I played it after the release a bit, but unfortunately various updates Arrowhead made (buffs, nerfs, spawn changes, no interesting new gear, etc.) sucked all the fun out of it for me.

OK, so it is the very small gain, I doubt she could afford booster she has so little optional slots. But with 5 axmc plus 1 vent I think she could take a hydra down though maybe not at space AX zone but by surface port. Thank you

(Previous)

I provided a somewhat annoyed, disdaining look for the bowing gesture, then just looked at the entrance again.

"I would just like to go. The less time, that I have to spend near Azimuth, the better. And flying in someone else's ship... even if she was nice enough to make a seat for my 'thick' body. And I like that it is this thick, ... too much."

My right arm stretched out, hand flat, as if to say 'Let's go in'.

"You... go first. Maybe. I would prefer to have someone to pull, if I get stuck, rather than... push, in wrong places. Unless you would like to earn a slap, or punch."

Well, yes, that's what you do, almost made it out of Lamb's mouth, but now wasn't time for her black and white approach to the events as she saw them.

Maul always blamed him self for everything, it was one of his most annoying traits. On the other hand, he did like to kick the hive, but these days he usually did his best to kick the hornets back in before it got out of control. The problem with that was he tried to do it by him self, to avoid dragging anyone else into his mess.

Even Lambast knew she needed help from time to time, and willingly asked for it. It took a little mental gymnastics to spin that one past her narcissistic tendencies, but she was at home with her psychosis. If only that was a talent she could pass on to Maul.

Noting she could say would help him. He would tell Lambast why she was wrong, and how she didn't understand. He wanted to blame himself and carry the guilt. All she could do for the man was put an arm around him, and gently rub his shoulder. No words meant no judgment. Maul was sentencing himself already.

Maul squeezed Lambast’s hand but still avoided eye contact.

“The McKinley’s have flower shop near the columbarium. I grew up with their daughter Misty, hell, she probably runs the shop these days. We can stop on the way.”

His mother and father were involved with the agriculture business that the station was so well known for. His mother, Molly, used to work on the automation systems within the station that were responsible for calculating the likely health of the various crop fields dotted around the stations hab ring. His father, James, on the other hand had dealt more with animals and the dirtier side of the job in general. Though, when needed, he’d be sent planet side for business negotiations with the corpos in higher positions. Sending a well spoken “Everyman” who knew the inner workings of the business always tended to work when it came to wage negotiations for the station workers.

***

Later at the columbarium


Maul stood silently next to Lambast and stared at his parents names that had been engraved into a plaque on a wall that stretched almost endlessly in both directions. This wall was simply one in a row of others that contained the cremated remains of station residents and employees.
He gripped the bundle of flowers tight causing his knuckles to turn white.

“You deserved better. I’m so sorry mom…dad…”said Maul as he placed the bundle of flowers in the metal ring next to his parent’s names.

He then looked at Lambast with a look bursting with sorrow.

“It was supposed to be me, you know. Tessa was looking for me…but I was gone, ran away…and they paid for it…”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes it's Long Range GR5/Mass manager. W/o a booster is 31 LY. Agility has not been released, but will out turn a FDL easily. AXI I think has some numbers on their website you can take a look at. They are theoretical but probably close. {alot of your range will depend on loadout. A Milspec hull will drop it significantly.

She understood the words, but the concept was alien to her. Almost alien. When she was young, living on a large settlement in Eravate, her best friend from school went through the same thing Maul had.

Kaisla's mother and farther we're murdered over a an insignificant loan before Kaisla's thirteenth birthday. Back then, Lambast hadn't matured into the detached sociopath she was today, she was still growing into the mind set. Young Lambast saw how much pain her best friend was in for years after the murders, and felt a narrow slice of Kaisla's suffering too. It was one of the few memories Lambast wished she didn't have.

Comforting a young Kaisla was easy at the time, and still was today, but Maul was.. .. not Lambast's adopted little sister. Still, she knew the basics, and did honestly care about the man, so she made an effort.

Reaching across the table, Lambast took Mauls hand and gripped it tightly.

"What ever you need Maul. I'm here for you. Would you like to get some flowers on the way? I don't think real flowers would be a problem to find on this station"

Maul had began to stand up before Lambast had even answered, knowing that she’d likely agree but he didn’t expect those exact words to come out of her mouth. He dropped back down into the booth and sat silently looking at her.

“How’d you—“

Of course she already knew, Lambast wasn’t an idiot. She had other ways of gathering intel on a person without relying solely on Maul’s abilities to do so.

“No, Lamb. I—“

Again, he hadn’t figured out the right words and order just yet. It was easy to think things, say them in his own mind but actually saying them aloud was proving difficult.

“…I haven’t been able to face the fact they’re gone. This is one of the things I’d been running from. I- I’m ready now though. I just need someone to be with me and…”

He closed his eyes and shook his head then looking directly down at the table before continuing.

“…you’re the closest thing to family I have left, Lamb.”

(previous)

As Kasumi geared up for the op, I strutted my way to the landing bay where the Type-6 was docked. Time to slip into something more… fitting. The goal was to be seen, without being particularly memorable. And I nailed it quite well - looking like a perfectly average trader, not too rich, not too shabby.

The ship looked the part too. A bit rough around the edges, a few scratches here and there and particularly worn paint near the cargo hatch - signs of a life well-traveled. But underneath that scrappy exterior she was maintained meticulously. Though only a nosy snoop poking around the innards would spot the mods that gave her a stealthy low signature with shields down and a zippy engine to boot.

When I noticed Kasumi approaching and giving the ship the once-over, I sauntered out the airlock and flashed her a devil-may-care grin.

“Step right into my parlor. May I introduce you to Gullveig? Named after an old goddess who’s both a treasure keeper and a rune magic seer - fitting for our little escapade, don’t you think? And don't worry about the scratches… that's just camouflage and in no way a result of my flying skills. Come on in, don’t be shy.”

I gave her a bow, the kind you’d see from the chauffeurs of the high and mighty, barely holding back a chuckle.

She listened, but Maul was all over the place emotionally, and with the topics. At least it all seemed to lead to one place, and that place bothered Lambast.

"One, last, thing, Mister Montresor? What is going to happen I wonder? Are we going to arrive at the memorial, and I'll see a freshly dug hole. Make it quick, you'll say. Then I suppose you want me to kick your corps into the grave and fill it in before the warden sees. Is that it?"

"Hmm, no. There are a few friends I would do that for, but you are not one of them. For some unfathomable reason, I quite like having you are around"

For CMDRs into AX combat and owning the Python Mk2, I just came across this Youtube video from CMDR Mechan where he discusses several possible AX combat builds for the Python Mk2. Maybe you'll find this interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhSwe0hf_nY

Maul sat the milkshake down hard on the table and looked at Lambast with stern, tired and sober eyes. The mention of Vega felt like a knife to his heart. He didn’t know where to start on explaining the events that occurred on Sepultus Memoriae. So he settled.

“I was on a job, dug up some memories. I’ll be honest with you Lamb, I thought I was going to die…or was dead already.” He leaned forward, looking deeply into Lambasts new eyes. “I saw things there that I cannot rationalize, cannot explain. Whether it was a drug induced hallucination or reality, I do not know and do not care. It awoken something inside me that had been lying dormant for years and now suddenly I’m faced with reality, after years of trying to avoid it.”

Finally breaking eye contact and looking anywhere else but directly at Lambast, he fell back into his usual relaxed posture.

“I realized that I had been running from the past for so long that I’d forgotten why I had started running in the first place. I fucked up, and will continue to fuck up, but I have to accept the results and consequences of that.”

Maul briefly paused his near incessant rambling as the waiter brought another strawberry shake to the table. After exchanging a few pleasantries and the waiter had left the table, Maul slid the glass towards Lambast and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“I’m sorry, Lamb. I really am, but I need one more favor from you, if you will. I want to visit my parents, but can’t do it alone.”

Thanks CMDR Diqueue for your kind advice and encouraging post. And also for sharing your Mavis build. I will try the setup you proposed with the double enhanced AX multicannons and see if I can be of any assistance to the AX combat around the station.

Any fellow Managed Democracy™ fans here?

What's her exact range without the booster 5A SCO Long Range GR5/Mass manager? Do you know by any chance what's her agility index? Thanks

I just nodded lightly and walked off, heading back over to the hangar bays, toward my own ship. There, I pulled my preferred suit - visually - the Artemis, out, briefly contemplating its smooth, all-black appearance. It was unlikely I would need more than the protection it provided, anyway, since I'd be nice and cozy, taking up a lot of space in my big seat on the other ship... though, not quite fond of having to rely on someone else's piloting.

At least getting into that suit would be a little bit less painful than the 'Dominator' which I'd squeezed myself into, just yesterday. But only a little. And once I was done with that, everything sitting - and fitting - snugly where it was supposed to, I wandered my big body over to the Type-6 Transporter awaiting my verdict on whether it was spacious enough for my curves. In the worst case... I'd squeeze a little.

I waited outside of the entrance to the Lakon brick, giving it a somewhat displeased look-over. Never did like those ships and how they were just literal boxes of metal with thrusters attached, not that I found the other extreme end of Imperial extravagance particularly pleasing either.

“Guess I should slip into something a bit more fitting too,” I mused, eyeing my own getup. I was still decked out in my flight suit, complete with racing stripes.

“Strutting around in some over-the-top military garb is bound to stir up suspicion and put everyone on high alert. I’ll doll myself up as a trader instead…” I added.

“And you’d better have eyes not just in front, but on the sides and back too,” I joked, alluding to the previous jest and the need for vigilance. A healthy dose of caution could save your hide, especially when you know jack about the place you’re heading to.

“Go ahead and get ready then. I’ve got my gear aboard the ship that just docked; I’ll head straight there and prep myself.”

I was hoping the ship would be to her liking and that this whole operation wouldn’t get canned at the last minute. I was well aware there were comfier ships out there, but this one was the best bet for blending in with the rest. A ship that’s too pricey or big, or screams military, is just asking for prying eyes.

Yes, it's a 5A and can get about 40 LY range with a Booster.

Lambast kept an impassive face. She'd left an important and dangerous engagement that could seriously impact her future, weather it went well or not to be here. She wasn't in the mood for chit or chat.

"I took advantage of a visit to Silver Mountian. The eyes are permanent, thank you for the compliment. Now, where have you been? I lost you after an arrest last year, and not even Vega has been able to trace you. I should think she's worried or, upset maybe? I don't know" said Lambast talking to the top of Mauls head.

There had always been a stupid green strip of hair down the middle of his head that she hated. Many was the time she had considered shaving it off while Maul was spacked out on something, but now it was gone she sort of missed it.

+1 for cannons. Prince Eugen used them to defeat the Turks at Belgrade. Are the Thargoids Turkish? Enquiring minds want to know. If so, this may be the new battle cry.

Mit Kartaunen groß und klein;
Mit den großen, mit den kleinen
Auf die Türken auf die Heiden,
Daß sie laufen all' davon!

I just did a quick tally of FSD sizes for all my ships and, including the 4 I already did, I need to purchase and engineer:
2 size 2s. 8 size 3s. 10 size 4s. 21 size 5s. 8 size 6s and 5 size 7s.

The Grind is real.

Also, it seems like a waste to just throw away all these G5 long-range mass manager FSDs especially when a lot of them are Sirius Corp pre-engineered ones. Is there definitely no way to give them away somehow?

“I will… do what I can, to keep an eye out for the, interesting things. But I will not guarantee I can find anything, other than… I also don’t believe that we will find something, only on the suspicion of an Azimuth soldier, that tried to shoot me yesterday.”

I stopped having my backside sprawled over my seating spot and began to leisurely wander around the room… with some ‘safety clearance’ to things respected.

“If there is anything worthy to be found, I am sure we will come across… something. But maybe it would be… is, better, to check thoroughly, if they are trying to ‘slip things behind the back’. But, nothing is slipping behind my back.”

What exactly had motivated me to make an inappropriate joke about my form, that was unsure, but I placed my hands on the hips below as an additional gesture… facing backward.

“And I will convince myself, if there are any corridors or doorways to squeeze, or barely fit, through, in your ship. Just do not send me into a vent. Also, I will need a suit for the flying.”

I was ready to go and walk off - to get said suit - in my mind, but waited around for a response… just in case.

They might not have that ‘satisfaction’ factor other weapons do for people. Assuming you talk about the human cannon, but that seems fairly likely at least.

In my case, the cannon kind of feels like a… I don’t know, weird inbetween mixture of the multicannon and plasma accelerator? Not to mention the fact they do not have consistent shot speeds across the different sizes of weapon(horrible for fixed use if you’re into that). Audio design of it is also not that appealing to me… at least it comes with gimbals.

(previous)

“Well, now that everything’s prepped and ready, I’ll just summon the Type-6 over so you can take a gander for yourself,” I said while connecting to my carrier which was staying close to the Abode.

“The ship will dock shortly. I hope you’ll find everything to your liking.”

I turned my attention back to the mission at hand.

“Look, it’s crystal clear you can’t set foot off the ship once we land, given you’re as inconspicuous as a neon sign. So plugging you in sounds like a good idea… in addition to what you already said you could eavesdrop on the local comms, or scan one of those landed ships - perhaps you will find something interesting. Meanwhile, I’ll take a little stroll around the base.”

I paused, tapping my finger on the table, lost in thought.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s a good chance this ground site might turn out to be a dud. We don’t have any solid leads pointing to it… The cargo I found at the outpost I infiltrated was clearly destined for the Musashi. So, as things stand, I reckon it’s not worth taking a big gamble on the ground site investigation - maybe we play it cool, acting like an ordinary trader looking to buy something on the local market. But keep your eyes peeled; anything out of the ordinary could turn out to be a goldmine for us.”

Understood, thanks Artie.