I Think We See That History In Some Place...
Everything that had been black slowly began to fade, blending with delicate blue filaments, as if brilliant sapphires were being hurled against the ship. They had finally exited the last interval.
However, unlike the mercenary star system, this place had no protective field at all.
As they emerged from the interval point, they found it strange for a moment. Everything seemed incredibly lonely, and even the star dominating this system appeared somewhat lifeless.
— What a dull place...
— You agreed to come here, Harvey...
— Just do your damn job, H.K.!
H.K. remained silent. He was fully focused on piloting. In uncertain situations like this, he preferred to keep the ship under manual control in case of any unexpected surprises.
The ship gradually gained a clearer view of the system.
At its core was the star, and at a distance similar to Venus, there was an apparently rocky planet. Further out, at a distance comparable to Neptune, another planet orbited—this one seemed to be entirely covered in water.
And beyond that, nothing else.
— The one closest to the star is our planet…
— Whatever, H.K.! Just get us there already.
— You're lucky this interval was built closer to the planet, so we won't take long.
Harvey shrugged but felt a twinge of surprise inside.
"I've never heard him answer me like that... Shit! Why didn't I say anything back? What the hell is wrong with me?"
...
The ship's view now slowly revealed, through the right side of the massive window above the panel, an immense and imposing floating sphere of rock, suspended in the vastness of space. Behind it was a similar yet larger mass, emitting a blue glow—the not-so-imposing star, but just as breathtaking as anything else in the cosmos. The light from the star partially obscured the planet.
Bit by bit, the planet came into clearer view, drawing closer… and H.K. was lost in his thoughts.
One of humanity's greatest inventions was undoubtedly the screen filter for direct starlight. How did people in the past even manage to watch spectacles like this?
...
After a long while, the group began to take in more of the planet's details as they approached.
— H.K.… This planet looks a lot like the good old Red Planet… Mars! Ah… Why did it have to be destroyed?
Burton mourned aloud, but H.K. didn't hear him—he was still lost in thought.
...
— GUYS! WE'RE ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE!
— Why are you shouting, H.K.?
— Sorry… Habit, hehe… I'll try to enter more smoothly so no one passes out.
The planet Geschäftshaus had an artificial atmosphere, which eliminated issues like G-force. However, on natural planets, that had never changed…
H.K. settled back into the pilot's chair and disabled autopilot. He slowed the ship down using the central screen on the panel. Every time he did this, he felt a thrill—after all, it was his first time piloting a ship without physical controls…
Cassandra stirred awake from where she had been sleeping on the floor, leaning against the seat. She walked over to the panel and played a song—[As Time Goes By].
No one questioned her. No one complained.
She sat at the edge of the bench, tying her youthful, sleek black hair. Resting her head against the wall, she slowly closed her eyes…
You must remember this.
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers wo...
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Slowly, Cassandra woke up from her dreams, mixed with the voices of the group...
She was startled by Harvey cracking his back near her and quickly stood up, looking at him with disgust.
She let her hair down just as H.K. opened the ramp. A flood of light rushed into the ship, forcing her to drop her hair tie onto the floor as she covered her face with her hand.
She found herself feeling strange when sudden thoughts about her own personality surfaced—how much she had changed since Geschäftshaus…
"I don't remember being this aggressive... I think I used to be calmer… And this… this... hatred..."
Her thoughts shattered like glass breaking unexpectedly when a high-pitched voice yelled from outside:
— KELSER!?
"I knew something was off... Does he have family here? And who the hell calls him Kelser?"
They walked as a group, stepping out of the ship in near-perfect sync. The man who had shouted was now visible, no longer obscured by the overwhelming glare of the star overhead.
He looked about the same age as H.K. His dark skin and tall frame were similar to H.K.'s, though he seemed slightly more muscular.
H.K. looked somewhat embarrassed, though it wasn't clear why.
— Randall! You're… more…
He glanced at Randall's arms, visibly surprised and confused.
— I didn't just sit around, hahaha. And Lena also made me take better care of myself... Now, introduce me to your friends, man!
— Well, this is Cassandra, Burton, Stjarna, and Harvey...
As Randall shook hands with each of them, Cassandra thought to herself:
"Huh?! Friends?!"
The landscape soon revealed itself—an endless desert. (Where have we seen this before? Guess the writer of this story got lazy...)
Rolling dunes of pastel-orange sand stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with medium-sized rocks scattered randomly throughout the terrain.
A strong, dust-laden wind hit their faces but quickly passed.
Cassandra's face turned slightly red, and she seemed mildly irritated. Burton looked right at home. Stjarna and Harvey didn't seem to care about any of it—though Harvey took the opportunity to grumble something inaudible just as the gust of wind hit.
— RELAX! THIS IS NORMAL IN THIS AREA WHERE YOU LANDED…
— They still haven't fixed the landing strip, Randy?
— You think anyone here wants to do that? Hahaha… Look, nightfall isn't far off, so we better get going. I brought vehicles for you… Brand-new sand bikes… So please, don't wreck them. They were a pain to bring over—H.K. He let me know at the last minute, so I didn't have much time.
Before they each climbed onto a bike, Randy handed them scarves to cover their faces, a pair of thick-lensed rectangular goggles with protective edges to keep out the desert dust and sand, and apologized for not bringing windbreakers. He mentioned he was at least relieved they had all come wearing long pants.
They got on the bikes, and the moment they started the engines and accelerated, the desert sand sprayed in all directions, kicking up a towering cloud of dust.
Finally, the star seemed to be hiding on the horizon, signaling the end of the afternoon on that isolated planet...
And that's the end of this story my dear readers... I will starting a new book, with new themes. I think I learned a lot from this experience. So, Thank you everybody!
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