Chapter 187 – Chess
[Please inherit the hope we left behind and show me mercy so that I can end my unclean life.]
[USS Enterprise, can you hear me? We are responding to a radio call from you.]
Communications from both the aircraft carrier and the shelter intersected in parallel. Both are recorded communications and are being sent repeatedly at regular intervals.
There is still no response, but the fact that automated communication continues to arrive means that the aircraft carrier is maintaining its minimum functionality. It can be seen as a positive thing.
The Enterprise’s ship type is the Gerald R. Ford class. She has a total length of 330 meters and a height of 76 meters.
Compared to the many expeditions I have been through so far, the scale is large, not small at all.
“There are nearly 5,000 crew members, so what percentage of them have actually become infected?”
Infection reacts sensitively to the surrounding environment as if it has collective intelligence.
In the early stages of Phase 1, the outbreak focuses on ‘spread’, but once it has spread sufficiently, it enters Phase 2.
Instead of the ability to spread being reduced, the nature of the infection changes in the form of strong mutations occurring.
Thanks to this, mutations are extremely prone to occur in places that are large enough to have enough organisms but are completely closed off.
This is because the source of infection recognizes the closed system as one world, so it is judged that ‘it has spread sufficiently.’
Examples include places like the shelters of the past and the aircraft carrier we are headed to.
In addition, aircraft carriers are full of unexpected factors, such as leaks from nuclear reactors, the possibility of explosions when heavy weapons are used, and passage closures due to partial flooding.
Crucially, the target that needs to be taken in this operation is not technical data, but people.
“Rescue missions are the most difficult of all missions. “I tried it a few times while on active duty, but it was really harmful to my heart.”
According to video data obtained from the Brain and Nerve Research Institute, the alien survivor was hibernating in a glass tube similar to an incubator.
Judging by the message he sent us, he must have come to his senses at some point.
However, there is no response to our communication again, so it looks like the situation is not going very well.
For some reason, it is awake but unable to respond, has gone into hibernation again after setting up an automated message, or, in the worst case scenario, is dead.
“No matter how we contact them, do you think they will be able to follow our rescue team on foot? You can’t breathe in Earth’s atmosphere. If you had told me what I was inhaling and exhaling, I would have brought a special respirator. “If I had to pull it out of the incubator and bring it back, there would be no answer.”
The size of the glass tube containing the alien seen in the video was not easy. To think of removing it, powering it, and moving it during a hectic battle…
Tak!
A finger snap occurred before my eyes.
Hehe!”
Artemis was satisfied with her thumb and middle finger.
It was only a successful finger snap, but it was like a bride looking at her finger with a diamond ring.
Perfectly clear! It was not a sound, but a friction sound that seemed to be made with a grunt, but even this was a product of great effort.
“I want you to stop and focus on chess?”
Artemis’ white fingers moved the queen gracefully.
“This is the most troublesome type of operation among all external expeditions? “We’re leaving next week, but there are too many uncertainties that we haven’t been able to narrow down.”
“No matter how much you think about it, nothing will change, right? If the person to be rescued is already dead, there is nothing we can do. If they are alive, we will use somewhat ignorant methods to get them out through the shortest route.”
This refers to attacking the side with a helicopter waiting outside and creating a hole in a straight line.
It’s an ignorant method that seems like something out of an action movie, but it’s surprisingly effective because it’s an operation that doesn’t have to worry about diplomatic relations or damage to non-combatants.
“We’ve already loaded the alien incubator onto the helicopter. It is a customized product created by studying the body of a homolog discovered at the Brain and Nerve Research Institute. We have prepared and compressed various gases, so if necessary, we can combine them on site and attach a respirator to them. Well, I guess I’ll just have to hold my breath until I get on the helicopter.”
She sent a picture of her to my brain implant.
It is the only living alien recovered from an alien ship orbiting Mars.
Code name: Senior.
He is 2 meters tall and has a lean, muscular body. The legs are at a reverse angle and the arms reach the ground.
It has a body tilt that is somewhere between that of a human and a gorilla, so it can be assumed that it walks on all fours.
It had an elongated exoskeleton face, crown-like horns on its head, and thick black beard growing on its chin.
Green eyes contain deep wisdom. It probably wasn’t given the code name Senior for nothing.
Unlike the dead kin discovered at the Brain and Nerve Research Institute, his body, the only one that survived, was mechanized in many places.
It is unknown whether it is to avoid infection or for other reasons.
What is certain is that he is the only survivor found on the Mars orbital ship and holds important information about the infection.
“If you look closely, you can see a significant level of cyborgization on the chest and abdomen. “If it’s changed to this level, there might be no need to breathe.”
“Then that’s a good thing.”
He used the knight to target her queen, but was stopped by the castle wall before he could get close.
Her queen spits with a sneer at the knight who looks up at her blankly below the castle wall.
In fact, if Artemis had sacrificed her queen, she could have made a stronger counterattack, but it was her style to preserve it without having to do so.
Because her chess emphasizes elegance over efficiency.
“I thought you were the one who would be most anxious about this operation.”
I moved the knight again, but in the end, I was unable to break through and was caught by her bishop.
“Why me?”
Artemis exchanged her own bishop with her thumb and index finger, and her own knight with her middle and ring finger.
It’s nothing, but she seems to enjoy moving her appendages like this as much as playing chess. Is this a reaction to living as a huge, fixed body?
The smile never left as she played with the chess pieces on her fingers.
She showed various hand movements with each move.
For example, putting the index fingers of both hands together and moving them like a crane, or putting them between the index and middle fingers as if smoking a cigarette.
“The keyword that stimulates you the most is science. In that sense, you are a survivor of an alien civilization that came from outer space.”
“He must have vast knowledge. From technical aspects to pure questions such as how many civilizations there will be in this universe and what will be at the end of the universe… Ah!”
Artemis moved her knight and dropped it with a hand movement that was close to her trick.
The knight flew over and hit several pieces on her chess board and fell to the floor with a loud noise.
At this point, you might be saying, ‘Don’t mess around, do it right!’, But I picked it up without saying a word.
If there was a game that Artemis was interested in, whether it was chess or hand games, I wanted her to be able to enjoy it until she got tired of it.
“Here.”
I held out the knight placed in my palm.
And she took my hand in both of her hands. A soft and warm feeling approaches you.
“It’s just chess.”
Artemis said.
“This game, the management of the city, and the future journey outside are all everything.”
She picked up the knight in my palm and dropped it back on the ground.
“Even if something goes wrong, even if a few operations fail, the game isn’t over.”
Her delicate finger pointed to the king and queen at the end of the chessboard.
“You and I are standing at the command tower of this strong kingdom, so what’s the problem? When the shortcut falls apart, you just find another way. If I have time, I will be able to achieve knowledge and skills with just my own strength. “For me, I was more concerned about the time you were wandering around the dangerous outside world.”
Artemis picked up the fallen knight again.
“If you fail, you can find another way. So, take it easy. Please focus on this moment. And what happens tomorrow.”
“What happens tomorrow?”
“It’s going to rain. Cool raindrops falling from the sky, the smell of humid air, and water-soaked grass and leaves. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Her appearance was such that you wouldn’t think she was planning a big operation.
However, that sense of leisure calmed the anxiety in my heart.
“Are you thinking of going outside?”
Since obtaining her body, Artemis has never left the shelter.
“Of course! You can’t fully enjoy a rainy day here, right? Ah, now that I’ve said it, it’s hard to wait.”
With a grin, she resumed her game, unleashing one lethal attack after another, drawing out her checkmate.
“I need to see what I will wear outdoors tomorrow.”
She got up and took my hand and led me.
While being led by her, if you look behind her, you can still see her chess board where her game has ended.
Many horses fell and were taken to the underworld (dead horse storage), but the king and queen stood tall by each other’s side.
Not only the black she caught, but also the white I caught.
When she declares defeat in chess, she does not admit to defeating the king.
It demands that we always stand tall until the very end.
Either yours or mine.
Whether you win or lose.
