Zeroth Directive

Archive III

... 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.

Archive IV

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.

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Contrail

Archive I

Promotion record

Outfits

Operators

Archive II

Archive III

Archive IV