Adrift ~Book 1 || •PJM• (Rewritten Edition) ✔️

The Boyfriend

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. The Hep is gone," Namjoon says. Jungkook's eyes move to meet the Captain's, his shoulders dropping by a degree at the words.

"What? Gone? As in destroyed?"

Namjoon nods, his lower lip trembling for a beat. "It was blown up by what we believe to be a Martian ship as an act of war."

Jungkook strokes his fingers against his chin. "What happened from there?"

"We went to Mars, got boarded by the battleship the Silver Angel, and met Commander Clementine. That didn't work out either. We got attacked by another ship, and the Silver Angel didn't survive. I figured the only other person who could help us is you."

Jungkook ponders this for a moment, his eyes briefly meeting yours before turning back to the Captain. "So Mars blew up one of their own ships. Let me guess, that 'Commander' you met blamed it on Earth?"

Namjoon blinks. "Yeah actually, she did."

Jungkook lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair. "Looks like Mars blew up their own ship and pinned it on Earth to start a war."

Jimin steps forward, his feet stomping on the metal plating of the floor. "Mars wants to start the war? I was always told it was Earth."

Jungkook shakes the thought off with his hand. "That's what they want you to think. Mars keeps their hatred of the solar system rather quiet, but it's definitely the strongest there is. Hell, who do you think did this to me?" He motions to his cheeks, where the faint blue lines are. You scan over the lines with tears pooling in your eyes, but when he meets your gaze, he ignores your concerns. "Learning their dirty secrets came at a price. At least I can say with confidence that Mars started this."

"What about the Silver Angel, who blew up that?" Namjoon asks.

Jungkook opens his mouth to answer, bobbing it up and down. "We need to know," Seulgi says. Jungkook peeks up again. For a split second, you see the eyes of an innocent boy - one who has no idea why he's here. The same boy you fell in love with. However, that look leaves as quickly as it came.

"I believe it was the Belt," he says. In a heartbeat, the crew goes stiff at his statement.

"The Belt doesn't have the firepower to blow up a Martian ship," Namjoon says, but Jungkook cuts him off.

"They do. They've been working on something dangerous for these past few months. My commanding officer told me that they were going to test it soon. Were there any markings on the ship that was in the fight?"

Namjoon considers this for a moment, leaning on the balls of his feet. "None that I noticed."

"They designed a cloaked ship the size of a battleship."

"That would explain why I didn't see anything on my scanners," Baekhyun says, pressing his body against the archway that leads to the cockpit.

"It's the only logical explanation. The settlements out near Uranus and Neptune don't want anything to do with us, the moons aren't strong enough to destroy a battleship, Mars wants a war with Earth more than anyone, and to top it all off, the Belt wants to revolt," Jungkook says.

"Well... shit," Namjoon says, holding back a grunt. Maybe a scream, too.

"What do we do?" Hoseok asks, a hint of hysteria hiding in his tone. There's silent for a moment, even Namjoon and Jungkook keep their lips sealed. After an entire minute of quiet, Jimin clears his throat.