Chapter Text
For the first time in 700 years, a small fish-like species somersaults up from the once frozen Snow Plains Lake. A rather dull looking fish that lacks any sort of fancy coloration, though you can’t really blame the poor fish as their evolution was paused for seven centuries. Nonetheless, its gray scales briefly glitter in sunlight as the fish reaches the vertex of its parabolic somersault. A soft, yet undoubtedly audible, water plop resonates as the buoyant fish dives back into the semi-revitalized lake.
A short blonde girl, donned with a cat-eared hood, is mesmerized by what she had just witnessed, her pupils constricted like a cat hunting its prey. “I got to tell Pela!”
Lynx sprints towards the campsite where she imagines her bestie would be, sitting beside a warm campfire while reading some peculiar book. The planet may be slowly warming, but frigid air would still circulate her lungs with each breath as Lynx clumsily treads her way up a 30o incline of snow. Lynx is a highly competent explorer, but there is no way she could focus enough to tread carefully after witnessing a live fish. She had been consuming 700-year-old frozen fish, as sustenance, for as long as she can remember, but that all changes today.
“P-Pela!” Lynx supports herself with her arms on her knees as she desperately tries to catch her breath. “Fish!” Her larynx, debuffed by seemingly negative temperatures, could not yet articulate full sentences.
Sure enough, Pela is comfortably sitting beside the flickering campfire with an opened novel. Though, she immediately snapped shut the book as Lynx came into view. “Did you perhaps find more of those fish corpses?”
“Fi-Fish!” Lynx still has trouble speaking, though after a few seconds she could at least muster enough stamina to stand up straight and point towards the lake.
Pela gently sets her book on top of a miniature table, then proceeds to lift a canister of hot cocoa. “I don’t like those fish.” She smiles and wafts the sweet aroma before taking a delightful sip from the canister. “Come back when those fish smell like chocolate milk.”
Lynx pouts her frosty cheeks while advancing towards the seated bespectacled girl. She towers in front of the nervous Pela and shakes the flimsy camp chair while shouting, “Pela! Fish!”
“Yes, I heard you the first two times!”
Lynx snatches the canister of hot cocoa from Pela’s hands and empties it with several mouthfuls in quick succession. Pela does not seem entertained by the act as she was saving the rest of that hot cocoa for later. Lynx, on the other hand, is now fully rejuvenated and heartily exhales a large cloud of chocolate scented water vapor.
“I was digging at the frozen lake and managed to break off a chunk of ice.” Lynx once again passionately points in the direction of the lake. “And just as the map says, it really is a lake! There is liquid water beneath that frozen mess! And guess what?” Her bright blue eyes lock with Pela’s.
“Does… it have something to do with--” But before Pela could finish, Lynx continues.
“Fish!” Lynx excitedly roars while slamming her palms against the chair’s armrest. It was a volume rarely produced by this reticent and unsociable girl, she indeed has inherited the same vocal cords as Serval, but simply chose not to utilize them on a regular basis.
Pela has always been aware that her bestie took a liking for fish, but not to this extent. At this point, Pela assumes that Lynx developed some newfound love for fish carcasses. She is not one to judge though, as Lynx never judged Pela for her unhealthy interests either. The concept of a wild swimming fish is just an old legend to Belobogians, since naturally occurring liquid water does not exist, or rather has not existed on this barren planet for 700 years.
“You don’t understand, Pela!” The blonde girl shrieks while stomping up fine snow dust.
“Yeah, you’re right, I have no idea what you’re on about.”
“There are fish in that lake, swimming!” Lynx cutely makes a swimming fish gesture with her hands while having the most adorable grin on her face.
“…Oh.” Pela never lacks vocabulary, except this time.
It was labeled as ‘Snow Plains Lake’ on old maps, but nobody knew for sure if that location truly belongs to a body of water because it just looks the same as the entirety of this Aeon forsaken planet-- gray and frozen. That is until the Eternal Freeze recently lifted, and the ecology of Jarilo VI slowly begins healing to its former beauty-- though that is still a way off. However, that did not stop Lynx, the renowned young and highly curious explorer of the Snow Plains, from manually excavating at the alleged lake.
For the past few months this diligent lone explorer has been painstakingly chipping away at a thick slab of ice with her small pickaxe. As with all the Landaus, Lynx takes great pride in her field of work, so the moment that she decided to dig she had an unyielding resolve to uncover what is beneath this frosty surface. And earlier this month, Lynx had eventually dealt enough damage to create a tiny fissure on the upper layer of Snow Plains Lake. Her efforts, plus the recent slight rise in temperatures, delivered just enough kinetic energy to disrupt the steady intermolecular forces of the ice. It caused a modest glacier to finally break off from the rest of its icy companions, exposing the buried pale cerulean liquid to an open atmosphere for the first time in 700 years.
But this is only the beginning, the first spark of a newborn saga for Jarilo VI. With the Stellaron now sealed, not only are atmospheric temperatures equilibrating back to normal, but the planetary core has also reignited, thus warming the mantle and crust. Those heat radiating magic-like rocks, Geomarrow, are no longer the sole source of thermal energy, in fact it’s pale in comparison to the natural warmth radiating from the planet itself.
Over the course of a decade, Belobogians witnessed their barren winter land transform into an authentic ecosystem. Still far from lush, and certainly not populated with flora and fauna yet, but at least their world is no longer monochrome. People began stepping outside of Belobog, without the fear of fierce blizzards or abominable Fragmentum haunting their lives. The concept of exploring is no longer considered an act of recklessness, and thus began an era where the people explored-- re-exploring their own planet, their home.
However, this moment of adventure, fun, and tranquility was very short-lived, because the Belobogians are not alone in this vast universe. Various factions have been keeping an eye on Jarilo VI, unbeknownst to the Belobogians. The Eternal Freeze obviously acted as a deterrent against extraterrestrial visitors, but ever since patches of blue and green manifested from the outer space view of the planet again, Jarilo VI became a galactic hub.
Bronya and her flock of officials were initially quite welcoming of the extraterrestrial visitors, if they came in peace. The IPC was the first faction to make contact, and they offered to protect this defenseless and underpopulated civilization from any potential hostile invaders. Of course, those IPC folks don’t do anything for free, the price being occupancy over certain pieces of land and certain bodies of water by the IPC. The commander of this operation, Topaz, insisted that they had no intention of intruding upon the daily lives of Belobogians, and they have certainly been keeping their word. The IPC folks simply occupied the locations that they said they would, and quietly went about whatever business they were up to.
With each passing year, more and more factions began inhabiting Jarilo VI. Some adopted a formal contract with Qlipoth Fort, like the folks from IPC, while others simply landed their spaceship and then went incognito. What the Jarilo VI natives call ‘Belobog’ is just a tiny fraction of the total landmass, not to mention the presence of oceans. Belobogian civilization is far too concentrated in one area, plus they are lacking in the technological advancement department. Aliens could land on a daily basis undetected. There was no official census, but it was obvious that the alien population present on the planet quickly surpassed the Belobogian population. These different factions liked to sell their image as different professions: saviors, explorers, merchants, researchers, jesters… you name it. But in the eyes of the citizens, these aliens are all space pirates whose motive is to covertly plunder and dominate their now revitalized planet.
Only, these aliens weren’t doing anything of the sort. Surprisingly, there have been no major acts of aggression, which is a huge relief for the Supreme Guardian, but something just did not feel right. Why are they here? What do they hope to attain from simply occupying our land? Bronya spent sleepless nights pondering the same questions. And, of course, even the most professional and respectful factions kept their agenda ambiguous from Qlipoth Fort. But as long as they were doing no harm, Bronya felt no reason to pry and potentially antagonize their extraterrestrial friends.
Until one day, Pela discovered a battered logbook in some ancient ruins while exploring with Lynx. Coincidentally, it was a logbook left behind by her mother, a logbook that recounted Penya Sergeyevna’s less than grand adventures. Unfortunately, much of the water-damaged pages were indecipherable, but the meticulous Intelligence Officer of the Silvermane Guards did illuminate one vital piece of information from her mother’s logbook. It describes how she stumbled upon a certain legend, a piece of long lost Jarilo VI lore that even the Supreme Guardian had not heard of.
All they have as evidence is a barely legible logbook left behind by a deceased explorer, but the information provided by the said logbook is significant enough to spur Bronya to finally act and invite their IPC visitors in for questioning.
Seated on one side, at the large rectangular meeting table of Qlipoth Fort, are several high-ranking IPC officials. Opposite of them are several high-ranking Silvermane Guards, including Pela and Gepard. The atmosphere in this sunlit room is heavy, as if gravity suddenly became tenfold. This is the first time, since the IPC’s arrival three years ago, that such a major gathering has been convened.
Bronya rises from her power seat, and although nervous, she makes an austere remark. “Topaz, let us not beat around the bush, I believe you know why I convened everyone here today.”
“Can’t say I do, Lady Supreme Guardian.” The well-dressed silver haired girl imposes a superficial frown.
Bronya sighs. “Very well then. Lieutenant Pela, please.” She gestures for Pela to stand up. The short bespectacled girl had been begging the Aeons for Topaz to willingly confess the undiluted truth, so as to avoid the current situation… but alas.
“Ahem.” Pela stands and pushes up her glasses with one hand while raising her mother’s battered logbook with the other, wobbly hand.
Being the attentive captain that he is, Gepard compassionately looks straight up at his frightened lieutenant and pumps his fists while nodding, telepathically trying to tell her to “Fight!”.
Unfortunately, Pela is not an esper, but she telepathically responds anyways with a “Would you like to switch places with me, Captain?”
Unfortunately, Gepard is not an esper either, so he fails to receive Pela’s SOS and resumes glaring at the IPC folks, watching their every reaction, hoping to find a hint of weakness in their guise.
“Lieutenant Pela, if you will?” Bronya once again gestures for Pela to speak. Little does she know this little maneuver will traumatize poor Pela for years to come. Ignorance truly is a bliss.
Pela flicks her wrist while holding the logbook. “We have reason to believe that the IPC-- and perhaps every other faction trying to occupy our planet-- has yet to disclose their true motive for being here.”
“Oh, stop being silly, you read too much fiction.” Topaz hastily interrupts with a smirk.
“Wha-- r-read what?” A reddish hue can be seen manifesting behind Pela’s large round lenses.
“You just seem like the type to read a lot of… fiction.” As expected from a senior manager of the IPC, Topaz has sharp intuition and is relentless with the remarks. The gap in social power level between the two is far too great for this to be considered a fair discussion.
One must applaud the introvert for even being able to speak up in this thick atmosphere, but unfortunately Pela only got in one sentence before she is left stunned. Her intelligent mind is drawing a complete blank in the face of an equally intelligent but more socially competent individual.
Bronya lightly knocks her knuckles against the glossy wooden surface of the meeting table, gaining everyone’s attention. “I would like to advise you to stop intimidating our Intelligence Officer.” They are meeting in Belobogian architecture, which tips the power scale slightly in favor of the Supreme Guardian, who gallantly rescues Pela from the unsympathetic capitalist.
“I apologize if it seemed rude, I was simply trying to lighten up the mood.” Topaz politely nods at Pela, then at Bronya, putting on a gentle smile-- an instinctive smile that has been practiced to the limit where it cannot be considered a fake smile anymore. She is genuinely smiling, there is just zero meaning behind that smile.
Pela takes a deep breath and continues. “I mean no ill intent with this accusation either, but you are mistaken if you believe that us Belobogians are naïve enough to remain unsuspicious of your activities.”
“And what might these activities be?”
“Yes, do explain yourself!”
“Fake news!”
The IPC side of the table naturally becomes defensive regarding this matter and retaliates with several shallow comebacks.
“Now, now, let the girl finish.” The youthful senior manager lightly raises her palm towards the more aged IPC officials, gesturing for them to behave.
“Miss Topaz.”
“Yes, Miss Pela?”
“Although we both follow the path of Preservation, I never once placed my trust in the IPC, if I am to be perfectly honest.” Pela pushes her glasses upward. “However, after working with you for the past three years I do believe that you can be reasoned with.”
“Why, thank you! It is a pleasure working with you as well.”
Pela almost clicks her tongue after repeatedly seeing that same hollow smile in such a short timeframe. “Let us cease the pleasantries.” Pela signals one of the Silvermane guards to turn on the large CRT monitor, which after some static noises and a brief flicker, displays enlarged images of selected pages from her mother’s logbook. “You people are here for the Never-Melt Ice, are you not?”
Bronya and Gepard mentally applaud Pela’s phenomenal delivery, while folks on the IPC side of the table quickly begin whispering among themselves. Topaz lowers her crossed arms and squints at the monitor for a few seconds. She then winces, which Pela finds to be an extremely satisfying detail.
The IPC officials cease their discourse as Topaz demands in a sudden stern voice. “Where did you get that logbook from?” That usual smile has vanished from Topaz’s face as she now beams directly at the Intelligence Officer.
The fears responsible for Bronya’s insomnia have now been realized thanks to Pela’s arduous investigation. The citizens of Belobog were also accurate in their distrust of the extraterrestrial visitors-- they are indeed space pirates.
To be fair, these factions do not very much care about the natural resources on Jarilo VI, at least not in the foreseeable future since the planet does not have many resources to offer. They are here to search and plunder something of much greater value, a certain treasure-- an alleged treasure rumored to have been left behind by the Aeon Avikili before they mysteriously vanished into the aether.
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