The cold hit Alex like a physical blow the moment they stepped off the Express's landing platform. Even through the advanced thermal gear Himeko had provided, the air of Jarilo-VI carried a bitter chill that seemed to seep through fabric and skin directly into their bones. Snow whipped around them in patterns that suggested wind, but Alex suspected the movement had more to do with Fragmentum influence than normal meteorology.
"Welcome to Belobog," March said cheerfully, though her voice was somewhat muffled by the thermal mask covering the lower half of her face. "Isn't the architecture amazing?"
Alex looked around at the city rising before them and had to admit that March was right. Belobog was a masterpiece of desperate engineering—walls of ice and metal that seemed to grow organically from the frozen ground, towers that twisted skyward in defiance of the hostile environment, and defensive structures that spoke to centuries of constant warfare against an enemy that never tired and never retreated.
"The Silvermane Guards should be meeting us at the checkpoint ahead," Dan Heng said, consulting a device that looked like a combination GPS and Geiger counter. "Standard diplomatic protocols apply—let Himeko do the talking unless specifically addressed."
The checkpoint proved to be a fortified position manned by soldiers whose equipment looked both advanced and improvised, as if they'd been forced to constantly modify their gear to deal with threats that didn't follow normal rules. The guards themselves were professional but wary, their eyes constantly scanning the group for signs of whatever threats they'd learned to watch for in visitors.
"Express crew?" The lead guard's voice carried the exhausted authority of someone who had been making life-or-death decisions for too long. "Supreme Guardian Cocolia is expecting you. Though I should warn you—we've had increased Fragmentum activity in the lower districts. The situation is... fluid."
As they were escorted through Belobog's streets, Alex found themselves studying the city's defensive arrangements with growing unease. Everything about the place spoke to a siege mentality that had been sustained for so long it had become the default mode of existence. Children played in courtyards surrounded by walls topped with warning devices. Market stalls displayed goods that had clearly been manufactured with an eye toward durability rather than aesthetics. Even the civilians moved with the kind of situational awareness that came from living under constant threat.
"It's worse than I expected," Alex murmured to March, who was documenting everything with her camera.
"The corruption spread, or the social impact?"
"Both. The game—" Alex caught themselves before revealing too much. "I mean, you read about places like this, but seeing it in person..."
"Makes it real," March finished. "That's why I take pictures. So people who haven't seen this kind of thing can understand what it actually looks like when a civilization is slowly dying."
Their escort through the city was interrupted by a commotion from one of the lower access tunnels—shouting voices, the sound of running feet, and something that might have been weapons fire echoing up from underground passages. The Silvermane Guards immediately shifted into defensive positions, their previous professional courtesy replaced by the sharp focus of soldiers responding to a threat.
"Underground situation," the lead guard said tersely into his communication device. "Request immediate backup at access point seven."
"What's happening?" Himeko asked.
"Wildfire," the guard replied, as if that explained everything. "Underground organization that doesn't always coordinate their operations with surface command. Sometimes their... enthusiasm... creates complications."
Alex felt their heart rate spike as they recognized the setup for their first encounter with Seele and the underground resistance. In the game, this had been an exciting introduction to the planet's political complexities. In reality, it sounded like they were walking into the middle of an armed conflict between allies who couldn't afford to be fighting each other.
"Perhaps we could help mediate," Himeko suggested carefully. "The Express crew has experience with inter-factional communications."
The guard looked skeptical, but before he could respond, a figure emerged from the tunnel entrance with the kind of dramatic timing that suggested either excellent luck or careful planning. Alex immediately recognized Seele despite the heavy clothing and combat gear that marked her as someone who spent most of her time fighting for survival in hostile territory.
"Silvermane efficiency strikes again," Seele said, her voice carrying the kind of sarcasm that came from repeated frustrations with bureaucratic allies. "While you're giving tourists the scenic route, we've been dealing with a Fragmentum breach that's threatening to cut off three residential sectors."
"The situation is contained," the lead guard replied stiffly.
"The situation is temporarily stabilized," Seele corrected. "There's a difference, though I wouldn't expect surface command to understand the distinction."
Alex watched the exchange with growing concern. The tension between the surface and underground factions was palpable, and it was clear that both sides were operating under stress levels that made productive cooperation difficult. This was exactly the kind of situation where an outside perspective might help—if they could figure out how to offer it without overstepping their authority.
"Excuse me," Alex said, stepping forward despite Dan Heng's warning look. "I'm Alex, with the Express crew. Would it help if we took a look at the breach situation? Sometimes fresh eyes can spot solutions that aren't obvious to people who've been dealing with a problem for a while."
Seele studied Alex with the kind of assessment that suggested she was used to evaluating people's combat potential and finding most of them wanting. "You're offering to go underground? Into active Fragmentum territory?"
"If it would help stabilize the situation," Alex said, hoping they sounded more confident than they felt.
"Alex," Himeko said quietly, "we don't have full situational awareness yet."
"That's exactly why we should look," Alex replied. "We can't help effectively if we don't understand what's actually happening."
Seele's expression shifted to something that might have been approval. "Surface command could learn from that attitude. Fine—but you follow my lead down there. Underground territory doesn't forgive tourist mistakes."
The descent into Belobog's underground levels was like traveling backward through time and forward through desperation simultaneously. The upper tunnels showed clear signs of recent construction and maintenance, but as they went deeper, the architecture became more improvised, more desperate. These weren't planned expansion routes—they were shelters carved from necessity, homes built in spaces that had never been intended for human habitation.
"How many people live down here?" Alex asked as they navigated through corridors lined with improvised living spaces.
"More every year," Seele replied. "Surface territory keeps shrinking as the corruption spreads. We absorb the refugees, find them space, teach them how to survive underground." She gestured toward a section where families had carved small apartments from the rock walls. "It's not elegant, but it works."
"Why don't the surface and underground commands coordinate better?" Alex asked, though they suspected they already knew the answer.
"Because the surface command thinks in terms of military hierarchy and strategic resource allocation," Seele said. "We think in terms of keeping people alive from day to day. Different priorities lead to different solutions, and different solutions lead to conflicts."
They reached the breach site—a section of tunnel where Fragmentum corruption had eaten through the rock walls, creating a cavity that pulsed with unnatural light. The makeshift barriers that Wildfire had erected were holding for now, but Alex could see stress fractures in the containment structure that suggested the situation was far from stable.
"The corruption follows the water lines," Seele explained, pointing to infrastructure that ran along the tunnel ceiling. "We think it's using the moisture to spread faster than normal. Surface command wants to seal off this entire section and evacuate the residents. We want to find a way to stop the spread without abandoning three hundred people's homes."
Alex studied the breach, noting patterns in the corruption's growth that reminded them of the data they'd analyzed at Herta Space Station. The spread wasn't random—it was following specific pathways that suggested underlying structural weaknesses in the local environment.
"What if you're both right?" Alex said slowly. "What if evacuation is necessary, but only temporarily?"
"Explain," Seele said.
"The corruption is following the water infrastructure because that's the path of least resistance through the rock. But if you could disrupt that pathway—redirect the water flow or create better-sealed alternatives—you might be able to starve the corruption of its transmission medium." Alex pointed to sections of the tunnel where the corruption seemed less active. "Look at the areas where the rock is drier. The spread is significantly slower there."
Seele studied the breach with new eyes, and Alex could see her mind working through the implications of their suggestion. "Temporary evacuation while we reroute the water systems. It would take time and resources we don't have much of, but..."
"But it would solve both problems," Alex finished. "The people get their homes back, and the corruption spread gets contained."
"I'll need to run this past Oleg," Seele said, referring to the Wildfire leader. "And we'll need cooperation from surface command for the engineering resources." She looked at Alex with something approaching respect. "Not bad for someone who's been on the planet for less than six hours."
As they made their way back toward the surface, Alex felt a growing sense of cautious optimism. They'd managed to offer a helpful perspective without revealing their meta-knowledge of the situation, and they'd potentially helped bridge some of the gap between the surface and underground factions.
"You did well down there," Himeko said quietly as they rejoined the main group.
"I just tried to see the problem from both sides," Alex replied. "Sometimes that's all it takes."
What they didn't say was that they were beginning to understand their role in this universe more clearly. They weren't here to be a hero or to single-handedly solve cosmic-level problems. They were here to be a bridge—someone who could see connections that others missed, who could help different groups find common ground in their shared struggles against forces that threatened everything they cared about.
It was a smaller role than they'd expected, but perhaps more important for being human-scaled.