Both ships entered Dumsta’s air corridor—
the city was already losing its shit from the news,
and the spaceport was louder than ever.
Clouds of dust and smoke rose from below:
ships of mercs, bandits, and every flavor of hired killers
lifting off and landing like nervous swallows
afraid to miss the fight.
Navigation lights blinked in sync with the chaos,
while the spaceport speakers desperately tried to restore order
through the voices of overwhelmed controllers.
Stew and Jasper were already shouting over each other:
Jasper:
“Kane, you bastard, WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?! I didn’t clear you, you piece of shit!”
Stew, late, confused:
“—Wait, who cleared Kane…? Did we clear—no, we didn’t clear—”
Jasper:
“Ramser, you idiot, STOP! You don’t see the cargo hauler coming in?! You’re about to get yourself KILLED!”
Stew:
“Uh—Ramser, there’s—there’s a hauler, man, you might wanna—”
Jasper, cutting through:
“Reina, you moron, you’re dropping in twenty miles! Your maintenance is overdue! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
Stew, panicking now:
“She’s still coming in—Jasper, she’s still coming in—”
Jasper:
“Kluuu’Vres—…you know what? Fine. TAKE OFF. Just—GET OUT. And DON’T EVER COME BACK, you alien idiot!”
Stew, defeated:
“Yeah… yeah, just… go…”
Jasper:
“K-0S7, you rusty piece of crap, where do you think you’re going?! GET OFF THE RUNWAY, dumbass!”
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 entered the landing circle first,
lowering its side stabilizers smoothly.
Its bronze belly—
still marked with the >e< scratch Exponent left—
clipped a servitor K-0S7 that was trying to run off the runway.
But it was too late. The servitor got slammed into the asphalt—
pressed flat into it. The ship didn’t even notice.
Behind it, slightly smoother, Shiori’s ship descended.
It engaged its balancing field,
held the engines in a controlled breath—
and touched down so gently
even the trash beneath it didn’t shift.
There was no “calm after the storm.”
The storm was just getting started.
Dumsta was holding together by threads—
like a town about to become a battlefield of everyone against everyone.
When the engines finally went quiet, the hatch opened—and instead of peace, they were hit with the thick, dense atmosphere
of incoming disaster.
Three figures stood by the exit.
- Jackie—radiating: “Aigo, we’re alive, that’s a miracle.”
- Dick—expression: “I need a drink and to forget this entire fucking day.”
- The Author—quiet, burned-out exhaustion
of someone who saw way more than he should have.
Only when the metallic locks finished clanking
did Shiori step closer:
“Sēji-sama, Dikku-san, Jakkī-san—would you like us to take you back to Terra?”
The Author answered first—calm, careful:
“Thank you. If it’s not too much trouble.”
Jackie, still holding the injured Drone like a kitten, smiled:
“Shiori… my samchon’s people might come pick me up. They’re already in orbit…”
Dick flinched like he got electrocuted:
“NO. I am NOT flying with Ma Dong-Rho’s people. Baby, you’re family to them. Me?”
He pointed at himself.
“You know me. I’ll say one wrong thing—
and they’ll throw me out an airlock with no appeal.”
Jackie puffed her cheeks so hard
it could qualify as a weapon of mass cuteness:
“Dick!
You’re exaggerating.
As long as you’re with me—you’re safe. He-he.”
Airi stepped forward—
more like slid across the floor:
“Jakkīi-niyan… ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
It’s no trouble at all for us to take you back.
Besides—it’s our duty.
Shiori-sensei wouldn’t forgive herself
if anything happened on the way.”
Shiori gave a short, serious nod:
“Hai.”
Airi, feeling the support, immediately slipped under Jackie’s arm and leaned into her:
“We can take off right now if you’d like.
Are you ready? [ ˶˘ ³˘]♡”
The Author and Dick headed back inside and dropped onto the gym benches.
Jackie was still wrapped in Airi’s arms, smiling, then let out a small, awkward squeak:
“Uh… could we maybe… you know… meet Blindy and Zeros?
We’ve been talking about them for a month and a half.
We came all the way here—and we’re just gonna leave without even meeting them?”
The Author flinched, immediately waving his hands, going pale:
“No-no-no! I tried that once—and I got THROWN OUT, remember?!”
Dick jumped to his feet like the floor caught fire.
“Baby, are you out of your mind?!
What are we gonna say—
‘Hi, we’re Dick and Jackie, we’ve been broadcasting your miserable lives to the entire fucking galaxy. Heh. Nice to meet you?'”
He pointed at the floor.
“You serious?! That’s a death sentence!
Z-Zeros will pancake us on the spot!”
Airi heard the panic rising in Dick’s voice—and burst out laughing:
“Dikku-dono, anata… you’re suuuuch a scaredy-cat! ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡Oniichama won’t kill you. Everything’s under control.”
She tilted her head slightly:
“And besides—Fenikkusu-kun already knows about your radio.
He was the one who told us. [ • ᴗ – ] ✧”