A Distant Light which Pierced the Stars

The Frozen Planet

Out of nowhere, the Astral Express stopped its warp jump and arrived at what seemed to be an unknown planet, confusing all the crew. Curious, Stelle got up from the sofa and walked up to the window to view the world as Himeko and March 7th went with her. Himeko was in a state of disbelief upon seeing what the planet looked like.

"After all those millennia... is this what Jarilo-VI has become?"  Himeko wondered to herself, catching the attention of Stelle and March as they turned to her. While Stelle kept silent, March went and asked the redhead a question, "Huh? So that snowy planet is our destination this time?"

"Yes... Looks like this trailblazing expedition won't be easy." Himeko explained to March. Suddenly, Pom-Pom appeared before them and announced a problem that the train was having. "Spatial readout anomaly! Star rail stability is down to 12%! Schedule alteration: Seven-day stopover time extended indefinitely!" They finished with, estimating how long they'd all be stuck there.

Stelle was confused and when she asked why it'd be indefinite, she was answered by Pom-Pom that it would be like this until the anomaly was removed to allow the Astral Express to continue its warp jump. Himeko helped the girl understand the situation by using a normal train as an example. March groaned from this information, realizing what they'd be facing to fix this problem. Before March could even say what it was, someone said it before her, "The results of the preliminary analysis are here - the anomaly stems from a Stellaron, as always." Welt said, taking the words out of March's mouth.

Stelle stood there, surprised by how this was caused by the very thing that was sealed within her. The mere mention of this had her curious of what Stellarons even were, but even those answers were unknown to the rest of the crew. What they did know, however, was how to neutralize their influences. Seeing as how this problem was both preventing the crew to trailblaze as well as be a possible source of Jarilo-IV's sudden forever winter wonderland, Stelle was ready to find this Stellaron in order to destroy it.

"Stelle, I'd like to entrust this trailblazing expedition to March, Dan Heng, and you." Himeko stated. "The objective is clear: Find the Stellaron responsible for the disaster and the spatial distortions, and bring it back to the Express. We'll deal with the rest." She explained, motioning towards Welt and herself. March cheered upon finding out that she'd be able to team up with Stelle again but the girl in question was still confused.

"You're not coming?" Stelle asked. Himeko just gave a reassuring smile while responding, "Someone has to stay on the train, or Pom-Pom will get lonely." She explained, briefly looking at Pom-Pom who pouted when realizing Himeko's gaze on them. "Not to mention, Nanook threw us a glance just now. If we're targeted by the Antimatter Legion, then things could go south fast." Himeko finished with. Welt gave out a sigh before speaking up, "So it's still not our turn..."

Seeing the man like this, Himeko reassured him, "I know you really want to go, but we should give the youngsters a chance to get out there on their own. It'll be a good opportunity for them to bond." Understanding her point, Yang just nodded as Himeko turned to Stelle and March again. She had the two girls go get Dan Heng who had just entered Parlor Car.

As soon as Stelle, March, and Pom-Pom walked off, Himeko turned to Welt. "Do you think Ultraman will appear?" She asked him. The old man closed his eyes for a moment before giving his answer. "Based on what happened back at the space station, I assume so. There's a connection between Stelle and that giant to have him appear because of her." Welt told her. "There must be something from the rumors and myths that correlate to them both..."

Meanwhile, Stelle was talking with Dan Heng about the information he obtained for Jarilo-IV. After she explained that the cause of Jarilo-IV's problem was from a Stellaron as well as how they'd be in a team with March to work together for this, Stelle asked another question. "Did you get any information about Ultraman?" Stelle asked Dan Heng. He shook his head no before saying, "All the data I could gather was brief encounters, legends, and myths of him. There were some which stated that he had met the Aeons. A few have said how he's some sort of harbinger of doom..." Dan Heng explained. Understanding that there wasn't anything else to talk about, Stelle walked off to talk with March.