The planet is not the most ideal place to get any supplies, but at least the amount we've got will be enough for now. Some men were too heavily wounded that if they aren't treated properly in a few days, the doctor may need to prepare to cut off some arms and legs.

I don't know why I end up in a bar at the outskirts of the town, but then I am grateful that I have gone there because the wine is so far the best I've tasted in quite a long time. When I am told that I should go back, I bought a bottle for Miime and leave the bar quite reluctantly.

I should have stayed longer. The first thing I see is two Gaia soldiers walking towards my direction. What the hell are they doing?

I hide into a dark alley before they can see me. I quicken my steps and want to exit from the other street, just to be met by two other soldiers who seem so lost in the town that I feel a little bit sorry for them. I climb up to the roof of the house to get a better look of my surroundings, only to see at least a dozen of soldiers coming from all directions, wandering around the place as if not sure who their target is.

They're there just to stop him from going back.

And they forget to think three-dimensionally.

I leap up across the gap between two buildings and start to run on the rooftops, at the same time groping for intercom and putting it on. 'Tochiro, I need you to scan the whole ship! Now!'

What's up, Harlock?

'Just fucking scan the ship for any intruders! I think we're under attack!'

Okay, okay, just a 'ment…

Tochiro swears. He's on the bridge, having a fight with Miime.

Fuck.

'How the hell did he get in?'

I'm sorry, Harlock.

I say nothing more. I run into the hangar, dive straight into the lift and desperately punching the button to the bridge all along the five-second ride which seems to last for an eternity. I take my time to unsheathe my sabre, rushing out and blocking an attack for Miime.

It is the same soldier from the first attack.

His motion faster than I can track, another blade appears in his left hand and he throws the one on his right hand towards Miime's general direction. The alien ducks the blade, putting some distance between us and the soldier goes for her, but I put myself between them and our blades collided, the deafening clang echoing in the large room. Miime quickly rights herself, slashing the weapon towards the invader. Her attempt fails as a knife materialises in his hand and he twists a full circle to get out of our trap. He does a backflip, lands not far away from us and leaps up in the air, straightening his arms to raise the knives as high as possible. I go for his heart, but against my known laws of physics, his nihilium blade touches Miime's, sticks together like magnet and he turns a full circle in midair, the knives detaching and kicking Miime off-balance.

This time, he reaches for the dark matter engine.

I don't like the way the fight is going; the soldier's height allows him to escape very easily, and my side is getting more and more passive.

This is bad.

I aim at him and fire a shot, but somehow he knows where the gravity beam is and blocks it with his knife. However the force knocks him sideways, and he fall down onto the floor, rolls and stands up again as usual. At the same time, Miime is already waiting for him there, but he then jumps, does a 180 ° flip and clamps her arm between his legs, twisting it until the force brings both of them on the ground. I fire another shot at him despite the possibility of accidentally hitting Miime.

The world slows down as the beam hit the soldier's heart. I see him dissolve into millions of fireflies together with his gear, and the remaining evidence of the previous fight is my smoking gravity sabre and a shock Miime, who is lying sideways on the floor. I hurry to her side and help her get up.

He is a Nibelung.

'Are you okay, Miime?' I ask. I don't remember last time she being so frightened.

'I...I know him,' she says with a trembling voice. 'But I don't recognise him. Something tells me that we're related.'

I frown. 'Let's go back first. Then we'll talk about it.'

By the time I arrive at the base, the wound has stopped hurting already. One advantage of being half-Nibelung: you never seem to die. One can have billions of chances for doing the same thing.

The disadvantage? The human side of yours sometimes comes out and one may get him-/herself killed for that portion of DNA in his/her veins. Which actually sucks, in my perspective. I definitely don't have that luxury to die a few times just like the alien has.

How I hate myself for being a half-blood.

Gaia… They're stupid. They don't have a mind of their own. Pawns of their ancestors who are equally stupid. I have met all of them. I remember all of them.

I pace towards the hologram of the known universe in the middle of the room. Enlarging it, a mark which symbolises the Arcadia slowly comes into sight.

Don't think I can't track you in an in-skip, Harlock, I think. I swipe the sphere more to the right and spots a Titan class battleship.

'Check the data of this ship,' I order.

'Roger that,' come the lifeless electronic reply.

'It's been abandoned, but in a good shape. What can I help you with that?'

'Don't need your help.'

'I hope you all remember the intruder who wounded all of you,' I start.

The crewmen look at one another. Good, because they seem to remember those specially programmed humanoids who harmed their pride as the undefeatable pirates of Arcadia.

'His target is Miime. As you all know, she is the only one who understand how to control the dark matter engine, so I hope you all realise how dangerous we are,' I continue. 'I hope you all can be aware of such person when- and wherever you go. Alert me if you see anything similar. Got it?'

A number of 'ayes' sound from the lower bridge. Just when I think everything is settled down, a beep is heard from a console. The man turns and widens the range.

'It's a Titan class battleship. Data comparison...' his voice dims. 'Kronos. It has been listed as MIA half a century ago.'