Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The building defended by the Victoria troops is surrounded by an unknown enemy force for five days.
• The enemy shows no urgency in launching an offensive, seemingly unconcerned about being behind enemy lines.
• Artillery and gunfire have been constant for two days, but no reinforcements have broken through the enemy's defenses.

Character Developments

• Bagpipe, a Vouivre officer, struggles with maintaining her unit's morale and physical well-being under harsh conditions. She keeps a diary to remind herself she's still alive.
• Jenny, another Vouivre soldier, is concerned about the increasing number of sick soldiers due to lack of supplies.
• Bagpipe grapples with the responsibility of her role as an officer, trying to maintain hope despite her doubts about the situation.

Significant Themes

• Resilience and Hope: Despite dire circumstances, characters cling to hope for reinforcement and survival.
• Leadership and Responsibility: Bagpipe's struggle to maintain her unit's morale and her duty as an officer.
• Discipline and Humanity: The enemy force's discipline and the potential treatment of prisoners.

Character Interactions

• Bagpipe interacts with Jenny, expressing concern for the sick soldiers and discussing the dire situation.
• Bagpipe addresses the soldiers, trying to instill hope and maintain morale.
• Bagpipe observes the enemy camp and reflects on the potential fate of the captured Vouivre soldiers.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The joint forces of the People's Revolutionary Committee (PRC) and Lungmen are regrouping, awaiting their leader's arrival.
• The Imperial Pact discovers a resistance operation along the Vouivre border but underestimates it, leading to significant losses.
• The PRC and Lungmen capture an Imperial Pact unit, planning to send them to Chernobog.
• The special operations squad from another world, led by Alexander, decides to stay and support the PRC and Lungmen instead of escaping.
• The PRC advances, intending to capture rather than destroy their enemies, indicating their desire to take prisoners.
• The rescued Vouivre express their gratitude and decide to join the PRC and Lungmen, marking a significant shift in their allegiance.

Character Developments

• Alexander and his squad consider staying and supporting the PRC and Lungmen, showing a change in their initial plans to escape.
• Safula, the Vouivre representative, demonstrates respect and gratitude towards Vasilyev and the PRC, leading to his people's decision to join their ranks.

Significant Themes

• Alliance and Support: The decision of Alexander's squad and the Vouivre to join the PRC and Lungmen highlights the importance of alliances and mutual support in the face of adversity.
• Trust and Respect: The developing relationship between the various factions, particularly between Alexander's squad and the PRC, and between the PRC and the Vouivre, emphasizes the role of trust and respect in building alliances.
• Growth and Change: The shift in Alexander's squad's and the Vouivre's allegiances shows how characters and groups can change their plans and affiliations based on new information and experiences.

Character Interactions

• Alexander and his squad: They discuss and agree on staying with the PRC and Lungmen, demonstrating unity and shared decision-making.
• Vasilyev and Safula: Their interaction shows respect, understanding, and mutual appreciation, leading to the Vouivre's decision to join the PRC and Lungmen.
• The rescued Vouivre and the PRC: Their interaction highlights gratitude, respect, and a willingness to join forces, marking a significant shift in their relationship.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Roy, having spent years in Sargon, receives a report about people with unusual weapons in the Sargonian wastelands, potentially his fellow time travelers.
• Rainbow Squad is summoned to meet a high-ranking official in the Ursus Red Army.

Character Developments

• Roy: Anticipates meeting more of his kind and learning about his homeland.
• Alexander: Reflects on his past and speculates about the identity of their upcoming meeting.

Significant Themes

• Time travel and its consequences.
• The search for identity and belonging in an unfamiliar world.
• The impact of ideology and social systems on individuals.

Character Interactions

• Roy's anticipation of meeting his fellow countrymen.
• Alexander's reflection on his past and his speculation about their meeting with the Ursus Red Army official.
• Rainbow Squad's curiosity and surprise about their upcoming meeting.

1. Key plot points and events

• A high-ranking Ursus officer enters the barracks and dismisses all soldiers, including Captain Augier and Political Commissar Vasilyev, to speak privately with Rainbow Squad.
• He creates a soundproof ripple to ensure secrecy.
• The officer, Roy, reveals he is from China in 2018 and has been in this era for about five or six years.
• He confirms that they are still on Earth, but tens or hundreds of thousands of years in the future, in a transformed world called Terra.
• Roy states that returning to their original time is impossible, even with his extremely powerful spatial abilities.
• He introduces himself as one of the leaders of the People's Revolutionary Committee and the person in charge of the project contacting them.

2. Character developments

• Rainbow Squad moves from uncertainty to grim acceptance; Alexander’s earlier guess about Roy’s origins is proven correct.
• Elisa, the squad’s commander, takes the lead in asking the crucial questions, showing her directness and concern for their situation.
• Roy is composed, commanding, and candid, revealing both his authority and his willingness to trust them with the truth.

3. Significant themes

• The irreversible nature of time; the past cannot be reclaimed.
• Displacement and alienation in a future world entirely different from one’s own.
• Communication and trust between strangers of unknown origin.
• Confronting a loss of home and the impossibility of return.

4. Character interactions

• Alexander breaks the tense silence by addressing Roy as “comrade,” prompting Roy’s direct answer.
• Elisa questions whether Terra is the future of their world and asks about Roy’s era and time there.
• Roy answers bluntly, stunning the squad into silence.
• Roy ends the conversation with a formal introduction of himself and his role, signaling the beginning of official contact.

Summary of "A Meeting Across Time, Part 2"

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Rainbow Squad members meet Roy, a representative of the People's Revolutionary Committee, in an unfamiliar world.
• Roy offers the squad an opportunity to learn about this world and survive while providing assistance.
• The squad members discuss Roy's proposal and decide to cooperate with the People's Revolutionary Committee, with the condition that they will only perform tasks within their capabilities and be fairly compensated.

Character Developments

• Elisa (Ash): She demonstrates maturity and leadership, considering her squad members' opinions before making a decision. She maintains a pragmatic approach, understanding the importance of securing a stable supply channel in this unfamiliar world.
• Roy: He shows respect for the squad's leadership and decision-making process, patiently waiting for their response. He presents a reasonable offer, indicating that the People's Revolutionary Committee values the squad's skills and is willing to compensate them fairly.

Significant Themes

• Survival and Adaptation: The squad members must adapt to an unfamiliar world and prioritize survival, leading them to consider Roy's offer.
• Leadership and Decision-Making: Elisa's leadership is tested as she considers her squad members' opinions and makes a decision that benefits their collective well-being.
• Trust and Cooperation: The squad members trust Elisa's judgment, and she, in turn, trusts their abilities and opinions. This trust fosters cooperation within the squad and with the People's Revolutionary Committee.

Character Interactions

• Elisa and Roy: They maintain a professional and respectful demeanor during their negotiations, with Elisa extending her hand to shake Roy's twice, signifying their mutual respect and agreement.
• Elisa and her Squad Members: Elisa consults with her squad members, valuing their input and opinions. They, in turn, express their trust in her leadership and willingness to follow her decisions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Rainbow Squad leaves with Roy after reclaiming their weapons.
• The Imperial Pact force has been encircled for six days, facing severe supply shortages due to their former commander's incompetence and the joint forces' interception of supplies.
• Bagpipe, the current commander, contemplates their dire situation and decides to attempt a breakout.

Character Developments

• Bagpipe shows leadership and determination in the face of adversity, acknowledging their desperate situation and deciding to gamble on a breakout attempt.
• The quartermaster, initially resentful of Bagpipe's leadership, comes to respect her and understands the gravity of their situation.

Significant Themes

• Despair and hope: The unit faces despair due to their dire circumstances, but Bagpipe's decision to attempt a breakout offers a glimmer of hope.
• Leadership and responsibility: Bagpipe steps up as a leader, acknowledging the unit's predicament and taking responsibility for their survival.
• Corruption and its consequences: The former commander's corruption is revealed as the root cause of their current crisis.

Character Interactions

• Bagpipe interacts with her adjutant and quartermaster, issuing orders and discussing their dire situation. Despite initial resentment, the quartermaster comes to respect Bagpipe's leadership.
• Bagpipe's decision to attempt a breakout is a turning point in her relationship with her subordinates, as she shows determination and willingness to gamble on their survival.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Victorian forces, led by Bagpipe, are trapped in a fortress with no supplies or reinforcements.
• Bagpipe decides to lead a charge against the enemy rather than waiting for certain death.
• The enemy forces, led by Augier, Vasilyev, and Swire, receive intelligence about the Victorian forces' impending attack and decide to use this as an opportunity to test new weapons.

Character Developments

• Bagpipe: Despite the hopeless situation, she maintains her determination and honor as a Victorian soldier, deciding to lead a charge to save her soldiers from a humiliating death.
• Augier, Vasilyev, and Swire: They show strategic thinking and a willingness to use the enemy's desperation to test new weapons, prioritizing their own forces' safety.

Significant Themes

• Honor and dignity in the face of certain death (Victorian soldiers).
• Strategic decision-making and prioritizing one's own forces (enemy leaders).
• Desperation leading to action (both sides).

Character Interactions

• Bagpipe inspires her soldiers with her determination and call to action, leading them to join her in the charge.
• Augier, Vasilyev, and Swire discuss and agree on using the Victorian forces' attack as an opportunity to test new weapons, showing unity in their strategic thinking.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Both sides prepare for battle, with the People's Revolutionary Committee and Lungmen forces intending to crush the enemy rather than let them escape.
• A special weapon, hypnotic gas-filled shells, is deployed by the joint forces for the first time in a real battle.
• The besieged army launches a surprise attack on the perceived weakest section of the joint forces' line, but they fall victim to the hypnotic gas and are captured without resistance.

Character Developments

• The Vouivre leaders, Bagpipe and Jenny, show strategic thinking and determination but ultimately succumb to the gas, demonstrating their vulnerability despite their leadership roles.
• The soldiers on both sides display discipline and trust in their leadership, following orders and deploying new weapons as instructed.

Significant Themes

• Strategic Maneuvering: Both sides demonstrate strategic planning, with the joint forces using the element of surprise and new weapons to gain an advantage.
• Fatigue and Exhaustion: The battle highlights the physical and mental toll of war on soldiers, with the besieged army's exhaustion contributing to their defeat.
• New Technology and Warfare: The introduction of the hypnotic gas shells showcases the impact of new technology on the battlefield.

Character Interactions

• Bagpipe and Jenny: The Vouivre leaders work together, demonstrating camaraderie and mutual support, but ultimately succumb to the gas together.
• Soldiers on Both Sides: The soldiers on both sides interact through their actions, demonstrating discipline and trust in their respective leaders' strategies.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The main battlefield shifts to Chichen Itza, where Sargon stabilizes its defenses after an initial defeat.
• Sargon builds a new defensive line around Chichen Itza to halt the Imperial Pact's advance towards the Golden City.
• The Imperial Pact launches surprise attacks, but fails to break through the new defenses.
• Sargon deploys new Originium vehicles equipped with bombs, devastating the Imperial Pact's first wave of troops.
• The Imperial Pact realizes the new weapons make the defensive line nearly impossible to breach with their current forces.

Character Developments

• The Emperor of Sargon demonstrates strategic thinking by establishing a new defensive line and equipping a personal army with advanced weapons.
• Sargon soldiers show resilience and adaptability, growing accustomed to the enemy's frequent attacks and maintaining their confidence in the defensive line's strength.

Significant Themes

• The importance of adaptability and innovation in warfare, as seen in Sargon's response to the Imperial Pact's initial victories and their deployment of new weapons.
• The impact of morale on a force's effectiveness, with Sargon's soldiers gaining confidence from their new weapons' success and the Imperial Pact's forces demoralizing after their first wave's destruction.

Character Interactions

• The Emperor of Sargon interacts indirectly with his soldiers through his strategic decisions, boosting their morale and confidence.
• Sargon's soldiers work together, communicating effectively to coordinate their response to the Imperial Pact's attacks and maximize the effectiveness of their new weapons.
• The Imperial Pact's commanders and soldiers interact, demonstrating their understanding of artillery tactics and the need to adapt their strategies in response to Sargon's new weapons.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Imperial Pact forces, led by Commander-in-Chief Wilfred, are stalled by a Sargon defensive line, which exceeds their expectations.
• They discuss strategies to break through the line, including the use of landships, but deem it unrealistic due to the risk of losing weapons meant for the Ursus border.
• General Ekrich, who has been silent, presents an alternative strategy.

Character Developments

• Wilfred: Shows dissatisfaction with the generals' lack of feasible plans and seeks Ekrich's input.
• Ekrich: Initially appears discouraging but reveals a strategic approach, challenging the generals' perspectives.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation of the enemy's strength and resources.
• The importance of adaptability in military strategy.
• The risk-benefit analysis in deploying military assets.

Character Interactions

• Wilfred and Ekrich: Wilfred seeks Ekrich's opinion, and Ekrich presents a bold strategy that surprises Wilfred.
• The generals: They discuss various strategies, but none seem viable until Ekrich speaks up.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ekrich discusses potential invasion routes for the Imperial Pact to capture the Sargon Emperor.
• Two main routes are considered: the perilous Foehn Hotlands and the safer but resource-rich Akahura Rainforest.
• Ekrich favors the Foehn Hotlands, believing it to be more feasible despite its dangers.

Character Developments

• Ekrich demonstrates strategic thinking and decisiveness as a military leader.
• The Imperial Pact generals show deference to Ekrich's opinions.

Significant Themes

• Strategic planning and decision-making under uncertainty.
• The balance between risk and reward in military operations.
• The challenges of territorial expansion and resource acquisition.

Character Interactions

• Ekrich and the Imperial Pact generals engage in a strategic discussion, with Ekrich taking the lead.
• Ekrich's confidence in his decision is met with silent agreement from the other generals.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A convoy of Originium-powered trucks, carrying captured Victoria soldiers, advances through the Gobi desert towards Vouivre territory.
• The convoy halts at dawn in a concealed valley for rest and respite.
• Bagpipe, a captured Victoria officer, awakens and observes her surroundings, learning about the force that captured them, the Terra First International International Vanguard Volunteer Corps.

Character Developments

• Bagpipe: Realizes her and her subordinates' capture, feels pain and exhaustion, but also curiosity and acceptance of the enemy's cause.
• Victoria Soldiers: Wake up, feel despair, but also relief at their survival.

Significant Themes

• The "Northern Awakening" or "Chernobog Incident": The awakening of a revolutionary organization seeking to challenge the status quo.
• Loyalty vs. Ideology: Bagpipe's loyalty to Victoria is challenged by her understanding and acceptance of the enemy's ideology.
• Survival and Resilience: The captured soldiers' relief at surviving the battle and their acceptance of their current situation.

Character Interactions

• Bagpipe observes her captured subordinates, feeling a mix of responsibility and concern for their fate.
• Bagpipe reflects on the enemy's ideology and its implications for her and her subordinates.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The captured soldiers from the Ursus Red Army are held in a makeshift POW camp.
• The Red Army, which includes newly enlisted Vouivre soldiers, prepares meals for both themselves and the captives.
• The captives, driven by hunger, watch as the Red Army soldiers receive their meals.

Character Developments

• The newly enlisted Vouivre soldiers demonstrate their commitment to the Red Army's cause and discipline by following orders without question.
• The Ursus Red Army captives show signs of desperation and humiliation, highlighting their dire situation.

Significant Themes

• Power Dynamics: The captives' powerlessness and dependence on their captors for survival are emphasized.
• Mercy and Humanity: The Red Army's decision to feed the captives, despite their enemy status, hints at their humanity and adherence to certain moral standards.
• Discipline and Commitment: The Vouivre soldiers' dedication to their new role in the Red Army is showcased.

Character Interactions

• The Red Army squad leader interacts with his squad, demonstrating a clear chain of command and mutual respect.
• The captives and the Red Army soldiers interact indirectly through the distribution of food, highlighting the stark contrast in their situations.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with a description of Londinium's nightlife, contrasting the revelry with the war's impact on business.
• Erika Klein, a Leithanien envoy, observes a Sarkaz squad in Victoria-style uniforms, tasked with finding infiltrators.
• The squad initiates "Operation Purity," a sweep of the lower districts to suppress potential rebels and seize their assets.
• The operation is swift and brutal, with minimal resistance. Traitors are captured and their families imprisoned.

Character Developments

• Erika Klein: She observes the operation but decides not to interfere, staying focused on her diplomatic mission. She plans to visit Führer Theresia again.
• Sarkaz Executor: He oversees the operation, showing no mercy towards captured traitors. He is efficient and ruthless in carrying out the Führer's orders.

Significant Themes

• Power and Control: The Führer's grip on the city is evident through the operation's scale and the fear it instills in the populace.
• Loyalty vs. Betrayal: The "traitors" are punished for their perceived disloyalty, while the Sarkaz squad demonstrates unwavering loyalty to their leader.

Character Interactions

• Erika Klein and the Caprinae Maid: They discuss Erika's observations and plans, with the maid showing deference to Erika's decisions.
• Sarkaz Executor and the Operation Commander: They discuss the operation's progress, showing a clear chain of command and efficient communication.

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Under Führer Theresis, a new paramilitary force called the Stormtroopers is formed, made up of former Sarkaz mercenaries. They act as both loyal soldiers and secret police.
• One district in Londinium is converted into a base and concentration camp, where thousands of people are arrested and interrogated by Confessors. Many are executed; confiscated property and constant incinerator smoke hint at the scale of the killings.
• Only “core” races (Feline, Sarkaz) and allied citizens are relatively safe. Others live in fear of arrest.
• The government begins forced mass conscription: men become soldiers, women are sent to factories. Resistance movements begin to form across the city.
• A secret meeting takes place in a small safe house, led by a Feline Guard Academy cadet who is secretly a follower of a god.

2. Character Developments

• The Feline Cadet: publicly an elite Guard Academy student and noble; secretly a devout follower of a god who grants blessings and knowledge. He has recruited the people at the meeting. He once doubted his beliefs but, after helping the weak and seeing equality in practice, he became fully committed.
• He now considers his noble status and Academy identity merely useful disguises. His true identity is as a “builder of the world” serving his god’s vision.

3. Significant Themes

• Authoritarianism and oppression: racial hierarchy, secret police, concentration camps, forced conscription.
• Resistance under total control: hidden societies and secret meetings emerge as the only outlet for opposition.
• Faith as a revolutionary force: the god’s teachings inspire a vision of equality and give the resistance an ideological foundation.
• Identity and concealment: individuals carry public roles that hide their true loyalties.
• Class and race inequality vs. equality: the regime is built on privileged core races and classes, while the god’s followers envision a world without such distinctions.

4. Character Interactions

• The Cadet addresses the assembled followers, urging them to limit public activity because the Sarkaz are increasingly dangerous.
• He notes that even noble status will not protect them if they are noticed.
• The others are implied to be his trusted recruits and co-conspirators, but no individual names or further dialogue are given; the chapter focuses on his perspective and warning.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Imperial Shock Troops (Sarkaz) storm Victoria Royal Guard Academy, abducting and torturing Victorian students and teachers.
• National Defense Force (NDF) responds by deploying a regiment to schools and forming student defense units against Sarkaz.
• Theresis, the Imperial Head of State, orders the Shock Troops not to target schools again and compensates victims' families, maintaining a fragile peace.
• Arthur, a noble student, smuggles supplies into the academy and plans to transport them to the Lower City during an upcoming operation.

Character Developments

• Arthur demonstrates resourcefulness and determination in smuggling supplies, hinting at his potential as a leader.
• Theresis shows restraint and political acumen in handling the NDF's displeasure, indicating his ability to rule despite not having royal blood or status.

Significant Themes

• The struggle for power and control between the NDF and Theresis.
• The tension between the Sarkaz and the Victorian people, fueled by the Shock Troops' actions.
• The importance of education and training institutions (like the Royal Guard Academy) in shaping future leaders.

Character Interactions

• Arthur interacts with Sarkaz soldiers, who now avoid inspecting him due to Theresis's warning, showing the impact of the Imperial Head of State's orders on the ground level.
• Arthur works with his classmates and NDF soldiers in preparation for the operation, foreshadowing potential teamwork and camaraderie.

Key Plot Points & Events

• Sarkaz soldiers search the convoy, but avoid provoking the human soldiers due to their master's (Theresis) current needs.
• An officer intervenes, preventing a potential conflict and allowing the convoy to pass without the hidden vehicle being discovered.
• The convoy enters the lower district, where resistance fighters are known to operate.

Character Developments

• Arthur maintains his composure despite his panic, further solidifying his noble persona.
• The Sarkaz leader, a Confessor, senses Arthur's extraordinary nature but decides not to investigate further due to potential backlash from the National Defense Force.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and the price of obtaining it.
• The stark contrast between the upper and lower districts, reflecting social inequality.
• The resilience and cautiousness of the resistance fighters.

Character Interactions

• Arthur's interaction with the arrogant assault trooper highlights his future status and the respect he commands.
• The officer's intervention demonstrates his authority and willingness to protect his people from the Sarkaz.
• Arthur's thoughts about his allies in the lower district emphasize his connection to the resistance and his hopes for their survival.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The People's Revolutionary Committee (PRC) bombs Chernobog's testing site, destroying twisted creatures.
• PRC's technological advancements are shown, including the development of effective bomber aircraft.
• Rainbow Squad members, led by Elisa, serve as technical consultants for the PRC's firearms research department.

Character Developments

• Roy: He understands the importance of inheriting and building upon the knowledge of the past, and is focused on advancing the PRC's technology for the upcoming war.
• Elisa: She demonstrates her expertise in firearms and leadership skills as she guides Rainbow Squad members in consulting for the PRC's research.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and innovation: Roy believes in building upon the knowledge of the past while forging their own path.
• Preparation for war: The PRC is actively developing new weapons and technologies to strengthen their position against the coming conflict.

Character Interactions

• Roy and the PRC's leadership: They work together to advance the PRC's technology and prepare for war.
• Rainbow Squad and PRC researchers: They collaborate to improve the design of the next generation of firearms, with Elisa serving as a key consultant.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Imperial Pact's relentless attacks on Sargon's defensive line continue.
• Sargon's forces adapt to the enemy's attack patterns and believe they will soon reclaim lost regions, fostering a sense of optimism.
• A Sargon officer, despite the optimism, feels a sense of unease about their impregnable defensive line.
• He recalls a past battle where a similarly strong defensive line was quickly breached and considers potential weak points in Sargon's defenses.
• The officer focuses on the Akahura Rainforest in the southeast, believing it could be a path for the enemy to bypass their defenses and launch a surprise attack on the Golden City.

Character Developments

• The Sargon soldiers grow confident in their abilities and believe they will become national heroes.
• The unnamed Sargon officer demonstrates strategic thinking and concern for the empire's security, showing growth from his military academy training.

Significant Themes

• Optimism vs. Caution: Most Sargon soldiers are optimistic about their chances, while the officer shows caution and foresight.
• Defense vs. Offense: The chapter explores the strengths and weaknesses of defensive strategies, with the officer recognizing the potential vulnerability of their impregnable defensive line.

Character Interactions

• Though not explicitly shown, the officer's concern contrasts with the general optimism of his peers, hinting at a potential interaction where his concerns are either validated or dismissed by his superiors.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Imperial Pact squad advances through the Foehn Hotlands at night, with two moons and a few stars visible in the sky.
• The squad faces temperature changes, with the night being cooler but still hotter than the hottest places on Terra.
• The squad leader understands that producing enough special armor for the entire army is unrealistic, and they must succeed to avoid seeking aid from within the Imperial Pact again.
• The squad encounters no major obstacles but struggles with fatigue and hunger, relying on their armor's provisions.
• The command headquarters uses energy-wave sensors and communication devices to guide the squad's direction and monitor their progress.

Character Developments

• The squad leader remains focused on the mission's success to secure his promotion, showing determination and responsibility.
• The soldiers exhibit resilience and determination, pushing forward despite fatigue and hunger.

Significant Themes

• The harsh and unforgiving environment of the Foehn Hotlands, which challenges the squad's endurance and survival.
• The importance of the mission's success for the Imperial Pact's standing and the squad leader's career.
• The reliance on technology (armor provisions and communication devices) for survival and guidance.

Character Interactions

• The squad leader communicates with the command headquarters, reporting the team's status and receiving guidance on their direction.
• The soldiers support each other, understanding that they must keep moving forward to survive.