Liberi Reader

Wh-What?

Hey, Jessica, where you going?

I need to go find him—

Jessica?!

...Franka? Laura?

What are you doing here?

Reporting in. I've confirmed Jessica's location. She was, in fact, at said diner, and her lips are currently covered in oil. Best guess is that she's been getting acquainted with the menu.

Understood. I'm just about finished on my end as well.

Took you long enough, Teacher's Pet. We were starving out here.

It was hard to find this place. It's in the middle of nowhere.

Well, whatever. Let's just find something to tide us over.

Miss, I'm extremely grateful you brought Miles home, but if you're gonna complain about my cooking, that's a different matter.

Complain? What's there to complain about in this weather? Isn't that right, Laura?

O-Of course, it's absolutely delicious! Better than anything my mom or grandma ever made, that's for sure!

Good to hear there are still folks out there who appreciate the craft! So what do they do for a living, sweetie? Are they cooks?

Umm, my mom's a doctor, and my grandma's an engineer. Neither of them know their way around a kitchen... so my dad did all the cooking.

Pffffft... Ahahahahahahaha!

Hey. Don't you think you're enjoying that a little too much?

*cough*... Whoa, easy there! I'm eating, see? I'm eating!

Excuse me... Ma'am, do you have anything to drink? I'd like a glass of water.

Sure thing, just a moment.

Give it a bit to melt, and then it'll be drinkable.

By the way, Captain, did you ever find out why we met up with someone from the bank?

The government here is barely functional and doesn't have the capacity to interface with us, so they left the matter entirely to the bank.

They left it to who?! Well, what did the folks at the bank say?

It roughly boils down to two things: We'll have their full support, and the details will be discussed at a later date.

Tch, sounds like we've got our work cut out for us. But you're not the type to come here to eat your sorrows away, right?

They're lacking in supplies and manpower, but they do have money.

Money's the one thing we're not short on, though. That said... assuming the bank keeps their word, what do you think about hiring on a few of the locals?

Ever since the power plant incident, most of the people on this plate have chosen to leave. It's hard to say how many able-bodied workers are left.

That explains how few lights are on outside. It's barely eight o'clock!

To be honest, we don't need that many people either. I can handle the repair work with just my team. What we really need is someone with a deep understanding of the situation in the energy tower. Is the bank offering any good candidates?

Nope.

About that... * cough*, *cough*.

Sir?

I was so busy fixing up your communicator that I forgot to introduce myself.

The name's Leone Theremin, a blast engineer from the local mine. Pleased to meet ya.

A blast engineer from the mine... Why are you still here, after all this time?

Hah, a few of us stubborn old farts refused to leave. I've been in this mine since I was four. Wouldn't know how to live anywhere else.

When the plant first started having problems back then, I took a team down there to deal with it. Though we never managed to fix it entirely, we did get it up and running for a while.

I'm impressed. It's still working to this day.

Eh, that's all in the past now. Nothing worth mentioning. But, how would I be paid for this exactly...?

Oh, that... The commission's supposed to be completed ASAP, so we're not paid per diem. Only the required room and board expenses are covered.

After the plant is repaired, we'll be paid in a lump sum. The faster we get it done, the bigger the reward.

Of course, we can also offer you a portion of the payment in advance, in the interest of cooperation.

And how much are we talking here?

You'll be treated as a consultant. If we can get the job done in two months, you'll get 40,000. In a month, twice that. In a week—

Twice that again?

A bit more than that. You'll be able to earn yourself a solid 200 grand.

Deal!

Didn't even think twice, huh?

I ain't turning down 200 grand.

Sure, but where would you even spend that kind of cash here?

Depends how old you are. For a young guy, 200 grand is enough to eat, drink, and play to your heart's content, but when you're my age it's just another drop in the bucket called debt.

...Debt? Are you in debt?

Not just me. Everyone left here is in debt. *sigh*... How do I put this? Well, I'll just give it to you straight.

You asked about a guy who walked out into the snowfield earlier, right? It's probably 'cause of his debts... That kinda stuff happens all the time here. After being forced into bankruptcy, he had no choice but to...

Walk straight into the snowfield, with nothing on him...

...What are the odds he's still alive? I knew I should've stopped him. If we go looking for him right now, can we still save him?

*sigh*... That ain't even worth thinking about. It's too late.

......

It's not your fault, Jessica.

Ahem. So, Laura, is there anything you'd like to discuss with Mr. Theremin?

Oh, right... Come back here tomorrow to meet up with us, sir. If you have any materials, bring them with you too.

Alright, no problem. I know a few miners too, and they can also—

That won't be necessary. You're enough.

Don't be like that. Can't hurt to recruit a few more. Put yourself in our shoes. All the able-bodied folks are gone, and the only people left are...

Old farts like me.

Thanks for coming to see me, Benny. I'll be fine though, so head on home. Stay out any later, and Leone's gonna be worried sick about you again.

I still haven't finished my writing exercises... Besides, I don't want to go home. Dad is... Never mind.

I know Leone's got a bit of a temper, but even after all these years, his feelings for you have never—

I understand all that, but...

*sigh*... You warm enough? Should I throw a few more logs onto the fire?

Don't worry, it's fine... By the way, about those people who brought you home today. Was that the same Blacksteel squad that rescued you?

Yup. They're here to help us fix the energy tower. When it's all up and running and the heat's working again, we won't even need this fireplace.

But even if the tower can be fixed up... That doesn't mean the plate will come back to life.

...You're gonna go bald early if you keep worrying about crap like that.

Someone has to worry about it, because Dad sure won't. And who else is going to? There was Carl, but he's gone now too.

Benny...

Miles! Are you there, Miles? Thank goodness, I found us a great job! We can fix up the power plant and make piles of cash while we're at it!

Dad? What are you doing here?

Oh, you were here, Benny?

Well, you can stay and keep studying. I need to take Miles to go meet those Blacksteel girls—

I already met them. They're the ones who rescued me.

Hah, me and my memory.

Did you already ask the others?

...I asked all over town. They're either already gone, getting ready to leave, or have given up altogether.

You and I are the only ones still willing to put in the work on that plant.

The safe house isn't expected to be completely ready for use until tomorrow night, so we'll be establishing this as our temporary rendezvous point.

Laura, as of tomorrow, the engineering team will be under your command. We must restore this plate's mobility as soon as possible.

No problemo.

As for Franka and Jessica, I have some odd jobs for the two of you. I need one person to come with me to pay the bank another visit. And the other...

Needs to head to the outskirts of the plate to make a security assessment. Employees from the bank have said that bandits occasionally come from out there.

C-Can I volunteer to head to the outskirts?

Sure, why not? Which means I'll be going with ol' Liskarm here to see just how big of a headache these bank people are gonna be.

Everyone, please note that while most of the tower is basically safe due to the active Originium dust settling down over a long period of time, there are still areas where the index exceeds standard values.

I've already synced your devices with the specific danger zones.

This will be a hot repair, as the tower is still in operation, albeit at low output. So please pay attention to your personal safety, and report any accidents ASAP.

Thanks, you two. You saved us a lot of time poking around at the danger zones one by one.

I've worked here for most of my life. This place's more my home than that crappy room in the underpass.

Then sorry in advance for making a bit of a mess.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

Gah—!

...It's so badly damaged, but it's still burning? This is practically a miracle.

Miles and I reinforced the furnace a few years back, both to prevent accidents and to let it burn things other than Originium fuel.

Heh. The first time a winter like this struck, we still had some leftover Originium products lying around. But later we were lucky to have wood to burn.

As for now... all we can do is assess the situation.

Team A is in place. Everyone else, report your location and status. We'll begin diagnostics in one minute.

Team B in place. Visual inspection shows approximately thirty percent damage to the combined cycle unit.

Team C in place. The cooling system is completely wrecked, but since it's so cold outside we can throw together a makeshift air-cooling system.

Team D in place. The ash-discharging airduct is operating normally. We'll adjust our pace depending on the other teams' needs.

Well then, everyone—

—Let's get to work.

Captain, I've arrived at the last patrol point.

Any sign of bandits along the way?

No... I drove all the way out here without seeing anything.

Franka and I will be entering talks with the bank shortly. Be careful.

If you encounter any problems, contact us immediately. Don't worry about inconveniencing us. Do you understand?

Roger that.

Helena said that Woodrow often passes by here after hunting... I don't know if I'll be able to meet him today.

Why does it... smell like pine oil here?

Pine branches... Did someone start a fire?

Someone's been through here, but who? Could it be Woodrow coming back to the plate?

*huff*... W-Woodrow, wait for me!

Someone else is back there...

Oh no!

Woodrow, watch out!

Who's there?! Well shit, you've brought more bad news.

...What are you doing here?

Sir, there might be bandits roaming in the area. You should head back to safety on the plate as soon as you can.

Um, why do you look so angry?

You sure know how to be a pain in the rear.

But that man behind you just tried to snipe you... I came here to save you...

You have any idea how hard it was to lure that guy out? And now, all that evidence is down the drain, thanks to your bullet.

O-Oh no... Sorry, I...

A-Are you investigating something? Maybe I can help you somehow, to make up for it?

Okay, now that you know there are bandits out here, ever thought about what they might be after?

Probably looting supplies... Since it's tough getting by around here?

We can barely keep ourselves fed and clothed on the plate. You think they want our scraps? Their M.O. is to ambush and rob caravans.

Th-Then, what are they after here?

Lately, a bunch of people from the plate have gone missing. And my witnesses tell me some of 'em have been seen talking to bandits here before they vanished...

So my question to you is this: what're you doing here?

I... I was assigned to maintain security along the plate's outskirts, and ensure that any bandits wandering the perimeter don't interfere with the power plant's repair.

All on your lonesome?

No... I have teammates. Besides, aren't you also here?

Whatever. Bye.

Wait! The bullet—

Oh, he's already gone...