Only five years later, a much happier event was to be celebrated in the Great Sea of Sand, in the dignified museums and universities of Los Diabolos.

After the Last War had occurred during the early years of Queen Iola’s reign, many dextroluma had become fearful of lockettes, considering them to be as bad as humans, if not worse.  It was understandable enough, given that lockettes had killed every human within the Maquette, something that seemed abhorrent and senseless even to the worst dextroluma on Aerius, especially those who realized that lockettes might not understand what a child was, or those who knew enough about Artisinal religions to recognize their growing animosity towards organic beings.  Only the efforts of a lockette named Symphony served to keep lockettes from being banned from the planet entirely, as she diligently worked to try to create some sort of formal regulation on lockettes that would put the dextroluma’s understandable fears at ease.

She was not the only one who sought to preserve the now fragile relationship between the species.  Perseus Kamoana, a dextroluma professor, was one of the leading dextroluma advocates for the relationship between the species, having worked extensively to build personal relationships and conduct studies on lockettes, dexettes, dextroluma, and their interconnection.  His research and theories excited scholarly communities in both Maquette and Aerius, and the swelling admiration in Los Diabolos seemed only natural for a man at the peak of his career, for a man succeeding in growing understanding between vastly different species.

Admirers in Los Diabolos sought to create an exhibit on his accomplishments to honor his several centuries in the field.  It was a grand exhibit, and attendees at its opening gala hailed from across Aerius and Maquette alike.

It is not known, exactly, why a night that should have been a celebration of Perseus’ career was chosen to become the end of it, but the facts reported by the guard are as follows.

Around 4:00 AM, someone accessed the ventilation system of the museum hosting the exhibit, as well as the security system.  The doors were locked, the security cameras and alarms were shut down, and a gas later identified as a neurotoxin was released.

The culprit left no fingerprints, but they were identified as a lockette by the security camera footage in the museum, which recorded them making use of their summons to gain access to the security and ventilation systems, and which they evidently either forgot or did not think to wipe even when they turned the cameras off.

Many dextroluma attendees at the event perished to the neurotoxin.  Those who did not, were, in almost all cases, saved by lockettes and dexettes who realized what was happening and took actions such as breaking open windows and doors, even bodily throwing the organics they rescued outside of the building.  Although they caused injuries in doing so, the injuries were generally considered far preferable to dying.

Unfortunately, being outside did not mean safety.  As the culprit fled, he took shots with his summon, believed to be a rocket launcher.  Computer analysis calculated that he was aiming solely for organics - not that he always managed to strike them.  Lockettea and dexettes got in the way of his shots, and most who took direct hits perished.

A number of national and royal guard perished not only in the museum, but also while trying to apprehend the culprit, before he exited the scene as war mages arrived.  He used an unknown portal to leave Aerius, and it collapsed behind him.

In the end, just over 80% of organic attendees had been killed, as had approximately 15% of lockette and dexette attendees.

Political analysts suspect that the dexette and lockette deaths may be the only thing that prevented Aerius from trying to find a way to cut itself off from Maquette or adopting more aggressive policies towards lockettes.

A number of hands played roles in how the situation developed from there.

In the immediate aftermath, Queen Serket had the city scoured to hunt for the culprit, and, as more details became clear, for the portal he had used.  She told the media she had spoken to her wife about the situation.  Although many hoped this might bring Queen Kebechet out of her isolation, she was never seen at any point during the aftermath, and palace sources claimed that the door to her empty wing of the palace remained closed.  As things calmed, she did her best to visit the survivors, and was rumored to have paid the costs for numerous specialist healers and doctors to travel to treat the wounded.

Perhaps most important was Symphony’s response to the tragedy.  The clear grief she displayed, and the fact she had left her negotiations in Haven behind to try to help in person, moving rubble, sorting bodies (and crying over them)...  The funds she donated to victims’ families and the museum in the aftermath - nearly everything she owned save for the clothes she wore…  It left deep impressions on many dextroluma who might have otherwise become hostile.

It is difficult to say if Symphony’s actions influenced the actions of other prominent individuals, but her contributions are generally judged to have been extremely important to how the public viewed lockettes.

Queen Iola accompanied Symphony, along with retinues of guards and mages, who joined with the guard in the Great Sea of Sand to scour the nation for the culprit mere hours after the attack took place.  Her husband, King Nero, entered Lunarimar with the cooperation of the dexettes to conduct a similar search.  Although both were unsuccessful, King Nero managed to turn up a small portion of information.

The culprit was vaguely recalled by a lockette who was vacationing in Lunarimar, who recalled having seen him at a recruiting function for Artisans long ago.  They did not know his name, but their information led to the common belief that the attack must have been religiously motivated.

After all the cleanup and funerals had been held - Queen Iola, Queen Serket, and Symphony attended each one - Queen Iola and Symphony returned to the Verdant Kingdom, and to the negotiations they had been holding since the end of the Last War.

Now, those negotiations progressed at a rapid pace, driven by a new sense of urgency on both sides.

The Passport Office was created only a few months after the attack in the Great Sea of Sand.  Lockettes already on Aerius were allowed to remain without obtaining a passport, but anyone who entered through Lunarimar would be allowed through the portals only if they passed the checks that the Passport Office required.  These checks included questioning about knowledge and feelings towards organic species, a background check performed in each of the primary spheres that had the capability, a psychological exam, and, for the possessed, an exam that assessed the potential threat level of their possession(s).  A citizenship process was also included, where lockettes would be allowed to upgrade the status of their passport at set intervals of use until they eventually would no longer require a passport.

Symphony was granted one of the first citizenships in this manner, in recognition of her nearly two centuries on Aerius, and placed in charge of the Passport Office.

Although plenty of lockettes had fears about how the system would work, and whether or not it would be used as a way to target them in the future, time made the fears fade for most, especially as the perception among dextroluma that the process had been made safer led to an easing of tensions between the species.  (Of course, many dextroluma poorly understand that portals to and from Maquette can open anywhere at any time - it is possible that the Passport Office would not have been such a success were this better understood).

As tensions eased, it seemed as though things might begin to enter another period of calm.