The reactor of a United Starline starship still burns so brightly.
Since the atmosphere control center crashed, we've been shrouded in dull gray clouds. A radiant sight like this certainly lifts the spirit.
To my pleasant surprise, Valeria was also on the starship. I discovered once she landed that she had come to bid farewell to her mother. Ever since joining the stargate modification project, she has been completely absorbed in her duties. It was surprising to see her still concerned with worldly matters.
If she still has a mind for such things, perhaps we might finally talk about that wedding that's been put on hold for the past ten years?
…I soon dismissed that thought as foolish. The woman I once knew now stood before me like a stranger. I could no longer discern what she was thinking.
As she stood before her mother's life support pod, her expression was one I had never seen before. It was neither sorrow nor regret... it was envy.
What could she possibly envy about her dying mother? Was it the peaceful release offered by the machine's simulated world?
Avitus
You're still here, Jordi? Everyone else has left...
Avitus
Sorry, I didn't know there would be a tribunal today.
Jordi
That's okay.
Avitus
The search logs... you've asked quite a few questions. 'How big is the ocean?' 'Is it bigger than the land?' 'By how much?'
Avitus
'Can Ægir cities float to the surface?'
Avitus
'How do the Ægir tell whether it's day or night?'
Avitus
Is this how you've been trying to understand Ægir? I fear it may confuse you even more.
Jordi
I...
Jordi
Mr. Avitus... I'm not sure why, but I feel really excited.
In the Inquisition's nautical charts, the ocean extends only a few nautical miles from shore before giving way to unknown regions marked in grayish-blue.
Jordi
In some areas, we couldn't even get near the shore.
Jordi
But your charts are so detailed. Geological features, energy pockets, local fauna and flora... There are so many pages, I don't even know where to start.
Jordi
The forests at the heart of the ocean, icebergs that never melt, thermal vents deep in the trenches...
Jordi
For a moment, I thought that the land, sea, and sky were all mine for the taking, that I need simply reach out. Like everything was made for me.
Jordi
Sorry, that sounds really arrogant, doesn't it?
Avitus
Quite the opposite, young man. It is but a most basic desire.
Jordi
But I...
The young Ægir looks up and gazes at the coral-shaped terminal. Holographic images and words leap up and down, illuminating his soft eyes.
Jordi
I've been in Milliarium for a whole day now.
Jordi
But I can't handle your tech, I don't get your discussions, and I'm even lost with directions.
Jordi
The tribunal that just happened... I have no idea how you guys settled your disagreement.
Jordi
I did a search for Breogan, the ship designer, who I thought was my ancestor. I saw his face, heard his voice, and looked at his designs.
Jordi
Is there really anything I have in common with him? Would his descendants really turn out to be someone... like me?
Jordi
I couldn't find a single sign that says I belong here.
Jordi
Ægir is like a lighthouse, bright and tall. I always knew it existed, but when I finally followed its light and reached its base...
Breogan. It's been many years since his name was last spoken.
Avitus
He was a remarkable man, even amongst the Ægir. He was the most talented designer in the Academy of Technology, but left everything behind to go ashore, right when his country needed him most.
Avitus
Even this city is connected to him, albeit in a somewhat unusual way.
Jordi
How so?
Avitus
It was through this city that he went on land. The Institute of Development Planning even tried to penalize a few consuls for failing to stop him.
Jordi
Er...
Avitus
Listen, Jordi. I cannot ascertain whether you are truly bound to him by blood, though such a connection holds little significance.
Avitus
What matters is that there can be no doubt that you are Ægir.
Jordi
I know I am. But how do I prove I belong here, if I can't even trace my own heritage?
Avitus
A true Ægir needs no proof of that.
Avitus
But I understand. We all search for answers in the past.
Avitus
I'm no different.
Avitus
I can say with a straight face that I am one of Ægir's foremost authorities on prehistory. I firmly believe in the weight of history, and that it contains truths and patterns that will show us the way forward.
Avitus
(Mutters) But what if its a way of destined destruction for Ægir?
Giant shipwrecks and Seaborn remains lie entangled in a grotesque embrace. Pale flakes descend like snow.
While some have given it a more romanticized name, marine snow, it does little to hide its cruel nature: fragments of organic matter, both Seaborn and human.
The sweetness of blood and the stench of death, intensified by the cannon's lingering heat, spread with the falling flakes.
The Abyssal Hunters' strong sense of smell magnifies all of this, and Specter cannot help but cover her nose.
The fleet pins down the Seaborn with superior numbers as the Hunters flank and eliminate the swarm's core. We've used this tactic often.
Gladiia
This is the same scene we see each time we leave their nest.
Specter
I know... perhaps we've spent too much time on land.
Specter
It's not a pleasant thing to recall.
Gladiia
One engineering mothership, ten battleships, numerous smaller ships... The wreckage positions on the seabed indicate they stayed in formation. They were not taken by surprise.
Gladiia
There are signs of gravitational distortion on nearby rocks. They tried to stop the Seaborn using force fields.
Gladiia
But the Seaborn were faster. The ships weren't even able to form a crossfire.
Specter
They fought with them in close quarters...
Specter
...
Gladiia
Something's not right.
Specter
What's the matter?
Gladiia
The squadron's destination was Nest 37, but all the ships appear to be headed for Milliarium.
Gladiia
Besides, now that the squadron is destroyed, why haven't the Seaborn made their next move?
Specter
Swordfish.
Gladiia
Let's go.
Irene
Ngh—
Irene
Ugh—
Secunda
Alright, grab my hand.
Secunda
I did tell you to stay on the corvette.
Secunda
Deep-water equipment may keep you from being crushed by the water pressure, but even the Ægir are at the mercy of the ocean currents without proper training.
Irene
I could use some help, once you're done laughing.
Secunda
Imagine you're dancing with a rowdy partner. Counter her moves and find your balance. This is how you fight the currents.
Secunda
You're light. It shouldn't be hard for you.
Secunda
...Don't look at me like that.
Irene
...
Secunda
I'll meet you up ahead.
Secunda
A broken lighting array...
Secunda
Trace amounts of organic tissue on the broken metal frame... Human, and Seaborn.
Irene
Find anything?
Secunda
Some tissue that matches the sample provided by the Institute of Development Planning. It's Tullia.
Secunda
Milliarium was parked here around 40 hours ago. Based on the location of the array, she had left from the circulation system's sewage exit at the edge of the city.
Irene
...But why did she leave?
Secunda
It's hard to reconstruct the scene with what's available. The currents have already washed away most of the clues.
Secunda
I'm afraid we won't find out if Tullia was a cultist with a grudge against the Waterway Program or what happened to her from here.
Secunda
This is two hours away by ship from Milliarium's present location. Even with deep-water equipment...
Irene
She couldn't have swum back.
Secunda
Based on the remaining tissues, it seems she had encountered a Seaborn.
Irene
There's no way she could have survived.
Secunda
Right.
Secunda
A dead end.
Irene
That's... the direction the Abyssal Hunters went.
Secunda
The battle may be fiercer than expected.
Secunda
The Waterway Program is in its final phase. Once Nest 37 has been located, we can clear the Seaborn from this entire area and open up a Waterway.
Secunda
This can't just be a coincidence...
Irene
Could the incident with Tullia have something to do with the attack on the fleet?
Secunda
Or maybe her incident is just a red fin to distract the Sea Patrol.
Secunda
There are too many new uncertainties, as if everything's sucked in a giant vortex.
Hard bank to port, full speed ahead! Go around that ridge and turn back. That should lose a third of the Seaborn on our tail.
Ægir Soldier
Ngh—
Ægir Soldier
Sir, the Seaborn have breached the hull!
Ægir Soldier
They're inside the ship!
Ægir Officer
Keep the evasive maneuvers going, helmsman! We'll deal with the ones inside.
Ægir Soldier
Camouflage coating down to 10%! We'll be fully visible soon!
Ægir Officer
Buy as much time as you can!
Ægir Soldier
Yes, sir!
Seaborn
Gugh—
Gladiia
Take care of the rest, Shark.
Ægir Officer
Abyssal Hunters?
Gladiia
Gladiia.
Ægir Officer
I recognize you, ma'am.
Ægir Officer
Have the other ships made it safely back to Milliarium, Madame Consul?
Gladiia
...
Ægir Officer
Thank goodness...
Ægir Officer
The more of our elites we save, the more strength we'll have for what's ahead.
Gladiia
Are you the commander of this vessel?
Ægir Officer
Yes, ma'am.
Ægir Officer
We were ambushed. A large swarm of Seaborn left their nests and appeared on the squadron's route... Virtually unheard of in previous beacon deployments.
Ægir Officer
We couldn't reveal our battle plans. We had to retreat.
Ægir Officer
Our ship was the fastest in the fleet. The most logical tactic was for us to delay the Seaborn while the main fleet retreated.
Gladiia
...
Gladiia
How many survivors are there on your ship?
Ægir Officer
Twenty-six... Less than one in ten.
Gladiia
...
Ægir Officer
Why the silence, Madame Consul?
Ægir Officer
...
Ægir Officer
...
Ægir Officer
I see.
Gladiia
I'm sorry, commander. Your ship and your twenty-six men are the only survivors.
Specter
All Seaborn inside the ship have been eliminated.
Specter
There's no better way to tell you, so I'll make it brief... the thousand or so men whose retreat you were covering fell into an even bigger ambush.
Specter
We happened to see your ship weaving through the complex terrain as we arrived.
Specter
But what you couldn't have seen is the Seaborn had you completely surrounded. You were just chasing your own tail in their trap.
Ægir Soldier
...
Ægir Officer
...
Ægir Officer
We failed the mission.
Ægir Officer
Yet we were the ones who lived. The losses are... much worse than expected...
Gladiia
But you did live.
Gladiia
Lift your head, Ægir.
Gladiia
You and your men are just as much Ægir's elites, and you will give your strength to what's ahead.
Gladiia
For now, Laurentina and I will bring you back to the city.
