act25side

Phew—made it in.

Next, I keep two drones up in the air a hundred meters apart to survey the situation.

The Triton factory should be right up ahead. I hope the stealth combat tactics I learned at Rhodes Island will come in handy here, let's take it slow...

Will I really find any leads on the Transmitter here?

A batch of Transmitter has gone missing?

That's right. To be more precise, it was a batch of experimental materials with said Transmitter included that was supposed to be shipped together to HQ. For disposal.

So someone stole it.

And it's very likely to be someone within Rhine Lab.

Silence, I'd like you to head to Trimounts and help me investigate this.

Me?

I need to remain at Site 359 to cooperate with the military investigation, so I'll be stuck here for the time being.

Are you going to negotiate with them?

Don't worry, as much as I don't enjoy this stuff, I'm still capable of it. I'm a Rhine Lab director, after all.

I'm more worried about this batch of missing Transmitter becoming the catalyst of someone else's ambitions.

So, can you do it?

Well...

Silence, you're a student of Director Parvis, and yet you showed up here at Site 359.

I had some doubts, but now I get it: You came here to ask for my help.

Or maybe you wanted to know if the Director of Originium Art is trustworthy.

...I'm sorry.

No need for apologies. I did come close to doing something awful. I should be thanking you, Silence.

But at the same time, this is why I'm asking for your help. You are beholden only to your own standards, and looking for your own answers.

But...

Even if I hadn't asked you, you still would've returned to Trimounts, right?

...Yes.

Oh no. Why are there suddenly a lot more men on patrol?

Shit. Find anything over there?

I searched a couple alleyways over on the side. Nothing.

The Colonel is about to meet the Vice President, so we had to play nice and let those two in. We were supposed to stick close to them. How did they lose us so quickly?!

They were walking so leisurely the whole time, then they vanished behind a fence when I blinked.

We really underestimated that fella all covered in iron. Maylander's people are always so tricky.

I'll go report the situation to the brass. Take the boys with you and continue the search.

Right, send more hands over to the factory too.

Your reflexes and stealth skills are admirable, Mr. Detective

You flatter me. Even if we could manage them, it's better to shake them off our tail than to outright knock these sycophants out.

We're here. Triton Chemical Plant No. 3 is right up front.

They've already cordoned off the perimeter, and deployed heavily armed soldiers at every possible location. Quite the impossible task to get any closer.

We're close enough for a clear view.

Saria's gaze travels over the throng of people and past the striking yellow barriers, landing on the factory behind.

The once-smooth factory building has been demolished beyond recognition, with scorch marks scrawled by heaps of debris scattered all over. A series of explosions have eroded the facade, leaving only the interior foundations that give her a clear view—

In the center of the factory lies a huge ring-like mechanical structure, diagonally embedded into the ground like an outrageous art installation.

The source of the explosion.

What have you found?

Neither the shape nor the mechanical structure of the object hints at its purpose, but it is clearly a device not meant to be used on land.

It fell from the sky.

We're too far away to discern any concrete details. But what can be confirmed at the very least is... this thing has the mark of Rhine technology.

To be precise, it has Kristen's handwriting all over it... I'm sure of that.

'Horizon Arc Project'.

What?

I'm surprised you've not heard the name, given your position at Rhine and your relationship with Kristen.

I'm glad I didn't get spotted...

There really was one here!

It's gone...

Dorothy was right. Transmitters react to each other, and it wasn't too difficult to catch them with the one she gave me.

But there's too few of them, Dorothy said there were more... could they be nearby?

Wait...

This is... the Triton Factory?

A colossal ruin lies before her.

Just how many injuries or casualties happened in there? Silence recalls the news not mentioning any numbers relevant to that question.

She recalls the destruction at Site 359, it was difficult for her to even picture what it looked like before the ruins.

Was that Saria? Who was that with her...?

Saria, do you have something to do with this, too?

Do you know where we're going?

(Shakes head)

We're heading to Saria's stronghold in Trimounts as part of our arrangement with her.

Saria! It's been ages since I saw her.

But if you need to talk to Saria, you two are gonna be busy, right? I guess she won't have time to talk to me?

You and Rosmontis will stay with the Doctor.

Ifrit, where were you just now?;Ifrit, tell me more about what you did on the way here.

Oh, right... When the star came falling down, I was telling Rosmontis a story that Silence told me before.

You still remember it, right? You weren't writing any of it down...

Yep, I still remember.

That night, it seemed the entire city heard the queen's prayers and the sound of her tears splotching onto the sand... In the end, the queen passed out in the high tower of the palace.

The queen's faithfulness reached the hearts of the stars. One after another, they soared through the skies and came before the old king.

The old king was swallowed by the endless surge of brightness. Within it, he saw a sight that he had never seen nor dreamed in his entire life.

The next morning, the queen awoke to find a huge hole had appeared on the palace's roof, and the old king, who had passed away hours ago... stood with a smile still lingering on his now stiffened lips.

Were the stars brought here by her prayers?

The stars made her wish come true, and they took her lover with them.

Colonel, sorry to keep you waiting for a half hour.

I'm the one who should apologize, Mr. Vice President. Your schedule in Trimounts is packed, and I heard from Secretary Pavard you had to cancel a meeting on account of my sudden visit.

The military's response to the District 13 incident has been quick...

It has also been intense.

You had just given such a powerful, rousing speech for the masses. This couldn't have happened at a worse time.

By the looks of things, this is more than a little 'accident' on your end as well.

I'm just saying... It's still too soon to reveal the 'Horizon Arc Project' to the public.

Which is why we would like you to cancel the rest of your itinerary and leave Trimounts. And we'll take care of these 'accidents' as soon as we can.

Colonel, I understand what you're asking...

But my schedule isn't going to change. In fact, I'm going to extend my stay in Trimounts.

In my last meeting, I decided I'm going to Rhine Lab to enjoy a fruitful dialogue with our exceptional researchers.

We're one Columbia, Colonel Blake. We're all ready to give everything for our country.

But, with all the technological pioneers gathered in this city, they form the bedrock of Columbia's technological development. It's no exaggeration to say they're shaping the future of our country.

Do you understand what I'm getting at?

Even on the assembly lines of our nation's most developed munitions plants, it takes a day and a half to produce a single shell to spec.

And that doesn't include the time it takes to send it out into the field to give the men some real practical time on the thing.

Take a step back, Colonel. The more we find ourselves facing superweapons that can change the world, like that 'Arc-01', the more composed we have to be.

This is Columbia. Not Sargon, not Bolívar.

These past few years, the Armed Forces, or more accurately, the Department of Defense, has continued to explore the nation's military capabilities.

As a whole, progress has been fairly steady. From the President's perspective, this is a good thing, and he is glad to see it happen.

However, given the shifts in international dynamics in recent years, particularly the re-emergence of Victoria's Shard, a number of things have changed.

Such a terrifying superweapon has erased the concept of 'distance.' All our ground defenses will be rendered useless, and the dust brought about by the Storm may well fall upon our pillows at any time.