Price and Sacrifice

What brings you here?

I came to see you.

You've just undergone embryo separation surgery. The Institute of Facility Management should have allowed you to take time off to rest.

The surgery is as non-invasive as it gets, you know. There's no need to rest that long.

I can't tell whether you care more about me or the little fellow in the incubation chamber, Magister Avitus.

Of course I care about you, but any newborn in Ægir as it is now deserves attention as well.

After he's born, will you choose to raise him personally, or give him to the Institute of Incubation?

I don't think about that sort of thing. It's too far away, too distant.

I went to the hospital before I came here.

The hospital? Why?

You're aware of the battle yesterday, yes? Surely you've seen the news?

Two fleets and over a thousand legionnaires went into battle, but only twenty-six returned.

The Waterway Program is at a turning point, and Milliarium has endured its greatest sacrifice since its departure. There have also been quite a few abnormalities in the city as of late.

What is it you're trying to say?

The Sea Patrol are already looking for you, aren't they, Cassia?

About that missing data scientist.

Magister Avitus.

......

You know, of all the documents in your collection, the one I like the most is 'The Death of Life.' Despite its lack of scholarly value.

I only ever found that diary by accident.

More than three hundred years ago, four great researchers studying the prehistoric civilization made incredible discoveries in the mantle ruins, bringing back countless precious technologies and data to Ægir.

Compared to all those blueprints and theoretical papers, a transcript of voice-recorded diary is hardly worth anything.

And so it gathered dust in the Academy of Science's databases. Until, thanks to your curiosity, it was deciphered and turned into a popular reading material.

Merely the musings of an ordinary Predecessor on his endless journey.

But I loved the story of that Predecessor.

I enjoyed seeing reality through his eyes.

How the connections between countless stars collapsed, how the trust between myriad races crumbled away. Goods were in short supply, technology was lost, philosophy and art fell silent...

No matter how much hope and vision went into their great undertakings, they ultimately faded into silence... Just like those nanomachines interred within the beacon tower.

Did you empathize with his despair, Cassia?

You've never shown a trace of that emotion, though. You even chose to have a child born into a world that could face ruin at any moment.

That isn't the choice of someone who's lost all hope.

I don't feel a shred of despair. Really.

That old-fashioned, dispirited, middle-aged man... It's hard to imagine how I could empathize with him at all.

I simply appreciated how, by borrowing from his past experiences, you ingeniously tore apart the magnificent facade covering the eyes of today's Ægir.

'We must accept that the things and qualities we were once so proud of have no use now. Perhaps they have always been flawed, and this calamity merely exposed them.'

Once free of worry over survival, people will begin to consider 'value.' We pray that our thoughts, our deeds, even our very existence will have value.

Every one of Ægir's systems is designed around unearthing that value within people.

However, value is fragile. You need only look at it from another angle, and the mighty will become the tiny. The hideous, the beautiful.

It's a pity that, whether through apathy or inertia, people tend to not change viewpoints they are familiar with.

And so, people live on their immutable value. Were those values to crumble away, they would crumble alongside them.

Exactly.

When did despair begin to blossom in you? Was it when Milliarium left the home territories? Or even earlier, after the passing of your Familiar?

...Cassia?

I'm merely grateful that you came to see me today.

You reminded me that I still have things to do, and time runs short.

I'm surprised you allowed such pessimism to spread in your city, Clementia.

'The Death of Life,' a prehistoric diary collated and published by Avitus. The year it was released, it proved to be incredibly popular among the citizens.

They wanted a peek into an unfamiliar life. A thirst born from boredom and idiocy.

What you just said would be enough to trigger controversy in any nation on the land, Gladiia.

A tiny piece that implies exhaustion and despair with every line. It tells the story of how a once glorious civilization hit a dead end far more vividly than any raw data.

And in today's Ægir, can it really be considered an 'unfamiliar life'?

Ægir may be the prehistoric civilization's heir, but that does not require its subservience. We need not condone the rise of... 'exhaustion and despair.'

Ægir stands unwavering due to its unbreakable rationality.

It is our rationality that allows us to be aware of our possible destruction, perhaps even one of all humanity.

Even those who have fallen, detestable as they are, at times make choices based on long-term examination and cautious reflection.

You have personally executed no small number of cultists in your days in the Legions.

Just as you had to personally execute any Hunters who ran wild. You and I are both burdened with heavy duties that we cannot rely on sentimentality.

Was it this rationality that led you to hastily throw the Hunters into the battle for the Waterway Program, despite their recent return?

Kal'tsit...

I invite the two of you to look at the beacon tower behind us. It was once an important component of the interstellar expedition our ancestors planned for.

Within the tower lie countless nanomachines. The first Ægir city to break through the electron cloud would have seeded them throughout the sea of stars.

They would self-proliferate, self-repair, and connect together into an ever bright road network. With this, our fleets would have been able to jump freely between the stars.

After the outbreak of the Seaborn crisis, Ægir turned its eyes from the stars, and the bio-energy system requiring support from a dozen or so cities was cut off.

The nanomachines were incompatible with other energy sources, so after losing their specialized source, they all 'died' within that tower.

But our colleagues from the Academy of Technology have helped alter this tower to serve us in a different manner, by lighting our paths.

Since Milliarium left the home territories, it has been continuously marking Seaborn nests. Huge volumes of data are now compiled within that tower's control center.

With the precise locations of these Seaborn nests, our Class IV weapons can destroy the primary nest in any targeted area of ocean, driving away the occupying Seaborn.

This will clear a path of pure water leading back to the home territories. One that can support a Waterway our main forces can pass through.

Perhaps the Seaborn will eventually regroup, but at the very least, their accumulated nutrients will rot away in their absence, and any re-established nests will bear no fruit.

You are lecturing us on the core concept of the 'Waterway Program,' Madame Consul.

Yes I am, Doctor.

The Abyssal Hunters only managed to save twenty-six lives in yesterday's battle. The Seaborn were clearly forewarned.

Between the oceanic interior and the continental shelf, this city has been fighting them for far too long. They are now adapting to Class III weapons at a much faster rate.

Nest 37's position is of particular import. It strangles the throat of the Waterway. Abandoning it would mean stumbling at the final hurdle.

This is our final battle before the Waterway can be opened. We must gather all the force we can bear as part of the program. The Abyssal Hunters are no exception.

Even if they have only just arrived home.

Can Ægir ensure their safe return?

New combat teams are being formed as we speak. They will confront the Seaborn directly, and create an opportunity for the Hunters to enter the nest and deploy the beacon.

But, as you know, these are merely routine tactics. I am... unable to offer a guarantee.

In that case...

I know what you are worried about. Be at ease.

The Hunters are responsible for their own safety, as well as the risks they face.

As this is a joint decision by you two Chief Designers of Warfare, I am unopposed, but I will not withdraw my objections.

Gladiia...

Gladiia.

Advisor Blandus has made preparations for your organic regeneration surgery. You should make your own before the procedure.

Doña Irene!

Jordi.

You were gone for a whole day...

I was investigating a few things with the Sea Patrol. I also went on a trip into the ocean. I didn't enjoy it very much, so don't ask.

Alright then.

What about you? What have you been up to?

I...

It's not unusual to feel some discomfort. Cheer up, Jordi, this is your homeland.

(Chuckles wryly)

Judging by your expression, you've already studied Breogan's data?

I'm not 100% sure, but there seems to be no real relation between me and that great naval architect.

What does that matter?

Uncle Thiago hoped I'd leave Gran Faro, leave Iberia, but he never told me where to go...

I'm Ægir, so Ægir is where I should be.

But people need some sort of concrete connection, even just a name or some notes, to truly trace their family history.

Avitus said that even though the Seaborn crisis has been raging for over two hundred years, Ægir still has a hundred or more cities comparable in size to Milliarium.

If I'm not Breogan's descendant, then which city did my grandparents live in before they became Islanders? Or was it one of the ones that's gone now?

What kind of work did they do? How did they live? In the end, who were they?

......

Sorry, you don't need to hear all this. You've just arrived here yourself, but you're already assisting the Sea Patrol with their investigation. While I'm just...

You've got nerves of steel.

I'm just an Iberian who can't do a thing here.

Dr. Kal'tsit is in charge of negotiations with the leader of this city, and the Hunters have dived right back into their familiar battle. While my lantern and handcannon aren't especially helpful right now.

Ægir will permit a Liberi to look around its warships and ports, but will not allow her to join the Legions and help fight against the Seaborn. I can't understand that sort of war.

Down here in the depths, all I can do is investigate any abnormal activity within the city. In case it could jeopardize the cooperation between Iberia and Ægir.

Why are you telling me all this?

My hometown was destroyed in a Catastrophe, Jordi. I don't have many memories of it.

The scripture I carry is the only connection with it I have left. It saved my life, and in doing became my guide, my faith.

But when I saw the Inquisition's dungeons, climbed aboard the Stultifera Navis, witnessed my mentor's sacrifice... Only then did I understand what faith was. Accepted its weaknesses. Found its meaning.

You mean...

I don't have nerves of steel, Jordi. I get lost and confused, too.

It's just that, more often than not, that confusion becomes a specific issue you have to resolve. One after another, as quickly as you can.

Arresting the cultists. Taking back the lighthouse invaded by the tides. Finding a lost warship out at sea. Aiding an ally in investigating a missing data scientist.

The 'connection' you're looking for can be anything, whether it's a hometown or faith. Keep looking. You'll find it. It may not be quick or easy, but you'll find it.

Can I really do it?

Can you not?

You helped Iberia relight its final lighthouse, and saved three Abyssal Hunters. Didn't Laurentina tell you that that's enough to get a commendation from the consul herself?

Whether it's as an Ægir or an Inquisition clerk, there are a lot of things you can do.

......

Praefecta!

You're back to the city. But... From the look on your face, I take it the investigation didn't go so well, did it?

Lucilla?

Forgive me, I need to report on my progress to Consul Clementia. I'm not at liberty to divulge any details.

A-Actually, I was looking for you.

There's something I should've remembered back when you were explaining the situation to us. Nothing major, honestly, and it might not even help.

But I felt like I had to tell you!

...Go on.

......

You're the last researcher left.

I'm really, really sorry; can you give me one more hour?

Caulerpa archaeosphaeridium, Hypnea fenestralis, Halymenia fimbriatus, Palmaria purpureus, Sargassum pennata... There's not too many left. I'll finish cataloging them real quick!

No need to rush, Tullia. I'm just here for a routine inspection.

You know who I am?

Mhm. We were in the same batch before the transfer assessment by the Institute of Development Planning. You might not remember me, though.

Are you preparing to transport these seaweeds?

Th-This doesn't violate any protocols, does it?!

Calm down. This building's handover procedures are already complete. If you leave the samples and cultivation equipment behind, you'll end up having to pack them away in bulk.

Thanks for the warning.

But with all these seaweeds, how could you possibly take them all away at once?

Now that it's close to land, Milliarium will be undergoing targeted reformation. The city won't have the space or the resources to breed seaweeds.

Yeah, I know.

I'll take as much as I can. I'll think of something, some way that won't inconvenience anyone.

But the base by the volcano is already...

That was once Ægir's biggest endangered plants reserve. I saw it get swallowed up by the Seaborn.

These primitive seaweeds are some of the simplest, yet most tenacious lifeforms in the entire ocean.

Whether in bright shallow seas, the dark abyss, the flat sea floor, or cracks in the cliffs, they stretch out as best they can.

And they're as old as the ocean itself, pretty much this planet's living fossils.

I'm no legionnaire, and I can't go fight the Seaborn. These remaining seaweeds won't help us solve the Seaborn problem, either.

But I can't just let them wither away in here.

...You really love your work, huh Tullia?

Um, don't you?

......

Ah, my Little Handy sent over a loading module. Sorry, but I can't stay and chat.

Do you need any help?

No thanks, I'm fine.

When did that happen?

The day before the Institute of Ecological Art relocated.

I don't know what happened to her after that, and I don't know if she thinks Milliarium abandoned the volcanic power station and the plants reserve...

But I can't imagine her doing anything bad because of it... because she's never abandoned anything herself.

Tullia's residence had quite a few hydroponic tanks, but they'd been empty for a while...

What you just told me might actually be significant, Lucilla.

But if I may be so bold, why do you care so much about her affairs?

From what I've heard, you could hardly be considered friends.

She...

She has something I don't.

Okay, I've said what I had to say. I'll be getting back to work now, Praefecta.

There's just been more and more happening lately. The maintenance required for the city unit framework has multiplied several-fold, and I'm running out of ink as it is.

Little Handy.

Praefecta Secunda.

Obtain data on the city of Milliarium from the Institute of Facility Management, right away. Retrieve all locations suitable for enclosed hydroponics.

Also, contact Irene.

Tullia may have left other clues within the city. Ask her to meet me as soon as possible.