The Pale Blue Dot - 3. Chapter 3 Promise

The Pegasus skyhook streaked across the heavens, releasing a departing shuttle into space while its opposite claw latched onto what appeared to be a cargo ship, making a stop before continuing its journey to Ares.

The Pegasus was the newest of the twelve skyhooks operating above Pavor. For reasons I couldn't quite explain, I could always recognize it. Although it seemed impossible, whenever the skyhook flew overhead along its fixed orbit, I felt as though I could hear its resonant hum and sense a faint... yearning.

Whenever I tried to share my observations with others, they dismissed it as an overactive imagination, so I gradually stopped mentioning it--except to Ali, who believed me. Lowering my head, I glanced at my brother, seated beside me.

"No one remembers how things came to be this way," Ali said softly. The composite fibers in the fire crackled and popped, sending up a few sparks.

"There are only faint whispers in the shadows, murmuring that 'things weren't always like this,' but no one can say for sure what things used to be like." The flickering firelight made his green eyes seem to glow red.

"So the story I'm about to tell is the version passed down by our ancestors, from generation to generation." Ali always retold this story whenever someone new joined our small group. He had taken on this responsibility last year.

"I can't vouch for its accuracy, but this is what I know." Ali cleared his throat and began the tale of our people--the tale of the ancient promise.

"After the dragon and the herbivores decided to leave Gaia, the canines took control of the world, establishing an empire centered around purebred dogs.

Other carnivores, barely having escaped the oppression of the herbivores, found themselves under the heel of a new oppressor. Before anyone realized it, a new hierarchy had formed. This time, dogs were at the top, and the other carnivores were pushed to even lower ranks--at least before, there were no serfs.

In search of a new home and fleeing from enslavement by the Canine Empire, the cheetah Shaka gathered all the big cats on Gaia who were willing to follow him—including his half-brother, Dingane. Leaving everything they knew behind, they boarded a massive starship and set out for the unknown reaches of space.

They first stopped on Lunar for supplies, but fearing heightened tensions with the empire, the authorities--priding themselves on being a beacon of freedom and diversity--invoked a principle of neutrality to refuse shelter to Shaka's people.

Disheartened, the big cats eventually arrived at the Ares Federation, a nation ruled by herbivores who were willing to offer help—but with a condition: every big cat wishing to set foot on the red planet or its moons had to wear an electric collar.
"For the sake of social stability," the herbivores claimed, insisting that this was a consistent policy for all carnivores, not a measure targeting big cats.

As fellow refugees displaced by the canines, the big cats initially thought the herbivores would understand them. However, during negotiations, Shaka learned the herbivores' stance was unyielding.

Some big cats accepted the terms, donned the collars, and settled in the Ares Federation. But Shaka and most of his followers couldn't bear the humiliation and chose instead to take their chances in the vastness of space.

'There must be a place in this boundless universe that will welcome us,' Shaka said to Dingane.

Continuing their journey towards the sol's edge, Shaka's group encountered the dragon in the asteroid belt. As one of the first species to leave Gaia and explore space, the dragon offered all the help they could. However, both sides knew that the harsh environment of the asteroids was survivable only by the robust and adaptable dragon; for the big cats, survival was nearly impossible.

The dragon was planning a colony on the gas giants, but that was a century away at least, and even then, the big cats might not survive in such an environment.

'The odds of survival in the asteroid belt are almost infinite compared to the near-total hopelessness out here,' Dingane urged, echoing the thoughts of some of the big cats.

But Shaka didn't want his people to slowly wither away in such a harsh environment; he still believed in the promise of the unknown.

The wise dragon admired his courage, and they shared with Shaka a piece of knowledge--a secret about the outer edge of the sol, guarded by incomprehensible, mysterious beings known as the Phantom. These powerful entities, who refused all communication, would destroy any life attempting to leave the solar system. Thus, Shaka's search for a new home had to end there.

The dragon knowing the truth was too harsh to bear, offered an ancient poem as an apology--a secret about the first beings to set foot on Lunar and establish a base there.

The dragon's song was too profound for Shaka to fully comprehend, but he understood the most important fact in the story: just one phrase, reciting that ancient, forgotten verse, would compel the authorities to offer them unconditional refuge. It was the foundation upon which the Lunar government was built--the ancient covenant.

Not all the big cats believed the story, nor did they have much faith in those hypocrites. But who could blame them, having just been rejected by those they thought would help them? In the end, only about half of the big cats who left Gaia set their course back to Lunar.

'I know it will work,' Dingane encouraged Shaka as he looked at his remaining followers. His brother's smile made Shaka feel the hope again.

But before they reached Lunar, the Canine Empire's fleet--previously uninterested in their activities--appeared before them, blocking their path. The fleet delivered an ultimatum: return to Gaia and resume their near-slave existence, or become drifting wreckage in space.

There was no room for negotiation, and the Canine Empire's forces, anticipating their refusal, wasted no time in attacking.

It was a massacre. Shaka's starship was not a fully functional colony vessel, but a hastily assembled refugee ship barely capable of carrying passengers. But it wouldn't have mattered; against the empire's most powerful flagship, The Empire's Fang, Shaka's group had no choice but to flee. Their only hope was to reach Lunar jurisdiction.

Almost miraculously, the starship held together, and Shaka's group managed to slip into Lunar territory. The Canine Empire's fleet remained at a distance, not pursuing further.

The surviving big cats aboard the ship cheered and embraced each other, celebrating their survival.

Despite the chaos on the bridge, the still-burning fires, the injured lying on the floor groaning, and the ship nearly breaking apart, Shaka laughed out loud at this insignificant victory.

He hailed the Lunar leadership, requesting to speak with them and invoke the ancient covenant. From their astonished reaction, Shaka understood the secret the dragon had shared was true.

Unexpectedly, the response was swift--a plasma torpedo that destroyed the ship's communications system. And more, many more, torpedoes were heading their way--blue globes rising from the barren Lunar surface, trailing sparkling light, their beautiful arcs like shooting stars. It was surreal—the image of what would soon destroy everything, devouring all until only the void remained—was beautiful.

Now Shaka understood why the Canine Empire's fleet had stopped: they were watching.

'Why?' Shaka pounded his fists against the now-useless console, shouting as pain shot through his broken ribs. 'I just wanted to find a place for us.' His words had barely left his mouth when another explosion rocked the ship, throwing Shaka to the ground.

'It's okay.' In the haze of his injured mind, Shaka recognized Dingane's voice, felt the warmth of his brother's embrace as he held him close. 'Wherever you are, that's our home. So,' in the endless cold of space, that warmth was undeniable, 'welcome home, Shaka.'

In his final moments, Shaka felt a strange, out-of-body sensation--something warm sliding down his cheek. It might have been a tear, or blood, or both. But the one thing he knew for sure was that he had finally found his true home."

The sudden crack of breaking fiber shattered the silence, sending up a cloud of dust and sparks that pulled everyone out of the ancient tragedy from centuries past.

"After the last big cat died on Ceres, the dragon carried these stories as their legacy to Ares, letting the remaining exiled clans know the fate of Shaka," Ali continued, staring into the fire.

"Back then, the Federation hadn't yet forcibly relocated all carnivores to Pavor and restricted their movements. But that doesn't matter now." Ali lifted his head, sweeping his gaze across everyone present.

"The most important part of that legacy is the ancient promise." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Our kind's gradual decline, the road to destruction, is just an inevitable end to the journey. But even so, the dying should raise a weak fist against fate, spit their final words into the eyes of Death, and demand the debts owed to us." Ali opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

I could feel the resonance in the air, and... the anxiety and agitation of those around me. All the emotions. Even the flames seemed to burn brighter.

"I lift my lamp beside the golden door," Ali chanted, almost as if in prayer. It wasn't a shout of anger, but more like a whispered plea, desperate to be heard.

The unfamiliar language, the incomprehensible words, the unheard sounds--without any way to reconnect with the dragon, we couldn't even verify if the parts we remembered had strayed from the original version. Yet, for some reason, this string of seemingly meaningless syllables always stirred something deep within me, awakening... a ripple of emotion.

Maybe it was simply a regret for what our ancestors had endured, anger at those who broke their promises, or just the emptiness of my own powerlessness. I didn't know. Maybe one day I will find the answer somewhere.

"All of Shaka's descendants, remember this: it is the ancient promise, and one day we shall witness it fulfilled," Ali concluded, as usual, allowing everyone, including the newcomers, to reflect and remember our past.

I thought that for some, this might be more of a spiritual solace--whether a vent for dissatisfaction or a distant hope. But for some reason, an instinct I couldn't quite name made me certain that this was literal--one day, we would see the promise fulfilled.

Sensing a different kind of vibration in the air, I tugged on Ali's sleeve. We exchanged a glance, and he nodded, understanding my meaning.

Ali quickly wrapped things up, giving a few final words and guiding everyone on a safe route out. I covered the fire with red sand until it was fully extinguished. After everyone had left, Ali returned to my side and patted my back, signaling me to follow him.

We always used different routes to minimize the risk of leaving a traceable pattern. As we approached the next intersection, I felt a disturbance and quickly pulled Ali into an alley.

"Damn Federation troops," Ali muttered under his breath as we pressed against the wall, scratching at the fur on his neck where his collar dug in.

It was a fully armed patrol squad, along with a heavy armored vehicle. This was different from the usual security forces in the colony; the black patches on their sleeves indicated they were genuine Federation soldiers.

As the squad passed, I watched the nearby residents' doors and windows remain tightly shut, listening to the sound of the treads cracking the street beneath them. I couldn't help but wonder why the military was here on Pavor. The Federation had never considered this place worth their effort or resources before.

Looking up, I could just make out a tiny black dot in the sky. It was different from the low-flying security drones I was used to--something I'd never seen before. But it seemed that this one could still be detected by my senses, so perhaps it shared some similarities with the security models? I had never understood how these sensations worked, only treating them as some sort of heightened survival instinct.

When the Federation troops were far enough away and Ali had found an entrance to the underground, I glanced back, searching the sky for the drone again. Faintly, I knew that the unchanging routine of our days was about to be disrupted by the arrival of the Federation's forces.

Military boots and tank treads crunched over the cracked streets, a sound that had gradually become part of daily life in the settlement zone. The clattering noise was no longer strange, and the drones flying overhead, far above us, were far less obtrusive than the ones that used to hover right over our heads. Perhaps, given enough time, people could adapt to almost anything.

Almost anything.

"Herbivores get out!" an angry mob protested in front of the Federation's settlement office, hurling stones at the armored vehicles and soldiers stationed at the entrance.

Normally, Ali and I would have stayed far away from such situations--there was nothing to gain from a direct confrontation. But after the Federation had unexpectedly demolished half the homes in our neighborhood, leaving many of our people homeless, the question of whether there was anything to gain was no longer our primary concern.

Honestly, I no longer knew if I could still feel anger or who I was even angry at. I glanced at the grayish-white stone in my hand, then looked up, focusing on the bored, yawning antelopes protected by the armored vehicles.

That look on their faces, the look of someone who didn't even understand why they were here, pierced me in some inexplicable way.

Why? Why do you have to take away even the little we have left? All we want is to find a place where we belong!

I had never felt such rage before.

Usually, I was numb, accepting everything as it was because I had no other choice. That numbness had been with me as long as I could remember, a helpless resignation.

But now, I wanted them to know what it felt like! I wanted them to understand what pain was!

Clinging to that desperate illusion, I threw the stone in my hand. As if that would somehow vent all my frustration, as if it would right all the wrongs in the world.

The moment the stone left my hand, the harsh reality of my own pathetic situation hit me, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Then, a deafening explosion rang out. The world erupted.

I was thrown to the ground along with those nearby, the air filled with panicked screams and the sound of people fleeing. In the swirling dust and chaos, Ali found me, anxiously checking if I was hurt, but the shock had left me too stunned to do anything but sit there, wide-eyed.

I tried to get up, thinking we should get as far away from the danger as possible, but suddenly, a pulse from the collar around my neck sent a wave of excruciating pain through my body, making me convulse uncontrollably. My vision went white, and I collapsed, paralyzed. The herbivores had activated the shock collars.

"Look at this, I caught a little terrorist!" When I came to, I found myself and Ali pinned to the ground by uniformed antelopes, unable to move.

"Where are your accomplices?" the one holding me shouted in my ear, twisting my arm violently. He twisted it harder when he didn't get the answer he wanted, increasing the pressure.

"Ah!" I screamed in pain as my arm snapped with a sharp crack. The antelope who had broken my arm seemed to take this as some kind of encouragement and stomped on my back.

Ali, beside me, struggled to do something, but the antelope holding him shoved his head down into the dirt.

"Stop it, both of you." A new voice, calm and authoritative, cut through the chaos.

Suddenly, we were released. Ali helped me up, glancing at my limp arm, clearly at a loss for what to do. I didn't know what to do either. All I could do was muster all my willpower to blink away the tears, refusing to cry in front of the herbivores.

"Sir, these are suspects in a terrorist attack," one of the antelopes said, looking at me with a threatening glare.

"You've got to be kidding. An eight-year-old and a teenager?" The third antelope, who had just arrived, glanced at his terminal, probably reading the data from our collars. "This isn't the first time headquarters has issued us faulty equipment. We're lucky no one was hurt. The active reactive armor triggered itself, causing the explosion. Let's not make this any worse."

"But..." The other two antelopes started to argue, speaking at the same time.

"I said, let's not make this any worse." The third antelope repeated, and the others immediately fell silent.

"Yes, Lieutenant." They stiffly saluted him before turning and heading back to the office entrance.

Aside from their strange posture and movements, I could have sworn I saw the lieutenant's eyes flash red for a moment, and there was a sharp resonance in the air.

"You two should head home, while I can still control the situation." The antelope stepped in front of us, looking us over. The swirling dust still hung in the air around us.

I stared into his eyes. They were the usual brown common among herbivores, nothing special. Was it just a trick of the light?

"I'm sorry for your... trouble," he said, glancing at my broken arm and searching his pockets. "Make sure you set the bone before you use this, or it won't be a pleasant experience to break and reset it." He handed me a syringe with a red cross symbol on it.

"We don't want charity from the Federation," Ali growled through clenched teeth, baring his teeth at the antelope. I could see his hands trembling with the force of his clenched fists.

Very rarely, we would see this kind of thing, usually in the possession of some highly suspicious merchants who had their ways of acquiring Federation supplies. A single dose of nano-regenerative gel could achieve near-miraculous healing, said to be able to save you as long as you aren’t dead yet. Given the constant accidents and injuries in the settlement zone, the town had pooled enough resources to trade for a few doses, which were stored in the only thing resembling a clinic.

So far, there hadn't been an incident serious enough to warrant using them, which might have been a good thing in its own way.

"It's not charity," the antelope tilted his head, thinking for a few seconds. "It's compensation."

Ali finally couldn't hold back and reached out to take the syringe, but the antelope stopped him. When Ali bared his teeth, ready to snarl, the antelope pointed at me and began to explain.

"The nano-drones in the gel must bind with the user's genes under authorized conditions for it to work," he said, gently taking my uninjured hand and placing it on the red cross of the injector. "Otherwise, it's just a very fancy placebo."

The impact of his words was so strong that I couldn't focus on anything else. Ali and I exchanged a glance, and I saw the anger twisting his face.

I wanted to comfort him, but suddenly, I felt it--something cold and prickly crawling up my arm, moving toward my heart.

I turned back to the antelope, catching a flash of red in his eyes. I forced down my panic, maintaining a calm exterior. I didn't know what the antelope was planning or what he was doing, but I knew I couldn't trust the herbivores.

"Hide." A distant voice whispered in the depths of my mind. "Lower your body, hold your breath, don't listen, don't look." I followed the voice's advice and concealed myself. "I'll be back soon." I recognized the voice, but I couldn't place it in my memory.

"All done." The antelope stood up, looking somewhat puzzled. He glanced at me over once more from head to toe. "Make sure the bone is set before you use it," he reminded me again before turning and walking away.

As the dust and debris began to settle, Ali grabbed my hand, and without looking back, we ran toward the nearest underground passage.

Like an old friend, the Pegasus skyhook passed overhead again, but this time I didn't greet it.

On days when the weather is calm, the raptor drones are deployed. The waves of communication between them always make me uncomfortable, especially when there are many of them.

These days, I rarely leave the underground tunnels. Even a little distance helps to greatly reduce that discomfort. But I still try not to stray too far from Ali, so I can warn him if anything goes wrong.

In the distance, I heard the sound of a heartbeat, anxious and hurried. I carefully considered whether I should avoid it. However, the armored vehicles and search teams on the ground turned in another direction, so I decided to wait and see.

"Hey, kid." The owner of the heartbeat appeared around the corner--a grown cheetah. He saw me and dragged a few bags over, panting. "Could you be kind enough to point me in the right direction? I'm not familiar with this part of the settlement."

The cheetah wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at me with those green eyes, waiting for a response. His body was covered in dust, and there were bloodstains on his clothes.

I noticed he wasn’t wearing a collar, which confirmed his identity—he was part of the Liberation Army. Ali always said those brainless mobs were nothing but trouble for our kind, a group of dangerous elements best avoided at all costs.

Most of the big cats here just want to survive on this barren moon, so they don't think much of these Liberation Army that claim to want to overthrow the Federation's rule and free our people.

Part of the reason is that they don't believe in the old promises, which is a great disrespect to the less secular older generation. But the real reason is probably that in hundreds of years, the Liberation Army hasn't really liberated anything--they've only worsened the relationship between our kind and the herbivores.

At that moment, a group passed above us, causing the ground to tremble slightly and dust to fall. The cheetah flinched, glancing upwards nervously.

That action made me hesitate.

I motioned for him to follow and led the exhausted cheetah through the labyrinth of tunnels.

Everyone knows the general location of the Liberation Army's base, but the natural caves on the edge of the settlement are unimaginably complex. Without top-tier equipment or an extremely experienced guide, you'd get nowhere except in circles. So, I just led him out of the residential area, emerging from an inconspicuous pipe.

I pointed towards the small hill on the horizon--he should recognize the way from there.

"Hey," the cheetah called out from behind me. I turned just in time to catch the bag he tossed my way. "A little something to say thanks."

After the cheetah walked off into the distance, I checked the contents of the bag--CO2 filters, water purifier cartridges, compressed rations, and a fuel cell--clearly stolen goods, but I saw no reason to refuse them.

I hadn't figured out how to explain the source of those supplies to Ali or anyone else, so I just tossed the bag into the basement for now, planning to deal with it later.

Curling up beside Ali, I could feel his steady breathing and warmth.

The house was packed with people from the hall to the attic. Ever since the Federation's invasion of the settlements had escalated, it was only a matter of time before our home was razed to the ground.

I scratched the skin under my collar, reluctantly reminding myself that I was constantly imprisoned, even though I could ignore it most of the time.

I closed my eyes, and my consciousness drifted in endless darkness--void of any sensation. Only in this state did I feel a faint sense of freedom, unbothered by the usual, irritating noises.

But today, something was different.

In the distance... no, not that far away... there was something... something massive, pulsating. I reached out toward it, only to see a giant fireball, and beside it, the source of the pulsing. There were two of them, very loud and powerful--unlike the faint vibrations I sometimes noticed.

I wanted to get closer, to understand what this was, but suddenly, the light intensified.

I was bathed in pure, bright light, as if... reborn, experiencing some profound transformation.

Lost in this indescribable impact, I didn't notice that I had already opened my eyes and awakened.

This wasn't just a fleeting dream.

The roaring, the vibration, the blinding light, and the intense heat--it felt as if I was watching it all through a transparent bubble.

I don't know how much time passed, but as suddenly as it appeared, the light vanished, and darkness returned.

Then, I felt a tightness in my chest, like my lungs were being squeezed, making it impossible to breathe.

In a panic, I flailed my limbs wildly. I didn't know what I was trying to do, but then someone grabbed my hand. It was that warm, strong, and reassuring hand.

"Here," Ali said, his voice calm and composed. "Just hold on a little longer!"

Ali encouraged me as he pulled me along until we hit something solid. He cursed under his breath, and then there was a thunderous crash as a large hole appeared before us. Finally, the light broke through, and I could breathe again.

I knelt on the ground, gasping for air, when I noticed something strange.

The ground felt odd--warm, with faint heat currents that made the short hairs on my body sway gently. And the texture... it was like the structure of the dome above--something hard and brittle, covering the entire surface. It was transparent and smooth; I could even see my own reflection shattering into countless fragments, staring back at me with those bright green eyes from beneath.

The battered reflection of a leopard flickered slightly, drawing my attention to the fire nearby. Some objects around us were still burning, with spherical flames slowly collapsing. Thick black smoke lingered near the ground, but it seemed the shockwave from opening the hole had cleared some space nearby.

It sounded like the screams of millions of people in unison--a terrifying sound that made me instinctively look up.

The dome was broken, with some black smoke escaping through the crack. The sky was a deep, reddish purple.

Now I understand the difference between a raptor drone and a regular drone.

Like meteors from a story, hundreds of lights fell from the sky. That was the direction of the Liberation Army base.

It was surreal—the image of what would soon destroy everything, devouring all until only the void remained—was beautiful.

A sudden blow to the back of my head knocked me to the ground. Someone grabbed the back of my neck and lifted me.

"Well, well, it looks like we've got a little one who slipped through the cracks," said the antelope who had me in his grasp. His helmet's mask was down, and he spoke slowly. "A little leopard cub whose teeth haven't fully grown in yet." He laughed, tightening his grip around my neck. "Maybe it's best to pull them out before they do."

I couldn't breathe. I struggled to fight back, but the strength difference was too great--I could only watch as the antelope's twisted grin and black spots crept in from the edges of my vision.

"Let him go!" Ali pounded on the antelope's armored stomach, trying to stop him, but it was useless.

Suddenly, Ali stopped moving.

"I said, let him go."

It wasn't his bristling fur or the tail that had fluffed up to twice its size--it was those bright red eyes that told me Ali was different.

Had he been like this just now?

Ali tore off the antelope's right arm, armor and all, setting me free and dropping me to the ground.

I coughed as I scrambled to my feet, while the antelope, unable to comprehend what had just happened, screamed in agony, futilely trying to stem the flow of blood from his severed limb.

The armor was clearly damaged, or else I knew that Federation combat armor had a tightening function to prevent blood loss.

Ali didn't stop; he kicked the antelope's right knee, producing a crack and some sparks, forcing the antelope face-down onto the ground, desperately screaming. He couldn't decide whether to keep pressing the gushing wound on his arm or his twisted right leg.

"Please... don't..." Gone was his earlier bravado as the antelope sobbed and pleaded for mercy, but Ali ignored him. He grabbed the antelope with the helmet and dragged him to a protruding piece of debris, smashing his face into it repeatedly.

I wanted to stop Ali--he looked terrifying, like a demon from a story with those blood-red eyes.

But the pain in my neck hadn't subsided, and I was so dizzy that I struggled not to pass out.

The mask shattered, and the antelope's wails grew weaker with the splattering of wet liquid, until finally, they stopped. Ali released the bloody remains.

I stood, unsure of what to do, as Ali met my gaze. The sight of his blood-red eyes still made me a little scared. But just by looking at each other, I understood--he was still the brother I knew. Ali walked over and hugged me tightly, offering solid support.

Suddenly, Ali pushed me away, his eyes alert as he scanned our surroundings. I figured I needed more time to get used to his now-red eyes.

"I'm right here," he said, his ears twitching in different directions. "I won't leave you alone." With that, he agilely leaped over a large rock and disappeared among the debris, hidden by the black smoke.

After a short while, another antelope appeared before me. Even with his mask lowered, I recognized him as the one who had given me the nano-drones earlier. I heard him let out a deep sigh.

The antelope walked over to the remains, kicked them twice, and then removed the personal terminal from its lifeless arm to operate it.

I just watched him quietly, but inhaled a puff of black smoke and coughed.

The antelope finally noticed me, spinning around to face me.

His shock was palpable as he rushed over, checked my pulse, and examined my eyes.

"This is an oxygen shot," he said as he injected something into my neck. "I don't know how you've held on for this long, but..." The antelope trailed off, his expression shifting as he began to probe my head with his fingers, his eyes turning bright red. Like Ali's, they were purely red--like blood. "Impossible... unless..." He glanced at the battered corpse.

Whatever decision the antelope made, he stood up and returned to fiddling with the dead antelope's armor. I continued watching him quietly, and perhaps due to the oxygen shot, my vision and thoughts gradually became clearer.

I guessed this antelope wasn't hostile, though I wasn't sure how I reached that conclusion, given that he was an herbivore. But he had shown me kindness twice now--perhaps not all herbivores were untrustworthy.

"This should be enough to get you to the next settlement dome," he said, pressing a mask onto my face and demonstrating how to use it. "Don't let anyone see you wearing this gear. Once you're near the dome, use the oxygen shot." He handed me a few more injectors.

We both stood up, and I noticed his gaze was strange--not the usual disdain or fear from herbivores, but... guilt.

"I hope we can meet again under different circumstances," he said slowly, feeling around my collar. "I don't know how to express our... apology, but I think this is a start." After two beeps, I felt the collar loosen. "I've disabled the remote tracking and shock functions. If you want to turn off the ID display, just do this..." He showed me how to toggle the ID display on and off.

The antelope seemed to have more to say, but he suddenly looked up, frowning.

"From here on out, you're on your own," he concluded, hesitating briefly before finally deciding to walk away.

I watched the antelope disappear into the black smoke, then decided to head in the direction Ali had gone. I hadn't walked far when he found me first. In the pitch-black smoke, Ali grabbed my hand, signaling for me to follow.

We crept up a small hill, and I threw Ali a questioning look, but he just put a finger to his lips.

"...Tracking the radio tags on stolen supplies was always going to involve a ton of variables, didn't I say that from the start? And look at us now, the entire settlement has been destroyed, and you still think we can keep this under wrap?"

It was the voice of the antelope from earlier. He sounded furious, though it was unclear who he was speaking to. We crawled slowly closer to the source of the voice.

"...I thought landscapes scorched to glass were the kind of horrors you'd only see in the historical archives. Do you even know how terrifying it is?" He held his helmet in his hand, pacing back and forth. The area around the antelope seemed to be glowing faintly...

"...I'm done caring about what those arrogant deer have to say. I'm going to inform the Council--this has gone too far. It's obvious that--" The antelope was interrupted by something. We edged a little closer, barely able to catch the other voice speaking to him.

"...The Federation members have decided to re-establish contact with the Empire. An Omega-level psychic has emerged, within Canidae Empire territory," the disembodied voice said.

"Don't think you can just change the subject. I'm going to keep pushing this issue," the antelope replied, rubbing his temples before letting out a heavy sigh. "Is it Richter? Has he finally found a way to break through?"

"No, not Richter. There are two signal patterns," the other voice responded. "And if Richter is a star... this one's a black hole."

"Great, just great. Now the Canidae Empire has two super-powered psychics. Could things get any worse?" The antelope took a deep breath, looking as though he had reached a decision. "I might have found a psychic as well. A strong one."

"Really? That's good news!" The other voice sounded excited.

"It's a young cheetah." After saying this, the antelope's conversation partner fell silent.

"How strong?" The voice asked after a long pause.

"I can't even be sure..." The antelope scratched at the base of his horn in frustration. "Judging by the higher-tier rules, he's at least an Alpha-level psychic if he can hide from my detection." He let out a bitter laugh, lowering his head. "I can't even imagine how awkward it would be if he turned out to be Omega-level. Damn it, I'm only Gamma-level myself! How is this my responsibility? And weren't all the carnivores in the Federation supposed to have been screened already?"

"We're just a bunch of idiots who think we know what we're doing," the other voice replied.

"Hey, why don't you ever say stuff like that during the Federation's important meetings, 'General'?" The antelope added sarcastic emphasis.

"Are you trying to expose my identity?" The voice sounded a bit exasperated. "Anyway, what's done is done. We'll review it, then keep moving forward."

"That's easy for you to say..." the antelope muttered, kicking at some debris on the ground. The 'General' clearly decided to pretend he hadn't heard that.

"According to earlier predictions, we likely won't have a hand in the first act on the Lunar. But the subsequent events are more important anyway. I'll bring you back as soon as possible--get ready." The voice finished with a phrase I couldn't understand. The antelope repeated it before putting on his helmet, glancing around, and walking off into the distance.

Ali and I stood up, trying to process all the information. The swirling black smoke, the flames, and the shattered dome finally forced my brain to realize what had happened: everyone else was gone.

Only we remained.

As tears welled up in my eyes, Ali pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I'll always be here," he said firmly. "I'll never leave you."

In the numbness and void, I found my anchor. As long as we stayed together, we'd be okay.

"You really can get your hands on anything, can't you?" said the African lion with a long scar over his right eye, greedily toying with the Federation-standard combat rifle in his hands.

I tapped the table lightly twice, signaling to him that my part of the deal was completed as agreed.

"In such a hurry, aren't you?" The lion gestured to his bodyguards, who moved closer. "Everyone wants to get out before we hit the Roche limit, making this..." He deftly twirled a silver card between his fingers. "...skyrocket in value." His amber eyes locked onto mine, his smile brimming with greed. "So..."

The two bodyguards placed their hands on the weapons at their waists, openly displaying their intention to alter the terms of our agreement.

I sighed, nodding to Ali, who stood at the back of the room. He had warned me that things might go this way. He smiled in response, his red eyes glinting.

Waving dismissively at the lion, I stood up, signaling that he could do whatever he wanted, and walked out onto the terrace. He seemed puzzled but was clearly pleased with the cache of military hardware he'd just acquired.

The sound of scuffling and liquid splashing came from the room behind me, followed by a mix of screams and gunfire. When silence finally settled, Ali joined me on the terrace, placing the silver card on the flat surface beside me.

"Do you know what the Roche limit is?" Ali asked, wiping the blood from his face. I could hardly distinguish the dark red liquid from the color of his eyes anymore. I shook my head in response to his question. "It gave me an idea." He smiled, just like he used to, back in those days when all the bad things hadn't yet happened to us.

We stayed there, quietly leaning against the terrace, staring out at the distant sky.

"Dahl Cheetah?" a muntjac at the security checkpoint asked. I nodded in response as she scanned my collar and suspiciously accepted the silver card. Finally, she shrugged, clearly deciding that whatever the problem might be was beyond what her salary required her to care about.

She waved me through, signaling me to board the sleek starship.

I found my seat and waited for takeoff.

As I felt the familiar resonance, I couldn't help but smile--it was the Pegasus skyhook, an old friend here to see me off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to take off. This is a flight bound for the Lunar..." We began to accelerate along the superconducting magnetic track, then launched.

I had expected some kind of jolt or vibration when the grappling hooks caught the craft, but there was nothing--just an eerie calm.

And so, in this unexpected silence, we were flung into space by the skyhook.

"I'll always be here," Ali whispered, taking my hand. "I'll never leave you."

I squeezed his hand gently in response, feeling the warmth within.

I knew this was the most important promise of all.