"... Reports of the remnants of the Swarm retreating from many worlds and disappearing into the vast cosmos have been increasing ever since a few months ago, leaving many worlds uneasy."
"Many scholars within the Intelligensia Guild have theorized that the Aeon of Propagation, Tayzzyronth, might still be alive, and are potentially gearing up for a possible resurrection of the Swarm, although many within the IPC have denied the theory as implausible."
"As a quick reminder, Qlipoth, our Amber Lord, personally vanquished Tayzzyronth the Propagation with THEIR divine hammer during the Swarm Disaster over 800 Amber Eras ago."
"The IPC and Intelligensia Guild have sent invitation letters to Mr.Screwllum, Madam Herta, and Ruan Mei for an interview regarding the current situation, though none have yet responded.
"In other news..."
.....
"Say cheese!" A shout from a girl interrupted Welt's listening to the broadcast as a boy who was just a moment ago, looking out of the train's windows, admiring the view of the stars, jumped up in surprise. "Haha! Got you again, Cole!"
"March! I told you to stop scaring me like that!" The now-named boy yelled angrily as he chased after March, who had her camera in her hands, no doubt containing pictures of him being scared.
As he chased March in the train car, dodging an irritated Pom-Pom who whined about having just swept the car, Welt thought back to the name that he had given to the Astral Express' newest member.
Cole. That was the name he had given him when he had been "born" right inside one of the Astral Express cars. He had explained to the other members that Cole was a shortened version of Coleoptera, a scientific name for a beetle found on his homeworld, Earth, and just so happened to be a common name there.
The name was merely a spur-of-the-moment idea that flashed in his mind when he saw the rather bug-like feature that the boy possessed. Still, he was glad that the boy took a liking to it. It also may or may not have given him a bit of pride, but that was neither here nor there.
He watched as March headed to the Party Car, intending to escape her pursuer, when the car's door slammed open and another Cole appeared in front of her. "Ha! How the tabled turned, Marchie!" The second Cole exclaimed as he and the original Cole sandwiched her between themselves.
March cried out at being caught, struggling to escape the grip the two Coles had on her as they tried to grab her camera. "Hey, that's cheating!"
Welt adjusted his glasses as he observed the interaction between the two. He thinks back to a few months ago when he was teaching the newborn Cole all the basic things about the universe. From the moment he began teaching Cole, in his mind, he knew that Cole held more potential than anyone he had ever known. Even his former student back home admittedly.
Teaching him language, mathematics, and such was rather easy, as Cole seemingly learned them rather quickly. A bit too quick in his suspicion.
But all of those were trivial compared to when Welt began giving tidbits and facts about his homeworld. Not only did Cole understand English, but he even had a look of familiarity when he mentioned some of the countries on Earth. Yet, when asked if he had any memories of it, Cole simply answered no.
When Welt spread the news to the others, they were also confused, as this case was vastly different than that of March. Whereas March has no recollection of her past whatsoever, Cole seemingly had some sort of familiarity with his homeworld, even though he had no memories of it.
This case also made Dan Heng research any possible connection that Cole might have with the Vidyadhara, one of the species that resides in the Xianxhou Alliance. Although judging by the looks Dan Heng would give to their newest member, he must've already had a species in mind, as did Himeko and himself.
When he was teaching Cole about the concept of Paths and Imaginary Energy, his newest student decided to show a little bit of his mastery over it by creating a clone of himself with such ease that it was as if it were second nature to him. When asked how he could easily make a clone, Cole could only tilt his head in confusion as if unsure of the answer himself.
"I don't know. I just do." Cole simply answered.
"Dan Heng, help me!" March desperately cried out to Dan Heng, who had just come out of his room.
She received no answer as Dan Heng walked past them, ignoring them so as not to involve himself with their shenanigans. Taking a seat on one of the couches, he began reading a book that he had brought, occasionally glancing at the duo as they struggled to gain supremacy over March's camera.
Welt could only sigh, however, as he caught glimpses of guilt and shame whenever Dan Heng's eyes darted over to Cole. He had hoped that Dan Heng had managed to move on after the boy had held a private meeting with him and Himeko some time ago.
A meeting in which Dan Heng suggested that they kill their newest member.
While it was initially shocking at what Dan Heng had just proposed, when they heard his reasoning, they could understand that it came from a place of concern.
He explained to them that Cole is undeniably connected to the Propagation and, by extension, The Swarm, or at least what's left of it. He suggested that Cole might be one of the many Stings that have taken on a humanoid form, a theory that he and Himeko had long suspected.
The strong resemblance to the various species in The Swarm, hell, the uncanny resemblances to the depiction of the Aeon of Propagation THEMSELVES are just too great to ignore.
Welt still remembered learning of Tayzzyronth and The Swarm, how THEY and THEIR countless offspring rampaged across the cosmos, leaving behind a wake of devastation that is still felt even after hundreds of Amber Eras, and how it took the combined efforts of multiple Aeons to quell the disaster.
Even now, what remains of The Swarm continues to wreak havoc wherever they wander. That was still the case until recently, according to the broadcast.
Although Dan Heng made valid points, he and Himeko were able to convince him that, despite Cole's connection to the Swarm and his similar abilities, such as self-replication and the capacity to induce perceptual distortions and hallucinations with his wings, he did not behave like them. In fact, Cole had shown no signs of hostility toward the Express' crew ever since he was taken in by them.
While this eases Dan Heng's worry, the conversation left him riddled with guilt. The normally reserved boy had become even more withdrawn, especially when Cole is nearby. Hopefully, he and Cole could have a heart-to-heart conversation with each other, and for Cole to have it in him to forgive Dan Heng.
"Mr. Yang..." Welt floated back to reality as he noticed March looking at him, silently pleading for help to get her camera back.
"Please don't disturb Mr. Yang's peace, March," Dan Heng said, answering on his behalf.
"You don't get to talk to me after you ignored my plea, traitor," March replied, crossing her arms in frustration.
"Alright, alright. Here's your camera. I didn't delete a single photo, I pinky promise," Cole said, having reabsorbed his clones back into himself as he handed March her camera.
"Aww. Thank you." As March looked into the camera to make sure nothing was tampered with. Finding nothing wrong, she put the camera back on her waist.
At that moment, Welt's phone rang, signaling that a photo had been shared in the Express's group chat. Welt couldn't help but smile at the picture, which was presumably taken by a third Cole. The image, sent in by Cole, showed March sandwiched between the two other Coles, accompanied by the caption, "Made a Marchcream Sandwich. Anyone want to take a bite?"
The Express's members gave various reactions to them, which caused an embarrassed March to shield her face. "Hmph, you all are a bunch of meanies. Come here, Cole. Time for retribution!"
"HMPH!" Cole's body stiffened up as March went straight to his weak spot. "Ah-hah... I t-told you... I'm se-sen-sitive the-re."
"Nuh-uh. You embarrass me, I get to caress your silky-soft wings."
The arrival of Himeko stopped her, however. "Just wait a moment, March. The crew's meeting is about to start, and I need you all in here."
"Ugh. Alright, Ms. Himeko." March reluctantly agrees as she lets go of Cole's wings, who sighs in relief.
"Thank you, March. Now, gather around everyone."
.....
The crew hurriedly formed a circle in the middle of the Parlor Car, their expressions at various levels of interest.
"What is it, Ms. Himeko? Are we finally going to Washtopia to give the train a well-needed wash, or are we going to take on commissions, or even lend humanitarian aid like last time?" Cole rapidly asked.
"Didn't we get chased off from the last planet because they saw you and we had to come back without you?" March pointed out.
"Hey! Don't blame me. No one told me that the planet was recently ravaged by The Swarm and that the inhabitants would turn hostile the moment they saw me. Some people are just too quick to judge someone, I'm telling you."
"I'm pretty sure you've just traumatised them, Cole. After what happened to their planet, we can't really blame them for their action, no matter how unreasonable it might seem." Said Himeko, sympathizing with the inhabitants of the previous planet they've visited.
"I'm truly sorry, Cole. It was my fault for acting too quickly. I saw a planet in desperate need of assistance and rushed in without taking the time to do my research first." Welt apologises.
"No hard feelings, Mr. Yang. Besides, their leader had already given their apology to me. I would be a jerk if I stayed mad at them."
"Thank you for understanding, Cole. Now then, since we've used up most of our supplies lending aid, we'll be making a stop at Herta Space Station for a quick refill." Himeko explained. "Not only that, Madam Herta herself has returned to the space station and is requesting a meeting with you, Cole."
Cole pointed at himself in surprise. "Me? Uhh... She isn't going to dissect me or anything, is she?"
Himeko could only chuckle at Cole's question. "No, no. She isn't that kind of person. She's only examining you and may even ask a couple of questions and perform a physical examination."
Seeing Cole's unsure face, Himeko reassures him. "Not only that, this could be an opportunity for you to explore the space station with March and Dan Heng and make new friends along the way."
Cole nodded. "I understand, Ms. Himeko. I'll also make sure to behave along with these two."
"Don't lump us together with you." March denied.
Dan Heng also steps in to defend himself. "If I recall correctly, weren't you the one who destroyed an IPC transport ship when you decided to blow up your clone near a group of Voidrangers?"
Cole raised his hands up. "In my defense... I thought the ship was tougher, okay? Besides, didn't you all slack off when we were forced to do community service at Taikiyan Stadium when you know who had a bright idea of smashing through it? My clones and I did all the hard work while you guys barely did the bare minimum."
"Did you guys know how hard it took me to use 3 of my clones at once doing a boring task? I experienced boredom times 4. Maybe I need to organise a strike." Lamented Cole as fake tears well up in his eyes.
At his rant, the entire express crew avoided eye contact with Cole. They might or might not have relied too much on Cole and his clones whenever there was any menial labor involved. What can they say? It was a useful ability to have.
Welt pushed his glasses up, his face looking rather apologetic. "We are truly sorry, Cole. We will promise to never abuse your abilities again." The others also gave their sincere apology.
"Apology accepted. Next stop, Herta Space Station!"
"Ahem. If there's no objection, Pom-Pom will begin preparing the Express' warp jump. Make sure to stay seated, especially you, March." With that, Pom-Pom began making their way to the Train Engine.
The crew then took a seat for themself as they prepared for the warp jump, with the exception of Dan Heng, who had gone back to the Archive Room.
.....
"Hello? Hello, hello?" The voice of Pom-Pom echoes throughout the carriage, signifying that they're about to warp jump to their destination. "All passengers, please return to your seat. The train is about to make the jump." All heeded the conductor's words except March, who had yet challenged herself once again.
Cole still remembered trying to up March's attempt by flying while the train was warp jumping. Worst mistake of his short life.
"Hold on, everyone!"
"5"
Cole closed his eyes as the countdown began.
"4"
He can feel the train vibrating, objects clattering incessantly as the warp jump begins.
"3"
An energy engulfed the entire train, space seemingly stretching around them.
"2"
"1"
As always, for the briefest of moments during a warp jump, a moment not even measured in milliseconds, a sound emanated throughout the train.
The sound of wings fluttering along with a shrill cry of an insect that only he can hear.