rogue_3

They sincerely hope that she is able to find her own path.

The appearance of her kin was like a dream. They appeared ephemerally at the outer fringes of her life, and in the blink of an eye, left without saying goodbye—

During a visit like any other, the Great Tree of the Elves followed the amber into a hole in the ground, returning to Sami's embrace. When Muelsyse returned once again, there was nothing left except a hollow filled with plants.

She was alone once more...

But is she truly alone?

Muelsyse stands inside the base, looking at the giant ring-shaped structure still undergoing repairs in the distance.

People come and go, greeting her cordially, and she responds likewise.

Fate may have taken many things from her, but fortunately, those positions were not left vacant.

They were filled with friendship, trust, and a purpose. It is more than loneliness that has driven her to where she is now.

She smiles, and walks over to her lab inside the base. There's still a long way to go until the megastructure can be activated, and she has to invoke nature to protect the people here from collapsals and environmental threats.

But after the megastructure is launched and the experiment is successful, maybe she'll quietly say goodbye to the people close to her, and once again embark on a journey to find the Feranmut from which she originated.

She felt the need to tie a pretty bow around her past.

And that distant object may well be the start of her new future.

Muelsyse slowly wakes up in bed, feeling as if she'd slept for a long, long time.

The dream had been too real, so real that it left her somewhat confused.

She glances over at the calendar and sees that today is the day for all Rhine Lab personnel participating in the Black Hole Protocol to get their physical examinations.

Her journey has not yet begun, yet its ending is already appearing in her dreams?

This is enough to make her sit up in bed and freeze for a good long while, until the second alarm goes off.

The lingering haze of the dream slowly wears off, and she pushes the unnecessary thoughts away for the time being. Hurry and wash up, get the physical examination done, then get packed.

Sami awaits her arrival.

'It's been quite a while, Dame.'

A metal man clothed like an ordinary human stands atop Čappat's observation deck, seemingly speaking to the beautiful scenery before him.

To his back, on the opposite side of the deck, a white-haired Feline looks out at the landscape below, her lips sealed in silence.

For a time, only the sound of the frigid wind can be heard. After what feels like an eternity, the Feline finally begins to speak.

'I would like to know the President's precise attitude, Tin Man, regarding the Summit of Nations facilitating the Terra Icefield Joint Expedition.'

'The President is in favor of the proposal, and has been pushing us Maylanders to get it sorted out ASAP.' The Tin Man uses a falling snowflake as an excuse to light a cigarette, clasping it between his hands as he rests his arms on the fence.

'And does Columbia's so-called 'favor' usually involve voting against it while holding veto power?'

'I hope you understand, Dame, that all the major tech groups—and the military to boot—are breathing down his neck on this. They're all looking out for their own interests in Sami.'

'How interesting, then, that the building we're standing atop right now is currently owned by the KGCC.'

'It's just a standard business contract.'

'Columbia is losing control of southern Sami, Tin Man. Commerce is but a part of it.

'The human cost of the tech companies' research into the many disasters caused by Collapse is even greater than that of pioneering new land.

'I'm sure you don't need me to enumerate each and every one of these affairs.'

Seeing that the sparks of his cigarette have nearly died out, the Tin Man silently takes a drag.

'And so, I must ask again.

'I would like to know what the President thinks of the matter, in detail.

'The terms of the joint expedition agreement are quite generous, and both Great Yan and Ursus have already offered concessions. They're even willing to share Collapsal-related technologies.

'Yet despite this, Columbia is indecisive on the matter?'

The Tin Man reaches his free hand into his coat pocket, and a faint noise emanates from within.

'The President has already foreseen the result of this cooperation between nations.

'What they will unearth in the icefield will be far greater than they could ever imagine.

'The nations of this land will tear into each other to establish control over these findings. What differences crop up during the expedition will only deepen the rifts between them.

'And right on the cusp of claiming the ultimate prize, the land will be stricken by war.

'In the name of Columbia's freedom and honor, the President is in favor of the spirit of the proposal. But he has reservations on how it will be implemented.'

'If he cannot trust an international organization headed by Laterano, then—' Kal'tsit turns towards the forest, the mist amongst the trees dissipating as she does.

'Then perhaps a non-governmental organization—extending across all of Terra with absolute neutrality—can become Columbia's partner in this matter. Along with every other nation in Terra.

'What do you think, Mr. President?'

The Tin Man pulls out a toy shaped like a stylized President from his pocket, and it speaks, clearly and definitively.

'Columbia is willing to reconsider.'

Kal'tsit and the Doctor sit in a meeting room, planning out the many things needed to get the Black Hole Protocol up and running.

'Čappat should not be the only starting point, nor the only supply depot.'

The Doctor takes the map and circles Columbia's current research outposts, along with various Sami tribes and Ursus frontier towns.

'If so—' Kal'tsit marks the circled areas from south to north with a pencil, 'We'll have to proceed gradually, but within a few years building supply depots directly on the icefield itself will be feasible.'

'Next issue, how will we handle Collapsals?'

The Doctor picks up the nearby Maylander Exploration Society training materials.

'Those are important, but sadly insufficient.

'I believe we should draft a new set of regulations ensuring that only those who pass a test on recognizing Collapsal Paradigms can join an exploration team.

'Additionally, each team must include at least one member who can purify said Paradigms. This would dramatically increase their chances of survival.'

The Doctor thinks for a moment before remarking that such people tended to be from Ursus or Sami. If they were to be able to integrate their skills, they may prove to be even more effective.

'I will arrange for joint discussions with them then. If it will lead to minimizing the harm from Collapsals, I believe both will agree.

'Shall we take a break, Doctor?'

The Doctor gives some canned coffee a good shake, then passes another can to Kal'tsit.

'Thank you. Now, let us continue.'

'Regarding supply routes, we must work closely with each and every Catastrophe Messenger.

'And I do mean <i>all</i> of them.

'Each country can only be responsible for the transportation of goods to their own borders, so were we unable to grasp the patterns of Terra's Catastrophes, the frequent natural disasters would be enough to destroy their already flimsy trust in the program.

'—Wait, you're saying we should cooperate with the Durins to establish underground supply routes?

'...I will leave the feasibility assessment of that to you, Doctor.

'Meanwhile, I will get in contact with the various transport companies in every nation to request their cooperation.

'Now, for the final issue at hand.

'If we are to complete all the objectives of the Black Hole Protocol, Rhodes Island must expand.

'We will need more offices, and more operators.

'Considering our position—'

The Doctor interrupts Kal'tsit mid-sentence, simply passing her a file detailing an Infected recruitment plan. It notes in painstaking detail the recruitment procedures for Infected in every country, every office and contact station in the wilderness, every flow of materials between sites and the regulations involved, specific methods for easing the misgivings of each government, as well as what pay and benefits the Infected would receive upon joining.

'...Very well then. Remember to get Amiya's suggestions before the internal meetings.'

Kal'tsit takes a sip of coffee and tidies up the various materials and files they had been poring over into a neat pile to the side.

'You go ahead, Doctor. I still have a meeting with Pith in ten minutes, to discuss the training course for new reserve operators.

'Here, in this room.'

The Doctor picks up the files, and looks back to see Kal'tsit sitting up perfectly straight—her breathing eased and her eyes closed—taking the opportunity for a breather in the short break between meetings.

The Doctor quietly stuffs the files into their bag, dims the lights in the room, and silently leaves.

The next time the Doctor enters that room with Kal'tsit, they glance at the minutes for the prior meeting. The policies they formulated back then had already begun to bear fruit. Supply depots had been built at the entrances to the icefield. There is constant movement along the great supply network that spans all of Terra. Many Infected have donned Rhodes Island's uniform. All taking part in humanity's great expedition.

'You've arrived?' Kal'tsit opens her eyes, looking at the Doctor to her side.

'Let's begin, then.'

'I would like to discuss establishing a research outpost at the far end of the icefield, alongside the possibility of restoring the megastructure.'

Not too long ago, what lied at the foot of the megastructure at the end of the icefield were but ancient ruins worn away by the elements, or swarms of rampaging Collapsals. But in the wake of the Black Hole Protocol, people finally managed to check the spread of those Collapsals, and built their own research stations by its side. The ruins already present were themselves constantly being explored, and the prehistoric technology left within became the driving force behind the advancement of society. A new age was upon us—

Within one of the excavated ruins, Kal'tsit brought Mon3tr to search for something.

Photographs gathering dust—but not yet ravaged by time—and instruments with barely-flickering indicators. But those were not her goals, and she prepared to plunge deeper still.

Finally, she stops in front of a grand information terminal.

She slips on gloves and cracks the terminal open, and out of the morass of fine electrical components, she removes the storage units within.

Kal'tsit takes a look at those miniaturized units in her hand, knowing all too well what was recorded within them—

Kal'tsit sits within a Rhodes Island office, before her a detailed report on the excavation of the ruins. Within are notes on the unknown components they had found, alongside several terminals they were unable to decipher, on top of the large terminal that she had handled herself. They would become a reserve of Terra's technologies for ages to come, consigned to being a footnote to this new technological age.

But what they did not realize was that the most valuable thing from those ruins was already in Kal'tsit's hands.

Warp drives, and high-energy cores. The data on starship maintenance stored within would be enough for the geniuses of Terra to outshine the glories of eld.

That was a future she did all she could to avert.

Kristen had broken through the starpod, yet there was still no response from the heavens.

But that was not only the starpod binding Terra.

Not every excess could be permitted.

Kal'tsit looked out the window at the twin moons barely visible in the skies above.

Until then, she would hold back man's inquisitive hand, just as she had for countless eons.

But...