Spacystro. Their home planet was lost to an alien invasion, and their goal is to find habitable planets without existing civilizations. However, finding such planets in space is even harder than finding a needle in a desert.
Eventually, they began traveling across the universe, engaging in invasion activities while conserving their limited energy. Their purpose was not to colonize and dominate civilizations but to secure energy sources for space travel by utilizing technological resources.
For Spacystro, who already possessed the technological capability to navigate space, there was little benefit in dominating planets with far inferior technology. Rather, destroying civilizations, which are hard to find in space, was a loss for both them and the universe as a whole.
However, the civilizations they encountered didn’t see it that simply. Many planets treated Spacystro’s proposals as sweet-talked lies and engaged in wars that nearly led to their annihilation.
In the end, Spacystro enhanced the technological capabilities of the invaded planets, securing the necessary resources. Some civilizations, fascinated by Spacystro, sought peaceful cooperation rather than forced occupation through military power.
But no matter how good the reason, there were far more civilizations in the universe than imagined, and not all aligned with Spacystro’s goals. Just as conflicts and disputes were common within their own planet, there were far more who distrusted and suspected Spacystro than those who welcomed them with open arms.
What could have been a simple invasion activity if mutual interests aligned required significant effort to understand each other, leading Spacystro to engage in invasions for a long time as they navigated space.
“You’re alone today?”
“Huh?”
A man carrying a tray sat down in front of A, who was eating in the cafeteria. A glanced at the young man with dark blue hair and a refreshing demeanor before focusing back on his meal.
“What about Siera?”
“Afternoon duty.”
“Why didn’t you go on duty with her today?”
“If people hear that, they’ll think we’re always together.”
Hearing A’s words, the navy-haired young man snorted as if he found it absurd.
“But you are always together. There are even rumors that you’re a couple.”
“I’ve denied it. Do you want me to cut your tongue out?”
A threatened without much threat, holding a fork with salad. The young man just laughed. Theo, the navy-haired young man, was a soldier in the same engineering position as A and worked in the same team.
Although working with A, who could be overly sensitive when dealing with broken fighters or malfunctioning equipment, was often tiring, Theo trusted him for his precise and meticulous work, and they often laughed together on duty.
“The medical team wanted to set you up with someone, but others stopped them because of the Siera rumors.”
It was true that A was often seen with Siera. Although both claimed they were just long-time friends, no one believed them, and some even treated them as a couple.
A, who was well aware of the rumors, would deny it, but the rumors never died down. Eventually, he stopped responding altogether.
“Let them do what they want. I’ve already denied it.”
“So, should I set you up?”
“No. No need.”
A wasn’t interested in romance. He wasn’t unaware of the process of dating and marriage, but he simply had no interest in the opposite sex.
It wasn’t that he was interested in the same sex either. He just lived a life focused on work and his hobbies.
Moreover, even when introductions were made, they never went anywhere, and naturally, he lost interest.
“That’s why the rumors keep spreading.”
“……”
A paused his spoon at Theo’s words. He had a point.
The rumors of A being in a relationship or even married to Siera weren’t pleasant. It wasn’t that he disliked Siera, but he hated how people treated the rumors as facts.
However, his indifferent attitude towards potential romantic interests only fueled those rumors.
“Wait, if it’s not me, then Siera should just date someone.”
A frowned, feeling annoyed even at the thought of creating a non-existent relationship. Theo glared at him with an expression that screamed “idiot.”
“You idiot. What did I just say?”
“What?”
A, who couldn’t understand why Theo was exasperated, frowned as if asking what the problem was.
“Because you’re always with Siera, no one wants to be set up with either of you.”
“So what?”
“Idiot! Because they’re always with you, Siera can’t get set up either!”
Theo’s voice rose in frustration. When A made a sound as if he understood, Theo realized A wasn’t incapable of understanding; he just chose not to.
“It’s frustrating, really.”
“But Siera also denies the rumors, right?”
“No matter how much you two deny it, who’s going to believe you when you’re always together?”
“We’re not always together!”
Theo, unable to get through to A, put down his spoon, as if he’d lost his appetite.
“Do you know how popular Siera is?”
“How would I know that?”
Theo, who had built various relationships across different positions, was well-versed in the rumors circulating the air force. Especially since he was often seen with A, he had a close relationship with Siera. Some men wanted Theo to introduce them to Siera.
If Siera agreed, Theo would have arranged a meeting. But whenever he mentioned it, those interested would back off.
‘Can you handle A?’
Unlike Theo, A wasn’t the type to build many relationships. He was completely focused on work and his hobbies, and his reputation for being overly sensitive during work was well-known within the air force. Even those who didn’t know him personally had heard of him.
“Please, for everyone’s sake, if you can’t find a suitable partner, just live together as a couple.”
“You’re a lunatic who came here to talk nonsense. If you have time to talk, go eat and sleep.”
Theo sighed at A’s attitude. While not as many as Siera, there were occasionally women who asked Theo to introduce them to A. But A was indifferent, and Siera would often dismiss talk of men.
In the end, Theo was stuck in the middle, hoping they’d just get together or get married to avoid the hassle. But whenever he brought it up, A always reacted like this.
“If you’re in the cafeteria, just eat quietly. Why are you raising your voice?”
Klugger and a silver-haired boy approached, placing their trays down and sitting with them.
“What’s this? An unusual combination.”
“We met up ahead.”
Theo tilted his head at the rare pairing, while Klugger responded nonchalantly. The silver-haired boy, with his shaggy hair tied back, began his meal. Unusual for a person, he had no ears on the sides of his head; instead, they were on top, like a wolf’s. His ears twitched with each bite.
“Senior, are you binge-watching dramas again today?”
The boy directed his gaze at A, who answered indifferently, “Yeah,” and continued eating. The boy then brought up what he wanted to say.
“Something interesting might happen soon.”
The boy belonged to a different branch from A, Klugger, and Theo. While the three were in the air force’s engineering division, the boy was a soldier in the air force’s infantry division, specializing in ground combat rather than piloting fighters.
Though they rarely interacted, they were somewhat friendly due to their shared life in the air force.
“What is it?”
Concerned that it might be something troublesome, A narrowed his eyes again, looking at the boy.
“Curious?”
The boy, thinking his story would be amusing, chuckled but didn’t get to the point. A stared at him intently.
“Roy. If you drag this out any longer, I’ll hit you with a spanner.”
Despite the serious tone, Roy kept his smile and continued.
“I heard a training Biroid is coming soon.”
At those words, the three engineers simultaneously sighed.
“You’re saying that means…”
“Yes. I heard some from the engineering team are going too.”
Another sigh followed.
“But the model number shows it’s the final stage.”
Relieved, they let out a lighter sigh this time.
“So, it’s not like your case, then?”
“My case? Even if I was troublesome, that’s a bit harsh.”
Biroid. Before invading a planet, Spacystro would collect information and create artificial lifeforms based on the DNA of the planet’s inhabitants to better understand the genetic structure and physical characteristics of the native population.
Creating a new lifeform artificially was an extremely complex and lengthy process, one part of which involved having the Biroid live among Spacystro soldiers for diverse learning.
The silver-haired, wolf-eared boy, Lloyd, was also a Biroid. Before he became the current Lloyd, he underwent training with A’s engineering team, causing them considerable trouble.
“And even though I only had information from back then, I’m still treated like a burden.”
“You still cause trouble.”
Lloyd’s mischievous actions were numerous, and since he was under the engineering team’s supervision and now worked in the same air force, any trouble Lloyd caused always reached their ears.
“But at least I don’t throw spanners at people like you do.”
A’s spoon stopped at the biting remark, while Theo and Klugger barely stifled their laughter.
“Is that my fault?! It’s the fault of those who loiter around the equipment!”
“You speak up when they don’t listen. So, do you know which engineering team the new Biroid is going to?”
“No. I only heard one is going to an engineering team.”
Hoping it wouldn’t be their team, the three engineers continued their meal.
There were various duties in the air force. While Siera was a fighter pilot, everyone took turns on duty regardless of their position. With a large number of personnel, the schedule was flexible, and duties were divided into shifts, so it wasn’t particularly difficult.
After finishing her duty, Siera stretched and removed the armband from her uniform.
“Good work.”
“Yes, you too.”
A person she didn’t recognize took over the next shift, and after informing them of the necessary details, Siera left the air force’s combat information room.
As an important hub for information flow and central to the air force, medical personnel were often seen moving about. Siera’s gaze turned towards a particular spot.
“Did you ask to introduce her?”
“I did, but the sisters stopped me.”
“Still, if you introduced her, she’d accept, right?”
“Probably. I saw her once; she seemed nice.”
Two female medics were walking down the hallway, engaged in conversation. Siera stood in front of them.
Having never met or spoken to Siera before, the two women looked at her curiously. Siera smiled and looked at the woman who had requested the introduction.
“Hello. Sorry to bother you, but I think I might have misheard. Did you say you wanted to be introduced?”
There was no obligation to explain to someone she’d never met, but as it wasn’t a big deal, the woman who made eye contact with Siera cautiously spoke.
“Well… to the engineering team… Yikes!!”
Siera’s dark eyes pierced through her, and the woman recoiled in fear at the sudden, intense gaze.
Suddenly, she remembered what the other medics had told her when she asked Theo to introduce her to A.
Beside A in the air force was a black-haired woman who would glare at any woman who looked at him.
“Who are you… being introduced to?”
Realizing the person in front of her was Siera, the woman struggled to speak, slowly avoiding her gaze and trying to pass by the silently standing Siera.
“Oh, no! I won’t take it!”
Unable to face Siera’s sharp gaze, the woman quickly left with her companion. Siera watched them run off before smiling softly.
“Now, what should I do today?”
She then walked lightly towards the dormitory, humming cheerfully.
