Star Blazers Lambda Chapter 28

Story and art by Ryuko Azuma

See the original pages at Web NewType here
Narrative reads right to left

After leaving their companions behind, Nina, Aisha, and Yu plunge onward through the wormhole toward the home base of Seireness. Nina tries to comfort Aisha, saying that since there is no sign of pursuit, it must mean Hugo and Marina prevailed.

An alert signal indicates action up ahead.

FINAL CHAPTER: YOU

A massive construct appears in their path and powers up to fire.

Right side: the three dodge its opening salvo and identify what looks like a core ship riding atop what must be a giant battleship.

Left side: Unable to use Yu’s Wave-Motion Gun inside the wormhole, the trio is at a loss for what to do. Yu reasons that since Seireness never deployed this vessel in the solar system, it may be still under construction and might not last much longer. This could be Seireness’ attempt at a short-term showdown.

As Seireness “Aria” warriors charge in, Aisha gains determination.

Right side: “PUSH THROUGH” she shouts as her Mark 5 blasts out a huge swatch of protective ribbons.

Left side: the ribbons wrap around the three Topness ships, shielding them against a second blast from the giant battleship.

Right side: the Topness ships speed past the battleship as the last of the ribbons peel off. They seem to have a clear field of escape, but Yu’s ship is trailing smoke. He apologizes for having been hit despite Aisha’s protection.

Left side: Aisha moves up to repair Yu’s ship, but has to fend off an Aria first. Nina’s Second Sight drones open fire on their massing enemies.

Right side: Aisha and Nina share the same thought. “If this continues, they’ll catch up with us.”

Left side: Aisha and Nina drop back and turn around to face their pursuers. “What are you thinking,” Yu yells. “Don’t go that way!”

Right side: Nina orders Yu to keep going full speed ahead. “Get through the wormhole and take out Seireness’ stronghold! We’ll hold off the giant battleship!”

He refuses, knowing it’s a death sentence for the two of them to stay behind.

“Yu…please grow up. You’re the only one who can save the human race. You have to defeat Seireness and save Linne. So…come and pick us up when it’s all over…”

Left side: The other two ships sign off and Yu screams in anguish, now all alone.

Right side: Aisha and Nina confer about their enemy.

“A core ship on top of the battleship! If it’s similar to our battleship, an Aria must be in there! Destroy the Aria in the core ship and destroy the wormhole with the rest of the ensemble! We can’t let that battleship get to Yu!”

Left side: Aisha plunges in for an attack, forming her protective ribbons into a drill shape. The battleship fires on her.

Right side: the blast shreds her ribbons, so she tries something else – a full spray that envelopes the enemy’s core ship.

Left side: “CRUSH IT!!!” The core ship explodes under the pressure.

Right side: Nina’s Mark 1 charges directly toward an Aria who retaliates with a sonic blast.

Left side: “This is the end, Seireness!!!” Aisha slams right into the Aria’s mouth. “Hugo…Marina…sorry…”

Right side: the impact tears the Aria’s head clean off. The two ships collapse onto the hull of the now-scuttled battleship.

Left side: Nina’s last words. “Yu…I’m sorry I can’t go home with you.”

Aisha’s last words. “I know you’re alone and you’re scared. But you have to hang in there until the end..”

Right side: Yu reaches the end of the wormhole. He regains control of himself as the target appears.

Left side: Yu approaches the Seireness base, the black hole they call “The Cocoon of Intelligence.” One final cadre of Arias waits there for him. Along with someone else.

Right side: within the Cocoon is Linne, speaking with an Aria.

Linne: “No matter how many times the universe repeats itself…without fail…he’ll come here and destroy you. And I will find the true reason why I was born.”

Aria: “Linne…your reason for existence is a sacrifice to nurture this universe. This universe cannot successfully regenerate itself. Sometimes it makes a big crunch right away. Sometimes space can’t stand it and tears itself apart like a balloon. This repeating universe needs an intelligent body. The first intelligent life to be born in this repeating universe will be the first human.”

Left side: the conversation continues.

Aria: “When will the childish human race you speak of realize this? They are nothing but a deafening noise in this beautiful universe.”

Linne: “So…you hear nothing but noise. To me, that noise is strong…beautiful…and…”

“So lovely.” As Linne concludes her statement, Yu fires on the black hole.

Having completed his mission, Yu dives back into the wormhole just before it closes forever. He speeds past the dead vessels of Hugo and Marina, finding his way back to the solar system.

Right side: Yu reaches Earth in time only to helplessly watch it be torn to shreds.

Left side: Yu speaks to his ship’s AI.

“Mark 6…shut down all systems including life support. This can’t be…Topness and NerfThis…it all happened! They’re all dead! It makes no sense!!!”

“Terminate all systems, including life support. Thank you Mark 6. Sorry to make you feel bad at the end.”

In Yu’s last moments, Linne appears and apologizes for not being able to save Earth.

“No need to apologize. You did your best for all of us, didn’t you? Seireness is beaten. No one will use you any more, Linne.”

“But…You came back like you promised, Yu. I couldn’t protect everyone. You have no reason to be here…”

“Linne…I have one last favor to ask…”

Right side: another time, another place. Another universe. Linne wakes up in a classroom, wondering what she was crying about.

Left side: Aisha is in her family home, saying goodbye to her blind cat as she prepares to go off to veterinary school. Her brother says the cat is asking her not to go. “I’ll come back when things calm down,” Aisha answers.

Right side: someone asks Nina what book she’s reading.

“A book on cosmological constants. Mysterious forces that have a lot to do with the growth of this universe. Einstein added his Lambda term to the gravitational equation, but he later called it the biggest mistake of his life. As space expands, so does its force. An energy that transcends the normal laws of physics. Like love, for example…”

Left side: Marina comes home to greet her dad, who has been watching soccer. He’s amazed at the prowess of a new rookie player. That player is Hugo. Marina is speechless as she hugs her Mifune doll.

Right side: Marina has won a figure skating competition. Stuffed Mifunes are tossed out to her from the stands. Hugo watches it on his phone. “Are you watching that video again?” Hugo yells at his roommate for interrupting. “Maybe you’ll see that girl if you ever make it to the Olympics,” the roommate says. “Maybe not for soccer, but for skiing or snowboarding.”

Left side: We find Laine with his girlfriend Naia in Hawaii. He wears a fish hook pendant for courage. “It’s about being able to protect the people you care about. Including you, of course, Naia.” She’s shocked. He finally admitted it.

Right side: Abbey is hanging out in Hong Kong when a random guy (Alexei, new in town) asks her to recommend a cafe for good coffee. She recommends one called Mifune and he asks her if she’d like to come along. “It’s called fate,” he explains. This earns him a kick in the butt from his brother Mikhail, who tells him to stop embarrassing himself. Mikhail drags Alexei away, but Alexei thanks Abbey for the tip. She smiles. “Weirdo.”

Left side: Linne, a pop idol, is spotted by a fan as she works in her parents’ sushi restaurant. The fan asks for a photo, surprised that someone this famous would take a part-time job. Outside, Linne’s music video is playing on a billboard. The song title is YOU.

We pull away from this time, this place, this universe, and return to the Cocoon of Intelligence. From there, someone is watching all of this transpire.

यु/Yu (sankrit): To mix, to join, to blend

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