Mission:Brass Tuesday (Villain) - Part Three: No Plan Survives

Part Three: No Plan Survives

Briefing

The automaton begins wailing a patriotic ballad, exulting in the glory of Lord Nemesis.

~From the fortress on hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, he shall reach of the skyyyyyyyyyyy~

~None can stand before or above!

For his might is unmaaaaaaatched, and his glory-

• *Ahem* I have a question. Where was Nemesis exactly one year ago?

The song stops abruptly, and the automaton's head jerks toward you.

Why, one year ago Lord Nemesis was engaged in his grand assault on the Steel Canyon area of Paragon City! Today also marks the day when Nemesis first unveiled his ultimate creation, which single-handedly destroyed the entire Freedom Phalanx!

The automaton smiles cheerily at you, then its head swivels toward the sky again, and it begins to sing again.

Repel the Nemesis Attack

Unnecessary Solicitation

...stood the Warhuuuuuuuuuuulks... gleaming brooooooooooooonze! Aaaaaaallll hail Lord Neeeeeeemesis...

Lastri Kayumanis

Briefing

Lastri seems to notice your new air of confidence, and smiles at you.

I... take it your trip was successful, sir / ma'am?

• Mostly. I've found a way to fight Nemesis on even terms.

I'm glad to hear it, sir / ma'am. I've arranged for our forces to engage with the Nemesis army as soon as you give the word.

Captain Mako has also been gracious enough to gift us with another Flier, to replace our earlier model.

Lastri cracks a modest smirk.

This one was acquired through... more official channels than last time.

• Excellent. We leave immediately. (Start Mission)

Mission Objective(s)

Map: IOM_STEELCANYON_BRASSTUESDAY_VILLAIN

This is it. Nemesis's dreams of glory die here and now.

• Repel the Nemesis Attack
  • Defeat the Nemesis Monstrosity
  • Defeat Incarnate Warhulks to absorb their energy (optional)
  • Debrief with Lastri

You have destroyed the Nemesis Monstrosity, and crippled the Nemesis army!

Enemies

Incarnate Automatons

Notable NPCs

• Nemesis Monstrosity (Incarnate Automaton Monstrosity)

Editor's Note: If you are able to defeat all Incarnate Warhulks (at least 29), the fight against the Nemesis Monstrosity should be relatively simple and safe.

You have absorbed the power of an Incarnate Warhulk!

Primordial Energy +Special The Primordial Energy flows through you. Your power grows with each stack of this power.

Pandora Heal +Special The Primordial Energy flows through you. Your power grows with each stack of this power.

Captain Castillo

Briefing

Captain Castillo salutes you crisply.

You are an inspiration to my soul, Character! Your fight with the Monstrosity - so grand! So fierce! And with a truly spectacular finale!

I shall say this, Character. When I began to shine with the light of victory, I believed it was inspiration. I believed that your boldness, your fearlessness had given me newfound strength. And while I may have been mistaken in this matter, I was not mistaken in choosing to work with you.

In the future, you may find need of the Sky Raiders once more, yes? In this case, I trust you will not forget the name of Captain Ernesto Castillo!

• What are you plans, Captain?

The pursuit of Pandora's Box was indeed a worthy quest, Character. However, the Sky Raiders remain in need of central leadership. I shall continue to rally our divisions, in both Paragon and the Isles.

Our alliance remains deeply forged, Character, but you are not a Sky Raider. I intend to free the one man capable of restoring the Sky Raiders to their former glory. When the great Colonel Duray tastes freedom once again, and asks me how his organization has fared, I will tell him this:

'We have become a part of something greater, and gained allies no one thought possible. For this, we have Character to thank.'

• I'll see you around, Castillo.

Odysseus

Briefing

Odysseus nods to you respectfully.

Grand showing there, Character. When they said you were at ground zero of that blast, I thought for sure you were toast. Thought wrong, apparently.

I gotta say, you do good work. We may be parting ways for now - Pandora's Box doesn't do much good to me opened - but don't hesitate to call on me in the future. They call the Warriors a gang, but at its heart, it's a business enterprise... and working with you, my friend, is good for business.

• I'll keep that in mind.

Captain Mako

Briefing

Mako appears to be at ease on the Mitscher. He grins at you, displaying row upon row of jagged teeth.

Hey, +++ Missing Information +++ / girl. Gotta say, I'm starting to dig your style. Being on a ship like this...

Mako inhales deeply.

...it takes me back. Reminds me what life was like before Recluse.

• What happens now, Mako? The alliance with Arachnos is over.

I know. I'm not even supposed to be here, but I managed to make the time to slip away for a bit.

Recluse wanted me to take you out the moment Nemesis broke, but I figure I already tried that, right? Didn't work out so well the first time. So, maybe Recluse doesn't get what he wants.

Mako stares at you intently.

Look, the way I see it? The status quo isn't so bad. You want an inside man near Recluse, and I want to have an... alternative to Arachnos, if I ever need one. To me, that smells like win-win.

• Recluse doesn't suspect you?

Of course he suspects me. Guy's a lot of things, but dumb ain't one of them. Thing is, Recluse suspects everybody. He's got good reason to. As long as we keep this mostly on the down-low, he won't bother me about it.

Sure, sometimes we'll run up against each other. We gotta keep up appearances. But when one of your enemies gets roughed up by Arachnos troops, just remember where that inside leverage is coming from.

As long as we're discreet, I think this can be the start of a long and rewarding friendship. You catch me?

• Absolutely, Mako. Glad we see eye to eye.

Lastri Kayumanis

Briefing

Sir / Ma'am... Character. Good to see that you've come to.

I've prepared a full debriefing, whenever you're ready. If you wish to have a bit more time to recover, I fully understand. You've been through quite a lot.

• Yes, please, give me a moment.

(The dialogue box closes.)

• Don't patronize me, Lastri. Does Nemesis still control the power from Pandora's Box?

Lastri flinches slightly at your rebuke, but manages to keep her cool.

No, sir / ma'am. The large construct you destroyed contained the bulk of Pandora energy, which was then absorbed via the Antikythera. The rest of Nemesis's empowered automatons lost power shortly thereafter.

From their behavior, I would surmise that Nemesis established a sort of network between his constructs; by destroying the main hub, so to speak, you disabled the majority of the Nemesis army's war machines.

Of course, even without Pandora's Box, Nemesis remains a formidable opponent. However, his forces are currently under siege as Paragon's defenses rally against him. Given the situation, I see no reason for us to intervene.

• The power is gone, Lastri. If Nemesis doesn't have it...

Yes, about that...

This selection loops to another branch of this conversation which is already documented.

• What happened? I don't remember an explosion...

Yes, about that... I believe that we may have used the Antikythera in a manner that was... unintended. It proved effective in absorbing Pandora energy, and was likely the key to our victory today. At a certain point, however, I believe the Antikythera reached its 'limit', so to speak.

After you defeated the main Nemesis construct, the artifact became unstable, and shattered. You were obviously caught in the center of the blast, which would explain how you became incapacitated.

When Mr. Hill and I found you, it had become clear that Paragon authorities were beginning to retake footholds in Steel Canyon. We thought it best to evacuate immediately, given the situation.

• Is there any way to reacquire it?

Lastri shakes her head, scowling silghtly.

The Antikythera was our only tool of significance in tracking and manipulating the Box's power. Without it, we have no feasible method of controlling that power.

The only consolation I can provide is the knowledge that no one - not Recluse, Nemesis, nor any of your rivals - will have an advantage here. The playing field has simply been levelled - and given the Illuminati's current strength, it seems that we've come out ahead.

• Where do we go from here?

Well, sir / ma'am... I believe that my time with you has reached an end. My employer has recalled me for work on other projects.

You may not have gained full control of Pandora's Box, but you did manage to establish strong organizational ties, including with a prominent figure inside Arachnos. This organization is still in its infancy, but I believe we have built a solid foundation for future growth. The Illuminati has challenged the authority of Arachnos in the Rogue Isles, and I am sure it will again.

But, it will need to do so without me. I must take my leave, Character. Please believe me when I say that it has been a pleasure working with you.

• Goodbye, Lastri.

• (Place a monitoring device on Lastri as she leaves)

Confront Mender Silos

Unnecessary Solicitation

The automaton appears to have finally lost power. It no longer appears to be even marginally functional.

Mission Objective(s)

• Confront Mender Silos

Mender Silos

Briefing

Mender Silos looks apprehensive, yet relieved. He favors you with a faint smile as you approach, which seems exceedingly odd on the generally stoic Silos.

Greetings, Character. I feel that I must commend you. The power housed within Pandora's Box represented a significant portion of humanity's latent power.

Handling such power is often treacherous, but you have managed to prevent any... significant catastrophes from occurring. That implies, to me, a remarkable strength of character.

Now, you have come to me with questions? I believe I may be able to answer some of them, at least in part.

• If you knew all this would happen, why did you hide it from me?

Mender Silos looks away from you for a moment. His face remains impassive... but you can sense some degree of shame in him, as well.

It was necessary, Character. I'm not proud of this moment in history... but I do see how crucial it is. Believe me, I have tried to find ways to avoid just this scenario... but every attempt has ultimately led to disaster.

Power has a tendency to accumulate, Character. It's not direct, but it has a sort of... gravity all its own. Those with power become addicted to it, and they have the strength to claim more. The weak eventually wither - either crushed underfoot by their superiors, or coddled and protected by them.

Consolidation. This is the problem we face. When a single entity gains the power to dominate all others - that is what you would call a 'Champion', to give the concept a name. But a Champion is not enough. The Coming Storm fast approaches, and all of Earth's forces must be brought to bear if it is to survive.

• So you purposely prevented me from finding the Box?

Quite the opposite. I've tried to change this point in history, many times... but every time I have meddled here, disaster has followed.

I've seen timelines in which some hero of Paragon acquires the power from Pandora's Box, yes. I've also seen Nemesis slowly spreading his madness across the globe, declaring himself its emperor. In most instances, it has been you, Character, that has inherited the Box's legacy.

But... it did not matter. Each instance was the same. The power would tip the scales irrevocably to one side, forever skewing the world's progress. And when the Storm finally arrived...

Mender Silos trails off, shaking his head sadly.

No. This is how it had to be. I'm sorry, Character. I could find no other way.

• What happened to the energy contained in Pandora's Box?

It has dissipated, Character. The power still exists, yes - in one form or another. But it has spent too long disconnected from a host, and has lost all form. In time, it will manifest in other ways, but never again to the same degree.

Mender Silos is staring directly at you as he tells you this. You get the feeling that he's trying to gauge whether or not you believe him - or, perhaps, he is daring you to challenge his statement. It is difficult to tell.

• Do you know where Nemesis is now?

Mender Silos's eyes harden.

Where is he? I fear that is not something I can help you with, Character.

I do know, however, that you have hurt him. You injured the one part of him still capable of feeling pain: his pride. He skulks in the shadows, plotting a thousand intricate revenges - on you, on Paragon City, on the world.

He continues to believe, stubbornly, that he is a man apart from the world he lives in. And I fear that it will be a long, long time before he begins to realize his error in this belief.

But for now, rest easy, Character. You have earned it... and, I fear, you will need it for the trials to come.

• Actually, no. I don't need your answers.

Very well, Character.

You may not realize it, but today has been a good day for the future of Earth. Your efforts are the primary cause of this, and for that, I feel I must congratulate you.

Mender Silos inclines his head slightly.

Well done, Character. Well done.

• Leave