11 11 301 Babylonia has paid a heavy price trying to reestablish the nightmare route between itself and the surface... but no ace pilot has expected to get past enemies that would not hesitate to throw their lives away.
12 12 301 Even the arrival of a screw or a can of food will help the surface greatly against this living hell—but the dreams of the many rescue pilots ultimately fall amidst the blue sky they once soared.
13 13 301 AniZhuanchangBegin This is no longer an issue of piloting skills. The engineers of Babylonia must provide a new solution as soon as possible.
16 16 301 DialogEnable 1 Karenina ****... The engine should be putting out 150% power according to the spec. Why is the speed increase almost negligible right now?! 1
17 17 301 As the Science Council is in charge of creating the Omega Weapon, the task of creating a new aircraft engine that can counter the flying Hetero-Creatures has been given to the Engineering Force.
18 18 301 With her background as a member of the Cosmos Technician Union, Karenina is experienced in research and development in the energy and power sector, making her the best person for the job.
19 19 204 1
20 20 301 Karenina Hey, new guy! Show me the records of the previous setup... 1
21 21 203 1 0.25 400
22 22 201 2 500361 -400
23 23 301 1 Engineer Actually... I joined the Engineering Force two years ago... 2
24 24 301 Karenina Oh? Is that so... Why do I feel like I've never seen you before... Forget it. It doesn't matter! Just get me the setup records right now! 1
25 25 301 Engineer Actually... it was the vice-captain who... 2
26 26 202 10 1 2 1
27 27 201 1 500502
28 28 301 1 ??? Don't bother looking. I told them to swap that "outrageous" part in your design with a standard one. Of course the output has dropped. 1
29 29 301 A quiet voice speaks among the rows of computers that sit in the corner of the development workshop.
30 30 202 10 1 1
31 31 201 1 500196 14
32 32 301 1 Karenina T-E-D-D-Y! What the hell?! 1
33 33 301 Karenina screams at where the voice came from, startling everyone in the workshop. But they quickly shrug and return to work with an expression of "here we go again..."
34 34 301 Karenina Can you comprehend how many lives we lose on the surface for every minute we delay?! 1
35 35 301 Karenina pushes away a wall of monitors before yanking the headphone off the girl hidden behind them, the one she called Teddy.
36 36 203 1 0.25 400
37 37 201 2 500495 -400
38 38 301 1 Teddy "Don't forget the value of life," isn't it...? 2
39 39 301 Teddy We might not say it as much as you do, but every one of us knows why we are working around the clock. We know the stakes. 2
40 40 204 1 14
41 41 301 Karenina Then explain why you replaced those parts... 1
42 42 301 Teddy The reason is simple—I didn't want to die. 2
43 43 301 Unruffled, Teddy enters a series of codes before pointing at a monitor in front of Karenina.
44 44 301 Teddy If we build it according to your design and have the engine runs at maximum capacity at all time, the smallest error during assembly will result in a hole on Babylonia, one as big as your head. 2
45 45 301 Karenina turns the monitor back toward Teddy and points at the numbers vehemently.
46 46 301 Karenina Is that it? Then don't screw up during assembly! 1
47 47 301 Teddy Maybe you can modify and assemble the parts with that level of accuracy, but I'm afraid you won't find another daredevil as reckless as you here, and we don't have time to design an automatic assembly plant. 2
48 48 204 2 5
49 49 301 Teddy The HQ tasked us to build a transport craft... not a high-speed coffin that goes up in flame and becomes an expensive firework display. 2
50 50 204 1 14
51 51 301 Karenina Ugh... 1
52 52 301 Karenina cannot refute Teddy's words right this moment.
53 53 204 2 4
54 54 301 Teddy And... 2
55 55 301 Karenina And...?! 1
56 56 301 Teddy This engine is too costly... 2
57 57 301 Karenina Excuse me?! Costly? Who gives a damn at a time like this? 1
58 58 301 Teddy It's one thing that it costs a lot of money... What's worse is that it costs three times more power than the engines on our current transport crafts to run. 2
59 59 301 Teddy Don't these transport crafts need to return after they land on the surface? Not to mention that Babylonia can't supply us with additional energy for the extra trips back and forth to Earth outside what they usually do. 2
60 61 301 Karenina Tch... If only we have time to optimize the power consumption... 1
61 62 301 Teddy Not that I have a better alternative. Unless we can somehow get a source with unlimited power... 2
62 60 204 1
63 63 301 Karenina Zero-point energy, is it... It'd be great if humans actually had it in their hands. 1
64 64 301 If they could obtain this almost-endless power source, they would dramatically change the state of the war—ironically, zero-point reactors were the cause of the Punishing Virus outbreak.
65 65 301 Karenina turns around and stares at the strategic interface on Earth's status. The people down there do not even have the leisure to worry.
66 66 204 1 14
67 67 301 Karenina Aaargh! How annoying. Stop dreaming about your fantasy fuel and start figuring out how to lower power consumption. 1
68 68 202 10 1 2 1
69 69 201 1 500319
70 70 301 1 ??? Don't jump to conclusions, lassie. Your fantasy might not be as out of reach as you imagined. 1
71 71 301 Karenina turns around to find a grinning, vulgar man barging in and interjecting.
72 72 203 1 0.25 400
73 73 201 2 500196 -400
74 74 301 1 Karenina Hey, who the **** are you, creep? This is the Engineering Force's workshop! We don't allow visitors, and we're not responsible if you hurt yourself. 2
75 75 301 ??? Ha, how exquisite... Not that your workshop has worked out anything, has it? 1
76 76 204 2 14
77 77 301 Karenina W-what did you say?! 2
78 78 202 10 1 1
79 79 201 1 500495 400
80 80 301 1 Teddy Karenina, behind him... 1
81 81 204 2
82 82 301 Teddy points at the man, and only then does Karenina notice that behind him are Hassen and Nikola.
83 83 301 Karenina President Hassen, Commander Nikola... All I can say is that we haven't made any significant progress on the new engine yet if you want an update. 2
84 84 202 10 1 1
85 85 201 1 500319 400
86 86 301 1 ??? Nah-ah-ah. No one cares about some obsolete transport craft engines. What we need right now is a revolutionary "weapon." 1
87 87 204 2 14
88 88 301 Karenina restrains herself and ignores the babbling man, questioning Hassen and Nikola with her gaze.
89 89 202 10 1 2 1
90 90 201 1 500011
91 91 301 1 Hassen My apologies, but this is... Collins. He is currently the military's... erm... 1
92 92 301 The seemingly reluctant Hassen meets Nikola's eyes before clearing his throat and continuing.
93 93 301 Hassen Kind of a... consultant, let's put it like that. We have a very important project we need to discuss with you. 1
94 94 202 10 1 1
95 95 201 1 500012
96 96 301 1 Nikola Take a break, the rest of you. 1
97 97 301 Teddy glances at Karenina and sighs, probably thinking that Karenina has gotten into trouble again. She then leads the rest of the team out of the workshop.
98 98 202 10 1 1
99 99 201 1 500319
100 100 301 1 Collins Alrighty then. Let's not dally around what I need—lassie, you... 1
101 101 203 1 0.25 400
102 102 201 2 500196 14 -400
103 103 301 1 Karenina MY NAME IS K-A-R-E-N-I-N-A! 2
104 104 301 Collins Oh, how rude of me... Well, Karen, you must have heard of what that Gray Raven Commandant brought back from the Atlantis research center, right? The Omega File? 1
105 105 204 2
106 106 301 Hearing that term, Karenina's eyes narrow. She has no idea why the unremarkable man before her is one of the few people with access to this highly-classified information.
107 107 301 Hassen and Nikola were very clear about how confidential the Omega File must remain when they first informed her about it, tasking her to assist the Science Council in testing their theories.
108 108 301 Collins So you do know about it. Hahaha! Not a very good lier, aren't you? 1
109 109 204 2 14
110 110 301 RImgBg1Shake Karenina ************! 2
111 111 301 Nikola barely manages to hold the furious Karenina back—even though he does wish to see her giving Collins a beating.
112 112 202 10 1 2 1
113 113 201 1 500011 5
114 114 301 1 Hassen I'll explain. The Science Council has successfully developed a prototype for the Omega Weapon, but that is the most they can do. To produce it, we need to employ a zero-point reactor. 1
115 115 301 Hassen And the only functional zero-point reactor we possess... 1
116 116 301 There is no way to reach Earth right now, not to mention finding a running zero-point reactor on the surface to make the Omega Weapon—but Earth is not the only place with a zero-point reactor.
117 117 203 1 0.25 -400
118 118 202 10 2 1
119 119 201 2 500196 400
120 120 301 1 Karenina The reactor in the lunar base... It could work. 2
121 121 202 10 1 1
122 122 201 1 500319 -400
123 123 301 1 Collins But it's been closed forever since the outbreak, and no one has the slightest clue what's going on in there. It's why we desperately need someone with technical expertise in zero-point reactors to restart it. 1
124 124 301 Karenina So now you're knocking on our door. What a plan. 2
125 125 301 Collins grins and sits on a random machine tool, unconcerned with the dust and oil stains.
126 126 301 Collins This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any researcher in the energy field. You might even have your name forever remembered in human history... 1
127 127 301 Karenina knows that just because you are remembered does not mean you are remembered fondly. She learned it from her grandfather.
128 128 301 Karenina Hmph, I'm not interested... Find another dumb*** to listen to your bull****. 2
129 129 301 Collins How about this bull****... I mean, let me put it another way: do you think it's a good idea to ask some random team instead of the Engineering Force to restart a zero-point reactor? 1
130 130 301 Karenina is certain that there is no one in Babylonia, not even someone from the Science Council, who is more experienced than her in the field for this job. She is confident and proud of that fact.
131 131 301 Karenina That's not persuasion, creep. That's a threat... 2
132 132 301 Karenina stays silent for once before turning toward Hassen.
133 133 301 Karenina President Hassen... Can the Omega Weapon really beat the **** out of that ******* Punishing Virus? 2
134 134 202 10 1 1
135 135 201 1 500011 5 -400
136 136 301 1 Hassen For what it's worth, it is our only hope. 1
137 137 202 1 1
138 138 203 2 0.25
139 139 204 2 14
140 140 301 When the surface was ravaged by the Punishing Virus, Babylonia was humanity's hope for shelter; when the Corrupted destroyed the defenses on Earth, Constructs were humanity's hope for a fighting chance.
141 141 301 And now, the development of the Omega Weapon is humanity's hope for fighting back against this living hell. Can Karenina really afford to sit this out?
142 142 204 2
143 143 301 Karenina I see. The Engineering Force will take this job... with two conditions. 2
144 144 301 Karenina First of all, the people that stay behind will keep working on the new transport craft engine... The things they make will come in handy, I'm sure. 2
145 145 301 Karenina Second— 2
146 146 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Karenina pauses, then names her request.
152 152 301 DialogEnable 1 Teddy steps outside of the workshop—she has no idea how long since she last left the place. Hoping to take a break, she instead runs into someone unexpected.
153 153 203 1 0.25 -400
154 154 201 2 500497 2 400
155 155 301 1 Norman Hello there. It's been a while! 2
156 156 301 Confronted by the enthusiastic Norman, Teddy pretends not to see him. She just sits on the floor before opening her portable terminal and continuing to work on her codes.
157 157 301 Norman, in turn, just smiles and walks to her side, looking at her work curiously.
158 158 301 Norman Is this where you work now? How is it, Christina? Happy with your job? 2
159 159 204 1 5
160 160 301 Hearing that name, Teddy frowns and stops typing.
161 161 301 Teddy There's no Christina here. If you still have a brain, you'd remember that my name is Teddy—Mr. Norman. 1
162 162 301 Norman Can't fault your brother for calling you how he's always called you. Old habits die hard. 2
163 163 301 Teddy is still staring at her screen, but her mind is elsewhere.
164 164 204 1 14
165 165 301 Teddy You... Why would you go back to the Norman family... 1
166 166 204 2 13
167 167 301 Norman (Laughs) Probably for that incomprehensible inheritance, I suppose. 2
168 168 204 1 13
169 169 301 Teddy Ha... Is that so? Congratulations, then. I guess you're only here with us dirty and grimy folks for some family business, aren't you... 1
170 170 301 Norman Bingo! What do you know? I've always said my sister is way smarter than me. 2
171 171 301 Teddy sneers, her face quickly reverting to expressionless once again and her fingers darting across the keyboard on her terminal.
172 172 204 1
173 173 301 Teddy Victoria... Is she well? 1
174 174 204 2 2
175 175 301 Norman Of course... At least better than you and I with our dirty work. 2
176 176 204 1 1
177 177 301 Looking at the stains on her sleeves, Teddy glimpses at Norman's stylish outfit and smiles.
178 178 301 Norman But she throws a fit every time she sees me, asking for her sister to play with her. All I can do is tell her her sister is working right now, and she'll be back once she is free. 2
179 179 204 1 13
180 180 301 Teddy Whoa... You really are a piece of ****, aren't you... How dare you lie to a child. 1
181 181 204 2 13
182 182 301 Norman laughs dramatically, seemingly unbothered by her insults.
183 183 204 2 2
184 184 301 Norman You haven't answered me yet, Teddy... Are you happy? With your job? 2
185 185 204 1
186 186 301 Teddy seems a little surprised, but she answers after a while.
187 187 204 1 1
188 188 301 Teddy It's fine... Not screwing around like you are in yours. 1
189 189 204 2 2
190 190 301 Norman Good... 2
191 191 202 1 1
192 192 203 2 0.25
193 193 301 Norman smiles gently, unlike before. Once his smile fades, Norman mumbles quietly.
194 194 204 2
195 195 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Norman That's good... 2
