Contrail

[Code Name] Contrail

[Gender] Female

[Combat Experience] None

[Place of Birth] Columbia

[Date of Birth] Mar 16

[Race] Zalak

[Height] 155cm

[Infection Status]

Confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Normal

[Mobility] Excellent

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Normal

[Combat Skill] Normal

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Contrail, a flying adventurer from Columbia. She travels extensively to conduct test flights, and is very knowledgeable when it comes to developing and improving flight equipment. She has come to Rhodes Island for Oripathy treatment, and provides technical support for Engineering's motorized equipment R&D projects.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 4%

Operator Contrail's infection is relatively mild.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.17u/L

Due to conducting test flights out in the wilds over a long period of time, Operator Contrail comes into contact with Originium rather frequently. Thankfully, she is more conscientious about protective measures than the average person, and there are currently no signs of her infection worsening. However, she still requires close observation.

Contrail is not too good with social interaction, more used to being alone than part of a crowd. This is why when she first joined Rhodes Island, most only knew her as a new face. Few knew her name or what department she was attached to, let alone her interests or her past.

The first time she managed to make a deep impression on the others was during an ordinary meeting. At the time, the landship's guide signs were being updated, and the Logistics operator in charge wanted to know if they were clear and easy to follow. Several operators were queried for their feedback, and as it happened the first operator asked was Contrail.

'All I wanted was to get the opinion of a newcomer first. I don't think she expected to be called up, and man was her face red as she stuttered and stammered. Couldn't understand a word she said, either. She just stood there... If it wasn't for someone else stepping in with their own feedback, I don't know how long that awkward moment would have gone on.'

The next day, the project lead received a neatly-written document filled with detailed feedback, including many photos taken off the ship. Contrail mentioned these were all signs she saw during her travels, and included them as reference.

There is another thing that gets our operators talking about Contrail. One day, an operator out on the deck for some fresh air raised their head and happened to see her flying overhead.

'At first, I thought my eyes were giving out, or I was in some crazy dream! At least, until I noticed it was Contrail.

'It's not that I think her flying skills are that crazy. It's just that the dawn light let me get a good look at her face, and, well, I've never seen her looking so comfy... I can tell she really loves flying.'

Contrail was born in a Columbian nomadic city. Her parents were biologists by trade, and often had to travel all across Terra to observe wild animals in their natural habitat, with the young Contrail in tow. She was an extremely timid child, though. Even the footsteps of burdenbeasts were enough to make her cry. Her parents would call for her to join them in observation, but all she wanted to do was to stay in the tent by herself. She recoiled in the face of everything, and was deeply uninquisitive. Despite her parents' best efforts to provide her with an encouraging education, she remained so. But they always believed that one day, their daughter would find something she truly loves.

She eventually did, as they expected, but the experience that led to it is incredibly hard to believe.

It was a perfectly normal morning. Her parents had just finished their nighttime observation, and returned to their tent to find Contrail missing. In a panic, they searched everywhere for her, only to raise their heads and see her up in the sky. She was being held aloft in the beak of a gigantic fowlbeast, 'soaring' through the sky.

'Mom and Dad were out of their minds with worry waiting for it to set me down, but I was having the time of my life... I'd never felt that excited before.

'I remember being really scared when it picked me up, so scared I forgot to close my eyes. Then I saw those scary trees and ferocious beasts shrink until they were smaller than my finger. I saw the sun and the clouds get closer and closer. I saw where the barrens stopped being the barrens, where they turned into prairies and villages...

'Without really thinking about it, I opened up my arms and started swaying them back and forth... just like a fowlbeast.'

From that day onwards, the girl loved the sky.

Short-range test flight No. 29:

Although the hang glider still can't handle changes in airflow during emergency situations, overall performance is as expected. This means I can start doing long-distance test flights next.

It's no surprise that Mom and Dad found out about my decision. They know how hard I worked for this day, so even the smallest breakthrough makes them happy for me.

I explained every detail of my plan to them. I'm not going to fly from rooftop to rooftop like before. This time, I'm looking to fly over a small hill.

I saw how they were worried for me, but...

I'm serious when it comes to flying. I'm pulling out all the stops.

Test flight No. 1:

I've picked the date for the test. If the weather is agreeable, I'll be flying just after sunrise.

(Below is a stretch of blank space, and the following page has been torn out.)

It's been six months since the accident, and here I am, opening this notebook again.

I've finally managed to find time to stop and think, in between the Oripathy treatments and rehab. To think about what the test flights—or rather, flying—really mean to me.

I remember lying in the mud, unable to move. The calm tone Mom used to comfort me between her sobs, telling me my legs would be fine. I also remember how Dad looked, trying everything he could to get in touch with an Oripathy specialist out in the wilds... Don't tell me all my first test flight got me was a broken body and a heartbroken family?

I have to admit, this was my first big failure. My hang glider's completely wrecked, too... But I won't forget how those broken wings saved me when I needed them the most.

Mom and Dad have occasionally been mentioning the weather to me lately, along with any new fowlbeast habitats they discovered. I know they're trying to cheer me up. They've always supported my decisions, even if they're quiet about it.

I...

I'm still thinking about soaring through the sky.

Test flight No. 2:

After 439 days, it's time to restart the test flights.

—Excerpt from Contrail's test flight records

At first, it was hard for us to believe that the 'flying adventurer' and the meek girl in front of us were one and the same. But upon reading these flight records, and seeing the thick stack of high-altitude photos she would have had to brave treacherous conditions to take, we couldn't deny that Contrail is an adventurer worthy of our respect.

Autumn Year 1, we flew from western Columbia to Siesta;

Spring Year 2, we set off from Siesta, flying across Victoria to eastern Rim Billiton;

Autumn Year 2, we're ready to return, flying from Rim Billiton to Siesta;

Spring Year 3, return to Columbia, migration complete.

—In a notebook's title page, a child notes down her dreams.

Ever since their daughter showed a deep interest in flight, Contrail's parents shifted their topic of research to wild fowlbeasts. They led her on fowlbeast observations, following these free-wheeling creatures as they migrated. While she helped her parents in their observational research, she also began studying flight dynamics, continuing her studies into university. Through her own efforts, she managed to upgrade a portable flight device to be capable of short flights alongside flying fowlbeasts.

Contrail continues to perform test flights all over Terra to realize her dream of long-distance flight all the sooner, and Rhodes Island has become the platform from which she can chase her dreams. The Engineering operators are already used to the odd ideas she would occasionally propose—for example, adding colored smoke bombs to her flight device's nozzles, or making the joints of her Originium air thrusters magnetic... In short, whenever she sequesters herself in a workshop to tinker in silence, everyone knows she's figured out where she wants to fly to next.

It's true that achieving her dream will not be easy, but no matter how many times she stumbles, Contrail always picks herself back up again, facing the storm before her without a hint of fear. Perhaps one day, she will finally be able to accompany the flocks of fowlbeasts as they migrate across Terra, just like how they accompanied her when she was young.

[Clip from a wildlife documentary]

Changes to the environment caused by Catastrophes and human activity are never-ending, and we have noted that the migratory patterns of wild animals change along with them. A farflyer fowl's migration is a typical example. For the past few centuries, it was very rare to see them outside of Columbia and Siesta, but in recent years, researchers have found traces of them migrating, nesting, and breeding in places such as Victoria and Rim Billiton.

The reason we never stop observing their migratory routes is because migration is an inevitability for humanity as well. Conflicts, Catastrophes, poverty... Because of this, we can understand, even sympathize with the fowlbeasts. They may go, but they promise they will return.

[Excerpts from a news tidbits section]

...This isn't the first tall building in the city this Zalak girl has conquered. We've received many eyewitness reports of her in places such as the amusement park's observation wheel and the school clock tower. We can't help but wonder, where will she take off from next? Hopefully her next flight will obey the city's traffic laws. Or better yet, I hope she doesn't catch a cold, so that her snot won't drip on my head.

—Excerpt from 'She jumps from atop the municipal building, but why?'

'That's right, we've pored over this photo, and we believe its authenticity to be up for debate.

'We know there are a lot of tall tales involving photos going around right now, and there are people trying to use blurry photos for their own ends. Some even try to pass off a log floating in a lake as a monster. So what if it's a UFO belching out steam? Call me when it starts throwing around money!'

—Excerpt from 'UFO? Expert's latest response'

'The girl flying above the forest with the fowlbeasts', 'Flying woman appears, leading fowlbeast flock' ...Many have heard similar rumors, and as much as we gasp in amazement at her fantastical feats and experiences, we should not forget that fowlbeasts flying in from foreign lands can harbor many horrific diseases. If you begin to experience any unusual symptoms, pay close attention to your health...

—Excerpt from 'Remember to stay far from these things, watch out for infectious diseases!'

We often see reports about Contrail in the news and various magazines, and most of the time, you won't know whether to laugh or sigh while reading them. We once asked her if these articles would affect her test flights. This was her response:

'Well... When I'm flying, I'm focused on what's in front of me.'