Chapter 49

Chapter 49 is the forty-ninth and final chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the twelfth chapter of the fifth volume.

Synopsis
In a panel interview in front of hundreds of news reporters, Kanata is asked about any significant injuries that were suffered among the crew during the journey. He replies that besides losing his arm, there weren't any other significant injuries. He jokes that the most important thing that occurred from that was deciding who was to come up with the prosthetic arm to replace Kanata's missing one, with Charce teasing him that the three-pronged crayfish claw that he gave to Kanata after he won actually had prongs that moved.

Another news reporter mentions to the group how everyone is curious to learn how the group managed to control their supplies during the long journey home, explaining that it must've been difficult to scavenge on the bare minimum of supplies. They then ask what the hardest moment was the group had to deal with. The group whispers to each other, and eventually Aries mentions that she actually gained 5 pounds.

Aries explains what happens to the entire crew after they returned home. Their journey instantly became the #1 story in every single news story across the whole world, with everyone excited to learn of each of the crew member's stories and how they managed to deal with the adversity and grow together. Every crew member is interviewed by a multitude of media outlets, with appearances on TV show after TV show. The main story that is covered in their TV appearances is the fact they are illegal clones. However, the government issues them corrected birth certificates, and although it pained a lot of them to lose their families, they all felt better about it at the end.

As for the secrets, Kanata and Charce acted as representatives to the world government by attending multiple council meetings to argue that the truth had to be revealed to the world. While the government initially hesitated, eventually they relented after Kanata threatened to expose it to the media, with additional pressure pushed onto the government after it is revealed that journalists and scholars had already been investigating inconsistencies in the official historical narrative of Astra.

As a result of the shocking revelation, the whole world was thrown into chaos, with anti-government protests turning violent at times. One of the major things that helped to calm the furor was a best selling book Kanata published detailing their journey on the Astra (ship), called the "Adventure of the Astra". The final chapter especially had a huge impact on people as Kanata urged people to see the truth of the world with their own eyes, making people more hopeful and curious about learning about their true history and maintaining the peace.

The individual crew members became virtual celebrities overnight, with media attention on them growing stronger and stronger over time and some of the crew even developing their own fan bases. Quitterie eventually became a fashion model, while Charce became the most popular out of everyone. Charce was forgiven of all crimes after it was learned that he was brainwashed and no one wanted to file charges against him; instead of asking for clemency for him.

All of this eventually led to Charce to become the new king of Vixia. Although surprised at first, the crew soon learned that Charce did this because he wanted to get rid of the crown's political power and also publish all of the royal family's secrets for historical relevance. He also opened the gates of the Imperial District, and the castle soon became a tourist attraction. Aries believes that Charce felt like he was finally able to take responsibility for his actions, and his bold moves caused him to become more popular than before.

Soon enough, the students graduated from Caird High School, and they fulfilled their promise to meet up one more time during graduation, as they set upon their journeys for their own lives.

2170 AD.

It's been 7 years since the events of the students' journey in space. At Caird High School, 17-year-old Funicia runs into Paulina, who is now a part-time teacher at the high school and also a part-time researcher at various universities' history departments. Funicia remarks Paulina appears to be the busiest of them all, with Paulina replying she is one of the few that knows the true history of Astra. As Funicia is headed to Yun-Hua's concert later, Paulina asks her to say hi to everyone.

Ulgar shows up in his car to say hi to both of them, where he is about to head to Mousanish Spaceport to do some journalist work. Paulina asks if Ulgar can give her a lift, to which he agrees. On their way there, Ulgar tells Paulina how it's funny Funicia ended up exactly like how Quitterie was when she was 17.

At Earth Memorial Hall where Yun-Hua is performing, Quitterie, Aries, and Luca are all trying to convince a security guard that they know Yun-Hua. They decide to talk to her after the concert. The three of them begin to discuss Ulgar and how he always seems to be busy and can't stay still, to the point he even crashes at Luca's place. Luca asks Quitterie how Zack is doing, to which she rolls her eyes and says that if he wants to leave her for work, she's totally fine with that. Aries is also asked the same question, to which she shyly responds that she and Kanata are getting married, much to the surprise of Quitterie and Luca.

The two congratulate and hug her, and she explains that Kanata saved up a lot of money to buy back the Astra and start his career as an explorer, but finally they were able to go Vixia, where Kanata has a whole formal meeting with Charce and asks him for permission to marry her. The two laugh at this, and promise to hold a huge ceremony for her when Kanata gets back from his trip. They also ask her if she wants kids, to which she says she would like a girl, whom she wants to name Seira.

Inside the concert hall, Yun-Hua dedicates her next song to her friends and those that will be heading back to space soon. She explains to the audience that their journey to space was her transition to adulthood, as they all bonded together in moving to the same goal, dealing with repeated failures but trying over and over again in order to get to the finish line. She also mentions that with the help of her friends, she was able to break free from her shell and express herself. Although they faced numerous dangers, had fights among themselves, cried many times when they thought it was hopeless, the only thing she remembers is how everyone smiled. She recalls how Kanata has finally managed to buy back the Astra, which was a huge symbol of their friendship, and that although they had returned home, the Astra will always fly to the future. The name of the song she dedicates to her friends is called "The Adventure of the Astra".

At Mousanish Spaceport, Zack and Kanata finish up the maintenance of the Astra. Zack asks him how the new prosthetic is feeling, to which Kanata jokes there are way too many functions in it. Zack tells him he is impressed Kanata actually managed to buy back the old ship. They get their mission confirmed, which is to explore potential new wormhole sites, and head towards uncharted territory. He mentions that it's not bad a small start-up like them can actually find work.

As they prepare to depart, they are shocked to see Charce show up, all dressed up in a spacesuit. They question why he is there when he has royal work to do, but he says he's already finished with it and wanted to be there with them. He tells Kanata that he made a promise back on Planet Galem after Kanata had lost his arm, that he would always be his right-hand man. They all joke about it and soon prepare to depart.

The final panels detail each of the individual crew members and how they had progressed so much in their journey, with Kanata as the final one, being the leader. Kanata calls for the Astra to take off, as they set forth for the stars, in order to explore the unknown.