UR-ST-1 Reflected in the River

Woo—ha~!

Ya—hoo~!

Hii—yaah~!

There is still a ways to go before we pass through the reed beds and arrive at the Roosting Tree. Shall I take the helm? The boats of the Convallis were carved by incantation, and are powered by the same. They have no need for physical strength to pilot.

It's fine. Those three are busy running wild, let them burn off some of that energy.

They are more... lively than I imagined.

This is them at their calmest, if you can believe it... You don't want to see them rowing while deciding who can cry the loudest, or roar most like a manglerbeast.

They were churned up in that furnace for centuries, after all. They barely had physical form, barely had distinct identities. Anyone would be rowdy after something like that.

......

...It's quiet, the Convallis.

Pardon?

In Columbia, even a forward-thinking guy like me finds himself flustered at a taxicab door, struggling to find the handle on a newfangled model.

Noisy change is Columbia's natural state. The ever-pioneering, ever-advancing nation. She waits for no man, not even for a second.

But here... When was the last time I came here?

Two hundred years ago, after Kazdel was picked clean in the wake of that bitter war. Væla had only just turned this valley into the home of the Banshees.

Yep. Can't have been easy, finding a place like this snuggled up to all these Originium-doused mountains.

Mist Lake's rippling mirror, sunken trees among the reed beds, forests carpeting the land in gold... and the Banshees working the oars of their boats, gently blowing on their leaf whistles. It's like the valley itself is breathing.

Even after all these years, the Convallis hasn't changed a bit.

Aside from... the one who ferried me the first time around.

Væla.

Væla, my old friend. Did she already move into that wooden house under the Tree?

She did so last month, Tin Man.

I heard she worked you into one of her tales, telling the children that the mists of the Convallis are puffs from your pipe.

But a day later, when the children pestered her as to how you persuaded that empty suit of armor, or escaped being thrown into the Furnace, hearing your name only confused her.

...She's starting to forget.

Indeed. Forgetfulness... Death's warning to a Banshee.

She moved into the house after that, like every other Banshee she has seen off over the years, peacefully waiting for the end to come.

Seeing off an old friend who's forgotten my name... Didn't think my trip here would end up being so heavy.

I would like you to comfort her, in your own way.

She has given far too much of herself for us, for the Convallis, and for the Sarkaz.

You know her type, always insisting on wallowing in unknowable suffering. I simply...

I simply hope that as three hundred years' worth of memories slowly leave her side... She can find some solace.

Sure.

We are here.

......?

Laqeramaline.

Do you require my presence for your goodbyes?

Nobody here.

But... But how?

Væla... left?

Where can a Banshee losing her memory even go?

Whoa! Why's the elevator so dark? I thought there'd be a window or something to look out...

Didn't you read the Propeller Paradise handbook they gave out? It's for building suspense, so everybody here for Air Expo Columbia gets an optimal high-altitude experience!

Advance tickets sold like hotcakes. I tell you what, this is gonna blow those dime-a-dozen rinky-dink drones that've been popping up everywhere the past two years—

Alright, alright, no need to show off how well you memorized the handbook.

We've already put propellers on every piece of furniture in our house that can take them. Does every Columbian these days hear the word 'sky' and get all worked up into a tizzy?

Also, did you notice? Even after all this time, we still haven't reached the levitation layer. That means—

Haha, it means this park really is as tall as the ads say, and our latest levitation tech really can hold up an entire building! We've come to the right place, dear!

Where's that music coming from? Is this... an elevator ad?

Hi everyone! I'm Oakley, your guide to the park!

I get it, being cooped up in that little black box must be awfully boring, you wanna get to the punchline already... but once you get your one-of-a-kind view of all Terra from six hundred meters up, it'll be worth it!

In forty seconds, we'll be arriving at Propeller Paradise's levitation layer. Before that, I'd like you all to noodle on one question: what sort of change will the sky bring to our lives?

You might've already had the chance to try the flying cars in the lower level exhibition area today, trading tires for Originium thrusters.

Soon, the only place you'll see anything with wheels or tracks is gonna be a museum. Doesn't matter if it's a baby stroller or a nomadic city.

Today, we struggle to decide whether to go to Minos or Siesta for summer vacation.

But our indecisionitis is only going to get that much worse once every star in the sky is a potential holiday destination.

The gifts you bring home for your kids after the tour might be a model of the Ring Lab, or maybe a DIY rocket kit.

But it won't be long before an extraterrestrial playmate is the newest preschool trend.

Tonight, we'll be gathered by the radio, betting on whether the station will, out of all the songs about the sky, pick our beloved Good Night, Kristen Wright.

But soon, we'll be forgetting all about that bassy, raspy crooner, because the solar wind will be our new strings, and the galaxy will be our custom-order jukebox.

'The sky is Columbia's next frontier.' That's more than just Vice President Jackson's campaign slogan.

Propeller Paradise proves that every Columbian can be the greatest of Pioneers. There'll always be a place for you somewhere beyond the Starpod.

The Air Expo Columbia begins in just seven days, and with it, everything I just said. Hold onto your tickets, or should I say, your keys to the future.

Everyone's seen the sky opening over Trimounts, of course, and the old adage of 'seeing is believing' has never been more true. So come, see, then believe!

Nice to finally meet you all. Recognize me? I'm the model for the funny cartoon guide you saw just now, Oakley Parsons.

Welcome to Terra's one-and-only levitating experimental park nomadic plate, Columbia's Propeller Paradise!

Welcome to Propeller Paradise. Your investment is greatly appreciated.

Cloud... Is this restaurant the highest point in the park? Being this close to the sky is really making my heart skip some beats!

What's your drink of choice? Your jaw's been hanging open since the moment you stepped off the elevator, so I imagine you must be mighty thirsty right about now.

How considerate of you, Mr. Tannen. What a fine administrator you are for this Propeller Paradise.

I know just how you feel. I first heard about this park back when I was with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arts Units, and Originium. And my mouth went so dry it was like I'd been stuck in the desert for days.

Ever since Vice-President Jackson gave that speech before Congress about Columbia setting off into the sky two years back, everyone's been hoping to be one of the lucky few to reach up and touch the Starpod.

So that's why you gave up the chance for a promotion at the ATAO, to do admin work for Propeller Paradise?

That's right, sir.

Fact of the matter is, I've got a keen eye for potential. Propeller Paradise got D.C.'s backing the moment it started construction, becoming Columbia's only nomadic plate with an autonomous administration.

The brutes at the Department of Defense and those Department of Justice hardheads have no authority here. Even us Bureau folks are only allowed to leave a rulebook on the table. Eighty years of Originium product inspection rights, gone, poof.

As for the non-government agencies, only Maylander's Emergency Management Council has the right to stick around. Fortunately, they only worry about 'unusual accidents' that might happen in the park.

This place isn't even six months old yet, but hundreds of sci-tech companies have set up here, we've got near ten thousand researchers coming and going, and the Intellectual Property and Information Security Office gets almost a hundred patent applications every day.

I have to say, Propeller Paradise's been developing much faster than I expected, and in so short a time.

You're right on the mark. In seven days, the park will be linking up with Max, D.C., officially cutting the ribbon on Air Expo Columbia.

The whole country will be watching the opening ceremony. Every company here is going full throttle on the R&D they're about to show off. No better time to invest than right now.

I've still got a few concerns...

Concern is normal, risks and all that. But as they say, in this park in the sky, fowlbeasts fly right into the pot for you.

I've already poured out the celebratory champagne, so don't let it go to waste. Trust me, it'll slake your thirst... Your thirst for everything.

My God... A-Am I really standing above the clouds? Are those really fowlbeasts flying under my feet? This is crazy, I'm feeling a little...

Light-headed? Thirsty? Heart racing like mad? Sounds like you need some Dr Oxygen.

Right, an oxygen tank...

Wait, this is... a drink?

Stiffer than a stiff drink, softer than a soft drink. Your best friend in the sky, the best choice to beat the summer heat: our park's special brew, Dr Oxygen!

Be honest with me here, weren't you jealous of Sankta wings when you were a kid, even if they can't fly with them?

Well be jealous no more, because drinking Dr Oxygen is like plunging your tongue into liquid wings! It's sweeter than your wildest dreams!

*sigh* What's with the ads? Shouldn't she be giving visitors basic info on the park's upper level?

Just leave her be. Look at the big smiles on the guests. It takes something special to sell ordinary soda like it's some revolutionary invention.

A refreshing soda goes great with the sights and sounds of Propeller Paradise. Okay everyone, follow me, while I introduce the park's levitation layer.

The upper level has eleven main platforms and twenty auxiliary ones. These tube passages are the streets, while flexible cables form the foundations of the platforms.

Just like the structural layer down on the ground, the levitation layer is divided into the experiment zone and the exhibition area.

Each tech firm is allocated a few levitation pods that serve as labs for researchers, or exhibition spaces for the public to try things out for themselves.

The high-altitude elevators only bring you to the lowest of the levitation plates. This ropeway station is the local traffic hub, with more than a hundred 'flight pods' attached to the cables. These cable cars are the only real way to get around.

Want a more exciting way to get around? You could try the emergency jump pads on the support platform. Just don't tell park security I said you could do that.

I will say that pre-expo rules mean you can only test a few of the exhibits right now, but I promise, you're still gonna be feasting.

And as a friendly reminder, the strong sunlight up here will make people thirstier than usual, but there's all sorts of flavors of Dr Oxygen available on every levitation platform.

No need to worry everyone, you're not getting addicted to soda, you're getting addicted to the SKY!

Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Tannen!

I knew I picked the right man to work with the moment I heard you managed to get the feds to approve this place's special status in only two days!

Pleasure's all mine, sir. Now, if you would please sign here.

Err... That older gentleman's been standing there a while now. He a friend of yours?

......

Sorry to interrupt your business, just came here looking to reminisce about the good old days.

Well, I'll be. Gustave here was my boss back at the Bureau. When did you show up?

'In this park in the sky, fowlbeasts fly right into the pot for you.'

Haha, that little saying of Mr. Tannen's struck me real deep.

He skipped the best part of the story, though.

Story goes that the fowlbeasts of the Columbian wilds are mighty sly, tough little guys to catch, but the Pioneers of the Great Expansion managed to figure out a way. They'd tie some pretty feathers to their pots and hang up a few dozen of 'em around their camp.

The fowl think it's a potential mate, so they let down their guard, spread their wings, and swoop down... then bam, headfirst into the back of the pot, thinking there's a lovely gal or fella waiting for them even as they meet their maker.

......

Wait, you mean—

Still spinning tall tales out of that old yarn, Gustave? Last time you said the little beasties were smart enough to tell snare from seduction, and that they never fell for it.

I know you dropped by because you're worried I'd get my tongue tied doing business, but I'm not the same kid I was seven years back. I know how to behave.

......

Considering the former ATAO chief came over to back me up, are you still concerned, sir?

Hah, seems I was misunderstanding things. Since the both of you gave me your guarantees, I'll just sign here.

Exactly what I wanted to hear. Looking forward to working with you.

Didn't get enough of teaching me back at the Bureau, Chief? Decided to come out of retirement to run me through the same old curriculum in a different classroom?

Now, I never taught you to tell lies on your government applications. That investor's still in the vetting phase, too.

So what? 'Even if Bureau rules tie your hands and mouth, let your tail do the talking.'

You remember my words real well, but where's the results?

Still a third over the target.

Seems to me you'd do better if you untied your hands and mouth, wouldn't you say?

Care to explain?

Take a look at your terminal. You're not just an administrator anymore, you've got total control over Propeller Paradise.

You actually recommended me for chief executive of the entire park?

Managing Propeller Paradise needs a special touch. Don't forget, you're still a Bureau man, so don't make us look bad.

Don't need you to remind me, Chief. We've got everything handled. The expo will go off without a hitch.

Don't get cocky, kid. You and I both know that investor saw through your tricks, even if he signed a huge deal with you.

He won't go back on it. Every company on the Flower Street exchange with the word 'Sky' in its name is guaranteed a sky-high IPO.

Columbia's taking great strides into the air these days. Even little kids who can't spell 'Starpod' are making toy aircrafts out of rocket-print napkins.

I'm sure you know where this skymania came from.

Trimounts, two years ago, when a million people witnessed a miracle.

If it wasn't for Kristen Wright, all your talk about progress, the future and conquest wouldn't be worth a dime.

When Rhine Lab first submitted their park project plan to D.C., you were still inspecting butts and tails for Immigration.

There's only one thing at Propeller Paradise I don't control. Still belongs to the one who started the whole thing...

You'd better get a bridle around your risks here. You've only got seven days. What're you going to do?

......

I need the parameters, Sky.

Sent them over already.

The values for the floating botanical unit have deviated.

This is the first time we're using plants to perform long-distance energy transfer instead of the usual cables, there's still too many unconfirmed hypotheses.

We need to compare the data from this unit with the ones on the upper level if we want quick results. I'll head up for you, Director!

No need. The light sensors on this unit are extremely sensitive to the directionality of the light it's using as an energy source. Errors actually mean it gets a passing grade.

I just told you this two hours ago.

Sorry.

Let me ask again, what sort of tree is planted in the unit you just gave me?

You saw my resume when I interviewed, Director, you know I'm no botanist...

I do.

You're not earning a degree by glancing down at that list of plants you're holding.

......

You've got something else on your mind.

The advance ticket tour should be over by now. The guide was supposed to bring the visitors down to the lower level exhibitions to see Rhine Lab's vivarium twenty minutes ago.

If we are excluded from the pre-expo, then Rhine Lab's gonna get kicked out of the park when the real expo starts!

We don't specialize in attracting visitors, Sky.

Honestly, I forgot what I was good at pretty early into the six months I've been here.

You stuffed a dozen of us researchers into the vivarium after setting up in the park, making us tend to the saplings and debug the botanical units all so the park could have a few fruit trees for decor. No large-scale experimentation or anything.

Do you think we're just here to be gardeners?

No, I know the vivarium is our expo showcase. It's the Ring Lab's legacy, even if it has to stay on the ground...

But how long has it been since we last looked up at the sky?

Rhine proposed the park with only one thing in mind: how to make buildings levitate longer using a structural engineering approach.

The corridors linking the levitating plates, the oxygen and water systems for the experiment zone, this planting unit in my hand... They are important parts of the park's fundamental structure, and Rhine's achievements.

We have only seven days until the expo begins. We need to finish testing and checking all the exhibits as quickly as possible. We're Propeller Paradise's engineering department right now. Don't forget your duty.

That's all? Your dreams, Kristen's dreams in the sky... are just going to die like that?

......