Golden Star's Reign
By Zoram Selrof
Chapter 1: Crisis
22:57 PM (Moscow Time), Thursday July the 1st, 2006…
"… Shit."
Laika, Sharo "Net Savior", was sitting on a chair and working with a computer inside of the Sharo Net Police Command Center: he looked sleepy and depressed, for once.
"How did this…?"
His Link PET was connected to the computer with a cable and data was scrolling down its screen.
"Hope we find something fast or else…!"
Other things to be spotted were a half-empty cup of black coffee and the wrapping for a sandwich along with some remains.
"Laika."
Someone suddenly placed a hand over Laika's right shoulder: he gasped and turned around to see Commissioner Malenkov looking at him with a concerned face.
"Uncle…" He trailed off.
"It's close to eleven o'clock… Shouldn't you go sleep?" He asked with a sigh.
"How could I, Uncle? It happened in front of my eyes and I was powerless to do anything!" Laika sounded frustrated.
"Laika…" Malenkov trailed off.
"Shit!" Laika banged the console.
"Hard to believe it's happened but…"
16:08 PM (Moscow Time)…
"… Hey! Laika! I'll be going on ahead."
"Sure. The exit is straight ahead!"
Laika and Hikari Netto had been walking down a corridor inside of the rare metal mine "Darkloid" Cold Man had taken over in the past.
"Heh, heh! I'm gonna beat ya to the perimeter!" He'd challenged.
Netto was some meters ahead of Laika and heading towards the exit: he was wearing his usual coat over his clothes as he did whenever he came to Sharo.
"Netto – kun…" Rock Man EX had sounded resigned as he'd stood over Netto's right shoulder using the miniature hologram produced by Link PETs.
"Huh? Ah! You're worried that I'm too hyperactive today?" Netto had asked with a grin.
"Yeah. You should be relaxed and glad Laika invited us over for a one week stay here." Rock Man had told him.
"Fine, fine! Okay! Laika! I'm going for it!" Netto had called out.
"Okay." He'd shrugged.
Netto had run forward about five meters when he'd suddenly tripped his right foot with something and lost balance.
"W-whoa!"
Before Laika had been able to react, an explosion came out of the ceiling and brought upon its collapse, making a large amount of dust and stone sweep the area.
"What in the…!" Laika had gasped.
The dust had cleared a while afterwards, and an impassable mass of stone and earth had piled up in the middle of the tunnel, thus blocking it and making it impossible for anyone to cross through.
"By all the…!"
Laika had cursed something under his breath and rushed next to the immovable mass.
"Netto! Are you okay?" Laika had called out.
"Y-yeah! I'm fine!" Netto had replied.
"We've only been pushed back a bit!" Rock Man had added.
"That explosion… Why did it happen?" Search Man had wondered.
"Huh? Impossible! Y-you're…!" Netto had suddenly gasped.
"No way!" Rock Man had uttered.
"What's going on?" Laika had called out.
There had been a muffled sound which had sounded like something had hit the ground.
"Netto – kun! Netto – kun!" Rock Man had called out in a panicked tone of voice.
There had been a sound and Rock Man's voice had disappeared as well.
"Rock Man!" Search Man had called out.
The sound of someone running away had started to be heard all of a sudden.
"What's going on?" Laika had wondered.
"… I can detect two signatures! And they're moving away!" Search Man had reported.
"Shit! Let's use the west exit!" Laika had cursed.
He'd undone the path until he'd reached a nexus of tunnels and had picked the one at his left.
"Whoa! Who's that?" A worker on the outside had wondered.
"You! Stop!" Another had shouted.
"Wait! The guy's armed!" A third had gasped.
The sound of a vehicle's doors closing had been picked up by Laika along with the roar of its engine as it turned on.
"Stop! Stop!" A worker had shouted.
Laika had finally managed to come outside and had stopped to catch his breath: he'd been able to see a wagon speeding away and outside of the perimeter.
"What the hell happened?" He'd asked.
"A Net Navi has abducted your friend, Laika – kun!" One of the workers had told him.
"A Net Navi…?" He'd gasped.
"Can't you describe him?" Search Man had asked.
"Well… I'd put him close to a meter and seventy tall… Red body… Silver hair… Creepy reddish shades…"
"Red body…? Silver hair…? Creepy reddish shades…?" Laika had frowned at the description.
"Was there anything else?" Search Man had asked of them.
"He had a weird cannon-like weapon on his right forearm. He aimed it at us: we had to step aside! The wagon car is from the mine: he's stolen it off but we picked the registration plate!" The worker had explained.
"But… Let's see… Red body… Silver hair… Creepy reddish shades… Weird cannon-like weapon… Impossible!" Search Man had been muttering before gasping.
"The "Evil" Blues! He's been resurrected? But Twilight died two months ago!" Laika had gasped in horror.
"… Laika! Wake up! It's an order!"
Laika returned to the present and gasped while snapping out of his sleep-like state.
"Uh… Yes, sir!" He saluted.
"Laika. You need to sleep. It won't make any difference to stay all night awake trying to narrow down the location of the wagon." Malenkov told him.
"But… Uncle! I was the one who invited him here! His parents appointed me his safekeeping!" Laika protested.
"Yes. I won't deny that. And they know you'll do the impossible to solve this. But you won't solve it just by neglecting sleep and collapsing at any moment now." Malenkov told him.
"… Uncle…" Laika muttered.
"Sleep, Laika. Tomorrow will be a better day. Such a wagon car won't be able to stay unnoticed for long." Malenkov insisted.
"… Search Man. Come back." Laika commanded.
"Roger, Laika – sama."
Search Man returned into his Link PET while Laika picked his coat and unplugged the charger.
"Go to your room, Laika. I'll make sure to call you ASAP if we get any news. Do not give up hope." Malenkov told him.
"Yes, sir… I mean… Uncle. Good night." Laika replied.
He sluggishly walked out of the control center while Malenkov looked on with concern on his eyes.
Laika… This is too much for him. Netto – kun gets abducted the day after arriving to Sharo by a resurrected "Darkloid". But what would the culprits gain from this? This doesn't look like petty revenge…
"Men! Work by shifts. Do not push yourselves."
"Yes, sir! Count on us!" They saluted.
"If something important were to happen, then contact me ASAP!" He commanded.
"Yes, sir! By your orders!" They confirmed.
"Good! Get to your posts and sort the road control reports!" Malenkov commanded.
Everyone resumed working on their assignments while Malenkov looked out into the night skies from the observation windows.
Netto – kun…
"… Huff."
Laika stepped into his unit's barrack room which he shared with another three roommates: they weren't here at the moment.
The others are still deployed on the south-east region to conduct training exercises…
"… Search Man! If any message from Commissioner Malenkov comes in then make sure to remember it and tell me when I wake up." Laika commanded.
"Yes, sir. Laika – sama." Search Man confirmed.
Laika placed the coat on the perch and took out his boots and cap. He then sat on his bed and sighed.
"… Wake me up at seven o'clock. Seven hours of sleep will be enough, I hope." He commanded.
"Roger, Laika – sama…" Search Man trailed off.
"… Yeah. I know. You're worried, too… About Saito." Laika guessed while sighing.
"True. I prefer addressing him with that nickname because it sounds somewhat more… personal." Search Man admitted.
"Yeah… I don't mind it if they pretend to be brothers: they seem to be a match for each other… In any case… I gotta sleep. Good night." Laika muttered before letting out a yawn.
"Good night, Laika – sama."
Laika fell asleep while Search Man sighed and returned inside of the PET: he began to analyze some data but he suddenly closed his eyes and seemed to be reflecting.
I can recall our first meeting way over a year ago… Back when Shadow Man was destroying the "Control X"… I'd come all the way to Japan to intercept Shadow Man and we stumbled upon each other.
"I'm the Navi of a Sharo Nation "Net Savior", Search Man. Following my orders, I'm chasing the culprit responsible for the destruction of our nation's "Control X"… That guy's goal is the destruction of all worldwide "Control X"… And the only one left is the one activated today. The target came here just as we expected."
"Why…? Why did you delete the Security Navis?"
"Why did I delete them, did you ask? Was there any way around?"
"That's…"
"Those who've been turned into mob by the Dark Chips… Must be deleted: there's no other way to save them."
"But…!"
"A battle is cruel. Worthless compassion will cost you your life."
"I'm not fighting just to delete Navis!"
"Hmpf. Naïve. But you'd better not get in my way: I won't care about you lowlife's reasons for fighting then. I'll remove anyone one who interferes in the accomplishment of my orders!"
"… Gotcha! Search Man! Let's go! Huh? Search Man…"
"I'm following my orders. I'm staying here."
"You're staying here, you say?"
"That guy's goal is "Control X". He'll show up here for sure. I can't move from here if I want to defeat the target."
"That may be true but… People's lives are at stake!"
"My orders are absolute."
"It's inevitable that there'll be some casualties to accomplish the mission."
"It's inevitable…? Peoples' lives… Ain't it obvious that peoples' lives are above orders?"
"My orders are absolute."
"Why the hell! You stubborn man!"
"What are you doing, Rock Man? Hurry! There's no time!"
"Gotcha! I'm going ASAP!"
And then…
"… Address search… Completed. Acquiring target within effective range … Distance: 1200 Navi – meters… 1300 Navi – meters… 1400 Navi – meters… 1500 Navi – meters… 1600 Navi – meters… 1700 Navi – meters… Target: visible! Lock on! Sheesh."
Well. I know I thought his arguments were moot… But I wouldn't let that interfere with my mission so I shot.
"Target: deleted."
And thus Shadow Man was deleted.
"… Mission: completed. I'll return."
"Search Man! Thanks for saving me."
"I didn't intend to save you."
"And also… That of before… I'm sorry to have been so cheeky before…"
"I don't mind being called "stubborn man". I am loyal to my orders so those are the best praising words for me."
"Jeez. I'm being really grateful, you know! Why are you that mean?"
And I can remember the first meeting between Hikari Netto and Laika – sama… And it wasn't precisely warm either…
"I merely did what had to be done."
"Oh! Then… You're…!"
"Search Man! You look well!"
"Yeah."
"I'm Hikari Netto!"
"I'm Rock Man!"
"So! You're Search Man's Operator? If there's anything you want to know, just ask."
"Mister Kifune… I'd like to have a tour of the facilities if I may."
"I'll take care of it! Let's go!"
Well, Laika – sama was looking at the whole deal with an unimpressed behavior… Like we could be superior to them…
"… Ta – dan! Sorry to have kept you waiting! This is the best place of 'em all! But I might be somewhat biased… This is an experimental "Dimensional Area" facility where Rock Man and I can perform "Cross Fusion"! Only Enzan and I can perform "Cross Fusion"! You know!"
"Netto – kun!"
"… Eh… I'm here to present this precious treasure of footage to you, I guess!"
"Hmpf. You're acting like you yourself built it."
"Told you."
And regarding the "Cross Fusion" demonstration… Well…
"… Only trump card…? The "Net Saviors" of Japan use these things?"
"Huh?
"You use your brains in a battle… It is possible to defeat the enemy even sans the need of any "Synchro Chip"… Do excuse me."
And things weren't precisely better during the lunch.
"… I guess he's annoyed…"
"Yeah… Maybe…"
"… Sorry… Eh… That's… You left because I made you angry: I was showing off about me and Rock Man being able to do "Cross Fusion"… I'm sorry! But…! If they keep on researching into the "Synchro Chips" then… They'll be able to mass produce them! When that time comes…! Laika! Even you could…!"
"… The "Net Saviors" of Japan can't delete their enemies sans the "Synchro Chips"?"
"But…! Wouldn't it be impossible for unarmed humans to fight off substantiated "Darkloids", then…?"
"Impossible? You don't know unless you try, don't you? Battles are handled by using this. Or it could also be that your heads are also like these onion rings: empty."
Laika – sama went over the edge back then. He came with a mood to boast about we are better… Like everyone should be clones of him…
"What'd you say? Oi! Laika! Apologize!"
"Apologize? Why should I? I didn't do anything wrong."
"You accused me and Rock Man of being idiots!"
"I accused you of being idiots? I just told the truth."
And it was later proven that he was far from that: we came with the mood to look down on that and such… But in the end we DID start using "Cross Fusion" to handle the "Asteroids"…
He finally opened his eyes back again and sighed.
"Rock Man… No, Saito… My companion. What's happened to you? Where are you? Can I help you? You did so much and didn't want anything in exchange… It's time to return the favor…! My companion…!"