**Lady Brynna Stonevein's Log, Supplemental**
**Helmsland Delegation recording**
**37 days after Rothgard's Fall**
Ground yields to the void.
The heavy doors of the diplomatic housing high-rise slid open, releasing the Albion and Dwarven delegations into the crisp morning light. Lady Brynna Stonevein stepped out beside Grand Mage Kitsune Vulpine, their easy familiarity from the night before still lingering in the small glances and shared nods they exchanged. Behind them came the rest of the groups—Lord Alister Greymoor walking with measured dignity beside the Dwarven delegation leader, while Durin Fireforge and Grim Stonefist muttered between themselves about the strange glass tower they had just left. Support staff from both delegations trailed in quiet clusters, carrying sealed cases of notes and gifts.
A large motorcade waited on the wide boulevard—enough sleek black VIP SUVs to accommodate both groups comfortably, flanked by a pair of low, armored HAS-Vs whose electric motors hummed like distant bees. Captain James Nolan and A.L.I. stood at the head of the formation, the captain in his black-and-gold tactical uniform and the liaison in her crisp lieutenant's attire. Nolan offered a formal nod of respect. "Lady Brynna, Grand Mage Kitsune, and honored representatives of Helmsland—welcome. We will hold our talks aboard Discovery today. You will see her for yourselves soon enough."
Kitsune inclined her head, her nine tails curling with quiet intrigue. "Lead on, Captain." Brynna gave a small, knowing smile to her old friend. "The mountain has never feared heights, Kitsune. Let us see what these Americans truly are." They boarded the SUVs in an orderly flow, the Albion delegation taking the forward vehicles and the Dwarven group the ones behind, support staff filling the rear. The motorcade pulled away smoothly, gliding toward the spaceport on the far side of the valley.
The convoy reached the spaceport pads where a massive CHS-130 waited, its four engines already spooling with a low, resonant hum. The dwarves spilled out first, eyes widening at the sheer scale of the heavy shuttle. Durin Fireforge circled the nearest landing strut, running a callused hand along the smooth composite skin. "Four engines the size of forge anvils, and the whole beast sits steady as a mountain. No visible bracing, no rune-etched supports—how does it not sink into the stone under its own weight?" Grim Stonefist stood back, arms folded, but his gruff voice carried reluctant admiration. "Looks built to take a beating. Those engines could power half our forges back home, yet they don't even rattle the pad." The rest of the delegation crowded closer, poking and prodding at the landing gear and hull panels until Marines and staff gently but firmly herded them toward the open ramp. "Gentlemen, if you please—time to board," Mira Langford called with patient amusement, guiding Durin by the elbow while Grim muttered about being "treated like curious pups."
They filed aboard, taking seats in the reinforced passenger compartment. Nolan and A.L.I. sat with the leaders while the rest settled in, the ramp closing with a solid thud. The shuttle lifted smoothly at first, engines humming as it climbed away from the pad and turned eastward over the valley. For several long minutes, it flew low and steady, the ground sliding past below in a sweeping panorama of green meadows, winding rivers, and distant mountain ridges. Brynna felt the subtle vibration through the deck plates, the landscape shrinking steadily beneath them. "So steady, but why are we going east?"
Then the nose pitched upward. The engines roared to full power with a sudden, forceful shove that slammed everyone back into their seats. The entire craft shuddered violently, frame rattling and airframe groaning as it clawed its way skyward. Brynna's breath caught sharply; the pressure built against her chest like an invisible hand pressing downward. The valley dropped away faster now, meadows blurring into a patchwork of green and brown. Durin's eyes widened, his usual inventor's excitement edged with raw astonishment as the blue sky began to darken at the edges. Grim's knuckles whitened on the armrest, but he kept his gaze fixed on the viewport, jaw set.
The sky shifted from bright blue to deepening violet. Stars emerged one by one, faint at first, then sharp and countless against the growing blackness. Terra curved below, a vast, living sphere wrapped in swirling white clouds and gleaming oceans. The night side stretched away in near-total darkness, broken only by occasional flickers of lightning from distant storms that lit the clouds like brief, living forges. The delegations fell silent for a long moment, the only sound the soft hiss of the shuttle's life support and the fading rumble of the engines.
Brynna finally spoke, voice hushed with awe. "The world… it is round. And so small from here. Kitsune, my friend, we have stepped beyond the edge of every map our people ever drew." Durin's voice cracked with excitement. "Look at the curve of it! And that flash—lightning from a storm? The night side is so dark, yet the storms light up the clouds like living forges. How vast this world truly is." Grim stared, his usual gruffness momentarily stripped away. "We thought the mountains were the roof of the world. They are but a speck on a greater stone."
As the CHS-130 matched orbit and approached, Discovery came into view—a sleek matte storm-gray destroyer 365 meters long, her hull marked with the insignia of the United States Space Force. The lower shuttle bay doors stood open like a waiting maw. Nolan's voice carried quiet pride. "There she is. USS Discovery, our home and our shield. Welcome to the stars, my friends."
The heavy shuttle aligned beneath the open bay. A harness system descended, capturing the CHS-130 with precise clamps that locked into place with heavy metallic clunks. The entire craft was drawn upward into the bay, then slid sideways on internal rails until it rested securely on the deck. The lower doors cycled shut beneath them, sealing with a deep thud as the compartment pressurized. The ramp lowered once more. The delegations stepped out onto the deck of a true starship, the hum of fusion reactors vibrating through the deck plates beneath their boots. Kitsune and Brynna exchanged a long look, the weight of everything they had just witnessed settling between them like a new and unbreakable covenant.