Liberi Reader

Critical Phase Transition

• 17-1: Breath of the Land (Interlude)
  Twenty years ago, the Sarcophagus was sealed off to stop the Ursine Army from turning it into a weapon, yet the First Army has succeeded in firing a weapon whose power source seems to be related to the Sarcophagus.
• 17-2: Belated Redemption (Before Operation)
  Ursus is thrown into turmoil as its mines dry up. Anatoliy, son of the First Army's Marshal, has contracted Oripathy, and is murdering innocents out of despair, until the Marshal brings him someone who appears to be able to cure the pain of Oripathy: Hierda. She 'heals' Anatoliy.
• TR-28: No Right to Question (After Operation)
  The Rhodes Islanders arrive at Deity Grypherburg at the appointed hour in search of the Sarcophagus, and are accompanied by Eloysius to the palace. The Generalik and Hierda head together towards Zelgrad—an Ursine city that has opened itself to the Infected.
• 17-3: A Prick of Conscience (Before Operation)
  Rhodes Island reaches an agreement with Witte, Chairman of the Ursine State Council, and proceeds to Zelgrad in search of the Sarcophagus. In Zelgrad, a washerwoman finds a strange dust that she suspects is associated with her sister's strange illness.
• 17-4: Silent Masses (After Operation)
  Eloysius seeks out Hellagur. Evgeny Andrianov Kuznetsov, Marshal of the Fourth Army, coerces Scioppa Razin, commander of the Special Tactics Formation, into a suicide mission by claiming to have taken his second-in-command Sirka hostage. Meanwhile, Sirka infiltrates Zelgrad as an Infected.
• 17-5: Merely a Husk (Before Operation)
  A strange person appears at the Zelgrad Transfer Area to stop the Rhodes Island team from entering the city. A group of Infected arrives in the city and encounters Reunion members. In Deity Grypherburg, a citizen's forum is about to begin, and Eloysius invites Hellagur to observe the 'councilors'.
• 17-6: Brewing Storm (After Operation)
  After being released from jail, the washerwoman Tonya decides to bring attention to the strange illness by blowing up the wall, but her reckless action is stopped by Crownslayer. A trained band of Infected is gathering in secret. Raidian falls unconscious during the Doctor's intelligence summary, while Sirka's assassination attempt on the Generalik fails.
• 17-7: Unbalanced Reason (Before Operation)
  As Amiya searches for medicine, she is led to a patient suffering from an unknown illness by an unfamiliar creature. She brings the patient to the local clinic and encounters Hierda there.
• 17-8: History's Flow (After Operation)
  The Infected group is taken into custody for violating curfew. Hierda stops the Generalik from massacring the innocent. Tonya ponders her options after Crownslayer leaves and encounters a woman. Scioppa returns to his formation, hides the truth about his coercion, and prepares to set out for Zelgrad. Sirka is rescued by a mysterious figure.
• 17-9: Never Pray (Before Operation)
  Scioppa stalls for time as he tests Evgeny's limits. Tsar Fyodor dreams about his 'sister', and discusses the progress on the citizen's forum with Witte. A Royal Guard raids the Rhodes Island temporary treatment center in Deity Grypherburg.
• 17-10: The Measure of Love (After Operation)
  The Royal Guard decide to purge the treatment center in order to eliminate the spies, but are repelled by Hellagur. The Grand Duchess works with the Sami and successfully summons the Yurodstvo before the Royal Guard, anchoring it in the identity of Anastasia, eldest daughter of the previous tsar. In bewilderment, the Rhodes Island team remembers Kal'tsit.
• 17-11: Desolation (Before Operation)
  Alita Valueva, director of Lab Six, investigates the truth behind Zelgrad's recruitment of the Infected. The guards watching the arrested Infected group allow them to escape. Tonya helps the Doctor when the Rhodes Island team encounters soldiers while trying to get into the secret area. Closure stays behind to help her.
• 17-12: The First Handshake (After Operation)
  Red helps Closure and Tonya under the walls of Zelgrad. They escape with the help of another Infected group, and the three parties form a temporary alliance. In Deity Grypherburg, Eloysius learns from the spy that her father chose to collude with the pro-war faction in order to protect her, and makes her own choice.
• 17-13: You Are Not Alone (Before Operation)
  After crossing the front lines safely, Scioppa confesses to his squad that he is being coerced by Evgeny and explains his decision to resist. Rhodes Island witnesses the horrifying reality of the sealed district, and must decide whether to destroy the Sarcophagus or not. Crownslayer brings news to the crowd—An Infected 'factory' exists inside the city.
• 17-14: What the Snow Cannot Hide (Before Operation)
  Eloysius looks for Vetochki, inspiring her to tell the people about what happened in the Far North, so that she can push for the passing of The Winter Emergency Resource Allocation Act at the citizen's forum. In the sealed district, Alita helps the Rhodes Islanders out of trouble. The assembled Infected fighters discover a ghastly sight within the 'factory'.
• 17-15: A Person's Worth (Before Operation)
  Lada's mother, Alita, discovers that the First Army is using the Infected to supply energy to the Sarcophagus. Disillusioned, she sacrifices herself and entrusts the Sarcophagus to Rhodes Island, but the Rhodes Island discovers the Sarcophagus in a destroyed state. The Fourth Army crosses the front line and marches upon Zelgrad.
• 17-16: Onwards, Ever Onwards (Before Operation)
  The Generalik prepares to take the research results out of Zelgrad at his mother's command, but Hierda stops him from slaughtering the researchers. Tulin gives a speech, joining with Tonya to reveal the truth, and calling for the people to leave Zelgrad. Scioppa officially defects, and Evgeny sends his war casters to suppress the rebellion.
• 17-17: Never A Moment's Doubt (After Operation)
  Talulah cuts her way into the sealed district to rescue the Infected. Sirka searches for the Generalik's whereabouts. After Closure helps the Infected troops, she finally reunites with the Doctor's team. In the face of an out-of-control Sarcophagus, Amiya exhausts her strength to stop it exploding, saving the last chance to revive Kal'tsit.
• 17-18: A Quiet Soul (Before Operation)
  Across countless years, AMa-10 witnesses the birth of Terran civilization and its maturation. In the end, she understands life and emotion, and chooses to become 'Kal'tsit'.
• 17-18: A Quiet Soul (After Operation)
  The Fourth Army attempts to seize the Sarcophagus, bringing itself to the edge of open conflict with the First Army. Tulin leads the people out of Zelgrad as it burns, while Crownslayer learns that Tulin is merely an assumed identity. The Rhodes Island team successfully extracts Kal'tsit's base-level code from the Sarcophagus, and resurrects her.
• 17-19: Towards the Wilderness's Cry (Interlude)
  The War Casters find the Sarcophagus, but are unable to transport it or put it to use, thus thwarting Evgeny's plans. 'Tulin' reveals her true identity, and she, Koshelna the 'Black Snake,' and Anastasia the 'Princess' all rally their followers in different locations. Scioppa adjusts the ship's heading and prepares to attack Evgeny's flagship.
• 17-20: Crime's Herald, Punishment's Precursor (Interlude)
  The Generalik turns against his mother and stabs her. Scioppa jumps off his ship before it slams into a Fourth Army frigate. Eloysius and Vetochki crash the 'citizen's forum', and Vetochki speaks as a surviving miner. Having learned the honest thoughts of the nobles, Fyodor resolves to dissolve the legislature.
• 17-21: Burning in the Night (Interlude)
  Reunion and Milana officially start working together as the Ursine army raids Reunion's farm. Fyodor digs up an empty coffin as Klim buries his wife, and Kal'tsit abandons eternal life as she returns AMa-10's core code to the Sarcophagus to stabilize and seal it for good.
• EG-11: After Time (Interlude)
  Priestess looks through Kal'tsit's eyes, reassessing this young civilization.