BOOM!
The earth shook violently. Trees groaned, cracked, and collapsed.
The ground itself gave way.
Jungwoo: “AAAGHH!!”
The terrain crumbled beneath him, and he plummeted into darkness.
His consciousness blinked out.
Lucy (Jungwoo): “Activating survival mode.”
Somewhere deep underground, in total blackness, his body remained still—protected, sustained.
Meanwhile, Kagawa and the remaining special forces shot upward.
Magnetic flight boosters on Kagawa’s legs launched him into the sky just in time to escape the collapsing terrain.
Beneath him, the jungle had turned into a giant sinkhole.
He hovered there, staring down at the gaping void.
Director Kagawa: “That was too close…”
His voice was tight with disbelief.
Then—he remembered.
Director Kagawa (softly): “That gorilla… What was he?”
In his ear, a voice crackled to life.
Chairwoman Lucy: “Director Kagawa.”
Her voice was sharp. Direct.
Director Kagawa: “Yes, Chairwoman.”
Lucy: “Report. Everything. Now.”
Director Kagawa: “Understood. I’ll transmit all logs. Direct upload to headquarters.”
He gestured toward his squad.
Director Kagawa: “Send everything to HQ. Full transmission.”
The link cut.
Kagawa looked up—and froze.
Across the sky, a fleet was moving.
United Government forces. An entire wave of them, darkening the heavens.
Director Kagawa: “Damn it… it’s started.”
He turned toward the shoreline, where the emergency pod had landed.
Director Kagawa: “Lucy… purge all data related to the gorilla from this upload. I’ll archive it privately.”
Lucy (Kagawa): “Understood. Should I transmit the rest?”
Director Kagawa: “Yes… the rest can go.”
His tone was heavy. Calculating.
Above him, the United Government’s aerial fleet surged eastward.
Director Kagawa: “Special Forces—return to the main vessel. I’ll follow shortly. I need to track their trajectory first. Tell the flagship to prepare for immediate movement. We’re falling behind.”
Special Forces: “Yes, sir!”
The team shifted. Their suits transformed, wings deploying as they shot through the air like missiles.
Kagawa remained behind.
He looked once more at the yawning chasm in the jungle, then reached into his arm compartment.
A small device. He activated it—and tossed it into the hole.
Without a word, he turned and flew after the fleet.
The Lucisa executive chamber rang with raised voices.
Executive 1: “Chairwoman, we must secure the site before anyone else does!”
Executive 2: “No! Did none of you see the footage Director Kagawa sent? We can’t act recklessly!”
Executive 1: “If we hesitate, we’ll be handing over our future to the others. Everything we’ve built—all our luck—will become their gain!”
Chairwoman Lucy: “That will not happen.”
The room went silent.
All eyes turned to the chairwoman.
Executive 3: “Then… you have another plan?”
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Lucy stood, her hands clasped calmly behind her back.
Chairwoman Lucy: “We may not arrive first. But we will find something safer—faster. We’ve already begun analyzing the footage. The scanners left behind by our special forces are mapping the area as we speak.”
A wave of murmurs passed through the board members, this time laced with relief.
Chairwoman Lucy: “Now, return to your assignments. Carry them out with precision and without hesitation.”
One by one, the executives descended through the tunnels beneath their chairs, vanishing from sight.
Once alone, Lucy summoned a series of holographic displays before her.
She watched them in silence, slowly enlarging one screen, then another.
Her eyes locked onto a particular clip—footage from the special forces. A segment featuring the gorilla.
Her face grew still.
Tense.
Then, with a gesture, she scattered the windows into static.
She turned and walked toward the back of the chamber, opening a private channel to the United Government.
Control Director: “Chairwoman Lucy. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Chairwoman Lucy: “The better question is—what’s going on your side? Sending the military in full force?”
Control Director: “Come now, that’s a harsh tone. The United Government is simply doing its duty.”
Chairwoman Lucy: “Funny. And yet you call my special forces deployment an escalation?”
Control Director: “For your employee? Yes, very noble of you. So—did you find him?”
Chairwoman Lucy: “Not yet. We believe there’s a complication.”
She watched him closely as she spoke.
Then she played the clip—the one of the sea swallowing the ship whole.
The director’s face went pale.
Control Director: “What the hell is that?”
Chairwoman Lucy: “We’re still analyzing. That’s why things have been… difficult. But I thought you should know.”
The director hesitated, flustered.
Control Director: “Yes, yes… Very valuable information. Could you send the coordinates as well? I’ll need to inform command.”
Chairwoman Lucy: “Command? Not headquarters?”
She smiled, faint and sharp.
Chairwoman Lucy: “Is someone special with your field unit today? You seem… anxious.”
The director’s expression cracked for just a second.
Control Director: “No, of course not. Protocol requires that field units be updated first.”
Chairwoman Lucy: “Understood. Then I’ll leave it with you.”
She ended the call before he could respond.
On the other side of the line, the director cursed softly and redirected the transmission to his unit.
Beyond Earth’s orbit, four colossal orbital stations dominated humanity’s fractured empire.
-
Lucisa Group: Once humble cleaners of orbital debris, now a titan in artificial intelligence and robotics.
-
Sesi Group: The last of Earth’s ancient aristocracy, clinging to power through legacy and steel.
-
Cookie Group: Lords of agriculture, managing massive floating vaults of food and controlling most of the interstellar market.
-
Nokam Group: A sanctuary for the genetically pure—only “true humans” may enter.
Between them stood the United Government, a reluctant alliance built to regulate trade, maintain peace, and, when needed, put down rebellion.
And floating in the shadows—unwelcome and unregulated—were the space pirates.
Their largest and most feared collective: Songidan.
The pirates built their ships from stolen debris, welded together in hidden coves. They operated through an encrypted, lawless network that spanned deep space.
To them, this newly discovered “Earth” wasn’t a mystery.
It was an opportunity.
Songidan Leader: “Everyone—eyes front!”
He shouted across the broadcast as dozens of pirate leaders appeared on screen, each surrounded by their own ragged, battle-worn crews.
Songidan Leader: “Now’s not the time to attack trade ships or pillage satellites. It’s time for something greater. We are the main characters now!”
The others grew still.
His voice rose, full of fire.
Songidan Leader: “We’ve bled at the hands of the United Government. We’ve lost brothers and territory. Now, we give them hell. We descend—and we take what’s ours!”
A roar exploded through the comms as pirates shouted in unison.
One voice rose above the others.
Pirate Leader: “Then who’s going to stay behind to hold off the government fleet?”
A sudden silence fell.
Everyone stared at their screens, waiting.
The Songidan Leader exhaled slowly.
Songidan Leader: “Figure it out yourselves. The worst mistake we can make… is staying behind.”
That did it.
The others erupted in protest.
Pirate Leader 2: “What are you talking about?! You're the biggest damn fleet here—you should split your forces and buy us time!”
Pirate Leader 3: “Exactly! You’ve got the numbers!”
Cries of agreement echoed across the network.
For a moment, the Songidan Leader looked rattled.
Then he recovered, forcing a tight smile.
Songidan Leader: “Fine. We’ll do it for the cause.”
Before he could say more, the others began logging off one by one.
The meeting was over.
He stared at the empty screens in disbelief.
Then turned.
Songidan Leader: “Second-in-command!”
Deputy: “Yes, boss!”
Songidan Leader (low and cold): “Assemble all available forces. Send them to Nokam’s forward center.”
Deputy: “Nokam Center? But… there’s nothing there but civilians.”
The boss’s smile returned—this time, calm and cruel.
Songidan Leader: “Then we’ll finally learn why Nokam is so well protected by the United Government.”
Deputy: “Understood!”
The deputy rushed off to carry out the order, unaware that the board had just been flipped.
Director Kagawa descended from his suit, landing at the perimeter of the United Government's forward base. His magnetic armor adjusted automatically, activating a protective shield to accommodate the unfamiliar terrain.
The base stretched before him—sprawling, quiet, and meticulously guarded. Soldiers moved with silent urgency.
Director Kagawa (to himself): “Too quiet… Something’s off.”
He raised his wrist to transmit a report to Lucisa HQ.
Lucy: “Connection failed. Network interference detected. External communication is restricted.”
Kagawa’s face hardened.
Director Kagawa: “…So it’s like that.”
Then—he saw them.
A group approaching from the far side of the camp.
At their center, a familiar figure emerged.
Director Kagawa (narrowing his eyes): “Nokam’s CEO…?”
The man walked calmly, flanked by soldiers—not Lucisa’s, but government.
He smiled.
Nokam CEO: “What an unexpected encounter, Director Kagawa.”
Kagawa didn’t answer at first. His thoughts raced—why is Nokam working directly with the military? What were they hiding?
He tapped his wrist again. Still no signal.
Lucy: “External communication remains blocked.”
Director Kagawa (quietly): “Of course it is…”
Nokam CEO (approaching): “Shall we talk? I believe we may have mutual interests.”
Director Kagawa: “Mutual… interests?”
Before Kagawa could press further, a voice cut in via local comms.
United Command: “Request authorized. Director Kagawa’s cooperation is approved. Whatever he requires, permit it—as long as he delivers information.”
Kagawa clenched and released his fists, jaw tightening.
He was surrounded by layers of control he couldn’t trace. Reporting to Lucisa was impossible. And now, even the United Government was speaking with two mouths.
Nokam CEO (with a slow grin): “So, Director. Shall we cooperate?”
Kagawa stared him down.
His silence was louder than any answer.