Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: The Boy and the Giant
Prologue
Long ago, a single ship left a planet. Over generations, people multiplied and built more ships. Even though they had already exhausted the resources of their home planet, including the blessings of the land and the bounty of the sea, they were still unable to fill the infinite distance between the stars. They called themselves the “Galactic Alliance of Mankind,” a name that could be seen as nothing more than an empty boast. Certainly, they had traveled across the vast galaxy, but they had not truly conquered it.
However, this boast could also be seen as a testament to the strength of the human race in the face of difficulty and the impossible. In the face of adversity, humans first dream. If only we could cross the sea. If only we could cross the desert. If only we could fly. It would surely be wonderful. Like a spider weaving a web, humans weave a thin thread of a story around the concept of “impossible.” When the threads of these stories become tangled together and are woven into a thick rope of hope, it becomes a bridge. There are those who cross that bridge, at first hesitantly and then in greater numbers. And as they do so, the collective effort of humanity is focused on building new bridges.
Thus, humans have crossed the earth, the sea, the sky, and space itself. The name of the “Galactic Alliance of Mankind” was still just a thin thread. But who could say that one day that thread would not become a bridge across the galaxy?
However, before that could happen, there was one obstacle to overcome. A species of space creature known as the Hideauze. The Hideauze were a group organism that adapted to space through evolution, and they constantly threatened humanity’s incursions into space. Their adaptability and reproductive ability were overwhelming, and they quickly learned to adapt to the technology of humanity’s weapons, even imitating them. For the first time, humanity encountered a true competitor as a species and lifeform, one that didn’t show any clear intelligence but adapted to the harshness of space through its incredible reproductive ability and blind adaptability. The Hideauze were a super-lifeform capable of withstanding even combat weapons, while humanity had only their frail bodies, intelligence, and unity to rely on as they ventured out into space.
The two forces had been at war for a long time, and humanity had forgotten the meaning of peace, turning war into a form of religion. In a society where everything served the war effort, a boy was born. His name was Ledo.
However, this boast could also be seen as a testament to the strength of the human race in the face of difficulty and the impossible. In the face of adversity, humans first dream. If only we could cross the sea. If only we could cross the desert. If only we could fly. It would surely be wonderful. Like a spider weaving a web, humans weave a thin thread of a story around the concept of “impossible.” When the threads of these stories become tangled together and are woven into a thick rope of hope, it becomes a bridge. There are those who cross that bridge, at first hesitantly and then in greater numbers. And as they do so, the collective effort of humanity is focused on building new bridges.
Thus, humans have crossed the earth, the sea, the sky, and space itself. The name of the “Galactic Alliance of Mankind” was still just a thin thread. But who could say that one day that thread would not become a bridge across the galaxy?
However, before that could happen, there was one obstacle to overcome. A species of space creature known as the Hideauze. The Hideauze were a group organism that adapted to space through evolution, and they constantly threatened humanity’s incursions into space. Their adaptability and reproductive ability were overwhelming, and they quickly learned to adapt to the technology of humanity’s weapons, even imitating them. For the first time, humanity encountered a true competitor as a species and lifeform, one that didn’t show any clear intelligence but adapted to the harshness of space through its incredible reproductive ability and blind adaptability. The Hideauze were a super-lifeform capable of withstanding even combat weapons, while humanity had only their frail bodies, intelligence, and unity to rely on as they ventured out into space.
The two forces had been at war for a long time, and humanity had forgotten the meaning of peace, turning war into a form of religion. In a society where everything served the war effort, a boy was born. His name was Ledo.