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Chapter 195: The End of a Long Journey
Chapter 195: The End of a Long Journey
Chapter 195: The End of a Long Journey
The journey of 50 years was longer than they thought.
After only five years, problems started to arise in the pioneer fleet.
They were mostly caused by the parts of the ships other than the Settler.
He frowned at the sight of the parts produced by Nox, which had worn out in just five years.
“Why are they so old? Is it because of time dilation?”
“No. There is hardly any time dilation at 10% of the speed of light.”
Judging by his lack of a solution, Arma didn’t know either.
Well, the ether fusion reactor that enabled 10% of the speed of light was not made by humans.
And it was also the first time they had sailed for years.
They couldn’t leave the solar system because of the Plague, so they had to load enough cargo and form a pioneer fleet.
But at this rate, they wouldn’t be able to make it even half of the 50 years.
And the process of metal deformation was quite similar to wire disease.
Arma compared it with the data from when the Plague Swarm invaded Earth and concluded that a slow wire disease was occurring.
“Although it is much slower than wire disease, it is clear that some kind of particle beam is breaking down the bonding structure of the metal.”
“Is it this universe itself, or just this area?”
“I think the danger zone ahead will tell us the answer.”
On the route map, which was a relic of the Prophet, there was a skull mark next to the bright spot.
It wasn’t like that from the beginning, but it changed as soon as the pioneer fleet entered this universe.
It seemed like the Prophet was watching them, as if he had been waiting for them.
Anyway, they realized that they couldn’t just pass by that area.
“It looks like our resources will be depleted by the time we pass through.”
The hull made of black metal was fine, but they couldn’t trust it and break through.
There was no way to restore the metal that had been infected with wire disease.
It wasn’t for nothing that it had death in its name.
Arma decided that it would be best to solve this problem and go if there was a Plague.
“It would also help to anchor once and check the entire pioneer fleet. Depending on what kind of being is waiting for us, though.”
“It’s probably Plague.”
He never got a wrong feeling about something bad.
As the pioneer fleet approached the bright spot, wire disease worsened and rapid aging occurred in several parts.
There were so many parts that even Settler was affected and had to stop.
The distance when Yu Ji-ha finally ordered to stop sailing was about 500,000 kilometers from the bright spot.
While walkers were busy checking parts, Arma brought information about the bright spot.
“A faint psifield is detected inside the asteroid belt.”
“It’s definitely not an adult.”
As they waited a little longer, unexpected information popped up.
“Surprisingly, it seems to be a different kind of Plague than what we encountered.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll show you on screen.”
On the screen reconstructed by Arma, small Plagues were roaming around the asteroid belt.
They were small enough to be over a few meters long, but compared to Plague ships that were close to kilometers long, they were small from Yu Ji-ha and Arma’s point of view.
“…They’re pretty cute, aren’t they?”
“The nest is also quite small. Naturally, the queen inside must be weak too.”
“If we can destroy them with our current power.”
“The reaction warheads are being transferred to another vessel right now, so we can’t use them.”
“Then cancel.”
The reaction warheads carried by Settler were 200 units, twice as many as before.
The firepower also increased, but because the vessel storing antiparticles was not prepared for wire disease, they were transferring them to a black metal vessel.
If something went wrong, a huge explosion could occur inside the pioneer fleet.
Arma whispered in Yu Ji-ha’s ear.
“If Master agrees, I’d like to go inside the nest and capture some alive.”
“Do you mean the queen?”
“Yes. Maybe we can analyze their abilities, including wire disease.”
It was hard to study ordinary Plagues.
They were too big for that.
But those in the asteroid belt were smaller than assault armors, so Settler could easily store them.
Their psifield was also weak, so they would be weak too…
Arma fanned his enthusiasm.
“With Master’s power and my support, we can turn that asteroid belt into a wasteland. Of course, wire disease will disappear too.”
“Then I know what to do.”
While Yu Ji-ha prepared to board his assault armor, Arma began to make a cage out of black metal.
They couldn’t just lock up something that spewed out wire disease.
“I thought I wouldn’t have to ride Dingo again…”
“Maybe we’ll meet that queen again.”
“Stop saying horrible things.”
That queen was the one who had once brought humanity to extinction and left a bad taste in the solar system.
Yu Ji-ha definitely killed her at the end, but it was a mystery whether she really died.
Now that it was proven that Plague was not a single species, it was even more so.
‘What if there are multiple queens and they share consciousness…’
If that was the case, they might have to fight Plague again.
Plague Queen’s words seemed almost certain.
But he still didn’t know why he needed a milestone.
‘Maybe this universe itself is a nest that breeds Plague.’
That would explain Plague Queen’s oppressive attitude.
Yu Ji-ha erased his thoughts and started synchronization.
The value was slightly lower than usual, but it was enough to hunt the Plague swarm of that size.
They had no resistance to hafnium-2 warheads, let alone ether lasers, so they exploded like fireworks under Yu Ji-ha’s attack with Settler’s support.
He didn’t like slaughtering those who couldn’t resist, but he had no choice.
‘You guys wiped out humanity, so I have the right to wipe you out too.’
As long as that fact didn’t change, Yu Ji-ha’s hatred would never disappear.
Anyway, the Plagues in the asteroid belt were wiped out easier than expected.
Yu Ji-ha towed the largest one of them to Settler with a gravity crane function.
When he put it in the cage made of black metal, he heard a faint cry from it.
“Does it have a developed ego? It sounds like a cry to me.”
“Originally, Plague Queen was like that too. Maybe the Plague Queen we encountered on Pluto gained some power by going back in time.”
It wasn’t from the Prophet’s home planet since he didn’t have a milestone…
Yu Ji-ha tapped the cage made of black metal and frowned.
He didn’t like having a living Plague on his ship, but Arma said he needed it.
“Behave yourselves. Or I’ll throw you into the sun.”
They didn’t even know where the star was, but the threat worked and they quieted down.
He got up to replace the parts that Yu Ji-ha and Arma had requested.
He seemed to have to be an engineer for a while.
***
The pioneer fleet had been sailing alone in a strange universe for ten years.
Yu Ji-ha was alternating between cryosleep and activity, but he was glad that there were no accidents.
In this empty universe, being uneventful was the best thing.
But he was getting bored of this too.
He had crammed all kinds of scientific knowledge into his head, and walking around the ship was tedious.
There was a limit to physical training, so he started to learn swordsmanship.
It wasn’t because he was interested, but because he had nothing else to do.
The teacher was naturally Arma.
She learned the swordsmanship textbooks that existed on the ship and optimized all kinds of movements that humans could do and showed them herself.
Yu Ji-ha was also at the peak of humanity physically, but it was hard to keep up with an android.
The result of several sparring sessions was that Yu Ji-ha was beaten up every time.
“You should learn wrestling first.”
“…I guess so.”
That’s how Yu Ji-ha started to polish all kinds of physical skills such as boxing, wrestling, martial arts, etc.
Fortunately, he was more used to using his body than his brain, so he was able to show results in a short time.
In boxing, he reached a level where he could compete with Arma with his terrifying dynamic vision and reflexes.
Of course, that was when she gave him some leeway.
“I’ll use the pattern Master used just now. Try to block it.”
That day, Yu Ji-ha had to groan in pain after being hit hard by Arma.
He was glad that the android didn’t rebel against human domination.
One day, he heard laughter on the ship.
He wondered who it was and saw that it was the Plague Queen who was trapped by us.
She had changed her appearance to human form and was watching Yu Ji-ha and Arma’s match.
He had been locked up for a long time and Yu Ji-ha felt almost like family.
Not that he would let her go, though.
“Why, is it funny?”
-Just, interesting.
“Me being beaten up? Or getting hit?”
-Both.
She seemed to enjoy it very much.
Yu Ji-ha was amazed that this Plague had an ego.
All he did for her was talk to her from time to time while she was locked up.
“Can you change your appearance?”
-Why?
“I might mistake you for two Armas.”
There were only two humanoids on board, so she naturally copied Arma’s appearance and made herself.
She seemed to be quite comfortable here, as she casually asked for more space and food.
Yu Ji-ha refused to give her more food, but allowed her to expand her cage.
The cage made of black metal doubled in size and she opened her eyes wide.
-You’re pretty strong too.
“Not as much as a Leviathan.”
-What’s a Leviathan?
The problem was that this Plague didn’t know anything about other Plague swarms.
She didn’t even know their existence, let alone common sense. It was strange.
Yu Ji-ha called Arma.
“Was it just a guess that there are multiple Plague Queens and they share memories?”
“Yes. But this is the Prophet’s home planet, so maybe their memories weren’t transmitted.”
“Blocking data too…”
They had to learn about the Prophet and Plague by touching the ground with their hands and closing their eyes because they knew too little about them.
Arma suggested:
“How about letting her make her own swarm? Maybe we can learn more about Plague in the process.”
“Isn’t that too risky? In horror movies…”
It was one of the clichés of horror movies that everyone died after bringing an unidentified alien creature on board a spaceship.
Fortunately, there was Arma on this Settler and Yu Ji-ha wasn’t an easy human either, but it was better to avoid risks.
Arma suggested again:
“We can limit the size of the swarm by feeding them. The last research on wire disease is left, and there might be a clue there.”
Then there was no choice.
The amount of food given to Plague Queen increased slightly and she was very happy.
Yu Ji-ha gave her the name Lucia.
-Lucia? It sounds like someone’s name. Is it my mistake?
“She was my lover. And she died by Plague.”
-…
She hesitated and went inside her hiding place that she made herself.
Yu Ji-ha tapped the cage to get her out.
“Don’t worry about it. You and that Plague Queen seem completely different.”
-She’s still my kindred though…
Arma’s judgment that they were separate entities because their memories were not shared was probably right, but he didn’t tell her that.
Anyway, Lucia seemed to like her name very much and became more cooperative.
Thanks to that, the research on wire disease progressed a lot.
“Metal that is unaffected by particle beams are mithril and black metal. The common point of these metals is that they are highly related to ether.”
“There might be other metals too.”
“Yes. Although in small amounts, such elements are found quite frequently as we get closer to the Prophet’s home planet.”
Another ten years passed and the pioneer fleet changed a lot.
First of all, one supply ship was reduced.
The hull was intact, but one of the core facilities in the engine room was completely broken.
They had been producing parts and switching currents to survive, but it was hard to maintain the ship any longer.
“I think it would be better to dismantle it and use it as parts.”
“We can move the materials to the Settler, but what about the hull?”
“We have to abandon it.”
If there was one thing that was not lacking in the fleet, it was black metal.
It was difficult to attach the hull to another ship because of the redesign problem, so Yu Ji-ha made the decision with tears in his eyes.
“I guess we have no choice but to leave the ship.”
That’s how one ship was reduced in the fleet.
There was no big problem because the core of the pioneer fleet was the Settler.
He just hoped that there would be no more ships to abandon.
Five more years passed and Yu Ji-ha spent more time in cryosleep than in activity.
Arma diagnosed that he seemed to have reached his physical limit.
“You’ve spent at least 60 years in the 22nd century and 25 years in the pioneer fleet, so it’s not strange that you’ve reached your lifespan.”
There was a biobag in the pioneer fleet, but it didn’t extend his life.
Anti-aging treatments only delayed aging, not eliminated it, and extending lifespan was even more impossible.
If Yu Ji-ha had lived like a normal person, maybe he wouldn’t have reached his limit by now.
But he had mostly lived in space and been exposed to hundreds of battles.
“I sometimes think that Master’s body doesn’t fit this universe.”
-What do you mean by that?
“Right now, there is a clear ether circuit on Master’s right chest. It’s dark red, unlike before.”
-Dark red? That sounds ominous.
“It’s not a good sign, at least.”
No matter how positively he interpreted it, it was certain that there was something wrong.
Yu Ji-ha’s ether circuit was not artificially inserted, so Arma couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’ll just watch the progress for now.”
If the symptoms worsened, he would have to transfer his body.
While he was resting on a biobag as a bed, Lucia was roaming around the ship quite freely.
Her height was about 40cm, and she usually spent time sitting on Yu Ji-ha’s shoulder.
She seemed to be quite familiar with this fleet by now, and she actively participated in the research on wire disease and Plague swarm.
Thanks to that, Arma completed the research on wire disease and devised a countermeasure.
“I think we can use Master’s psyfield as a barrier to block particle beams.”
But Yu Ji-ha was asleep and didn’t react.
He wasn’t dead and his brain waves were active, so Arma assumed he was dreaming.
He didn’t have to change his body yet.
“Have a good dream, Master.”
Sometimes he frowned, so it seemed like most of them were nightmares.
Even so, the pioneer fleet continued its voyage.
There was a heavy silence on the pioneer fleet because there was no conversation between Arma and Lucia.
Lucia was a Plague Queen who communicated through ideopaths, but Arma couldn’t read them.
The only way to communicate with her was through Yu Ji-ha, but he was asleep so there was no conversation.
But Lucia learned English and communicated by writing letters in the air with ether.
Arma asked in surprise:
“How do you do that?”
-I write with ether. Doesn’t Master know this?
“Not at all.”
-Oh. You can do a lot of things with ether. But Master doesn’t seem to know how to use it.
“Like what?”
Lucia made a lump of light with ether on the spot.
-Isn’t it pretty? There’s a lot of ether here so I can keep it up.
Could this be possible for perpetual machines?
He didn’t know what produced ether, but Lucia’s ability was worth noting.
Arma asked her curiously:
“Is this a natural ability?”
-Yes. I never learned from anyone. I just naturally learned how to do it.
“That’s amazing. Master can’t do that.”
-I know. Master has amazing responsiveness. But he never used ether properly, so he doesn’t know how to use it.
“What kind of ability does Master have?”
-I know that too. He can create a psyfield that matches a battleship. But that’s not all of ether. That’s just a very small part of ether application.
Arma refrained from showing him the ether blade that pierced through Plague Queen.
“Then let me ask you one thing. What is ether?”
-Ether is power. The power that manages and moves this world.
“For what purpose?”
-I don’t know that either. I just felt it instinctively. What I’m sure of is that the inhabitants of this ether universe have much better application skills than Master.
That means there are living creatures here.
Maybe the real world is approaching Yu Ji-ha in the form of a dream.
As the pioneer fleet got closer to the Prophet’s home planet, Lucia naturally learned more information.
The pioneer fleet itself changed a lot, and now there was only one mining ship and one supply ship left, including the Settler.
Yu Ji-ha woke up in the middle, but refused to change his body.
“I want to see the Prophet’s home planet with this body if possible…”
“I understand.”
He wouldn’t die as long as he had a biobag.
A few more years passed.
Now Arma knew that there was an ether sun in this universe.
The creatures here used ether as an energy source.
He also accumulated a lot of information and planned to tell Yu Ji-ha one by one when he woke up.
And most importantly, the Prophet’s home planet…
Arma stared at the ether sun that lit up the main screen and the tiny planet in front of it.
After 50 years of journey, they finally arrived at the Prophet’s home planet.
Contrary to the expectation that it would be an incredible place, the planet looked very ordinary.
Arma woke up Yu Ji-ha with some side effects.
He looked at the screen and his face was filled with confusion.
“Earth…?”
He never expected to see that blue planet here.