Thanks to his trip through the void before, Kazuma was familiar with just how long it took anything to happen in space. Even with the relatively (cosmically speaking) short distance between Belzerg and Eris, the typical transit time was still around two days. This was largely thanks to the fact that most large ships didn't actually land on the moon or the planet, but instead docked at one of the large space stations. In the case of the moon, most cargo was ferried up and down via one of the twin space elevators at the poles, though there were ports for smaller ships like the Faitfore. For the planet, there were four elevators, interspaced along the equator.
There were, of course, additional stations and habitats scattered around the orbit of Belzerg, including a few that had the strange name of O'Neill Cylinders, the origin of their naming being a transplant from earlier times when Belzerg had received more frequent visitors from other worlds. Most of these, however, were abandoned or failed, as inevitably they were impossible to maintain. Life never flourished or grew on any stations for reasons baffled scientists had never been able to explain, but attributed to cosmic radiation.
Thanks to the fact that most highliners were not at all designed to enter atmosphere, it was relatively easy to control traffic. Though smugglers like Dust and his crew were both common and somewhat ignored, mostly because they often conducted business for various corporations. It was nearly impossible for a private citizen to get a ship capable of atmospheric entry, and thus Sylvia tacitly ignored most of them in favor of slapping heavy fines on their patrons.
In normal circumstances, this was what allowed Dust and his crew to sneak in and out of the moon's atmosphere. While the moon's security forces clearly would see them coming and going, their stealth systems could hide them for a few hours, and they could harvest their cargo and leave. At worst, if they were attacked they could plead innocence, and a ShopWiz ship would likely take interest in dissuading the security forces from doing too much. ShopWiz would later eat a large fine, but not one so exorbitant to make the smuggling unprofitable.
There was also a great deal of traffic back and forth to get lost in. Ordinarily, there were dozens of arrivals and departures every hour, with hundreds of ships in transit. These, however, were not ordinary circumstances. There had not been a halt order of traffic on this scale in living memory of most beings. The last time had been 89 years ago, and the resulting war had caused the destruction of Elroad Entertainment and the death of its CEO, Ragecraft. The exact circumstances of his death were not widely known, but rumors persisted that it had been Sylvia's retribution for Ragecraft attempting to steal something quite valuable from her.
Still, even at the glacial pace that things usually happened in space, it was rapidly becoming obvious to Kazuma as he watched the LADAR that things were unraveling rapidly. Ships in transit were slowing, which in and of itself would cost untold billions of credits by the delays. But the stopped ships at the spaceports, or the ones queuing up to unload? That was catastrophic.
Belzerg no longer produced any food to speak of, relying almost entirely on imports from its moon to sustain its population. Every moment that this lifeline was interrupted was a moment that hundreds or thousands died of starvation. Already, corporate highliners were grouping up, and based on the radiation signatures, were gearing up for an assault. Most of them were armed, a few heavily so. The last corporate war had not been fought in space, largely because Sylvia had controlled all the serious weaponry on the moon or in space. This time, however, the other corporations had their own ships, and while they spent most of their time as glorified freighters, it did not take much to add a spiral mounted railgun, a nuclear missile battery, or a few energy cannons that could wreck a station in a few shots, and potentially devastate the lunar surface.
Kazuma and the Faitfore continued towards the Guild Hauler, which like most highliners was a long cylindrical shape, with slight bulges where the weapons and aft engines were, along with a few maneuvering thrusters. It currently rotated slowly, the engines only a soft idling glow. Turning them all the way off would have left the ship totally vulnerable, and thus it kept a little angular momentum, orbiting Eris in a stable pattern.
"Just a few minutes, and we're home free!" Dust said gleefully, patting Kazuma on the shoulder. He seemed to be in a VERY good mood after helping Rin take care of her "problem," which Kazuma figured was some sort of biological or behavioral conditioning that most carved slaves were implanted with. Part of him was jealous of Dust, but mostly he just wanted to get himself and Alice somewhere safe.
"Why do you trust Luna so much?" Kazuma asked nervously for about the third time.
"Ah she's great! Plus, she knows, you know?" Dust said, winking and elbowing Kazuma.
Kazuma did not know, but he was increasingly worried that if he admitted that, he would be in deep trouble. He watched with trepidation as the Guild Hauler grew to fill the entire screen; it was two kilometers in length, with a beam of just over 500 meters. The Faitfore disappeared into her open hold with plenty of room to spare, though it was 50 meters long with a 30 meter wingspan to aid in atmosphere.
The hold itself had been cleared out, with the Faitfore having flown past several drifting cargo containers. Kazuma shivered to see armored shapes lining the inside of the hold, then followed Dust back to their own airlock. Alice was already suited up, along with Rin and Lolisa. Kazuma sealed his helmet on, having already put on the vacsuit. They were simple, somewhat bulky designs, with magnetic boots and clear faceplates.
"You ready?" Kazuma asked, giving Alice a nervous smile. Her suit was a bit too big for her, with her arms dropping slightly, and her legs having large bags around the ankles.
"Yes, I think so. I have not worn this 'space suit' before. I am…uncertain what Space is. I do not remember learning of it, but…there is so much else I do not recall."
"You're doing great, sweetie," Lolisa said, patting the back of Iris' suit. Her own was a little better fitting, with a few obvious combat modules on it. Space combat was deadly, as most hulls could be pierced by anything bigger than small arms, and a punctured suit in vacuum was almost always deadly in short order. That didn't stop people from trying to kill one another though, and there did exist heavily armored vacsuits. Like the kind Kazuma had seen their reception committee sporting. Any violence would likely be brief, and very one sided.
He was right, though as he would later learn, for very much the wrong reasons.
"Hey, babe, I'll miss you," Keith said, coming over to put a hand on Lolisa's shoulder. He looked insufferably smug, and more than a little possessive, right until Lolisa jerked away from him then slapped his arm away.
"Don't babe me, human. You were a mistake. You're as empty of mana as every man I've seen," Lolisa spat. "And don't even think of trying to get my chip. I'll kill you first."
"Hey, woah, I thought you enjoyed that as much as I did! I know you've been looking at me since we picked you up!" Keith said, obviously offended. He tried to grab at Lolisa, but Dust stepped between them, his chest pushing the scrawnier other man back.
Though Dust's vacsuit added bulk, he already had broad shoulders, not to mention a few extra centimeters of height. "Hey. She said back off. You know the rules: the girls decide who they bunk with. Not you. We can choose. They fucking can't. You get me?"
"You only say that because you fuck Rin twice a day! That skank finally put out, and I'm not-"
Dust's backhand blow sent blood and a tooth spraying across the bulkhead, and Keith choked and gasped, dropping to his knees.
"You stay with the ship. Taylor? Keep an eye on Keith. I think he needs a nap," Dust said firmly.
"Fuck you, captain," Keith snarled, slowly standing up and wiping his bloodied lip.
"Oh? You wanna walk back, Keith? We're friends, but you don't push yourself on Lolisa. Or any other woman. You even SNIFF Alice, and I'll kill you before the girls can," Dust said, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't forget: I AM the captain. You might be my oldest friend, but we're not picking up chicks on the docks now."
"Fine. Luna's a bitch anyway," Keith snarled. "Fucking women." He stalked off, and Dust turned, smiling widely.
"I, uh, I wasn't gonna try anything," Kazuma said, edging away slowly from Lolisa. "I just want to get my sister somewhere safe."
"Ah you're a good dude, I can tell. Keith is too. He just, well, he hasn't been laid in a while. He's got the hots for Lolisa, always has! Did you really screw him?"
The last was to Lolisa, and she shifted uncomfortably. "I thought…I thought I smelled mana. Supposedly I kicked that habit a long time ago…but…I dunno. It wasn't my chip. I wanted…someone. He was just the closest, since you're taken."
"And don't either of you forget it," Rin muttered. Then she straightened. "Look sharp! Popping the lock!"
Everyone turned back to the door, even as the one behind them hissed shut. Air was sucked out of the lock, and then the exterior hatch opened, showing a welcoming committee of heavily armed ShopWiz CorpSec in power armor. Each of them had heavy weapons, though they looked rather uncertain. At the center was a trim white executive set of armor, with the rank insignia of a ship's captain.
Much like navies everywhere, there was a separate ranking system aboard ship. A ship's captain in the void was the master of her domain, and if a dirtside executive was aboard, they could be overruled. A low level captain, like a small courier vessel, had the corporate rank equivalent to a mid level manager. They would be well advised not to trample over a high level executive aboard their ship, as it could affect their career. But they were well within their powers to determine the fate of their own craft, especially in an emergency situation.
A high level Senior Captain like Luna, commander of a highliner, was equivalent in rank to a Senior President, or even a District Executive. The only person she answered to was CEO Wiz herself, or perhaps the Station Commander of one of the ShopWiz stations. Aboard her own ship, Luna was the voice of god. And since they were all dead, the buck stopped at her.
"Captain Sheyka. You and your crew are to report to my quarters immediately," Luna barked over an open comm line, as the hold was exposed to vacuum. "Lieutenant!"
"Aye, ma'am?" the senior CorpSec officer responded, and the dozen other goons straightened to attention.
"Clear the halls; passengers should have already been confined to quarters, but I want crew gone as well. You post two guards on this ship. No one goes in, or out. Do you understand me?"
"Crystal, ma'am," the lieutenant agreed, and began motioning. Two guards took up position by the Faitfore's airlock, while two others bounded ahead through the microgravity to clear the way ahead. Two others fell in behind Kazuma and the others, and Luna motioned them forward.
As soon as they were through the airlock to the main deck of the Guild Hauler, Dust popped off his helmet and gave Luna a broad grin. "Luna, baby, I found her! We-"
"Silence!" Luna barked, not removing her own suit and stalking forward.
"But, babe, I-"
"Shut up, smuggler. Or I'll ventilate you," one of the corpsec goons growled through an exterior speaker.
Dust rounded on him in outrage, but Rin poked at him. He quieted, looking sullen.
Alice, however, did not. Her helmet came off, and she tossed her head, her golden hair flowing out down her back. "Captain! I demand to know for what purpose you have brought Us aboard this vessel!"
Somehow, Kazuma could hear a capitol on the "Us" and it baffled him.
"Girlie, you will speak to the captain with respect," the same guard growled, raising the butt of an energy rifle. "Or I shall-"
"Silence!" Alice barked. "How dare you speak to Us in such a fashion! Return to your post, soldier."
The two security officers hesitated, until Alice flicked her hand at them. "We said you are dismissed."
"Yes ma'am," they both muttered, bowing slightly as they backed away. Then they froze, looking up at Luna, who had paused, clearly hesitating.
"You…you may go," Luna said, clearing her throat. She removed her own helmet, and bowed to Alice. "My…young lady. Please…say nothing further until we are in my quarters…"
"You mean no harm to Us or to our Brother, or noble Sir Dust and his crew?" Alice demanded coldly.
"No, please. Come this way," Luna urged.
Alice harrumphed, then looked up at Kazuma guiltily as Luna scurried off. "Sorry, brother. I just…I'm nervous. I don't like the sea, or ships, and this one is…oh. We are not upon the sea, are we?"
"Uh, no," Kazuma said, putting a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Let's wait and see what Luna does want, we- Lolisa? You OK?"
The succubus was breathing hard, her face flushed. She was down on one knee, her eyes slightly wild. "The Voice…you are-"
"Not now," Dust hissed, hauling the succubus to her feet. "Luna knows!"
"Knows what? Dust, what did you get us into?" Rin demanded.
"Just come on, trust me," Dust urged, and they all followed after Luna. The corridors of the ship were far less utilitarian than Kazuma had expected, with colored tiles set in the floor with arrows helpfully pointing where different parts of the ship were, such as medical, the galley, lounge, and viewing lobbies. Apparently, the Guild Hauler took passengers, and not cheap ones.
Luna's cabin door was made of faux wood, with fanciful carvings of plants in twisting patterns. The interior was warm and homey, and rather spacious, with room for a sitting room, a bedroom, and a small kitchenette if Luna felt like cooking herself, or perhaps for a steward to make a private meal. Though it was small for a CEO's room dirtside, even on a large highliner space was at a premium, and this was the ideal of luxury. Few if any passengers would have such plush quarters, and they would be paying millions of credits to get them.
As soon as the door closed, Luna burst into tears and dropped to her knees, taking Alice's hands in hers. "My Lady…you…you're real! I never thought…I hoped…for so many years! But I never…I never thought…"
And then the captain dissolved into tears, shocking everyone there, save for Dust, who started snuffling and rubbing at his eyes too. "We found her, Luna. I've gotten others out, gods, so many over the years. I always prayed, hoped, it would be me, but…"
"Dust!?" Rin asked, sounding half panicked. "What is going on?!"
Lolisa had started crying as well, collapsing to her hands and knees as she trembled. "It's over…it's over…please…please…I don't want to go back to hell…this place is bad…but it's better than hell!"
"Hey, back off!" Kazuma said, snatching Alice away from Luna and backing away with her. "What are you doing to my sister?"
"Dust, who is this man?" Luna asked, rubbing away her tears. "Why does he think…?"
"Lady, back off, I'm warning you!" Kazuma said, looking around wildly. They'd left their weapons behind, but maybe…"STEAL!"
There was a flash of light, and Luna squealed in panic. Lolisa cried out as if in pain and fell flat on her face, while Rin squawked and Dust's jaw dropped open. Luna, however, went bright red, her hands going to her crotch.
Kazuma rubbed the still warm fabric in his hands, a lecherous grin spreading over his face. Then he blushed and hastily tossed Luna's panties back at her as Alice glared up at him. "I swear, I was trying to get a gun or something off her! Not those!"
"Jatice, how many TIMES must I tell you that such behavior is NOT FUNNY!" Alice demanded, stamping her foot on the plush carpet. "Father will be furious! How can a prince behave in such a manner!?"
"I…what?" Kazuma said, scowling.
Alice suddenly blinked, her anger turning to confusion, then fear, and finally tears. Kazuma hugged her as she wept, feeling baffled.
"He…he's…what is he?" Luna asked, holding her underwear to her breast.
"Uh, honestly I dunno," Dust admitted. "He did something like that earlier. I figured SHE was the goddess…but I dunno. Eris is supposed to be a thief or something, right?"
"No, she's the benevolent lady of the Moon, the Goddess of Fortune," Luna corrected. She kowtowed on the carpet. "Lady Eris, I welcome you to my vessel. Please, we must get you back to Belzerg. Everything relies on you."
"She's not…who's Eris!?" Kazuma demanded, though his heart pounded in his chest. He knew that name…from stories his parents had told him when he was little. He barely remembered them, they'd always been whispered in fear, but Eris was supposed to be a god. And those were all dead, weren't they? "She's my sister!"
Alice slowly disentangled herself from Kazuma, then walked over and put a hand on Luna, gently lifting her up. "Good Captain, I am not the Goddess. I am merely…merely…her servant? Yes. I am the Servant of the people and the Sword of the Realm, but I am no god."
"But…but you have Magic. I could feel it," Luna said, blinking in confusion as Alice helped her up.
"She's not a god," Lolisa said, slowly looking up. She was cowering, Kazuma realized. In fear of Alice. "She is…she is a Belzerg."
"She's a planet?" Dust asked in confusion.
"No, Dust, shut up and listen!" Rin hissed. She hurried over to Lolisa, kneeling and helping her friend up. "Lolisa…what do you mean?"
"Mana. They both…they both have mana," Lolisa managed. She was drooling, Kazuma realized, and had to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. "But I recognize the Voice. I…I fought…a long time ago…I saw a Belzerg on the battlefield. Her name was…it doesn't matter. But she was the Queen. She fought alongside the gods. I was young then, and I hid. I can pass for human if I…nevermind. But Alice, she is a Belzerg!"
"That…that sounds right," Alice admitted slowly. "I am…I am not…I am only the Princess. Not…the throne is not mine."
Luna and Dust exchanged panicked looks. "But, we're supposed to be looking for the goddess, or at least her avatar!" Dust said, his tone horrified.
"She's the next best thing," Lolisa said quietly, looking at Kazuma and licking her lips. She shuddered and dropped her gaze. "She practically IS the planet. If she has royal blood, then she's the rightful Queen of Belzerg. The royal family had fled to the moon when the gods were defeated. They held out for centuries there, until Sylvia built a grand fleet and invaded."
"What? That doesn't make any sense. There'd be a record," Dust protested.
Luna snorted. "Dust, the Corporations control history, what information is allowed, what is taught. Do you think they'd let the truth of something like that be known?"
"I, um…I know a little bit about that," Kazuma admitted, and all eyes turned to him. He shuffled uncomfortably, until Alice came and took his hand.
"Big Brother…what do you know?" she asked, her tone pleading.
"I know…well, it's not much. But my parents…they said we were something called Japanese. That our ancestors…they came from another world. That they'd fought on the Moon, and barely escaped when it fell, and the last king died and Eris was killed and it became Discord. I thought it was probably just a story…but when they died…I figured…I could go to the moon… and at least I'd die where my ancestors had lived. But I chickened out. I just got a corporate job instead of fighting. I…I'm such a coward…"
"You are an isekai?" Alice asked, tilting her head to one side. When Kazuma stared at her blankly, she clarified, "A hero from another world?"
"I'm no hero, and I'm just a kid from Belzerg," Kazuma said, chuckling darkly.
"A moment," Luna said suddenly, standing and taking out a communicator, her panties still in one hand. She held it up. "Captain speaking. This had better be good, Lan."
"Captain! We're getting hailed by ChimeraTech!" Lan said, her voice panicked.
"I take it they are not calling to invite us to dock and unload our cargo," Luna said, her voice tight.
"They are demanding we heave to and stand by to be boarded! Apparently, they're doing that to several ships, all from different corporations! But there's a bunch of leech craft and strike craft headed our way, and they do NOT sound friendly!" Lan babbled.
Luna looked at Alice and Kazuma, and her jaw set. "Sound battle stations."
"Captain!?" Lan gasped.
"Sound general quarters!" Luna barked. "Send out a general alert: Order 47! All ShopWiz ships to our aid."
"Captain, that's practically a declaration of WAR! And if we start shooting-"
"Open a general line to my quarters," Luna demanded. She walked over to her desk, where a terminal sat. She looked behind her. "All of you, out of pickup range. Over there. And be quiet. Ah, please, um, your highness?"
"It is your ship, captain. I believe you can be trusted," Alice said, and hastened over to the corner Luna had ordered them too.
Luna spent a moment arranging her hair. When she found herself presentable, she activated her terminal. "All ships, this is the Guild Hauler of ShopWiz. I have been informed that ChimeraTech is DEMANDING to board the sovereign vessel of ShopWiz, to seize my goods, my passengers, or my crew! This is a direct violation of corporate policy, and I will not stand for it. If any ChimeraTech ships enter into my engagement range, I WILL open fire. ChimeraTech has no right to violate our corporate property. All ShopWiz ships: As Senior Captain in orbit of Discord, I initiate Order 47. Our corporate allies: I encourage you to side with us. They will come for you next. For too long, ChimeraTech has demanded outrageous taxes and tariffs! No longer will I stand for it! My profits are mine and my CEO's, and not Sylvia's! Captain Luna of the Guild Hauler, out!"
Luna took a deep breath, then sagged against her desk, propping herself up with both hands. "Lan?"
"Sounding General Quarters, Captain," Lan said softly. "I hope you know what you're doing…"
The lights suddenly flickered, then dimmed to emergency red, and an alarm began to blare. One that had not been used in anger in eight decades…
GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS ALL HANDS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS! PASSENGERS TO YOUR ROOMS! REPEAT: THIS IS NO DRILL! GENERAL QUARTERS, ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS!
"To war then," Alice said grimly. She stepped forward. "Captain, I will require arms and armor. This is your ship, and you shall fight her. But I will have command of your marines."
"At once, your highness. We shall burn for planetside. It is of the utmost import that you are brought to safety, or this is for nothing," Luna said, standing and bowing stiffly. "I must see to my men. I will alert my…marines? That they are under your command."
"Very good. Sir Dust!" Alice barked.
"Yes, my lady?" Dust said, instantly at Alice's side.
"You shall be the captain of my guard. You are adept at arms?" Alice demanded as she strode for the hatch, Kazuma hurrying to stay at her side.
"Yes ma'am. Trust me, Ole Dust is handy in a fight," he assured her, looking positively delighted. "Me and the girls won't let anything happen to her."
"Very good. Miss Lolisa!"
"Y-yes?!" Lolisa squeaked.
Alice rounded on her, looking the succubus up and down. "You wish to abandon hell, and side with mortal men?"
Looking sick, Lolisa nodded. "I…I'm loyal to Dust now, Your Majesty. Vanir betrayed the succubi…and…and I like humans! I…I don't want to go back to what I was! Please!" Lolisa dropped to her knees again, looking miserable. "Please."
"Very well. You shall safeguard my person. But stay away from my brother," Alice ordered grimly. "Sir Dust! You and Miss Rin guard my brother. It is worth more than your lives."
"Yes ma'am," Dust agreed, saluting.
"Step forward, all of you," Alice ordered. "You too, Captain Luna."
All four of the others did, at a motion from Alice, they knelt.
"Grant Status," Alice said, extending her hands towards them.
All four shuddered and gasped, with Lolisa moaning in ecstasy.
"Sir Dust, you shall be a Knight, the first of our Royal Guard," Alice ordered. "Miss Rin, what are your stats?"
"My…stats?" Rin said, cradling a small card in her hand. Lolisa took it gently, examining it.
"She's got high intelligence, pretty good wisdom, not bad dex. She'd make a decent mage or archer. There…there haven't been any mages in a long time…"
"Then she shall be our Royal Archmage," Alice declared, and touched a line on the card. "Captain Luna?"
Luna proffered her own card, looking half delirious with joy.
"Hmm. Ordinarily, I would say you should be a Merchant or Craftswoman with these stats…but in these times, needs must. You shall be a Bard, to extoll your crew to greater heights."
"I…I will, my Lady," Luna vowed.
"Then to your station, and see that your crew knows their duty!" Alice ordered.
Luna scrambled to her feet, even as Dust and Rin peered at their cards in bafflement. Lolisa stood though, and took a deep breath. "Succubi aren't really frontline fighters…but I can cast Charm and a few other magics…l-like…like Drain Vitality…"
"Employ it against our foes, and it shall be no sin," Alice said firmly. She nodded to Kazuma. "Come, brother. We shall arm ourselves. Lead the way to the armory, Sir Dust!"
"Yes ma'am!" Dust said eagerly, and they ran off as the ship's lights flickered back on, the alarm finally trailing off.
Meanwhile, back in the Faitfor, Tailor was looking at his display grimly. "Don't look good, Keith. There's a lot of firepower headed this way. If this turns into a battle…"
"Oh, I know who the winning side is," Keith said from behind Taylor, raising a pistol. "Too bad you're too dumb to go with it."
Sensing danger, Tailor whirled. "Keith, no, don't-"
The gun barked once, and Tailor's brains sprayed over the consol. Grimacing, Keith shoved aside the body, and wiped off the panel. Then he opened a line. "Hey, ChimeraTech? Yeah, this is the Faitfor. I think I know where what you're looking for is."