Red Sea

At that moment, with a loud bang, the head of the creature that had reached out shattered into pieces. In that instant, Jake realized for the first time that the Thermo tribe did not have brains inside their heads; instead, they were filled with black and red gem-like substances, and when that hard head was smashed, everything inside would spill out. Witnessing the scene of the Thermo’s head, which felt even harder than the cliff he had just descended, shatter in an instant evoked another wave of terror.

The shock of the new event pulled Jake out of his panic, and he stifled a hiccup while covering his mouth with his hand. The muscular, soaked, and battered veteran, with only a dog tag hanging around his neck, looked very small and pathetic in front of the strong alien. Kashan let out a loud roar after smashing the head of the creature that had dared to touch his offspring.

“Khahaaah!”

It was a sound so loud it shook the ground. His gaping mouth seemed to have no teeth, vocal cords, or uvula, making it a mystery how such a tremendous noise could come from it. Jake covered his ears and lowered his head. The sound he had just heard was certainly not meant to convey meaning or communicate. It was a warning. He instinctively sensed that Kashan was very angry.

The other Thermo, having heard the sound, quickly returned to their original positions. They were not fleeing in fear; they were returning to where they belonged. Turning his back on them, who began to dig in the dirt with their hands in a repetitive motion that was once again incomprehensible, Kashan loudly asked Jake.

[What are you doing here?]

“……”

Jake could not respond. It was the first time he had seen Kashan so furious, and there was no way he could answer when a being with such monstrous strength could smash his kin in one blow was asking him. The creature whose head had been smashed by Kashan looked dead. The body, now headless, sat there like a pile of broken stones, and the red core that resembled a heart was now completely extinguished. It was beyond fear. The pressure he felt was about five times greater than the intimidation he had felt when he first encountered him.

Regardless of whether he spoke the truth or fabricated a story, the situation was only going to get worse. When Kashan saw that Jake did not answer, he roughly picked him up. During this treatment, Jake remained quiet without resisting. His back was very warm. Whether it was because of the heat or because the temperature had dropped, he could see steam rising from the parts that were wet with rainwater.

Kashan extended his two arms from the hole to secure Jake so he wouldn’t fall. With the other four arms, he skillfully climbed up the cliff. Compared to the two hours of grunting it took for a human to descend, his movements were far lighter and faster. Finally, after dragging Jake into the cave, Kashan asked once more.

[Why did you go there?]

“…I don’t know.”

[I’m not joking. I asked why you went!]

The cave echoed loudly. Jake flinched, fearing he might be beaten, and closed his eyes. However, Kashan only made a loud noise and stood still, waiting for Jake to respond. Having been accustomed to corporal punishment during his rookie days in the military, Jake naturally thought that he would be subjected to some form of lynching, whether it be a punch or a kick. But as Kashan merely looked down at the small being who had bowed his head without even striking the cave wall, Jake finally answered truthfully.

“I… I couldn’t hold on. That’s all.”

He admitted it was a foolish act. From the very beginning, he had known it was a stupid thing to do, inappropriate for his age and experience. However, he felt that if he didn’t do something, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his sanity, and he wanted to escape this situation by any means possible, even if it meant coming up with a somewhat plausible reason that he might find a way out.

Upon hearing Jake’s answer, Kashan fell silent. Instead, he picked Jake up again and headed deep into the cave. As they went further in, a completely dark area appeared where no light penetrated. It was so dark and damp that Jake had never set foot in this place before. Kashan walked through it, then suddenly began to descend against the wall. True to its nature as a cave located on a cliff, there were parts that bent downward inside as well. Jake trembled in fear, not knowing where he was being dragged, but he didn’t have the courage to ask what he was doing.

The stifling heat clung to his cheeks. Judging by the rocks that made up the cave and the presence of hot springs bubbling with boiling water, this cave seemed to have been formed by volcanic activity. As he inhaled, the hot air rushed deep into his lungs, causing Jake to cough lightly. Not knowing where he was being taken, he felt anxious, but in the darkness, he could only vaguely sense the massive structure’s unique volume that brushed against the bridge of his nose.

The giant had no eyes. Only irregular scratch marks replaced its face. It was hard to know whether it perceived things in the same way humans did unless one became it. One thing was clear: unlike humans who relied on sight, it possessed spatial awareness that allowed it to move properly without colliding with anything even in the dark.

After a long descent down the cliff inside the cave, Kashan finally set Jake down on the ground. As soon as he exited the stifling heat, a cool breeze brushed against his nose. Having been forcibly held by the hot giant, Jake shivered and rubbed his forearms with his palms as he felt the relative chill.

Even though he couldn’t see properly ahead, he instinctively looked around. He could hear the sound of rain and feel the cold air, suggesting that it was a space connected to the outside. Kashan spoke to the small human in a voice that was calmer than before but still dissatisfied.

[You almost got into big trouble with your reckless actions. How foolish to come into contact with the production slaves.]

“I… I didn’t know…! I really didn’t approach them on purpose! I realize now that wandering around like that was dangerous…”

Hearing those words, Jake understood that the reason Kashan was angry was not simply because he had gone outside the cave. Kashan was expressing displeasure specifically because Jake had approached other creatures. So, Jake quickly gathered his excuses. Having spent nearly half his life in a place ruled by orders and force, he chose to feign compliance rather than resist or plead for release. It seemed that showing primitive violence for a moment had been more effective in establishing dominance than forcing him to accept change.

What he had learned in the military was a submissive attitude of initially complying with absurdity. Whether he wanted to or not, the response that had been ingrained in him over half a lifetime came out first. Faced with a large and powerful being, the human had no choice but to act servilely.

Listening to Jake, Kashan extended his tongue to brush off the dirt clinging to his body and licked the scratches. When the hot tongue touched the wounded areas, Jake grimaced and shrank back. It was an injury he had completely forgotten in his daze. While he could dismiss such scratches as nothing, the strange burning sensation that arose as the slimy saliva seeped in made him shudder involuntarily.

[I understand that you didn’t intend to associate with those lowly production slaves. However, I cannot overlook such reckless behavior. The safety of the offspring is paramount. Do not act rashly and maintain your composure.]

That was all Kashan said. Before Jake could respond, he climbed back up the cliff in a flash. As Jake heard his footsteps fade away, he irritably kicked a small stone lying on the ground and muttered to himself.

“Who is threatening safety?”

What a ridiculous alien. Judging by the sensation underfoot, the ground seemed to be made of a type of sand similar to that which formed a bed. Sitting down heavily on the ground, Jake looked up. The threatening abyss, with its gaping maw, was swallowing not only the ceiling but the entire space he was lying in.

Am I being punished?

He had been told to maintain his composure, but it was hard to calm down in the complete darkness. Moreover, it was cold. Jake gathered sand from the ground to cover his feet and legs. The slightly moist sand effectively blocked the cold air flowing in from outside. It wasn’t cold enough to freeze to death, but having grown accustomed to the heat, Jake now felt cold even with a slight drop in temperature. Especially after having been in contact with the Thermo’s hot body every day. Being left alone in the cold felt even more awkward.

*

“Ugh… mmm.”

After some time had passed, Jake opened his eyes, feeling thirsty. As soon as he relaxed, he had unknowingly dozed off, and the surroundings were brighter than the day before. The place he had been brought to was a wide area where the cave ceiling had collapsed. Light and the cool air of dawn flowed in through a massive hole in the ceiling. It wasn’t too hot, and seeing the sky was a dark purple, Jake realized it was just before dawn. Since coming to this planet, he had often seen the sun set but had never seen it rise. He had always been too busy dealing with the landowners late into the night, exhausted from his hectic days, and had never cared about the celestial movements on this planet.

“At least there’s water.”

How ironic, to be thrown aside like this for reflection. Jake let out a hollow laugh, incredulous that he was being treated better than in military detention, and crawled over to the stagnant spring to drink. At least it seemed they wouldn’t deprive him of food and sleep and train him like a dog, allowing him to regain a bit of composure.

As the day brightened, he noticed an entrance that seemed to lead to Kashan’s cave, perched on a sheer cliff. It was roughly the height of a five-story building. It was impossible to escape this space alone. Realizing he was thoroughly isolated, Jake flopped down on the sand. His short hair had grown long enough to cover his forehead, and his beard was unkempt. As he slowly felt his hair and jawline with his hands, he looked at the yellowish sky and thought.

Where did it all go wrong?

Was it wrong from the very beginning to be born in a slum? Lacking the energy to feel more miserable, he lay there, rolling his eyes. He thought he shouldn’t have acted so recklessly, but then again, if he had just sat quietly and waited for Kashan, he would have ultimately been thoroughly exploited, so he sarcastically thought it was better this way.

Now, having calmed down a bit emotionally, Jake could accept the fact that he had been sold from the home planet more calmly than the day before. A few trucks of sulfur. They were truly nothing more than chunks of rock, but the reality was that it would be impossible to buy that much sulfur with money, even if he worked like a dog for the rest of his life.

No, considering not just the price of the sulfur but also the potential value and uses of those chunks of rock, it would be an amount that could not be repaid even if he were reborn three times and worked his entire life.

If it were a ransom, it would be the highest value assigned to a life. The human, soaked in despair, bitterly felt the harsh reality to the bone. No matter how much one argues that human dignity is an inalienable value, the thought that selling one human could allow many others to survive made him feel even more despondent.

Of course, it was uncertain whether that profit would reach those born in the slums, including himself. The probability that the benefits of sulfur would not reach that far was likely higher.

For whom?

Jake let out a pained groan as he followed the dark clouds drifting in the sky with his eyes. The impulsive act of rushing out of the cave in a frenzy was an unavoidable choice. Even if he managed to escape from Kashan, the thought that he might not be able to return to the home planet aboard a spaceship that could have been burned or broken was unbearable.