UR-3 Stall Protection

Thank you for the hospitality.

The pleasure is all mine. It's such a joy to see a Banshee these days.

Why is that?

Makes it easier for me to ask for an elegy when me or my family reach the end of the road.

Not much has changed with Kazdel, but few Banshees come anymore.

Our departed kin won't find the myriad souls without your guidance.

I'm sorry.

I'll... do my best.

Just kidding. You came to treat that 'Roosting Tree' of yours, right?

Is this the branch?

Incantation analysis failed to discover the reasons behind its decay.

It is the pillar of the entire Banshee race. A friend recommended you as a Child of Soil and Stone familiar with plants. Please—

Let me see what I can do. I'll get some dirt...

Can you get a pot from the backyard? If you see any fowlbeasts stealing vegetables, just chase them away.

'Disperse.'

'Fowlbeasts stealing vegetables', eh...

Get lost or I'll rip your head off!

You shouldn't yell like that. It's bad for your voice.

No need to be afraid. I would not hurt a child.

Don't you dare take my food.

If it's 'your' food...

What's that in your hand?

Pfft. Just a stupid branch that's been lying in the mud. It stinks.

Are you hungry? Let me see... I made some pastries from the dew-caps that grow along the shore of Mist Lake. It's the right season for them.

Hmph! Safer to scrounge food off the dead. Get away from me!

(Menacing howl)

......

You're not scared? Even those big mercs are scared of that sound.

That is the sound of the Banshees. Of our clan.

I have not heard this note in the song of the Banshees for a long time. Years ago, the last one who sang it...

You are that child...

You know who taught me the sound?

But I've never met you before.

We don't come to Kazdel much these days. Our home is in a distant valley, a place where trees grow, with fruit hanging from their branches.

It's hard to find food. You gotta be ready for a beating.

But let's say the place you're talking about really exists, where fruit just grows on the trees like that... what's the catch?

Clever girl.

Maybe you should come with me. You belong there. You'll like it.

Even if you don't believe it exists.

Why should I?

Your name is Nasti, isn't it?

—!

Is that... the presence of a Banshee I sense? And... what's that? Wither... decay?

No... Nasti... are you...?

Are you trying to repeat the mistakes of the past?

Most of the Rhine staff have evacuated the Vivarium, sir. Only Nasti and a few researchers are staying behind to organize documents. They don't look happy.

Are you happy? The plan wasn't to ruin the whole Vivarium.

You said the tour guide knew too much about the Banshees. This was a chance to expose her and drag Nasti into it. Kill two fowlbeasts with one stone.

It was a rough plan to begin with. Isn't the Vivarium accident a convenient excuse to stop Rhine's inspections?

Convenient? And where do you think we'll find that frickin' guide?

Uh...

I know Nasti. She would never let something like this happen to the Vivarium just accidentally. Besides, there's no way she would risk Rhine's exhibit, with the exhibition right around the corner.

The guide... she was gone before the alarm sounded!

She must have done something.

It's not enough to just evacuate the researchers. There's a good chance that Nasti's already onto my plan, and is just waiting for evidence... evidence that I can't afford to give her.

Tell your men to find Ferne by sundown.

Yes, sir!

Deep breaths, Ferne... maybe she just went off on her own...

No, no, no, she doesn't even remember why she came to Propeller Paradise, where on Terra could she go?

But if that's not what she did...

Then someone must have taken her.

Who's there?!

Miss.

Wh-What are you doing here?

What are you standing there for? Hurry up and move the saplings for the exhibition. Those are our last ones—

All dead... in five minutes?

A natural cavity... no, a connector?

The withered plants. The tree hole. No equipment malfunction... tell me, what was that 'branch' attached to you, and where did it go?

......

It was Ferne!

You took that bone pen from the tree in the Vivarium, didn't you?

It's plain, simple, unremarkable. You couldn't have known that it was the key that controls the entire Vivarium. It wasn't your intention to sabotage it.

...Is Mr. Tannen waiting outside with his men?

I came alone, Miss. I don't think the responsibility for what happened to the Vivarium should fall on your shoulders.

What do you mean?

There are some things I still have to look into, but I've suspected that Mr. Tannen has been plotting against Rhine ever since he agreed to help the mysterious Banshee guest for no apparent reason. Either that, or his own private interests are involved...

You suspect your own boss? But he said Columbia would do good by a good person.

He also said that there's nobody easier to deal with than a good person.

Then my client...

There's a row of 'VIP rooms' outside Mr. Tannen's office. You could try looking there.

I hope your client just went out for a walk, I truly do.

......

Gordon must be behind this!

Altering the list of inspections, then sabotaging the whole Vivarium and putting the Rhine exhibit on lockdown... what he gonna do next, chase us out of Propeller Paradise?

There is no problem with our systems or hardware.

He sent someone to steal your bone pen.

It's not like him.

Why are you trying to use logic to explain the actions of a bandit?

They don't operate under the same rules we do, except when they talk officialese. None of the corporations on Propeller Paradise do.

We're closer to the Barrier than anyone else. We're different.

Countless tech firms fall by the wayside, but the Business Registrar rarely gets any complaints. Why?

Because there is a consensus—in the Sky Age, the higher you stand, the more respect you deserve.

Gordon's interference with our experiments violates Propeller Paradise's consensus. He should...

You don't want to be bound by the rules, but you still want to exploit them.

You're proving that Rhine is not yet ready to reach those heights.

What...?

Stop working and listen up, everybody. This is about today's incident, and how we proceed from here.

Cultivation and I have confirmed that the seventy-two trees waiting to be replanted, three hundred and fifty saplings and more than one thousand ungerminated seeds, are all dead.

The Propeller Paradise Police are now in charge of investigating the incident. We don't know how long that will take, but there is no realistic chance that the Vivarium can be restored before the exhibition.

Senior researchers will have to stay behind and work on the incident report with me. The rest of you can enjoy a little time off. Any questions?

Director Lunorey. You said the Vivarium was our most important project, the cumulation of data sent back by the Ring Lab.

Does this mean that we failed to protect the last legacy of Galleria Stellaria?

......

Dismissed.

......

VIP rooms outside the office area... here we are.

Mercia had suspicions, but no proof that Mr. Tannen really... never mind, the most important thing is to find the client!

...Try to run again, and I start breaking bones!

There's someone inside?

For anyone's sake, quit crying and keep quiet until the end of the exhibition!

Ugh, my head hurts. Let me get a smoke.

......

Please, sir, let me go... I won't say anything about Mr. Tannen...

Oakley? What are you doing here? Open your eyes!

The impostor...

I've got a name. It's Ferne.

Mr. Tannen said he was gonna treat you well and pay you compensation. What's going on...?

Treat me well? He freakin' locked me up!

And none of this would've happened, if you didn't impersonate me!

Hey, you're the one who begged me to take your number and resume that night, tears and snot all over your face. What did you say back then? You were a 'lonely soul looking for love'—

Alright, alright, stop, stop, STOP!

Me and my rotten luck... it's a huge deal, letting unauthorized personnel sneak into a high-security experiment zone. That's why they wanted to shut me up.

But how did YOU get out? I heard the guards say that Mr. Tannen was gonna deal with the troublemaking imposter.

...I see.

Are we dead? I just wanted to see what life would be like in the future, but now it looks like I ain't got no future no more...

You wanna join my tour, Real Oakley?

What?

I got in unnoticed, I can get you out safely.

You can?

Man alive, I went out for a smoke and a whole PERSON just grew out from the floor or what?

You can get in, but you won't get out!

Not gonna let us go in peace, huh?

Y-You mean it when you say you can get me out? I'll join your tour or what ever it is, just get me outta here!

Good. You won't regret it. Let me tell you about how I braved the dangers of the Bleached Wasteland—

Just deal with this guy! Damn, my hands are still tied...

Don't worry, a good tour guide never makes her customers do her job.

Welcome to Ferne's Tours! Please be aware that you may encounter loud noises during this tour.

Cover your ears, or keep your distance from me. Now, let's get moving—

Argh...

Run!

Frickin' hell! After them! Don't let them get away!

...

Survival of the fittest, culling of the unfit... since when has Rhine become one of the 'unfit'?

Oh... Mr. Jagger! What are you doing here?

That's my line. What are you doing here, when you should have already cancelled Lucky Cystybeast's registration?

I'm not doing anything illegal! We solved our technical issues before we filed the cancellation. What a stroke of luck...

You solved it? Why didn't anyone contact Engineering?

Maybe word didn't have time to get around because of how sudden it was...

A-Anyway, Mr. Tannen announced that all technical inspections by Rhine Lab are suspended.

I don't need to report to you anymore.

...

How could they have solved it all of a sudden, when three days didn't do it?

The Lucky Cystybeast's luck?

Quick, take the readings before their people come back.

All the data is good. Too good, in fact. It's almost as if they were specifically calibrated to the benchmarks.

Wait... these aren't Propeller Paradise standard-issue screws, are they?

They're completely soldered. Won't budge... the whole core energy module is sealed shut.

But no power unit on Propeller Paradise sounds like this. No legal power unit, anyway.

Where did they get this weird non-compliant stuff from? I thought all procurement on Propeller Paradise goes through—

Ah... I get it now. Silly me, for thinking that survival of the fittest was really the rule on Propeller Paradise.

Still helping that bastard put together the report for the accident at Rhine?

Forget it. Director Lunorey would just dismiss me for not having evidence.

Who else can help...?

My ride will be there in five minutes. I'll bring you a Propeller Paradise mascot plushie if I find one.

I'm not a kid.

See you later, then?

You've been playing catch with your 'branches' in the corridor ever since you stepped out of Saria's office.

You're stalling. I can tell.

There really ought to be a law about invading an individual's privacy with a water clone.

Not likely to happen, unless there's another Water Elf in Columbia.

You know I'm stuck in Kjerag and can't come in person.

Maintaining a water clone at long distance is a draining task. Are you so worried that I might flub up Kristen's legacy?

It's you that I'm worried about, not some derivative of Galleria Stellaria.

It takes time for a seed to grow into a sapling, and all the more so when you hope it will become a towering tree.

Relax. Not even Ferdinand would complain about the results you're pulling.

That's because I blocked his email.

Ahem...

You helped make Kristen's dreams come true by digging away under the Trimounts suburbs. Now it's your turn.

Have you ever thought about...?

I'm not going back to the Convallis.

The serene tranquility of the Convallis does not belong to a flawed Banshee, nor can it inspire her.

But...

It's time to go.

Just a sec. Here.

A potted plant?

Ecological dug it out of the desert. It's resistant to heat and cold, and just as stubborn as you... call it a goodbye prezzie.

No need for vivariums, just remember to water it. It'll keep a watchful eye on you... maybe even help you.

...

In return, take care of the vivarium and yourself, and—

Get me a Propeller Paradise mascot plushie, if they really exist!

...

The withered branches on the first-floor planters have been cleaned up. This potted plant is the only one from the exhibit that survived.

I'll take it.

What about the underground 'plants'?

Transmitted data are as expected, but monitoring coverage is limited. We haven't had time to send someone to check on site.

I'll go. Thanks.

Director Lunorey.

Anyone from outside here?

No, ma'am. We've continued to simulate experimental conditions here.

Mm. Just in case...

(In Sarkaz) Reveal.

No sign of entry... was it really an accident?

We've compiled the report on the dead plants. Do you want to review it now?

Alright, let's go.

Nasti Lunorey, Director of Engineering. Credentials confirmed. Welcome.

...

Where the heck did those two go?

Did something happen, sir?

Uh...

No need to be alarmed. We're just simulating missions on the Shadow-Moon. Mr. Tannen's orders.

Columbia keeps our people safe, wherever they are.

(Split up. Keep a low profile.)

(Roger.)

So it was a drill... it's just like a Wrankwood blockbuster! What was it called...? Battlefield Shadow-Moon, I think?

See? Those guards are Kazimierzian space-knights. Don't give us away!

Skip the comedy, impostor. Where do you go next?

Not many places to hide on the Flying Donut station, while the ring corridor in the back is perfect for an ambush...

Then what do we do? I signed your tour contract, you gotta get me out of here!

Settle down, Real Oakley. You're on Propeller Paradise. Forget what you think you know about Terra Firma.

That's a Volvort Kochinski jump-board you're testing, right? Can we borrow it?

Sure.

Huh? What's that sound?

Look up!

How the frick did they get on top of a floating pod?

Oh, I forgot. People look up on Propeller Paradise.

What do we do?!

Shoot them down!

Oh! Is that simulating the air cannon the villain fires in the climactic scene?

Wait, I think I smell Originium powder...

Fire!

Run!

Trash, all of them! It took so much work just to put Rhine down, but now we have a rogue tour guide on the loose...

I would have gone after that Feline myself, if I didn't have business to do.

Would you like me to eliminate those ignorant Terrans, Sky Conqueror? Show them true power from beyond Terra?

No need, Five-Four. She's a tour guide, not a special agent.

First, report on Gustave.

He and his retinue are floating around Cloud and the VIP area. They have passed through the ring corridor, but no one has found the hidden door yet.

Hah. When I first joined ATAO seven years ago, Gustave would notice if I swiped a liquid Originium lighter from a stowaway.

I thought he didn't like me because he used to be a soldier, hated crooks and wanted everything to be done the right way. Only later did I find out it was because I left too many loose ends.

I learned everything from him, his way of doing things, his way of talking, even how I dress. As for the result—

This pod holds treasures from across Terra.

It's much bigger than ATAO's dirty lockers.

Gustave on one side, Nasti on the other. So what?

I'm not the clueless kid from seven years ago. They'll never find out what I did, unless I hand-deliver the evidence.

Once the exhibition opens, and thousands of exhibits fly into the sky, all the 'secrets' and 'illicit transactions' won't matter anymore.

Every one will know that it was Gordon Tannen who lit the fire under Propeller Paradise. Not Rhine, not D.C.

Warning! Terran approaching!

What's that sound?

Don't blow it up... might be somebody... below...

Don't try to... talk... way out of...!

...Oh...!

(They really blew it up! Where the hell am I, anyway? This place isn't on my map! There was a hidden door in the ring corridor?)

(And why am I staring at Tannen right now? Was this a trap? But why is there such a look of surprise and shock on his face?)

(Are these exhibits on the walls?)

(Wait a second... I've definitely seen these Arts units at the street stalls when I got dragged into the black market by the Sarkaz. And that hat over there—isn't that standard issue for the Zhayedan in Sargonian tombs...?)

(Shoot, is it too late to pretend I never saw any of this?)

(Oh no, please don't hit the high-explosive Originite grenade, or this entire pod goes up in smoke!)

(Dammit, it's been one thing after another since this fake guide came to Propeller Paradise!)

(Is she Rhine's enemy, or Nasti's spy? She ruined my plans once at the Vivarium, and now she's doing it again!)

(What's she looking at? The active Originium storm guide beacon, or the Zhayedan's witchcraft helmet? Shit, she recognizes these!)

(What's she gonna do with the dirt on me? Is she gonna sell it to someone? If Nasti or Gustave find out...)

Shit...