Jasmine Same Roth's Log, Supplemental
VS-44 Wyvern recording
29 days after Rothgard's Fall
From the ground to the stars.
Truth revealed in orbit.
The sky opens wide.
Jasmine Same Roth sank deeper into the gravity seat as the VS-44's fusion-torch engines ignited with a roar that shook every rivet in the hull. Straps pressed hard across her chest and shoulders, pinning her in place. Captain James Nolan sat to her left, calm and focused, while A.L.I. occupied the seat on her right, her android frame perfectly still despite the mounting vibration. The shuttle's interior lights dimmed to a soft amber as the pilot called out final checks over the intercom. "Full thrust in three… two… one."
The world slammed into Jasmine. The acceleration was nothing like the steady pull of a dragon's wings or the gentle sway of a sailing ship. This was raw, merciless force. The seat drove upward against her spine. Her vision narrowed, and a heavy weight crushed her lungs. Outside the reinforced viewport, the coastal landscape blurred into streaks of green and gray as the VS-44 clawed its way skyward. The violent shaking rattled her teeth. She gripped the armrests until her knuckles whitened, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Beside her, Nolan's voice cut through the thunder. "Breathe through it, Princess. We're climbing hard, but it passes." A.L.I. turned her head, green corneas glowing softly with concern. "G-forces will peak in thirty seconds. You are doing well." Jasmine tried to nod, but the pressure pinned her head back. The roar filled her ears. Through the viewport, the sky deepened from pale blue to indigo, then to a black so absolute it stole her breath. The shaking eased. The crushing weight lifted. Suddenly, the straps were the only thing holding her in place, and the world outside had become a vast, curving sphere of blue, green, and white.
Terra.
She stared, wide-eyed, as the planet filled the viewport. Continents sprawled beneath a thin veil of atmosphere. Clouds drifted like scattered wool across the oceans. The Black Spine Mountains were a faint jagged line far below, and somewhere in their shadow lay Shire Valley and the growing colony she had only just begun to know. The sight was impossible, beautiful, and utterly humbling. For the first time since the fall of Rothgard, Jasmine felt the true scale of the world she had always called home.
Weightlessness settled over her like a gentle hand. Nolan released his straps and floated upward, offering Jasmine a steadying hand. "We're in orbit now. Look there."
Jasmine turned her gaze forward through the cockpit viewport as the VS-44 banked gently. Hanging against the star-filled void was the ship itself—Discovery. The Black Navy destroyer was enormous, a sleek black wedge of composite and steel far larger than any Albion warship she had ever seen. Gold accents traced its hull like veins of light. The name USS Discovery, DDSN-X100 stood out in crisp white letters along the forward section. Massive engine pods glowed faintly at the stern, and the dorsal railgun batteries protruded like the spines of some ancient sea beast. It was a predator of the void, silent and watchful, yet somehow protective. The sheer scale left her breathless; the ship hung there like a guardian sentinel over the curving blue world below.
The VS-44 slid smoothly into the brightly lit hangar bay. Clamps engaged with soft thuds. Artificial gravity asserted itself gradually, pressing Jasmine's feet to the deck. The sensation was strange but welcome after the weightlessness. Nolan offered his arm for support as the outer hatch cycled open.
Jasmine stepped through the airlock and onto the deck of Discovery for the first time. The air smelled faintly of ozone and warm metal. The hangar bay stretched out around her, vast and orderly. Technicians in black-and-gold uniforms moved between shuttles and equipment racks. The curved bulkheads gleamed under bright overhead lights. Beyond the open bay doors, the curve of Terra filled half the view, a living jewel turning slowly in the dark.
Nolan led the way deeper into the ship, his movements practiced and effortless now that gravity had returned. "This is home," he said quietly. "She's not just a warship. She's our pioneer, our guardian, and now… yours too."
They walked the central corridor first. Soft white lighting bathed the walls of smooth composite. Handrails and grip strips lined every surface. Crew members in black-and-gold uniforms passed, offering respectful nods to the captain and curious glances at the robed princess. Nolan pointed out key sections as they moved.
"Engineering is aft. Chief Patel and his team keep the fusion reactors and gravimetric drive running. The drive is what brought us here—our way of bending space to cross the stars faster than light. We call it the Warp Drive." Jasmine's eyes widened. "Faster than light… You travel between the stars themselves?"
"Farther than that," A.L.I. said gently. "Our home system is called Sol. We were on our first true interstellar mission when an accident sent us here. We are not from this world, Princess. We are from another parallel universe entirely."
Jasmine blinked, the unfamiliar phrase catching her off guard. "Parallel… universe?" she repeated slowly, the words feeling strange on her tongue. "I do not understand. Another world beyond the stars is one thing, but another universe? How can there be more than one?" A.L.I.'s expression softened, patterns of light shifting across her corneas. "It is difficult to explain in your tongue. Think of it as another realm, existing beside ours, separated by barriers we cannot see. Our ship crossed one of those barriers by accident. That is why our technology and our understanding of the world seem so alien to you."
They reached the observation deck next. The massive transparent aluminum dome revealed the full curve of Terra turning slowly below. Jasmine pressed her palms to the cool surface, breath catching. The planet was alive with color—deep oceans, green continents, swirling white clouds. She could see the faint line of the Black Spine Mountains and the glittering thread of the Roth River.
Nolan continued the tour, voice steady. "This is geostationary orbit. We remain fixed above one point on the surface so we can watch over Shire Valley and support ground operations. The ship has railguns that can strike anywhere on the planet with precision. We used them at Blackthorn Harbor." Jasmine turned from the view, eyes searching his face. "You could have ended the war in a single day. Why did you not?"
A.L.I.'s expression softened further. "Because we are not conquerors. Our crew left Sol to explore and protect trade lanes, not to rule another world. Captain Nolan's orders are clear: we defend our people and those who seek sanctuary with us. We will not become another empire."
They moved on to the bridge. The command center hummed with quiet activity. Holographic displays floated above consoles, showing real-time maps of the continent, orbital tracks, and live feeds from the surface. Crew members worked at their stations, some glancing curiously at the visitor. Nolan gestured to the central command chair.
"This is where we make the hard decisions. We have the power to level cities or save them. We choose to save." Jasmine stood in silence for a long moment, absorbing the scale of it all. The ship, the planet below, the truth finally laid bare. These people were not gods or demons. They were exiles, like her, cast across the void by forces they did not fully control. Yet they had chosen restraint when they could have chosen conquest.
She turned to Nolan, voice steady despite the wonder still swirling inside her. "You have given my people hope when we had none. I see now why you hold back. You carry the weight of an entire world on your shoulders, and you refuse to let it crush another." Nolan met her gaze. "We are here to survive, Princess. And if we can help others survive with us, we will. But we will not become the next Draco Imperia."
A.L.I. placed a gentle hand on Jasmine's shoulder. "You are part of this now. Welcome aboard Discovery." As the three of them stood together beneath the vast curve of Terra, Jasmine felt the last pieces of her old world fall away. The sky had opened. The truth had been revealed. And in the quiet hum of the starship's heart, a new alliance—one built not on conquest but on careful, deliberate hope—began to take shape.