Chapter 1 is here as promised. Once again, big thanks to the beta readers for correcting my trashy grammar. Enjoy.
In the depths of space, a large red planet was shown.
"By the Dragon…" Reinhard said with his hand covering his mouth
"I-It's another planet…" Julius said with wide eyes
"Never in all my years would I have thought to witness such a mesmerizing sight." Wilhelm said
'It's red… like… her hair.' Willhelm thought as he thought of his late-wife Theresia van Astrea. Small tears began to form in his eyes as he compared the beautiful red planet with his lovely wife.
'They both look… so beautiful.'
Everyone could only watch in awe as the giant planet came into view. It was something beyond their wildest dreams. It felt… humbling to see a small part of what the infinite universe has to offer.
Even the arrogant and egotistical Priscilla couldn't help but close her fan as she gazed at the red planet.
'Finally, a sight worthy for my eyes to gaze upon.' She thought
'Those crazy sons of bitches actually did it…' Al thought as he looked at the red planet.
He knew that the people back in his homeworld managed to land a man on the Moon, and landing one on Mars was just around the corner. However, actually seeing with his own two eyes what those of his homeworld actually accomplished made Al feel a sense of pride in his race.
"I wish you were awake right now so that we could share this sight, Subaru." Emilia whispered as she caressed her knight's hand
Though some still didn't quite take this sentiment seriously.
"It looks like a giant appa!" Mimi said giggling
Rocky landscapes as far as the eye can see covered this uninhabited world.
Acidalia Planitia.
"Wow. It kinda looks like a desert from up close." Felt said, examining the landscape
"Indeed. It doesn't seem like a place where people could thrive." Reinhard said. He was slightly disappointed as he had expected there to be some form of intelligent life living on the planet.
"Even so, the landscape still looks beautiful." Frederica said as she gazed at the various rock formations that covered the Martian landscape.
"Alright team, stay in sight of each other." Commander Lewis's voice said through the comms.
"Let's make NASA proud."
"What's NASA, nyan?" Felix asked
NASA is the agency that makes this whole operation happen. They fund, plan, and execute these missions that bring brave men and women into space.
The cast accepted this information with a nod.
"So that's the agency that Big bro works for eh?" Felt mused
"It certainly must have a lot of influence if they are capable of getting the money to fund this level of innovation." Crusch concluded
"Bet their selection process ain't no joke." Ricardo said as he whistled, blown away by the organization's capabilities.
"Indeed, it's likely only the best of the best can join their ranks." Julius agreed
"And that means the Capn' really IS the best of the best if he's ridin' wit em!" Garfiel said with his fist raised in the air.
Rem could only sharply nod at this with a smile. "That sounds just like my hero!"
NASA - Ares III - Landing Site- Mission Day: Sol 18
"How's it looking over there Natsuki?" Martinez said through the comms
"Well you'll be happy to hear that in Grid Section 14-28, the particles were predominantly coarse. But at 29, they're much finer and should be ideal for chem analysis." Subaru responded
"How are they talking with each other from such distances?!" Otto asked loudly
Everyone also looked around at a loss, expecting Bill Nye to provide them with the information.
"It's likely they're using a radio, I suppose." the drill-haired loli commented through the silence
Everyone turned their attention to the great spirit.
"How do you know what it is Betty-chan?" Emilia asked bewildered
Beatrice could only give the half-elf a smug smile in response, much to Emilia's dismay.
"Haven't I already explained it, I suppose. It's because Betty's contractor tells her of all the amazing things of his world, I suppose." She said proudly
This caused Emilia, Rem, and even Otto to pout. They were once again reminded of the unique connection the black-haired knight has with his loli-spirit-daughter.
"What is this 'radio' great spirit-sama?" Julius asked on the edge of his seat.
Beatrice puffed out her chest and sat straighter before she spoke.
"As you can see, it's a device capable of long-ranged communication, I suppose. The machinery inside the devices can receive a special sort of energy, or as Betty's Subaru calls it, 'electromagnetic waves', to create a message. So long as those involved have some form of connection, they will be able to communicate, I suppose. The distance between the two becomes irrelevant, in fact." Beatrice said proudly
Everyone looked at the spirit with wide eyes as she gave her explanation.
"That's incredible!" Crusch said, amazed with the information she's been given.
"Even as he is now, Natuski's understanding of his world's knowledge is impressive." Julius said, impressed by the way Subaru explained it to his great spirit.
"Of course he's impressive, I suppose! Subaru is Betty's contractor after all, in fact." Beatrice said with a pout, irritated at all of the people who are underestimating her precious contractor.
"To be able to communicate anywhere, no matter the distance…". Felix said, still pondering the information he's been given.
"It will prove to be invaluable in combat." Wilhelm said, completing the cat-boy's thoughts.
An adult Subaru was shown crouching down, wearing a full white and orange space suit.
"My hero looks so dashing in that suit!" Rem said with a blush on her face
"Silly Rem. Barusu looks like he's wearing a fishbowl on his head." Ram said, mocking his appearance
'Well... she's not wrong.' Was the collective thought as they saw the bulbous structure on Subaru's head.
"What is that strange helmet?" Anastasia asked, interested in its purpose
That ladies and gentlemen is a spacesuit. You see… Mars, or rather, space in general is an extremely harsh environment. In this current planet that we see Subaru in, the temperature is far below freezing and there is no air for him to breathe.
This caused many in the audience to gasp in fright.
"Then why is Subaru there?!" Emilia said, horrified that her knight is in such a dangerous place.
"It's because it's his job, Emilia-sama." Crusch said, trying to calm down the half-elf
"Trust me, I'm worried about Natsuki-sama's wellbeing as well. However, I'm sure he had properly trained to deal with these conditions."
"Yea don't worry Big sis! Big bro has got this in the bag!" Felt said giving Emilia a thumbs up
It's why he's wearing the suit. It provides the user protection from the harsh environment of space. It provides him warmth to protect against the cold, and air for him to breathe.
At this, many let out a small sigh of relief.
"Dang. These people certainly did their research huh?" Ricardo said with an impressed tone
"Of course they did. They wouldn't have gotten this far if they didn't account for every variable." Anastasia said
'The boy also doesn't look half-bad in that suit.' Anastasia thought, agreeing with Rem's initial comment.
"I wanna try one of these spaceysuit things for my amazin' self!" Gafiel said with a smile pointing his thumb at himself
"Ummm… I'm sure you would just break it, Garfiel-san." Otto said rubbing the back of his head
Garfiel thought for a moment, then decided.
"Nah. I'm sure I can handle it." Nodding to himself
Otto could only facepalm in exasperation.
Subaru was in the middle of a large field with several white-colored flags in the area. On each of those flags, there was a number on them. Subaru was kneeling down in front of the flag that was labeled 29. He was bent down lower as he began examining the red martian dirt at his feet. After noting their texture, he proceeded to load them into a container for further study.
"What is he doing now?" Tivey asked, adjusting his monocle
"Hmm… Considering that he closely examined the rock before putting it in that container, he's likely collecting them to study." Anastasia deduced. She was paying extra close attention to nearly everything that the boy was doing in front of them. From their suits, to their tools, to their tasks. All of it was important to her. All of it were opportunities for innovation, invention, and information.
"Looks like regular dirt to me." Ricardo said with a shrug
"But it's dirt from another planet Welkin-san." Julius said. "I'm sure that is cause to bring it extra attention."
Garfiel just thought that his Cap'n looks so cool in his space suit.
'I wanna try one on too dammit!' He thought to himself as he banged his fists into the armchair
"Oh wow! Did everyone hear that? Subaru just discovered dirt!" Martinez said sarcastically.
This caused many in the theater to laugh. Even Emilia and Rem gave small giggles at the sarcastic comment.
"Ha! See?" Ricardo said with a laugh, causing Julius to just shake his head with a small smile.
"It's likely the only thing Barusu is capable of accomplishing." Ram stated.
"Should we alert the media?" He laughed out
"Sorry, what are you doing today Martinez? Making sure the MAV is still upright?" Subaru sharply responded
"Well I would like you to know that visual inspection of the equipment is imperative for mission success." Martinez replied to Subaru's sharp comment.
Martinez was then shown walking around a large metal container. At the bottom of the container there are 4 enormous tubes. Martinez examined the tubes and all parts of the spacecraft for any signs of damage.
"Da' fuck is tha'?" Garfiel shouted pointing at the large machine.
"It's design is unlike anything I've ever seen." Crusch said with her hand on her chin.
That is called a space shuttle. It's one of the many machines the astronauts use to reach the stars. This one, in particular, is named the Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV for short.
Several 'Oooohh's and 'Aaaahh's rang out through the audience. It truly was a piece of machinery that no one on Lugincia could even dream of.
"So this is how they did…" Anastasia said with wide eyes as she examined every piece of the MAV. How does it work? How much did it cost to build it? What are the limits of this machine? Are just some of the many questions that were running through her head.
"A truly extrodinaaaaaary piece of machinery." Roswaal stated with his usual smile.
"Ya think Cap'n would let us ride in that thing?" Garfiel said as he slightly elbowed Otto to get his attention.
"I-I don't know. Judging from Nye-sama's description alone, this machine sounds like it would cost a lot of money. So I don't think Natuski-san would just recklessly let anyone ride. Not to mention how difficult it would possibly be to operate it" Otto explained.
Garfiel seemed to think hard on this. "I'm sure we can figure it out." He said with a confident smile, causing Otto to just sigh.
"I would also like to report… that the MAV is still upright." Martinez joked causing Subaru to laugh over the comms.
"*sigh* Natsuki you keep leaving your channel open, which leads to Martinez responding, which leads to all of us listening, which leads to me being annoyed" Commander Lewis said irritably
"I deeply enjoy this woman's dialogue, and I feel that we would be good friends should we ever meet in person." Ram said as she heard Lewis's comments to Subaru
Rem could only laugh at her sister's antics.
Two more astronauts were then shown. These astronauts were not wearing space suits, but we were sitting in a lab. The woman was on a laptop, and the man was looking through a microscope.
"Roger that." Subaru said to his Commander
"Martinez, the captain would like you to please shut your smart mouth.".
Martinez laughed at Subaru's comment
The man behind the microscope, Beck, decided to join in the conversation.
"We'd prefer to use a different adjective to describe Martinez's mouth." he said. Now causing Subaru to laugh
"Oh did Beck just insult me?" Martinez responded
"'Dr. Beck'. And yes." Subaru said still laughing
"Hahah! I love these guys! They're hilarious!" Ricardo said, deeply amused by the crew's interactions
"It does seem all of them share quite a unique bond with one another." Wilhelm said smiling.
Otto and Garfiel couldn't help but feel slightly jealous to see their bro joke around with a bunch of guys that doesn't include them. He was their friend too dammit!
"I'm glad Subaru was able to make such good friends." Emilia said smiling. However, she was still upset that she wouldn't get to meet Subaru in-person in this reality. She tightened her grip on the real Subaru to remind herself that he's still here, with her.
The woman on the laptop gave a small sigh.
"Happy to turn the radios off from here Commander. Just say the word." Johanssen said
"Wait, Johanssen the uhh… constant communication is the hallmark of-" Subaru started to say
"Shut'em off." Lewis interrupted sternly. At this, Johanssen pressed a button and all forms of distanced communication were shut down between the astronauts.
"Hahah! She really is just like Ram- nee sama!" Petra said giggling at Lewis's attitude
"Right down to the fake annoyance towards Subaru-kyun." Felix stated
At this Ram raised an eyebrow. "Fake? How in the Dragon's name did you feel as though my annoyance towards Barusu's lazy attitude is fake?" She questioned. This caused everyone to roll their eyes at the maid's denial.
Rem giggled at her sister's response. "It's okay sister, we all know that you really care for my hero." She said with a smile
Everyone else gave the pink-haired maid a knowing nod.
"You are all fools." Ram said, turning away from the stares.
Subaru looked around slightly annoyed and raised his arms in exasperation at his Commander's direction.
"I apologize for the immaturity of these men, Vogel." Lewis said
"Accepted. How many samples do we need, commander?" Vogel asked as began to place martian soil into a container
"7. 100 grams each." Lewis responded
Back at the lab with Johanssen and Beck, an alarm began to sound throughout the room. Johanssen looked up to a monitor to read what it said.
Emergency - Mission Status Update The message read
"That doesn't look good." Al said, also reading the message
Johanssen turned to Beck. "We have a mission update. A storm warning." she said. She then turned the comms back on.
"Commander, you should come inside. You're gonna wanna see this. "
"What is it?" Lewis asked
"Storm warning."
This caused all of the other astronauts in the field to look up from their work with surprised expressions.
"I saw that in this morning's briefing. We'll be inside before it hits." Lewis reported
Johannsen began to look through the information on her laptop and grimaced at what she saw.
"Yeah, they upgraded their estimate. The storm is gonna be a lot worse." she said with a concerned voice
This caused Commander Lewis to drop what she was doing immediately.
"Martinez, how does it look?" Lewis asked
Martinez, who was still inspecting the MAV, turned around behind him. What he saw was a giant sandstorm descending over the hills. Within the sandstorm, brief flashes of lightning could be seen as the storm burrowed it's way down to the astronauts at an alarming rate.
"Not good." Martinez responded
"I'll say." Ricardo looked in shock at the giant sandstorm. The twins on his lap moved slightly closer to the large demi-human.
"W-why is the storm so large?" A nervous Petra asked while holding on to Federica's forearm
"Must be the nature of the planet." Otto suggested, also intimidated by the storm's size
They've never seen a storm so large. The fact that it originates from another planet only adds to the fear it gave to the cast. The feeling of looking at something that comes from the unknown is enough to shake even Reinhard's demeanor.
'Please, stay safe, my knight.' Emilia thought
With all of the astronauts back inside the HAB they assessed the severity of the storm on several screens.
"1,200 km in diameter, bearing 24.41 degrees." Lewis said as she ran off the numbers
"That's tracking right towards us." Johanssen reported
"Based on current escalation, an estimated course of 8,600 Newtons?" Lewis said with more edge in her voice
Subaru's eyes widened with surprise as his breath hitched at how powerful this storm was.
"Judging from Natuski-sama's demeanor, that must be a force to be reckoned with." A nervous Crusch said
Beatrice once again grabbed onto her contractor's clothing as she watched Subaru's expression change once it was revealed how powerful the storm was.
"I wonder what their countermeasures are? Surely if they were able to make it this far, they would have some plan to deal with something like this." Anastasia said with her hand on her chin
"What's the abort force?" He asked
"7,500." Beck responded
"That's way over their threshold." Julius said
"Indeed. The best course of action would be to retreat." Reinhard suggested
"Anything more than that and the MAV could tip." Martinez reported from in front of the MAV.
"Do we scrub?" Vogel asked
"Begin abort procedure." Lewis said while nodding her head.
"We are estimating with a margin of error. We could wait it out. " Vogel advised with a shrug of his shoulders
"Let's wait it out." Subaru suggested. Everyone looked at him. "Let's wait it out." He repeated in response to everyone's stares.
"Why would Subaru-kyun want to stay?" Felix asked, confused by the black-haired boy's judgment.
"Like the bald one said, that estimate is made with a margin of error." Anastasia answered
"If they leave now, they're going to abandon all the progress they've made thus far."
"But if they stay and it's too much, they'll be in trouble." Crusch responded
"Then it's gaaaaaame of which one you want to riiiiiiiisk first: Safety or Progress" an amused Roswaal stated
Silently, everyone picked their sides and what they would do in that situation.
"As per usual, Barusu is picking the most reckless course of action." Ram said
"That is a pattern Betty's contractor always follows, I suppose." Beatrice said irritably
"Stupid Dunderhead." Emilia said, poking Subaru's cheek
"Commander?" Johanssen asked
Lewis bit her lip and looked down with a thoughtful expression. After taking a deep breath she responded.
"Prep emergency departure."
"Commander-" Subaru tried to object.
"We're scrubbed. That's an order." Lewis said cutting Subaru off.
Those who chose 'safety' nodded their heads in agreement with Lewis's decision.
Back outside with the MAV, Martinez ran towards a lever at the legs of the craft and switched it on. This caused a hatch to open and a ladder to descend from the inside. Martinez then began to climb the ladder as he ascended into the spacecraft.
"Martinez, how long before take-off?" Lewis asked.
"12 minutes."
Back at the HAB, the 4 remaining astronauts emerged from a doorway in full space gear.
"Visibility is almost 0." Lewis advised her team. "Anyone gets lost, home in on my suits telemetry."
"Her suit's what?" Felt asked, confused by the terms they were using.
"She said, 'telemetry'. I don't quite know what that term means, but if she's asking for her crewmates to follow it, I assume it's something they can use to track her movements." Crusch suggested.
Everyone else nodded at the duchess's deduction as it made the most sense.
Beatrice and Emilia could only look down sadly after hearing the explanation. It reminded them too much of how Subaru would use the Witch's scent to lure mabeasts to follow him.
"You ready?"
"Ready!" Subaru said from the back of the group.
As soon as Lewis opened the door, she was blown back by wind and rocks.
"GODDAM!" Ricardo and Al shouted
The children in the audience jumped at the loud sound of the door being forced upon.
"That's one crazy storm, nyan." Felix said with a troubled expression.
"Commander! Are you ok?!" A concerned Subaru asked.
Small rocks began to fly inside the HAB as Lewis started to stand back up.
"I'm okay!" Lewis responded through gritted teeth.
When she stood back up, all the astronauts began to walk into the violent storm. Their headlights barely provide any help in terms of visibility.
"Damn! I can't see nothin' with all these rocks!" Garfiel said, squinting his eyes at the screen.
"The lack of visibility in this dangerous storm certainly is concerning." a worried Julius said, his eyes glued onto the screen.
Everyone's breathing began to increase when it was revealed exactly how dangerous the sandstorm was.
'Subaru-kun…' Rem thought worriedly as she examined the terrifying situation her hero found himself in.
Subaru was the last one to walk out as he struggled to close the door against the high winds.
The 4 astronauts ventured on, with winds and small bits of rock hitting their space suits. Feeling as though at any moment, the winds could blow them away.
Inside the MAV, Martinez began to finalize the take-off preparations.
"Commander, we're at 10 degrees, and the MAV is going to tip at 12.3."
"Hey! We might be able to keep the MAV from tipping!" Subaru yelled through the noise of the storm.
Crusch couldn't help but smile when she saw Subaru's problem-solving nature. It reminded her how amazing he was during the White Whale subjection and the ingenious plans he came up with to bring it down.
The members of her camp were also smiling as they remembered the boy's actions as well.
"Ha! Mah Cap'n always comin' up with the plans!" Garfiel said proudly
"How?" Lewis asked
"Use the cables from the comms mast as guy-lines, and anchor it with the Rover's." He suggested
Just then a large crash could be heard, as if something was torn away from its place.
"WATCH OUT!" Lewis yelled to her crewmates.
Most of the crew managed to respond in time. Except one.
Standing at the very back of the group, almost no visibility, and his mind still distracted with his idea of preventing the MAV from falling over; Subaru Natuski was struck by a stray satellite dish.
"Grgh!" Subaru groaned as he was struck. "AAAAAAAAAAAAA"
"BARUSU!"
"SUBARU!"
"SUBARU-KUN!"
"CAP'N!"
"BIG BRO"
"NATUSKI-SAN"
The various names given to Emilia's knight by the members of the audience shouted in pandamonium through the entire theater.
Shock and panic filled through everyone's veins as they watched the black-haired boy get struck in the middle of the violent storm. His scream as he was blown back sent a shiver through everyone's spine, as it reminded them of the screams he made all those times he was tortured and killed in their world.
Rem was gripping her seat so hard it was starting to crack as she watched in horror as her love was struck, and separated from the group.
Ram was standing up as she stared at the screen. She was able to regain most of her composure after her initial outcry. However, her eyes were still filled with concern and worry as she watched the astronaut get launched away.
Emilia and Felt had a vice-grip on the sleeping boy's hands between them.
Beatrice was gripping her contractor's clothes, as if to keep him from being thrown away in the manner that she had just witnessed.
"Natsuki!" Johansson yelled
The helmet cam on Subaru's suit captured him being violently thrown into the air. Before he eventually landed on the ground, unresponsive.
Everyone did a collective wince at the sound of Subaru's violent landing.
"WARNING. SUIT BREACH DETECTED." an automated voice called out from inside the MAV
'No…' Al thought in horror. He was likely the only one who truly understood how serious that message was
"What happened?" Lewis asked quickly
"He was hit." Johanssen responded, slightly panicked
"Natuski report!" Lewis asked on the comms
"Before we lost telemetry his decompression alarm went off." Vogel reported
"Johanssen, where did you last see him?!" Lewis asked, her voice being raised
"I don't know where he is?"
"What are the vitals on his suit?"
"He's offline!"
"Complete loss of signal on Natuski!"
All of the astronauts were just spouting out their fears as they tried to look for Subaru in the violent sandstorm. All of them, looking at the devices mounted on their wrists for any sign that Subaru is still alive.
"Please find him! Please find Big bro!" Felt called out with tears streaming down her face as she moved closer to the sleeping Subaru beside her.
"No! Cap'n's too much of a tough bastard to die from somethin' like this!" Garfiel shouted.
'Why?! Why is it always him that needs to go through these things?!' Emilia thought as sobbed into her knight's shoulder.
Emilia thought that if he didn't come to Luginica, he would at least live a happy life. However, after seeing him struggle, even in this world, her heart couldn't help but ache as she witnessed the misfortune always seems to follow her precious knight.
"Beck!" Vogel called out amidst the chaos
"Yeah?!"
"How long can he survive decompression?" Vogel asked
"Less than a minute." Beck responded
"No!" Rem shouted as she sobbed into her hands. Ram could only envelop her sister in a hug to try and comfort her.
'Dammit Barusu… you better not die...please.' Ram thought pleadingly
"How unfortunaaaate. It even appears you don't have your ability in this wooooooorld." Roswaal said
At the reminder that this Subaru doesn't have Return By Death, the sobs and fears of everyone exponentially increased.
"S-So if he dies here." Reinhard said with a shaky voice.
"It's permanent." Julius said with frustration and worry. His teeth grinding against one another so hard that they threatened to break.
"NO! Betty's Subaru won't die, in fact! I won't allow it, I suppose!" Beatrice sobbed as she buried her face into Subaru's chest.
Crusch gripped her heart through her clothing as her heart ached at the thought of Subaru's permanent death.
Lewis grimaced at this information.
"Line up! Walk west. He may be prone. We don't wanna accidentally step over him." She commanded.
As per her orders, the remaining astronauts formed a straight line, shoulder-to-shoulder, and began to walk.
"Commander, we are at 10.5 degrees." Martinez called from inside the MAV. The spacecraft itself was being swayed by the strong winds of the storm.
"EXCESSIVE TILT." an automated voice called out
"Tilting to 11 with all these gusts of wind." he advised
"They're going to fall over, nyan!" Felix shouted.
'Damn, everything just went to shit so quickly.' Al thought as he gritted his teeth through his helmet
"Copy that." Lewis responded
"Everyone hone in on Martinez's suit. It'll get you to airlock. Get in, and prep for launch" she said to her remaining crewmates
"What about you Commander?" Beck asked
"I'm going to search a little longer. Get moving!" she commanded
With this, 3 of the 4 remaining astronauts split off from their commander to the MAV.
"Natsuki!" Lewis called out
"Natsuki report!"
Everyone strained their ears and hoped that they would hear the black-haired boy's voice echo through the radio. But to no avail.
'Dammit. Where the hell are you Natsuki?!' Julius frantically thought. He couldn't… no… he didn't want to believe that Subaru had died like this. Not after everything he witnessed the boy endure through the previous viewings. The reminder that this Subaru doesn't have the ability to return back worried the Greatest Knight a lot more than he wanted to admit.
"The MAV is at 11.6 degrees. One good gust and we're tipping." Martinez called out.
"If it tips you launch." Lewis immediately said
"You really think I'm going to leave you behind?" Martinez asked
"That's an order Martinez." Lewis said back sternly
The 3 astronauts that split off finally reached the MAV. Beck grabbed a hold of the ladder and looked back out into the violent sandstorm.
"Subaru! Subaru, can you hear me ?!" Lewis called out once again
"Martinez, what about the proximity radar?" she asked desperately
"Could that detect Natuski's suit?"
"It's made to see the Hermes from orbit, not a little piece of metal from a single suit." Martinez responded.
"Give it a try." she ordered
"Roger." Martinez said as he turned on the proximity radar.
"What is she thinking? She knows the infrared can't get through a sandstorm!" Vogel asked irritably
"She's grasping for anything." Beck responded as he reached the top of the ladder.
"She's just as desperate to find Subaru-dono as we are." Wilhelm said
"They're going to find him. Right, Frederica ne-sama?" Petra whimpered out from Frederica's embrace.
Frederica could only give her understudy a sad expression. Although she doesn't have a complete understanding of this world's technology, she could still tell that the situation was dire. "They're trying their best Petra-chan." she said, gently patting her understudy's head.
"We got nothing from the proximity radar." Martinez reported
"Nothing?!" Lewis said
"Nah. I can barely see the HAB."
The astronauts who reached the MAV began to buckle their seatbelts.
"Commander, I know you don't wanna hear this, but Subaru is dead." Beck said solemnly
"How dare this swine say that about Betty's Subaru, I suppose!" Beatrice cried out in rage.
"NO HE AIN'T! DIS' GUY DON'T KNOW WA HE'S TALKIN' BOUT!" Garfiel shouted with tears on his face.
Emilia cried harder on her knight's shoulder as she heard his words.
'No he's not! H-He's right here. W-With us. With me.' She thought as she gripped Subaru's clothing.
Lewis was still looking through the violent sandstorm. A dazed look in her eye. Desperately searching for any sign of her crewmate.
"Commander!" Beck called out
Martinez looked back at Beck with a glare.
"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you, man?!" Martinez asked pissed off
"My friend just died. I don't want my commander to die too." Beck responded with a glare of his own.
"Truly pathetic." Priscilla said through her fan.
"It is that own fool's fault for getting hit by debris. It makes no sense for these other dogs to die along with him"
Shouts of outrage and protest rang out from the fiery princess's statement.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SAY THAT ABOUT BIG BRO?!" Felt shouted pointing at Priscilla.
Priscilla was unimpressed at the backlash of her comment.
"Your words mean nothing to me, wretched dog. It makes perfect sense to abandon the weakling if it's to prevent the deaths of these other commoners." she said while fanning herself.
"WHY YOU-" Felt started
"She's right, Felt-sama."
Everyone looked at Crusch in shock.
"How could you say that Crusch-sama?!" Rem shouted out, completely ignoring her place as a maid.
"You'll watch your tone when addressing Crusch-sama!" Felix stood up to defend his candidate.
Crusch just raised her hand to calm Felix down. She gritted her teeth and looked at everyone with her own tear-stained face.
"It's like Beck-sama said. They can't lose anymore than what they already have. Especially their commander." Crusch struggled to say.
Having the experience of leading an army, Crusch was forced to make decisions like these all of the time. There are instances where she has to prioritize the lives of her entire unit over a single soldier. As much as it pains her, she couldn't help but agree with Dr. Beck's assessment.
Everyone watched the tears streaming down Crusch's face as she said her piece. They could tell that she doesn't like the decision anymore than they do. They knew that had there been another option, she would've taken it in a heartbeat.
"STABILITY WARNING" the automated voice called out
"We're tipping!" Johansson called out from the bottom of the ladder of the MAV.
"Commander! You need to get back to the ship, now!" Martinez called out with urgency
"13 degrees!"
"If we pass balance, we'll never rock back." Vogel said
"I got one more trick left, and then I'm following orders, commander." Martinez said as he pressed a button on the control panel.
The button caused the jets on the side of the MAV to ignite. The force from the jets help correct the tipping of the MAV only slightly.
"He's using those devices to steady the ship, nyan." Felix observed
"They're trying to buy as much time as they possibly can." Reinhard said, tightly gripping his armchairs.
"Please, Subaru. Where are you?" Emilia whispered painfully
"You're firing the OMS?!" Vogel asked in disbelief.
"That's right." Martinez said with a determined expression
"Commander!" Johansson called out once again.
"On my way." Lewis said as she maneuvered her way to the MAV through the sandstorm.
"OI! WHERE DA' HELL YOU THINK YE'R GOIN'! Cap'n is still back there!" Garfiel shouted in rage.
"No…" Petra whimpered, holding on to Fredericia like a lifeline.
Beck let out a slight sigh in relief.
"Johansson let's go." Martinez called out. Johansson spotted Lewis and let out a breath. She then began to climb up a ladder to the inside of the MAV.
When Lewis finally reached the ladder, she grabbed onto it and looked into the distance one last time.
"Subaru?" Lewis gave one last desperate cry
She watched for one more second, then another, then another. Then she finally put her head down and proceeded to climb up the ladder.
"ARGH! FUCK!" Garfiel shouted as he punched the floor of the theater in frustration. Tears falling freely from his face, onto the ground.
"I-Is Big boss bro really gone?" Mimi quietly asked Ricardo. Tivey also looked to the dogman with a glazed expression
Ricardo could only close his eyes and put his large arms over the twins to comfort them as they began to cry.
"Subaru-kun… he can't be dead." Rem sobbed. She had watched him die over and over throughout the previous viewings. While it was painful for her to watch her hero die so much, her only comfort was that he would always come back. To even think about her hero dying permanently, it's too much for the blue-haired maid.
"We are at 11.5 and holding." Martinez reported
"Ready to go at your command."
Lewis sat down in her chair at the spacecraft, and strapped in her seatbelt. Martinez flipped one more switch.
"Ready to launch." He announced
"Commander."
He looked at Lewis who seemed to be in a state of shock. Her eyes were glazed and her breathing was heavy.
Crusch could relate to the look on Lewis's face. It is the same face she saw whenever she looked in the mirror after leading a tough battle.
"I need you to verbally tell me whether or not to-" Martinez started
"Launch." Lewis said quickly
At this order, Martinez pressed a green button that ignited the MAV's boosters. The force of the boosters began to lift the spacecraft into the air, away from the Martian soil.
"NO! GO BACK! DON'T LEAVE HIM!" Petra shouted as she couldn't stand the sight of the MAV start to leave the Martian ground
"Dammit!" Reinhard said as he pounded his fist into his armchair. All of the knights in the room couldn't help but feel incompetent with their actions. Even though this is another world, with another Subaru Natuski, they still felt as though they failed. They failed to save an innocent life.
"Why? Why does everyone leave him?" Emilia said sadly as she hugged Subaru's arm. She reflected back on all the times Subaru has been abandoned in his loops. She's reminded of when she left him, and Subaru had to face the White Whale and Witch Cult without her support.
In this instance, the astronauts were forced to leave due to the storm. But when Emilia left him, she chose to do that of her own free will. Just the thought of it filled her with so much guilt.
'I'm… so sorry… Subaru.' she thought
The astronauts on the inside were sitting down in their seats with solemn expressions as their cheeks shook with the force from the MAV's lift off.
Johansson looked to her left and gazed down at the empty chair next to her.
Lewis continued to look forward. However, if one could look closely, you could see small tears beginning to form in her eyes.
At last, the MAV built enough speed to leave the Martian atmosphere.
Not even being able to comment on a machine capable of reaching the atmosphere, everyone could only watch with tear-stained faces as the astronauts left behind their crew member on a desolate planet.
"At around 4:30 AM Central Standard time, our satellites detected a storm approaching the Ares III mission site on Mars. At 6:45, the storm escalated to severe and we had no choice but to abort the mission. Thanks to the quick action of Commander Lewis, astronauts: Beck, Johannson, Martinez, and Vogel were all able to reach the Mars Ascent Vehicle and perform an emergency launch at 7:28 Central Time…" a man with a sharp suit spoke to the crowd full of reporters
"This must be their way of reporting the event to the public." Julius said quietly, as he tried to change the subject
"Ares III? Is that the name of the place those astronauts just left, nyan?" Felix questioned
"It would appear so. The "III" in it is interesting. Does that mean there are two more places just like it?" Wilhelm pondered. He too was also looking for something that would divert his attention from the young knight's death.
You are indeed correct Wilhelm. As you may have noticed, Ares III is the third mission on the red planet.
Everyone, including Al, was shocked at this news.
'So they didn't just discover how to travel to Mars recently?' Al thought in surprise
"So there were two other missions before it…" Otto said, as he thought about what the astronauts did during those missions.
"What is the purpose of these missions?" Crusch asked, as if reading Otto's thoughts
The Ares missions were designed to give humans the opportunity to study the red-planet more closely. You can only learn so much about a planet if you just keep looking at it from the ground. Therefore, each mission involved sending astronauts to Mars to study its geology, natural phenomenons, and capability of sustaining life.
The last part of the statement really caught everyone's attention.
"Sustaining life?" Reinhard repeated questioningly
"You mean people want to live in that crazy place?!" Petra asked in shock. The death of her idol still fresh on her mind.
The entire cast also began to question the logic behind the people's desire to migrate to the inhabitable world.
"Why would the people of Subaru-sama's world want to leave their planet?" Frederica asked
Well, one part is pure human curiosity. But the other is more… desperate.
"Desperate?" Ram repeated
Everything comes at a price. You think that Subaru's planet got that technologically advanced without consequences?
Everyone leaned back in their chairs in shock. They were so captivated by all of the amazing technology of Subaru's world that they didn't even consider the drawbacks of having such inventions.
Anastasia was hit by this news the hardest. How could she overlook one of the biggest drawbacks of progress? That being, the price that comes with it.
"Like what consequences?" Emilia quietly asked
I'm going to give the short version, because if not, we'll never get through this viewing.
Everyone did a collective gulp.
Their planet is getting sicker by the day. Most of the technology they use produces a harmful fog that is thrown up into the air. Overtime this fog builds up and begins to damage the foundations of their world. Plants and animals begin to die. Temperatures are starting to rise. Fires are raging everywhere. The sky is gets darker. And so much more. Scientists are working to reverse the effects on their planet. However, if it's too late to save their original world, then… it's time they find a new one to live in.
Everyone could only listen to Bill Nye's speech in shock. Their shock was increased when the screen showed pictures of the events that Bill talked about.
They saw whole forests burning into ash, dead fish littering the shorelines, black smog covering the sky.
Emilia had her hand on her mouth as small tears began to fall from her eyes.
"T-That's horrible." She said
Felt tightened her grip on Subaru's hand. "And here I thought Big bro's world is the perfect place."
"It almost seems as though we are better off than they are when he puts it that way." Julius said, shocked by the news
Priscilla opened her fan and put it in front of her face as she stared at the disturbing images.
"Hmph. As I suspected, dogs will be dogs. No matter what world they come from." She said with a disgusted tone.
"Damn. Things got that bad since I was gone huh?" Al said quietly
Anastasia could only stare at the screen with a blank expression. She thought about all the times she wished she had the technology from Subaru's world. All of the business practices and opportunities it would present. But she did not once think about its drawbacks.
'If I did bring that technology to Lugunica, would I have doomed our world to suffer the same fate as Natuski-kun's world?' Anastasia thought to herself.
She gave herself a self-deprecating smile and thought.
'I guess I really am… slothful.'
"A-Anastasia-sama?" A concerned Julius asked when he noticed the look on his candidate's face.
Anastasia just shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I'm fine Julius-kun. Thank you." She replied normally
Julius just nodded and turned his head back to the screen as it began to show Subaru's story once again.
"...Unfortunately, during the evacuation, astronaut Subaru Natsuki was struck by debris and killed…"
At this statement, several reporters gasped and began to murmur their concerns.
"...Commander Lewis and the rest of her team were able to intercept safely with the Hermes and are now heading home. But Subaru Natsuki is dead." the man concluded
"Director Sanders!"
"Excuse me, Director Sanders!
"Mr. Sanders!"
Several reporters began to cry out, eager to ask the Director of NASA several questions relating to the death of the Japanese astronaut.
"Sure as hell glad I ain't him right now." Ricardo said
"No kidding." Al responded
'Those reporters can be so nasty.' He thought to himself
Back on Mars, the sandstorm has ended, and the landscape is once again in a state of calm.
"Why the hell are we back here?!" Felt shouted, angry with seeing the planet that killed her Big bro.
"It's unsettling to see how drastically the landscape changes from being peaceful to violent." Frederica said, uncomfortable with the silence
A faint beeping sound can be heard as we look at a small patch of metal. It was covered with Martian sand and was barely visible. Upon closer inspection, we see that the patch of metal was in fact, a human being wearing a spacesuit. Subaru Natsuki.
"Guhh!" Subaru gasped as he regained his proper breathing
"He's ALIVE! By the Dragon, he lives!" Otto cried out in relief
"YEAH! I told ya Cap'n ain't goin' down to some lame ass storm!" Garfiel shouted triumphantly
"Subaru-kun…" Rem said happily as she gripped her heart beating heart through her clothes
"It appears you live to annoy me again, Barusu." Ram said with a genuine smile when she sees breathing knight
"It's good to see you are still with us, Subaru-dono." Wilhelm said fondly
"He's back… he always comes back." A relieved Emilia said as she gazed upon her own sleeping knight. "Because Subaru is just that amazing!" She said as she hugged his arm once again.
"Hmph! It's only natural for Betty's contractor to be stronger than most, I suppose." Beatrice said with a proud smile.
"Oxygen level critical!" An automated voice called from within Subaru's suit.
"Shit!" Al shouted, cutting off everyone's celebrations
"What? What does that mean?" Tivey asked quickly
"It means he's running out of air. He won't be able to breathe soon!" Al responded
"Can't this kid catch a break?!" Ricardo said angrily
Nearly everyone agreed with Ricardo's sentiments. They just found out he's alive, and not even 2 minutes go by and he's already on the verge of death once again?!
Subaru began to look at his surroundings in panic. His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to get his bearings. His entire body was aching, it was getting hard for him to breathe. Through his gritted teeth, he forced his body to sit up.
When he was finally able to raise his torso, he discovered that he was impaled through his abdomen by a large piece of metal.
Many gasped at the sight of Subaru's wound.
"Why?! Why is all of this happening to Big bro?!" Felt said as she gripped Subaru's hand tighter. Her free hand trying to wipe away the tears that are once again forming in her face.
"Hardship always follows his path, no matter where he goes." Reinhard said as he looked down with despair. He felt pity for his friend and guilt for not being able to help him.
"Why can't the world just leave Betty's Subaru alone, in fact." Beatrice said with trembling lips sadly.
'Natuski-san, how do you deal with this?' Otto thought sadly to himself
"Ah! AH!" he cried out. The slightest movement caused sharp spikes of pain to shoot out from his wound.
Emilia's heart broke each time he cried out in pain from his wound.
No one should have to deal with this much hardship. Especially not someone as good-hearted as her knight.
Subaru tried taking deep breaths, to ease his nerves and his damaged body. He then forced strength into his legs so that he'll be able to properly stand on his feet.
However, after he took a single step he was met with an excruciating pain in the area where he was impaled. The pain was so intense that it almost forced him to black out.
"AHHH!" he shouted as he fell down to one knee
"Shit!" Ricardo exclaimed as he grimaced at the sight.
"Frederica ne-sama… please… help Subaru" Petra cried out while hugging Frederica's waist
Frederica could only give Petra a small kiss on the top of her head to calm her down. She too was hurting as she witnessed Emilia's knight go through such hardship.
"Subaru-sama… I wish… I could be there." Reinhard said through gritted teeth.
"He shouldn't have to go through this alone."
Rem forced herself to keep watching the screen without turning away. Even as tears streamed down her face at her hero's painful situation, she promised herself that she won't look away. If she can't be there with him, the least she could do is see this through.
He looked down at the piece of metal protruding from his abdomen and found that it was connected to a distant satellite via a long metal wire.
He grabbed a wire cutter from one of his pockets and carefully severed the wire that connected him and the satellite. Now free, he gave one last grunt as he once again stood up.
He looked out into the far Martian distance and spotted the HAB not too far from where he was. Seeing his goal, Subaru took one more calming breath and began to make his way to the base.
When Subaru finally reached the HAB, he went inside and quickly pulled a lever on the door. The lever effectively sealed the door to prevent any air from leaving the HAB.
Once the pressure within the HAB was deemed stable, Subaru immediately began to throw off his spacesuit. Frantically removing all of its pieces from his helmet, to his chest piece, to his gloves, and everything in between.
With the majority of his gear taken off, Subaru stood at the center of the room with his hand hovering over the piece of metal that impaled him.
Taking several deep breaths, he prepared himself for the pain that's about to come. He then quickly yanked out the metal that protruded from his abdomen.
"AHHHHH!" He cried out in pain
Mimi couldn't help but cover her ears to stop herself from listening to the loud cries of pain from the astronaut.
Juilus gritted his teeth in frustration as he forced herself to continue to watch his friend deal with so much pain. He was once again reminded of how much pain he put Subaru through during that time at the royal capital. Even if it was to teach him a lesson, Juilus couldn't help but think he took it too far. Subaru was arrogant then, yes, but he didn't deserve to endure such pain. Not that time, and not this time either.
Felix's hands were twitching madly. He wanted nothing more than to run and cast healing magic to help the poor man. But all he could do was watch as Subaru suffered.
Knowing he doesn't have time to cry just yet, he quickly applied pressure to the open wound.
He hobbled his way to the side of the HAB where they kept a variety of surgical equipment. He got a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut off his shirt. He got some gauze and quickly put it on his wound. He then grabbed a handful of tools that he will need to fix himself up and proceed to an operating bench.
"I-Is he going to operate on himself?" Tivey asked in horror.
"He has to. Being impaled is a very serious injury, if he doesn't act quickly, he'll… die. " Feilx said in frustration as he stared at the injury.
"No one should have to face such an ordeal alone. Especially not him." Crusch whispered under her breath as she tightly gripped the chair's armrests.
Now sitting down, he adjusted the mirror in front of him to get a better look at his wound. It was bad, but not life-threatening if he acts quickly.
He grabbed a tool from the operating tray and proceeded to repeatedly stab himself around the wound. The tool delivered small doses of painkillers in order to numb the affected area.
The cast winced each time Subaru stabbed himself with the numbing agent.
With the area now relatively numb, Subaru began to proceed with the procedure. Taking a deep breath, he began to insert a tool inside his open wound.
Petra couldn't watch anymore as she buried her face into Frederica's waist.
Otto had to make an effort to swallow the bile that came up from his stomach at the site of such a horrible wound.
Felix was biting his lip so hard that it started to draw blood. His hands were subconsciously letting out bits of healing magic. Watching someone who was severely injured and not being able to heal him, was so frustrating to the demi-human boy.
Emilia's breathing has become erratic with worry as she watches her knight insert the large metal tool inside his open wound.
"Ergh! Ah!" Subaru called out as he maneuvered the tool inside the wound. He could feel a piece of metal still lodged inside of his body. He needed to get it out if he wanted even a chance to survive. Now applying pressure on the handle of the tool, he was able to properly widen his open wound.
This allowed him to stick a pair of pliers inside of the wound in order to dig out the stray piece of metal he could feel still stuck inside his body.
"Ahhh! BWAh!" He cried out once again as he began to search inside his own body. Tears now forming in his eyes as sweat dripped from every pore in his body.
More tears fell from Emilia's face as she heard Subaru's cries of pain.
'You're right here. You're right here. And you're safe.' She kept repeating to herself as she held the sleeping boy's hand
"I'm sorry Betty is not there to help you, I suppose." Beatrice said sadly as she continued to watch her precious contractor deal plunge the long metallic object in his open wound. Her eyes filled with pain as she maintained a strong grip on the Subaru that was sleeping peacefully.
Feeling the pliers touch something, he applied pressure to the handle to grip the metal. As he slowly removed the pliers from his abdomen, he couldn't help but cry out in pain once again.
When the pliers were fully out of his abdomen, he quickly reapplied pressure to his wound with the bloody bandage he put aside. Taking a quick look at what he pulled out from the inside of his body, he found it to be a small piece of metal the size of a coin.
Everyone let out a collective breath that they were holding in throughout the entire operation.
"H-He got it." Otto said, breathing out a small sigh in relief.
"Like my amazin' self said before, it's gunna take a lot more than that to take Cap'n down." Garfiel said with a slight grin
"He certainly is impressive enough to make it this far." Anastasia said quietly to herself
"Tch. Such a disgusting task is only fitting for a dog such as this one." Priscilla said through her fan.
Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he slowly put the piece of metal in a cup.
Subaru then retrieved a staple gun from the operating table and proceeded to close his wound with his free hand. With the hand that was holding the staple gun, he painfully shot out the staples onto his skin in order to close the wound. Each staple that punctured his skin caused him to make a loud grunt in pain.
"You're doing great Subaru-dono." Wilhelm said, eagerly waiting for the completion of such a difficult ordeal.
'Cmon bro. You're almost done.' Al encouraged
When he put the last staple in, Subaru then put the staple gun back on the table and laid his head down on the bench. He kept taking deep breaths as he blinked the sweat and tears out of his eyes.
"Fuck." was all he could say when the procedure completed.
"Couldn't have said it any better myself man." Ricardo said, shaking his head with pity
"W-What's Subaru going to do now? H-He's all alone in that… that place!" Petra cried out, still traumatized by all of the blood she saw.
"He's goin' to be fine. Cap'n will find a way to get outta that shithole. Cus thats just who Cap'n is." Garfiel said while looking down at the ground.
'This truly seems like an impossible situation Subaru-kun. What are you going to do now I wonder?' An amused Roswaal said with a wide grin.
Wow, that took a lot for just the first 15 minutes. Major respect to those who do like 30 minutes or hour-long episodes. Anyway, that's the chapter. Thanks for reading and lemme know how to improve.
Quick disclaimer, the only reason why I released the prologue and CH1 so close to one another was because I did them around the same time. This WILL NOT be the case for future chapters. Again, this is mainly for fun. So I won't be able to bang out chapters like rabbit pops out babies.