episode_0630
by admin
“No, does this make sense…?”
“The air is different… ”
“It was clearly empty space… ”
My reserve men looked around as they entered the boarding ramp.
Crash-
After I confirmed that everyone had crossed over, I pulled out the key and the door slowly closed.
They flinched as they saw the door that had been open in the air close completely and disappear without a trace.
It was surprising that they had moved so quickly from the open field of vision outside to the relatively spacious but confined space of the probe.
Some of them cautiously reached out and touched the wall, their attitude seeming as if they were feeling that the current situation was a dream.
‘I guess it doesn’t feel real.’
This isn’t your first time on a spaceship, so you think you’ll wake up from your dream if you touch it wrong?
It wasn’t much different for Kai Delshard.
“Is this a personal warp technology…?”
He asked in a trembling voice.
In this world, personal warp technology seemed like a fantasy, like room-temperature superconductors in reality.
Even though warp travel is commercialized, it requires a navigator and a special engine. It’s surprising to think that it can be done with just one key.
If you take any suitable item from here, like a construction drone, it would apply technology that would be too ingenious to be called innovative in reality, but it was so funny to see people living in a science fiction world widening their eyes like that that the corners of my mouth went up.
“You can think of it as something like that.”
Right now, rather than explaining everything in detail, it was more important to get out of here.
After answering appropriately, I slapped the back of the guy who looked the most confused with my palm.
Phew-
“Ugh!”
“Okay, let’s get out of here quickly.”
“, yes… !”
The guy who seemed to have lost his soul straightened up stiffly and answered.
We entered the bridge, each of us took our seats and put on our safety equipment.
The reserve men sat on folding seats against the wall because there were no seats available.
Although the Manta Ray appears to be a large exploration vessel at first glance, it is by no means large enough to conduct a proper exploration.
If you want to do serious exploration, you’ll need to use a larger probe or operate multiple probes.
When I first brought this from the Navigator’s Academy, I couldn’t help it because I brought it under the pretense of doing Inquisitor work, since it was a spaceship that could fit in my inventory.
But when I saw that the air was still fresh and cool even though there were over twenty people in the place, I thought, “This is what a luxury brand is.”
-The Manta Ray originally had a crew of about 10 people. However, the crew limit was set to optimize the limited resources needed for space travel, so the actual specs are much higher than that, so this many people can easily board.
‘Then there will be no problem.’
Such restrictions were meaningless to me, as I had plenty of essential resources, including food, in my inventory.
Knock. Knock.
As Maria, who was acting as both navigator and pilot, started the engine with the master key and pressed the buttons, the screen lit up. The view of the hangar where the manta ray was stored filled the field of vision.
After preparing for takeoff, she plugged the terminal she had received from Kai Delshard into the cockpit terminal.
Woohoo…
A faint vibration was felt, accompanied by a small rumbling sound, as if an inanimate manta ray were waking up and stretching.
I turned my head halfway and looked back as I spoke.
“We’ll go out like this and warp straight to the Novaris system. This isn’t a kidnapping or anything, this is to rescue you, so don’t complain if I don’t listen to your opinions.”
“… Is that okay?”
The bartender, who had been quietly hunched over next to Kai Delshard, opened his mouth cautiously.
“What?”
“I wonder if it’s okay to just get out like this… If we get caught, the probe will be shot down by the air defense network built by Jamad.”
“It’s okay. There’s no reason to get caught. He even got on the manta ray right away and wasn’t caught on the cameras outside.”
I promised.
After I was ready, I contacted the route control room.
“Route Control. This is the Manta Ray. Requesting clearance for takeoff.”
-This is the route control room. State your registration number.
“KEEQ20524852.”
-Exoflight EX-200 Equinox model, Manta Ray. Cleared for takeoff.
Kugu Palace…
The door to the hangar where the manta ray was stored opened, and sunlight streamed down the ramp that rose diagonally toward the sky.
I smiled at the sight.
‘It’s good because the process is simple.’
In reality, even when taking a plane to a neighboring country to visit, there are many complicated and inconvenient procedures, but in this underdeveloped planetary system, it was almost a free pass.
At that moment, when I was about to launch the manta ray.
A voice was heard from the still-unbroken communication.
-Wait a minute. The Manta Ray? Is the purpose of your visit to the planet to report on the results of your exploration?
“… Yes.”
Reporting on the results of the exploration and supplying supplies. That must have been the excuse they came to this planet under. It was a perfect excuse since they were on a probe.
‘Something doesn’t feel right.’
But now, I felt like I was being held back by that excuse.
As expected, communication continued in the route control room.
-The exploration results report hasn’t come in yet. We haven’t set off yet, so get off for a moment and finish your report.
“The results of the exploration were insufficient, so we decided to report after further investigation. That’s why we requested takeoff permission.”
-The expedition team is obligated to report the results of their explorations on every planet they visit. If the investigation is insufficient, they can submit a summary report. Also, it seems like they haven’t supplied supplies.
“… … .”
‘Yeah. Even so, it’s not that sloppy, right?’
Although I was quick to excuse myself for the high-speed accident, it seemed like air traffic control wasn’t going to let me off easy.
It seems that it was a mistake to disguise ourselves as an expedition team from the beginning, forget the purpose of our visit, and try to escape right away.
I felt the bartender’s resentful gaze stabbing the back of my head.
Just as I was thinking of getting off for a bit and throwing down some samples I had picked up from the planet I had previously visited, the voice from the route control room was heard again.
-We will conduct a detailed scan. Number of people on board… 23 people?! Manta Ray, respond. You clearly stated in the report that there were 7 people on board.
“… Maria.”
“Yes.”
“Step on it.”
As soon as Maria heard my words, she turned up the output of the Manta Ray to maximum.
Kwaaaa …
“Eeee!!!”
A manta ray that accelerates in an instant.
The group screamed as they felt their bodies being thrown backwards.
The open hangar door appeared in front of us in an instant.
-Manta Ray! Damn it, close the hangar door…!
Chijijik…!
Communication with the route control room was immediately cut off.
The hangar door was about to close again, but the Manta Ray, already accelerating, passed through with ease and soared into the sky.
Kai Delshard said, rising to his feet unsteadily due to the safety device.
“Escape is impossible once you are caught in the route control room…!”
“Then you want me to go back?”
“Not all areas of this planet are within the reach of Jamad’s gaze. Once he lands somewhere else and waits for an opportunity… ”
“That’s a waste of time. It’s okay. Don’t die.”
As soon as I finished speaking, something flew from behind and passed by Manta Ray.
bang!
“Eww!”
The bridge shook and the reserve men screamed.
“Damage?”
“There was no damage because it wasn’t hit by a direct hit, but rather the barrier was automatically deployed.”
As Maria spoke, a video of the scene behind the manta ray appeared on the screen.
There, two fighter planes were approaching, flying out of the hangar.
“Let’s overtake them at maximum speed and quickly warp into space.”
“The speed is already at its maximum. It seems like it will be difficult to shake off the fighter jet.”
Maria said calmly.
“Really? Then I’ll take control, so Maria takes care of it.”
“Okay.”
We swapped places naturally. I sat in the cockpit, and Maria stood in the middle of the bridge, looking back and stretching out her arms.
She waved her hand.
“Oh my… !”
When they saw the screen, everyone’s mouths dropped open.
There was a video playing where a fighter jet suddenly turned and attacked another fighter jet.
“Uh, how…?”
“Metal is also used in fighter planes.”
“… … ?”
Maria sat down in my empty seat with a face that said, “Nothing.”
“Are you alive…?”
A guy who was looking around muttered like this.
But dealing with the fighters didn’t solve all the problems.
As we were almost out of the planet’s gravity, a group of satellites came toward us.
“… These are defense satellites. Each one of them can be said to be a plasma cannon launcher. ”
The bartender said, swallowing his slurp.
The guy who put up the flag got hit in the head by another guy next to him.
Regardless of whether such a farce occurred or not, the satellite blocking our path was glowing redder and redder, befitting the description of a plasma cannon launcher.
“… Wrong! Now we’re all going to die!”
“Almighty Novaris, protect me with your eternal light, with your holy wisdom… ”
“At least if I die from the plasma cannon, I won’t feel any pain… ”
“Wow, they are really weak people, which doesn’t match their appearance.”
Is it because you’re mentally exhausted? Or did the removal of the cyborg parts bring back excessive human emotions?
Anyway, the condition of the reserve subordinates was not very good.
Even if a plasma cannon were to fire, I was confident I could dodge.
The synergy bangle on her wrist began to glow and spin.
The moment I was about to turn left, I saw that the plasma cannon was reaching its limit.
“Left! Now!”
Jeong Su-jin suddenly shouted in a loud voice.
“!”
As soon as I heard her words, I took control of the Manta Ray, as it was the direction I had originally intended to turn.
It was a speed that was instantly faster because the Synergy Bangle was used.
Kwaaah!!!
Several plasma cannons fired simultaneously, literally wiping out the area we were in.
It was a power that could have broken through Manta Ray’s barrier if the Synergy Bangle had not been there or if the direction had been changed just a little later.
“Sujin, what did you just now… ”
“Quick! Warp!”
“… Okay.”
I tried to ask Jeong Su-jin if she had seen the future, but she scolded me.
The defense satellite had already passed us by the moment it dodged the plasma cannon, so there were no more obstacles in our way.
Warp was Maria’s role, so she executed it.
Kwaaang!!!
The surrounding stars dimmed and we entered a tunnel of light.
A sea of meteors filled our field of vision. We swam through the sea, overtaking the brilliant streaks of light.
And after a while.
As we completed our warp voyage, the landscape of the planet Novaris unfolded before us.
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