Ship Unlock Event: Ellie's Quest For Revenge

This quest-line begins in:

* Union Coreworlds [!]

**Beacon Details**
 Distress Signal Detected?
 Inside Nebula?
 Hazard Detected?

**This quest-line requires crew killing to be completed.**

## Engineer Station In Distress

*A nearby looping distress signal reveals a badly damaged station and an escape pod. With little time to react you scoop up the escape pod and open it, to find a badly injured man with a massive gash on his back. "Please... help... there's a maniac... ugh..." The man flops over, dead, pools of blood forming beneath him. It's incredibly gruesome, and for once you're glad you've become so desensitized to this stuff in your profession.*

1. Investigate the station. Maybe you can help?
	* *As soon as you step aboard you immediately regret it. Though the main lights are mostly out and the emergency lights only offer a faint red glow, you spot all kinds of troubling sights. A corpse lays just inches away from another escape pod hatch, and several bodies hang from wires reaching out of ventilation shafts. Knife marks cover the walls and there's blood everywhere. This is no ordinary invasion - this is a massacre. As you continue exploring you eventually come across a strange man dressed in a bright equinoid costume covered in blood, with a burn on his leg which he's tending to. You reach out and touch the man on the shoulder, and he whips around in surprise.*
		+ Are you okay, sir? What's going on?
			- *The man smiles when he sees you, almost unnaturally despite the pain he must be in. He speaks in a high pitched voice and talks to you as if you were a child. "Friends! Oh I'm so so glad you've come to help!" He reaches out his hand, which you reluctantly shake. "I'm Ellie the Equinoid! Neighhhh!" She whinnies, pretending to prance with her hands. "Did you ever watch my show? Are you a fan?! A suuuuuuperfan, maybe?! Oh I met so many fans, everyone loves my show! It's timeless, it's ageless... it's... it's... hahahah..."*
				* I can't remember.
					+ *"How silly! Everyone's watched the Ellie the Equinoid show! Oh friends, won't you help me? This station has many bad people on it. Bad people who hurt Ellie! We must stop them before they hurt more people! Will you help me? Oh pretty please?"*
						1. **Agree to help her.**
						2. **Decline.**
				* (Alkali) "Professor Ellie, it's an honor to meet you in person!"
					+ *Alkali seems extremely excited for once, shaking Ellie's hand. "Your revolutionary Quarp Juice has been the basis for the entirety of my Morph experiments! Your genius must nearly rival mine to have concocted such a powerful and useful compound!"* *Ellie doesn't seem to really even register what Alkali has said, but she likes the praise. "Another superfan?! Whinny! I love meeting fans. You must be SUPERFANS even! Oh friends, won't you help me? This station has many bad people on it. Bad people who hurt Ellie! We must stop them before they hurt more people! Will you help me? Oh pretty please?"*
						1. **Agree to help her.**
						2. **Decline.**
2. Avoid the station.
	* *You decide boarding the station isn't worth the risk.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

1. **Agree to help her.**
	* *"Great! I'll stay here and keep tending my leg, you hurry off and take care of these baddies! Neighhhh! Good luck, but please don't destroy the station. Even magical horses like Ellie can't breathe in space!"*
		+ **Continue to Engineer Station Fight.**
2. **Decline.**
	* *"Oh you make me sad. So so sad..." Ellie makes an exaggerated frown with her face momentarily then goes back to smiling. Creeped out beyond anything you've ever been before, you get up and leave as quickly as possible.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

## Engineer Station Fight

1. Station destroyed.
	* *You've destroyed the station. While some scrap matter is left behind, it's doubtful Ellie survived the explosion.*
		+ **Quest failed. You receive a MEDIUM standard reward.**
2. Station crewkilled.
	* *You find Ellie not long after, prowling the halls, still limping. You try to ask her what she's doing but are interrupted by a loud clang from across the hallway. Ellie gets down on her knees and inches towards the corner, where she seems to spot something. She turns and puts a finger to her lip towards you, then pokes her head back around.*
		+ What are you doing?
			- *Ellie doesn't answer, instead getting back to her feet in rapid fashion, so quickly you nearly forget she's injured. She vanishes from sight, and moments later you hear yelling. "No, please, Stephan, don't do this! Please, I'm sorry, it was Wentworth's order to fire you! I had nothing to do with it, please, I-" The man is cut off, and moments later there's a sickening thud followed by silence. The stranger in the horse costume comes back around, clutching a bloody knife. You motion for your crew to step back, but she stashes her knife and smiles again. "They took Ellie's show off the air! Rotten no good - NEIGH!!!! Sorry, I almost said something above the age rating there! What will the children watch without Ellie?! It's blaspherifous! It's luderificous! Positively insanidificaneous!"*
				* Did you just stab that guy?
					+ *"Ellie would never harm an innocent life! She's too pure and kind! You, mister or missus Renegade, however, are a big meanie! But these people here are even bigger meanies. Sometimes you need a meanie to put another in their place! And trust me, there's many more meanies on Ellie's list! Oh, will you help me? We can have so much fun working together, I pinkie promise! Neighhhhhhh!"*
						1. Agree to work with her.
							- *"YAY! We're going to have sooo much fun, superfan!!! I can't wait! I'm super excited!"*
								* Ellie joins your crew.
								* **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 1.**
						2. Refuse.
							- *"Oh you make me sad. So so sad..." Ellie makes an exaggerated frown with her face momentarily then goes back to smiling. Creeped out beyond anything you've ever been before, you get up and leave as quickly as possible.*
								* **Quest failed.**
3. Attempt to jump away.
	* *"Captain, where are we going?" You turn to see Ellie frowning at you. "We're not done here! Get back in there, and. Finish. This."*
		+ Engineer Station fight resumes, only appears once.

## Conversation with Ellie 1

The next stage of this quest requires opening the ship storage and speaking with Ellie in the 'Talk with your crew' tab. After doing this, a new option labelled 'You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.' will appear. This option will appear immediately if you start with Ellie on your crew, such as when using the Equinoid Cruiser.

1. You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.
	* *You find Ellie giggling to herself in the corner. As you approach, she perks up. "Oh superfan, I have a requeeeeeesssst of you!" Ellie pulls out a long list and hands it to you. "This is my super-duper revenge list! It's all the people who I want to put. In. The. Ground. For taking the Ellie show off-air! Deranged lunatics, Rebel supporters, probably fascist psychomurderer bad guys! You already promised me you'd help." Ellie clasps her hands together and bats her fake eyelashes uncomfortably close to your face. "So, when do we get started?"*
		1. **Who's first?**
		2. Have you considered not murdering these people?
			+ *Ellie blinks and laughs. "Hahah. No."*
				- Uhm... okay...
					* *"Soooo... are you going to help?"*
						+ **Who's first?**
						+ **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
		3. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**

1. **Who's first?**
	* *Ellie smiles and points to the first name on the list. "Rigley Spruce, head of merchandising for Flower and Sunshine Studios! He was the first weak link... they cut all of my merchandise before they gave me the boot, because they thought the children would forget about me! Who could forget their FAVORITE childhood character? I'm the best character in all of media history! I'm fabulous to my very core! Rigley's a fat, alcoholic, piece of little rotten... uhm... woops, that's not very PG. He's a bad guy, okay? He was part of Vance's little riot group back before the Civil War too! We're going to start with him..."*
		+ ELLIE'S QUEST [!] will appear on your sector map. This beacon is fleet immune, and thus will remain available even if the Rebel fleet overtakes it.
		+ Continue to Flowers and Sunshine Orbital Warehouse.
2. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
	* Return to storage menu.

Attempting to jump away from any fights throughout the questline will cause Ellie to stop you, saying; *"Captain, where are we going?" You turn to see Ellie frowning at you. "We're not done here! Get back in there, and. Finish. This."* This line will only appear once per fight, and selecting the jump button again will allow you to leave as normal.

Failing any of Ellie's Quests will result in the follow dialogue should you attempt to speak with Ellie again:

* *Ellie growls at you as you approach, clutching her knife firmly in one hand. You stop before getting too close, realizing she must be furious you failed to clear off her precious list. You make a brief apology and head off before she can do anything drastic.*

Additionally, leaving the sector before reaching an ELLIE'S QUEST [!] marker will cause the questline to softlock. Speaking with Ellie will prompt her to ask when you're going to get on with the job, but the quest marker will never appear again, causing you to fail.

## Flowers and Sunshine Orbital Warehouse

*Before you is some kind of orbit-bound warehouse, surrounded by various Union transport ships and a single Auto-ship manufactured by Wentworth Innovations. Next to it is a small ship, likely some kind of mobile office. Despite the dinky size, the economics of this scene suggest a rather large expense went towards it all.*

1. Approach.
	* *You dock near the cargo ships and enter the warehouse to see rows upon rows of merchandise for various colorful, animal themed characters. Dora the Durgan, Cammie the Calhalou, Remmy the Rekma, and most of all, Sammy the Spider. Despite the mundaneness of that last one, he seems to have the most dedicated merchandise in the room. There isn't a single article dedicated to Ellie, and you can tell she's fuming.*
		+ Where's Rigley?
			- *Ellie doesn't hear you, instead moving closer to the shelves. She looks fondly at the other characters, silently recalling old memories. But when she gets to the Sammy isle, she suddenly turns aggressive, throwing various novelty items like singing animatronics and spider-flavored ice cream onto the floor, kicking over shelves, and repeatedly plunging her knife into the heart of a large stuffed spider. Admist all the noise you hear a door open and a rather rotund man shout, slightly muffled by some food sloppily shoveled into his mouth. "WHAT IN THE- WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?"* *When his eyes finally land on Ellie, his composure changes rapidly, first to bemusement, then to horror, then to hysteria. "STEPHAN? YOU RAVING MAD LUNATIC! HAHAHAH! YOU'RE STILL WEARING THAT HORSE COSTUME? HAHAHAHAHAH! HAAH! Hah... You know, that costume belongs to me you little runt. I don't suppose you've come to bring it back to me though, have you?" Finally, the man seems to notice your crew. "Who's your friends? Waaaait... Stephan, did you hire a bunch of Renegades to KILL me?! HAHAHAHAH! Oh my god, this is hysterical. I... I can't even. What is wrong with you? You put the human species to shame. This is the behavior of a Zoltan pugilist or a braindead, drug-snorting Mantis. You can't kill me, anyways. I have... SECURITY!" The man shouts and a security team enters the room, and an automated drone activates outside.*
				1. Fight off the security.
					* *To get to Rigley you'll have to take out the automated security first. Then you can decide what to do from there.*
						+ **Continue to Automated Security Fight.**
				2. You're right - let's leave.
					* *Ellie turns to you incredulously. You tell her none of this is worth it, but she doesn't seem to hear you. She lunges for Rigley and you have to jump in the way to stop her and drag her out of the room. Rigley laughs the whole time as you exit the building.*
						+ **Quest failed.**
2. Without Ellie there's no point in this.
	* **Quest failed. This option will be the only one present should Ellie no longer be part of your crew.**
3. Change your mind and leave.
	* *You decide boarding the station isn't worth the risk.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

## Automated Security Fight

Automated Security* Innovation Attendant
* Innovation Caretaker
* Innovation Sentinel
* Innovation Warden
1/4
1. Automated Security destroyed.
	* *Rigley's security drone has been defeated. You scrap the remains.*
		+ You receive a HIGH standard reward.
			- *Rigley has left the warehouse and is now hiding in his office ship. He'd likely have taken off if it weren't for the fact the ship was securely tethered to the station. You find him cowering underneath his desk, and as you approach he scrambles for a wooden bat signed by some famous Union sports star, but you beat him to it. Seems like he's finally taking you seriously. "Okay, okay... You can keep the god damn costume Stephan. I don't even want to imagine what depraved shit you've done in it. Just leave me alone. I don't care what crazy conspiracies you've concocted, I didn't get you booted off the show. That was all the higher-ups, okay? And it's not exactly a mystery why."* *Ellie shakes her head. "No, no no... you see, Rigley, I know you and Vance... talk. The Mars-Day Massacres? Remember those?" Rigley shifts in his seats uncomfortably. You can tell Ellie is doing this all for you, coaxing you into accepting what she's about to do to this man. She's not lying either - you've heard a bit about Spruce, and he goes well back with the Rebel Admiral, and his parents. The question is, is it the best idea to murder him in cold blood right here and right now?*
				1. Stand back and let Ellie do this.
					* *Ellie takes another step closer, and Rigley's breath gets more and more erratic. "Wait, wait, Stephan, let's think this through. How does... a brand new line of Ellie merch sound? I can arrange it for you - it'll be like... a retro pack! A throwback! Nostalgia for the old days!" Ellie smiles. "That sounds fabulotastic, Rigley!" Rigley breaths a sigh of relief, and is promptly decapitated by a single stroke of Ellie's knife. His head hits the floor, and Ellie stands over the corpse to survey it. "Ellie will visit your funeral and let you know how the new merch sells! It'll do great, she promises!" Ellie grabs one of the forms off of Rigley's desk and writes something down and folds it up into her pocket. She curtsies and gallops out of the room full stride. You notice a new vigor in her step as she leaves, and you waste no time in following her.*
						+ Ellie's Bloodlust counter goes up by 1.
						+ **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 2.**
				2. Stop her. Killing this guy is a bad idea.
					* *You place a hand on Ellie's shoulder and ask her to stop. You can feel her whole body shaking, and her eyes have glazed over. Your words barely reach her - but they do reach her. You can sense maybe she doesn't want to do this, or that at least she's conflicted. Rigley notices this as well and immediately tries to take advantage of it. "Stephan, remember the good times we used to have? Heheh... when we used to discuss new merchandise ideas, or talk about how we could make the show pop out more to a broader audience? Wasn't that fun? Wasn't-"* *Rigley is cut off by his own blood-curdling scream as Ellie brings her knife down and severs his hand, spilling blood all over some important-looking legal documents. Rigley clutches his hand and continues to scream, falling onto his side and rolling around on the floor. Ellie breathes a deep sigh and pockets her knife. "Good times they were Rigley! Next time, think a bit before you decide the good times have to STOP, okay? Bye bye!" Ellie grabs a form from his desk and cheerfully waves, then gallops out of the room.* *You take one last look at the pathetic man on the floor and half-heartedly remind him he'll be able to afford a good artificial replacement for his hand later, and to apply pressure to the wound. Rigley doesn't hear you, and you turn and leave the room as well.*
						+ Ellie's Stability counter goes up by 1.
						+ **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 2.**
2. Ellie dies during the fight.
	* *Ellie didn't make it. There's no reason to track down Rigley now.*
		+ **Quest failed. You receive a HIGH standard reward.**

## Conversation with Ellie 2

Similar to the previous stage, you must open your ships storage and select the 'You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.' option.

1. You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.
	* *You find Ellie sorting through some merchandise she stole from the warehouse. You don't remember her doing that but you don't bother asking. When she finally notices you watching her, she looks up and smiles the same menacing smile once again. "Ready for another, superfan? We did super fantasticalicious last time, and I can't WAIT to get another off my list!" She makes a horse noise and pretends to prance around.*
		1. **Who's next?**
		2. Was cutting off Rigley's hand necessary? (Only appears if you stopped Ellie from killing Rigley)
			+ *"Yes." Ellie doesn't hesitate for a moment.*
				- What was that paper you grabbed from his desk?
					* *"Doesn't matter. Stop procrastinating superfan, and just say you're going to help me!" Ellie frowns.*
						1. **Who's next?**
						2. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
		3. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**

1. **Who's next?**
	* *Ellie pulls out her list again, which you notice now to have been hastily scribbled on the back of a receipt. "Hum, let's see! OH, of course! Old Hueghey Armstrong! Chief legal consultant for Flower and Sunshine Studios. He was always so boooooorrrrring! Yap yap yap, all he did was talk about mumbo jumbo legal stuff. Children aren't entertained by LAW! They're entertained by ELLIE THE EQUINOID! But of course, you know that superfan! He was also on... uhm... I think he did some stuff for Vance? Bah he's probably a human supremacist! Ellie doesn't like human supremacists. Ellie loves all creatures equally! So long as they understand that Ellie belongs on the air! For the people to see! Well... what are you waiting for? Let's go!"*
		+ ELLIE'S QUEST [!] will appear on your sector map. This beacon is fleet immune, and thus will remain available even if the Rebel fleet overtakes it.
		+ **Continue to Armstrong and Lorence Law Firm.**
2. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
	* Return to storage menu.

## Armstrong and Lorence Law Firm

*A rather bland and uninteresting law firm has been constructed nearby, with a sign that reads "ARMSTRONG AND LORENCE LAW FIRM". Not that you've seen many in your day, but if you had to imagine, this one is unique in how mind numbingly dull it is. Despite the drabness, it reeks of that particularly potent odor of the wealthy, and staring at the building makes you want to commit more violence than ordinary. It's probably best to get this over with quickly.*

1. Enter.
	* *You step aboard the law firm and gag on the musty smell of the office rooms. Ellie doesn't seem too fazed, as if she's been in this room many times before. This idea is reaffirmed as she flawlessly navigates her way through rows upon rows of cubicles and labyrinth-like office installments. She finally comes to stop at a door labeled "Armstrong". She takes a gigantic, overexaggerated breath, then slams her fist through the door and yanks it off its hinges. Inside the room a thin, stick-like man glances up. If he's startled by this violent entrance, he sure doesn't show it. "Hmph. Stephan. Back from the... dumpster bin, are you?" Hueghey lights a cigarette and leans back in his chair. "You know you will have to... pay for those damages, right?"*
		1. You don't look like a Hueghey.
			+ *"And you look like someone I didn't ask for an opinion from." The man peers over his spectacles to get a better look at you. "Judging from the ugly mug I'm going to guess you're... undesirables. Vigilantes. Hmph."*
				- **And so what if we are?**
		2. Your office smells terrible.
			+ *"Yes... and so do you." The man peers over his spectacles to get a better look at you. "Judging from the ugly mug I'm going to guess you're... undesirables. Vigilantes. Hmph."*
				- **And so what if we are?**
		3. You shouldn't smoke, it's bad for you.
			+ *"Yes... and so is being a mercenary." The man lingers on that last word, knowing it's a word that gets on Renegades' nerves. He peers over his spectacles to get a better look at you. "Judging from the ugly mug I'm going to guess you're... undesirables. Vigilantes. Hmph."*
				- **And so what if we are?**
2. Without Ellie there's no point in this.
	* **Quest failed. This option will be the only one present should Ellie no longer be part of your crew.**
3. Change your mind and leave.
	* You decide this mission isn't worth the risk.
		+ **Quest failed.**

1. **And so what if we are?**
	* *Finally the man's composure seems momentarily broken, as if he didn't expect you to not care about the law. "Uhm... hmph. Nevermind. Stephan, would you care... explaining why you've dragged this riff-raff into the room?" Ellie, however, isn't paying attention. Instead she's wandered over to the wall, where you notice the only personal decorations you've seen in this entire building. Various framed and signed portraits of the formerly Ellie the Equinoid show are up on the wall, including Sammy the Spider. Ellie, of course, is nowhere to be seen.* *Ellie laughs nervously. "Heheh... Hueghey, where's MY photo?" She points to the wall where Sammy's photo is. "Mine used to be... right there. Now it's just some... INSECT. Children don't like insects. Why would you do this? Why. Would. You. Do. This? Did you lose it?" Hueghey frowns. "No, I threw it away. Because you're a has-been. A washed up lunatic with no future. The company had its use of you. But Wentworth wanted you canned." Hueghey smiles, as if he knows some kind of dark secret. "It was inevitable. And all your fault too."* *You notice Ellie has begun to shake, and her eyes glaze over once again. "M-my fault? Ellie the Equinoid is the most beloved character in all of media history! I entertained the children! Washed up has-been?! My career isn't over! Unlike YOURS THAT'S ABOUT TO BE!" She lunges for Hueghey but the thin man slips out of the way and activates a panic switch under his desk. Alarms flash and you can tell security has been called. Time to get to work or to get out of here!*
		1. Fight off the security
			+ *The security isn't quite what you expect - a Rebel elite, in fact. If there was any clue-in that this firm might be tied to Vance, this is a sure one. Either way, it's time to take down some Rebels.*
				- **Continue to Elite Rebel Security Fight.**
		2. Leave
			+ *Ellie turns to you incredulously. You tell her none of this is worth it, but she doesn't seem to hear you. You're forced to drag her out of the building, and quickly. By the time security arrives you're already gone.*
				- **Quest failed.**

## Elite Rebel Security Fight

Elite Rebel Security* Elite Assault
* Elite Battleship
* Elite Bomber
* Elite Destroyer
* Elite Dropship
* Elite Fighter
* Elite Instigator
* Elite Marauder
* Elite Picket
* Elite Predator
* Elite Rigger
1/11
1. Rebel Elite ship is destroyed/crewkilled.
	* *The Rebel Elite - and consequentially Hueghey's security - have been dispatched. You scrap the remains.*
		+ You receive a HIGH standard reward.
			1. Find Hueghey again.
				- *By the time you've landed your ship, you're just in time to see Hueghey running out of the building, but he doesn't get far. Ellie jumps in the way and pushes him onto the concrete, resting her boot on his face and grinding it against the rough concrete. Hueghey screams but can only just be heard over Ellie's maniac laughter. "STEPHAN! STOP! I will SUE YOU to KINGDOM COME!" Only then does it seem to finally dawn on the dried up laywer that Ellie doesn't care about the legality of this situation. "O-okay. Stephan, listen. Maybe we can talk this through. Your beef is with Wentworth, right? Or the divorce? I know - I represented your wife during that dispute. It was an honest... mistake." He struggles to spit out the word mistake. "But I can... uhm... I can get you in touch with Wentworth. Okay? I can be useful - I can..."* *Ellie spits on the ground next to Hueghey. "The only thing I hate more than a double-crosser is one who'll double-cross for both sides. What kind of degenerate morals did they teach your generation? I inspire to teach children POSITIVITY! And friendship! And kindness! You represent crooks and genocidal maniacs, and keep them out of hot water when they want to start race riots that provoke civil wars." Ellie lingers on that last thought, as if she wants to say more, but stops. She begins to reach for her knife slowly, making sure Hueghey can see her motions and quiver in fear.*
					1. Stand back and let Ellie kill him.
						* *Ellie draws her knife and gets on her knee, holding the blade up to Hueghey's arm. She begins to cut away sections from his flesh while whistling a merry tune from her show. At least, you think thats what she's whistling, because you can't hear it very well between the screaming and sobbing from Hueghey. You notice various other workers fleeing the scene and turning to point and scream at Ellie's violence before them. Once the screams have finally stopped, and Hueghey's corpse is barely even recognizable, Ellie finally stops and gets up. The blood splatters over her uniform are fairly disconcerting, but you can tell Ellie has certainly been... invigorated by this. "Another one down! Doo doo doo! Superfantastulastic!"*
							+ Ellie's Bloodlust counter goes up by 1.
							+ **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 3.**
					2. Stop her. Nothing good will be gained by this.
						* *You've been desensitized to violence, and may commit a fair share of it yourself, but you know what's about to happen next is going to be purely sadistic brutality. This man is shameful, but he's no Vance Wentworth. His punishment deserves to be at the hands of the law - the very thing he pretends to protect. You tell Ellie this much, and she seems to listen. "Okay Hueghey! Superfan over here decided you get to live today! Normally I wouldn't be this nice, but since I already set up that fire bomb in your office, I think we can call it even!" Hueghey stutters. "F-fire bomb?"* *Ellie pulls out a switch from her pocket and presses the button, and shards of glass rain down from above. You look up to see pillows of smoke forming from one of the windows. Ellie bellies over in laughter, "This is why you don't smoke kids! You'll set all of your life's work on fire!" She wipes away a gleeful tear and walks back to the ship, making sure to step on top of Hueghey on her way. You give the man no pity of your own and follow her.*
							+ Ellie's Stability counter goes up by 1.
							+ **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 3.**
			2. Ellie didn't make it. There's no reason to track down Hueghey now.
				- **Quest failed.**

## Conversation with Ellie 3

Similar to the previous stages, you must open your ships storage and select the 'You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.' option.

1. You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.
	* *You find Ellie staring at a pack of stolen cigarettes in her hand, pondering them deeply. When she notices you, she stashes them in her suit and spins around in a circle. "Another day, another entry on the liiiiiissssst to cross off! Yippee! I am super duper franticalasticly excited for the next one!"*
		1. **Who's next?**
		2. Was burning down that office necessary? (Only appears if you stopped Ellie from killing Hueghey)
			+ *"Of course it was silly! Hueghey did all sorts of evil things! He was practically a supervillain. But he's just too boring to be one."*
				- Other people worked at that firm though.
					* *"And so what? If they were working with Hueghey they deserved it! Bad actions are infectious, you need... you need... stop distracting me! Let's get a move on!" Ellie wavers, as if struggling to defend her actions.*
						+ **Who's next?**
						+ **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
		3. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**

1. **Who's next?**
	* *"We're going after my old ex-friend Remmy the Rekma! He plays poker with some friends at a local establishment, and we're going to crash his littttlllle PAAARTY! Hahah! He was always so funny with his goofy accent and those big ears of his, too bad he didn't have my back when I was sacked! I saw that little traitorous neerdowell shaking hands with Sammy and welcoming him onto the cast the week before I got the pink slip! And traitors deserve a little payback, don't you think?"*
		+ ELLIE'S QUEST [!] will appear on your sector map. This beacon is fleet immune, and thus will remain available even if the Rebel fleet overtakes it.
		+ **Continue to Militia Outpost.**
2. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
	* Return to storage menu.

## Militia Outpost

*The nearby establishment is no casino nor bar - it's actually a Militia outpost, albeit a fairly casual one. Various non-militia civilians wander about, and a section in the dining hall hosts a group of rough but friendly looking militia soldiers that are engrossed in lively banter. It shouldn't take too long to find 'Remmy'.*

1. Search for Remmy.
	* *Simply following the noise of the crowd of militiamen, you realize the banter is being casted over a routine poker game. As you approach, the contrasting bright pink of Ellie's suit causes many heads to turn. One man in particular, a very unusually small Rockman, seems to be the most shocked of all. "Stephan? What in the blazes are you doing here?" The Rockman pulls out a seat and offers Ellie to sit, but she ignores him. "Remmy, I found you! Fuh-fuh-fuh-found you! You thought you could hide from me? Well you were wrong!"*
		+ Wait, you're the one who plays Remmy?
			- *The Rockman nods. "Yes, though it's not something you'd find out without digging. I don't know why I took the job, it's been nothing but hell. It's why I also run this Militia gig - the Union has no laws protecting the equal pay of immigrant species, and I was never paid as much as anyone else. Certainly not as much as Stephan." Upon mentioning the other actor in the room, the Rockman turns back to Ellie. "Stephan, we're not at work right now. You don't need to call me Remmy anymore, heh. It's just Gos." Gos sticks out his hand, which you instinctually shake despite the purpose of your mission here. The friendly and unintimidating composure of the Rockman has disarmed you, and even Ellie seems a bit reserved. Even still, she sticks to the script.* *"Remmy, Remmy, Remmy. You can lie all you want, but Ellie knows the truth! She's an honest horse, and she knows a liar well!"* *Gos seems genuinely hurt. "Stephan, are you accusing me of getting you fired? We've been friends since day one! You were the only one on that cast that treated me like an actual person, and not some kind of alien defect or unwanted invader. We used to go for rides in the Equinox, we designed merchandise ideas together, we hung out after work almost weekly! What they did to you was terrible, and it's a large reason why I quit! But being nice to the newcomer doesn't mean I turned my back on you! Michael seems like a good guy, and he's a great actor. Good with kids, and he plays Sammy well. He's certainly nowhere as dedicated to the role as you are, but you can't blame him for a decision made all the way up the ladder to W.I. when they bought the studio!"* *Ellie begins to scream and shout, kicking over tables and tearing up some paintings on the wall. Startled by the sudden violent actions, multiple Militia soldiers have abandoned the poker game and now have their hands on their weapons. "LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! YOU'RE A RAT! A TRAITOR! DON'T LIE TO ELLIE, SHE KNOWS THE TRUTH! A-and... and... and my friends here will back me up! Right? You wouldn't betray me, would you superfan?" Ellie turns to you, pleading for your support.*
				1. Back up Ellie.
					* *While the idea of fighting all of these Militiamen doesn't excite you, you stand your ground behind Ellie. Gos seems at a loss, but the other Militiamen don't hesitate. The threat now apparent, the station turns hostile and you have a fight on your hands!*
						+ **Continue to Militia Station Fight.**
				2. You can't do this, Ellie.
					* *"No, no no no no no no! You can't seriously be... how could you DO this superfan?! Fine, I'll do this MYSELF. LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE TO!" Ellie reaches for her knife, but as her eyes dart across the room and sees just how outnumbered she is, she stops. "I..." Ellie straightens her shoulders and takes a deep breath in and out, and her composure changes very suddenly to friendly. "You're right Gos, you wouldn't betray me, would you? You... you'd never betray your best friend Ellie! Remmy and Ellie, they're the most iconic duo in media history!"* *Gos nods carefully. "Just like old times, yeah? I know the divorce hit you hard Stephan, and getting fired even more, but you can't make it alone in this screwed up Multiverse. I can try my best to help you, but in the end you have to help yourself first."* *Ellie shakes her head. "Ellie IS helping herself! She's on the right path, don't you worry best friend! Okay, well I have to go now, space is big and there's a lot of children out there who need Ellie! Bye bye! Let's go, superfan!" Ellie gallops out the door and back to the ship.* *You go to follow but Gos puts a hand on your shoulder to stop you. "Hey, thanks for that. Just... keep an eye on him, okay? He's always been a bit... well I'm not sure how to put it politely. A bit loopy, I guess. Back when he joined Flowers and Sunshine the company was in the dirt, and Stephan was nothing but a deadbeat actor who had fallen from grace. When his wife left him, and took his kid as well, he devoted himself to the role like crazy. He got acting tips from Cornelius Parrysmith, the most renowned method actor in the Multiverse, but he also started to... believe he WAS the character. I like the guy, but I also know he needs a friend. When he got fired, everything went downhill. I don't actually know why they sacked him, though I heard rumors it came all the way from the top. He practically single-handedly brought the company to fortune! I have a sinking feeling he won't stop until he's gotten 'Sammy'. Don't let him hurt Michael, okay? There's a lot of scumbags at W.I., but we actors are just trying to make a living." Gos nods and pats you on the back. "Alright, that's all I had to say. I'll have my boys give you a little something on the way out. Always good to see someone protecting the Federation."*
						+ You receive a MEDIUM standard reward and 7 hull repair.
						+ Ellie's Stability counter goes up by 1.
						+ **Continue to Ellie Conversation 4.**
2. Without Ellie there's no point in this.
	* **Quest failed. This option will be the only one present should Ellie no longer be part of your crew.**
3. Change your mind and leave.
	* *You decide this mission isn't worth the risk.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

## Militia Station Fight (Optional 'Back up Ellie' event)

Militia Station

1. Militia Station takes sufficient damage and surrenders.
	* *The Militia station has been damaged to the point it can no longer function, and surrenders.*
		+ You receive a MEDIUM standard reward.
		+ **Find Gos again.**
2. Militia Station is crewkilled.
	* *The Militia fighting force of the Militia station has been eliminated, leaving no one else capable of defending it.*
		+ You receive a MEDIUM standard reward.
		+ **Find Gos again.**
3. Militia Station is destroyed. (Only appears if Station was destroyed before they could offer surrender, such as via an Ares Missile hitting a systemless room).
	* *The Militia station hss been destroyed, scattering various escape pods nearby. One of them likely contains Gos.*
		+ You receive a MEDIUM standard reward.
		+ **Find Gos again.**
4. Ellie dies during the fight.
	* *Ellie didn't make it. There's no reason to track down Rigley now.* (Note: due to an error the text says Rigley, despite the target being Remmy/Gos).

1. **Find Gos again.**
	* *During the fight, Gos appears to have been gravely wounded. By the time you find him, his death already seems imminent. Ellie traces her way around the room, dragging her knife against the walls in deep concentration. Never once does she make eye contact with the Rockman. Finally, she paces back to the center of the room and stands over Gos, staring him in the eyes. "This is what happens to traitors, Remmy. Do me a favor and say hi to Sammy in h-e-double hockey sticks!" Ellie performs one single swipe of her knife against Gos's throat, sealing his fate. As the Rockman bleeds out on the floor, Ellie wipes the blood from her knife and marches out of the room with less of her usual childlike manner.*
		+ Ellie's Bloodlust counter goes up by 1.
			- If Ellie's Bloodlust counter
		+ **Continue to Conversation with Eliie 4.**

## Conversation with Ellie 4

Similar to the previous stages, you must open your ships storage and select the 'You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.' option.

1. You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.
	* *Ellie is whistling the theme song to her own show in perfect rhythm whilst snapping her fingers and bouncing back and forth. "We're almost at the end of the list, superfan! I am soooo excited! EEEEEH! Are you ready?! Like, super duper ready?!"*
		1. **Who's next?**
		2. Killing Gos was probably not the right thing to do. (Only appears if you allowed Ellie to kill Gos)
			+ *Ellie stares at you blankly, barely even breathing. "Who's Gos, silly?"*
				- Remmy.
					* *"Oh! Hahah! Yes. Now, let's move on."*
						+ **Who's next?**
						+ **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
		3. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**

1. **Who's next?**
	* *"Next up is the one and only Paul Lancastor, director of the Ellie the Equinoid show! Well, about to be FORMER director, hahah! The decision to fire me was as much his fault as it was Vance's, and I have a special treat for him!"*
		+ ELLIE'S QUEST [!] will appear on your sector map. This beacon is fleet immune, and thus will remain available even if the Rebel fleet overtakes it.
		+ **Continue to Paul's Vacation Home.**
2. **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
	* Return to storage menu.

## Paul's Vacation Home

*The coordinates Ellie gave you take you straight to a well constructed and evidently expensive piece of real-estate, seemingly a vacation home. Even more bafflingly, an MFK Ace is parked outside as some sort of guard. To get inside, you'll have to kill them first.*

1. Attack the MFK.
	* *As soon as you reveal your ship, the MFK ship locks on and attacks. Get ready for combat!*
		+ **Fight the MFK Ace Guard.**
2. Without Ellie there's no point in this.
	* **Quest failed.**
3. Change your mind and leave.
	* *You decide this mission isn't worth the risk.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

MFK Ace Guard* MFK Assault Ace
* MFK Battleship Ace
* MFK Bomber Ace
* MFK Destroyer Ace
* MFK Dropship Ace
* MFK Fighter Ace
* MFK Instigator Ace
* MFK Marauder Ace
* MFK Picket Ace
* MFK Predator Ace
* MFK Rigger Ace
1/11
1. MFK Guard destroyed/crewkilled.
	* *The MFK Guard has been eliminated. You scrap the remains.*
		+ You receive a HIGH standard reward.
		+ Enter Paul's home.
			- *With no more need for stealth, Ellie breaks down the front door and barges her way inside. You and your crew march your way to the highest floor, where a sickly thin man in a bathroom stands staring out a window. A row of TV monitors on the side show security footage of the wrecked MFK and front door. "So, you've arrived at last, Stephan. When I heard the news of your hijinks with Spruce and Armstrong I wondered if you'd be coming here next." The man turns around, revealing a long scar that cuts through his now-missing left eye. He bows to you in mock hospitality. "Welcome to Casa de Lancastor. I hope you don't mind the mess, a bunch of neanderthals and a freak in a horse costume just broke into my house. Please, why don't you have a seat?" Paul sits, legs folded, in a padded swivel chair facing several uncomfortable folding chairs.*
				* **Sit.**
				* Don't sit.
					+ *Paul flinches. "Sit."*
						- **Sit.**
							* *Your crew all take a seat except for Ellie, who of course is in her usual lone-wolf self. Paul seems almost bored by her presence rather than frightened. "So, Stephan. Do tell me why you're here."*
								+ **Continue...**
						- Still refuse to sit.
							* *The director lets out a tired sigh. "Fine. Stand there like a moron and be uncomfortable." Paul turns towards Ellie, who's standing off to the side glaring at him. He seems almost bored by her presence rather than frightened. "So, Stephan. Do tell me why you're here."*
								+ **Continue...**
2. Ellie dies during the fight.
	* *Ellie didn't make it. There's no reason to track down Paul now.*
		+ **Quest failed. You receive a HIGH standard reward.**

1. **Continue...**
	* *"Well Pauly, superfan here and I came to pay you a little visit! A little payback for all your hard work getting me tossed in the dumpster! Let's face it, you were always jealous of me! Ellie's grace always overshadowed your creative genius, and you know the show would have been NOTHING without me! Flowers and Sunshine would be a ghost town if not for little ol' Ellie. I'm a superstar, a superfantasticalasticstar!"* *Paul breaks out into full on laughter, curling into a ball in pain from how much he's laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! JEALOUS?! OF YOU?!" Paul scoots closer, his smug smile receding and replaced by a menacing look. "I gave you a chance to climb up from the ground, you psycopathic lunatic. I built this whole damn show, and you just rode on my success. Acting tips from Cornelius Parrysmith? What a riot! The only person more insane than Cornelius I've ever met is YOU. You were a drugged up, smoke-addicted dumpster fire who couldn't act for shit. Why do you think your wife left you, huh? Because she couldn't stand to be around you. You're disgusting, you're worthless."* *Ellie slams her knife into the desk in front of her, leaning in closer. "I AM NOT WORTHLESS! I AM BELOVED, I AM FABULOUS, I AM THE GREATEST CHARACTER IN ALL OF MEDIA HISTORY!"* *Paul snorts. "No, you're just delusional. Ellie's ratings were tanking long before you were fired. Kids got tired of the gimmick. They don't want wholesome, happy bullshit. They don't want morals. They want to be entertained. Comedy's gotten darker. Kids have matured. The Civil War really changed this great nation, and for the better I say! The Union's ready to handle the truth, that this Multiverse is a dangerous place and they need to be ready to fight for their right to live here. Vance has the right idea. Those Rebels are out risking their lives to make things better for all of us, but until that happens we can't keep up with the goo-goo ga-ga fluff."* *Ellie shakes her head repeatedly. "No no no, you're lying! You're a lying liar who lies! Children will always love me! I was fired because of a grand scheme orchestrated by Vance Wentworth! Don't lie to me!"* *"I don't need to lie to you. You just need to stop pretending you're the main character in everyone else's life. Yeah, Vance was the one who ordered you to be fired. Because what kind of example were you setting for his nephew? After what you did to his sister? You wretch, he aught to have executed you for treating her that way. Instead, he just gave you the boot. It's well known you're a Fed-sympathizer anyways, and people like that aren't all too popular in these parts. Just consider yourself lucky you don't have lead lodged between your last remaining three brain-cells and get lost. Go find the dumpster you crawled out of and lock yourself in, for the benefit of everyone."* *Ellie lunges for Paul, grabbing him by the throat and pulling him onto the ground. She begins maniacally beating him with her fists, but the man makes not even so much as a whimper as he's assaulted. It seems he's accepted his own fate, and doesn't even care. The question is, what benefit will this bring?*
		1. Let Ellie continue.
			+ *Ellie continues to beat Paul, her fists getting bloodier and bloodier, and Paul's face is slowly reduced to a pulp. Once the man's lost conscience, Ellie stands up and brings down her boot to his face, caving it with a sickening splurt of blood. Out of breath, she collapses into a shivering heap next to the corpse of the former-director. Not sure what else to do, you lift her up and carry her back to the ship.*
				- Ellie's Bloodlust counter goes up by 1.
				- **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 5.**
		2. Tell Ellie to stop.
			+ *Ellie doesn't hear you, continuing to beat Paul until you're forced to pull her away kicking and screaming. "LET ME AT HIM! LET. ME. AT. HIM! HE DESERVES IT! THE SWOGGLIN! THE DINGUS! THE..." Ellie struggles to find another PG insult to use. In her desperate searching, she finally calms down and collapses to the ground in a shivering and sobbing heap. "I'm not a failure... I'm not... a failure..." Paul seems to only barely even be conscious, and his facade of indifference has broken. Admist the quiet sobbing of the two men, you lift Ellie up and carry her back to the ship.*
				- Ellie's Stability counter goes up by 1.
				- **Continue to Conversation with Ellie 5.**

## Conversation with Ellie 5

Similar to the previous stages, you must open your ships storage and select the 'You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.' option.

1. You're concerned about Ellie's mental state. Check in on her.
	* *You can't seem to find Ellie in any of her usual spots. Instead, you eventually find her crawled up in the airlock, with the safety features disabled. She looks distraught, but as you approach she climbs to her feet and attempts to regain her standard composure. "Are you ready superfan? We're on the last item on my list! It's gonna be great... the super awesome saucesome kind of great!"*
		+ **Who's next?**
			- *"We're going to be going after Sammy the Spider! That stupid idiot evil monstrous fiend stole my place on the show, outsold my merchandise, and is corrupting the youth with his 'hip and trendy' fads! Rap music? Seriously?! What are they teaching the children?! We're going to get rid of this menace, and when he's out of the way, the show will be mine again! I'll be a star for all the Multiverse to see! Oh isn't it wonderful how close we are?! And when we're done, it'll be a free life's supply of quarp juice and merchandise for you superfan, for bringing me all this way!" Ellie wipes a tear away. "I dare even say... we might be friends?! But we can worry about that later, Sammy must come first!"*
				* ELLIE'S QUEST [!] will appear on your sector map. This beacon is fleet immune, and thus will remain available even if the Rebel fleet overtakes it.
				* **Continue to Sammy the Spider Live Tour.**
		+ **I'm not comfortable doing this right now.**
			- Return to storage menu.

## Sammy the Spider Live Tour

*The coords take you to a gigantic and busy urban city, with heavy traffic from off-world. From the flood of advertisements you receive approaching the surface, it seems Sammy is on some kind of galactic tour, traveling with the other Flowers and Sunshine mascots on a live televised performance for children all over. Security seems extremely tight due to the size of the event, and if you had to guess they might already know Ellie's coming. What really catches your eye though is the bright blue and spider-shaped cruiser that seems to be smiling upon the crowd below. If you had to guess, this is how the cast of the show's been getting around, though the arsenal of weapons is certainly... a strange addition.*

1. Enter.
	* *You sneak aboard the building where the event is being held, slipping through the back stages. Ellie moves with complete purpose, no galloping or horse noises. She stares forward laser focused, searching for one man and one man only. Eventually you reach the dressing rooms, where a couple cast members half-dressed in their costumes see you. "Hey, hey, you people can't be back here! Fans aren't allowed backstage even with a pass until after the concert's over! Damn it, where's security..."* *Ellie spreads her arms and lets out a high pitched squeel. "Dora! Cammie! You guys are here! It's me, Ellie! I don't need a pass silly, I'm the main character of the show. So forgetful." Ellie fakes a large sigh. "But I'll forgive you both because today is a very exciting day! The day Ellie gets what she deserves!"* *The two mascots turn to each other. "S-Stephan? Wh-wh-what are you d-doing? Holy shit, when we heard about Rigley... and Hueghey... Stephan- what is WRONG with you?! You're insane!"* *"Oh no, you guys too?! All around me, traitors, traitors, traitors! What's a horse to do? I'm so tired of this madness. The Multiverse has gone to crock. The only thing that can save it now is Ellie. Ellie and her best friend, superfan! Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Ellie pushes her way past the mascots, who fall to the ground and don't even bother to get back up. You glance back at them before following Ellie into the room marked with a large blue "S". Inside, a tall but rather ordinary man sits in a padded chair facing a mirror, doing breathing exercises. He doesn't hear you come in, but when Ellie grabs him from behind and throws him to the floor, it gets his attention.* *"S-SECURI-MMPH" Sammy is cut off by Ellie's boot in his mouth. "Now now Sammy. Naughty little spider. I caaaauuuught you! Ellie caught you! Heheheh!" Ellie sways her hands back and forth and does a little song and dance. Sammy struggles to escape from underneath Ellie but to no avail. However, clearly either someone heard his shouting earlier or the two mascots reported your crew, because you can hear shouting from outside and heavy footsteps. From the sound of it, there's quite a few guards on their way. You need to leave, and quickly.*
		+ Convince Ellie to go.
			- *There's no choice here - you're outnumbered and if you stay, you'll either be arrested or way too many people will die. Ellie isn't listening as usual, so you grab her by the arm and yank her out the door. As soon as you leave, Sammy runs out in the other direction, yelling for security to follow you.* *You make it safely outside the building and back to the ship, but not before a fully-suited woman jumps out in front of you to block you from getting to your ship, blaster in hand. She's a Rebel of some kind, but from her black and yellow uniform you can't quite tell what rank. Either way, not the kind of individual you'd expect to see here. "So it's true! The deranged actor IS hunting down Flowers and Sunshine's cast members. When word reached Vance in Universe 1, well... there was quite a lot of hysteria! You have to imagine, after all your history... and to hear you're still out there! He thought you were dead, or in a loony bin somewhere at least. Unfortunately, you must understand Stephan, that Flowers and Sunshine is a member of the Wentworth Innovations family, and you aren't a part of that family. It's against business interests to leave you or your Renegade friends as liabilities. I was dispatched, hand chosen, from Universe 1 to make sure you STAY fired this time."* *The Rebel turns to you. "Vance sends his best regards, by the way. You're the one they sent to dismantle the Flagship? Really? Not who I would have chosen, but then again I have the intelligence to side with the liberators, not the oppressors. Now... I COULD kill you with my ship... but I think it'd be more entertaining for you to die to that big stupid looking blue spider. Hah." The cruiser from earlier powers on in the distance, its already out of place arsenal now humming with power. No more time to waste, it's time to fight!*
				* **Continue to Sammy the Spider Cruiser Fight.**
2. Without Ellie there's no point in this.
	* **Quest failed. This option will be the only one present should Ellie no longer be part of your crew.**
3. Change your mind and leave.
	* *You decide this mission isn't worth the risk.*
		+ **Quest failed.**

## Sammy the Spider Cruiser Boss Fight

The Giant Enemy Spider

1. Sammy's Cruiser destroyed/crewkilled.
	* *You've defeated the hideous blue cruiser, and hopefully the last of whatever Rebel force Universe 1 sent to stop you and Ellie.*
		+ You receive a HIGH standard reward.
		+ **Continue...**
2. Ellie dies during the fight.
	* *Ellie didn't make it. You'll have to be satisfied with taking out the Rebels.*
		+ **Quest failed. You receive a HIGH standard reward.**

1. **Continue...**
	* *As you fly back past the stadium, you notice the collateral damage from the fight has left the venue in disarray. The front entrance is on fire and emergency services are doing their best to get inside, while crowds of people are either paralyzed in their seats or fleeing to any exit they can find. While you're focused on the crowds, Ellie runs up to you and reports she spotted Sammy crawling around on the stage, trying to find help. "We have to go after him! Pull the ship in closer!"*
		+ What? Seriously?! Haven't we done enough?
			- *Ellie draws her knife on you, demanding you pull the ship in closer. Not wanting to start another fight, you do as she says. To your shock, once you're close enough to the open roof of the stage, Ellie rushes for one of the airlocks and leaps out. She catches herself on one of the tarps, tearing it and swinging her way down to the stage. She hits the floor and rolls, and for a moment you think she might be dead from such a long fall. However, she gets up again with a limp and continues to approach Sammy, knife drawn. The crowd screams in terror, but their eyes are glued on the scene.* *"ELLIE'S BACK! ELLIE'S BACK ON THE STAGE EVERYONE! CHEER FOR ME!" Ellie spins around, stumbling because of her leg. She flicks her knife from out of her suit and points it directly at Sammy. "Sammy the Spider, you're no hero of any child! You're a monster, teaching the youth the degenerate morals of an era of Rebel filth! You're a disgrace to everything this show has ever stood for! And to think, you fired me! You kicked Ellie the Equinoid OFF THE ELLIE THE EQUINOID SHOW! YOU LUNATIC!"* *"Stephan, please, stop! My name is Michael, I'm just an actor! You're just an actor! It's just a kid's show!"* *"SHUTTUP! SHUTTUP! YOU KNOW NOTHING! YOU- YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC IS RAP MUSIC! YOU HAVE NO TASTE!"* *"Stephan, I don't even listen to rap music! Before this job I was just an Ellie imitator who worked gigs at carnivals and birthday parties! I was a nobody, and you were my hero! I remember watching you as a kid, you brought me so much joy! I-I drank quarp juice every day at recess! I still have my Ellie plushie from when I was a kid! I didn't fire you, I-I swear! I just got lucky, scoring a birthday gig for Vance's nephew! Ellie was his favorite character too! Vance thought I was good, but he didn't like the character! He told me he was planning to buy the studio, and add some new characters! He suggested I might do play a role well! I was so excited... I had no idea I was going to be REPLACING you! I thought I'd get to work alongside you!"* *Ellie stutters at the mention of Vance's nephew, but seems to shake it off. "LIAR, LIAR! LIAR! DON'T GIVE ME THAT MALARKEY! NO NO NO! THERE IS ONLY ONE ELLIE! YOU CANNOT BE ELLIE!" Ellie grabs Michael by the leg and with an impressive display of upper-body strength tosses him behind her. As Michael tries to get off the ground, Ellie plunges her knife into his shoulder, twisting it. Her smile grows wider and wider, as blood coats her uniform. "ELLIE THE EQUINOID WILL ALWAYS BE THE GREATEST. CHARACTER. IN ALL OF MEDIA HISTORY! AND I. WILL ALWAYS. BE HER!"*
				1. You've stopped enough of these murders. Maybe you can stop Ellie again? **(Only appears if Ellie's Stability counter is higher than her Bloodlust counter)**
					* *With no time to waste, you call out to Ellie. Though your voice is mostly drowned out by all the screaming, it seems to reach Ellie regardless. She pauses, knife still in hand, and glances over at the crowd. Thousands of eyes stare down on her in terror, many of them children who used to revere her, or would have once if they had been old enough to watch her show in the past. Ellie falters, then glances back at Michael, whose whimpering has subsided and been replaced with quiet submission, ready for his fate.* *"Ellie... El... oh my god." Ellie stands up, and looks at her hands, soaked in a crimson red. "What have I done? What have I become? Ellie... Ellie would never do this. Ellie doesn't... murder people. They were right. I'm insane. I'm wearing a bloody horse costume and I'm completely insane. How did I get here? HOW DID I GET HERE?" Stephan begins to scream, collapsing to his knees and putting his hands on his head. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?! ELENA? ELENA? OH MY GOD ELENA YOU WERE RIGHT! I BELONG IN AN ASYLUM... I... I belong in an asylum..." Stephan falls to the floor, sobbing. "I'm sorry Michael, I'm sorry... god what have I done?"* *Michael, still in shock, struggles to respond, but when he does it's in a strangely composed manner. "You need to see a doctor. And you need to get as far away from Ellie and this show as you can. It's messing with you, man. This job made you go crazy. I think... I think I'm going to pass out." And so Sammy does, leaving Stephan all alone on the stage. "Renegade.. I guess superfan isn't the right word... what do I do? What becomes of me? Michael's right... god how did I ever think I could come back from this." He tears off the gigantic horse head and throws it off the stage, revealing a messy tangle of grey hair and an aging man. He doesn't look menacing in even the slightest without the costume, just a sad old man with a broken life.*
						1. Take Stephan with you.
							+ *"Really? After all of this, you'd still keep me around? I don't... I don't understand. I'm nothing but a liability. I guess it's a chance. A chance to be something. I can't even make up for what I have become, but in whatever years I have left maybe I can do something. Thank you, Renegade. Not for sparing me, but for sparing all the people I tried to kill. You're the hero to children that I never manage to be. We need more people like you."*
								- **Quest completed. You unlock the Equinoid Cruiser; Stephan joins your crew and your general notoriety decreases.**
						2. Convince Stephan to turn himself in.
							+ *The only thing that could keep Stephan, and the rest of the galaxy, safe is with him locked away. Even he knows this now, and hearing it from you has little effect. "Yes... yes I suppose that's what I must do. I still... I still feel myself clinging to the idea that maybe things can still go back to how they were. I'm a monster. I'm a lunatic. And I guess the only place for those things, if not at the bottom of an ocean, is in an asylum. Thank you, Renegade, for sparing all those people I tried to kill. Be the kind of hero to children that I never could."*
								- **Quest completed. You unlock the Equinoid Cruiser and** **Ellie/Stephan leaves your crew.**
				2. All you can do is watch in horror.
					* *With nothing and no one able or willing to do anything now to reach Ellie, the inevitable is all that is left to occur. In a final stroke of both knife and fate, Michael falls with a severed neck. Ellie stands, murder weapon in hand, and receives with open arms her standing ovation of screams and tears. "They love me! They love Ellie! They always have! They always will! HAHAHAHAHAH! HAAAHAHAHAH! I'm a star!" Ellie turns to you, arms still wide. "Superfan, the day of Ellie is now! No more Sammy! There is ONLY. The Ellie show. And that is all that there ever will be!"* *Before you now stands a monster, a monster that perhaps if you had chosen differently, you could have prevented. But now this is your responsibility. You doubt Ellie will go much further in life from here, but she might still be of use to you in the mission. After that though is another story.*
						1. Take Ellie with you.
							+ *You say nothing to Ellie but yank her arm and run back to the ship. Still lost in her dreamland, Ellie skips and dances her way back to the ship with you. The Federation probably won't be very happy with you for enabling this.*
								- **Quest completed. You unlock the Equinoid Cruiser.  Ellie rejoins your crew at Bloodlust level 6 and your general notoriety greatly increases.**
						2. Leave Ellie behind.
							+ *You have no use on your ship for someone as far gone as Ellie is now. She'll only become a liability for you and your crew. You head back to the ship, while reinforcements descend on the stage in the distance. Chances are, Ellie's moment of glory won't last for much longer.*
								- **Quest completed. You unlock the Equinoid Cruiser and Ellie leaves your crew.**