Ode to the Oak I

Nobody's lying to you. We're really ... trying...

I'M NOT CONVINCED! You let me through, right now! I will not have anyone delay my work for today!

We might not be convincing enough, but what about the Endmin? You gotta take the Endmin's word for it, Jenner.

Endmin? Why would the Endmin be here? You little —

The Endmin? You're really here! Am I dreaming...?

So ... we really have to block this road? Endmin, nothing's happened to the Great Oak, right?

Oh, so that's why... So I guess I won't be seeing the Great Oak today?

Well, since the Endmin has put it that way, then ... I suppose I'll just go there tomorrow...

Of course. Tomorrow... We'll definitely see the Great Oak tomorrow, Miss Jenner.

And every one of us will be joining you.

Endmin, look! Check out the label on this shelf! We should be able to find some vinyls from The Bretts here... Wait. It's empty... Did someone take them away?

Are you trying to say that the person who took the vinyls isn't too far away?

We should chase them down!

Endmin, have you gathered the medical ingredients?

Yes. This should be enough... Much appreciated, Endmin. I'll prepare her medicine right away.

Is it working, Surgeon Yue? Will Granny be alright...?

We'll have to wait for her to come around first. I don't think I can give you a good diagnosis before that happens.

Jenner! Granny Jenner! You're awake! Thank Talos ... are you feeling okay?

A fellow crew mate...? Who ... who are you? Why am I here...?

Granny?! Don't ... don't you recognize me? I'm Alia...

Alia? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't really know you... Did we meet before?

One more thing. I'm not one who's easily offended when people talk about age, girl. But you seem just a few years younger than me... Calling me "granny" is stretching things a bit, wouldn't you say?

Truth be told, it's my first time in a situation like this as well...

Endmin? When did you arrive? Why didn't anybody tell me about you being here?

If I had known you were coming ... I would have prepared a report on the recent status of the Great Oak...

Oh well, I guess I'll have to take you to the Oak myself — We've got to show you all the tender loving care we gave to the tree you planted.

Are you trying to pull my leg, Endmin? Everyone who took part in the Originium Cultivation Project knows you!

I even shook your hand on behalf of our entire crew, on the very day you planted the Great Oak.

Ugh, what's happening... I feel so woozy... Maybe it's because I stayed up too late last night.

No matter. Your visit is always a rare occasion, Endmin... I've got to take you there and show you the Great Oak...

Fine. Since you put it that way, Endmin... I guess I'll rest my eyes for a bit... Just a little bit...

It's best to let her rest, Endmin... We should talk about this outside.

I am uncertain about that. Perhaps she will remember everything tomorrow, but there's also a chance that...

Wait, Surgeon Yue — are you saying that Granny Jenner isn't just suffering from simple memory loss, but that her memories have ... regressed to twenty years ago?!

That's correct. According to her reactions ... and her dialog with the Endmin, this diagnostic might be the most likely...

That is a possibility we cannot rule out.

How could this happen...?

One more thing. Based on similar cases I've read about ... and considering her current condition, we'd best avoid exposing her to overly strong or shocking stimuli...

Especially psychological stimuli, which include—

Granny Jenner has always been emotionally attached to the Great Originium Oak. She was among the ones who proposed raising the sapling many years ago...

Yeah. Granny always loved telling us stories about the Great Oak... She's been really affected and so sad about its destruction...

Indeed. We would be wise to keep her from learning about this ... incident. Otherwise, the results might not be good.

But the Great Oak's no longer around... We can't simply come up with a huge tree for Granny.

This is no cause for pessimism. Let's figure out ways to cover things up.

Patients with such conditions often suffer patchy memories. They may experience certain cognitive issues as well, and tend to focus on matters that they really care about, or obviously conflict with their memories.

If we can divert Granny Jenner's attention, and alleviate the cognitive dissonance she experiences, we might be able to ... turn things around.

Got it! That means we gotta give Granny a show, right? A show that makes her feel that everything is the same as before?

Yes. Immediately. We should try to seal the roads to the Cradle of the Ages. And, one more thing — patients with memory age regression may experience sudden episodes of paranoia. We need to respond and improvise accordingly, and do our best to avoid triggering her.

Surgeon Yue, something bad has happened! The patient in bed 12 has gone missing...

Bed 12? Isn't that Granny's bed?

We'll get in touch with you if anything new happens.

Set aside the prep work for now... The most important thing right now is to locate her quickly. I'll join you in the search —

Okay... I understand, Endmin. I'll find a few crew mates to work something out ... and seal the connected roads.

...Impossible! I just had it yesterday...!

But I've never made butter fowl before... Miss Jenner, maybe you've remembered it wrong.

Is that so? Well, you better not miss our local special — butter fowl! It's something I get almost every week!

But our new chef here knows nothing about this signature food of ours... I call it a lapse of professionalism.

...I remembered it wrong?

Yeah! This chef ... erm ... he's new here! He's not really familiar with our menu...

That explains why I don't really know his face...

Hmm? When did you arrive, Endmin? Are you here to check on the Great Oak?

Me? Oh ... okay.

That actually happened...? Don't worry, Endmin. If it's Miss Jenner, I'll do anything I can to help!

Uncle Ronan, you seriously don't know how to make butter fowl? It sounds like something that Granny Jenner really wants.

*Sigh* Making butter fowl is too much hassle, so we removed it from the menu quite a while back... I tried it once when I was a boy, but I've never made it myself.

But if we could get a list of ingredients, it might help me make the dish from my memories...

So ... why don't we ask Granny Jenner? She might know something.

Huh? Granny Jenner had that every week? Oh, Endmin, now I'm curious about what butter fowl tastes like...

Once Uncle Ronan makes it, maybe we could try some too.

(The crates over there might have canned tomatoes.)

How's it going, Endmin? Made up your mind about what to order?

Really? I like it too. I even took some time to read about it! Once we're done taking care of the Great Oak, I plan to make some myself.

Of course! I memorized the entire recipe — You gotta get the ingredients first. Fowl drumsticks, canned tomatoes, curry powder, butter, thick cream...

Phew. Sounds about the same as roast fowl. I think I can make the dish based on what she said...

Awesome!

But we need some canned tomatoes for the ingredients. Can you find a few cans for us?

Right. I'll look after Granny, Endmin... We're counting on you!

Endmin! You found the vinyls?

That's After Noon by The Bretts... It's the song that made me a fan of theirs... Time sure flies. Almost a decade has passed since they went their separate ways...

Endmin, why are you here? Are you doing patrol duty?

What? Memory age regression of twenty years...? By Talos, this is even crazier than that novel I was just reading yesterday...

Well, if it's about Granny Jenner, I'll do anything I can to help. When I first arrived at the Mining Camp, she told me all sorts of things about the Cradle of the Ages. Her stories taught me why we still defend this place...

Whenever I find myself in a fix or trouble, I think about the blood, sweat, and tears that Granny Jenner and the other veterans poured into this place... I remind myself not to give up ... and I grit my teeth and endure...

Now is the time for me to repay her kindness... Endmin, count me in as part of your plan.

No. We'll need a bigger crew to make that happen! Gotta come up with another plan...

Problem is, where can we find ... a crew mate with strong biceps and welding expertise?

*Sigh* If only we had Matvei here. But he's got patrol duty today, and from what I know about his diehard sense of duty, he probably won't be around till dinner time...

Hack, Luther, you looking for me?

Matvei? Did you actually end your shift ahead of schedule?!

Hmm. Perhaps we found some form of telepathic resonance that brought him here to us.

Stop making things up! I'm here because I met the Endmin... Wait. Are you building the barricade for blocking the road?

Exactly. You've heard about Granny Jenner, right? Granny looked after everyone — not just younger crew mates like us, but even my dad and his crew...

Tons of people volunteered when they heard that Granny Jenner needed help. Surgeon Yue said he was only expecting a few volunteers. But from what I'm seeing, nearly everyone in the camp is involved already.

Yeah. Granny's like ... one of the first UWST crew mates assigned to Valley IV... My gramps often talked about her — how she devoted almost her entire youth to building the Mining Camp ... and carrying out the Originium Cultivation Project.

You could even say that everyone who still lives in the camp ... has benefited from Granny's help in one way or another. Nobody's going to just stand around and do nothing if Granny's in trouble.

Same here... Ah. We should focus on finishing the road works first! Tell me about your problem. I'll see if I can do something about it.

Yeah. I wanted to see Granny Jenner first, but completing these road works seems more important and practical... Go on ahead and talk to Granny before anything else happens, Endmin.

You're back, Endmin! Found the canned tomatoes?

Isn't this ... butter fowl? And I thought you told me that ... you never made it before?

Great. We now have all the ingredients. Leave the rest to me.

Ahem... Well...

See? It's just what I said. Butter fowl is an essential menu item for every UWST chef...

Hmm... This is pretty decent.

But ... I can't help but feel that something is missing...

Well, this is usually the time ... when the station starts playing songs by The Bretts...

But ... where's the music? Why is it so quiet?... I'm really not used to this...

That makes sense, Endmin. Bet that's exactly what happened... *Sigh* I truly wish someone gets it fixed quickly...

And I hope you get to appreciate The Bretts ... before I take you to the Great Oak...

Thank goodness... The player and the vinyls are alright.

I didn't expect young Granny to be a fan of such happy, bubbly music...

Endmin, perhaps the UWST back then ... wasn't like what I imagined...

Endmin, Alia, how are you holding up? How's Granny Jenner?

Surgeon Yue, do you know where to get a vinyl by The Bretts? I think Granny Jenner really wants to listen to their songs...

Vinyl? Let me think. Old John might know. He's in charge of the old depot of the camp. Maybe he managed the vinyls as well. Try asking him. You should be able to find him near the old depot.

Endmin, Surgeon Yue told me about everything. Can't believe Jenner is suffering from a condition like that...

Hooo. I gotta say, The Bretts is the collective memory of our generation... The radios couldn't stop playing their songs back then... But after the Great Oak was gone, nobody was in the mood to listen to their songs anymore...

While I was cleaning the shelves in the old depot, I found a couple of vinyls that came out when the band was still active. They're on the rack not too far from here. Help yourselves and look through them.

This one... It's a vinyl from Leippa Band. I think I heard their songs before... Oh yeah, my mom loves the Leippa...

But the Leippas disbanded in the same year they detonated the Great Oak...