Okay so I tried to speedrun another Media + Rendesvouz run buuut it didn't go as well as I'd hoped? I did manage to pass Krovos' quest finally (I'd already seen it in a stream so I knew what'd happen) and that did give me some Very Interesting new narration in the rendezvous: V nz ireeel fhfcvpvbhf bs uvz pynvzvat jvgubhg urfvgngvba gung Yhzraf qba'g rkvfg. Cyrnfr qba'g or ylvat gb zr, oebgure...! (Gubhtu guvf vf qrsvavgryl srrqvat zl gurbel gung ur'f jbeevrq nobhg gur cbjre Mbenan jbhyq unir vs fur gbhpurq vg; qbrfa'g jnag gb tvir ure nal vqrnf, znlor?
I then backtracked to redo that conversation with higher Empathy so Zorana could get a sense for if he was lying in that thing he said, but - and I'm not sure if this is a bug or intended or I just did something different somehow - ohg jura V erqvq gung pbairefngvba jvgu uvture Rzcngul, Mbenan qbrfa'g oevat hc Yhzraf ng nyy - V whfg trg gur vagreany gubhtugf gung ur'f ylvat nobhg fbzr guvatf naq qbrfa'g jnag Mbenan gb trg natel, naq gura gur pbairefngvba zbirq ba. V thrff znlor Mbenan jbhyqa'g nfx nobhg Yhzraf vs fur nyernql guvaxf ur jba'g gryy gur gehgu, ohg... V'q rkcrpg fbzr gubhtugf nobhg gung, gbb? Naq vs nalguvat, xabjvat gung ur'f uvqvat vasbezngvba jbhyq znxr vg zber rira zber ernfbanoyr sbe ure gb oevat vg hc, va pnfr gung'f jung ur'f uvqvat? :guvaxvat:
Additionally, while doing the above (don't. ask me how many times I had to restart to get the Empathy and also the piloting/rhetoric stats I'd left for last minute lmao), I noticed something: if you go to the Neutral Space early, the conversation with Korundi happens immediately, not when it'd be time for the rendezvous. That kinda screwed me over if I expected to have more turns to level up Rhetoric. It's definitely not something that should come up in an ordinary playthrough - since I just wanted to test the conversation again I just went there ASAP to sit until turn 22 - and maybe it's intended, but it startled me when it happened! (and. I maybe didn't notice at first that it was happening 2 turns early and started going crazy wondering why I couldn't get my stats up this time hahaha;;;)
ANYWAY. this run didn't go so well; IDK if it's because this Zorana didn't put anything into Allure (how did I again fall into the trap of spreading myself too thin?!) but uhhHHH a lot of people wanted her dead. :'D Once again I got to the Jubilee and would have to wind back multiple turns to get the stats to survive it, so this run has also been quickly put aside for now. (I also didn't get Vahter's quest this time either lmao... guy is hard to make not like you!!)
and SO I after that decided to just. build up scouting and terrain immediately and go for his quest first chance possible. It wasn't what I expected but not in a bad way! Vg unq abguvat gb qb jvgu gur Pelfgny Abinaf be Yhzraf be nalguvat, ohg va ergebfcrpg gung znxrf frafr: V jnf rkcrpgvat fbzrguvat zber yvxr n fcvevghny ivfvba! Ohg vafgrnq, vg jnf whfg... ernyyl avpr naq cerggl naq uhzoyr, V guvax. :) Bar bs zl snibhevgr rnfvyl-zvffrq dhrfgf, V guvax!! Frrvat gung qrfpevcgvba bs gur sberfg sebz hc uvtu znqr zr srry ernyyl crnprshy! :)
Oh, and I forgot to mention, but in a previous run I tried Vahter's proposal option, and that was also so very sweet...!! He really does seem like a genuinely decent man who has Zorana's best interests at heart; it's almost a shame I never got to see that much out of him for a few runs because he's just so darn easy to win over and such a generally useful minister, hahaha. :D
SO I'm setting that all aside now. Time for a Military or Music run. (combine both somehow???) Someday I shall probably cave and look at the hints for how to unlock the secret plots, but I'm still enjoying myself experimenting :'D