Black Lotus yang bertumpu pada Krishna akhirnya melaju ke sistem tengah tempat Ibu Kota Kekaisaran berada, bersama Letnan Komandan Serena dan Armadanya Anti-Pembajak Independen. Tentu saja, aku terus berlatih di bawah bimbingan Mei untuk memastikanku bisa bertahan walau harus menghadapi serangan bangsawan yang terafiliasi dengan faksi Drawn Sword.
Cukup banyak malam di mana kudenger darah keluar dan akhirnya pingsan tiap kali aku tidur. Karena siksaan yang aku alami terus-menerus, aku bahkan tak ingat sekali pun kudapat tidur dengan nyenyak dalam beberapa hari terakhir. Aku bahkan diharuskan tetap memakai headset VR di tempat tidur. Semua ini mengacau perngaanku tentang waktu. Dan sebelum tahu, sepuluh hari sudah terlewati.
"Cieee ih, benar-benar gede ya."
"Gede banget."
"Wah, keren banget ya. Kami juga pertama kali lihat."
"Iya, benar-benar gede. Aku rasa masih bisa memperkecilnya tanpa mengorbankan fungsinya."
Meskipun komentar terakhir dari Whisker agak meleset, kami tetap terkesimpan dengan gerbang raksasa yang ada di sistem Neeparc. Sepenarnya kita sudah lewat di sistem Dexer—sistem sekolah Chris—but thanks to aku sering dipukul sama Mei, aku nggak sadar sama sekali. Tapi ya sudah, kita tetap lewat. Nggak bisa padahal ngapa-ngapain.
"Jadi kita bakal langsung warp ke Ibu Kota Kekaisar lewat gerbang ini, ya?"
"Bener. Makasih jaringan gerbang, meski jauh banget, ke Ibu Kota Kekaisaran terasa dekat."
"Itu hanya berlaku buat orang yang bisa pakai gerbang dengan bebas, kan?"
"Ya, kurang lebih begitu."
Elma tersenyum kecut setelah kugambarkan. Gerbang yang bisa melompat pulang ribu tahun cahaya sekaligus memang nyaman, tapi nggak bisa sembarangan dipakai. Bahkan bangsawan butuh izin khusus, dan warga sipil seperti pedagang atau tentara bayaran biasanya susah dapat kesempatan pakai sendiri.
Pakaiannya juga sangat terbatas di SOL, dan aku jarang ingat pernah pakai buat traveling saat bermain game dulu. Katanya kamu bisa dapat lebih banyak kesempatan kalau bisa akrab dengan space empires yang mengelola jaringan gerbang masing-masing, tapi aku tuh cuma tentara bayaran solo biasa—nggak punya koneksi apa-apa di dalam game.
"Sebenarnya nggak banyak orang yang bisa keluar dari koloni lahir mereka. Buat mereka, Ibu Kota Kekaisaran memang tempat yang sangat jauh."
"Memang benar. Orang-orang yang sering keluar dari koloni mereka adalah pekerja korporasi antar-bintang seperti kita atau pedagang."
"Dan juga orang militer. Aku penasaran, gimana sih caranya orang kebanyakan jadi tentara bayaran?"
"Uh, kayaknya ada seperti sekolah latar yang khusus untuk latihan tentara bayaran. Tapi aku kurang familiar."
Aku dengadengar sesuatu seperti itu sewaktu melamar ke Guild. Dan mungkin nggak banyak yang memilih jadi tentara bayaran cuma untuk sensasi. Kalau nggak ada Krishna, aku mungkin juga akan nyaman di koloni yang asik."
"Gimana sih kamu jadi tentara bayaran sih, Kapten?"
"……Entahlah, aku ikut-ikutan aja."
Saat kudap bangkit setelah 'kejadiannya', aku tiba-tiba di inderangan Krishna yang mengapung di angkasa. Aku langsung diserang oleh para bajak laut, dan kukasih balasan. Setelah itu, aku dikasih cerita semaunya dan memutuskan jadi tentara bayaran. Cerita aja itu memang rekayayaan dari Elma."
"Ikut-ikutan…… Oh iya, kayaknya kamu punya amnesia, ya Kapten? Aku minta maaf."
"Enggak perlu minta maaf. Aku merasa cukup beruntung, sebenarnya."
Akhirnya aku bertemu Mimi, Elma, Mei, Chris, Tina, Whisker, dan Letnan Komandan Serena—bukan itu, bukan itu!—Entah bagaimana, aku bertemu semua orang di sini. Dan Doc Shouko… Ya, cuma dengat ingatnya saja langsung kepanasan kemari. Ugh."
"Eits, giliran kita sekarang."
"Akhirnya sampai juga. Aku penasaran gimana rasanya lewat gerbang?"
"Seru banget, kan, kakak?"
Kamu mungkin masih seru sekarang, tapi kalau sudah lewat, kamu pasti menyesal. Aku melihat Mimi sambil mengarahkan pandangan lembut ke mesin-mesin kecil yang licin. Haha, aku ingat Mimi juga semangguk dulu waktu pertama kita lewat pintu gerbang.
Armada kita melaju dan tersedak ke dalam dimensi berkilau misterius yang tersembunyi di antara struktur logam raksakasa itu. Senjata laser dan kapal pemikul utama yang hilang kiriman cahaya aneh benar-benar pemandangan yang tak wajar.
"Oo... ntar ya, Whisker."
"K-kakak..."
Saudara kandung mesin kecil itu saling memegang tangan sambil menyaksikan dimensi distorsif lewat layar monitor.
Kapal pengintai dan kapal bedilpun lenyap begitu saja.
Dan lalu —
"Eh? Selesai ya?"
"……Kayaknya cepat banget."
Yap. Nggak ada suara gemuruh seperti FTL Drive. Tak ada pemandangan warna-warni seperti saat berada di terowongan ruang hiper. Katakanmu, seperti gambar di holo-display yang berubah.
"Ini lho yang disebut warp sejati."
"Wah... keren ya."
"Aku kurang mengerti teori di baliknya, tapi memang luar biasa. Tapi aku nggak mau kalah cuma gara-gara hal yang begin."
Tina bilang seru, tapi apakah pikiran Whisker sebenarnya sedang melompat ke arah yang sama sekali berbeda? Kadang-kadang aku nggak pasti mengerti apa yang ada di kepala Whisker. Dia kadang masuk dalam mode teknisi dan keluarin hal-hal radikal.
"Bagaimanapun, kita sudah aman tiba. Selamat datang di sistem tengah Kekaisaran Graccan. Tempat asal kudusanku, Ibu Kota Kekaisaran Grakkis, ada di situ."
"Un……?"
Saat kubaca gambar di layar, aku nggak kuasa menahan dagu kujung.
Dari apa yang kudilihati, benda di kejauhan pasti berbentuk seperti planet. Tapi permukaannya tak menggambarkan lautan, dan lagi, tak ada yang terlihat alami. Bangunan buatan manusia menutupi seluruh permukaan planet itu.
"Ekumenopolis……? Benar-benar bisa dibuat di sini ya?"
"Ara, kamu tahu istilah kuno ya. Sekarang namanya cuma planet-kota."
"Oh…… Jadi ketika kamu bilang Ibu Kota Kekaisaran, kamu merujuk ke sana?"
"Bener. Planet-kota itulah Ibu Kota Kekaisaran, Grakkis. Selamat datang semuanya, ke pusat Kekaisaran; ibu kota yang sedang berkembang."
Elma tersenyum lembut sambil menyambut kami dengan semangat.
Sebelum mendarat di planet-kota Kekaisaran, kita memutuskan untuk ke koloni Grakkis Secundus dulu. Koloni ini adalah salah satu dari banyaknya koloni besar di sistem. Di sana, barang kami akan diperiksa, dan kami harus melalui beberapa pemeriksaan dan prosedur sebelum mendapatkan izin mendarat di Grakkis.
dengan kata lain, koloni Grakkis Secundus seperti pintu gerbang kota yang harus kita lewati sebelum masuk ke Ibu Kota Kekaisaran. Kata orang, pedagang yang mengelola sirkulasi barang dan material di sistem biasanya berdagang di koloni seperti ini. Kenapa? Karena mendarat langsung di planet-kota Ibu Kota butuh prosedur panjang dan pemeriksaan ekstra, serta biaya tinggalnya juga lumayan mahal. Tentu saja, tidak semahal planet resor."
"Jadi sekarang, kita harus lakukan apa?"
Setelah kita masuk ke koloni, kami semua pergi ke ruang makan Black Lotus bersama Mei. Aku langsung menghelahkan pertanyaan ini setelah kami duduk.
Aku tahu kapten kapal sebaiknya proaktif saat-saat seperti ini, tapi karena aku secara tidak langsung didesak ke sini oleh Letnan Komandan Serena dan kekuatan negara yang mendukungnya, aku sama sekali tidak mempunyai inisiatif.
Aku rasa ini lebih atau kurang disebabkan Letnan Komandan Serena yang membawaku ke sini, tapi tak memberikan instruksi tambahan. Nah, mungkin bukan karena dia memilih untuk diam tentang instruksinya, tapi karena dia tak sempat memberi tahu kami."
"Letnan Komandan Serena bilang semua prosedur terkait seremonial penghargaan akan ditangani sepenuhnya oleh militer, termasuk juga izin mendarat kita. Rekomendasiku pribadi, kunjungi cabang loket Guild kemudian."
"Guild kemana? Oh iya, Letnan Komandan Serena pernah bilang aku harus mencampuri diri sama Guild kalau sudah sampai ke Ibu Kota Kekaisaran. Tapi, aku beneran nggak tahu harus minta bantuan untuk apa."
"Kamu bisa bertanya detailnya setelah bertemu. Cabang Guild di sistem tengah seharusnya punya pengetahuan yang tepat tentang cara seorang tentara bayaran harus bertingkah laku di hadapan bangsawan."
"Oh……."
Itu memang rekomendasi dari Mei. Aku yakin ini akan berguna."
"Baiklah, kita akan pergi. Kamu mau ikut, guys?"
"Silakan. Kita juga butuh beli pakaian formal. Kita bisa minta rekomendasi toko dari Guild nanti."
"Uu, pakaian formal…"
Mimi yang emang nggak cocok dengan pakaian yang kancing-kancing manja dan berwarna-warni justru tersenyum kekanak-ngakalan. Meskipun dia seperti ini, aku tetap berpendapat dia tampak sempurna. Iya."
"Kami juga mau ikut — ""
"Kakak, kita masih harus kirim laporan ke cabang kantor perusahaan."
"Eh? Boleh-bukan main-main sebentar?"
"Aku minta maaf, tapi aku nggak suka dengan sarcasm yang ngene."
"Uu…… Orang-orang di Ibu Kota Kekaisaran tu memang sangat serius-santai banget."
Kakak kandungnya kemudian punya urusan sama Space Dwerg cabang di sini. Dari nada mereka, sepertinya ada masalah dengan rekan-rekan di Ibu Kota.
Apakah yang terjadi? Mereka semua dwarf, tapi seperti yang kita duga, mungkin anggota dari faksi yang kompetitif. Aku lebih baik tidak bertanya."
"Dan kamu, Mei?"
"Aku akan tetap di dalam kapal. Kalau ada kejadian, aku akan langsung kontak. Jadi kalian bisa tenang melanjutkan urusanmu masing-masing."
"Baik. Aku bisa mengandalkanmu."
"Ya, serahkan sama aku."
Mei tersenyum pelan. 'Un'. Ekspresi Mei memang semakin baik akhir-akhir ini. Tapi kamu nggak akan sadar kalau nggak perhatikan dengan cermat.
"Baiklah, ayo —"
"Tunggu dulu, bener. Pertama, pergi ke kamar dan pakai medali Silver Sword Wings Assaultmu."
"……Haruskah?"
"Harus. Ini akan memudahkan penjelasan situasi nanti. Cepatlah. Dari."
"Iya……"
"Kamu tampak lebih keren pakai itu, Hiro-sama."
"Ugh."
Di akhirnya, Mimi dan Elma memaksa aku memasang medali yang berkilau itu di dada. Lalu kita meluncur ke Guild dengan pedang ningratku di pinggang. Kenapa sih? Bukankah laser sudah cukup?",
The Black Lotus with Krishna stationed inside finally headed for the central system where the Imperial Capital was located together with Lieutenant Commander Serena and her Independent Anti-Pirate Mobile Fleet. Of course, I continued my training under Mei in order to insure I could survive even if I faced an attack by Drawn Sword faction-affiliated nobles.
There were quite a few nights where I coughed up blood before completely passing out whenever I went to bed. And due to the torment I experienced constantly, I don’t even remember a single instance where I was able to get a good night’s sleep these past few days. I even had to continue wearing my VR gear in bed. It ended up messing my sense of time. And before I knew it, ten days had already passed.
“Man, it really is gigantic huh.”
“It’s so big.”
“That sure is amazing. It’s our first time seeing it as well.”
“Un, it’s really huge. I think there’s still room to reduce its size without compromising its functions though.”
Although the last comment from Whisker was a bit off-target, we continued to marvel at the gigantic gateway located in the Neeparc system. We supposedly passed through the Dexer system, which was Chris’ home system, but thanks to me constantly being beaten up by Mei, I didn’t realize it at all. But we just passed through anyway, so it’s not like we could stop over for a visit.
“So we’re gonna warp straight to the Imperial Capital using the gateway, right?”
“That’s right. Thanks to the gateway network, even the far-away Imperial Capital feels so near.”
“That’s only if you’re one of the people who can freely use the gateway, right?”
“Well, yes, I guess.”
Elma shrugged her shoulders after I pointed out that particular detail.
A gateway that allows you to jump several tens of thousands of lightyears in an instant truly was convenient, but it wasn’t freely available to everyone. Even nobles would need some particular permits to pass through them, and ordinary citizens such as merchants or mercenaries rarely get the chance to make use of them on their own.
Its use was also heavily restricted in SOL, and I hardly have any memories of using it to travel during my time playing the game. It’s said that you’d be able to gain more opportunities by cozying up to the space empires who manage their respective gateway networks, but I was just your typical solo merc, and I didn’t have any meaningful connections in-game whatsoever.
“In the first place, not a lot of people are able to travel out of the colony they were born into. For them, the Imperial Capital is certainly a very distant place.”
“That’s right. The people who commonly get to travel outside their home colonies are those working for interstellar companies like us or those in the trade business.”
“There’s also those from the military. I wonder how most people end up becoming mercenaries though?”
“Oh, uh, I think there’s something like a mercenary training school. I’m not really familiar with it though.”
I think I heard something like that when I applied to the Guild. Well, there’s probably not a lot of people who decide to become mercenaries just for the thrills. If I didn’t have Krishna, I would probably just find myself a nice colony to settle on as well.
“How did you end up becoming a mercenary anyway, Boss?”
“……Um, I just sort of went with the flow, I guess.”
When I woke up after my unfortunate ‘accident’, I was already inside Krishna which was floating in outer space. I was then immediately attacked by pirates and killed them in retaliation…… After that, I just said whatever and decided to become a mercenary. That’s the story I told them. This cover story was all thanks to Elma.
“Went with the flow…… Oh, right. Come to think of it, you said you have amnesia, right Boss? I’m sorry.”
“It’s not something to apologize for. I actually think I’m pretty lucky, all things considered.”
After all, I did end up meeting Mimi, Elma, Mei, Chris, Tina, Whisker, and Lieutenant Commander Serena– No, not the Lieutenant Commander. Not the Lieutenant Commander! Anyway, I ended up meeting everyone when I came here. As for Doc Shouko…… Yeah, just remembering her makes my behind feel weirdly itchy. Ugh.
“Oh, the line’s moving. It looks like it’s our turn.”
“I sure am looking forward to it. I wonder what going through a gateway feels like?”
“It’s really exciting, isn’t it, big sis?”
You might feel excited now, but you’ll feel sorry you did later guys. I glanced at Mimi and found her sending a warm gaze toward the mechanic sisters as well. Hahaha, I remember Mimi was also this excited when we first came through a gate.
The fleet moved forward and plunged into the distorted space that gave off a mysterious glow nestled between the huge metallic structures. The sight of the leading corvettes and destroyers getting engulfed in that mysterious light and disappearing was truly a surreal view.
“O-Ooooh…… Here it comes, Whisker.”
“B-Big sis……”
The mechanic sisters held hands as they watched the distorted space come nearer and nearer through the holo-display.
The cruisers also got engulfed and disappeared.
And then–
“Eh? It’s over?”
“……That was too abrupt.”
Yep. There’s no booming sound you’d hear from activating the FTL Drive. There are no colorful and psychedelic sights like what you’d see when traveling through a hyperspace tunnel. To put it simply, it’s like the image on the holo-display just changed.
“Well, this is what you’d call a true warp.”
“Hee…… That’s kinda cool.”
“I’m not clear on the theory, but it truly is amazing. Un, I can’t afford to lose to just this though.”
Tina kept saying how cool it was, but ain’t Whisker’s thoughts flying off in a completely different direction? Sometimes, I found that I couldn’t really get what goes through Whisker’s head. Whisker goes into full engineer mode from time to time and says some pretty radical stuff.
“Well, in any case, we’ve managed to arrive safely. Welcome to the central system of the Graccan Empire. My home town, the Imperial Capital Grakkis, is located over there.”
“Nn……?”
When I saw the image on the holo-display, I couldn’t help but wrinkle my brows.
Judging from what I could see, the object in the distance was definitely shaped like a planet. However, its surface didn’t show the presence of seas, and furthermore, I couldn’t find anything that seemed even remotely natural. Manmade structures completely covered the surface of the planet.
“An ecumenopolis……? So they were able to realize such a thing here……?”
“Ara, you sure know some really ancient terms. These days, it’s just simply called a planet-city.”
“I see…… So when you say Imperial Capital, you’re actually referring to that?”
“That’s right. That planet-city is precisely the Imperial Capital, Grakkis. Welcome everyone, to the center of the Empire; the blossoming Capital.”
Elma displayed a gentle smile and welcomed us with a flourish.
Before descending onto the Imperial planet-city, we decided to head over to the Grakkis Secundus colony first. It was one of several large colonies present in the system. There, our cargo would be checked and we would undergo several inspections and procedures before we could obtain permission to land on Grakkis.
In other words, the Grakkis Secundus colony acts similar to a city gate that we need to go through before we are able to enter the Imperial City. It’s said that the merchants who are responsible for the circulation of goods and materials in the system spent most of their dealings in colonies like it. Why? It’s because landing directly on the Imperial planet-city required extensive procedures and checks, and the cost of staying was also apparently quite expensive. Well, it wasn’t as expensive as staying on a resort planet, of course.
“So what should we do now?”
After we docked on the colony, we all came to the Lotus’s dining room with Mei. I proceeded to blurt out that question as soon as we plopped down on our seats.
I know a ship captain should show initiative at times like this, but since I was semi-forced to come here by Lieutenant Commander Serena and the power of the state backing her up, I didn’t really hold any initiative at all.
I think it’s mostly Lieutenant Commander Serena’s fault for bringing us here but not handing out any additional instructions afterward. Nah, maybe it’s not that Lieutenant Commander Serena didn’t give us any instructions intentionally, but that she didn’t have any chance to give us any further instructions in the first place. That’s probably it.
“Lieutenant Commander Serena said that all the procedures related to the award ceremony would be handled entirely by the military, including our landing permits. My personal recommendation is to visit this colony’s Mercenary Guild branch first.”
“Mercenary Guild? Oh yeah. Lieutenant Commander Serena did say I better rely on the Mercenary Guild more once we arrive at the Imperial Capital, huh. Um, but I’m not exactly sure what I need to rely on them for.”
“You should be able to ask the details after you pay them a visit. The Mercenary Guild branches located in the central system should possess the appropriate know-how about how mercenaries should conduct themselves in the presence of Nobles.”
“I see?”
Well, it’s Mei’s recommendation after all. I’m sure it’ll be useful.
“Okay then. I’ll pay them a visit. Do you want to come with me, guys?”
“Alright. We have to buy some formal dresses anyway. Let’s ask the Mercenary Guild for shop recommendations later.”
“Uu, a formal dress huh……”
Mimi, who was apparently no good with the fluttery and fancy formal dresses, had a bitter look on her face. She may not like it herself, but I still think they look perfect on her. Yeah.
“We’re coming too–”
“Big sis, we still have to hand over our reports to the company branch office.”
“Eh? Ain’t it fine to play around just for a little bit?”
“I’m sorry, but I personally don’t have a hobby of listening to hateful sarcasm.”
“Uu…… The bunch in the Imperial Capital are super prudes after all.”
It looks like the mechanic sisters had some business with the Space Dwerg branch over here. However, judging from their tone, they seem to have a problem with their colleagues in the Capital.
Is it that? They were all dwarves, but they were actually part of different competing factions or something? It kinda felt like that. I better not ask.
“What about you, Mei?”
“I will be staying inside the ship. I will contact you right away in case something happens, so do not worry and feel free to go about on your business, Master.”
“Understood. I’m counting on you then.”
“Yes, please leave it to me.”
Mei displayed a subtle smile. Un. Mei’s expressions have become nicer recently. You’d fail to notice if you didn’t pay close attention though.
“Okay then. Let’s go–”
“Wait just a moment, buster. First, go to your room and wear your Silver Sword Wings Assault medal.”
“……Do I have to?”
“You do. It would make explaining our circumstances easier later on, so go and retrieve it already. Go on. Scoot.”
“Yeah……”
“You look cooler if you have it on, Hiro-sama.”
“Ugh.”
In the end, Mimi and Elma pushed me into wearing that gaudy medal on my chest. We headed for the Mercenary Guild with my Noble-issue swords strapped to my waist as well. Why? Isn’t a laser gun more than enough?
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