BP-ST-3 The Stray and the Companion

Do you really mean to return?

I've finally found out that man's whereabouts.

No matter who he is or what vulpohole he's decided to hide himself in, he hurt our daughter. He needs to pay.

Then let me come with you. I don't care if it's famiglie standing in our way, cruel Catastrophes, endless tides, or fire raining from the skies, we'll face them together.

Would the shrine be alright without you?

Relax, it's just killing a few people. It long past time for those bastards to head to hell.

Then it seems we must part once more...

Heavens drink their fill, sky besot by sakura, drunken clouds stumble.

Was that a haiku? It's got a good rhythm, perfectly suited for reciting while swinging a sword.

(Blows nose)

The hell, man, why're you crying?

An assassin gets revenge for her daughter by crossing two big famiglie, so she's forced to flee to a distant country.

And many years later, she has to leave behind her gentle husband and re-enter the storm, all for her daughter's sake again.

When I think about the people in real life who live like that, I can't help it... The way I see it, the movie should be from her point of view!

...

I hope I don't gotta remind you that this film's supposed to be our famiglia's business card in the new city. And we're supposed to be reviewing it together.

We gotta control how this city looks at our boss and our business.

I thought you said it was great last time?

Great? Then why'd that killer lady show up outta nowhere?

'Cruel Catastrophes'? 'Endless tides'? 'Fire raining from the skies'? Who wrote this crap?

Sure, the Columbians poked a hole in the sky, but I ain't never heard of no fire raining down. When's this supposed to take place, anyway?

When're you gonna learn to have a bit of perspective?

A cold-blooded killer putting down her blade for a peaceful tomorrow in Nuova Volsinii, all thanks to our famiglia's influence. You can't get more with the times than that!

Eh, if you put it that way, the film's even more crap. But you're right, as long as it's to the Signora's liking—

Hey, which bastard touched the switch? We under attack?!

No, look at the screen!

...

Mr. Tin Man?

We have a press conference starting soon, so please keep it quick.

While you all were busy flinging all those things into the sky, I made a few rounds in Kazdel.

You know how I feel about this.

I do, young Banshee, I do.

My verdict is that they feel about you much the same as you feel about them.

Considering the many vile connections they have across Terra, if they do decide to get behind your project, there will be plenty of headaches for all involved.

Thanks for the tip. Now, the press conference is about to begin—

Don't be so hasty. Let me finish.

Nasti Lunorey, Director of Engineering at Rhine Lab.

You know full well that the dream you were promised can be shared with more than just the Sarkaz.

The Maylander Foundation will pledge their full support towards you and your Elf friend's brazen plan.

...

We will decide on a date to discuss the details later. That includes future launch plans, where we hope to re-establish a more complete—

Galleria Stellaria.

Yes, that's the one.

Nasti? You on the phone?

Once the conference is over, we'll need a meeting room, a coffee machine, and to clear an entire weekend off our schedule.

That bad, huh?

If only it were as simple as good or bad.

But first, the conference. Is Silence here?

I was hoping she'd stop by, but fat chance she's got the time.

I put one of those burdenbeast blind boxes from Kjerag on her desk, and sure, she'd opened it after a week, but the little beasty was already buried under an avalanche of files in need of review!

The guy who's supposed to be making a speech for us isn't here yet either.

Well, he's still got two minutes—

(Clears throat)

Ladies and gentlemen, the press conference is about to begin. Please quiet down.

I'll be happy to answer any and all relevant questions during the Q&A segment.

Sounds like he's in a good mood.

Let us first—

Playing the same trick twice? Doesn't it get old?

No, Ferdinand's confused too! This wasn't part of his plan! This is—

...The challenges we face are far greater than ourselves or Catastrophes. We must form a community...

...under the leadership of Ægir to overcome them together.

...

Repeat.

...an Ægir broadcast to all surface-dwelling peoples. We ask all of humanity to set aside your conflicts and prejudices, and join the Ægir in building a bulwark together.

The matrix has broken through the blockade and swept past the sea. Essential information and calculation results are about to make landfall.

The challenges we face are far greater than ourselves or Catastrophes. We must form a community...

...under the leadership of Ægir to overcome them together.

...'Under the leadership of Ægir.'

You're still looking towards the land, Dr. Kal'tsit. Hmm... Like a mother, anxious about the child she had to leave behind.

A child, is it?

In one brief communication, you have delivered knowledge that countless others have given their lives for to no avail. Geographical data on the Foehn Hotlands and Infy Icefield, and images from even further north of the continent.

One way of 'showing goodwill,' I suppose?

To share knowledge is natural, while showing goodwill takes intention. I fail to see how the two are related.

It was essential to thoroughly evaluate the extent of shock this would be to our terrestrial friends. Were these not urgent times, we really should have been more cautious.

My concern is that—

There are immediate dangers more worthy of our attention.

How much longer do you believe Milliarium can hold, Consul Clementia?

With our fleets taking shifts, we can keep up continuous, twenty-four-hour covering fire for a week.

There have been no major changes in the Seaborn's movements. As the energy supplying the force fields dries up, the stopping power of our weapons will also gradually dwindle... but this is not outside expectations.

The city can hold for another half a month. No more.

How long will it take reinforcements to arrive from the home territories?

A week.

Our countless nanomachines have established steady information flows. Compressed fleets and cities can speed through them, traversing the oceans in an instant.

However, assembling our forces will still take time.

A week... How quick.

You need not hide your worries, Dr. Kal'tsit.

There are essential differences between the ways we and the landwalkers think. Simple sincerity is insufficient for reaching effective bilateral cooperation.

On the one hand, we hope that reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible. On the other, you worry that the subsequent contact and communications will be outside your control.

You even worry that Skadi and the Doctor have deviated from your plans.

You already know of Skadi's secret, then.

My Little Handy happened to record a chance meeting between Skadi, the Doctor, and Mártus on a street corner.

Compared to discovering the secrets of their identities, controlling who knows what is much more difficult.

An Abyssal Hunter with a Firstborn within her, and a Predecessor scientist who witnessed the rise and fall of the prehistoric civilization in person. They are both of great import to Ægir.

Based on simple evolutionary logic, the Firstborn would not have chosen to entrust the future of its kin to its killer.

We still have no idea how the Seaborn will become the final answer to resisting ruination.

Even with missing memories, the Doctor still bears that mission. How will this so-called 'death of all things' come about, and what can Terra do about it? We must find out.

Skadi and the Doctor are, without a doubt, the key to Ægir's solving of the riddles.

Skadi will face her blood. The Doctor's duty will be fulfilled. But it should be their choice, not somebody else's scheme.

I fear that once Ægir learns of their identities, it will devise ways to exploit them.

Horatia asked me earlier if I was hiding something from her.

And how did you answer, Madame Consul?

No need to worry. She does not know, yet.

You truly treasure Skadi and the Doctor, don't you? Even when confronted with a disaster threatening to wipe out civilization, you still wish to respect their choices.

But this is no time for us to hesitate. I can't hide this from Horatia forever.

I presume you have a plan then, considering you're hiding this from her at all.

I've reached an agreement with Gladiia. We will take over all Abyssal Hunter-related research in the name of the Legions, and ensure that the Hunters will not be put in circumstances depriving them of a choice.

As for the Doctor and myself... We hope to go deeper into the Ægir home territories, and solve these mysteries by ourselves.

I fear that we will need an Ægir guide.

Well then... it would be my pleasure.

Cassia will receive the punishment she deserves. Milliarium's incubation chamber has been moved to safety, so as long as the city doesn't fall, the child she left behind will be born safely.

They will be raised in the Institute of Incubation.

...

I know what you're thinking. The fate of a Church of the Deep cultist isn't worth calling you over for.

Do you still think that everything will end in ruin, Mr. Avitus?

I still believe in history. Once written, it can never be changed.

Even a tragic victory is destined to be another page in its annals.

I'm glad to hear you say that.

Let's get down to business, Jordi. I met with Consul Clementia.

I confessed everything. What I was thinking, what I did, what I saw but never spoke of.

I accepted the tribunal's interrogation, but they did not believe I deserved to be labeled fallen. I had stood at the precipice and looked around. Perhaps even stuck a toe over the edge, but no more than that.

Their final verdict was that I could keep my post and continue to stay in Milliarium.

It sounds like you have other plans, though?

They may see it as repentance, but I cannot forget the outcome of my silence and inaction.

I'm not arrogant enough to believe I could have affected an entire military campaign on my own, but... what if I had reported Cassia's unusual behavior?

This could have played out very differently.

And so, I plan to leave Milliarium.

To where? The Ægirian home territories?

Somewhere even further than that.

Even further?

Now that the Waterway has opened, Ægir is about to restart the work interrupted by the Seaborn.

Expeditionary fleets will once more explore the far side of Terra, but this time, we have changed the course of our voyage.

We might set off from that mining nation of Rim Billiton, and try to touch the edge of the sea.

Better I die on some expedition into the unknown than wallow here in sorrow, self-reproach, and despair until it saps me of all my strength.

There, whether we go forwards or downwards, no one knows what awaits us. We will be like Breogan in times of yore, pushing back against the darkness of ignorance.

Y-You mean...?

You caught on, Jordi Fontanarossa. Yes, I'm inviting you to join us on this distant voyage.

I'm not the only one who desires this.

You said earlier that I never answered your questions properly. You were right, and I should apologize. But there was something I truly wished to tell you back then.

We have no need to prove our place. Even if the vestiges of the past have worn you down to nothing, you can still tie your future to Ægir.

I don't know what to say, this is all a bit much...

Don't worry. Ægir respects the choices of all its citizens.

Farewell on your carefully-considered departure. We await your eventual return, no matter how long it may take.

...Maestro.

Today's maintenance work on the lighthouse should be finished. Is there some sort of issue with the others?

No, I'm just here to watch the sea, like you.

I heard from the other Inquisitors that you kept making time to come to the coast, even while we were in Milliarium?

Iberia threw a stone into the sea. We were worried it would foment an unstoppable wave, but what was even more worrying was that it might sink in silence, with nary a whisper.

Fortunately, the stone stirred up the ripples we hoped for, and Iberia was able to see the circumstances beneath the waves... and in so doing make up its mind.

You performed your duties as envoy admirably. If there was ever a time in your life to stand tall with your head held high, now is that time.

Y-Yes, sir!

Maestro, I've been thinking about returning to Gran Faro. Going back to the chapel, and where I used to live with Uncle Thiago.

...You should have seen Thiago one last time.

We live in an age of regrets. If you see the Inquisition as the source of those regrets, I cannot refute you.

If you have things to pack, Irene can help you.

What? No, that's not what I meant. I'm really just thinking of... going back to have a look.

In other words, you haven't yet made up your mind.

Yeah...

You told me earlier that the Inquisition letting me to return to Ægir was a test. Am I not...

On the contrary, Jordi. Do not mistake bewilderment for momentary hesitation.

You have lifted your lantern and clearly seen the fork in the road before you. You are merely weighing your choices before choosing which path to follow.

The sea fog is thick, and both routes seem slick with mud. But you are not the one to be criticized for this.

...

Jordi Fontanarossa.

If you choose to follow that Ægirian scholar into unknown waters, the Inquisition will not stop you. The strength of the waves crashing against the shore will not change because a single clerk leaves or stays.

If you choose to stay ashore in Iberia, you will carry responsibilities that are more exhausting than you are used to, but also much more important.

Those are the expectations Iberia has for you.

The choice is yours.

I... I understand, Maestro.

By the by, Irene mentioned that you've been suffering from severe insomnia these past few days. How was last night?

It rained rather heavily around midnight, without a star in the sky. By the crack of dawn, there had been about two or three urgent situations I had to handle.

But overall, a rather peaceful night, all things considered.

(Unknown language) Warning. Deep sleep procedures will commence in three minutes.

(Unknown language) Real-time translation programs will soon shut down. Please provide all necessary instructions as soon as possible.

(Unknown language) Ishar'mla, our shared name... our shared decision.

(Unknown language) We trust one another. We feel as one, do we not?

(Unknown language) I will watch over you, until the end of my days.

Guh.

You have followed me through many nests, Abyssal Hunter.

The reinforcements from the home territories are about to arrive. The confrontation between your kin and Ægir's Legions will soon intensify. You would choose this moment to depart?

Your frontline has already advanced onto land, Seaborn. Why choose to turn back and return to the abyss?

How is this conflict connected to the reawakening of the Firstborn?

...

You are an astute man, Hunter.

I merely discovered your existence before the others.

You left evidence in Ishar'mla's body.

You are the Church of the Deep's... founder.

You sought refuge in the shadows to seek traces of me?

Only a shadow may merge with a shadow.

A most interesting Hunter.

What do you wish to know?

Everything.

I know you, Hunter. You are Ska-di's comrade.

Has Ægir refused your everything?

This nation has refused too much. So much so that it's dug its own grave.

Your schemes are far too obvious.

I never intended to hide them.

I fell in order to obtain answers.

(The nuclei within its skull converge)

I can tell you all you've longed to know, Hunter.

Regarding my next actions, regarding the sealed passages in the ruins embedded in Terra's mantle, regarding how the other Firstborns will awaken...

Regarding Ægir, regarding the next doom to greet Terra...

...

We kin are selfless. We kin are devoted. We kin wish to share everything.

The only requirement is that you become one with we many.

You said you 'fell,' earlier?

No, Hunter. The conjoining of flesh is not enough.

Turn endurance to acceptance. Turn humiliation to elation. You must trust the kin... Trust your own instincts.

You must take up a duty far beyond imagination. The duty of we many.

Perhaps you will learn the full truth in our embrace. But when the time comes, you will be unable to, unwilling to, bring it back to Ægir.

...Just as I could not.

...