Ch.222After the Play Ended (5)

#222

“Ah, stop hitting me!”

The communications room crew member looked at Jesse with an indignant expression.

“Hey, who are you looking at Dexter like that? You wanna die?”

“…Jesse, what does ‘wanna die’ mean?”

“Would you like to end your life on Jupiter, sir?”

“That sounds even weirder?”

“Ah, shit. Then stop nitpicking.”

Jesse huffed and delivered a sharp slap to the back of the crew member’s head.

“Aren’t you going to establish communication already?”

“But how am I supposed to know the OSA emergency contact network…?”

“This is old equipment, so you can figure it out if you just tune to the approximate frequency! Do you think I’m an idiot? Hurry up and tune it! Follow the frequencies I tell you.”

“Alright, fine…”

Shallow lies don’t work on someone who knows the technical details.

And it’s even better when that person mixes in appropriate force with their threats.

“Our Jesse is quite skilled, isn’t she?”

“…If I knew how to operate this machine, this guy’s head would already be gone.”

When Jesse glared at the communications crew member, he nervously adjusted a few buttons and said in a small voice:

“…The frequency is connected.”

“Is it? Then get lost.”

A cold response.

Dexter chuckled as he watched Jesse treat the communications crew member with excessive harshness.

“Ah, she keeps ordering me around…”

“I can hear everything, so go mutter somewhere else. How dare traitors who tried to betray Earth think they’re on our level.”

As the communications crew member left with an ambiguous expression, Jesse watched him suspiciously and closed the door.

“That guy seems suspicious.”

“If it doesn’t work out, we can always rough him up.”

Dexter, who had just threatened violence, pointed at the communication device with his eyes, and Jesse nodded and sat down.

“This is Jupiter. Please confirm if you can hear me.”

Jesse attempted to contact OSA in a bright voice through the microphone.

However, the speaker remained silent, with no response whatsoever.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

[……..]

“Excuse me, is anyone there?”

[……..]

“Director Makoa’s head is a chocolate ball.”

[……..]

Frustrated by the lack of response, Jesse tried changing the dial a few more times before finally turning off the microphone and letting out a deep sigh.

“I’ve tried even the OSA emergency frequency, but no one’s answering.”

“Maybe it’s the aftermath of headquarters being blown up before we arrived?”

“I don’t know… what should we do? We need to let them know we’re okay before landing back on Earth.”

While Dexter and Jesse were worrying about OSA not responding to their communications,

Silence had fallen in the bridge where Jupiter’s navigation was being handled.

“Um, Emily.”

“Yes?”

“Was Himena always such a scary person?”

“According to Jesse, she’s quite something. She said when they first met, Dexter was messing around, and she cursed at him and everything.”

Himena, who had been watching the two whispering to each other, glared and said:

“Why is my name coming out of your mouths?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“When Judy apologizes like that, it makes me feel even worse.”

“I’m sorry for making you feel sorry…?”

“Oh, really! Dexter has ruined Judy too!”

When Himena shouted, Judy flinched.

The crew members in the bridge sat with their heads bowed low, and Himena was sitting in what should have been the captain’s seat, frowning and holding her forehead.

“Please help me avoid using more forceful methods, understood? Raise your heads.”

“Yes!”

When the crew members answered in unison, Himena pressed her temples firmly.

“Ah, I feel like my personality has gotten nastier since coming here…”

“…I think it was already nasty.”

“Emily, I can hear you.”

“Ah!”

As Emily hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands, Himena frowned.

‘How did it come to this?’

One hour before Himena took control of the bridge.

Himena, who had been in the communications room with Dexter, left the communications to Jesse who knew the equipment better than her, and headed to the bridge at the top of Jupiter with the other two.

For Dexter’s group aboard Jupiter to return to Earth, they needed the bridge’s cooperation.

“Everyone’s glaring at us…?”

The hostility was palpable as soon as they entered the bridge.

The bridge crew members openly showed their dislike by glaring, avoiding eye contact, or visibly trembling.

‘They kidnapped us and now they’re acting like this!’

Himena was displeased with the sharp reactions from people who were essentially traitors to Earth.

Judy was anxious seeing the crew members giving their group piercing looks.

Himena patted Judy’s shoulder reassuringly and walked to the highest position with a view of the entire bridge.

The highest position on the bridge was the captain’s seat.

Sitting in the captain’s seat, Himena addressed the crew members looking at her:

“It seems everyone has a lot of complaints about us.”

Himena pulled the charging handle of her rifle.

-Click!

“……!”

“If you have complaints, speak up. I’ll resolve them quickly.”

Rule through fear.

At any other time, Himena might have smiled and spoken soothingly, but these were the same people who had just been cooperating with Captain General Olivia to launch orbital bombardments on Earth.

But there’s always someone with complaints.

Right next to the captain’s seat, a woman sitting in the operator’s position stood up abruptly and tried to approach Himena.

Himena looked at the brave woman with interest.

“How dare you people who beat up Wayne expect us to listen to you…”

-Bang!

“Mother of God!”

When a bullet grazed right next to the woman’s foot, she flinched in shock, cowered, and glared at Himena.

Himena, who had fired her rifle at the woman’s feet, bared her teeth and said:

“I don’t know where the second shot will go.”

“Listen, forcing us like this won’t…”

Himena got down from her seat and stood in front of the woman.

“What, what is it?”

“I said I don’t know where the second shot will go. So why aren’t you listening?”

“Why should we listen to someone like you who killed the Captain General?!”

“Why listen?”

Himena poked the woman with the muzzle of her rifle and said:

“Because you’ll die if you don’t.”

“……..!”

“I may not be as reckless as Dexter, but I’m known for not thinking things through at OSA. Would you help me avoid using more violence?”

The rifle’s magazine was still full of bullets, and Himena’s index finger was on the trigger.

“Go back to your seat. While I’m still asking nicely.”

As the woman returned to the operator’s seat and the crew members no longer dared speak to Himena, Judy whispered to Emily:

“Himena must be really angry.”

“I think so.”

After a period of silence, now in the present.

Judy, sitting in an empty seat, carefully said to Himena:

“Um, shouldn’t we try to contact Dexter? It seems like something might have happened since there’s still no communication…”

“You, operator. Connect us to the communications room.”

“…Tch.”

“I swear, if I hear that tongue clicking sound twice…”

At Himena’s menacing words, the crew member serving as operator connected to the communications room.

“Dexy, can you hear me?”

[Oh, what? So this can be heard from here?]

“Were you able to connect with OSA? I’m worried since there’s been no contact.”

The other crew members looked at Himena with disbelief as she suddenly switched to an affectionate voice, but she just smiled brightly while casually tapping her rifle.

The crew members quickly turned their heads away as soon as Himena tapped her rifle.

[Well, we can’t make contact.]

“What do you mean you can’t? What’s going on?”

[Jesse tried to communicate, but there’s no response.]

“…We can’t just land on Earth without warning.”

As Himena was making a troubled face and wondering what to do, the operator crew member pointed at the old radar screen and said:

“You, I mean, excuse me.”

“Just call me Agent.”

“…Agent, an unidentified spacecraft is approaching the ship.”

“What do you mean a spacecraft is approaching? All the spacecraft that were on Earth have left Earth. The remaining spacecraft either don’t have stealth capabilities or have weak ones, so they can’t be launched freely…”

‘No, wait.’

Himena stopped speaking and thought carefully.

‘It’s unlikely they requisitioned from another country, and if there’s a spacecraft with functioning stealth capabilities within the US…’

There was a spacecraft in the United States, specifically near Las Vegas where the OSA agents were.

That thought struck Himena, and she tilted her head.

‘But that’s not theirs, is it?’

“Dexter, are you still listening?”

[They say an unidentified spacecraft is approaching.]

“Yes, but it seems like… it might be your spacecraft.”

When Himena spoke in a perplexed voice, Dexter asked incredulously:

[What, my spacecraft?]

“Operator, what shape is the approaching spacecraft?”

“It’s boomerang-shaped.”

After hearing the operator’s answer, Himena blinked once, then sighed deeply and said:

“…Yes, I think it is your spacecraft.”

[No, which bastard is driving my spacecraft without permission… Oh, Jesse. Press that. The red light came on.]

[This? Just a moment….]

Since the communication between the communications room and the bridge was still connected, every sound from the communications room was clearly heard on the bridge.

It’s only natural to be angry if someone is freely using your new spacecraft that’s less than a year old.

Himena also understood Dexter’s feelings, so she just listened to the conversation with a troubled expression.

[Jupiter, Jupiter, please respond.]

[That voice sounds familiar. This is Jupiter, and I am Dexter Hughes. I don’t know who you are, but it seems you’ve hijacked my spacecraft without permission.]

Dexter, who was essentially still trapped on the hijacked spacecraft, responded sharply, and a cheerful voice came through the communications room speaker.

[Ah, this! Agent Hughes! It’s me!]

[Director Makoa?]

“Director Makoa? How…?”

[Judging by your healthy voice, it seems you’ve successfully defeated the Captain General! That’s fortunate! But there’s no time for lengthy explanations!]

Himena asked with a puzzled face at the sudden information:

“Director Makoa, this is Agent Ribero. I don’t quite understand what you’re saying…?”

[I’ll explain. This is Ingram, the Director’s assistant. We’ve received intelligence that the Pentagon plans to launch a nuclear missile toward your ship… I mean, Jupiter. It’s scheduled to be launched soon.]

“What? Nuclear… missile?”

“W-w-what do we do?! Q-quickly, we need to escape…!”

As soon as the words ‘nuclear missile’ were mentioned, Judy and the crew members showed panicked expressions and urgently tried to leave their seats.

Emily maintained her usual expressionless face, but the only place where emotion showed was her right hand.

Seeing Emily continuously fidgeting with her right hand, Himena waited with an anxious face for the assistant to finish speaking.

[So before any problems arise from the nuclear missile, we plan to take the civilians and Jupiter’s crew members in Agent Hughes’ spacecraft and the rescue pods inside Jupiter. Do you have any questions?]

“What’s the estimated time of arrival?”

[We’ll arrive in 3 minutes. Is there a place where we can dock the spacecraft?]

Before Himena could answer, the operator responded instead.

Even if she had complaints about Himena, who was one of the people who killed the Captain General, she preferred to live shamefully rather than die from a nuclear missile.

“At the bottom of the ship, next to the turret room, there’s an airlock connected to the outside. If you dock there, we can move quickly. The rescue pods are also nearby, so we can escape immediately.”

“…That’s what they’re saying, did you hear?”

[I heard well. Pilot! Take the spacecraft to the bottom of Jupiter immediately!]

Dexter, who had been listening to all the communications, said in a serious voice:

[Himena, Judy, and Emily, take the kidnapped people to the bottom. I’ll be there soon too.]

“Dexter, where are you going?”

[I have something I need to take.]

“Something to take?”

[Yeah. Don’t worry about me, just go ahead first.]

The four women didn’t know what Dexter was planning to take, but they decided to follow his instructions for now.

“Judy and Emily, take the civilians who should be in the storage area to the airlock at the bottom. I’ll go with these people.”

“Okay. Himena, you have to come on time too, okay?”

“Um, should we leave now too?”

“You’re crew members. You’ll go last. You can take the rescue pods, and since Dexter has taken care of all the mercenaries, there should be enough rescue pods left.”

Himena, who was watching the two leave the bridge, said coldly:

“I’ll leave with you all, so don’t think about abandoning me.”

Himena wanted to escape and leave these crew members behind right away, but she didn’t know what they might do.

With an anxious expression, Himena looked at the small spacecraft reflected on the radar screen where the operator was sitting and fell into thought.

‘Can I finally go home?’

Himena missed her parents after such a long time.