do it himself.
Back on the Elsior, Tact shares his suspicion that the probe found out where they're going to Drive Out. It'll be more difficult from here on out. Tact puts the Angel Wing on standby, and the Elsior leaves Chrono Drive, only to run into an enemy fleet -- just like he predicted.
It could be worse.