Prologue The Yuan family (袁家) was a modest household of three, living in a quiet, rural town on the outskirts of Hou Tu, in Shengtang. Yuan Yue (袁月) was the matriarch of the family. She ran her household with the same lawful discipline that she also observed in her line of work as a security officer. Her husband, Yuan Yun (袁云), was a laid-back farmer with a warm heart, who spent most of his free time indulging their ten-year-old daughter, Yuan Yan (袁燕}). When recruiters from the State Empire arrived in town to conduct a military conscription drive, every household faced a difficult choice. Selected residents could either volunteer for active service to secure higher pay and better family benefits, or enter the blind conscription lottery. Yun’s name on the draft list created tension in the Yuan home. After much persuasion from Yue, who saw active service as a structured path toward financial stability, prestige, and honor for their family, Yun agreed to volunteer. On paper, his deployment would be particularly tough, lasting at least a few years. Besides a hefty bonus for finishing the tour, If he managed to distinguish himself, he could rise up the ranks quickly. Yan objected violently, weeping and throwing tantrums, but the girl ultimately had no say in the decision made by her parents. On the eve of his departure, Yun knelt before his daughter to hug her one last time. He swore he would return home safely to her. In response, Yan pressed a small jade pendant into his palm—her birth gift, carved with the delicate impression of a swallow. She made him swear that he would return it to her when he comes back. Yun placed the precious jade carefully into his breast pocket, hooked his pinky finger around hers, and gave it a soft squeeze, sealing the promise.
1 - Farmer in the Freeze Yun burst out of his burning transport, coughing profusely as the smog choked his lungs. He was lucky. His colleagues behind him, less so. Nine faces he had just learned, but could not tag a name to any of them. All nine burnt to cinders because of a tiny mistake by the pilot. Months of training gone, six feet under. What a waste of life. Yun would grieve if there was time, but the cold was settling in and he had to make his way to the garrison, fast. His encrypted comlog roared. "Welcome to Svalarheima, the eternal meat grinder! You are two hours late thanks to the pilot," the Commander said. Yun checked his map and the Commander wasn't kidding — it would indeed take two hours to reach the intended Drop Zone. This will be a long afternoon, he thought, as he sank his boots into the Svalarheima snow. He spoke into his comlog to report his attendance to the Commander, but the reply was radio silence. He was on his own, and time was running out. That would be the highlight of his adventures for the first week. When he finally made it to the garrison facility, it wasn't as bad as it looked. It was a highly fortified position atop a hill that looked almost safe and inviting. Yun wasn't able to make any lasting friendships, despite surviving every patrol and every guard duty. The firefights he encountered always ended up being brutal. New comrades would report in looking just like he did when he first arrived, and former friends returned home in body bags. Despite the high turnover, Yun was consistently able to engage with the garrison's favourite Medical Officer. "Yisheng Xue Le… please help me…" Yun said, staggering towards her, clutching his throat in a bid to convince her he was truly ailing. "We're totally out of cough medicine. I can't help you," Xue Le said coldly. "Can I have another set of those double-X painkillers?" "Issued a pair to you yesterday. It's on record." "Can I have anything else that isn't on record?" "Tea with me after my shift?" "Deal!" Xue Le was a kind angel who was easy on the eyes. She often played hard to get, but fortunately for Yun, his carefree and humorous attitude often afforded him minor victories, like his little dates with her. "How are your folks doing?" Yun asked, sipping his tea. "I hope they quit Dawn soon. It's too rough for their age." Xue Le took out her data pad and started looking at pictures of her Ma and Pa. "Still working so hard? I thought you already had the medical scholarship." "Nothing wrong with wanting more… even if not for me, but for themselves," Xue Le trailed off as she looked into her empty teacup. Warm and cosy moments like tea with the regimental sweetheart were flipped on their head when duties forced Yun outdoors, where piercing winds, sub-zero temperatures and frequent frostbite often threatened death. He initially struggled to excel in an environment that did him no favours, but his farming experience gave him the edge when it came to matters of the earth. "If we dig here, it will be faster." Yun ran his hands over the soft ground. "Come on, orders are to dig over there. If we don't, we'll miss supper!" his comrades shouted. "Just trust me!" "It's your funeral if you're wrong, Yun!" Most of the time, he wasn't. Within months, his team managed to build a fairly complex tunnel network beneath the garrison, which impressed the Garrison Command. Yun served his country as he would. From the military, he received the training that kept him alive and the compensation promised to him and his family. In return, he brought to his comrades the joys of his own life back at Shentang, in the form of cuisine. "These vegetable balls are amazing! Where did you get the ingredients anyway?" Yun's Lieutenant exclaimed. "I keep a little vegetable farm back at my quarters," Yun said. "It reminds me of home." The Lieutenant looked into his bowl with two vegetable balls and glanced at Yun's empty bowl. He evened things out. "Thanks," Yun raised his bowl. "I can't wait to go home too," the Lieutenant said. Eventually, the Lieutenant went home — a year later, in a body bag. "Oh wow, what is this?" the new Lieutenant asked. "Vegetable balls. Try some," Yun said. "Man, these are amazing! Where did you get the ingredients anyway?" the Lieutenant said. Yun paused, then continued, "I keep a little vegetable farm back at my quarters. It reminds me of home." "Well, I just got here. Home's a long way to go… Hey, do you want your vegetable ball?" The Lieutenant gestured with his chopstick. Yun raised his bowl. It was empty before he noticed. By the end of the second year, Yun transitioned to become a Gudan, a veteran tunnel fighter who knew survival in the cold like the back of his hand. The Commander liked Yun and wanted to promote him to be the next Lieutenant after his predecessor perished in battle, but Yun had other plans. He shared them with Xue Le over more tea at the mess. "So, how did it go?" Xue Le asked. "I was earmarked to be a Lieutenant. But I refused," Yun said. "Why? You are one of the few Gudan not using a Lhost. It is risky…" Xue Le got technical. "Maybe. But this body's the one that's coming home." Yun shrugged it off before she could press further. "I don't know… I feel more alive on the ground, with the other guys. I heard becoming a Lieutenant means hiding at the backlines and kissing more ass. I hate that." "Didn't you volunteer because you wanted to advance up the ranks?" Xue Le asked. "Actually, I did it for the better pay and benefits…" Yun confessed. "What are you going to tell your wife?" Xue Le was curious. "You… don't get to worry about that." Yun laughed wryly. "Let's go!" Xue Le stood up, stretching her arms. "We get to call home tonight. I can't wait!" she said. "Yeah, I can't wait to tell my little girl that Pa will be coming home early!"
2 - Calling Home "Were you harassing your Medical Officer again?" Yue was expecting her husband's calibrated response. "Hey Doc, do you have more of 'those' for me?" Yun asked, leaning backwards as if talking to someone hiding behind. He could see his wife getting closer to the screen, attempting to find the impossible. "Why don't you come over and find out?" Xue Le teased. Yun laughed as Yue returned a surprising amount of unpleasantries, before he quickly changed the subject. "Time flies, Yue, three years and counting..." Yun said as he shifted closer to the screen. "How's preparation for the… uh… Festival of the Phoenix?" "Have you lost track of time? That is still some ways off… It's never the same without you though," Yue said. "Yan misses your vegetable balls." "Of course, it's the best dish in the family!" Yun proudly proclaimed. "Don't forget it was I who taught you how to make them," Yue smirked at her husband's gesture. "Well, I perfected them." A loud yawn made both parents turn to focus on the youngest of the Yuans, dragging her slippers across the floor as she approached the terminal. "Pa… Why do you only call when I'm asleep? Not fair!" Yan appeared next to Yue, eyes half closed. "My dear Little Swallow," Yun greeted his daughter with the widest grin. "So, what about that appraisal?" Yue interrupted. "Well… I was passed over. On the bright side, this means I could be off the hook sooner!" "Yay! So Pa is coming home early?" Yan almost jumped into the screen. Yun carefully took out Yan's jade pendant and dangled it. "Every passing hour, minute, second moves us closer together. We will reunite soon, I promise." He kissed the pendant and placed it back in his pocket. "Pa is coming home, Pa is coming home!" Yan broke into a happy tune. All of a sudden, a deafening code red siren blared through the speakers, drowning out the peace of the Yuan household. "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL PERSONNEL ARE TO ASSEMBLE AT THE PARADE SQUARE IMMEDIATELY. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL…" "I'm sorry. Pa has to go." Yun last saw the worried faces of his wife and daughter before the monitor went blank.
