Chapter 21

Chapter 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the third chapter of the Arispade arc and, in the compiled volumes, the third chapter of the second volume.

Synopsis
Hunting in the woods of Arispade, Ulgar shoots a bird-like creature out of a tree with his bow and arrow. Placing it in a bag with the others he has killed, he slings the bag over his shoulder and returns to the Astra, where Charce is impressed to see that Ulgar has brought back six of the feathered animals. Ulgar says nothing in response, turning instead to Luca and curtly discussing the quality and performance of the bow with him. As Luca offers to let Ulgar test out a fishing rod he has made, Charce remarks to Kanata that Ulgar never talks to him, and Kanata surmises that Ulgar probably finds Luca easier to be open toward and to talk to.

Alone on the beach together with their new fishing rods, Luca tries striking up a conversation with Ulgar; his questions are met either by Ulgar's usual mantra of "Shut up" or, more simply, by silence. However, when Luca asks if Ulgar has any friends, Ulgar becomes more vocal, angrily asserting that friends, like Luca himself, are annoying. Luca retorts that he needs to get used to having a friend, since he has no intention of changing his way of living, much like Ulgar. Ulgar tries to ignore this comment, but Luca continues, asking about his relationship with his father, the vice principal of Caird High School.

Ulgar surprises Luca by abruptly being extremely open about this detail of his life. Ulgar says that he avoids his father whenever possible, and that his father has never liked him, seeing Ulgar as somehow insufficient and choosing to show preference to his older brother instead. He goes on, saying that his older brother was the only friend he ever had; he explains that his brother has died, and that, with the only person to whom he ever felt an attachment now gone, he is utterly devoid of friends, a sentiment that Luca rejects on a fundamental level. Luca counters that, after everything the two of them, and the rest of the crew, have been through, not becoming friends is impossible. Luca asserts his own feelings that Ulgar is his friend, drawing yet another, albeit hesitant and contemplative, "Shut up" from Ulgar. Luca smiles softly to himself.

He then tells Ulgar he was surprised to learn he was related to the vice-principal, something he says he should have noticed earlier, given their last names are the same. Ulgar retorts that no one cares about last names, and Luca counters that he knows the last names of everyone on the ship, wondering aloud if Ulgar knows his. He casually gives his full name -- Luca Esposito -- stating jokingly that his last name is the only one Ulgar really needs to remember. He fails to notice that the uttering of his name has sparked something intense in Ulgar, only realizing it when Ulgar drops his fishing rod and grabs Luca frantically by the shoulders, demanding to know what Luca's father does for work. Shocked by the outburst, Luca replies that his father is a politician, something he thinks he has said before. Ulgar responds by letting go of Luca; as Luca takes several steps away from him, Ulgar says Luca's father's full name -- first and last -- surprising him further.

Later, on the beach, the crew, minus Ulgar, sets up for a party in celebration of having found enough food and water to continue to the next planet; they spread out a blanket on the sand by one of the Astra 's landing legs. As they eat, Quitterie begins commenting on the pleasantness of Arispade and how she will miss it; Zack remarks that such a comment from Quitterie is atypical and unexpected of her. Aries mentions that having a peaceful place to rest on what had been a perilous journey was a welcome surprise; when Kanata agrees with her words, she responds with wordless disdain, turning her eyes away from him.

Luca opts to take a few pictures, wondering aloud if the photos will be able to really capture the feeling of the moment. Zack agrees that their memories of this moment will change, and Quitterie wonders sadly if they might vanish entirely one day, sparking an emotionless diatribe from Zack about his father's, and her mother's, research in memory extraction rendering memory loss a thing of the past. She yells at him about his perceived lack of romance, while Charce mentions the connection between Quitterie's and Zack's parents to a confused Aries for clarification.

Yun-Hua remarks that their current situation, being stranded in space with a potential assassin among them and trying to survive the trip home, is easy to forget, given where they are now and what they are doing. Kanata mentions the details more specifically, leading to a moment of contemplation among the group. Aries then counters that not everything is hopeless: looking at Yun-Hua, she reminds them that they are slowly beginning to open up to each other, and their friendships are growing stronger as they travel.

Luca confidently asserts his disbelief in the presence of an assassin among them, believing the whole thing to make no sense; no sooner has he said this than he finds the muzzle of a pistol against his forehead. The rest of the crew turns to see Ulgar holding the gun on Luca, who has dropped to a knee in shock. Ulgar demands that the crew not move, declaring that he will shoot Luca if they do and assuring them that the gun is real. As he begs Ulgar to tell him that he is joking, a new thought forms in Kanata's mind: Ulgar is the assassin, and he has chosen this moment to eliminate the crew.