Chapter 230 – Stargate
Thanks to the robots working day and night without resting or sleeping, the cleaning work progressed quickly.
There was damage here and there that was hard to ignore due to infection, sporadic battles, and long-term neglect, but even if it was rotting, it was still normal.
When all foreign substances were removed, the majestic appearance revealed was admirable.
Inside the spaceship visible on the screen, security robots on guard duty, drones busily coming and going, and droids bearing the marks of work department or research assistants were frequently captured.
I feel that this incredible treasure is completely in my hands.
The first thing we did was diagnose the bridge and the power plant.
The former is to ensure that the ship’s information and technology are intact, and the latter is to guard against the possible risk of explosion.
The bridge side was neatly preserved from the beginning, and although the power reactor needed some repairs, there were no hazards.
Solaver wore a strange space suit and personally led the robots on site to check their condition.
“As long as both places are safe, it’s okay. “Please stop coming back.”
[Not yet. Perhaps there is a more important place left than the two.]
“What is that?”
[Seeing is worth hearing. Please wait a moment.]
When he arrived a few minutes later, there was only one structure in a large empty space.
“This is…”
It was a large circular device made of metal. It has a shape reminiscent of the classic science fiction movie Stargate.
[It is a simple space jump device mounted on a spacecraft. During work, situations arise where a few crew members have to move to a distant area, but isn’t it possible to make the entire spaceship jump each time?]
“That’s right.”
[You can think of it as a device for such times.]
“To be honest, this must have been the most important to you.”
[I won’t deny it by lying.]
Solaver approached the device and started looking around.
I also enlarged the field of view of the robot accompanying me as a guard and looked at every nook and cranny.
“What is the status of your device?”
[Fortunately, there was no major problem. The power went out, and the overall coordination was disrupted, but this can be fully normalized with your help.]
“That’s a good thing.”
Next to me was Artemis, who was paying all her attention to the screen in front.
She sat down on her sofa and hugged her knees with her eyes wide open. Her posture is so fixed that not a single hair moves.
Thanks to her beautiful appearance and flawless white and clean skin, she looks like a statue at first glance.
Only her cute toes wriggling on the surface of the sofa showed that she was alive.
“That’s unexpected, Artemis.”
“What?”
Artemis looked back at me.
“That makes me really feel like a human being. You don’t have to look up at the screen, right?
“Huh? Ah, this.”
She looked around at her own posture.
“If you were you, you would be able to see it with a real sense of reality through the robots out there.”
“Of course. In fact, it’s still like that today. However, should we say this is a matter of mood?”
“How are you feeling?”
“After getting my own body and living in it, somehow human habits began to appear.”
Artemis placed her chin on her knees and smiled.
“Even though I have already seen it through many different eyes, for some reason I really want to see it with my own body. I can fix it if I want to, but I just leave it alone. “I don’t particularly dislike this creature’s habits.”
Even at that moment, her cute wiggling footwork did not stop.
I wondered if she was doing it knowingly or without it, but she didn’t bother to point it out.
I’m sure the moment I tell her, she’ll get angry or shy and stop.
* * *
We talked with Solaver after she returned from the spaceship and about her future plans.
“To conclude, through that device, we can travel to the planet where the vaccine has been completed.”
“Isn’t it dangerous? So, not the risk of being attacked by infectious agents upon arrival or anything like that, but the risk that comes from the movement itself.”
“Of course it exists. Aren’t Earth’s airplanes also made possible through collaboration between the ground control center and aerial pilots? If there is no control from the ground, landing carries risks that cannot be ignored.”
“There are no living people at the destination, so we must make a safe jump using only this device.”
“That’s it.”
Artemis, who was listening to our story, sighed.
“How big is the risk? Let’s go in first.”
There is no trace of the cordiality she showed when she was with me just a moment ago on her face as she crosses her arms.
“There will be no worst risk, such as a collision. This small space jumping device must have a terminal at each starting and ending point. The leap from terminal to terminal is safer than you can imagine.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“There is no guarantee that the terminal that goes directly to the laboratory with the completed vaccine will be safe. If it is damaged or disabled, you have no choice but to go from another terminal far away.”
“You have to traverse a completely different world, a planet that may be infested with monsters.”
Solaver did not say, ‘That’s it.’ Like before. Because he’s not that tactless. She just nodded with a heavy expression.
“Can’t we just send robots? There’s no need for you to go, right? If we continue to send sufficiently trained units, one day we will get what we want.”
Artemis asked, twisting her hair.
As a machine, she is immortal. That’s why she prefers a strategy that uses time as her ally.
If it doesn’t work, keep trying until it works, and you get what you want. This is as natural as breathing for her, whose daily routine is infinite repetition of 0 and 1.
“I’m sorry, but the spaceship I came on has stricter security than it looks. “I hate to say it, but would you say it’s an elite ship that not everyone can ride?”
“You are truly an elite. Even Artemis can’t refute that, right?”
Kuuk.
I felt strong pressure on the tops of my feet.
“Hmph.”
They are looking at me as if they are wondering why they are putting themselves at risk. But she doesn’t say it because she admits it.
Even Solar Verga, who had been laughing silently at the sight, opened her mouth.
“Due to the aforementioned security system, only people registered with the Space Federation can use this space jump device. “If an evil person uses it however he wants, wouldn’t it be able to be misused for terrorism?”
“That’s true too.”
Well, the Earth is also in a situation where terrorist attacks are being carried out by sending drugs or chemical weapons in the form of powder through the mail, and it will be even worse if such advanced technology is misused.
“Under! That’s how it happened.”
Artemis uncrossed his arms and placed her hands on his waist. And then he looks at me.
“I hereby invite Jinsu to become a member of the Space Federation and grant him permission to use the space jump device. “So it was a ploy like that?”
“It’s a small amount of authority given to me as the representative diplomat of the Space Federation. If a newly discovered civilization selects a representative, he or she can be granted temporary membership in the alliance. In a situation like now where all civilizations have been wiped out, it is even possible to grant them full membership.”
“…”
Artemis came next to me without a word and clasped my hand.
Kkook.
Insufficient grip strength in small and delicate hands.
However, even if the world is destroyed, I feel a strong will to protect myself.
Haha.”
Solaver laughed when he saw that.
“You two make a perfect pair. I always wanted to say that. “I always regretted not having the right opportunity.”
His gaze turned to our joined hands.
“Those joined hands criticize me more strongly than 100 eloquence or 1,000 logic. It makes me wonder what right I have to come all this far and separate two young partners.”
His gaze looking at us was warm.
“But as the last surviving member of the Coalition, I have a duty to sacrifice my life to calm this situation down. Jinsu, stay safe on this planet.”
“Then, old man, will you go alone?”
“Honestly, that’s suicidal. Lend me two of your soldiers. As an attendant, you can bring up to two people. Considering that you won’t be able to return it 100%, it would be better to just ask for it rather than saying you will lend it to me, but this seems too shameless.”
“That’s it.”
I was so dumbfounded that I smiled at him as he laughed.
“Would anything change if I took two more robot soldiers? It would be the difference between dying as soon as you start and dying after walking a long way.”
The atmosphere, which seemed to be relaxed for a moment, immediately became tense due to Artemis’ cold words.
“I just try to do what I can. You can think of it as the stubbornness of an old man, so I hope you understand that.”
The will on Solaver’s face was firm.
“Please. Lend me two soldiers. Jinsu, just as your country was saved from the allied forces of foreign countries in the past, please do it for ‘us’ this time.”
He bowed deeply to us.
Artemis could no longer say anything as she saw his appearance stained with duty, regret, and guilt that seemed to be weighing down on her shoulders.
