Saya, Main Base
Three kilometers from the base entrance, a manhole cover slammed into the air, shooting dozens of meters upward with a loud bang. It spun like a flipped coin before crashing back to the ground.
Saya's gravity was weaker than most planets, so the manhole cover soared unusually high when blown off. A normal human could jump around two meters here; even a strong Hasath like Salome could leap over six meters.
Arthur and Salome climbed out of the manhole. They glanced at the burning flames around them, and Salome froze—his gaze fixed on the fire as if his soul had been sucked into it. Saya had been everything to him: the home he'd fought to build, the legacy he'd scraped together through years of struggle. Now it was all gone, destroyed by his own greed.
His back radiated regret. The moment he'd tangled with Arito, Saya's fate had already been sealed.
"What now?"
Arthur looked up at Salome. The Hasath stood nearly 12 feet tall, his massive frame topped with a bald head and a thick beard. His light red skin and rivet-like nodules were classic Hasath features—unmistakable.
Next to him, Arthur felt like a sapling beside a tree trunk. Firelight painted Salome's face, and tears glistened in his eyes—eyes heavy with sorrow and rage, dark and haggard. His fists clenched so tight that fresh blood oozed from his wounds.
"Er…" Salome swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. His voice was thick. "Arthur—on the way to Eyelo… would you mind one more ally?"
"Oh?" Arthur gave him a cold once-over. "I've heard you're ruthless, cunning, and heartless. Maybe I should stay away from you. Shouldn't I?"
"Hmph! Is that what they say?" Salome huffed, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. "I suppose I should be flattered—but that's not who I am. If you had time to get to know me, you'd see my men follow me not out of fear… but respect."
Arthur chuckled in response. Salome bowed his head, taking a few shaky breaths before turning his tearful eyes back to the burning landscape—now dyed even redder by the flames.
But Arthur had already made up his mind. He knew it wasn't easy for a once-mighty commander to beg for help—especially like this. And in their short time talking, he'd sensed something raw and unguarded in the brute: a straightforwardness, almost naivety.
Cunning? Hardly. The man had just been outmaneuvered, his plan full of holes.
Arthur had to suppress another laugh. But he admired Salome's ability to let go—to accept defeat without collapsing. What's more, that first impression never changed.
Arthur's final verdict: Salome was a total "meathead." Nothing like the stories he'd heard in the markets. If he had to measure Salome's scheming skills… they were as thin as the membrane of an egg yolk.
Arthur held up a fist in front of Salome. Salome frowned, confused, but copied the gesture anyway. Their knuckles tapped lightly.
"What's this mean?"
"Hmm—what do you think?" Arthur smirked.
Salome stepped forward, bending to pick up a steel plate etched with his ship's symbol: a massive fist. He roared at the sky for a few seconds, then hurled the plate away.
"This place was a refuge for those abandoned by the gods. Now… it's time to end this chapter. Goodbye, Saya."
His voice was thick with regret and pain—grief burning deep in his chest, endless and helpless.
"Before we go to Eyelo—do you have any plans?" Arthur patted Salome's arm.
At the word "Eyelo," Salome spun around, his eyes wide. Tears of hope rolled down his cheeks.
"You'll take me to Eyelo?" When Arthur nodded repeatedly, Salome's voice began to shake. He swallowed hard, forcing down the emotions threatening to spill over.
Arthur jerked his chin. "But first—what do you want to do?"
"I… I'll find a new place. But… no place will ever be like Aesit. Nothing will."
"Aesit? You mean the Aesit Incident?"
Arthur's eyes lit up. Here was a clue Ralph had mentioned! Maybe he could finally get the truth from Salome.
"Aesit was the most unforgettable memory of my life. If it weren't for him, everything would've been different." Salome's fist clenched again, splitting his wound. Blood dripped down his wrist. "That damn outsider ruined everything!"
"Outsider? Who are you talking about?" Arthur frowned. "And… the 'Aesit Incident' I know never mentioned the Hasath."
"He's—" Salome cut himself off, glaring at Arthur. "Don't believe those reports. They'll never admit they caused this mess—especially Blair! If you hadn't saved my life, I'd kill you right now. My hatred for Reno will never die."
"So the outsider is Blair?"
A laugh bubbled up in Arthur's chest. The man really was a meathead. At the mere mention of Aesit, Salome grew so angry he could barely breathe.
Gasping, he wiped away the large tears rolling down his face.
"Yes! Yes!" Salome turned his head, embarrassed. "I don't want to talk about those two. Even after all these years, just hearing their names makes my blood boil!"
Arthur reached out to pat his back—but Salome spun around, dropping to one knee, tears still streaming.
"I know my reputation makes trust hard. But… you saved me. You're willing to take me to Eyelo… All I can give you now… is my respect."
Arthur pressed his lips together, then nodded.
"Come to Aurelia with me."
"What?" Salome looked up in shock, fresh tears welling.
"Live with us in Aurelia."
Arthur held up his fist again. Salome stared, then touched his knuckle to Arthur's.
Arthur took a deep breath. "You asked what this means—um… usually, if you want to be someone's partner, this is an unspoken understanding." He shrugged and spread his hands. "While the house in Aurelia isn't as big as your base, and maybe not as comfortable, what happened here today will spread across the galaxy soon. I'm sure plenty of people are dying to hunt you down—especially since you're so high-profile. But there? No one dares to act recklessly."
"Wah... Wah..." Salome bowed his head, sobbing bitterly.
Arthur felt a twinge of pity stir in his chest as he looked at the grieving man before him. He hurried to help Salome to his feet. "Don't do this! Even if this place is gone, you're still Saya's commander after all. Keep some of your dignity—for the soldiers who died for you."
"C-Can I really go there?"
"Absolutely!" Arthur purposely put on a troubled look. "First, you'll have to come with me to the Administration Office to apply for a residency permit. And uh—I'll have to sign a guarantee that you won't cause trouble. Encia and I can sponsor up to three people… even if they count you as three all by yourself."
"Wah… Wah…"
"Stand up, Commander Saya."
They bumped fists again. Arthur hauled Salome to his feet—his massive weight nearly straining Arthur's back. Before leaving, they spent two cosmic minutes searching for a working comms device. Finally, they found an undamaged transmission relay behind a sand dune ten kilometers from the base.
Salome recorded a message, setting it to loop. Some small part of him still hoped survivors might hear it. But he didn't know—this devastating attack had left him as Saya's only survivor. Without Arthur, he would've become part of Saya's history, too.
To my brothers: If you're alive, find a safe place. Take any usable supplies. Survive—that's my final order. Don't come looking for me. Farewell, brothers.
Aurelia
"Dammit—another pile of garbage!"
Elder Yib, Arthur's neighbor, swept the sidewalk with a broom, his voice dripping with bitterness. This was his daily routine: complain, sweep, complain, sweep… then end his morning with a cup of herbal tea.
Elder Yib was a Lotapian—an insectoid species with two legs, two pairs of arms, thick facial tendrils, and shorter head tendrils. Each limb ended in three suction-cup-like fingers. While their bodies were roughly humanoid, their genders were nearly impossible to tell apart.
Before Elder Yib's wife passed away, Arthur had struggled to tell them apart—until one of them spoke. The wife and husband were polar opposites in personality.
"Every day! Every damn day, more garbage! What did I do in my past life to deserve—"
Snap!
Mid-rant, Elder Yib's broom snapped clean in two. He jumped, then snarled.
"Goddamn it—it's you again!"
Ever since Salome moved in, he'd made a game of it: sneaking (or not-so-sneakingly) waiting for Elder Yib to complain, then shooting the broom with his modified revolver—splitting it perfectly in two.