Someday, Dreaming of an Encounter with the Voyager
「So, they finally launched, huh?」
Kelly watched the successive launches of Trireme’s Space Fleet, his expression deeply moved. Robin was seated beside him.
「That dummy Panjandrum really stands out. It was called The Fool, right? Anyone looking at it would think it’s Eirene.」
「Yeah! Asia’s core in R001 Fortress Area was in charge of both design and manufacturing. Astraea, Eunomia, and Eirene also assisted in completing it.」
「…It’s just a dummy, right?」
In Robin’s mind, the image of the Gorgias sinking into a sea of magma surfaced. Could a mere decoy really require the efforts of three Asia cores along with three Hora-class weapon development AIs? Maybe its deceptive appearance was exactly why it was called The Fool.
「Kou insisted that it’s not a Panjandrum. Apparently, Abel and Eirene strongly pushed for making it one, but Kou stubbornly pushed ahead with keeping it as a dummy. In the end, Eirene relented and helped with its construction.」
「If it’s Abel, he’d definitely want to use a Panjandrum as a space depth charge.」
The fact that Abel opposed it meant that it really wasn’t a Panjandrum.
「This time, Abel wasn’t involved either. I asked about the origin of The Fool. According to Kou, only a fool would actually use something like this! They probably didn’t have enough time to build it to full scale. It was apparently completed at a factory on the R001 orbital elevator.」
「I have doubts about his wording. Wouldn’t be the one deceived by it the fool? But, I feel relieved. The Stones won’t suspect that something as massive and Panjandrum-like as this is just a dummy. As a deception tactic, it instills the same level of distrust as the British Panjandrum. So that’s why it’s called The Fool, huh?」
「It sure is fitting for a Panjandrum to stir up wild speculation even among allies!」
If it wasn’t actually a Panjandrum, then it probably wasn’t much of a weapon. And if Abel wasn’t involved, there was nothing to worry about.
「This is just one part of the expedition plan. Our corporate activities are finally expanding to other planets. We need to be properly prepared.」
「I bet you wanted to go too, Kelly.」
Robin smirked.
「Hah! Ulysses heading into space was only natural, wasn’t it?」
「So, from the Voyager Program to the Ulysses Project, huh?」
Their homeland had once sent out deep space probes—Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The name that followed in their legacy was the Ulysses Project.
「Pioneer and Ulysses may have stopped, but I wonder where Voyager is flying now.」
「It might actually be closer than we think. Back in the 21st century, they estimated that in about 30,000 years, Voyager would pass beyond the Oort Cloud. There’s even a chance we might encounter it someday.」
The Nemesis System lay beyond the region known as the Oort Cloud.
「This isn’t some sci-fi novel—what a ridiculously convenient future! Didn’t humans from the 25th century transfer from Earth to the Nemesis System more than 20,000 years later? There’s no way things would line up that perfectly. You’re quite the romantic, aren’t you?」
「Well, I’d say the same about you. But at the very least, it proves that this isn’t some different universe—we’re still connected to Earth. We just have no idea which direction it lies in.」
Their homeland, the United States, had been the most dedicated nation when it came to space exploration. There were even movies and novels based on Voyager.
「Let’s put our hopes in that so-called strong anthropic principle, then.」
「Yeah. After all, we’re here, aren’t we?」
Kelly grinned at Robin with a hint of pride.
「Speaking of which, I never told you—I’m actually heading to Libya as part of the Second Libya Expeditionary Force.」
A single expedition alone could only accomplish so much. A second expedition, spearheaded by Eunomia, had already been planned.
「What? And who’s supposed to watch over Ulysses?」
Robin’s expression turned dead serious at this unexpected betrayal.
「Kurt, Yunlan, and Hyoue will remain here! And with you around, there’s no need to worry about Aubade Force either!」
「You’re kidding. I want to go too!」
Robin, too, had a deep admiration for space.
「I’m not backing down on this!」
No one stepped in to stop their heated argument.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「All ships have entered the navigation course towards Planet Libya.」
「Everything’s going smoothly? Good.」
It was their first time in space. And yet, there was a ceiling above and a floor beneath them.
「I thought we’d be in zero gravity.」
「All three ships have deployed dual cylindrical shields for navigation. These serve both as protection against space debris and as devices for generating artificial gravity.」
「Space debris moves at incredible speeds, doesn’t it?」
「Correct. High-dimensional projection armor was originally developed for space debris protection, as well as defense against meteorites on the surface of the planet.」
「So this is space… It doesn’t feel real at all.」
Inside the ship, there were no space suits, nor was there any zero-gravity environment. It was only natural that Kou didn’t quite feel like he was in space.
「What would make it feel more like space to you?」
「Even if I step outside, just being told there’s no atmosphere doesn’t really hit me.」
「Would you like to tether yourself and ride the dummy Panjandrum?」
Sensing Kou’s lack of realization, Astraea, in a rare moment, made a joke. Kou imagined it for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh.
「I’d probably get dizzy. Not like wheels are needed in zero gravity anyway.」
「It is a rocket weapon, so it can technically move.」
「I’ll pass. I’ll think about floating around using Lanius’ space equipment instead.」
「Arges is already preparing for that.」
As a precaution, nearly a hundred Silhouettes were being refitted with space-compatible gear—not just for combat, but also for extravehicular activities.
「…I never thought I’d actually make it to space.」
「Do you have a special attachment to space?」
「When I was a kid, yeah. There was this Japanese asteroid probe that flew out, landed on an asteroid, and successfully brought back a sample for the first time. I remember going to see the actual return capsule with my father. That’s when I really started dreaming about space.」
Kou spoke of one of the few precious memories he had with his family.
「It was a project named after Mr. Kinukawa. After he went missing, the asteroid probe Hayato carried out humanity’s first successful sample return from Asteroid Kinukawa. It was recorded as a historic achievement in human history.」
「Wait… that Kinukawa-san?」
Kou had never connected Kinukawa the Development Engineer with the Kinukawa in the project name. Only now did he recall the news about a famous engineer expert in space technology mysteriously disappearing.
「You didn’t know?」
「I was just a kid back then… I really had no idea…」
For the first time, he truly grasped the scale of Kinukawa’s achievements. It made perfect sense that he would have had a deep passion for space. He also recalled that Kinukawa was the oldest of all the Development Engineers. Now, he finally understood why Astraea always insisted on taking Kinukawa as an example to follow.
「The timeline he came from differs slightly from yours.」
「So that kind of thing can happen, huh? Maybe a lot of people who went missing or were said to have disappeared mysteriously actually ended up in this era.」
「It’s quite possible. After all, Prometheus is known for being notoriously imprecise.」
As Kou and Astraea continued their discussion about space, a few women quietly observed them from a distance.
「There’s no room to interrupt. The Celestial Maiden Astraea is truly formidable.」
Aimer muttered in a monotone voice, lamenting the situation.
「What do we do, nya? I never expected Astraea to get that maidenly.」
「And on top of that, the topic is about space—her specialty…」
「Come on, it’s Kou’s first day in space. Of course, he’s excited. Even I, a Nereid, am experiencing space for the first time.」
As Nyanta and Aki sulked, Blue showed some understanding towards Kou.
「We won’t be able to go outside the ship for a while, so just think about all the time we have to interact with him. There’s nowhere to escape, after all. One way or another, you’ll have a chance to catch him.」
For the time being, life would be confined within the ship. Aimer reassured herself that this meant more opportunities to spend time with Kou.
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