Rogue Galaxy, part 4
I play RPGs so you don't have to! Previous instalments: part 1, part 2, part 3.

The "rules" I mention in these posts are, of course, taken from The Grand List of Console Role-Playing Game Clichés.

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As they walk from Rosencaster Prison back to the Galaxy Corporation HQ, Jaster, Lilika and Simon are stopped by a destitute-looking woman, Miyoko, and her young daughter, Chie. Miyoko shows the party a photograph of her husband, Sho, and asks if they've seen him. No-one recognizes him, although Simon looks a little awkward. After Miyoko and Chie have left, Simon explains that he's feeling unwell and excuses himself, returning to Dorgenark. His place in the party is taken by Steve, Dorgenark's helmsbot.

At the Galaxy Corporation, MIO is surprised to see Jaster back so soon; she had assumed that a terrorist bomber would have been incarcerated for far longer. (Law is, like, soooooo complicated). Unfortunately, she's still unable to renew Doregnark's visa. The Galaxy Corporation's computer systems are controlled by the Daytron Corporation's mainframe, but it's out of action: a disgruntled former employee has occupied the Daytron computer room and sabotaged the system. Jaster and co. decide to head for the Daytron building to see if they can find out more.

The Daytron building has been evacuated. Starr, the Daytron security chief, is standing at the front gate. The guy causing the problems, Jupis Tooki, has taken control of all the factory's mechanical systems. The factory robots subsequently turned on the employees, so everyone had to evacuate for their own safety. When Steve tells Starr that Jaster is none other than the famed hunter Desert Claw, Starr offers Jaster a substantial reward if he can capture Jupis alive. So, time to brave a factory full of killbots...

The factory is a warren of corridors, punctuated by the occasional cavernous assembly line room. The corridors are very much in the Star Trek TNG mould: clean, shiny and futuristic. They're not of uniform design, implying that the factory started small and has been expanded and refurbished over time. Unlike Star Trek, there are killbots everywhere. Steve has mixed feelings about attacking fellow robots, but since the droids under Jupis' control can't be reasoned with, he doesn't have a great deal of choice.

At the entrance to once of the assembly line rooms, the party encounter a mid-boss:

A T T A C K   W A L K E R S
These guys are bulky, utilitarian-looking robots, armed with both guns and meleé weapons; very Front Mission. Despite their large size, they're not difficult opponents, especially when one of them switches sides! Turns out that Jupis isn't the only hacker in the building. A Daytron scientist, Donald Pocacchio, has taken control of one of the Attack Walkers. He uses its vocal unit to communicate with the party, inviting them to join him in his lab.

Dr. Pocacchio is an elderly man with a toucan nose. In a coincidence typical of RPGs, he's also Steve's creator. He had designed Steve after the death of his son, Mark, at a very young age. He seems generally happy with the way Steve turned out; his surrogate son has developed a pleasant personality and is clearly well able to take care of himself.

Proceeding further into the factory, Jaster and his friends reach the mainframe room (blinkenlights everywhere!) and confront Jupis, a reptilian humanoid with a comical voice; not your typical computer genius! He's reluctant to surrender to Jaster, and unveils his latest creation. Heeeeeeee'res Johnny!

J U P I S   R O B O T
Unlike the Attack Walkers, "Johnny" is as comical as its creator; a portly robot with googly eyes and a silly moustache. It's also a much tougher opponent, surrounded by an impenetrable force field. Luckily, Dr. Pocacchio shows up with his latest creation — a pistol that can disrupt force fields! What would we have done without him?

Jupis orders his robot to transform into its "deluxe" mode, complete with red paint and fire-breathing powers, but it does no good; Jaster and co. take it down. Defeated, Jupis surrenders and tells his story. He had been in charge of Daytron's research into space/time distortion, trying to find a way of harnessing it as an energy source. However, his lab assistant accidentally destroyed all his data. Jupis was blamed for the mess-up and fired from his post; however, he suspects that the "accident" was in fact a deliberate ploy to get him out of the way, and that Daytron had copied his research beforehand.

Starr and his troops show up, but Jupis gives them the slip. Even without Jupis in custody, Starr is content with Jaster's work because the mainframe is back under Daytron control. He makes good on his promise to reward Jaster by giving him unlimited use of the Daytron factory. Item creation, woohoo!

With the Daytron mainframe fully operational, MIO is finally able to renew Dorgenark's visa. Returning to the ship, Jaster and his friends are surprised to find Jupis waiting for them! Being a fugitive on Zerard, he needs to get off the planet, and what better way of doing that than by joining a pirate crew?

Monsha calls the crew to attention: Captain Dorgengoa is finally ready to put in an appearance...