There is snow on Jaladri. Don’t let the tropical flora fool you, it gets cold in the Dark Seasons.

When the “winter” storms come across the oceans, there is little protection from the elements unless you’re in New Cascade and have the Kaen Mountain range bracing you against the weather. It will get cold and windy, but snow is sporadic. Outside of the obvious mountainous areas in the northern islands of the archipelago known as The Calder Marine Sub-Group, the main concentration of snow on-world is in Port Worden and the mountains outside of the city. 

Located on the east side of a massive bay, Port Worden is inundated by intense storms during the Dark Seasons. A small mountain range directly west of the bay, split in two by a valley, provides an ideal passage for weather systems from the ocean directly to the city. 

On average, there is a 3-6 week period of heavy snow blanketing the city. Someone from Earth might stand in disbelief seeing colorful clear tropical water, voluminous snow, and evergreens intermixed with the tropical flora, but that juxtaposition remains a reality. 

Downtown, on the roads and sidewalks, you would hardly notice the snow as the geothermal activity powering the entire city radiates enough warmth to prevent the snow from gaining a foothold. The inevitable outcome of this scenario is a surplus of water. A great deal of this is collected and used in industrial and residential capacities. But flooding is still an issue.

Overnight, the floods can freeze, creating chaotic conditions for pedestrians and vehicles. To mitigate this, water collection systems throughout the infrastructure of the city funnel as much water as possible into cooling systems for the lava canals. The rest of the year, the city relies on local water systems and rainfall to replenish this system.

Paranormal? Some events on Jaladri defy classical explanation. Instead these occurrences are catalogued as physical impossibilities presented as normal data. Humans have never inhabited another world that we know of, so things that may seem fantastical to somebody on Earth might be part of the everyday experience on another planet…

But some things are still beyond the realm of accepted reality. 

On-world, these events can be found in  municipal public record holofische files, found under the term “Esoteric Miscellaneous”. Local authorities found that the vast majority of the public had little interest in these events if they were reported as scientific data. So instead of obscuring this data, they just present it in its driest form. For anybody even remotely interested, it is a treasure trove of the fantastic and bizarre. 

The special department assembled to study these phenomena would not appear in any official record of public employees on-world. What began as a small coalition of professionals dedicated to scientific curiosity became the corporate-funded task force that it is today. The Continuity Systems Division (CDS-BC) was first established in 1992 as a joint venture between JLA and Baisho-Caplan (BC). Most of its employees come from academic and industrial backgrounds and have established careers on-world.

Now fully funded and operated by BC, they work with almost complete autonomy from on-world government oversight. It was this division which spearheaded the recent efforts on East Hoshimi and the southern peninsula of Ketinio.

This operation marks the first public admittance that this organization exists.

Like cherry blossoms on Earth, the snow in Port Worden brings in exponential amounts of tourism in the Dark Seasons. This year, 1995, ITS tripled their regular schedule in anticipation of increased traffic from New Cascade and surrounding areas. The melting of snow is really only centered downtown where the lava canals converge.

All over the outlying areas of the city, an ethereal winter world envelopes everything. Due to particulates in the air, sometimes overnight the snow can take on metallic, glittering aspects of iridescent purple, rose gold, and amber. The yellow orange streetlights illuminate this spectacle to great effect. 

Compared by Earth tourists to Sapporo Japan in the winter, the city is bustling with activity. In the earlier Dark Seasons, gifting is very popular, a remnant of Earth Traditions. You will find an eclectic mix of all of Earth’s winter holidays all over the inhabited areas of the planet. There is no “one way” to celebrate. 

Frost Cherries happen to be one of the most popular gifts on and off-world. The trees can be found all over the Western slopes of Presh Ridge, east of the city. They bloom right before the Dark Seasons start, when the rains come to close the summer cycle.

The fruit resembles a bright red, glossy cherry almost the size of a plum. They contain a white pit, and the meat would make most think of a maraschino cherry when ripe. In fact, the closest resemblance to an Earth food would be a giant, natural, maraschino cherry. They naturally begin to ferment in their own sugar before they are picked. They reside safely inside of a fluffy white casing, bearing resemblance to a sycamore seed pod.

During the snow, the outer skin of the cherry, even inside of its pod, will toughen to a more desirable grape-like texture. 

Between 1989 and 1993, the local groves were picked clean and suffered from decreased propagation, in order to combat this, multiple municipal orchards were established, and maintained by the local community. Now they have become a Dark Seasons destination and a local tradition.       

After the glow of the holidays are over, the Dark Seasons persist for months. The lack of widespread deciduous trees on-world allows for the natural world to remain lush and full of life during its “winter” cycle, but the light is very different during this time. Bright and Overcast would be the best way to describe it. Often compared to early days indoor lighting solutions, Fluorescent would be the color of the sun after it’s filtered through the cloud cover.

Depending on the day and the weather, the clouds can range from a general grey haze, to mountainous plumes of dark and threatening storm clouds. Sunsets and sunrises remain beautiful, but defused. The days are long and sleepy, and the sunlight is fleeting.

The majority of people on-world today were born there, with a few exceptions depending on location. Because of this, the details of deep space travel are not as prevalent in the curriculums and conversations of the people. Of course, everybody learns about atmospheric and extra-orbital flight, but specific details, particularly how Deep Freighters get to and from Jaladri, are quickly set aside under the term “Sublight Transit”. 

In the same way the average customer using public transportation does not concern themselves with the inspection dates, quality of parts and labor, and other inner workings of whatever craft they are using for their travels, the details behind transit to Jaladri have never been much of a conversation topic. Most people that end up on-world from Earth or Terra Proxy either stay, or are long haul lifers. After a few decades of normalcy, even the fantastic becomes mundane. You get on the ship, you go into cryosleep, and you wake up landing on Jaladri.

The truth is, Jaladri is a lot further away than most think. 

It’s only been in the last 2 years that any concrete information was obtained by the public pertaining to Earth/Jaladri transit. Between 1992 and 1994 there was a period where 3 separate whistle-blowers came forward with information. The first two were suppressed before any major news outlets caught wind of them. The third was anonymous, and came in the form of officially coded files sent publicly on the local networks. The following are 2 relevant examples from the final batch of files released:

[continue to folded corridor]

Ref: CSD-ENG/7N-R

Distribution: ORU-2, Propulsion Systems Branch

Status: RESTRICTED // PARTIAL RELEASE

Subject: SPS-N/4 Propulsion Summary (Redacted)

Portions of the SPS-N/4 documentation have been withheld under Directive ░░░░░░.░░░░░░. The following excerpt is cleared for limited internal review:

Sublight propulsion under the SPS-N/4 standard utilizes a Directed Momentum Exchange Cycle (DME-C). ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ These gradients increase effective momentum transfer of the ion exhaust without violating relativistic constraints.

Systems related to momentum recycling (see Appendix ░░░░░░) maintain drive efficiency under continuous burn, permitting sustained acceleration to operational velocities in the 0.2–0.3c range.

Further details regarding field geometry configuration, confinement thresholds, and gradient stabilization remain classified under CSD regulation ░░░░░░-B.

End of Redacted Memo.

Filed under CSD-ENG/7N-R.

–

Continuity Systems Division (CSD)

Internal Reference Network: CSD/OC-42

Transmission Code: CSD-TX/19-A

Handling Category: RESTRICTED // DIVULGED

To:

Central Survey Group (CSG) ~ Analytical Branch

Outer Signals Administration (OSA) ~ Technical Review Office

From:

CSD Observation & Reporting Unit (ORU-2)

Subject:

Cross-Site Correlation of Anomalous Activity ~ RCS-3 / SPZ-1 / AE-GW/01

Per directive outlined in CSD-OC/41 and as requested under joint-review action CSG-REQ/7B, CSD submits the following consolidated finding:

Preliminary and secondary analyses confirm that anomalies recorded in the River-Cave Sector (RCS-3) and the Southern Peninsula Zone (SPZ-1) display operational signatures identical to those associated with the extra-atmospheric gateway construct designated AE-GW/01. Frequency spectra, resonance profiles, and phase indices obtained from both terrestrial sites are fully aligned with off-world readings documented in CSD-AE/17.4 and AE-GW/01-B.

These matches exceed the threshold for coincidence and satisfy all criteria for Shared Technological Origin (STO-1) classification. All three nodes, RCS-3, SPZ-1, and AE-GW/01 should now be treated as components of a unified system pending further verification.

CSD recommends immediate integration of RCS-3 and SPZ-1 into the Gateway Oversight Framework (GOF-2) for ongoing monitoring.

End of Transmission.

Filed under ░░░░░░/19-A.

In November of 1995, a new train marshalling yard opened in Port Worden serving the Aquamarine Line exclusively. This allows for increased traffic for the Dark Season holidays, with plans to expand journeys throughout the year. In addition to this, the original 2 trains, barely 4 years old, were replaced with newer larger models that were designed to be modular, and hold 3x the amount of passengers in order to circumvent the restriction on building a 2nd track.

There are currently multiple appeals to re-designate the entire area the Aquamarine rail resides to industrial residential so more infrastructure can be built, including additional tracks. This would make redundant the entire ethos behind the project’s origins and ITS’ efforts.

Without surprise, this action is coming from Port Worden, with the Baisho-Caplan corporation funding the effort.

So now, in less than a decade, we already have a nostalgia for the “early days” of the Aquamarine Line, when traveling to Port Worden from New Cascade on ITS’ Aquamarine Line used to be an overnight affair. 

Every seat was a sleeping unit, with two aligned oppositely head to two on each side of the aisle. A small path providing access to the window side separated each bank of seats. A screen, network access, charging capabilities, and a small light and air vent are standard in each unit.

There is a collapsible half wall between them. It was cramped but somehow comfortable and equally spacious. There were 3 cars that each held 32 passenger seat pods, restrooms, and staff quarters. The popular choice was to sleep, but if you were to stay awake, you would be rewarded with fascinating and strange sights.

The track goes south of New Cascade, over the western edge of the Ignisara, at night, glowing colors of hot earth meet the purple skies, embers and smoke meet the fog with the light pollution from the lava flows illuminating everything.

Through Surakineau, even at night, you can see bioluminescent flora, glowbugs, and shimmering bodies of water catching the light from the moons within the dense jungle. Crossing the lowland portion of Mondo Canyon, a network of nimble suspension bridges guide the train over the Soryu River.

South of Reitoru, that track is suspended via a combination of floating platforms and infrastructure on the lava rock islands before meeting “mainland” again on the Western Horn of Hoshimi.

From there, the infrastructure, tunnels, activity, and light multiply as you get closer and closer to Port Worden. The track borders Breeze Bay before entering the Ikan Seafront, with downtown glistening outside of the right window, and the coast visible from the left side.

The only known glacier found on-world is located on the furthest southeast islands of the archipelago. Within the last 300 years, it has fractured into pieces as it approaches the ocean. This feature is known as The Gibraltar Remnants. 

Despite all of the technology and infrastructure on Jaladri, so much of its landmass remains unexplored. The amount of time it would take to move significant supplies and operations anywhere remote on the island, and maintain a favorable weather window, is a near impossible combination for JLA/JTC. The only inclusive record of the surface of the planet is maintained via aerial survey and basic geo-scanning.

Currently the largest roadblock outside of logistics and weather is environmental protections and agreements maintained by leadership on-world. 

This environment also lends itself to secrets. Large scale operations can and have in the past been carried out with near impunity as long as funding was secure and plentiful. 

The last group of islands where the glacier fragments reside are catalogued under their survey name:

Marine Region 7 (MR-7)

-Archipelago Resource Zone C

 -Designated Offshore Group 12

Known locally as MR7 or “Mr Seven”, when viewed from above, either by Pelican Craft, Deep Freighter, or Satellite, is surrounded by plumes of glittering, opalescent particles floating in the ocean. The glacier is filled with ancient metals, minerals, and tiny gemstones. These final fragments seem to be the oldest part of the ice. The one and only public expedition there in 1990 found compounds in the slurry to be almost 900,000 years old. “Glacial Milk” can be found on the black market, and even in shops (in Port Worden). It’s incredibly expensive because of the possible components it may contain, but also because of the incredibly dangerous process poachers go through to obtain it. Of course this is all highly illegal.

There is a particular map found in old public files years ago that has been gaining popularity ever since the incident during the latest Impact Bloom. On it, New Cascade and Port Worden are clearly marked, survey locations, and even the small settlements that later became New Miramar, Columbia Reach, Surakineau, etc are visible.

One of the interesting things were multiple locations marked with a dot and the word “null reflector” or “natural formation”. The map is too small, and the markings too nondescript to delineate exact locations. 

There were 3 total “null reflectors” One in the mountains past Presh Ridge outside Port Worden, one in the Kaen Mountain Range on Reitoru, and one on the southern end of Ketinio. One of the two “natural formations” is almost exactly where the satellite map shows the Hydrophane Ravine, near Point End, and the other is directly next to the “null reflector” mark on Hoshimi.

After a lot of research and speculation, people figured out the location on Hoshimi is where the Ikan River splits in two, and there are vast underground caves. People think the “null” reflector marker on Reitoru has something to do with The Hydrophane Ravine Slipway and/or the Kaen Watch Observatory but there is nothing overtly linking either.

An excerpt from The Port Worden Register, a local news paper:

“The news coming out of Baisho-Caplan this week confirmed rumours of a new City Ship on the way to Jaladri, bound allegedly for Hoshimi. This is coming just days after another leak detailing a 6 month aerial survey conducted on the east side of the island. 

New City Ship? Why?

What is actually going on?

One of the original Deep Freighters built on Jaladri, the JS Coruja will be escorting the City Ship on its final run from Earth before being decommissioned and displayed at the First Landing Museum. So both of the spacecraft will be met with fanfare and applause, one will touch down at First Landing one final time, and the other will disappear over the horizon. 

What does a Corporate-Owned City Ship look like for on-world citizens? Is this just Baisho-Caplan’s way of finally separating themselves from the detached but still environmentally concerned city leaders in Port Worden? Will the JLA/JTC even permit this landing? 

You will know as soon as we find out.

-PWR