OD Project: Reconstruction HQ I

What's going on? What are those two doing?

Oh well... They've been doing this for about an hour.

WHAT?!

The two have different ideas about work regarding the geological probe and the HQ. They've argued about it for days. Sadly, no consensus was reached...

I did my best to talk to them. But as soon as I turned around, they were back at it again...

We can't leave this outpost without proper leadership for too long. Endmin, maybe we should ask them what's going on.

Bugger this... Where did it run off this time?

Here you are. Looking for something?

Ah, Endfielders. Yeah, I'm looking for a long-ear. I would regularly come here to record its activities and get some data.

A long-ear...? Endmin, maybe we can help Dean look for the critter.

It might convince him to calm down a little and talk to us.

It's usually active around this place, but I don't see it around today.

Missy! Thank goodness! You're still alive!

Thank you so much. I spent the entire day looking for it and couldn't find anything. I thought it had...

Ugh... We lost too much.

I ... ugh. Who wouldn't care about these little creatures? We've lived with them for so many years...

But we're out of time. The Blight persists, and the impact of the rift might introduce new changes to the environment.

If I could just take them away from this disaster-stricken place ... even just a minute earlier...

I ... I just can't persuade myself.

We lost too much. Respected mentors, fellow crew mates who fought by our side... If we'd known about the dangers and solved the problem beforehand...

I can't forgive myself for being so useless during the disaster. The only thing I can do now is to do as much as possible...

You're right, Endmin.

I shouldn't be getting angry about those stupid arguments. We got a disaster to clean up. Clavell ... he and I aren't truly at odds.

I'll head back and talk things through with Clavell. Thanks a lot for clearing up my head.

We didn't do much. You actually agree with his intentions and approach.

I remember it being around here...

What is it? Did you lose something?

It's you... Sorry for running away like that back then.

I thought about it for a while. Perhaps I didn't say it right. Maybe I should think about things from Dean's perspective... He was Site Director Daniels' favorite apprentice before he... Talos rests his soul...

I'm looking for a box of documents. It contains ... logs and reports of the tests we ran in the past.

Let's help him. Those reports sound important to Clavell.

This is it! Phew ... all the reports are still inside.

What are these reports? They sound pretty important.

Well... They're just research reports about several wildlife populations.

But Dean ... he's the one who wrote the reports.

Dean wrote these reports?

Yeah. Don't get fooled by his eagerness for deep excavations and Blighted materials... The only problem is his methods. They can be quite extreme at times...

These reports document the organisms he managed to save ... with his extreme measures... Some of them were on the brink of extinction...

No, not really. I don't agree with many of his methods... But I must admit that his methods are sometimes rather effective.

He might get carried away at times, but ... he's never forgotten why he became a scientific researcher in the first place.

I used to admire that about him. However, situation has changed. His methods will seriously impact the local ecology. I still stand by my views...

And that is why we got along all these years as fellow researchers.

I do my best to ensure the stability of the testing environment. But ... I'm also aware that I sometimes lack his adventurous spirit.

Nevertheless, someone must assess the outcomes of failures and be responsible for cleaning things up. It is my job to consider every step of the process.

Right now, we should be working toward a consensus that both sides can agree on.

Thank you for finding these reports for me. Reading through them has convinced me to do just that.

I'm heading back to talk with Dean. We shouldn't be arguing like this.

Aww. That's more like it.

Deep down, these two have always shared the same vision. They probably ignored this fact due to their sudden responsibilities and the stressful work.

All they need is an opportunity to come to an agreement. Alright, team. Time to head back.

Endmin! Supervisor Perlica! Dean and I had a discussion. We got two essential tasks right now — preserving the local wildlife and their habitats, and marking out areas for deep excavations.

But our current HQ isn't big enough to carry out both of these jobs. So we're thinking ... if it's possible to borrow your strength.

If this place gets an efficiency boost, we might be able to make headway in both tasks.

That's exactly why we're here. It's also the purpose of the AIC Factory.

Here's a blueprint. It illustrates the plans for expanding the HQ and improving its research efficiency...

Wait ... Miss Ardelia, did you do this on your own? You're so thoughtful! We really made a fool of ourselves back then... I'm so embarrassed right now.

No, this is the work... Uh... Forget it... Yeah...

And truth be told... There's a lot that I have to learn from the professionals.

We will use the AIC Factory to provide assistance and support the expansion of the HQ.

Endmin, you're here? Sorry, I should've arranged to receive you properly.

I heard about your disagreements with Dean. Can you tell me the details?

About that ... yeah...

The geological probe serves as a surveillance tool, and the results it provides must undergo various testing. This process is essential to addressing the ecological devastation in Valley IV.

My priority is to safeguard environmental stability by building test plots and artificial habitats. These will help preserve the local flora and fauna.

But Dean doesn't agree. He insists on running the highly dangerous Blight testing first.

Do the two research projects go against each other?

Of course! If we push ahead with deep excavation and start Blight-related material research right now, we risk further degrading the local ecology.

Human changes to the environment might also affect certain wildlife communities. Their survival might be jeopardized.

Our vision is to restore and protect the ecology. So why are we actively disrupting the only stable environment we have left?

That's going too far. The risks are off the charts! I won't let this happen! Absolutely not!

Alright. Calm down a bit. We're just trying to get a general picture here.

Let's go and ask what the other side thinks.

Endmin? When did you arrive? I'll grab a few seats for you...

We're good. Actually, we're here to learn more about your recent disagreements...

It's not really a disagreement. I just can't stand Clavell's excessive cautiousness over everything!

We know nothing about the state of Valley IV after the disaster. Our priority is to quickly figure out the properties of the affected materials. Knowledge will help us solve this crisis.

While we hesitate and squander our time away, we miss perfect opportunities to study these materials! And if they start changing in increasingly complex ways, our research will be further delayed!

Yeah, that kinda makes sense.

But Clavell wants to observe and protect the wildlife communities of the Power Plateau first... I hope he realizes just how many lifeforms we're talking about here.

Once we're done rescuing all the critters, I doubt we'll still have the chance to study the anomalous materials.

He should know the importance of timing and opportunity. I guess he's learned nothing after all these years!

Take it easy. We're just trying to understand the situation.

Both of them make a lot of sense, you know. But we can't let this carry on...

His logic is only driven by his feelings. He's just a paranoid blight-brain!

Paranoid? Being properly prepared can cut your losses! You're always rushing and bumbling into things! Do you know how problematic you've been for Professor Crowe?

Oh, now you're trying to bring up Professor Crowe! Well, I hope you didn't forget about the buggerloid who messed up the Professor's last experiment!

And I'll say it again in your face! I didn't do anything wrong! But you, sir! Your stiff-necked stubbornness to do everything your way is different!

Uh-oh... Can we all just take a deep breath?

Gentlemen! Please! Mr. Crowe didn't make you project leads just to see you argue all day!

...Hrrr. I'm taking a step back, because our Endfielder friends say so.

Whatever, Mister. I'm not paying any attention to you!

As you can see, Professor... The most I could do is to stop their arguments from getting any worse...

It's okay... You did good...

We can't let this go on. Endmin, we should try talking to them.