"What is this place?" Lilac asks as she and her friends walk through the seemingly endless corridors.
"No idea," Carol answers, handing Lilac's karategi jacket back to her now she's inside and warming up nicely.
"I don't like it," Milla opines, warm enough not to need to use her powers anymore. "It's creepy."
"What did those files say?" Lilac asks.
"So, now you're interested," Carol sneers.
"Don't start," Lilac growls in frustration. "Just tell us."
"If those documents are correct, then this is where Merga is incarcerated," Carol recalls.
"That would imply this is a prison ship," Lilac concludes.
"If this is a prison ship, why haven't we passed any cells?" Milla asks.
"Excellent question," Carol compliments. "I have a question of my own: where's Corazon? Milla, can you pick up her scent?"
"I've tried, but I can't smell anything," Milla explains. "This whole ship smells like… Whatever it is, it's overwhelming my nose."
Carol sniffs the air. "I can't smell anything."
"Me neither," Lilac adds.
"Without wanting to be rude, are you sure your nose is working?" Carol asks Milla.
"It's working fine," Milla answers. "It's just this whole place stinks of… old."
"It has been here for about a century," Carol explains. "According to those documents, anyway."
"I will say one thing though," Milla continues. "Before the end of today, one of us will have uncovered something about her past that could change her life forever."
Lilac and Carol stop in surprise. "Where did that come from?" Lilac asks.
Milla shrugs. "I don't really know," she explains. "It's just prema… preno… um…"
"Premonition?" Carol guesses.
"Yeah, that," Milla confirms.
"That sounds implausible," Lilac opines.
"Our civilisation is tapping raw power from a giant whirling vortex in the sky," Carol reminds. "How plausible is that?"
"The difference is, that's actually happening," Lilac argues.
"Milla's premonition has proven true once already," Carol reminds. "I'm willing to give it another chance."
Lilac wisely chooses to remain silent.
A few moments later, Carol stops suddenly. "Well, that's not what I expected to see…"
Elsewhere on the ancient ship, Corazon is less than impressed. "We've been down here over two hours, and nothing," she growls.
"I‑If only w‑w‑we h‑h‑h‑had a m‑m‑map," her greasemonkey sighs.
"The layout makes no sense," Corazon continues. "I thought we were heading towards the bridge?"
"M‑M‑Maybe th‑this sh‑sh‑ship d‑d‑d‑d‑doesn't have one," the greasemonkey opines.
Corazon stops suddenly. "It's not a ship."
"W‑What is it th‑th‑th‑then?"
"It's a research station."
"Th‑Th‑That's b‑b‑b‑b‑b‑b‑b‑brilliant!" the greasemonkey exclaims. "H‑How d‑d‑d‑did you w‑w‑work th‑that one out?"
"I read it on the wall," Corazon explains, looking at a faded sign that reads Cordelia Research Laboratories. "Question: What exactly was being studied here that required working so far away from the Qǐyuán Wángguó?"
[One hundred years ago]
An orange‑brown dragoness in a dark grey robe trimmed in blue and gold walks the corridors of the research station that bears her name. The facility is in the final stages of construction, but Princess Cordelia doesn't want to wait longer than necessary before starting research. As she walks through the complex, she barks orders at the workers, pushing them to work harder even though it's obvious they're working flat‑out.
Eventually, Cordelia reaches the centre of the complex: a large laboratory staffed by a dozen researchers. "I do hope you've started already," she greets sternly.
"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the researchers replies, the insignia on his lab coat setting him aside as the lead researcher. "However, we're hampered by the fact that the power generation isn't fully operational."
"I don't want to hear excuses," Cordelia dismisses. "I want results. See that I get them."
"Of course, Your Majesty," the researcher assures.
Satisfied, Cordelia leaves the central lab and resumes her patrol of the corridors. At last, progress is finally happening. And there's nothing Zynnia Lilac can do to stop me.
[Present day]
"So, this isn't a ship after all?" Lilac concludes, looking at the sign Carol had spotted. "What's a research station doing all the way out here?"
"And who's this Cordelia person?" Carol adds. "She must have been rich, famous, or both."
"I know we're here to stop Corazon, but this feels like it's worth investigating," Lilac opines.
"It may help us understand more about who Merga is, and what they have to do with the Bakunawa," Carol agrees.
"We'll keep an eye out for anything interesting while looking for Corazon," Lilac decides.
Lilac and Carol resume their search, Milla following right behind. At least they're working together.
Elsewhere in the complex, Maria and Tai have also discovered a sign, this one containing directions to various sections of the station under the facility's name.
"Bio‑engineering?" Tai asks.
"Sounds icky," Maria opines.
"Do you think we should head that way?"
"Do we have a better choice?"
Tai thinks a moment. "Doesn't look like it."
"Then let's find the icky lab."
A few minutes later, Corazon breaks into an office to find little of immediate interest except a computer console sat on the desk. "Greasemonkey, you know what to do."
The tarsier scampers into the room, looks around quickly, spots the computer, and dashes over to it. After a quick inspection, he pulls an energy crystal out of a pocket hidden within his orange overalls and slots it into the computer. Almost immediately, the machine springs to life, booting quickly to a login prompt. The greasemonkey then pulls out a compact device like the one used by Corazon when she broke into the museum storeroom, fits it to the computer via a suitable port, and activates it.
Seconds later, the password is cracked. With full control of the computer, the tarsier starts to search through the machine's contents. At first, he finds nothing useful: system files, utility programs, and a few basic games. But it's not long before he finds his way into a document store, where he hits the jackpot. "B‑B‑Boss! L‑Look at th‑th‑th‑this!"
Corazon takes over at the computer and searches through the documents the tarsier has found. For the next fifteen minutes, she reads in silence, absorbing all the information, sorting and collating it in her head as she goes.
After finishing the last file, she utters a single word: "Fascinating."
Meanwhile, Team Lilac have also discovered an office, but instead of a computer, all they find is an audio recording device. Curious, Carol produces an energy crystal, slots it into the device, then presses 'Play'.
«Cordelia audio log #1»
«Work is going slower than I want, but at least it's progressing. Most smaller projects are fully underway, but issues with power generation hamper the primary project. I'm trying to push the workers to get the job done, but they're a stubborn lot, and insist on taking regular breaks. I don't have time for such nonsense! I need to get my research going before Zynnia Lilac finds out!»
Carol pauses the recording. "A relative of yours?" she asks Lilac.
"Not that I'm aware of," Lilac answers.
"Let's keep listening," Milla suggests.
Carol resumes playback.
«She never could stay out of my affairs. Always going on about how what I'm doing is wrong, and how I'm risking the future of all dragonkin. Little Miss Heropants, always playing the action hero!»
"Can't deny it now," Carol teases, earning a disapproving glare from Lilac.
«Doesn't she see that the only way to preserve our race is to remain pure? We aren't going to do that by fucking anyone and everyone who so much as smiles at us!»
"Don't. Say. A word," Lilac commands.
«But it won't matter once my research is complete. Then she'll see the truth.»
The recording ends.
"Whoever that was, she sounded scary," Milla opines.
"She sounded insane," Carol replies.
"At least my relative was there to stop her," Lilac offers. "Assuming that's who she was."
"The evidence is overwhelming," Carol smirks.
"Carol's got a point, Lilac," Milla interrupts. "She does sound a lot like you."
"But that still doesn't really explain what was going on here," Lilac replies, choosing not to react to Carol and Milla's conclusions. "Are there any more recordings?"
"Several, but we can't waste time listening to all of them now," Carol answers.
"Then we'll listen while we search," Lilac decides, taking the recorder.
"So much for stealth," Carol shrugs.
"Corazon knows we're here anyway," Lilac reminds. "She practically commanded us to follow her here."
"Yes, but she doesn't know exactly where we are," Carol counters. "And I'd like to keep it that way."
"I'll turn the volume down then," Lilac replies.