VOTOMS Ep. 41: Quent

Chirico wanders the deserts of Quent and tries to drink water, but he finds that his canteen is empty. He sees a city in the distance and walks towards it, but after walking a long distance he discovers it’s nothing but a mirage. He collapses and rolls down a hill, thinking of Rochina’s declaration that he is a PS. Chirico passes out and later wakes up in the truck of a trader named Gecko. He seizes a canteen from Gecko and gulps down some water. Gecko tells Chirico he’s crazy for trying to walk across Quent’s deserts by himself. Chirico asks Gecko where he is going, and Gecko says he is headed for Gomor, the only city left on Quent. Chirico looks out a window and loses consciousness again. In space, the Secret Society Flagship enters orbit of Quent. The Schmitel twins tell Killy that Chirico is a greater threat to them now that Ypsilon is dead. They intend to go down to Quent and finish him off. Killy warns them that the Gilgamesh and Balarant both have soldiers on Quent, and the twins say they will make it seem like a local disturbance. Later, Chirico wakes up in Gecko’s tent and gets up to leave. Gecko tells Chirico he’s not fit to leave, but he also wants to make sure he gets a reward for saving Chirico. Gecko asks Chirico what he wants to do, and Chirico says he wants to meet a Quentian. Gecko laughs and explains that Quentians don’t live in Gomor, and the only time to find any is when they visit the Mercenary Center to be recruited. Gecko returns to his tent and is attacked by several ruffians working for a man named Hazegar. Hazegar gives Gecko money in exchange for Chirico’s location. Chirico arrives at the Mercenary Center and explains to the receptionist that he wants to hire a Quentman for a private mission. The receptionist says that’s impossible, and Chirico lies that it’s already paid for. He then runs to the elevator and attacks a guard to find out where the Quentmen are. The guard lies at first, but Chirico presses him and is directed to the Quentian quarter. He rides up the elevator and blasts his way through a door, where he finds an old Quentman waiting for him.

Chirico enters the room and tells the Quentman that he only wants to talk. He asks the Quentman if he knows what a Perfect Soldier is, but the Quentman answers that he doesn’t. Chirico asks if any other Quentians would know about a PS, and the Quentman says it’s possible. Chirico asks the Quentman who he is, and he answers that he’s an Emissary. Chirico asks if they have a government, and the Emissary says that long ago they did before forming many tribes. He doesn’t even know how many Quentians there are because they’re all spread out across the planet. Chirico asks the Emissary how it is that thousands of Quentians can be mercenaries, and the Emissary says they gather to fight of their own accord. The Emissary tells Chirico that he should travel across the desert and use the beacon to contact other Quentians. As guards are about to break in, Chirico breaks out a window and rappels himself to the ground. He runs through the streets of Gomor and is chased by Hazegar’s men. Hazegar blocks Chirico’s path and tells him that some old friends are waiting at the spaceport. Chirico escapes and runs straight into a dead end alley. Gecko appears from the other side of the wall and tells Chirico to let them capture him for the moment. Chirico punches his way through the thugs, but Hazegar wraps a whip around Chirico’s neck and shoots him with a tranquilizer dart. Chirico punches Hazegar until one of the thugs sneaks up from behind and knocks him out. At the spaceport, the Schmitel twins drink wine to celebrate the capture of Chirico. Hazegar pulls up to the shuttle and has his men pull Chirico out of the truck. The mayor of Gomor pulls up and tells Hazegar to let Chirico go because he is the guest of a Quentman. Chirico later wakes up in the truck and is surprised to see Shako. Shako explains that Gecko uses the beacon to send out a message about Chirico. The Schmitel twins report to Killy about Chirico and promise to capture him in the desert. Gecko gives Chirico some supplies, and Chirico loads them onto a sand runner. Shako says that their destination is his village, where the people may or may not know about a PS.