"That's the ship. Doesn't look damaged, but..." The Valkyria—a freighter a size smaller than the Lemurias—drifted completely dead in space, even its external beacon lights extinguished.
"Still no response. ... ... The simple scan shows: life signs, none."
"Looks like something happened to whoever's aboard. Illness, maybe? Anyway, prep for docking. I'll go take a look in person. Lilith, keep watch on the area." "Yes, Master. Do be very careful."
"I'll come along. Just in case—you got anything that'd serve as a weapon?" "We have a non-lethal ray gun. I recommend the Master carry one as well, just in case."
The moment Lilith said it, a section of the wall slid open. Several weapons were stored inside. "Huh... that opens? First I've heard of it."
In the rack were several ray guns and some sort of stick-shaped object, secured in place. "What's this?" I lifted the stick out.
"That is a ray sword. It is a lethal weapon, so using it requires an application to the Security Bureau—" "Ahh, never mind. I'll just take the ray gun."
"Hey now—you're the owner of this ship and you don't even know what equipment's aboard?" "...There's a lot going on. Complicated circumstances, you could say."
Gil and I changed into aero-suits—thin spacesuits—and, ray guns in hand, headed for the hatch.
Inside, the lights were out—pitch black. I switched on my suit light and stepped out of the airlock. The power still seemed to be alive.
"Cargo hold to the right, cockpit to the left. Let's try the cockpit." "Hold on, Seres. This... isn't this a bloodstain?"
Looking closely down the corridor, a trail of blood dotted the floor. "From the way it's dripped, looks like someone headed from the cargo hold to the cockpit. Which do we check first?"
"Uh... n-no life signs means they're already..." I could picture it: 'something' happened in the cargo hold, a wounded crew member bled their way to the cockpit, sent the distress signal—and gave out right there.
"L-l-let's check the c-cargo hold first, and c-c-confirm what happened." If some threat still lingered, I wanted it dealt with first.
"Okay. I'll take the lead." With that, Gil started forward. Honestly, a huge help. My legs had been trembling this whole time, and my tongue wouldn't work right. On my own, I'd have bolted long ago.
The cargo-hold door was slightly ajar. Peeking cautiously inside, I saw a single small container—. But the container's door had been flung wide open, and around it were the marks of blood, violently spattered.
"Inside the container... huh." Gilbert approached it warily and peered in. "One capsule... and nothing else."
"A capsule? Of what—" Peering in from behind Gilbert, I went cold and lost my words. The thing that had been making that noise inside the Lemurias just days ago flashed through my mind.
What lay before me now was a corpse-storage capsule with its lid opened—a 'coffin.' And its contents were empty————.
"...res? Hey, Seres?! What's wrong—you okay?" "A-ah, sorry. I'm fine. Just lost in thought..."
"Then let's head to the cockpit. I've got a rough idea already, though..." We left the cargo hold and edged carefully down the corridor toward the cockpit.
"No life signs, so—what the heck was in that capsule, I wonder... I mean, that's a 'coffin,' right? Which would mean... don't tell me the body got up and walked? This isn't some movie..."
Somehow forcing my trembling legs to move, I followed Gilbert. If I opened my mouth now I doubted I could speak properly, so I trailed him in silence. "This is it. Opening the door." I nodded wordlessly—though I may have been juddering in little jerks, like a bobblehead doll.
Pssshh— As the cockpit door opened, the cabin lights all came on at once, as if in response. The brightly lit cockpit was, quite literally, a sea of blood.
In the main pilot's seat sat a man—presumably the ship's owner—bleeding heavily from around the neck. He had died with a ray gun still clutched in his hand. And in a corner of the cockpit, someone else lay collapsed.
"Seres, better not look..." "Thanks... but a little too late." It was a corpse clad in white funeral garb. And everything above the neck was gone.
"Sorry. If it's too much, you can wait out in the corridor." Whipping my still-trembling legs into motion, I barely made it out into the corridor.
This ship, too, must have taken on the transport of a coffin. And its owner, noticing the noise from the coffin, had opened the lid to check inside—. This carnage was the result.
If that was so—then had I gone to check my own coffin back then... the inside of the Lemurias might have looked just like this.
"Master, your vitals are becoming unstable. Are you all right? Master?" Lilith's worried voice seemed to reach me from somewhere far away————.
"...Mm... where... am I?" "Oh, you're awake. We're back on the Lemurias, heading for Elrad IV. As for that ship, I've already contacted the Security Bureau."
"Are you awake, Master? Your vitals are stable, within the normal range." "(Ah... right. I went to investigate the inside of that wreck...) Gil, did you carry me?"
"Yeah, you'd collapsed right outside the cockpit. Man, that gave me a scare." "Sorry, and thank you. I'm just bad with that stuff. Splatter, horror..."
"Aw, everybody's got something they can't stomach. Me, for instance—I'm terrible with young beauties." "...Heh, what's that? The old 'I'm so scared of sweet dumplings' routine?" "Ahaha! Quite the scholar, aren't you."
I could tell he was looking out for me. So for now, even if I had to force it, I'd give him a smile.
"Master, we will soon reach Elrad IV's gravity sphere. Please prepare for entry." "Let's move to the cockpit." As I said it and threw off the sheet, I froze. In my underwear—?! Where was the aero-suit?!
I didn't undress and lie down myself... did I. Lilith's an AI, and she surely isn't equipped with arms deft enough to strip off an aero-suit and tuck me into bed. Which meant the answer went without saying————
"U-um... Gil? After you carried me here... um..." "Huh? Oh—the aero-suit. Lilith told me to get it off you, so... look, I took it off without looking as best I could, so don't sweat it too much, okay?"
"I-I see. ...How do I put it—I'm so sorry to have put you through the trouble, really..." "It's nothing at all. I'd lend a hand with something like this anytime." I'm probably red to the ears right now.
When I glanced up at him from under my lashes, Gilbert was pointedly not looking my way. But—perhaps noticing my gaze—he shot a glance back, and our eyes met, dead on. ".........." ".........."
"Master, please hurry—vital anomaly detected. Your pulse is spiking; are you all right? Master?" Lilith sliced clean through the awkward silence. "I-I'm fine, Lilith. Ohohohoho." "Ahahahaha."
In any case, we arrived safely at Elrad IV and began our descent toward the spaceport.
"Man, you really, truly saved me. I'm in your debt, Seres. Lilith too." "I'm the one who's in your debt. Without you, Gil, it would have been a disaster."
"I was helped as well. Without Gilbert, I would have had no means of recovering the Master—. Master? Your vitals are becoming unstable. Perhaps you really should undergo a thorough examination..." "Heh, I told you I'm fine, didn't I?"
"Good AI, that Lilith of yours." "Yeah. It's been just the two of us all this time, so—" What is this feeling? At the thought that this was goodbye, something deep in my chest ached and creaked.
Gilbert said nothing, just watched me with a gentle smile. Say something. Anything. ...But no. It's no good. Gilbert has a wife.
Even so, I want to be with him longer. If only we could travel together forever... That I'd even think such a thing—is that the so-called suspension-bridge effect?
"Well then—Seres. Somewhere down the line..." "...Yeah. If we can meet again... someday... I'd be glad, I think." "Heh—Lilith, see you around too!"
Calling that up toward the Lemurias's ceiling, he left the ship. ...His back blended into the crowd and slowly vanished from sight.
"...Master?" "Right! One more push to Resource-Mining Planet β! Let's get going!"
Just Lilith and me in the ship again. Nothing had changed but the return to how it was—yet the Lemurias's cockpit felt awfully spacious.