Chronicles of New Joseon, Episode 2
“When we return with the elyum, those raft bastards and slabfoots will grind their teeth and tremble with rage. They must hate it, right? They’re toiling away at space colonization, while we leap through space with ease and traipse across the galaxy. We must repay them in kind. Just as America did to us, we must take everything we can from them and export it.”
He spoke with passion, saying they could cast away the humiliation they had endured. At the navigator’s words, Jang Seongho wordlessly looked at him, then gazed back out the window.
Excavators and other mining equipment, backhoes, and mobile three-dimensional construction equipment were being loaded onto the transport ship.
Seeing this, Jang Seongho spoke to the communications officer on his left.
“Communications officer.”
“Yes, Chief.”
“Tell them to open the cargo hold and load the equipment. Let’s go home.”
“You got it, Chief!”
The name tag read I Taeseong.
The communications officer, who had answered in a playful tone, picked up the radio and relayed the chief’s orders to those inside and outside the transport ship.
And together with the bridge crew, he watched the equipment being loaded.
About an hour later, the door opened and a middle-aged man entered.
He was the captain of the transport ship, having just returned to the bridge after a five-hour rest following his watch duty.
Returning the crew’s greetings, he asked the chief, “Are we loading cargo?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Now that our mission is over, let’s rotate out and head home. I want to see my wife and children soon. Prepare for takeoff.”
“Yes!”
His heart raced at the thought of returning home with bundles of gifts for the nation.
He answered with a bright smile, then led the crew to assist the captain.
The captain straightened the name tag on his chest.
The name Gim Inseok was engraved on the name tag.
Adjusting his name tag, he watched the rest of the cargo being loaded through the bridge window.
And he saw the security company troops boarding the transport ship.
They too were preparing to return home.
“Finally going home!”
“Wahaha!”
The massive transport ship, measuring 200 meters in length and 41 meters in beam, came into view.
Everyone who was returning home was smiling.
Seeing the joyful soldiers, Seonghyeok smiled calmly.
His superior, the company commander, gave the order.
“First Platoon will board the Hwanung.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Four Marine platoons, including headquarters, divided up and boarded the transport ships bound for Earth.
And the company commander boarded the Usa with Second Platoon.
Smiling brightly, he looked at the photo hanging by the captain’s seat.
Inside it were photos of his smiling wife and his son and daughter, who were studying at university.
He was doing his best, remembering the happy times with his family.
And so, all preparations for returning to Earth were complete.
Jang Seongho reported to Gim Inseok.
“Total crew of 29, boarding personnel including crew at 87, boarding is complete.”
* * *
Gim Inseok, seated in the captain’s chair, spoke to I Taeseong.
“Communications officer, relay that we will be taking off shortly.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Through him, contact was made with the destroyers in space.
At an altitude of 600 kilometers, there were a few destroyers of the Republic of Korea Space Force.
The radio transmission was relayed to the flagship, the Gim Yusin, where the fleet commander was aboard.
The communications officer received the takeoff notice and reported to the fleet commander.
“The Hwanung on Taebaekseong is preparing to take off.”
“Relay that we are standing by for escort.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
It was at that moment.
“Unidentified vessel on this ship’s starboard, lower ten degrees! Distance 200! Unreported unknown ship detected!”
“Unknown ship…?”
“Yes! One… no, two! Three! Their numbers are increasing! Identified: the Ito, belonging to the Self-Defense Forces! There is also a People’s Liberation Army destroyer!”
“…?!”
“They are approaching the friendly fleet! Admiral!”
The Self-Defense Forces referred to the Japanese military, and the People’s Liberation Army referred to the Chinese military.
The officer controlling the radar shouted loudly.
While the bridge crew’s faces hardened, the fleet commander, grasping the situation, gave urgent orders.
The intentions of the two nations’ fleets that had suddenly appeared were clear.
“General quarters! All hands to battle stations!”
“B-battle stations!”
“Raise the barrier to maximum! Prepare for combat!”
Before the crew could follow the fleet commander’s orders—
The face of the officer in charge of defending the flagship turned ashen.
A red glow enveloped the edges of the bridge windows.
“Enemy fleet firing! The barrier is breached! Currently heading for the flagship…!”
The crew’s vision turned crimson.
In an instant, heat enveloped their entire bodies.
And then all sensation vanished.
Meteors poured down from the sky in broad daylight.
“Huh…?”
“What was that just now?”
“Why are stars falling during the day?”
Workers who had been in the middle of mining operations stopped and looked up at the sky.
They watched the sky as lights scattered, thinking something bizarre was happening.
They never imagined that their national warships were being shot down.
Hyeonsik also looked at the sky, wondering what had happened.
Just then, an attendant with a radio received a transmission and handed the receiver to Hyeonsik.
Hyeonsik asked the attendant, “Who is it?”
“It’s the captain of the Hwanung.”
He took the palm-sized radio and held it to his ear.
A middle-aged man’s voice echoed from the receiver.
Listening silently, he suddenly raised his head in surprise and looked back at the sky.
And with difficulty, he opened his mouth.
“Understood.”
He ended the transmission.
Handing the radio back to the attendant, Hyeonsik clenched his fists and bit down hard.
Rage and urgency were mixed in his eyes.
“China and Japan have joined forces to attack our fleet! We have to evacuate, so move quickly! Pack only the essentials and board the transport ship!”
“Wha…?!”
“I’m saying a war has broken out! We need to evacuate now!”
Only after questioning him and being shouted at did they realize what was happening.
People panicked at the outbreak of war.
And they began moving about every which way, shouting in chaos.
Curses could not help but fly from their mouths.
“Japs. You bastards!”
Cries of “Chinks” and “Japs” constantly flew out.
And they heaped curses upon the two nations that could not stand to see Korea doing well.
A commotion erupted as the scene descended into chaos.
Seonghan, who had been lying on a cot resting inside the barracks, shot up at the noise coming from outside.
He looked out the window to see what was happening, then asked someone who entered the barracks.
He was a staff member five years his junior who shared the barracks with him.
“I Jeonguk. What’s going on outside?”
“Um, a war has broken out.”
“What…?”
“Japan joined forces with China and attacked our fleet! There’s chaos because we’re evacuating! They say Japanese and Chinese troops will be here soon…!”
“…?!”
“You need to evacuate too, Manager Yu!”
Seonghan blinked his eyes several times at Jeonguk.
Then he quickly put on his shoes and went outside to see people moving busily.
Seeing Hyeonsik giving orders, he quickly ran to him.
“Chief!”
“Manager Yu!”
“What is going on?!”
To Seonghan’s question, Hyeonsik answered with a stiff expression.
“China and Japan have joined forces to attack our fleet! They’re trying to stop us from mining the elyum! Those bastards will be raiding here soon, so we have to evacuate quickly! If your body is fine, get the people to evacuate!”
He reconfirmed the fact that China and Japan had attacked.
Bewildered by the unbelievable news, Hyeonsik pointed his index finger at the sky.
Then, debris scattering like meteors could be seen in the distant sky.
Seonghan’s pupils trembled.
Only then did he understand the reality of the situation.
It was time to tear off the gauze on his head and get people to safety.
He saw Jiyeon coming out, supporting a patient together with nurses.
Her actions filled Seonghan’s vision.
After loading the patient onto a cargo truck, he followed Jiyeon, who was heading back into the clinic.
Upon entering the clinic, he saw Jiyeon moving quickly, talking with doctors.
Seonghan grabbed Jiyeon’s wrist.
“Wh…what?”
“Where on earth are you going?!”
“Wha…?”
“I’m saying we have to evacuate! There’s no time. We have to get to safety quickly!”
At Seonghan’s outcry, Jiyeon made a troubled expression.
Just then, her superior came to Seonghan and spoke urgently.
“We need to gather the medicines!”
“What?”
“We need to gather at least the minimum medicines! That way we can treat patients or the wounded if they appear! Without medicine, having doctors is useless!”
The superior’s name was Gim Sin.
He was the one in charge of the medical team at the mining site.
Hearing the words of the medical team leader wearing horn-rimmed glasses, Seonghan pondered briefly.
And biting down hard, he walked forward and asked, “Where?”
Jiyeon, the assistant team leader, answered in the team leader’s stead.
“This way.”
Seonghan followed her.
About twenty minutes later, the transport ships excluding the Hwanung finished preparing for takeoff.
Gim Inseok waited for the medical team to return.
He fretted while looking out the window, then seeing dust clouds rising from the ground, he ordered the cargo hold doors opened.
Seonghyeok, holding a rifle, was outside with his platoon members.
“Hyung!”
“Seonghyeok!”
“Get in quickly! There’s no time!”
The marines took charge of Seonghan and Jiyeon, among others.
They ushered Gim Sin in last, kept watch of the surroundings, then boarded the Hwanung and closed the cargo hold doors.
And a report that the doors were closed was relayed to the bridge.
Gim Inseok gave Jang Seongho the takeoff order.
“Engines, full speed! Escape Taebaekseong!”
“Yes, Captain!”
Takeoff orders were given to the navigator and the chief engineer.
Flames burst fiercely from the engine nozzles, scorching the ground.
The Hwanung, with its massive hull, began to slowly rise into the air.
And its bow lifted as it began to race toward the outer atmosphere.
The hull shook due to turbulence.
Inside the cargo hold, there were seats where many people could sit.
Seonghan seated Jiyeon in an empty spot and fastened her seatbelt.
Jiyeon looked at Seonghan with worried eyes.
And as Seonghan sat down beside her, he quickly fastened his own seatbelt.
Unable to know the situation outside, the tension could only grow.
No one knew if they would scream, survive, or die.
They could only hold hands and ease each other’s worries.
Seonghan took Jiyeon’s hand.
“What is this hand…?”
To Jiyeon’s question, Seonghan answered.
“It’s saying we’ll be fine. So don’t be scared.”
“…….”
The faint trembling in her hand disappeared.
Jiyeon took a deep breath and shook off some of the tension that had been gripping her chest.