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Hey, [player name].
You're 1 minute and 21 seconds late. Hmm, how should I punish you?
Um, you don't need to apologize.
Just get me a cherry-flavored electrolyte drink once you're done.
—Excuse.
Anyway, get me a cherry-flavored electrolyte drink once you're done, and I'll forgive you.
She picks up the murky black liquid beside her and takes another sip.
...You really should visit the Star of Life for a brain check.
In what universe would a cherry-flavored electrolyte drink be this color? It's just...
Um... some kind of yucky but energy-boosting flavor.
Why waste time drinking this awful stuff when you could just hop into a Sleeping Pod and get a couple of hours of real rest?
Is your M.I.N.D. really stable enough to dive into Gestalt again?
...
"Seriously, I can handle this experiment on my own. You all are just going to get in the way." Any idea who said that?
...****!
See, I can even remember your "heroic moment". Still worried about the stability of my M.I.N.D.?
...Just take care.
Still mumbling, Karenina walks over to Mika with a frown.
Final simulation test. Starting in 3, 2, 1—
The low hum of machines echoes in the room, but other researchers in the testing ground do not seem disturbed at all.
In small groups, they are either excitedly discussing something through their terminals, or gazing at data reports in front of massive machines of unknown functions.
You don't often see so many researchers gathered outside of the annual conference, do you?
Science Council, Engineering Force, Cosmos Technicians Union... and researchers from the Norman Mining Corp.
After returning to Babylonia, aside from handling essential tasks, you and Lee have spent almost all the time here.
Even though most of the researchers are humans, they have been working relentlessly through the night, calculating every possible outcome.
We have already ruled out 1324 proposals during this time.
At the same time, 543 proposals have been refined. Once a proposal's feasibility exceeds 50%, a team is immediately assembled to test it... Just like us.
Not far away, Karenina and Mika are in a heated argument, but soon become silent again after Asimov calmly reprimands both of them.
Still, some insist that we should continue searching for Dominik's Legacy, despite that the documents are probably already consumed by the Corrupted and Hetero-Creatures on the surface.
Is that really necessary?
Teddy casts a glance at the researchers wearing white coats with Norman Mining Corp's symbol as she takes another sip of the oddly colored liquid.
Why do people always pin their hopes on a "dream of the past", choosing to believe in a "legend" or "history", rather than moving forward?
I once tried to persuade myself that perhaps all they needed was something to cling to.
But...
A "hope" that requires sacrificing lives? I'd rather it never existed.
You don't keep up with the news, do you?
Haven't you heard about the Project Herald that Norman Mining Corp launched to find Dominik's Legacy?
What, really? Are you kidding me?
Teddy looks at you with suspicion.
Basically, Norman Mining Corp started Project Herald during the early Post-Pandemic Age.
Rather than a "project", it's more like a massive execution ground.
An old bear head hangs above the nostalgic fireplace. Charles Norman sits in the head seat, shrouded in shadow.
What's the latest news?
...The space station has been completely overrun. The exact casualty figures are unknown, but it's deemed irrecoverable. There should be no need to stockpile more repair parts.
The entire starship fleet is destroyed, and the remaining sections of the Spaceport are docked with the Eden II-class colony ship. Some of our technicians have started to focus on repairing the colony ship.
Charles remains silent, only tapping his fingertips on the armrest of the sofa, making dull, thudding sounds.
The aerospace fighters are nearly all lost; the army might order another batch of raw materials.
The Gestalt core has been successfully removed and is currently being transported to the designated location...
The pace of the thudding sounds gets increasingly faster in the shadows.
Last but not least...
He cautiously swallows.
Dominik took a team with him and headed toward Reactor 1 to shut it down. We have lost contact with them.
What?!
The sound of glass shattering echoes simultaneously with Charles' voice.
Find them! Now! What is the army doing? Useless fools! Where's the support from the corporation?!
Under Dominik's instructions, reinforcements from the army and us were arranged to stay on the outskirts of the city, about 300 kilometers away from Reactor 1. Yet, none of them survived.
According to the last report from our monitoring station in the nearby city, shortly after they entered, the Punishing Virus concentration in that area spiked to immeasurable levels.
Preliminary analysis by our researchers suggests that no one could survive in such high concentrations of the Punishing Virus.
Have they been confirmed dead?
Not yet, because they did manage to shut down Reactor 1.
Due to the high Punishing Virus concentration, we've completely lost contact with the area around Reactor 1. If I may suggest...
Find them.
But...
Go find them. If humans can't enter with protective suits, then find mercenaries from within the corporation and modify them into Constructs to search.
If they managed to shut down the reactor, then Dominik must still be alive.
The cost of that would be too high, sir.
Cost?
Gestalt, Zero-Point Reactor, and even the construction of "Eden-II". He single-handedly propelled humanity into the Golden Age, reaching for the stars! Do you understand what this means?
That's an entire Golden Age!
We control close to 70% of the world's mining and energy industries. We built monumental projects like Gestalt... We even contributed to interstellar migration.
All these honors, every single one, were brought to us by Dominik.
Now, because of this damned Punishing Virus, all the Zero-Point Reactors have fallen, forcing us to retract all operations, leaving us stuck in this bloody place.
At a time like this, who cares about the cost?
I don't doubt your decision, but... can Dominik really save us from all of this?
...You don't understand what he means to us.
Zero-point energy, Inver-Device... only the man with such brilliant ideas can restore everything to its original state.
I've seen the brilliance and wisdom of the Golden Age. Just thinking of the arrival of darkness makes me sick.
...I understand, sir. I'll make arrangements right away.
Remember, at any cost.
They have shared our family's glory. It's time that they contribute to it.
The lifeless, gem-like eyes of the bear head reflect a faint flicker of the burning blames in the fireplace.
Norman Mining Corp deployed a large number of pioneer teams who were referred to as "Heralds" into the city where Reactor 1 is located. Some did manage to transmit back some lost data and information, but without exception...
None of them made it back.
...My father was among them.
Yeah... Laughable, isn't it? He sacrificed his only child for Dominik.
Even though I've read about the "splendor of the Golden Age" he often spoke of, I still can't understand what my grandfather was thinking when he made that decision.
"Project Herald", such a fancy name. Sounds brilliant and glorious, but is it really so?
All they do is blindly chase past glories, dream of unattainable ideals, and pursue a dream that might never come true...
What do these things have to do with the name "Herald" anyway?
To me, they are more like a group of beggars. Instead of finding ways to work hard, they dig up the graves of dead wealthy people, pleading for their last protection and mercy...
Even if that wealth could still save everyone, do we really want to sit in this space prison, waiting for the so-called "Heralds" to bring back the hero's brilliance?
Even Dominik won't be able to save humanity... if all we do is sit here and wail.
She lowers her eyes and lets out a slight sigh.
—Test complete. The location of the breach has been confirmed.
Hey, Teddy, are you sure you don't need a break—?
No. We are tight on time.
Every piece of data left by the Inver-Device experiments can help us test a possibility.
The sooner we figure out what that breach is, the sooner we can rest easy.
It's a win-win.
Teddy raises her head and gulps down all the black liquid in the cup, furrowing her brows before looking at you.
I assume everything's smooth on your end too, [player name]?
Alright then, we'll take it from here.
I'll give you a few more minutes to get ready.
Once you're all set, we'll head out.
