Evolve (20)
"Move!"
"What's going on?!"
"Just get ready for now!"
The once quiet ship was now filled with commotion. People were running frantically down the corridor, not in simple clothes but pulling on their suits.
They were literally wearing them while running. Many hadn't had time to put them on properly and were hastily pushing their arms in first. They all hurriedly prepared against the possibility of external intrusion.
Soldiers were handing out pulse rifles to those passing by. The clang of magazines being loaded and locked echoed throughout the ship, amplifying the atmosphere's intensity.
I was no exception, even though I'd been sleeping peacefully. Nadia shook me awake, and Licorice dragged me along, saying we needed to get to the bridge. Carry brought Seedling along.
As we rushed to the bridge, panting, ellic, who'd arrived first, greeted us with a nod. As if he'd been waiting, he brought up a large holographic screen at the center of the bridge.
Licorice, looking irritated and obviously unhappy to have been woken up, tied her hair back and asked,
"What's the situation?"
"Currently, it's status quo."
"So they haven't found us?"
"Correct."
Eric nodded. On our way to the bridge, Licorice had briefed me on the situation, so I knew roughly what was happening.
A sudden sharp headache pulsed through me. Pressing my temples, I looked at the screen, where blinking triangular marks moved about. It was the pureblood supremacists.
'Eight in total.'
Two squadrons, four each. They were small armed shuttles—nothing to be underestimated. If we'd been in the air, it would be different, but hiding in our current shelter, if those shuttles found us, we'd stand little chance.
'No wonder the alert sounded.'
That's how I'd set things up from the start. We weren't in a situation where we could afford to be careless.
"... Hyun-woo, are you okay?"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Nadia nodded, her eyes filled with concern. I felt a bit flustered, so my response ended up a question.
"I'm fine, aren't I...?"
"Then that's good."
Nadia, still holding my hand, turned her attention to Eric as he continued his briefing. She seemed intent on concentrating on the important discussion.
Naturally, the mood on the bridge was far from good. While it wasn't the worst, since immediate combat wasn't happening, the atmosphere was still tense.
Some barely concealed their fear, others burned with belligerence, and a number simply observed the situation quietly. Canna and her soldiers were fully prepared.
"Are we sure they don't know we're here? They're circling an awful lot for that."
"The squadron's movement is not for detection,"
Eric answered. "It's probably a reaction to the decoys we scattered as bait."
The decoy Eric referred to was a device installed to distract attention on the ground, something similar to what Kyle had scattered for testing. It disrupted both missile guidance and scan effectiveness.
We'd scattered hundreds of them, making it impossible for our hideout to be pinpointed. Even if it was, the decoy signals looked identical, so unless they checked each one, we wouldn't be found immediately.
"Damn it... Once they start noticing those, it won't be long before they pinpoint our position."
Licorice sighed as if the headache was just starting. Even so, it wasn't as if our location would be immediately compromised. Signal interference wasn't too rare, especially given the presence of blue crystal deposits. Still, the risk of discovery had definitely increased, which explained Licorice's annoyance.
"The good news is, it wasn't a nearby decoy that was detected. The trap they found is 300 kilometers from our current position."
At Eric's explanation, I glanced at Kyle without thinking. I wondered if it was due to the cannon power test, but Kyle quickly shook his head. He said the detected decoy was not in the test area at all, meaning it wasn't the test's fault—the enemy had come from elsewhere entirely.
"What? Then those shuttles above are just..."
"Yes, most likely a coincidence."
"So, we nearly got found by sheer luck."
Licorice grumbled about this ridiculous bit of luck. While she scanned the screen, the armed shuttles circling the canyon above started to disappear into the distance.
The feared surprise attack didn't occur. The sudden alarm had everyone on edge, but thankfully, things calmed down without incident.
As the signals disappeared, leaving the detection range one by one, Celestia asked, arms crossed,
"Eric, apart from the shuttles, did you detect anything else?"
"No, Celestia. Only the eight small armed shuttles. At least, for now."
"That's a relief. Still, we don't know when they'll be back. Stay on standby."
"Yes, I agree."
Right after agreeing, ellic gave orders to the bridge staff.
"Canna, move over to the Griffin and stay on alert. The Albatross needs time to take off, so if anything happens, you'll have to buy time at the front. Also, if possible, send recon drones ready to deploy chaff at any time."
"Understood."
Canna and her team nodded with grim expressions, exited the bridge in disciplined formation, followed by Beta series units wielding shields for melee combat, as mentioned in a phrase displayed on the hologram screen.
"Nadia, is the power loader ready?"
"Ah, not yet... But the hardest part, the core parts modification, is done. I just need to equip the weapons. The cannon power test was finished today, too."
"I'll go right now and finish the rest, Captain,"
Kyle waved for Nadia to follow. She looked at me. I was about to tell her I'd come along, then paused and asked Eric.
"Can I come with them?"
"Yes. Roxy should be in the storage bay, so wait there until a broadcast announces the all-clear."
"Got it."
With a sigh of relief, Nadia and I left the bridge for the storage bay. Just before leaving, Licorice caught me for a moment.
"Lee Hyun-woo, I'll contact you via comms about our next steps—watch your bracelet."
"Okay."
I tapped my bracelet reassuringly. I'd never missed a comms message from Licorice. Our party of three and a robot with a seedling hurried down the corridor.
Nadia and I reached the storage bay with Kyle and started work immediately with no wasted words.
There really wasn't time to spare. I wanted to avoid facing the enemy before we were fully prepared.
Kyle operated a crane, bringing over a large box containing the cannon. While he opened the box and attached the stabilizing wires to the cannon, Roxy, who'd been tinkering with the shuttle, approached.
"Friend, can I help with anything?"
"Yeah. Depending on what happens, we might need to move by shuttle. Is that possible?"
I glanced at the shuttle, where the rail cannon's half-finished frame dangled with wires. The prototype wasn't complete—not enough time. A shame.
"Of course! I gutted the cargo compartment for the rail cannon, but it can still carry one or two people."
Good enough, I nodded. But then Kyle called urgently, and I rushed over.
"Hyun-woo! The balance is off! Can you hold the end up with telekinesis?"
"On it!"
I flicked my hand, using telekinesis to support the cannon's front tip. I couldn't freely lift something this heavy yet, but I could hold it in place while suspended.
Steadied by my power, the cannon soon settled atop the power loader as Kyle worked the controls. Nadia climbed onto Carry, signaling with her tools.
"A bit closer! That way it'll line up right!"
"Understood!"
Whirrrr. The crane moved, and the metallic click of the cannon linking to the power loader's upper part was soon followed by the scraping sound of fine adjustments.
After struggling for a while, Nadia finally finished checking the connection and waved to indicate she was done.
Normally, two cannons would be mounted, but we only had one for now—and even this wasn't the final version.
Kyle set the large ammo backpack next to the loader for easy mounting, then climbed down from the crane cockpit.
"The cannon loads and fires okay, but as I mentioned earlier, several auxiliary components aren't attached."
"What kind of components?"
"Things like recoil control assistants and reload speed boosters. Tune all you want, but without these, there's a big performance difference."
"We'll just have to make do for now. We can't tell when we'll have to fight again, so we'll settle for this state."
Thanks to everyone moving smoothly, outfitting the loader went quickly. The warning alarm didn't sound again, but that was actually a relief.
Looking up at the grenade cannon mounted on the power loader's shoulder, I thought,
'It feels lacking.'
Maybe because its hands were empty, even with the added bulk, it felt incomplete. Nadia seemed to share my feeling, framing the loader with her hands as if picturing even more armaments.
"Maybe a pulse rifle and a shield would do..."
Nadia muttered, catching Kyle's attention.
"Oh, Nadia. Is it okay if the forearm module gets a bit thicker?"
"Forearm? Hmm... I'll have to see how much thicker."
"I got a new blueprint—it'll let you equip a high-speed vibrating blade if you swap out the modules. We've got enough materials for it. The blade wears out fast and is short-range, but it'll be useful in a pinch."
"Yes, absolutely. I was worried about close combat anyway."
Nadia and Kyle started discussing upgrades while waiting, as Nadia climbed into the cockpit to synchronize the cannon and loader control systems.
In response to her controls, the cannon's aim shifted this way and that. Carry peered at the robot's optics, checking for any error margins, then gave a thumbs-up.
I stepped back for a moment, watching. Maybe it was because I'd just woken up, but I felt oddly disconnected. The storage bay felt emptier than usual—maybe because there were always so few people, but today the sense of space was especially cold. Only where we gathered was there much warmth; everywhere else was cold and barren.
'Don't think we'll have to fight right away.'
No further warnings were broadcast, so the situation seemed resolved for now. Still, I couldn't relax. You never knew what would change, or how.
Roxy plopped down beside me. He kept glancing at the shuttle, eager to get back to work on the rail cannon, but because we might have to take off at any moment, he just waited.
"In the end, we got found, huh, friend?"
"Not completely, yet."
Roxy smirked at my words, always calm as ever.
"True, they haven't found our location. But we'll have to move. Even if today went quietly, the anxiety's already started to sprout. If we stay put, it'll only build."
"... That's true."
I looked up at the storage bay ceiling. Through the special glass, I could see the ship's auxiliary armor deployed. Between gaps in the half-closed armor, the night sky filled with darkness. Still, there were no stars.
"But still... we held out a long time. Honestly, I thought we'd be found sooner."
"Because we pissed them off?"
"Yeah. We caused such a commotion—provoked them, set off that nuke, and did some serious damage."
Roxy chuckled, recalling that time. He said the explosion was a work of art, unforgettable for life. That laughter faded, and silence hovered between us—though it wasn't complete silence; I could hear Nadia and Kyle's work from here.
Suddenly, I remembered the expression I'd seen on Roxy's face before bed. He'd seemed so subdued, unlike himself. I asked with some concern,
"Roxy, you're not being chased, are you?"
"What?"
"I mean, I just got that feeling."
At that, Roxy looked at me in surprise, then scratched his cheek and leaned back, no—actually lay down, lacing his fingers behind his head.
"Didn't expect anyone but Kyle to notice. Never thought it'd be you, friend."
Kyle's name came out unexpectedly. I realized this wasn't just a Roxy problem, but one involving Kyle as well. I waited for Roxy to keep talking.
"Kyladia and Gloxinia. Know what those names have in common, friend?"
"No, what?"
"They're both flowers. My brother always hated having such a name, but I liked it—it suits my style, flashy and all."
I googled the two flowers Roxy mentioned. Kyladia and Gloxinia were plants native to terraformed Mars, both quite flashy.
"So, you're from Mars."
"Mm... Half right. Kyle and I are better described as war refugees than Martians."
"... Refugees?"
"Yeah. You've heard, right? The Immortality Experiment that happened on Mars."
Immortality Experiment. I hadn't expected him to bring up that keyword, and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Don't tell me... you're connected to it?"
"Pfft! Friend, you're sharp but a little off. Not connected, unless you mean as victims. That stuff doesn't get out much, but even now Mars hasn't escaped the aftermath. It looks normal on the surface, but it's riddled with conflict inside—all because of human greed."
"Ah."
"Kyle and I just got caught up in the fighting. In the end, there was nothing left but people holding signs demanding compensation and mercenary groups swinging batons at them."
Roxy continued in a low voice.
"It's love-hate. I love my home planet, but at the same time, I can't stand to see it. Then Europa got wiped out, and Earth abandoned Mars, fleeing to the Moon."
"..."
"Honestly, I thought at least Mars would be okay. Miserable as it is, there's plenty of armed forces around trying to scavenge leftovers. Turns out that's not the case, though, so things got complicated for me. That's all. It's nothing special, really."
Just as Roxy sat up, a ship-wide broadcast from the bridge echoed through the storage bay.
「Situation resolved. All crew, disarm and take your rest. We will depart in three hours, so complete all necessary work by then.」
My bracelet buzzed—an incoming text notification. My gaze reflexively went to the holographic screen.
- The next destination is decided. We're heading to the space port.
It was a message from Licorice.