Chapter 38

Chapter 38 is the thirty-eighth chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the first chapter of the Galem arc and, in the compiled volumes, the first chapter of the fifth volume.

Synopsis
As the ship enters FTL travel, the group huddles around a table, where Paulina has a map of Astra pulled up on a screen. Pointing to several different continents, she asks the students what the names of the continents are, but they reply with names of continents she is not familiar with. She realizes that the world they come from is completely different from her world.

The crew discusses where Paulina is actually from and who she really is, including whether she is an alien, but Zack puts a stop to their theories by saying she is human and speaks the same language, but instead they come from different planets. Paulina replies that although they are all speaking the same language, English, she is actually from a country called Russia. While the others haven't heard of it, Aries is able to recall Russia as a country, and Zack adds on that countries are an outdated concept that no longer exists. Stunned to learn that countries no longer exist, she lists off several other countries that existed in her world, which Aries is able to identify correctly and even the correct location using her photographic memory.

Paulina now wonders if she has fallen into a distant future, but decides to determine if her theory is correct by comparing her and the students' knowledge of world history and find a point of divergence. Both of their world histories seem to be matching up as they discuss, but Paulina realizes that the students have a very limited knowledge of world history, including Aries. She asks if they take history classes in school, but the students reply that they only briefly covered "ancient history" and focus more on the modern era and the future, and it is only through Aries' love for learning history Aries is able to recall so much in the first place. Paulina begins to wonder if the people of Astra are deliberately trying to avoid learning about history.

However, Aries soon drops a bombshell to Paulina when she mentions World War III occurring in 1962, a concept that Paulina is not familiar with. Using what knowledge she can remember, Aries recalls that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear ballistic missiles in Cuba, and the upset Americans had launched a naval blockade of Cuba in response. Paulina recognizes this as the Cuban Missile Crisis. But Aries recalls that American forces soon launched an airstrike on the Soviet missile base in Cuba, leading to World War III.

Paulina interrupts Aries' discussion with a vocal protest, stating that in her world the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved with the Americans never bombing the base and the Soviets eventually withdrawing their missiles. Zack soon realizes that this is the point of divergence. Stunned by this revelation, Paulina mutters a prayer to God, to which Kanata asks who God is. Paulina wonders if religion is another thing that has been abolished from Astra.

Aries continues with her history lesson: On October 27, 1962, nuclear missiles were launched by both sides as all out war broke betwen the Soviet Union and the United States. Within two months, most of the world was destroyed and the world population had been cut in half. The survivors, embarrassed by their actions, swore to rebuilt their world into a more peaceful and unified place. In 1963, a new world government was created as the idea of countries were abolished, a single unified language and system of law were created, and even guns were completely abolished. Humanity entered a new era as all sorts of barriers were broken down, and technology and society rapidly advanced and rebuilt to be a peaceful world, with the centennial anniversary to be celebrated soon.

As Paulina processes this new information, she wonders if any of this has actually happened, given her doubts about the students' sparse knowledge of world history. She asks what a book is to them, and Aries pulls out a digital e-book. She replies if they have ever seen a paper book, but they respond that they would only be able to find that in a museum. She soon begins to realize slowly what is going on, but needs a few more confirmations.

Kanata asks her to tell her side of the story, and she begins. In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis was peacefully resolved, and the Cold War continued until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Then the Age of Terrorism started, but even that was eclipsed by a new external threat that threatened all of mankind as they knew it. In 2049, scientists discovered a 300 km wide asteroid that was on path to collide with Earth in 2057 which would wipe out all life on Earth. The students are shocked by this revelation.

She continues that humanity realized they needed to evacuate to a new world, and began the greatest exodus in the history of humanity to this new world, much to the skepticism of the students who ask how it was possible to move everyone and everything over to the new world in time. She answers that it was possible to do so by using an artificial wormhole, and Kanata soon has a flashback to the glowing orb they have been seeing throughout their journey.