If an area was even slightly memorable, you’ll find it in here. Parts of firebreak, Maximum Attack, and even the Lightening Carnival all appear, plus many more. He’s even added in one field from the “Shred the Darkness: Generator Guarding” mission you practically just had. They’re all strung together after a slightly unique ‘hub’ area. The goal is to collect ‘disks’ which appear as yellow sparkles which Holupe has hidden (and not hidden) throughout the simulation. The # of disks you get determines how many reward boxes you’ll find after you beat 2 bosses in a row. It should be noted that a disk appears DURING the actual boss fights as well, as he’s clearly trying to throw people for a loop. Due to his meddling with Max G, you can also get the hologram of ASH to join the party. (Ash was never real, he was a part of the simulation Tomrain found on the disks…because Holupe copied a part of that to make his missions, he got Ash too!)

One of the unique properties of Holupe, is that you can often ‘hear’ his thoughts in cloudy bubbles. Likely, they’re meant to be him muttering to himself.

The Protectors missions are plotless as they are mere simulators meant to challenge and dispense prizes, as well as allow Holupe to collect data on Guardian fighting.

Supervisors’ Edict:
You meet Holupe Dence in his office. He immediately asks if you remember him, saying it’s been ages.

Say Of Course
Say Um…No

Of Course = He thought so! It’s because he’s been reviewing your records as a Guardian, and you turned out just how he thought. Which is great. He explains Protectors y was created through his genius to ready everyone for the SEED attacks that will no doubt come when they’re all trapped and really fighting back. It’s meant for advanced guardians, and it is harder, etc. etc. You can then have him explain the rules and the basic premise. He’s pleased with the unification point preparation missions, and tells you how it took “The Extreme Depths of his Wisdom” to make up simulator y and its multiple paths.

Say Um…no = He can’t believe it and asks if it’s a bad joke while questioning you. He then explains that he’s the director of Guardians Affairs reporting to the President. He asks don’t you remember gathering data for his old programs? Then, you can see his thoughts which are “What’s going on? Has so much time really passed? No no that can’t be it…maybe you are testing me? Well I can take a joke! Of course you couldn’t forget such a genius as me!” Out loud, he says “Hee hee very clever indeed, we’ll get some interesting data this time”. He then presents you with the menu of things you can ask.

Explain Missions – Premise
Explain Missions – Rules

The rules are more like pages to be shown than actual speeches. They explain the keys, boxes, and types of traps. The premise isn’t of much use because really he uses it to go on about how smart he is to have made up the simulators. If you ask him to explain Protectors 2, he’ll say how it’s fundamentally the same as the first and begins to go on, but stops himself, saying that he forgets that not everyone is so intellectually gifted as he is. (but would someone so actually intellectually gifted forget such things? It’s meant to be a verbal vs context paradox) He then says he’s after a diversity of data and has left Protectors y alone. He encourages you to go ahead and enjoy either fruit of his genius, and then says he’s so brilliant he even scares himself.

Chat?
If you choose to just talk with him, he’ll ask you a question right away.

Did you participate in Operation Pierce The Darkness? (It’s Shred the Darkness/same thing)

Of Course I did
Did You?

Of course I did = He says that’s a good answer, and he’s reviewed your records. You did great while he performed his duties perfectly by supplying you with info. (the then thinks some laughs)

Did you? = After faltering a little and thinking up some more laughs, he confesses he fought in a different way, as it was a concentration of all Guardians forces. He got all the documents and materials together for the mission, and so couldn’t get a moment of rest. However, there’s no problem that he can’t overcome. This is all clearly a BS answer, as he is a paper pusher with delusions of grandeur. He’s also obviously agitated as he speaks.

He then mentions in passing that he was feeling tired the other day and went in for some light maintenance at GRM. When they were done (presumably he was unconscious) he saw a single screw at his bedside. He asked the GRM researcher, and he said it was just a spare part, but appeared flustered and confused, and would not look at Holupe. He then confesses he found the incident somewhat disturbing. This is meant to intone that he has a literal ‘screw loose’. Indeed he always had a bit of an ego and a like for power-tripping, however medical malpractice was likely never the cause. This isn’t a steampunk universe where androids run on cogs, gears and tiny screws which magically bring them to life. However, the equivalent of what’s happened to him here, is if you realize after being inexplicably sore for weeks, that the surgeon has left a large metal clip in your guts and it’s rusting away.

**If you choose to chat with him again after the release of the 2nd Protectors mission, he will seem to be far less agitated about it, and will instead ask you if something like that has ever happened to you. This 2nd phrase may also be triggered if you are an android.

Opinions:
Holupe may be brilliant in his own way, but not in every way as he’d have you believe. While he’d like to be much greater than he is, he doesn’t excel at everything. He’s a fairly rotten liar, he harbors vague shame about not participating physically in SEED fights, and is somewhat eccentric. Each of these contribute to sabotaging everyone’s perception of him. A real mental giant wouldn’t forget that everyone else wasn’t, for example. However, you only have his word for his effectiveness at his own job. His rival is Bruce Boyd, but it is only mentioned in passing, and not in this mission. Otherwise no one comments upon him or his work.

Summary:
It's an interesting little interaction that was good at dispensing prizes. The missions were both of an all-right calibur entertainment wise. Not a whole lot of plot was revealed other than a bit of who helps out with paperwork (Holupe!) and that the SEED are indeed still on the run. It should be noted that it's the government's idea to help/improve Guardians by releasing this mission.