Chapter 71: Descent (1/2)
Now then, we were supposed to begin our descent to the resort planet Sierra III after getting rid of the enemies pursuing Chris. However…
“I believe you said that resort planets are guarded by a really strict security system, right? Is it really okay to punch through the atmosphere just like this?”
I remember Elma saying something about an AI controlled automated interception system. It won’t be funny if we approached willy and got shot down by it as a result.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll just need to access the control AI and enter a specially generated code so we’ll be excluded from the interception targets of the planet-wide defense system.”
“How thorough……”
Mimi sounded impressed after hearing Elma’s explanation. I shot a glance at Chris and found her looking dazed. Perhaps she’s just calmed down after the shock of experiencing her first ever battle out in space. Was Mimi also like this when she first experienced combat? Or did she actually cope better…? I can’t really remember that well. It depends on an individual, I guess.
The FTL Drive was deactivated while accompanied by a muffled roar, and we finally got a good look at the ocean-covered surface of Sierra III.
“How do you access the control AI?”
“It’s similar to how we apply for docking permission on a colony. Please open the comm channel list, Mimi. The contact link to the planetary control AI should be included in the list.”
‘Yes. Um… There, I found it! I’ll access it right away.”
Mimi operated her console and started interfacing with the control AI. And after doing as Elma instructed, she managed to obtain landing clearance before long.
“Oh, right. I think we can actually use the auto-docking system for atmospheric re-entry.”
“We can? Shall we use it then?”
After activating the auto-docking system, the ship AI began adjusting the atmospheric descent angle in order for us to reach our target destination automatically. Nice and easy.
The ship began its descent to the planet’s atmosphere. Krishna was rocked with turbulence a few moments after it began re-entry procedures. The grating sound that accompanied the turbulence gradually intensified. And the scene we were viewing through the Krishna’s cockpit was dyed in crimson.
“O-Oh! So this is how a starship goes about atmospheric re-entry…… Is it just me or is the energy shield actually turning red?”
“Even I’m not familiar with this stuff. Why are you asking me……?”
It’s not like Krishna’s hull was in contact with the atmosphere directly, so was the energy shield itself actually heating up due to friction or something…? I mean, it’s an energy shield. If not, then was it some sort of special reaction that gets triggered during re-entry? I have no idea. But it certainly was a hard-to-come-by and one-of-a-kind experience alright.
“I-Is everything going to be alright?”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Krishna. The shield is being saturated at a minor rate, but there’s no problem with the hull itself.”
Elma explained to Mimi in order to calm the latter’s nerves. But then……
“……Waaaaaah!?”
“Woah!?”
Chris suddenly cried out in a loud voice. W-What!? When I turned to her, I found Chris covering her mouth with her hands. Her cheeks were bright red. It also seems like she was muttering something suspiciously……
“……! U-Um, it looks like Chris-chan isn’t feeling well, so I’ll take her to the medical bay for a bit.”
“……? Uh, okay.”
Mimi stood up from the operator’s seat in a panic for some reason and proceeded to accompany Chris, whose posture was in a peculiar half-bent position. The both of them left the cockpit right away. It certainly does look like she wasn’t feeling well.
“Are they gonna be alright?”
“Yeah. You don’t have to worry.”
Elma answered me without making eye contact. What’s up? It actually seems like I’m the only one left out or something.
I kept thinking about it as Krishna continued its descent. The turbulence has mostly died down though. Hmmm……?
Ah…
“Did she wet herself?”
“……Have some tact, you idiot!”
“Uh, sorry, okay. I won’t bring it up again, so don’t get angry.”
Even if Chris was a noble’s daughter, she was still an ordinary girl in many respects. I guess all the excitement from earlier plus the rough reentry got to her somehow. I mean, we did get shot at by laser cannons a lot and all. Her getting scared was quite understandable, really. Krishna’s tough shield and thick hull wouldn’t give in to that level of bombardment, but getting hit by them must’ve still seemed really frightening to her. There’s no way to avoid every laser projectile flying at your ship during space battles anyway. I mean, those are projectiles coming at you at the speed of light after all.
“But, y’know, I’m actually getting quite excited. This is the first time I’m gonna get to visit a planet since getting stranded in this dimension.”
I operated the console in front of the pilot’s seat and had it display the images taken by the optic sensors in various parts of Krishna’s hull on the main screen. Just like what was written in the e-pamphlet, the planet was mostly covered in oceans.
It looks like both the atmosphere and the water underwent terraforming in order to be habitable to most carbon-based life forms. The planet was smaller in size compared to Earth. The images that were displayed on the cockpit screen mostly consisted of vast stretches of ocean, as far as the eye can see. If not for the fact that this was my first planetary reentry experience, I would have found it difficult to get excited by such scenery. There were some small islands dotting the surface here and there though.
After a few moments, Mimi came back with Chris in tow. Chris tried to look calm and composed for the most part, but her cheeks were still red. I’ll just pretend I didn’t notice it.
“Are you okay? Did you feel unwell because of the battle earlier.”
“I-I’m alright. I just felt a little lightheaded, but I’m fine now after having some water at the dining room.”
“I see. Thanks for looking after Chris, Mimi.”
“Yes.”
Mimi made a cheerful smile after getting praised. If she had a tail, I bet it would be swinging left and right energetically.
“It’s your first time to land on a planet’s surface, right Mimi?”
“Yes! I’m colony born and bred after all. But it sure looks amazing. It’s really wide, or should I say grand……? I’m feeling so touched even if I’m just looking at the images through the screen.”
“Well, in my case, this dimens– Uh, ehem. Um, I actually feel the scenery inside a colony is more unusual.”
“Were you born on a residential planet, Hiro-sama?”
“Uh, well, yeah… I guess. There’s a lot of complicated circumstances y’see.”
Chris tilted her head curiously as I answered and tried to let the matter pass. I nearly slipped up just now. If I let the fact that I’m someone probably from another dimension to some crazy researcher like Doc Shouko slip, chances are, I would immediately be treated as an ultra-rare specimen and turned to an experimental guinea pig.
“Is that so…… But, if you were born on a residential planet, does that mean you are actually from a noble family?”
“I don’t think that’s it. And even if that were the case, I’ve actually long thrown my past away, y’know.”
“I see.”
Chris looked somewhat disappointed for some reason. Just what kind of reaction is that, young lady?