Like any RPG, The Outer Worlds has side quests for players looking for a distraction from the main story. All side quests develop the game’s world and provide small stories for the NPCs, but games like The Outer Worlds can include morale tests for the player. One of the earliest tests is during The Long Tomorrow.
This mission starts when the player talks to Martin Abernathy, a sickly worker whose employers refuse to treat him. However, there may be more to it, as the short mission unfolds.
Martin and Esther
Martin is found in his house, easily seen by how close it is to the neon sign for Edgewater. When the player starts talking to him, he worriedly asks if the player was sent by Mr. Tobson and tries to avoid mentioning that he is sick. The player can easily calm him down. Not having a high enough opinion just boils down to having to ask more questions to reach the same conclusion.
After the insurance, Martin will admit that he is very sick and that the available medicines are not helping him. He is not sick enough to get stronger medicine and also too sick to get that either, according to company guidelines. As Martin continues, he realizes that the player might be the right person to hire, the job in question being that there is a pile of experimental medicine in the abandoned community center. If Martin is questioned further, he will say that the place is surrounded by looters, as well as a brief mention that the medicine is contraband and that the authorities will at least write him up for it.
After leaving Martin’s home, the player will overhear another NPC named Esther Blaine. She has additional information regarding both Abernathy and the medicine.
Esther will say that Martin is a hypochondriac, he just thinks he is sick. She is not here to convince you to get the medicine, but only from giving it to Martin. If the player has the right speech skills, she will admit that she plans to share the medicine with those more deserving than Martin, but refuses to reveal who they are. The game doesn’t technically end if either of them lie, but Martin can be asked about this topic if the player has the necessary medical skill level.
Martin will end up worrying about what hypochondria is, he thinks it’s another disease. A sign of hypochondria, but that’s as far as the evidence goes one way or the other. Regardless of who the player decides to help, they still go to the same place for the medicine.
The community center is marked on your map for the mission and is easy to find. Just as Martin might have warned the player, the outside and inside of the Marauders are crawling. While they can pose a challenge, sneaking up on many of them isn’t too difficult even after a firefight, and a companion for that extra firepower is always a useful strategy. However, they are not the only ones standing in the way of the player taking the medicine.
The door is locked. With many locked door missions, the player must either find the correct key or simply pick the lock themselves, but the lock is a surprisingly high level for how early in the game the mission can be unlocked.
That’s not to say that the player can’t have such high skill to pick the lock this early, but it should be noted that getting the key is much easier, as there are three different ways to get it.
An option that stares the player in the face from the first room is a hackable terminal.
However, this is only the first step in the process, as you will need to hack the terminal one more time to get it to print a keycard.
The rest of the methods require only single inputs, making this the most complicated method of earning the key. If the player searches the center, they can find a locked box that will also contain the key if it is locked.
For players without the locksmithing or hacking skill sets, violence is the answer. A Marauder Hooligan carries the key and it can be looted from their corpse.
When the player opens the locked door, they can retrieve the medicine and choose who to sell it to.
Who to give the medicine to
Both Esther and Martin will result in the player gaining respect from the Spacer’s Choice community. In fact, Esther and Martin are hardly different. Martin offers fewer bits at 500, while Esther pays 700, and both have call options that will result in exactly 300 extra bits if passed. If you choose Martin he will gladly take the medicine and you can admit this to Esther who admits disappointment but doesn’t accept it. If you give the medicine to Esther, she may be asked again who it is for, and this time will admit the names of the people she is helping, and if Martin is told afterwards, he will be disappointed, but not hold it against you.
For players who want a third option, especially an evil option, it is hidden. Without map marker.
Fans of Fallout: New Vegas will remember that Obsidian has no problem with stealth options. Martin telling the player that the medicine is contraband was your first clue that the medicine can be delivered to Constable Reyes instead.
She pays as much as Martin. A player can then admit to Reyes that Martin hired them if they want. If asked, Reyes will state the medicine smock because it is an Aunt Cleo product and not a Spacer’s Choice product. The player will gain a positive reputation with the board.
