ΜØŦĦ€Ř Đ€ΔŘ is a sims story in which the motherplant isn’t a captive in crater lab, but a crime boss residing in her own fortified lair. To achieve this end, I transplanted the Strangerville mystery ...
Now isolated villages sometimes sport heavy defense, but these fences and towers give a different vibe. Everything about the place screams “Military Base” and Nita’s encounter with the black blob just now might just have been one of the base's defenses.
The trio circles the compound. The Force - or just plain luck - must be with them, because three aqua zippers have been taken to shore a little out of sight of the main gate and left there.
Of course this could be another trap, but the space pirates shrug off this possibility as unlikely. They quickly cut the aqua jets’ safety cables with their knifes and shove the vehicles into the shallow water.
Shir: “On second glance, this place looks too clean and well maintained to be a rebel base. First Order, more like it. - Yep, there’s their crest, too.”
Hank Sonderan would never willingly ally with the First Order, that much his friends know. And that means he must be held captive in there!
Gavin: “The First Order owes me a space ship AND Hank now. For starters we’ll take these jets as compensation for the Black Fang. And for keeping Hank captive, we might just as well get ourselves their commander!”
Shir: “Wait, are we REBELS now?”
Gavin: “Got a problem with that? I mean, no, of course we aren’t rebels! Only insofar as everyone is, these days.”
Shir and Nita slowly nod. The Fangs are not even card-carrying subjects of the First Order. Nita was born in San Myshuno and the men on farms close to the Planter Pot. Their IDs state “Upper Strangerville” as place of residence and “Citystate of Strangerville/Planet Tanglewood“ as their nationality.
So if they are not citizens of the First Order, then Shir, Nita and Gavin cannot be rebels. That stands to reason. Enemies of the oppressors, now that label the Fangs can live with. But rebels? What an outlandish idea!
To free their friend, the Fangs need weapons, at the very least, and for that they’ll have to find their way to a settlement, ideally Black Spire Outpost.
Gavin calls up a map of the planet on the aqua zipper’s computer, when he sees something gleaming in the corner of his eyes. Turns out it is a fish with scales looking as if they were made of gold. Of course they won’t be, but even so, collectors and gourmets might just be interested in paying good money for such a strange fish…
Gavin: “This way and then along the coast until we find a river mouth. If we follow that upwards, we should reach the village of Peka and then within another day Black Spire.”
Shir: “But by then it could already be too late for Hank!”
Gavin: “Well, we can’t cruise in circles here. We have to do something, go somewhere, and getting out of sight of the military base is a good first step!”
Night has fallen and except for a potty break the trio hasn’t allowed themselves rest, no matter how sore they get in their wetsuits. There had been an unlabeled, yet clearly marked spot on their vehicle’s maps and they are eager to learn what exactly it is.
When they close in on the location, one, two, maybe even more long houses with thatched roofs come into view - a little village!