To the Future

"All right, sit down."

"All the way to the Moon, and you're still eating? I'll go back and read the manual after I've had something."

Xu De patted the chair beside him.

"Oh..."

"By the way, Xu, I heard Lieutenant Libby was ordered to undergo an investigation."

"He's been suspended, too."

After watching the two interact, Price leaned in and spoke in a low voice that only they could hear.

"Why?"

Hans asked, puzzled.

"I heard he falsified the records... No one would've found out, but because of what happened with you, the higher-ups went through the footage in detail."

"...Damn, that's way too bold!"

Xu De kept eating his sandwich, but Hans beside him was clearly unsettled.

"Not really. He didn't dare make the records too outrageous."

"If Xu hadn't shown up, no one would've noticed."

Xu De met Price's gaze and gave a slight nod, his expression unchanged.

What happened to Libby had little to do with him.

His only question was whether this man had been Maliu's boyfriend. Maliu should be all right now, shouldn't she?

It would be a real problem if the captain died.

Of course, the thought only passed through his mind. Even if Libby was her boyfriend, that had nothing to do with him.

Xu De looked up at the countdown on the restaurant screen and said,

"We'll reach the Moon in an hour. Have you decided what to do?"

At Xu De's question, the others, who had been gossiping and taking pleasure in Libby's misfortune, fell silent.

But not for long.

"We'll apply to join the Eighth Fleet."

Flint said it solemnly.

There were three options before them. The first was to stay with the Third Fleet.

But Xu De had clearly rejected that proposal.

They didn't know his reasons, but they trusted Xu De. So staying with the Third Fleet wasn't an option for them.

That left joining the Eighth Fleet or transferring to a desk job.

They'd earned great merit, so they could certainly apply for a staff position behind the scenes, and there was a good chance their request would be granted.

After all, they weren't so capable that the higher-ups would insist on keeping them in the field.

That would at least be a relatively safe choice.

As for Xu De, they all knew he couldn't protect them.

This was war, not a game of tag, and certainly not a time of peace. It was an age of turmoil, and with the Coordinators' new weapon, the fighting would only intensify.

He could look after his friends to some extent, but without going through the trials of blood and fire, they'd only be armchair strategists.

If he carried them all the way through, it would actually hurt their prospects.

And it would hurt Xu De, too.

Their choice now was whether to take the money and their newfound reputation and leave for the safer rear, or keep pushing for a better future.

It was like a quiz show where the prize money kept growing. They could quit and walk away with just a hundred dollars, but if they got the next question right, they'd win a thousand, and the one after that would earn them ten thousand.

Greed could be a devil or an angel.

A little greed, tempered with reason, could help them climb higher.

And now, none of them had chosen to stop. They simply looked at Xu De with eager eyes.

"If you've made up your minds, that's good."

For once, the corners of Xu De's mouth lifted slightly.

The Third Fleet would be wiped out on the Moon.

He wouldn't have time to do anything about it.

After all, the battle on the Moon was only a few months away.

An individual's power—at least his own—wasn't enough to affect the course of the battle in just a few months.

Even if he recklessly put himself at risk and revealed what was going to happen, it would still be the same.

If he failed the assessment, the best choice would of course be the Eighth Fleet.

But aside from the dead end that was the Third Fleet, Xu De had never intended to make the choice for them.

They were all adults. They could take responsibility for their own decisions.

"If I don't pass the assessment, I'll apply to join the Eighth Fleet, too."

"What are you talking about, Xu? There's no way you won't pass."

Hans said disapprovingly at the boy's words.

He looked utterly confident in Xu De.

"Exactly. Xu will definitely pass."

Flint nodded, and Price chimed in.

"After that, we'll keep in touch. You can relax and go back to the homeworld for training."

"Just watch us show what we can do!"

Listening to them chattering one after another, Xu De smiled and raised his yogurt. The other three clinked their yogurt cups against his.

"I'll take your word for it."

"To the future."

Xu De's voice was warm. The other three repeated his words, their gazes full of resolve.

If things went smoothly, that would be for the best.

But he wasn't arrogant. The world wouldn't stop turning without him. All they could do was prepare for every eventuality, then fight with all their strength for a better future.

The Moon, Ptolemy Base.

A military base located in Ptolemy Crater.

It had originally been a secret base belonging to the Atlantic Federation. When it was discovered in CE 35 and made public, it faced widespread condemnation.

The Atlantic Federation, however, had always insisted that it was a Cosmic Police Agency facility.

Time had passed. Now, another thirty-five years had gone by. Whatever its original purpose—whether it had been built to maintain the Atlantic Federation's hegemony or to monitor PLANT—the base had become the Earth Alliance's largest lunar base.

It was also the headquarters of the Earth Alliance Space Forces, commonly known as Lunar Headquarters.

As Lunar Headquarters, this facility was not the Eighth Fleet.

The Eighth Fleet was merely the force stationed there.

After all, Halberton was only a major general. He couldn't possibly command the Space Forces' headquarters.

"The losses this time were terrible. I heard the fleet commanders and the overall commander are still reporting what happened to Earth's high command."

"Especially that new weapon that can disrupt communications."

In the restaurant, Hans looked at the base before them, hidden beneath the crater, as ships streamed in and out.

"That's only to be expected."

Xu De took a bite of the flavorless sandwich. His eyes remained fixed on the thick manual in front of him, and he didn't look up.

They'd said they would arrive in an hour, but by now eight hours had passed.

The higher-ups were in a meeting, and naturally, they weren't giving low-ranking soldiers like them priority.

There were only a few entrances to the base, and so many ships might explode.

Taking a headcount, eliminating the risk of explosions, and making repairs all took time.

So even though the base was right before them, all they could do was wait outside and stare.

"Hans, there's no point getting worked up."

Flint looked at the restless boy in exasperation.

"Exactly. You're making me feel sick."

"This bread was already damn awful."

Plate angrily took a bite of his sandwich.

They'd lost their appetites after coming back from the battlefield. They'd planned to have a proper meal once they reached Ptolemy, so they'd held off on eating much and had only drunk yogurt.

But even now, they still hadn't made it through the entrance to the base.