I whipped around, looking at the strange patterns on the walls and the floating hologram, searching desperately for some kind of clue. Nothing. No buttons, no switches, just alien tech...
I started frantically pacing around the room, muttering under my breath. "Think, Shin, think. There has to be something. Anything... A lever?! A goddamn button?! This massive thing can't just sit here doing nothing!!!" I slammed my hand against the flat surface of what I assumed was the command table... But, no reaction.
With no other options, I started pressing random sections of the table, dragging my palms across its surface like a madman. But nothing happened. The ship remained silent, and the hologram above continued its haunting display of Earth's annihilation.
Then something flickered on the display—a new image. I froze in my place, my eyes locking onto the section of the hologram showing a glowing sphere deep within the ship. The sphere pulsed faintly, its light dim and struggling...
"That looks like the core of something…Is it the core of this ship?!" I muttered to myself, narrowing my eyes. "It looks like it's barely had any energy. Maybe that's why this thing won't move!!!...." My mind raced as I stared at the hologram. I didn't know much about alien ships, but if the core was the heart of this thing, maybe it just needed… power?!
"Now, how the fuck do I get to the core?!" I growled, my voice laced with frustration. "Do I just… kick through the walls? Punch it?" My eyes darted toward the nearest wall. "Yeah, maybe I'll just break more stuff until I get to the core!!!"
Without waiting for another second, I turned and charged straight at the wall of the command centre. With a loud crash, I broke through, debris flying in every direction. As I broke through the walls, I could hear the sound of the alien material knitting itself back together behind. After breaking through a few more walls, I was outside the ship again, standing in front of its massive core.
The core was a swirling sphere of energy encased in alien plating that looked both organic and mechanical. Pulses of faint light moved along its surface, but it was clear that the energy wasn't enough to power the ship fully...
I placed my hands on the core's surface, and to my surprise, I could feel it—an electric hum, like a heartbeat, faint but steady. The energy was alive, almost sentient, as if it was waiting for something…
I just stood there for a moment, thinking, "Now, how the fuck should I charge this thing. I ain't Thor that I could just summon lightning out of nowhere to charge it up… And I don't even know what type of fuel it needs to operate?!!!" After thinking for a moment, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. "What if I…?!" I muttered, staring at the core. "What if I put the energy that's flowing inside me into this thing?!"
It sounded ridiculous, but I was out of options at this point. I closed my eyes, focusing on the energy coursing through my veins. Slowly, I tried to push that energy outward, channelling it into the core…
But nothing happened…
"Come on!!!" I growled, my hands tightening on the core. I tried again, this time gritting my teeth and focusing harder. Still, nothing…
I let out a frustrated yell, punching the core in a burst of anger. But then, as my hand connected, something clicked. The energy inside me flared up, and I felt it flow outward, surging into the core.
The core began to glow brighter, its pulsing light becoming stronger and steadier. The ship started to rumble, the vibrations growing in intensity as the core absorbed my energy.
"Yes!!! It's working…" I shouted, my heart racing as the ship began to rise slowly from the ground, the ground beneath trembling as if the planet was groaning in protest. "It fucking worked!"
The ship lifted off, hovering a few meters above the surface. I took a step back, breathing heavily as I stared up at the massive vessel. The ship was alive now, its lights brighter, its systems humming with power…
I didn't waste any time. I flew back inside, slamming through the same wall I had broken earlier. The sound of it knitting itself back together behind me was almost satisfying this time. I returned to the command centre, standing in front of the plain, alien table that I assumed was some kind of control panel. Now, the control panel was glowing with alien patterns.
"Now it's back online!!!" I muttered to myself, my hands on my hips. "But how the fuck do I run it?!"
I started pressing random spots on the panel again, hoping for some response. At first, nothing happened. But then, the same strange voice from earlier rang out, speaking in an alien language I couldn't understand.
"What now?!" I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
The voice spoke again, and this time, I managed to catch a single phrase: "Activating jump drive…"
"Jump drive? What the fuck is a jump drive now?!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the room.
The ship suddenly tilted slightly upward, the movement so sudden and violent that I nearly lost my balance and fell. "Whoa!!! Hey!!! What the hell is going on?!" I shouted, grabbing onto the edge of the command table for support.
Before I could do anything, the ship activated its propulsion system. The ship's speed was slow at first. After only a few seconds, the ship flew out of the planet's atmosphere, leaving it behind. I slowly approached the alien glass window of the ship while maintaining my balance. I suddenly felt a weird kinship towards the planet that almost tried to kill me a few times, but because of it, I was also stronger now. I muttered under my breath while looking out the window, "Thank you for making me stronger…"
Suddenly, the ship began to accelerate. The jump drive activated with a deafening roar, and the next thing I knew, I was slammed against the back wall…
"Stop! Stop! STOP!" I yelled, but the ship didn't listen. From the window, all I could see was a blur of lights streaking past, colours racing in every direction as the ship hurtled forward at unimaginable speed.
"Someone stop this damn thing!!!" I yelled, bracing myself against the nearest wall.
I tried to stand up. But the ship accelerated even faster. The ship's sudden acceleration pinned me hard against the wall. My ribs felt like they were being crushed under the sheer force…
The holographic display flickered wildly, alien symbols scrolling across it. The ship's engine roared even louder, and the sound was overwhelming—a combination of the ship's engine roaring and the high-pitched whine of its systems…
I tried to move, grab onto something, anything, to stabilize myself, but my body was immobilized. My vision blurred, and a pounding ache spread through my skull as the unrelenting force of the jump drive tore at my senses…
"Make it stop!!!!" I screamed again, my voice cracking, but no one answered.
The pressure became unbearable. My vision darkened at the edges, the noise faded to a dull roar, and I felt my consciousness slipping away…
I clenched my teeth, struggling against the force, pinning me to the wall. My body ached, and my mind raced with questions. Where was this ship taking me?! What had I just activated?! And most importantly—how the hell was I going to save Earth?! Is this ship even taking me to Earth?!
And then… nothing… I went unconscious.
Back on Earth:
Maki walked briskly along the bustling streets of Neo-Tokyo, her bag slung over one shoulder and her mind preoccupied with the thoughts of the day ahead. The air was crisp, and the usual hum of traffic mingled with the chatter of people moving around her. She barely paid attention to the futuristic billboards that dotted the city skyline—until a familiar face caught her eye…
She stopped in her tracks, her breath hitching in her throat. There, high above the road, was Shin's portrait. His warm, confident smile looked down at her. The text beside it read:
"On this day, six years ago, Captain Shin Takamiya saved the Kepler crew by sacrificing himself. A hero remembered, a legacy eternal."
Maki's heart clenched. She stood frozen, staring at his face; her mind suddenly flooded with memories. It had been seven years—seven long, lonely years since she lost him. Yet, seeing his face, it felt like it had only been yesterday…
Her fingers gripped the strap of her bag tightly as her eyes filled with tears. She tilted her head down, trying to regain her composure, but the flood of emotions was relentless.
"Shin!!!…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
She looked back up at the billboard, at the man she had loved more than anything—the man who had been her rock, her partner, her everything. The world remembered him as a hero, but to her, he was so much more. He was the one who used to cook terrible breakfasts and laugh about it. The one who would stay up late, talking to her about his dreams of space exploration. The one who promised he would always come back to her.
But he didn't...
"Seven years, Shin!!!" she murmured, her voice cracking. "Seven years and it still feels like a part of me is missing. You promised me… you promised you'd come back."
She wiped a tear from her cheek, though more followed, her emotions spilling out despite the crowd of people around her.
"I try to be strong, you know," she said softly, almost as if she were talking to him. "I try to keep going, to live this life without you. But some days, it's so damn hard."
She clenched her jaw, her hands trembling as she looked up at the billboard again. "Why did you have to be so brave, Shin?! Why couldn't you… just be selfish for once? Why couldn't you stay?" Her voice broke, and she covered her mouth with her hand, the tears flowing freely now.
She remembered the last time she had seen him. His face, his touch, the way he had kissed her goodbye before boarding the Kepler mission. She had held onto him so tightly, begging him to be safe. She had known the risks, of course, but a part of her had always believed that no matter what, he would always come back…
But he didn't come back…
"Do you know what it's like, Shin?!" she whispered. "To wake up every day and not see you next to me? To not hear your laugh, to not feel your arms around me? It's like…" Her voice trailed off, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's like I'm walking through life half-alive. The world thinks I've moved on, but I haven't. I can't…"
She turned her gaze away from the billboard, her eyes falling on the busy street before her. The people walking past her looked so normal, so unaffected. She envied them, their ability to move forward without this gaping hole in their hearts…
Maki pressed a hand to her chest as if trying to hold herself together. "I miss you, Shin…" she whispered. "I miss you so much it hurts. Every day, I think of you. I see your face in my dreams and hear your voice in the quiet moments. And every day, I wake up and realize you're still gone..."
Her phone buzzed in her bag, pulling her out of her thoughts. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain her composure. The world didn't stop for her grief, and she had responsibilities to tend to…
But as she walked away, her steps slower now, she couldn't shake the feeling that Shin wasn't as far away as she thought. For years, she had carried this faint, unshakable hope that maybe, just maybe, he was out there somewhere… Alive…
She looked back at the billboard one last time before continuing on her way. "If you're out there, Shin," she murmured, her voice steady but filled with longing, "I hope you're fighting to return to me. I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait…"
And with that, she disappeared into the crowd, her heart heavy but still holding onto the smallest spark of hope
TO BE CONTINUED