**Jasmine's Log, Supplemental**
**Shire Base Command Center, Terra**
**Rothgard Fall plus 26 days (estimated)**
Voices weave a fragile thread.
A crystal shatters the calm.
The dragon stirs across the sea.
Jasmine sat in the softly lit command center, still trying to steady her breathing after the chaos of her escorted arrival. The room hummed with quiet activity—screens glowing with live feeds of the valley, holographic displays mapping terrain and resources, and the large central globe of Terra rotating slowly in the air. Captain James Nolan sat across from her, composed and attentive, while A.L.I. stood nearby, her presence calm and watchful. Dr. Elena Vasquez had joined them, offering a gentle smile and a cup of warm water that Jasmine accepted with trembling hands.
She was still processing the impossible scale of this place—the clean lines of the buildings, the humming machines, the effortless power that seemed to flow through everything. Yet here she was, explaining her desperate situation to these strangers who had fallen from the sky. "My fleet is a patchwork of whatever we could salvage from Rothgard before the end," Jasmine said, her voice low but steady as she recounted the nightmare. "Roth's Defiance is my ironclad, reinforced with the last of our mana-forged plating. We have three galleons, four ketches, and two barges converted for passengers. We carried everyone we could—families, wounded soldiers, artisans, healers, and children. Humans mostly, but also elves who sought refuge with us in the final days, and Beastkin who joined when their own lands became unsafe. They are not warriors. They are survivors who trusted me to lead them across the northern seas to find safety. We have very little left—food is rationed to the bone, medical supplies are nearly gone, and morale is fraying. Lord Blackthorn will only grant passage if my uncle provides a personal guarantee. I was on my way to him when… when your airship nearly collided with us."
Nolan listened intently, his expression grave but kind. "You've carried an extraordinary burden. Five hundred and sixty-seven souls across an ocean on improvised vessels… that speaks of remarkable leadership and courage. We are still learning the geography and powers of this world, but we have no desire to add to anyone's suffering. If your people need sanctuary, we may be able to offer assistance—medical aid, provisions, perhaps even a secure landing site while arrangements are made."
Vasquez leaned forward, her healer's instincts clearly engaged. "Any wounded among them? Our medical facilities are limited but advanced. We could help stabilize the most critical cases if you allow it." A.L.I. added softly, "And we can provide real-time translation support for any negotiations with local lords. Our goal is coexistence, not conflict."
Jasmine felt a flicker of hope amid the exhaustion, but before she could reply, the communication crystal at her belt buzzed sharply—an urgent, insistent vibration she knew all too well. She unclipped it quickly, her face paling as she held it to her ear. "Sebastian?" she said, voice tight with sudden dread. Sebastian's voice came through, ragged and urgent, the words tumbling out in a breathless rush. "Jasmine—thank the ancestors you answered. Draco Imperias… his fleet is moving west. They have begun conquering the first of the Antlania Islands. Black ships and black sails, hundreds of them, like a plague sweeping across the sea. They don't negotiate. They show no mercy. Anyone who tries to talk peace is cut down as cowards. They want the entire world under their banner. You have to warn your uncle—tell him the dragon is coming. They don't stop. They only conquer."
The crystal crackled with the raw panic in Sebastian's voice, the connection faint but clear enough to send ice through Jasmine's veins. She stared at the device, the color draining from her face as the implications crashed over her. Nolan, who had been listening closely, rose immediately. "Draco Imperias?" He moved swiftly to the central holo-table, his expression shifting to focused command. "Ali, live feed of the eastern continent. Full satellite resolution. Bring up archived imagery from the last week as well."
The large holo display flickered and expanded, showing real-time satellite imagery of the eastern seas. Massive armies were visible loading onto black-sailed galleons in orderly, relentless columns. The fleet was already moving island to island, a dark tide of ships cutting through the waves with terrifying purpose. Nolan brought up archived feeds from the past week, the progression clear and chilling—port after port falling, smoke rising from burning cities, tiny figures fleeing in panic.
Jasmine stepped closer, stunned into silence by the clarity of the imagery. Her hand rose instinctively, pointing at a familiar shape on the display. "There… that's Rothguard. The keep is destroyed, the town under occupation—look at the black banners. And there—" her finger traced to a smaller island further west, smoke still rising from the ruins "—that was our first anchorage after the crossing. The savagery… the fires are still burning. They left nothing."
The room fell quiet as the scale of the threat became undeniable. Nolan studied the feeds, his jaw tight, while A.L.I. and Vasquez watched with grave concern. Jasmine stared at the images, tears welling in her eyes as the full horror sank in. She looked up at Nolan, her voice breaking with raw emotion, tears slipping freely down her cheeks.
"My parents… they stayed behind to buy us time. I don't know if they made it out. My people—everything we had left—is on those ships. We've lost so much already. Rothgard is gone. Our home is in ashes. I am all that remains of the royal line… a ruler in exile with nothing but a broken fleet and the lives of my people in my hands." She held Nolan's gaze, her voice trembling but resolute through the tears. "Please… help us. As the last ruler of Rothgard in exile, I ask for your aid. My people have nowhere else to go. If your words of peace and coexistence are true, then help us find a place in this world before the black fleet reaches us."