A middle-aged man was fixated on the monitor screen in front of him. He had black hair, a small face, and tanned skin. The structure of his face and thin black beard showed the Javanese characteristics.
Despite his belly looking bloated from sitting in front of the monitor screen for hours, his still-firm body had muscles that seemed to burst out of his tight navy uniform. His stern face and solid black eyes indicated that this man had an unusual life experience.
He was Sea Colonel Gandara Supratma, a navy soldier who had served for decades and climbed the career ladder from an ordinary soldier. His achievement in leading a ship during the Third World War made Gandara trusted to lead his own fleet.
However, bureaucracy sometimes did not discriminate even against war heroes. Gandara was forced to release his fleet and lead a cargo ship to Esyha I instead. Although it seemed like a promotion given the importance of the task assigned to him, in reality, Gandara was isolated from the center of power.
Gandara ended up leading only one cargo ship tasked with collecting supplies at Rain Bay port and delivering them to Esyha I or vice versa. Although there was resentment in his heart, Gandara could not do anything when it came to defying orders from the highest military authority of the EUN.
"Report, Sir. Captain Anton and his team have entered the ship arena and requested permission to meet!" one of his aides reported.
Without taking his eyes off the monitor screen, Gandara responded, "Hmm...what about the loading process? Has it all been completed?"
The aide did not answer immediately, his forehead furrowed, not understanding why Gandara should ask such a question. All the data and developments that occurred on the ship could be seen on the monitor screen in front of Gandara. Gandara could follow all developments without needing reports from his subordinates.
With the current technological advancements, the amount of work that must be done by humans has become less and less. Artificial Intelligence (A.I) can now control complicated machinery and carry out tasks without any errors.
However, after the A.I outbreak in 2090, humans understood the danger of fully trusting A.I. This led to the creation of an international agreement called the A.I Regulation, which stipulates that A.I is not allowed to make final decisions on certain matters.
As a result, humans are required to grant permission for A.I to carry out certain tasks. Unfortunately, the loading of cargo onto a cargo ship is not one of the matters regulated by the A.I Regulation.
".... Report, Sir! All the items to be taken have been loaded onto the ship!" Despite this, the aide still answered Gandara's question.
"I know what you're thinking, but an old man like me doesn't fully trust what these robots do." Gandara took his gaze off the monitor screen and grinned at his aide.
"Please let Captain Anton and his team in!" Before his aide could comment, Gandara gave a new command.
"Yes, Sir!"
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Gandara saw three men and one woman enter the command room. The middle-aged man, who was not much younger than Gandara, seemed to be the leader of the four. He was wearing an army uniform with three bars on his shoulder. He had black hair like Gandara but a longer face. His slightly lighter skin tone suggested Chinese-Malay heritage.
The man standing on his right had similar features to Gandara, indicating that they came from the same island. The man on his left had a slightly wider jaw and slanted eyes, likely a characteristic of his Sulawesi heritage.
The most intriguing person was the woman standing at the back. Although Gandara could not see her clearly because she was blocked by the first man and her thick army uniform, he could tell that she had a very curvaceous body. Her skin was the same color as Gandara's, but her slanted eyes indicated that she came from one of their neighboring state.
The first man was someone Gandara knew well, Captain Anton Purnama. He was a soldier with outstanding achievements, even Gandara had to admit that. His presence on the ship indicated the importance of the mission he was on.
Maybe it was because someone held a grudge against him, or maybe it was just bad luck, but Gandara and his ship had to be involved in this crucial mission. As a soldier, Gandara could not refuse and had to willingly perform his duty.
"Sir, Captain Anton Purnama, Sergeant First Class Doly Andika, Sergeant Second Class Parna Kusma, and Sergeant Second Class Nguyen Khan Dila reporting!" Anton, as the leader of the team, saluted, followed by the other soldiers behind him.
"At ease!" Gandara replied.
A smile appeared on Anton's frozen face. He took big steps towards Gandara and opened his arms wide. Gandara also smiled and welcomed Anton with a hug. After several pats on the back, they released their embrace.
"Major, how are you? I see you're getting plumper, hahaha." Anton laughed after glancing at Gandara's potbelly.
"Don't call me Major if you're going to make fun of me," Gandara grumbled jokingly.
They both laughed before Gandara asked, "Anton, I never knew you had become a captain, and more surprisingly, you're the captain of a team in Esyha I."
"Hahaha... you know that matters regarding Esyha I are highly confidential. I've been a captain for more than three years now, and if we didn't meet for this mission, you might never have known," Anton replied, laughing.
"Well... that's true... Oh, it seems like you also have a member from Vietnam. Isn't it currently quite volatile over there?" Gardana asked.
Anton glanced at Dila and smiled before responding to Gardana, "I can't say more than that Dila is a very capable soldier. For the rest, please forgive me."
"Ugh... I really can't help but be curious about Esyha I's secrets. But it's probably better if I don't know. However, 'Dila'?" Gardana inquired.
Anton gave Dila permission to answer, and she replied briefly, "I'm of mixed heritage, Mayor."
"Oh... hahaha... that explains why you're taller than you should be."
"Hey, isn't that racist?" Anton objected.
"Do you really think an old-timer soldier like me cares? During the Third World War, I hid in the Vietnamese jungle for three weeks, surviving only on insects and leaves with a Vietnamese soldier. What else do you think we talked about besides racism?" Gardana retorted.
"Well..." Anton couldn't come up with a response.
"Ah... let's not bring up war stories. Otherwise, you'll hear them until we reach Rain Bay port. You don't have to say it, but I'm still the leader of this ship, so it's important for me and my crew to know what we're really carrying. So...
"Is it true that we're carrying a monster?" Gardana lowered his voice.
"Well..." Before Anton could answer, Dila interjected.
"Mayor Laut Gardana, I hope you won't use the word 'monster' to describe Subject-45. He was once a soldier who was willing to sacrifice himself for EUN, just like you. If you can't show him respect as a human being--"
"Dila!" Parna, who had been silent until now, called out Dila's name and rank loudly.
Dila understood that she had just been impolite to someone of higher rank and immediately shut her mouth. She could only bow her head, unable to apologize. After all, Gardana was a much higher-ranked officer on this ship than even Captain Anton.
"Sea Mayor Gardana, I apologize for the impoliteness of my subordinate. She's still young and has direct contact with Subject-45," Anton said to Gardana with a wry smile, but he had to add something serious. "And I hope you won't ask anything more about Subject-45."
Gardana could only raise his hand and say calmly, "Well... I just want to make sure that my ship will be okay during this trip. Your task is to bring whatever thing you want to bring, and my task is to ensure that this ship is safe until we reach our destination. I hope you understand my difficulty."
Anton understood what Gardana meant. He was forced to bring something dangerous on his ship without any prior notice. Anton glanced at Dila, who was now calm and asked her to answer.
"Sea Mayor Gardana, you can relax. Subject-45 is very calm and able to think clearly like an ordinary human. He will not cause any trouble on your ship, and I can guarantee it," Dila said confidently.
"..." Gardana did not answer, his brow furrowed as he still could not believe Dila's words. As a war veteran, he had her own instinct for danger, and at the moment, his instinct was telling him that what was being brought on board his ship was not as calm as Dila had said.
"Sea Mayor Gardana, I must remind you that Subject-45 is very important to EUN, and its arrival at Rain Bay port is a must. This is a direct order from the EUN Representative Council!" Anton added, closing the door for Gardana to retreat.
"Sigh... Okay, okay, I will bring whatever it is on board my ship. But I have to tell you that the ship I'm bringing is a cargo ship, not a warship. We don't have enough weapons if something bad happens."
"Don't worry, I and my team will make sure that nothing bad happens."
"Well... At least you have to tell me why Subject-45 has to be brought to the mainland. Wouldn't it be safer if he stays in Eshya I?"
"Hmm... for two reasons; progress report and show off."