The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1514

"Jin?"

The wife and husband duo exchanged glances but neither recognized the name. But Jaya's mother had an idea about his origins.

"I have been hearing whispers about some pirates popping up these last few months. They attack civilian vessels for supplies and sometimes even kidnap a few people for ransom while discarding the rest. Maybe this was their doing?"

"Pirates? Here? In our system? How is that even possible?"

"Mhm. I heard they have some connections with one of the 'Old Families' which gives them a degree of immunity against random Navy raids. And if I remember correctly, an unidentified vessel was seen planetside a week or two ago. It entered the stratosphere but they lost track of it a few thousand miles to the east."

The husband's brow shot up, "What?! If that's the case-"

"I already called it in," the wife calmly informed him, "Two squadrons have touched down and a third will be stationed nearby in case they are in the vicinity. I didn't want to alarm you, you already have enough on your plate with the takeover."

The husband was ashamed of his overreaction as he shook his head wearily, "I'm sorry, I just...Jaya needs to be our top priority. Everything we have done is for her."

The wife nodded in agreement, "I know honey, I'm close to a breakthrough. Nothing will happen to her, I won't let it! I will find a cure for her no matter what."

They held hands while looking into each other's eyes, giving Hao Xuan a moment to digest all the information.

'Hmm, interesting. A spacefaring civilization, a sick daughter, and parents who would do anything to save her. What did he want with them? Are any of these people important in the future? No, I would know if they were, we have the same information at our disposal. I doubt they even know about the existence of the Greater World. Then-'

His thoughts were interrupted when the husband spoke up again.

"So what do we do about the boy?"

The wife thought about it for a second before giving her opinion.

"If he was indeed a hostage then his family has already been...dispatched. They only attack low-priority vessels so he probably didn't have a strong background or anyone else to depend on. The boy- um, Jin-"

As soon as she said his name Jaya who was sleeping in her embrace started giggling in her sleep.

"Jin...my gift...for me...not...alone..."

Jaya's words shocked her parents.

The husband spoke up after a deep sigh, "We were so focused on saving her life that we forgot to give her a childhood. She's been stuck here, alone, for so long. Maybe...this is a sign? They are the same age so why not...we adopt him? Give him a home here, with us? They can even start going to the academy depending on how it goes?"

The wife didn't have any objections whatsoever.

"Un, you're right. We can't keep her hidden forever. And both of us will be even more busy in the next few years with all that's happening. It would be good for her to have someone to play and talk to. Dad? Can you take us to him? I want to give him a quick checkup."

The scene started to become hazy as their silhouettes began to melt away.

Hao Xuan frowned, 'What's happening?'

The world began to shift around him until a few seconds later when a small silhouette jumped out of a nearby bush and ran towards the main building.

It was the younger version of him.

'?!?'

'He was eavesdropping on them all this time?! That's why I could see and hear everything so clearly! Then that means I can only see what he has personally experienced one way or another. Interesting....very interesting. Is this the sorcerer's doing?'

Hao Xuan waited patiently as 'Jin' ran back to his room without alerting anyone. He wiped his feet before jumping under the sheets pretending to be asleep.

A couple of minutes later the door opened and the couple walked in without Jaya.

The wife had a small white case with her which she placed on the bedside table. With a wave of her hand it opened up to release several gadgets that flew out.

One of these gadgets began scanning 'Jin' while another relayed all the information through a holographic screen. Her brow crumpled while her fists tightened in anger.

"Those damn- monsters!" she hissed.

The husband placed a hand around her shoulders to calm her down, "What's wrong?"

"Look!" she zoomed in and pointed at the hundreds of dotted lines all over his body.

"Broken bones, burns, cuts, lacerations by the dozens! Some of these are many months old. They-they had been torturing this child for ages! What kind of animals could-" she was too choked up to finish the sentence.

The husband took a step back and tapped the spot above his right ear with a newfound conviction.

"This is High Admiral Xander Wess. Relay my orders to all battleships: Conduct a full sweep through the system. Search and destroy all Pirate vessels on sight- no exceptions! Anyone found to be aiding them will given capital punishment irrespective of status."