The winds were breezing across the landscape, cooler this season it felt good on their skin, the wind whipping through their hair.

Two people were waiting further down the platform, far enough away there was no reason to converse, they exchanged a wave

A voice asked 'Aradia, what is the time?'
Aradia glanced at their watch a quarter till..

In the distance, the low rumble of a train echoed as it navigated the tracks through the valley.

Solaris and Aradia where on their way to the solar festival, in the city of Copper Ore, this festival marked the beginning of a new season, the longest night of the year was coming, but they were gathering to create and share and connect with people about the ways they made new light, 0000

the solar festival
was an experience that people from all over wanted to attend and participate in.

The event lasted several days and on the longest night, people appreciated in the solar lantern parade, where people carry and wear their illuminated creations. every year was always a special, two years ago Solaris
and Aradia connected with other community members to create a giant illuminated dove.
the illuminated dove required 15 people to carry it, that's how large it was, not heavy just a massive white glowing dove.

The festival rallied around that giant dove.

This year they were headed early to connect with some other folks. in just a few days this station would be brimming with people, and their gear and gadgets.

The wind picked up a bit more, an edge of brisk washing over everyone. It was crisp, it also announced the arrival of the machine pulling int to he station.

As the machine rested to a stop, it sighed and the doors opened.

Nobody every really got off at this station, this was a station to get on, located in the base of the valley between the mountains there was not much near by, decades ago this station was been built for a large event, it's aged gracefully to a beautiful large station with sweeping panoramic views, in small groups it's almost too large, but it still feels welcoming . in large groups, the station feels appropriate and comfortable, always welcoming. .

Solaris and Aradia loaded their cart in to the train, and found their cabin.

The train offered all the desired features of travel one could want, cabins were often private, and the shared cabins were upgrared with more space.

Every cabin had a theme, in the summer months trains that are out of service are taken to educational centers and community halls where artists decorate the room in themes from all over the land..

This particular cabins theme was corn, the walls were adored in a corn wallpaper, a smiling face in the corn kernels, the drapes were made to look like corn fields. The table, had a picture of a popped corn, from an older brand, the face of the mascot had been worn thin and was barely visible. Below a slogan of the company read 'Fun Pop Stop Top'

they placed their other belongings down and got situated. the attendant checked the platform and blew her whistle, the doors closed and the train started to vibrate with motion.

The journey was not quite two days, this time there was some things to think about n the way, considerations of the mind for them to share.

As the train continued to move so did the sun, setting quickly, this canyon runs between east and west mountains so dusk came even earlier, and with how late in the year it was it was c coming even faster.

" Aradia, do you want anything to eat?" Solaris asked.
A pause.
Not now, lets' settle a bit, and maybe in a little while.

Yeah sounds good.
The train pulled in to the distance, and the sun continued to set.

Night fell in the cabin windows and it got dark, Aradia drew the corn field panels over the window and turned up the light in the cabin.

Let's eat they said.
In Solaris bag they had prepared a snack for this time, the trains were always stocked with great meals, but sometimes you were hungry and the snacks that the attendants offered were generally not filling enough and made you want something more or something better.

A medium texture cheese encrusted with herbs and a tray of crackers. Perfect, both what they were thinking and hoping for.

The train lurched a bit, the cabin rumbled in response.
They kept eating, and enjoying the snack.

How was it?
Was what?
The snack?
perfect..
How about your year, what did you get up to?

Aradia had been busy since the Dove, they had finished their Blacksmith study, and had been traveling between towns, teaching the conservation core cohorts welding skills.

There were many accomplishments that they were proud of this year, their classes, the discussions they had and the people they met.

You know, it's been good, there was a lot of work, and many things happened.
During one of the classes there were new discussions, and forms of thought shared with the next generation of graduates, the cohorts were lead to empower individuals to learn important skills.

Aradia spoke at length, reflecting on the year with a mix of pride and longing.

Solaris yawned a bit,

Perhaps I'm tired and would like to take a little rest.
Me too,
Solaris, felt older this year, their body had changed in ways they didn't quite understand, they were feeling alive as ever but more in tune with what they needed.

More gray in their hair but not so much that you couldn't see the rich luscious brown it was underneath.

Solaris reached in their bag and felt around for a smaller bag made of leather, and rubbed it between their fingers, they were checking to see if their item was still in the bag, a sense of re-assurance .

After a brief nap, they both awoke to the panel near the door illuminated over the 'service car' meaning food was ready, they were unsure how long they had dozed but decided that getting some food was a goo idea.

they left their cabin, secured the door and walked down the train to the service car, following the symbols in the hallway to the service car.

As they arrived staff stood behind the service counter, their uniforms were always impeccable, above the counter there was a menu, the choices were often limited on the train but they were always enjoyable today a sign read 'Beef Stroganoff', they both ordered, and added some sides tot their meals. They walked to the dining car attached to the service car and sat at a table, the tables and chairs were welcoming. A few other folks were seated but the rush of the dinner service had passed..

They Sat down and in just a few moments the staff brought their dinner selection, a deep bowl of Beef Stroganoff with a quarter loaf of bread, these meals always left one feeling full and nourished.

They ate without much dialog.

Outside the night kept getting darker, and as the sky deepened in its depth one could look out the gazing glass window above the car and peer in to space, the sky illuminated with countless stars and constellations, the moon was waxing crescent, but crisply standing out in the depth of the deep dark of space.

Peering deeper they could see the milky way, vast and expansive, full across the sky, myriad of hues.

They had both fallen in to a gaze, and time had passed.. the service staff came to announce that the room was closing, they stacked their plates and headed back to their cabin.

On their way back they decided to bed down and get some rest.

as they crawled in to their corn themed husk sleep sacks, they exchanged pleasantries and said goodnight.

The next morning, the train lurched and the cabin jiggled, the low rumble shaking them both awake.

[[Solaris]] inhaled slowly and peeked outside the cornfield-patterned curtains. The sun was illuminating the mountaintops, though they had no idea what time it was. They glanced at the administrative panel; the clock was still hard to read, but the “Service Car” indicator was lit. That meant only one thing—breakfast was ready.

[[Solaris]] looked over at [[Aradia]].
“Are you hungry?”

She nodded, and they both hurried down the hall in their sleep attire toward the service car.

When they arrived, they saw the breakfast options: Oat Porridge or Eggs. It was always hard to tell what kind of eggs it would be—sometimes quail, sometimes ostrich. The inconsistency meant you might end up with enough egg for ten people, or a handful of tiny quail eggs that left you hungrier than before.

They both ordered the oats and sat at the same table they had used previously.

As the train climbed out of the valley and into the mountains, they gazed through the panoramic windows at the eastern landscape below. A Ferrohawk flew alongside the train, its metallic eyes locking with [[Aradia]]’s. Suddenly, the hawk executed a sharp maneuver and vanished back into the valley.

“Wow,” [[Solaris]] exclaimed. “What a beautiful creature. Was that a Ferrohawk?”

[[Aradia]] nodded excitedly.

“Ferrohawks are an incredible species,” she said. Unlike other hawks, their feathers were like lightweight alloys. Falconers had found them especially useful for land surveying and observation.

They weren’t sure who had trained that particular hawk, but its precise movements were unmistakably those of a bird with a handler.

Most Ferrohawks had, at some point, been integrated with a human partner. However, there were strict limits on how long a single person could serve as a handler.

Since Ferrohawks lived for centuries, it wasn’t uncommon for multiple generations of the same family to share that responsibility. These partnerships were most common in the plains, where cohorts learned land stewardship and how to integrate with animal life.

Often, people traveled specifically to join conservation core cohorts. These were usually available after completing one’s seventh year of education. Cohorts typically lasted three or four years—sometimes five—depending on seasons and migration patterns.

They were demanding experiences, requiring individuals and teams alike to learn cooperation.

There was at least one more day left on the train, with arrival scheduled for the following morning. Along the way, several additional stops would change the population onboard as the tracks passed through other districts where more passengers were likely to join. The cozy atmosphere would slowly give way to something more utilitarian.

[[Solaris]] glanced at the information panel mounted along the wall. It displayed the journey’s duration, motor and train statistics, current speed, the next stop, and the estimated time of arrival. Before long, the train would make a longer stop at the upcoming station. The mountain range was beginning to fade behind them, the terrain flattening into open plains with sweeping grasses.

The oats had been filling, and they were both satisfied. They returned to their cabin, retracting the cornfield-patterned blinds and letting more light spill inside.

For a brief moment, the hawk reappeared outside the window. As the blind lifted, it darted skyward, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

[[Solaris]] peered in to the distance, it was too hard to tell where the hawk went the train was barrelling through the landscape at a high rate of speed, most of the landscape looked like a blur.

“What is it?” [[Aradia]] asked.

“Hmm… it was that hawk. I wonder if it was the same one.”

The train’s horn blared loudly, signaling an approaching crossing and an imminent stop.

The train lurched again, this time slowing. Items on the table slid forward, and passengers shifted their bodies to adjust to the deceleration.

The trains horn blared again, even though there were far from the engine in the front the trains horn was quite piercing.

The train glided to a stop, the attendends prepared the doors for opening and told the crowds on the platform to let those on the train disembark first.

[[Solaris]] and [[Aradia]] stepped off onto the platform. This station was smaller than where their journey had begun and sat within an entirely different biome. The sun was rising, but it hung low on the horizon—deep winter meant it would climb only slightly before beginning its descent, ushering in another evening and night.

The station itself had been built in a different era. Its architecture was ornate, filled with flourishes, embellishments, and concentric arches. At first glance it felt overwhelming, but the details harmonized, lending the space an unexpected cohesion. The platform bustled with people, carts, and bags in tow.

Most of the current train riders disembarked to explore the fplatform.

[[Aradia]] walked towards the end of the platofmr and looked back at the mountain range that they left, serrated and sharp, almost as if they were cutting the horizon and sky.

The wind blew here, but it was warm and dry,k not as cool as the mountain air where they got on.

Passengers waiting to board loaded their carts and bags. Some disappeared into their cabins to settle in for the rest of the journey, while others lingered outside.

In the distance someone yelled [[Solaris]] !

[[Solaris]] did not hear the call,

louder they beconned [[Solaris]]!! this drew their attention they peered in to the direciton of the sound and saw the outline of a perosn. It was [[Auroa]], beckoning.

[[Auroa]] was small in stature, dressed in baggy pants, a pocket-filled vest, and a large floppy hat. Their appearance was deliberately disheveled. They trotted along the platform with carts and gear still in hand, having not yet loaded anything onto the train.

[[Solaris]] waved, they remembed [[Auroa]] from many decades ago, they had both worked ono a project building vertial farming gardens that were designed for tempermental environemtns. it apperared that [[Auroa]] had more components for other gardens, though many things had changed over the decades there were still the fundamentals of what was importnat to building a vertical garden.

As [[Auroa]] drew closer, they had something in their hand, a small box. They walked over and handed the box to [[Solaris]] and exchanged greetings and a hug. . [[Solaris]] was excited to see [[Auroa]] they had fallen out of contact but no mallice or harm was assigned to the relationship this was a welcomed reunion.

They exchanged some dialouge briefly and [[Solaris]] intrudcue [[Auroa]] to [[Aradia]], they shook hands.

Offering to help get them to their cabin they made their way in to the train car and walked down the hallway, stashing their cart in the storage car and carrying their belonging to the cabin. This cabing was a shared cabin meaning other riders would stay in that space, it was sometimes a dnice way to met new people, most travelers were accomodiating and kept to themselves.

For the time being there were no other riders in this cabin, this cabin was themed in beach themes with shells, crustacians and seaguls adoring the decor, art and bed spreads.

This cabin had been more recenlty decorated most likely during this seasons suymmer, the tbales artwork was not agged. A beautiful beach with a sun high in the sky was carefully etched below a layer of acryillc topping. The view was almost magical. All of them sat around the table and shared a dioscussion about where thye have beenb and what they have been doing.

[[Aurora]] turns the small box over in their hands before speaking.

They describe one of their earliest vertical garden projects—built along a salt-heavy coastline where winds corroded nearly everything. The team had rushed the design, trusting materials that looked resilient but hadn’t been tested long-term. Within two seasons, the structure failed.

“The plants survived longer than the framework,” [[Aurora]] says with a quiet laugh. “That should have told us something.”

[[Solaris]] leans forward.
“Was it the alloys that failed—or the way they were bonded?”

[[Aurora]] nods appreciatively.
“The bonds. Always the bonds. Strong parts don’t matter if they don’t trust each other.”

[[Aradia]] asks softly,
“What happened to the land after it collapsed?”

[[Aurora]] pauses before answering.
“We learned how to dismantle without scarring. That lesson stayed with me.”

The Train attendednts walked the platform and blew their whistle, it was nearly time. Thje last remaining peple on the platform boarded the train and sat in their cabins.

The doors closed, the engine began to roar and the train and it's cabbins began to lurch again, across a new landscape, the winds were picking up, the plains were notorious for high winds, and [[Lunar Bison]].

They all decided to stay in the sahred cabin and continue sharing stories, [[Solaris]] mentioned the [[Ferro Hawk]] they saw in the mountains and shared how it apperared outside the windwo when they drew the bliunds back.

That reminds me [[Auroa]] mentioned the Survey INcident that they experience when working with a handler who did not follow protocol with their [[Ferro Hawk]]

[[Aurora]] hesitates, then admits they once worked alongside a Ferrohawk handler during a long-range land survey. The hawk disappeared for three days—far beyond protocol.

“We thought we’d lost it,” [[Aurora]] says. “Turns out it was mapping something we hadn’t noticed.”

[[Solaris]] straightens.
“Subsurface fault lines?”

[[Aurora]] nods.
“And dormant water channels.”

[[Aradia]] asks quietly,
“Did the handler get in trouble?”

“A warning,” [[Aurora]] says. “But the data was invaluable.”

The mood softens as [[Aurora]] acknowledges the long silence between them.

“I didn’t leave because of conflict,” they say. “I left because I kept moving—and assumed I could always return.”

[[Solaris]] responds gently,
“I think we all make that mistake.”

[[Aradia]] asks,
“Do you still build gardens the same way?”

[[Aurora]] shakes their head.
“No. Now I design them so they can be rebuilt by people I’ll never meet.”

The train was hurtiling over the land, across the plains, the winds were more fierce than any of them previously remember, the reveberation of the wind over the outside of the train made uunfamiliar sounds.

The speaker illuminated and then a pause, the was soon to be an announcment.

The announcment just detailed the ammentieis of the train and assuraed the riders taht the noise of the wind was to be expected, people should enjoy their ride. It wouldn't be until the vening that the train wouuld be stopping again. The sun crept uup higher in the horizon,

the panel illuminated and it was soon to be lunch.

Nobody in the group was hungry but they were feeling that after a time of cathing uup it was timne to withdrawl to their own cabins and quarters.

[[Auroa]] agreed and said I'd love to see your artwork, can I walk you to your cabin?

They both nodded and agreed. [[Auroa]] grabed their box they had carried and borught it with them.l,

the train corridor hallways were long, somoetimes trains stre5rtched as mainy as cars in lenght, people could communicate with other cabins and send messages on the intercom system.

They walked up the train to the corn decorated cabin, and opened the door, [[Aurora]] always appreciated art like [[Solaris]] and [[Aradia]], this is so clever I love it.

They looked at the table and saw the corn mascot, worn and threadbear. Wow I haven't had that popcorn in ages!

[[Aurora]] drew the door closed, and muted the intercome system. They placed the bopx on the table and looked at the others in the eyes.

inside are seed matrices from extinct or near-extinct regional cultivars—encoded, adaptable, and meant to be shared.

“I didn’t know who I’d give these to,” [[Aurora]] admits. “But seeing you both here felt… correct.”

[[Solaris]] doesn’t open the box right away.
“Do they need a specific climate?”

“They need patience,” [[Aurora]] replies.

[[Aradia]] asks the last question, almost reverently:
“And trust?”

[[Aurora]] smiles.
“Especially that.”

[[Aurora]] then unmuted the intercom and slid open the door and retired to their cabin.

[[Chapter 3]]