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Operation story: BP-7
< BP-7
| Operation | Story |
| Previous BP-ST-2 | Next BP-8 |
| Characters | |
|---|---|
 Cassia  Tense Ægir  Mysterious Ægir  Sea Patrol Captain  Inquisition Clerk  Sea Patroller Penal Battalion Soldier Milliarium | |
| Backgrounds | |
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7 | |
Before operation[edit]
Summary The Seaborn infiltrate the beacon tower. Mutation erupts throughout the city. Consul Clementia pulls the entire population together to respond to the cataclysm and escorts the Doctor and Kal'tsit to the port. However, they run into an unexpected enemy: a fully Seaborn-assimilated Ægir; a researcher of prehistoric civilization who went missing centuries ago.
| |
| <Background Black> | |
|---|---|
Wind blowing
| |
| There are always chimes like little bells resounding from the dome, the result of countless tentacle-shaped bio-monitors analyzing the most minute changes in the ocean current. Occasional dull roars echo faintly from the port, as warships coming to and from the harbor gracefully displace vast amounts of seawater, like gigantic fins. The goods, flying through aerial optic cables in squeezed state to every household, emit a near-subsonic buzzing. ...... These myriad noises, varied yet not chaotic, have become the ambiance of Milliarium, long since faded into the background for its ten thousand or so residents. But now, all those residents stop in their paces. They wonder if their ears are deceiving them. | |
| |
| At first, it was like a wisp of wind sweeping across an angular reef. Then, like a newborn who tentatively poked its head out of the warm womb. And after that, a colony. A nest. An entire region of sea. | |
|
| |
| The thick, bizarre sound of blooming of life could be heard clearly. The children of the sea now give back to the ocean. They give civilization a kiss, and civilization is now filled to the brim with life. | |
The alarms blare.
| |
| <Background 1> | |
| Tense Ægir | Look! |
| Mysterious Ægir | —! |
| The usual tower looming over the city center is gone, replaced by an enormous stone column, the type seen only in karst caves in the sea. Layer upon layer of fine, porous, slimy, and smooth Seaborn tissue encircle the walls of the beacon tower. Yet light from the equipment within still permeates, casting an ethereally enchanting glow over its surroundings. Microbial colonies float down from the column, blossoming into oddly-shaped lifeforms. | |
| Tense Ægir | If it weren't for the statues I can just barely make out, I'd have thought these were untouched wilds! |
| Mysterious Ægir | ..."Nest conversion." |
| Tense Ægir | Why would there be Seaborn in the city? I know we haven't— |
| Mysterious Ægir | Doesn't matter if we did or not, as long as the results are as expected. I just hope it's a lesson those ever-sinking Ægir will never forget. |
| Tense Ægir | What do we do now? |
| Mysterious Ægir | We keep it growing, and stop the city from pushing it back. |
| ??? | Was murdering Tullia not enough? Do you need to destroy the entire city to sate your appetite for chaos? At first, I was planning to tail you back to your allies and save myself some effort. |
Footsteps approach
| |
| Secunda | But since it's an emergency, I'll have to haul my net in now. You will be the thirty-third and thirty-fourth Church of the Deep's cultists caught by the Sea Patrol this month. |
| Tense Ægir | The Sea Patrol... |
| Mysterious Ægir | You've harmed a lot of our brothers and sisters lately. Clinging to the current order will do you no good. What Ægir needs isn't a struggle for its life in despair, it's— |
Secunda neutralises the cultists with her weapon.
| |
| Secunda | Shut up. I'm not here to debate. |
| Sea Patrol Captain | Praefecta Secunda, an unusual concentration of bio-signatures has been detected. They've tripled in number in a short time. It seems the Seaborn have fully converted the tower into their nest, and are now steadily producing more of themselves. |
| Secunda | We cannot allow them to spread to the other city units! The nearby civilians have already started evacuating by themselves. Take a squad to guide them to the emergency shelters. Remember to clear the roads of all support machines. If the Seaborn contaminate them, they could be used as weapons against us. The rest of you, get in formation and deploy barriers. Keep the Seaborn within the perimeter of the beacon tower! |
| Sea Patrol Captain | Yes, ma'am! |
| Secunda | I was sure the Class IV weapons had already been activated. Don't tell me... |
| <Background 2> | |
The communication channels buzz.
| |
| Clementia | ...I'm listening. Lock down all Class IV weapons immediately. I want a thorough inspection of the entire system, as soon as possible. All troops who have fallen back, regroup at the port immediately. From now on, all combatants are to remain on standby on the channel. |
The comms are turned off.
| |
| Clementia | ...... ............ |
| Doctor | This isn't quite what you described. / I'm guessing this isn't part of the plan? |
| Kal'tsit | Look at this real-time nautical chart. Just an hour ago, Seaborn bio-signatures were generally stable. But now, every nest on the continental shelf is getting closer and closer to each other... No, it's not that the nests are moving. They are expanding endlessly. Like countless drops of ink spreading across a sheet of paper. |
| Clementia | This entire stretch of sea is turning into a nest. |
| Kal'tsit | The scattered nests are linking together as one, with Milliarium in the middle. Did Ægir really bring weapons to disperse them, Madame Consul, or a mass of catalysts? Are you annihilating them, or feeding them? |
| Clementia | ...... If Blandus tampered with the link between the beacons and the weapons, it must have been him who altered their effect as well. And as a result... |
| Doctor | Ægir's hopes of landfall have been exploited. / The city's now a foothold for Seaborn expansion. |
| Clementia | As the Waterway Program's Chief Designer of Warfare, I will take full responsibility for this. But we haven't lost the battle quite yet. Look outside. Not a hint of disturbance on the streets. Milliarium has not yet sunk into panic. We've struggled against the Seaborn for more than two hundred years. We've experienced countless incidents like this. It's far too early to declare Milliarium "lost to the enemy." Dr. Kal'tsit, Doctor, you must leave the city at once. I'll escort you to the port. |
| Kal'tsit | I had assumed a consul would need to remain at her post. |
| Clementia | As things stand, the port is the heart of the city. A key military installation we cannot afford to lose. The Seaborn have already invaded my city. You think I'll wait for our uninvited guests to knock on the Pensivarium's door? |
| <Background 3> | |
Jordi stumbles.
| |
| Jordi | Gah— The air's getting more humid the further we go. I-I can barely breathe... |
| Ulpianus | Watch your step. Use your device to float over. Don't step on that. |
Lumen rides on the device.
| |
| Jordi | ...Nethersea Brand? |
| Ulpianus | Indeed. Yet another means for the Seaborn to extend their reach. They've already spread from the top of the tower to here, much faster than you'd see on land. |
| Jordi | The Seaborn are nesting in the city?! |
| Ulpianus | Above our very heads. |
| Jordi | You said there was someone directing them... Why? How? |
| Ulpianus | This is the work of that dead man, Blandus. He spent the last five years on this. According to his farcical plans, the signals emitted by this tower would, along with the weapons we brought, become a bridge connecting humanity and the Seaborn. He has indeed built a "bridge" of sorts, but the Seaborn have not reciprocated his ambitious goodwill. Our connection has only served to alert the beasts to Milliarium's position, and given them an understanding of our defense mechanisms. The Legions had taken great pains to divide this stretch of sea into manageable regions, but with the nests now converging on the signal, they are whole once more. The Class IV weapons that should have destroyed the nests and repelled the Seaborn have done the exact opposite. Seaborn tissues grow along their firing paths. What should have withered was instead nourished. |
| Jordi | ...... |
| Ulpianus | Hmph. Even until death, he never realized his own arrogance. |
| Jordi | Señor Ulpianus, I don't quite understand what you're saying. But right now... |
| Ulpianus | The Seaborn already consider this tower a new nest. It will steadily spawn and attract more from other nests to gather here. |
| Jordi | Can we reverse the change? |
| Ulpianus | It's too late. We have only one option. Eject the city unit the beacon tower stands on. |
| Jordi | ...Eject? But underwater cities aren't built in blocks. How would you— |
| Ulpianus | There is still much you do not understand about Ægir. Unlike the nomadic cities of the land, pieced together from cumbersome plates, Ægir technology focuses on the biological, especially when it comes to city construction. Biting off a poisoned limb is an instinctual reaction in a seabeast. Nothing difficult. We must keep the remainder of the city, for it still has use. Otherwise, the Seaborn in the area will eventually unite into one, and no one would ever be able to stop them then. |
| Jordi | They'll come ashore without a hint of resistance. They'll land in... Iberia... What do we have to do exactly? |
| Ulpianus | A massive yet precise framework supports each city unit of Milliarium. The operation system controlling the linkage of the tower's unit should be in this control center. Once activated, it will send the entire tower into the depths. |
| <Background 3> | |
Jordi approaches the terminal.
| |
| Jordi | ...Is this it? |
He types on the keyboard.
| |
| Jordi | I can operate it—but there's no response. It doesn't seem like there's any issue with the system, so it must be the linkage itself... |
| Ulpianus | The Institute of Facility Management has specialists dedicated to the maintenance of the framework. It is less likely to malfunction than a Hunter's weapon is to rust. And yet, here we are. Precisely at a time like this... |
| Jordi | ...... |
| <Flashback starts here> | |
| <Background 4> | |
| "Little Handy" from Institute of Facility Management | Reading error occurred (2). Run fault diagnostics? |
| Avitus | ...... |
Footsteps approach
| |
| Jordi | Do you need my help, Mr. Avitus? |
| Avitus | Oh, no. I was merely observing this abandoned Little Handy. |
| <Flashback ends here> | |
| <Background 3> | |
| Jordi | Could he... Could he know something about this? |
| Ulpianus | Hm? |
| Jordi | I might know who to look for. |
| Ulpianus | ...... Contact the Ægir soldiers outside. They'll help you exit this place. |
| Jordi | ...... Are you going to stay here? Alone? |
| Ulpianus | You still have doubts about me, young one. Good. But someone needs to stay in this control center. Once the tower completes its conversion, Milliarium will be unable to eject it, even if we manage to repair the linkage. A seabeast cannot spit out its heart, when the heart is no longer its own. I must remain to confirm that the framework has resumed operation, then eject the tower myself. |
| Jordi | But if you do that, you'll sink along with it... into the hordes of Seaborn... |
| Ulpianus | You needn't worry about that. Or do you mean to say you'd more suited for that duty? |
| Jordi | ...... |
| Ulpianus | You don't have much time, young one. |
The comms activate.
| |
| Jordi | Y-You have already— |
| ??? | Isn't this the frequency of the beacon tower? Secunda, Sea Patrol. Who's inside the tower? |
| <Background 1> | |
| Secunda | Then what about Blandus? |
| Ulpianus | He's dead. |
| Secunda | ...... The two of us were in contact, but I never noticed anything unusual. I should submit myself to the consul for discipline once this is settled. |
| Ulpianus | Milliarium must abandon the tower. I must see it sink into the abyss with my own eyes. |
| Secunda | And after that? Will you return to Ægir? Can you return to Ægir? |
| Ulpianus | I told you not to ask pointless questions, Secunda. You should not allow the past to render you indecisive. |
| Secunda | ...You're overthinking things. Blandus told me what happened back then. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter which of you rejected my application. Though I'm willing to admit that... I regret not becoming a Hunter and fighting alongside you all. Deeply. I'll admit that I felt anger and resentment for a long time. I even envied Skadi. But eventually, I became accustomed to patrol work. For your sake. For the sake of the project keeping our home, our civilization, safe. |
| Ulpianus | Staying outside of a specific project will allow you to see more sacrifices, more betrayals, more untrustworthy people, more things deviating from their paths. |
| Secunda | Like you, right now? |
| Ulpianus | ...... Have you thought through what you should bear? |
| Secunda | If you truly did betray Ægir, if you really are associated with that scum, then you're in that tower now to plan your escape. I'd bear the guilt of allowing a fallen Ægir to flee. If you're still a Hunter, then you'll be fighting alone. However, it's already impossible to wipe your slate clean after infiltrating the city, breaking into the tower... not to mention the outcome of the tribunal. Ægir may not remember your sacrifice... Just like how Tullia will inevitably be forgotten. But I agree. Ejecting the tower is the most effective way to help Milliarium respond to this disaster. I approve of your choice. I'll afford you some limited amount of trust. |
| Ulpianus | Hmph. Very well. |
| Secunda | You have five minutes. After that, I'll come rescue that land dweller in the tower. |
| <Background 5> | |
| Clementia | The entire city is following the emergency transportation coordination plan. We'll enter the axial channel via the Sophontheatrum and leave for the port. I will remain there to direct operations, while the Sea Patrol takes command of this ship and sees you to dry land. The drone matrix will also head to the lighthouse and assist Iberia in mounting a defense. |
| Kal'tsit | Should the city not organize an evacuation of its citizens as well? |
| Clementia | Milliarium is a military fortress. It is able to accommodate its citizens during battle. All civilians have already been escorted to shelter by the Sea Patrol. — |
| Doctor | Those neural cables by your hand... Should they be... twitching like that? |
| Clementia | No. With communications down, my connection to the ship's operating system has also been cut off... I'm losing control. Little Handy, run diagnostics on the entire ship. |
The small machine buzzes.
| |
| "Little Handy" | — |
| Clementia | The systems breach is more serious than I expected. We might not have enough time to land. I'm sorry. At least the city's artificial gravity is still functional. The devices you have will help you move freely through the air. Now follow me. No need to be scared; all you have to do is walk out the door. |
Clementia walks through the open door.
| |
| <Background 4> | |
| <Background shakes> | |
| Clementia | Comms are still down. Looks like someone managed to cut off the entire Sophontheatrum from the outside. |
Squelching noise
| |
| Clementia | — |
| Kal'tsit | —Mon3tr! |
| Mon3tr | (Vigilant screech) |
| Mon3tr spreads its ebon talons as a wave of heat washes over you. At nearly the same time, the consul draws her ceremonial sword and steps to the side to cover you and Kal'tsit. You take a good look at the "enemy" before you. | |
Strange growling
| |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| ??? | ...... |
| An unusually-shaped Seaborn bars your way. It seems to lack hostility. Before Mon3tr's roar startled it, it simply stood there quietly, its featureless face illuminated by the coral-shaped terminal in the middle of the Sophontheatrum. The granular organelles surrounding its body spread out like arms, "stroking" the branches of the terminal, and fusing with the flowing characters and symbols on it. Was it observing? Sensing? Can it even comprehend human perception and reasoning? It turns towards you. | |
| Clementia | A... Seaborn. Is it the one that breached the terminal? This is unprecedented. And not a good sign. |
| Mysterious Seaborn | (Garbled Ægirian) There is no justice here. Only the path ahead. |
| Clementia | A Seaborn trespassing in an Ægirian city, reciting an ancient proverb in a sanctum designed by sages past. This might be the most ironic scene I've witnessed since I joined this war. Uncouth, even for a provocation. |
| Kal'tsit | Its use of language and its manner of speaking... are all unlike the usual outcome of the Seaborn's forced "learning." I fear this Seaborn was once human, Madame Consul. |
| Mysterious Seaborn | Language. Never have I forgotten it. Never has it abandoned me. |
| Clementia | What about your thoughts? Do you actually comprehend yourself when you clumsily mimick the sayings of the wise? |
| Mysterious Seaborn | Comprehend? No. I did not understand their true meaning, even as I left them for posterity. Now, I have a new understanding. |
| Clementia | Left for posterity... Mártus? You're Mártus?! The key member of the fourth observation team of the mantle ruins, the scholar of anthropology and prehistoric civilization who went missing more than two centuries ago? That Mártus? |
| Mysterious Seaborn | ...In my most distant memories, I was once, known by that name. But now, you need only be cognizant of my appearance. You see before you a Seaborn. Call me as such. "Seaborn." |
| The Seaborn floats towards you. Through its transparent skull, you see strangely colored orbs gather and disperse, steadily changing their formation. | |
| "Seaborn" | Ægir. Allow me to converse with the one behind you. |
| Mon3tr | (Angry howl) |
| "Seaborn" | Glub—Tell your little friend to stow its fangs. Its flames cannot burn my blood. AMa-10— |
| Doctor | Who are you? Why did you call Kal'tsit that? / You know who Kal'tsit is? |
| Kal'tsit | ...... Stay vigilant, Dr. {nickname}. I'll speak with it. |
| "Seaborn" | Kal-tsit... Kal'tsit. I see now. If you are accustomed to that name, I can call you by that. I have waited for you, Kal'tsit, for the two of you, for a very long time. |
After operation[edit]
Summary The mysterious Seaborn descends on the city. Kal'tsit and the others learn of the Church of the Deep's origins, and more of the truth behind the Seaborn. Gladiia hastens for the city, but fails to save Ulpianus. He has already separated the tower-turned-nest from the city, and sunk with it into the abyss.
| |
| <Background 4> | |
|---|---|
| "Seaborn" | Long have you walked the land, Kal'tsit. The changes in the sky would not have escaped your attention. |
| The Seaborn raises its head slightly, gazing up with its non-existent eyes. Perhaps a habit from the time it still had them. Above the dome, beyond the infinite water, something in the distance seems to have caught its attention. | |
| "Seaborn" | Tell me, how long will it take for the hole to close again? |
| Kal'tsit | ...I see. Ægir was right. The Seaborn had a clear reason for leaving the ocean and invading the land. You came because you noticed the change in the barrier. |
| "Seaborn" | I have seen through the eyes of we many who have ventured on land. There is a ripple in the sky. The immutable veil has been torn open. |
| Kal'tsit | Your survival instincts have driven you to monitor every change in the environment... and the dangers they signify. |
| "Seaborn" | Dangers? Yes. You are indeed sharp, Kal'tsit. Your program runs smoothly. Our communication will be, effective. |
| Kal'tsit | ...... |
| "Seaborn" | The calamity that hangs above Terra. The eye that gazes upon us. Does it see the abnormality of the sky? Or has it already... You understand Terra, Kal'tsit, and the crisis it faces. You can. You must. Help we many understand, help we many evolve. |
| Doctor | Am I hearing this correctly, Kal'tsit? / Rhodes Island came to eliminate you. |
| Clementia | I sincerely hope this is the Seaborn's wishful thinking, rather than some kind of consensus you have, Dr. Kal'tsit. |
| Kal'tsit | Let it finish, Madame Consul. |
| "Seaborn" | The last chance is fleeting. The oceans of Terra are too small. Knowledge. Nourishment. Space. We many must grow. We many require help. |
| Doctor | You're not just trying to go on land? / You want to go into space? |
| "Seaborn" | Growing wings is not difficult, but insufficient. Going beyond the skies requires a revolution in the species' fundamental nature. You have the knowledge, Kal'tsit. You help we many understand, and we overcome calamity. |
| Kal'tsit | Whatever their origin, the Seaborn are non-sapient creatures driven by instinct, ones that the Church fanatics have placed their unreasonable expectations on. But you know far more than either of those two groups possibly could. How? |
| "Seaborn" | We are the same, Kal'tsit. You and we many, have the same duty. |
| Kal'tsit | Perhaps I should reframe the question... How did the Seaborn evolve into what they are today? What do you have to do with Caerula Arbor going out of control? |
| "Seaborn" | Is the answer important to you? I can speak of my own history, if it helps you understand my intention. |
| Clementia | ...We've waited two centuries for these answers. What really happened in that failed expedition? What turned you into what you are now? |
The Seaborn gargles.
| |
| "Seaborn" | Failed? No. It was a success beyond our wildest dreams. We penetrated the deepest layer of the mantle ruins for the first time. The Predecessors carved open the rock and built massive, maze-like complexes reaching into the lower mantle. We'd never gone further than them, even after thousands of years of excavating. The mantle ruins, the genesis of Ægir civilization. We thought we'd find more relics, more secrets, more answers there. But all we had hoped for did not exist. All that was buried in those depths was a spark of hope. |
| Kal'tsit | ...Go on. |
| "Seaborn" | I was separated from my team along the way. I was the only one to make it to the end of the path. There, I saw... |
| |
A massive creature roars.
| |
| "Seaborn" | A giant. Some massive thing sleeping in the shadow of the cerulean tree. I did not see His entirety. A small part of His limb was enough to fill my entire vision. That limb was touching the transparent wall of a sealed chamber. Perhaps He was waiting for contact, or perhaps... Before I realized it, I was standing before Him and reaching out. The wall of the chamber was cold, but I could feel His warmth. Then, visions surged towards me from every direction, inundating me. |
| Kal'tsit | A Feranmut shared its vision with you. What did you see? |
| "Seaborn" | Fallen cities under an oppressively hanging dome, the land aflame, the stargate extinguished, the Star Ring broken, the road network shattered... |
| Kal'tsit | The destruction of prehistoric civilization? |
| "Seaborn" | Yes. Ægir never discovered the reason for its destruction, but I saw a vision of it before my eyes. Yet it was not the end. Visions continued to flow, visions far beyond my limited comprehension. Eternally dispersing particles and oceans of sand that never ripple... Cold, lightless plains and darkness without end... Burnt-out stars and ever-expanding black holes... Nothing there was familiar. I lost my senses, all of them, and even the Feranmut that shared vision with me could not sense His own existence... It was an entirely alien place, without life, meaning, or information— |
| The Seaborn's words stop. Through its transparent skull, you can see the strangely colored nuclei gather, then disperse. | |
The Seaborn gargles.
| |
| It seems to be thinking, and the nuclei represent the process of its thoughts. | |
| "Seaborn" | But you, Kal'tsit, understand the meaning of those images. |
| Kal'tsit | ...The crisis destroyed everything. It cannot be visualized; there is no word in our language to describe it. |
| "Seaborn" | It was the end of prehistoric civilization, and the calamity that Terra must face. It is the end of all things. The horrifying images left me as I pulled my hand back, replaced by another image. One that was broken, blurred, chaotic. He and His children shall devour all that is living, and consume the moons and the stars. All that is living and dead shall nourish Him, and He shall murmur at the end of time— "Survive." Over and over. Survive. |
| Kal'tsit | "Chaotic", "murmur"... was the Feranmut asleep? |
| "Seaborn" | He was trapped within a dream. The dream stagnated, evolution stagnated, duty stagnated. He was trapped in the cerulean cave. Therefore, I must awaken Him. |
| <Background 1> | |
Cassia is operating a terminal when someone runs up behind her.
| |
| Avitus | Cassia! |
| Cassia | Magister Avitus. |
| Avitus | Did you and your comrades go into hiding in order to destroy the city from within? Waiting for when the Sea Patrol's guard was at its weakest? |
| Cassia | You should be evacuating, Magister. |
| Avitus | The Sea Patrol has noticed, Cassia. They're investigating you. |
| Cassia | You're showing this much concern for me because that tiny embryo I left in the incubator reminded you of the past, am I right? I'm just curious: Do you regret your decision? |
| Avitus | Now is not the time for this. The Seaborn have invaded Milliarium. Stop what you're doing, or the city will be lost. |
| Cassia | Isn't it a little late for that? |
| Avitus | Why did you... |
| Cassia | Choose to betray Ægir? I told you. The Seaborn have revealed the weakness of Ægir's very foundation. Before people can regain the will to live, the collapse of their values will have crushed them already. Once, you were a great scholar. But what are you doing in this city now? You found out about me a long time ago, didn't you? You had many chances to stop things from getting to this point. You could have reported me to the Sea Patrol at any time. But you did nothing. You sat and waited, watching everything happen like a blind fin spinning in a whirlpool. Did you come to Milliarium just to witness the destruction, and validate your own despair? |
| Avitus | I'm not... I can still stop you. |
| Cassia | As long as life remains tied to any value system, it is doomed to eventually collapse. Life itself should be reason enough to live. We must rekindle our most basic survival instincts, and force the people to reassess the values they once held in such high regard. Only by doing so can they be saved from despair. From becoming like you. |
| Avitus | Like me... |
| ??? | Watch out! |
Jordi pushes Avitus out of the way of an approaching Seaborn.
| |
| Seaborn | (Cries and buzzes excitedly) |
The Seaborn is shot down.
| |
| Secunda | ...... Hmph... Cassia got away. |
| Jordi | The linkage here was sabotaged. No wonder it didn't work from the control room! L-Leave this to me, ma'am. |
| Secunda | The Seaborn are approaching. |
| Jordi | My mentor at the Inquisition taught me some Arts... although my talents are nothing to write home about. That woman worked at the Institute of Facility Management. She'd know how to sabotage the city unit framework... |
| Secunda | I appreciate your courage, Jordi. I'll call in people to get this area under control. As for Cassia, she's mine. |
Secunda runs off. More Seaborn begin to approach.
| |
| Seaborn | (Rapidly flaps fins) |
| Jordi | Wh-Whoa! Already? Are you going to keep lying there, Mr. Avitus? |
| His student had vanished. Avitus gazes upon the young man who suddenly appeared before him. The fear in Jordi's eyes is obvious, but he lights his lantern with a trembling hand. | |
| |
| Avitus | Jordi... |
| Jordi | I heard your conversation. You... You're not an evil man. But I'm disappointed in you. Very disappointed. |
| Avitus | ...... |
| Jordi | Did you come here with this city because you believed it wouldn't make it back? What are you hoping for? Death? |
| Avitus | You should have returned to land sooner, Jordi. Look around us. The Seaborn will soon overcome the barrier between the city's units. It will all come to an end, just like— |
| Jordi | You never answer my questions properly! I may end up leaving Ægir, and leaving behind all my hopes and longings, but it won't be because it's about to be destroyed. I've read "The Death of Life," you know, but it didn't answer any of my questions. Let's say all your predictions come true, and that at some point in the future we'll have no choice but to watch our homes come to the end it depicts, just like that man in the book. But does the destruction of a civilization really weigh more than that of a city, a family, or a person, here and now? I don't understand. I just... don't. |
| Avitus | ...... |
| Jordi | I wasn't sure if I should say this, but... You said your loved one gave up on the idea of raising a child and died in disappointment. But was she disappointed in the future of Ægir, or... In you? |
| Avitus | ...... |
| The young Ægir musters all his strength. The lantern shakes violently, and the flickering light repels the Seaborn. He gasps for air. Sweat rolls down his cheeks. Avitus can see his arm tremble, but if anything, it is himself who cuts a sorrier figure. | |
| Avitus | ...Look out! |
The Seaborn roars.
| |
| <Background 3> | |
| Ulpianus | You have smeared your bodies on the outer wall, infiltrating through the trail of weapon fire before reshaping. What a convenient form of life. Seaborn. |
A Toxocellular Drifter approaches.
| |
| Seaborn | (Joyfully convulses its gelatinous body) (Excitedly sways fine tentacles) You, here. Nest, we, seen. From nest, you, leave. Incomprehension. Ul-pianus, kin. You, here, wait, us. Ul-pianus. Ul-pianus. No, confusion? — |
A spear pierces the Seaborn. It wails.
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| Seaborn | (Pained convulsions) |
| Ulpianus | ...... |
| Seaborn | No, need, pain. Individual death, eternal. The many's survival, eternal. Ul-pianus, I, lead, you. New individual, born, for you, help you... extend me... |
The Seaborn melts into a gelatinous puddle.
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Footsteps approach
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| Ulpianus | Gladiia. |
| Gladiia | *Cough*—Ulpianus. |
| There is no expression on Gladiia's face. She holds her lance sideways, its point touching the floor. An almost imperceptible posture, enough to mitigate the fatigue that continues to rush up from within her, and to support her as she stands before her long-absent colleague. | |
| Gladiia | Your "friend" is now a pool of goo, but you still need to answer its question. ...... |
| <Flashback starts here> | |
| <Background 6> | |
| Specter | Such rowdiness. This is really poor dance etiquette, you know? Ha— |
Specter swings her saw
| |
| Specter | Dance is an art. It's all about elegance. You can't make it work with strength of numbers. |
| <Background Gladiia thrusts her spear.> | |
| Gladiia | What? That didn't pierce it. This used to be a cluster of coral changed by the Seaborn, but now it's a wall. No one knows how thick it is. The warning from the city, the unusual movements of the Seaborn, the results of the abnormal surgery... We must get out of here and find out what's happening at Milliarium. |
| Specter | The entrance is gone? |
| Gladiia | No, it's us. We're losing our sense of direction. |
| Specter | Capsidization... Everything around us is hardening. The algal blanket, the unhatched eggs, even the waves. This entire nest will become a hardened shell for these creatures to store their nutrients. A shell without a single crack. There is no way the three of us can... Even worse, the stagnating environment is exacerbating our exhaustion. |
| Skadi | Captain Gladiia? Shark? |
| Gladiia | Behind you— |
A Toxocellular Drifter descends.
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| Gentle Seaborn | (Hums gently) |
| Skadi | Eww. |
Skadi slashes her sword, but it dodges.
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| Gentle Seaborn | Nest, become whole. Soon, the sea. You, kin. No harm. We many accept you. We many protect you. Here, much nutrient. Sleep. Only sleep. |
| Skadi | ...... |
| The lethargy, which had heretofore been suppressed by the fighting, begins to spread through every limb and organ. The thick and hard shell solidifies the waves. All is stagnant. The Hunters vaguely sense their consciousness sinking, as though there is no bottom. The Hunters hear the song— Coming from right beside them, coming from inside them— "Ishar-mla." "The hardship we suffer is ever present." "The life we thirst for is ever present." | |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| Specter | Over there... Skadi... |
| Roaring. The faint roar comes from above. The thundering roar comes from beside. The stagnant seawater flows again. | |
| The infinite ocean could be bound by a cocoon. Then, from where comes the force that can break even the cocoon? Land. Moon. The scent of wheat. Home far away. The force has become legend. It has shattered mountains, death, time, all that is tangible and intangible— He will not be bound. | |
A massive creature charges into the Drifter.
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| Rocinante | (Loud neigh) |
An armoured figure swims towards the Hunters.
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| The Last Knight | —! |
| Seaborn | You, many, alike... From where... Hraaagh— |
| The Last Knight | The waves, you built them, you hardened them. Are you... turning this to land? Will not allow. Contradiction. Wilderness, mountains, rivers, wheat fields. Land is just land. I seek, I reproach, I crush. |
| Gladiia | The one who was with Ulpianus... |
| Specter | Whew... A pleasure to see you again, Sir Knight. |
| Seaborn | You, not kin. |
| The Last Knight | (Furious roar)—! |
| <Background 1> | |
The Seaborn bray loudly.
| |
| Seaborn | (Agitatedly twitches soft tentacles) (Excitedly flaps creased fins) |
| Irene | Out of the way! |
Irene cuts down the Seaborn, which melts.
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Hurried footsteps approach
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| Jordi | Doña Irene! |
| Irene | I've been looking for you. |
| Jordi | Sorry, I... |
| Irene | Received Consul Clementia's message? Dr. Kal'tsit's group is headed to the port, but then we lost communications again. We must return to the Eye of Iberia immediately, inform Lord Carmen, and help the Inquisition and Penal Battalion form defense lines. |
| Jordi | No. We have to wait. |
| Irene | Why? |
| Jordi | Most of the invading Seaborn are still under control near the beacon tower. If that unit can be ejected... Then Milliarium is not yet lost. It can even organize a counterattack. But the cultists have sabotaged the linkage to prevent it from being jettisoned. |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
More Seaborn approach and Irene swiftly cuts them down.
| |
| Irene | The Sea Patrol is already cleaning up the Seaborn in the area. We can't let these slip away either. I'll deal with them. As for whatever this linkage is you're talking about... Will your engineering skills help? |
| Jordi | ...... Yes! I can fix it! |
| Irene | Good. You take the lead on that. I'll protect you and Avitus. We can return to land as soon as we're done. We worked together at the Eye of Iberia. Let's pray we do just as well this time. But these Seaborn from the depths are different from the ones I've dealt with on land. I don't know how long I can hold them off. |
The Seaborn shrill.
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| Jordi | We've said all that needs to be said, Mr. Avitus. Come and help, if you still have the strength! |
| Avitus | ...... Alright. |
| Irene | Hurry, Jordi! |
| Jordi | Hurry, Jordi Fontanarossa! |
| <Background 3> | |
Footsteps approach
| |
| Gladiia | You warned us through the beacon... And the strange knight who appeared at the lighthouse broke through the shell just as we were about to fall asleep. Is he part of your plan too, Ulpianus? |
| Ulpianus | The madman who's forgotten himself is an enemy of the sea, of everything abnormal that has become normal, and of himself. No one can control someone like that. We just happened to travel together. Are you the only one to make it back? |
| Gladiia | They're on their way. |
| Ulpianus | Breaking through the nest's shell and returning through tides of Seaborn... Your speed was remarkable, but you're too late. You've seen what's happening to Milliarium. The many have exploited Ægir, and Milliarium will be the stepping stone for their invasion of the land. |
| Gladiia | And what, precisely, is happening here? The first thing I heard when I arrived at the port is that the Abyssal Hunter, Ulpianus, had entered the control room of the beacon tower and killed the weapons technology advisor of the Waterway Program. And indeed, Blandus's body is right behind you. |
| Ulpianus | ...... |
| Gladiia | You're quiet. I assumed you'd feel more anguish over him. |
| Ulpianus | I take it you've figured him out then, judging by your reaction. I doubt we have time to discuss a fallen traitor... even if he was once our closest comrade. |
The terminal reactivates.
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| Ulpianus | That young man really did it. The linkage has been repaired. |
The building begins to separate from the city.
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| Gladiia | You're trying to eject the beacon tower from Milliarium... A wise plan. It seems there's still hope for you. |
| Ulpianus | This place will sink to the ocean floor in a few minutes. Do you smell it? The stench of frenzy...The Seaborn above have noticed the changes to the tower. They're seizing the last opportunity to break the blockade and reach the other parts of Milliarium. Leave, Gladiia. Now. |
The tower shakes violently as it starts to collapse.
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| Gladiia | Come back to Ægir, Ulpianus. This is your last chance. |
| Ulpianus | I still have things to clear up. If I give up now, all my efforts will have been for naught. The dreams and end of the prehistoric civilization, where the Seaborn came from, where they will go, the calamity before our eyes, the destruction beyond the skies... Being aware of them is not enough to turn the tides. I must learn more. If the Seaborn have memories, I must know every last detail of them. |
| Gladiia | I'm not disputing that. We're back in the ocean, back in Ægir. We'll have many chances to approach the truth. |
| Ulpianus | That is your way. And I don't disapprove. But we need more approaches, more angles, in order to maximize our odds of victory. As you've said, I'm on another path now. |
Gladiia steps closer.
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| Ulpianus | Will you still try to stop me? |
| Gladiia | Unless my eyes deceived me, the Seaborn I just killed had evolved specifically for you. That doesn't just mean they are trying to accept you. It means that you also... |
| Ulpianus | Correct. |
| Gladiia | Then you know well what being inside a rapidly hatching nest would mean for you, in your present state. Answer me, Ægir. How much of your mind is still your own? Is there even enough left for you to choose death? |
| Ulpianus | It's the only way for me to earn the trust of these scum. |
| Gladiia | You're an outstanding Hunter, and a learned scientist. Are you really so arrogant as to believe you can control your transformation through willpower alone? Accidents like the one during the auto-adaptive junction surgery will not happen every time. I can't simply watch you walk down the path of destruction. |
| Ulpianus | ...You're at your limit. We're both experts in violence. You'll die if we fought here and now. |
| Gladiia | Is that so? |
Gladiia charges at Ulpianus.
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| Her lance draws a cold arc through the air. Ulpianus lets loose the chains, and his massive anchor flies at Gladiia, forcing her to leap up. | |
| <Background shakes> | |
| |
| The sound of the building sinking drowns out the clash of metal. Seawater and Seaborn rush into the control room. In the last moments, Gladiia watches her erstwhile colleague stand before the darkened holographic sea chart, calmly waiting for the colorful waves to swallow him. | |
| <Background 4> | |
| Kal'tsit | Your description raises many questions. The feasibility of modifying a Feranmut into a biological ark by leveraging its habit of fostering an independent ecosystem inside its body had already been verified on Talos. The technology used by the project was mature. And their complex was deep in the mantle. Energy coming from the heart of the planet could support the facilities' operation for almost an eternity. The project had more than sufficient power supply. Why, then, did the project deep beneath the ocean "stagnate," as you put it, and go out of control, releasing innumerable Seaborn? |
| "Seaborn" | The existence of Feranmut was introverted by nature, yet He was to turn all things to nourishment for His survival. He was given meaning that did not belong to Him, and a name that did not belong to Him—Ishar-mla. The changes They were put to were bolder, wilder, more ambitious, and more despairing. Their nature had long since exceeded the biological ark you speak of. For unknown reasons, however, Their subsequent actions did not follow the program. |
| Kal'tsit | Meaning that the project did not proceed along the planned lines, but the new direction was also interrupted? |
| "Seaborn" | Not entirely. He—They continue to foster new offspring within themselves. But the lives trapped within the Feranmut were weak. They evolved too slowly. The new generation needed to be liberated. They needed to leave the Feranmut's body, adapt to new environments, and obtain more nutrition. More nutrition to be fed back to the Feranmut, so that His evolution may be accelerated. |
| Kal'tsit | Under normal circumstances, the organisms nurtured within a Feranmut are rarely able to venture beyond its body. Yet the aggression the Seaborn have demonstrated outside... The modifications these Feranmuts have undergone were indeed transformative. |
| Clementia | So it was you, Mártus, who brought the Seaborn into the ocean, and sowed the seeds of calamity. |
| "Seaborn" | Seeds of calamity? No, the offspring were weak, and Ægir was strong. The seabed was governed by a self-regulating ecosystem. Offspring that devoured the algae fields would be discovered and destroyed before they could proliferate. But Ægir should not have been an obstacle. Ægir should have provided aid. Fortunately, my influence in human society was still useful. |
| Clementia | The Institute of Development Planning had already announced the deaths of the members of the fourth observation team of the mantle ruins at that time... You "came back from the dead" just to corrupt your countrymen?! |
| "Seaborn" | I held no forums, no debates, only a few sincere conversations. I helped some discover the problem, and some discover the answer. It was enough that they were willing to give the Seaborn an opportunity. We many will find a way out eventually. |
| Clementia | The ecological disasters, the fallen cities, the citizens lost... How many of those were you responsible for? Was it you who cajoled Blandus and the cultists behind him to infiltrate the Waterway Program and alter our weapon systems? |
| "Seaborn" | (The nuclei within its skull spin) This so-called Church of the Deep is not a formal organization, at least not in the sea. It needs no guidance, no leader. |
| Clementia | Not an organization... You mean you manipulated the people's thoughts and behaviors only using their faith and tenets? How did you implant the ethereal concept of "god" into them, when such absurd ideas were completely absent in Ægir? |
| "Seaborn" | Civilization could never truly purge the idea of primal worship. It awaits at the end of science, ready to be awakened at a moment's notice. The Ægir you call "cultists" do not know the truth. Each of them acts according to their own thoughts and ideals. Each faces their own questions and dilemmas. "Selfishness and altruism." "Flaws and perfection." "Nature and civilization.' "Logic and unreason." 'The differences in strength and the shackles of form.' "The limitations of ethics and the future of humanity." "A manufactured truth and the beautiful cycle..." |
| Doctor | You deceived your followers. / It was all a scam from the get-go? |
| "Seaborn" | (The nuclei within its skull spin) A scam? No. Primal worship originates from the survival instinct. Every thread of thought by every "cultist" ultimately leads to a single question: How to survive better. Faith? Tenets? No, only a desire for survival. You struggle for survival too, do you not? |
| Doctor | When you preached survival in Ægir... Did you ever tell them whose survival you were talking about? |
| "Seaborn" | The survival of life itself. Just as the survival of civilization inevitably involves the destruction of many more, the survival of life inevitably involves the end of many. Many species have gone extinct due to the activity of the offspring, while they gathered nutrition for the Feranmut. I once recorded the number, only to forget it. For the moment Ishar-mla awakened, it had become a meaningless, insignificant number. The birth cries of the newborn, interwoven with the wailing of the dying... Songs brought Silence. |
| Clementia | ...... You knew the consequences of awakening the Firstborn from the very beginning. A disaster for the entire ocean, for countless species. But you show no remorse whatsoever. You even gave up on recording the number of sacrifices. Was it because you'd gone numb after taking so many lives? But numbness is no excuse for your crimes, Mártus. |
Clementia draws her blade.
| |
| The consul steps forward. Her ceremonial sword is elegant, but the light reflecting off it is chilling, cutting off the sightline of the Seaborn gazing towards you. | |
| Doctor | Clementia. / Madame Consul. |
| Clementia | The Sophontheatrum. You designed the building that inspired so many of our people... myself included. But you stand here now, calmly explaining how you pushed Ægir into the abyss. I've seen images of you. A gentle, meditative observer who has the habit of constantly pushing his large glasses back up his nose. Look at you now. Even the richest of thoughts can only be expressed by the simplistic movements of your cells. You still have your glasses on your neck. Is it to reminisce about old friends whom you have no right to reminisce, or to mock the dead whom you have no right to mock? |
| "Seaborn" | ...... |
| Clementia | If you are Mártus the Ægir, then I hereby pass judgment upon the fallen. If you are merely Seaborn, then we'll skip the formalities. |
Clementia slashes.
| |
| The organelles surrounding the Seaborn expand and parry Clementia's attack. The ceremonial sword cuts into the shadow of the coral-shaped terminal. | |
| <Background flickers> | |
The terminal buzzes then shuts down.
| |
| "Seaborn" | Mm—Gurgle. You cut off my control of the terminal? |
| Mon3tr | (Breathes scorching fire) (Howls furiously) |
| "Seaborn" | ...... |
| <Background shakes> | |
The comms reactivate.
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| Sea Patroller | Emergency transmission. This is the 10th attempt— The Seaborn have taken over the beacon tower. We cannot stop the conversion! But someone has activated the ejection protocol for that unit—good job, whoever you are! Bio-signatures keep soaring in number. The nests are becoming one— Incoming Seaborn tide! Scope is the entire continental shelf! Repeat, incoming Seaborn tide! Scope is the entire continental shelf! Emergency transmission. This is the 11th attempt— |
Clementia steps forward.
| |
| Clementia | ...... |
She activates the microphone.
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| Clementia | This is Consul Clementia. Citizens of Milliarium, heed me! Once the city unit containing the beacon tower has been fully ejected, the rest of the city shall break through the Seaborn encirclement and move towards dry land! Reactivate the linkage mechanism in the city's framework and perform a structural reorganization. Force fields at full power! We'll stop the Seaborn tide from setting a single tentacle onto land! Legions VIII and X, along with the Sea Patrol: send all operational warships out in turn to escort the city! May Ægir and our forefathers be with you. |
Transmission ends.
| |
| "Seaborn" | You were looking for an opportunity this whole time... consul of Ægir. You're tough. We... too. Once. |
| Clementia | ...... |
| Kal'tsit | ...... |
| Doctor | ...... |
| <Background shakes and fades out> | |
| <Background 7> | |
The alarms blare.
| |
| Inquisition Clerk | Is it Ægir or the Seaborn who are trying to open up a Waterway? The readings are off the charts. The endless Seaborn tide is approaching us at the very moment... This is beyond the lighthouse's computational capacity! Su Santidad? |
| Saint Carmen | I hear you. Look in front of you. Those deep colors between the sea and sky are a tide of Seaborn. The wind grows quiet... There is no point in trying to estimate their numbers and scope now. Experience is better than data. I've seen the ocean like this before. |
| Inquisition Clerk | Do you mean the... the Profound Silence? |
| Saint Carmen | ...... Leave the rest to the Penal Battalion and the Inquisitors. |
Footsteps rapidly approach
| |
| Penal Battalion Soldier | R-Report! Two divisions are ready for action. Ægirian drone matrices are helping us fine-tune our defenses. |
| Saint Carmen | Ægir... |
| Inquisition Clerk | Sir... the ocean... Something's rising from it. Is that... an Ægirian city? |
Water splashes
| |
| |
| Having sailed for thousands of miles, Milliarium rises to the surface of the ocean after casting out its heart. Every inch of it is being reformed, supported by its framework. An invisible forcefield extends towards the bottom of the sea and the highest reaches of the sky, forming a structure like a great wall. The structure breaks the surface of the ocean, creating a giant wave a hundred meters tall. However, on the other side of the city, the real tide has arrived— It is a living wave. Seaborn of various forms have fused with the ocean. The children of the sea are the sea itself; they have even changed the color of the water. The city from the depths and the roiling tide stretch out at the same time, colliding, embracing, and ripping at each others' throats. Nature never tires, yet civilization will not stop its footsteps. | |
| Seaborn | ...... |
| Milliarium | ...... |
| All is quiet. No wind dares tell of what it sees, here and now. | |