SARO

"That's just your guess, Cap," Hyker chuckled, shaking his head. Again his gaze was fixed on the reddish hue that enveloped what was left on Planet Earth.

"I think Captain has a point," said Pical. And after eyes were now on him, Pical replied, "I don't know about you guys," said the brown-skinned man. "But this is the theory in my head," Pical adjusted his sitting position. "Think about it," he continued. "Why don't the Federation's main ships seem—well, you might say, not looking panicked? Also," then Pical pointed at the giant SOF station. "Even the center of their government still looks calm."

No more words were heard there, no more arguments about this and that, all lost in their thoughts.

"Hey," Hyker called out moments later as he pointed to the starboard further afield—seeming to be to the bottom starboard of the SOF carrier. "Is that SARO?"

Captain Dharma stepped over to the windshield of the cockpit room to take a closer look at Hyker's words.

"That's right," said Captain Dharma after confirming the shape of the large aircraft there. "That's SARO."

"SARO?" Oryza looked at each of her colleagues in the cockpit. "What is SARO?"

"Sort of like a floating supermarket," Hyker chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

"A floating supermarket?" repeated Oryza half in disbelief.

"Hu-uh," Hyker nodded.

"It belongs to businessmen who are not truly bound to the Federation," said Captain Dharma informed. "But I'm not sure about the prices on every product they sell."

"I heard there are special bars there too," Quinn said. "Is that true, Cap?"

"I heard that too," said Captain Dharma. "It's a place where everyone gathers. Being a kind of entertainment and exchanging information, that's what I know."

Even so, the captain himself had never actually visited the big spaceship called SARO. The ship, which looked more like a giant octagonal station, was one-tenth the size of the SOF aircraft, the Federation's mother plane.

And in fact, even being in outer space is the first time for Captain Dharma. Same, like all the other SC-45 crew. Except for Hyker. So far, they've only had simulations at Pangandaran Castle.

"What do you think, Hyker?"

The man smirked slightly, shaking his head in response to the captain's question. "I'm not sure," he said. "It may be like that."

"So you've never been there?" asked the captain to make sure.

Hyker sneered, his gaze still wildly watching the situation outside. The parts of the spacecraft that were shattered into pieces were still hovering here and there. He also saw some frozen human bodies, sometimes only pieces of their bodies, or a small part of them.

"I never explored the entirety of the plane," Hyker said. "I've only been to SARO twice. Well, not the type to have fun at a bar—or whatever they called there."

"What does it mean?" Pical asked wanting some clarity.

"I was accompanying the Federation people," Hyker replied without looking away. He is more interested in observing directly the situation outside. "VVIP rooms with young girls service."

"Even they didn't forget the fun for it?" said Oryza, who did not like what these high-class people had provided in outer space. "Disgusting!"

"Human…" Hyker muttered half inaudibly, he cursed at something in his heart. His gaze was so sad when he said that word.

"So," Quinn said with a little curiosity. "The Federation just let what happens in SARO, is that so?"

Hyker sneered again, slightly shrugging his shoulders. "That's how it is," he said. "As long as those who manage SARO don't show any resistance to the Federation, then they're fine."

"A zone free from all Federation rules, you can call it that," said Captain Dharma as well. "Also, as a war-free zone."

"Besides," Hyker continued. "Not all members of the Federation are those from the Nobility. So yeah, let's call it… SARO is a medium to lower-class entertainment facility. Although, it is undeniable that the elite nobles often hold secret meetings there, for the sake of their business, and SARO provides the security for them."

"What a strange bound," Oryza snorted.

"Some people," Hyker continued, "called SARO as Space Restaurant."

"Ridiculous!" Oryza snorted again.

Is it because Oryza doesn't like things related to the Federation even though SARO is not under the control of the Federation itself, or maybe there is another reason? No one knows except herself.

"Yeah, so ridiculous," Hyker chuckled. "But clearly, no one knows why it was named like that. Or," Hyker turned, looking at Oryza. "You want to ask this question directly? If so, let's stop there for a while."

"Just forget it!" Oryza snorted again. "I am very sure. Whatever SARO is, the Federation's interference must be there."

For a moment, the cockpit space was filled with smiles and laughter from their mouths. A few things to forget for a moment are the terrible circumstances that just happened to Mother Earth.

"What are we going to do now, Cap?" Pical asked a moment later.

"I want to confirm those in the main cabin first," said Captain Dharma as he stepped towards the automatic door. "Maintain the force of gravity at this level!"

"Okay, Cap!" said Pical.

Pical checked the big screen in front of him. Instruments that will create artificial gravity inside the SC45 aircraft. Artificial Gravity Instruments, AGI is another achievement of Federation scientists that allows humans and other living things to freely move inside an object without being affected by the original condition of outer space itself which is zero gravity, or they call it G-0.

On the large screen in the section showing the AGI graph, the bar showing the numbering system starting with the letter G shows the indicator with a green glow at position G-1 or Gravity One, the level of gravity equivalent to Earth's gravity, about 9.81 meters per second squared.

"Please keep an eye on the situation outside," said Captain Dharma giving orders to everyone in the cockpit. "Do not be careless!"

"Aye, Captain!" said Oryza and Quinn.

Hyker just snorted softly in response to that, without even being asked, he had been doing that a long time ago. Big planes wouldn't be a problem, because they could be easily spotted, what Hyker was afraid of were reconnaissance drones or more sophisticated probes.

If probe things were released to pursue them, their chances of survival would be much smaller. Probes are nothing more than exterminator-type robots that don't care about human life or anything else. Once the command is handed down, that's what the robots will do. There are only two choices, destroy the target or they are destroyed.

That's why Hyker had always been keeping an eye on the situation out there. For every small suspicious object he saw, Hyker had to make sure it wasn't one of the many drones or probes the Federation had.

It had been a while since he didn't find anything suspicious—besides the chaos of planes flying out there, Hyker could breathe a little easier.

TO BE CONTINUED ...