This was the last thing I had expected to hear. If what he was saying was actually true, this could be a big problem. If Chakra’s chemical and ore mining industries were really mixed into this, then Mandala could be put into a state of emergency. Buddijium was the biggest worry. If this rare element were to fall under the control of Lucifer the blow to each planet-state’s science industry would be massive.
“I was finally able to meet with you, but in such a roundabout way, you must be completely exhausted,” the mayor said, breaking the silence. “But in order to ensure your safety, this was the only way. You two have met the owner face-to-face. He heard that I know about the incident that he tried to cover up, and that I contacted the WWWA about it. This is serious. Be constantly aware of your surroundings, and show no weaknesses.”
“Is that why you brought us out in your ship?”
“Yes,” said the mayor, looking straight at me. “This is a normal cruiser, equipped with no weapons whatsoever, but she does have defense systems. We are using a geosynchronous laser defense satellite aligned with the center of this vessel. We also have a system to check for submarines or other underwater attacks. Naturally, we are prepared to deal with any attack immediately.”
“It’s as if you are at war…” said Yuri.
“Knowing that the enemy is Lucifer, do you still think we are over-prepared?”
“Exactly,” I said as I nodded my head. He was exactly right. Even if there was only an outside chance that the owner was a part of Lucifer, if he knew that he was under suspicion, then there was no such thing as being over-prepared. If anything, more should be done.
Requesting the United Space Force to be dispatched to Chakra wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“I trust you now understand the situation,” the mayor continued.
“You should have met with me as soon as you landed.”
That last comment didn’t help the situation. In my head I was protesting. We had that trouble at Lyonesse, and he didn’t exactly send anyone to pick us up, and Jeff is too handsome, and what the hell? These were all legitimate reasons why we didn’t.
Kaboom.
From somewhere there was a loud noise. It was a dense sound, like an explosion, but it seemed I had grown too used to such sounds, and hardly noticed.
And then.
Kaboom.
This time the sound was louder, and it shook my legs through the floor.
“What’s that?!”
The mayor stood, his face turning white.
The ship rose up suddenly.
We were being carried up by a swell in the water, but that’s not how it felt to me. It felt like the cruiser suddenly jumped twenty meters into the air. Sometimes I hated the laws of physics.
First we were slammed to the floor, and then thrown to the ceiling. And it wasn’t just us. The dining table was flying in the air, too. Of course, the chairs couldn’t be left out. We had escaped death. I had banged my head, my back was in pain, and I was about to lose consciousness, but was still alive. It didn’t hurt like I had been beaten, it hurt like I had been torn to pieces. Miraculously, the mayor, Yuri, and I hadn’t been struck by the table or chairs. Mugi was also relatively fine. The table had broken in two, and the chairs were in busted into pieces. A broken piece had cut the mayor’s face. However, he didn’t seem affected. He remained cool, even at the sight of his own blood.
The ship kept rising and falling. The intensity of the wave subsided, but at some point we also started being pushed laterally, and it was almost impossible to stay on two feet. Moved by momentum, the heavy table top kept sliding into me, so I had to contend with that, too.
“Mayor!”
One of the walls had turned into a screen. It was one of the inner walls near the corner. The ship’s captain appeared on the screen. His face was pale and there was blood on his forehead. He must have been tossed around, too. He wasn’t wearing his hat.
“What was that? What happened?” the mayor asked hurriedly. He was visibly shaken, but his voice remained strong. He was unaffected by his injuries.
“Submarine…,” said the captain. “It exploded. Not clear yet why.”
“That’s what got us?”
The mayor’s eyes looked up.
“Yes, sir. Aa—!”
We could see on the screen the captain turning around.
“What do you—? Hey! Waa!”
His voice turned into a scream.
“Aaa—!”
He was trying to escape.
“Captain!” yelled the mayor. He got away, so there was no one on the screen. All we could see was the bare wall of the bridge.
Startled shrieks came through the screen’s speakers.
At the same time.
The screen went completely white. It looked as if the screen was broadcasting a bright sandstorm.
“What, what’s happening…?”
His face flushed, he turned back to us. His eyes weren’t focused on anything.
However.
This was not a time to be in a state of shock.
Another jolt knocked the ship.
It wasn’t as big as the last one. But it was sharper. The first time it was like a push, but this one was like a punch. What was happening, indeed?!
The half-conscious mayor shot into the air. Yuri and I tried to wedge ourselves into the corner using our hands and feet, but it was no use. We were thrown diagonally, hard into a wall. Sparks flew and I had the wind knocked out of me. My body was immobile, and I began to lose consciousness from the pain.
I fell to the floor. Right onto the back of my head. My spine made an unpleasant sound upon hitting the ground. I had tried to use my arms to break my fall, and an acute pain ran through them upon landing.
I rolled over once and lay flat on my stomach. I heard a rubbing sound.
In a haze, I opened my eyes. My eyes were almost touching the floor. I tried to lift my head, but I couldn’t move.
“!”
I could see the source of the sound. It was the table. The ship was at an angle. The legless table top was sliding toward me. If it were to hit me, it would smash my head into pieces.
I want to escape! But I can’t escape. My body isn’t responding. So this was paralysis. I couldn’t move.
The table continued closer. The table top filled my field of vision. Dammit. I’m toast!