Story Reader / Main Story / 27 Aeon Reforged / Story
The variable cycle engine roars under the combination of fuel and combustion agents.
The transport craft breaks the sound barrier in a flash, leaving a conical sonic boom cloud in the air, climbing at a speed of 8km/s.
Dad...
The immense thrust brings over ten G's of pressure, but since his transformation into a Construct, he no longer needs to rely on chest contractions to breathe.
Suddenly, a weird blip appears on the radar, diving toward him with astonishing energy.
Non-friendly unit?
Watanabe gently pushes the control stick to one side, only to find several more blips appearing on the radar one after another.
What the heck are these?
He doesn't slow down but continuously adjusts his climbing posture to avoid the unknown targets.
They soon meet, and he can finally see...
It's a burning wreckage. Its temperature is rising to an unimaginable level while it is passing through the atmosphere, shedding molten fragments as it falls.
Ambition...?
Watanabe can barely make out the engraved letters on the surface of the wreckage.
Are these... starship wreckages?!
Warning! High thermal reaction ahead, please dodge!
Warning! High thermal reaction ahead, please dodge!
With the alarm comes a dense array of blips on the radar, and the sky before him turns to the color of dusk at a visible speed.
But this is not a scene worth admiring, it is the smoke and clouds of countless wreckages hurtling toward Earth through the atmosphere.
Watanabe has to focus all his energy on maneuvering the transport craft to dodge the falling debris.
Altitude 7000m; speed 10km/s
He narrowly dodges a burning wreckage, which seems to be part of a weapon mount.
Altitude 50km; speed 12km/s
Like a nimble fish, he weaves through the burning reefs.
Altitude 500km; speed 15km/s
At such high speeds, it is impossible to predict the route. Watanabe can only rely on his reflexes to avoid one wreckage after another.
Altitude 5000km; speed 20km/s
The transport craft reaches its theoretical speed limit. Though the heat shield is still functioning normally, the cabin temperature continues to rise.
Altitude 8000km; speed 20km/s
The moment the system indicates they have broken through the atmosphere, countless flames immediately catch his eye.
The shattered wreckages are either flying off into deep space or are captured by Earth's gravity, turning into deadly fireballs.
The spaceport is in ruins. Anti-aircraft cannons roar silently in the void but still can't intercept all the debris.
A starship is split in half by the violent explosion, forming a massive fireball at the explosion site.
Its central core is the brightest. The outer shell looks a bit thin due to rapid expansion, and the magnetic field is twisting it into an elliptical shape, like a peeled egg.
A green egg, several times brighter than the sun.
The transport craft immediately activates its isolation shield to prevent the radiation from damaging the plane and its occupants.
After the explosion, the surviving Fenrir fighters speed toward the last starship—the flagship "Miracle".
This is Watanabe of the Ground Force. Please identify yourselves.
Watanabe quickly opens the all-channel communication, but under the intense radiation interference from the nuclear explosion, the channel is filled with meaningless static noise.
Watanabe... does the ground already know our situation here?
After a long while, a voice finally came through, although severely distorted by the interference.
We learned during a mission that the space fleet might be subjected to malicious commands. Relevant information is currently being synchronized with headquarters.
Malicious commands... So that's it. Only that could have done this.
Friendly unit, please report your status.
...The starships went haywire. The suicide squad decided to stop the ships by self-detonation to prevent them from reaching Babylonia.
...Is Shin, the command officer, still alive?
He's on the list too, I'm his lieutenant...
The channel is filled again with static noise, but Watanabe feels even that is fading away.
Help... space... station... under attack!
More messages seem to be coming through the communication channel, but he has no time for it...
Help... space... station... under attack!
Please... help...
Is someone calling for help?
Go now. The command officer made these choices to save more lives.
Now it's your turn to do more.
...
Got it!
The person is right. Even if his original goal was lost, there are still more things he could do.
A close friend once told him not to mourn the dead with sadness and inertia, but to turn them into a force for moving forward.
Since his father upheld his beliefs, it's now his turn to pass on the baton.
This is Watanabe of the Ground Force, en route to the space station. Please report your situation!
Safe travels.
Watching the transport craft head toward the space station, Shin cuts off the communication.
Not planning to say goodbye?
Cyril, who hasn't spoken the whole time, finally speaks.
Even I would feel sad if I were to say goodbye in this situation...
He stares at the approaching flagship, almost able to feel the heat of the exhaust flames.
If he knew I were still alive, he would regret not coming earlier. As a father, how can I let my child live with that regret?
I already missed out on being there for him. I can't give him more regrets.
He navigates the escape pod toward the death.
I've said everything that needed to be said.
Before being engulfed by the flames, the soul that has drifted in space for so long seems to have returned to the ground due to gravity.
Lush green grass, full of life.
Such a beautiful planet... It's so difficult to leave it behind.
A sudden unease grips Watanabe's heart. He looks back at the newly formed green fireball.
Gritting his teeth, he rushes toward the space station as fast as he can.
To those... who still need him!
