Episode 298 – Infiltration (1)
After the Heavenly Mother returned, we prepared to leave the planet.
Adhai was the last one to catch a lot of prey with me. This was to ensure that the Gallagons could eat their fill for a while.
Meanwhile, PS-111 departed first to Gigacracker with the remaining four, leaving only one Mini Screamer on the Screamer support ship. The lone Mini Screamer decided to take on the management and repairs of the support ship.
Mother Sky was responsible for transporting the four mini screamers and PS-111. The sight of her sighing deeply was something she really didn’t want to do, but she eventually accepted it.
The Gallagons were quite sad to hear that we were leaving.
In particular, the Gallagons in charge of childcare were very sad when they heard the news that No. 26 was leaving. It’s probably because they know that if he’s gone, it’ll be that much harder for them.
Ham Ort also seemed sad that his daughter was leaving on a long journey again. Aadhai must have felt the same way, spending time with his mother from the time the hunt ended until he left.
After cleaning up for a day, we returned to Giga Cracker.
When I entered Gigacracker’s situation room, I was greeted by a device I had never seen before.
It looked like a miniaturized obelisk, but was about 1m long. The color of the exterior was bright silver and had geometric patterns engraved on it.
‘Cult’s interstellar communicator?’
Cults with a keen interest in geometry often reflect their tastes when creating special equipment or ships. However, this is my first time seeing an interstellar communication device like this.
‘Has it been improved?’
If you look at the lower part, which should have been empty originally, there were several port holes. Currently, the cables and wires inside the situation room were connected there.
“It’s an item that was sold on the black market, so it operates with power other than psychic power.”
Sky’s mother, who returned as a beast doll, explained as if she had read my question.
[Zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (It looks different from what I remember)]
「Yes. It’s a model modified based on a cult-style interstellar communication device.”
From the looks of it, it looks like the entire communication device itself was taken from storage.
[Zuzuzzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu (Didn’t you go to contact me?)]
「I guess you could say that’s what I expected, but things got a little complicated.」
She frowned slightly at my question.
“I kept contacting them right after I arrived, but there was no answer from them. If you see that the signal is going, it doesn’t mean it’s broken.”
[Zuzuz zu zuzuzuzu (I guess I’m not receiving communication)]
“So, let’s check it another way.”
[Zuzzu zu (another way?)]
“Yes. Location sharing function has been added between linked devices. “
Location coordinate analysis completed. “I will launch a hologram.”
A huge hologram appeared in the middle of the situation room along with the voice of PS-111, who was working next to the communicator.
The territory of the cult empire was realized in video, filling the situation room. A hologram containing a vast territory expanded around a certain point. It started with star systems, expanded to star planets, and even city units inside planets, and then stopped.
“This is planet Berzan01 in the Aurora star system.”
「Berzan 01? “ It’s there?”
“Do you know?”
Ouro99’s Berzan 01. One of the Empire’s most prosperous planets, it is famous for two things.
‘The largest branch of the Society of Prophets is there.’
The original headquarters of the Prophet’s Association was not Berzan 01, but a desert planet called ‘Guardian’.
However, it is close to the center in a cultural and historical sense, and the place with real power is Berzan 01. The Eye of Revelation Priests, a military group belonging to the Society of Prophets, are also stationed in Berzan 01.
[Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu (22nd place wasn’t Coldblood? That’s surprising)]
「That’s right, but how did this happen?」
In the cult empire, most Coldbloods are treated as cultists or criminals. His image is worse than that of Wolf, who treats him like a slave.
Such a person is hiding in a place in the empire where religious influence is so strong that it can be felt within one’s fingers.
‘So it’s dark under the lamp?’
exact, ‘PS-111’s.’
I looked at MPS-05 calmly looking up at me from the palm of my hand. Laughed.
–
The ‘Surveillance Office’ of the Aur star system that Berzan 02 belongs to.
The role of the Watch Office is to record the energy flow of super-light power emitted by ships entering the system. If an unrecorded energy flow occurs or causes a problem, It is a device installed in case a ship escapes at faster than light speeds.
Today, the personnel of the Observatory were busy monitoring the numerous ships traveling to and from the Aur system. The sudden occurrence of an
unrecorded flow of energy was not surprising to them. It was not something special. Dispatching a fleet belonging to the Surveillance Agency to a place where energy was observed was also a common occurrence. “
Approaching the point where faster-than-light navigation occurred.”
“It should have been observed at this point. Knowledge Manager?”
“Hmm. “It can’t be observed properly because of the powerful magnetic field.”
“Magnetic field? Is it from another star system?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll continue to try to analyze the information.”
An elite fleet under the Surveillance Office is in an area where an unidentified magnetic field is spreading. It’s getting closer.
In the situation room inside the ship, cult crew members were imaging records taken by the ship’s external cameras and data from the surveillance radar and floating them in the air.
Meanwhile, Charas, a knowledge manager dispatched from the Surveillance Office, was quickly organizing the information in his head. Even when I thought about the wavelength data emitted by stars, nothing special came out.
Fortunately, it was not an example of stellar activity that showed a similar wave pattern. That was the wavelength observed during an event that occurred on a certain planet.
‘The Saigil 08 disaster?’
She recalled that incident, which is still often talked about as ominous.
At that time, the Judge and Mother Battle Group of the imperial carrier Damos 08, which were dispatched to purify the contamination, were destroyed by an unidentified entity. The Imperial Diet named the monster the ‘Three-Headed Demon’.
And the wavelength observed by the surveillance office was similar to the unknown energy storm that the monster was emitting.
‘...there are quite a few differences. ‘What should I do with this?’
In fact, the wavelengths were not completely the same. What was observed at the time was close to a type of energy storm created by the condensation of a large amount of energy. Although the stream of waves emitted with the energy storm was similar to the observed wavelengths, that was it.
Currently, there are no giant energy storms or monsters recorded at the time here.
‘According to the report submitted by the Imperial Council, it is incapable of flight.’
The Aur star system here is incredibly far away from the star system where the holy site Saigil 08 is located. Even if you could fly, getting all the way here is physically impossible. What if we could travel faster than the speed of light?
“First, we confirmed several results that matched the wavelength. However, it is difficult to say for sure, so we are requesting the Monitoring Office to review.”
“Hmm, there’s no harm in being cautious. I know.”
“It enters the area of the magnetic field.”
As we entered the suddenly generated magnetic field, the lights inside the ship flickered for a moment. Although it was rare, this kind of thing did not happen at all, so no one among the crew was shaken. The same was true for not only the ship Charas was on, but also other ships.
After restoring the ship’s systems in an instant, they reached the point where a large amount of energy was generated, that is, the place where faster-than-light travel took place.
Cameras that are less affected by magnetic fields as well as warrior unit members who can use search-related psychic power technology were mobilized, but nothing special could be found.
“There is nothing. “That’s strange.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Has this phenomenon been fully reported to the surveillance office?”
“yes. “It is currently under review.”
“It would be better for some of the ships to remain here, just in case. “I will contact the other ships directly for this.”
As the captain attempted to contact the other ship, a new image appeared in the situation room. It was an image floated by the person in charge of the ship’s shield.
“Ship shield restored to normal at 99.9%. “It hit something small.”
“What is the size of the colliding object?”
“Less than 5m.”
“It looks like a piece of rock floating around.”
Perhaps by coincidence, the magnetic field that had spread over a wide area gradually faded after the collision was reported.
After the abnormal phenomenon subsided, the order issued by the surveillance office was a return order. It was understood to be a natural phenomenon, but in order to prevent an unexpected situation, only some were left behind and the rest were to return.
The incident of sudden magnetic field generation came to an abrupt end.