Evolve (25)
"... What?"
I doubted my ears and asked again what that was supposed to mean. Celestia's face had gone pale at the problem that had arisen from the start. Kanna and Eric were already preparing to disembark in anticipation of a crash.
The other soldiers began unfastening the straps of the supply containers, which had been secured to prevent them from moving or detaching due to the shuttle's motion. Trained to handle unexpected events, they remained calm, but the stiffness in their expressions was unmistakable.
— Ah, don't get the wrong idea. It's just that my control isn't working, that's all.
"How is that a misunderstanding?! That's a huge problem!"
— The situation is a little different from what you think, friend... But one thing's for sure: the shuttle isn't going to crash like this.
Our conversation was disconnected. We were definitely talking, but the gap between us wasn't narrowing.
"It's not going to crash...?"
— I told you. Only my control isn't working right now. Was it called ECM chaff? I think that's the cause. The circuits are being interfered with, so it looks like the control signals are getting cut off somewhere in the middle.
Roxy asserted that this was only a temporary phenomenon, and that the circuits would soon overcome the interference, regaining control. The signals just weren't getting through, he said, but the shuttle core was functioning normally, and the shuttle was maintaining altitude according to its current program.
With his characteristically confident tone, those of us in the cargo bay exchanged glances. And we stopped moving busily in preparation for a crash. It seemed there was no need to act hastily for now.
Eric re-secured the supply containers to the floor anchor pins. Celestia let out a sigh of relief. I, too, felt like I had been given a new lease on life.
— During an abnormal status, bzzt—it'll take about three minutes to recover. One minute would normally be enough, but just in case, let me check the circuits before we go, so just wait a moment.
"Okay."
— Puahaha! Your voice is shaking. Were you really convinced we were crashing?
"You made it sound easy to misunderstand!"
When I grumbled, I heard him snickering. Most likely, Roxy had spoken that way on purpose to mislead us. Even during operations in the residential area, hadn't he mixed all sorts of ambiguous statements together, regardless of whether we panicked or not?
Roxy's next words confirmed this.
— So, are you all relaxed now?
"No, my lifespan just got shorter thanks to you."
"... I might have to reconsider any long-term contracts."
Celestia trembled, tightly clenching her fist. Roxy, who used to be attached to Licorice, had been sold at a high price to Myosotis. No—calling it "sold" isn't exactly right, since he wanted it himself.
Anyway, Roxy wanted something from Myosotis, and Myosotis had the power to deliver. As long as they escaped Titan, the two could get what they wanted.
With the world still unlikely to emerge from its chaos soon, now was the time when everyone needed to stick together. Roxy, too, probably didn't want to end his contract with Myosotis just yet.
In my opinion, even if Roxy immediately went in search of freedom, he'd likely return before long—with an astronomical repair bill in tow.
"That's what he says?"
Roxy pretended not to hear and switched to another conversation partner.
— Fox friend, you should check the circuits on your side too. Can you do it?
— Already scanned it. Remote scan doesn't work, but it works fine in direct contact. Circuit state: normal. There are traces of a brief overheating, but it's at safe levels now. Just in case, I sprayed emergency repair foam so the chaff can't make another breach.
— Good, good. I've finished checking on my side too, so we can go. I'll drive safely, so try not to worry, everyone.
The shuttle began to move again, as if it had never stopped. Until now, it had felt as though time itself had paused. Luckily, that feeling was gone now.
"Hmm, come to think of it, what was that sound we heard earlier?"
"Sound? ... Ah."
I realized what Kanna meant. Distracted by the misunderstanding that the shuttle might crash, I'd forgotten about the sound. It was too varied to be an animal's cry, and too lively to be mechanical noise.
"As soon as that sound rang out, the shuttle stopped. I don't think it's a coincidence."
"Is there a recording? I'd like to hear it again."
— The recorder has been on the whole time, but it didn't pick anything up except for our voices. Seems it was only audible to us.
Nadia answered, sounding disappointed. I tried recreating the sound I'd heard in my mind.
It echoed like a resonance in a deep cave, like a novice blowing a horn, sometimes as clear and spreading as a flute, sometimes like a sob or a whimpering animal.
It was so varied that it was hard to describe as any one sound. There's only a fine line between oddity and wonder, it's said. I felt both at once. The goosebumps on my arm were still vivid.
"Maybe it was just me, but didn't that sound kind of like humming?"
"Humming?"
"Yeah. It felt like wordless singing."
Apparently, I was the only one who felt that way. Eric looked at me like he couldn't quite believe what I was saying. In fact, the others did too.
"... Never mind, then."
I muttered, feeling rather small. At that moment, Celestia—who'd worn a troubled expression as if on the verge of remembering something ever since the conversation turned to the sound—suddenly cried out as if an idea had struck.
"Whale song!"
"What?"
"That sound we heard earlier. It felt strange, not unfamiliar enough to say I'd never heard it before. Now I know why: it sounded a lot like whale song."
Celestia admitted she didn't know exactly what the sound was, but she said it sounded very much like a whale's distinctive song. She added that, depending on the listener, a whale song could sound like singing.
A whale. A giant marine animal living in the ocean. I had been on Titan all my life, so I'd never seen any creatures besides humans. I couldn't really relate.
Even if Celestia said it sounded like a whale song, the chances that it was an actual whale were close to zero. There were no native lifeforms on Titan, nor any other creatures.
So I was about to hold back my words, but Kanna responded.
"Research vessel. While there wouldn't be actual whales, there could be research vessels at Bailem Spaceport. Vessels designed to look for biomes suitable for terraformed planets."
"And?"
"I mean, it's not impossible. Even if it isn't marine-specialized, biological research vessels have functions specifically for research. Among the basics, imitation is one. Primitive, yes, but sometimes the most natural-sounding."
In short, that meant a research vessel at Bailem Spaceport could have imitated whale sounds and sent a signal to us.
Looking to Celestia for confirmation, she scratched her cheek. Now that we'd gathered all the ideas, the conclusion seemed a bit odd to her as well.
'It could be real...'
But there was just too little basis. There was practically no information to go on in the first place. If I knew more, I could make a proper judgment, but with everything based on loose speculation, there was a real risk our conclusion would be completely off.
'Why would a research vessel come here?'
Titan had no native lifeforms. Not that I was being narrow-minded simply for that reason; I knew there had been attempts to deploy genetically engineered animals that could withstand the harsh environment.
I'd heard they even tried to get them to acclimatize to Titan's environment at one point, but it all vanished like a mirage.
The reason was simple. It interfered with exploration. Unless there'd been dangerous endemic creatures from the start, there was no reason to deploy such things where nothing else lived, making the job unnecessarily complicated.
Suddenly, whales? From Bailem Spaceport, no less?
Even if most of Titan was a frozen wasteland, there wasn't water under every patch of ground. Bailem Spaceport had to bear immense loads, so it was built where the bedrock was especially firm. It was nowhere near water.
'Still, I should keep it in mind.'
Even if it seemed strange, there was no reason to flatly deny it. Spaceports were places where all kinds of ships docked. Like Kanna said, there could be a research ship.
"If there is a research vessel, how did it send us the signal?"
"Not sure if it was meant for us, or just sent out over a wide area and we picked it up by chance—"
At that very moment, as Eric was talking, the shuttle suddenly lurched violently.
"...!"
"Ah!"
We quickly tightened our grip on the safety handles.
"Roxy, what is it now!?"
— Looks like we hit something. The fog is so dense I can't make out anything around us.
Roxy's voice was grim. He seemed flustered, muttering things like, 'There was definitely nothing there... strange...'
"Are you sure we're okay?"
— Can't say for sure. For now, I'm just following the boss's drone.
For a second, I wondered if we'd crashed into the drone, but shook my head. The shuttle wouldn't shake this much from hitting a drone, not with such a size difference, even for a small shuttle.
— We've covered just over half the distance. If we keep up the current speed, about ten minutes to—Whoa?!
At the same time as Roxy's surprise, the shuttle tipped sharply. Not just a little—we were tilted almost at a right angle.
"Eek?!"
Celestia, losing her balance, nearly fell, so I hastily grabbed her. She looked up at me in shock, her eyes wavering.
It wasn't like her to let go of the safety handle, so something was wrong. The safety bar itself was detached. Maybe it was already loose, or maybe the strength of her suit had wrenched it off.
"Get out the wire!"
"Y-Yes!"
At my shout, Celestia pulled a wire from her suit and hooked it to the supply container. It wasn't as secure as the safety handle, but the container was pretty firmly anchored, so it was better than nothing.
'Ah, damn...!'
I must have used too much force, too. The safety handle I was holding began to wobble, so I just clung to the supply container as well.
— Hyun-woo! Careful! Protrusions are popping out everywhere! It's going to get rough for a bit!
Nadia relayed the situation in Roxy's stead, focused as he was on evading. In a way, I'd already half-expected insanity. Looking around, everyone was clinging to their safety handles.
Celestia and I were the only ones in danger. I'd wanted to move to another handle once things calmed down, but that didn't seem possible now.
Just then, a whale song echoed once again. Feeling an indescribable chill, I pulled Celestia in even closer—almost simultaneously.
"Celestia, over here!"
"Eek?!"
This time, I didn't just hold her briefly. I hugged her tightly to minimize impact, my back pressed to the container, keeping Celestia safely to the outside, so she wouldn't be slammed into nearby objects as the shuttle shook.
Her eyes went wide in surprise for a second, but then, understanding the situation, she clung to me with all her strength.
— Heh heh... So that's how you want to do it? Going slow will only cause trouble. This gets my blood pumping! Friends, hang on tight. Or you'll get hurt.
— ... Roxy, really?
Nadia's voice, full of dread, followed Roxy's, who sounded just shy of causing disaster. Then the shuttle's thrusters re-aligned and began to roar with increased output.
KWA-AAANG—!
"Ugh...!"
With the engines' surge, I was flung backward. I barely had time to shout about what was happening. Whether dodging something, or veering away from protruding terrain, the shuttle tilted and spun madly.
Through the now-red-tinged windows, we saw things flash by, barely missing us, and the shuttle's light weapons opened fire, shaking us all as something was blown to pieces.
— Kyaaaah...!
The insane flight left us in the cargo hold in as much of a daze as Nadia, swinging from the power loader at the rear.
It's said that in rides, the very front and back have the most thrills, with the middle more subdued. If the cargo bay was the "middle" space, then the cockpit and the tail were certainly the "front" and "end."
You could feel everything firsthand in those spots. Even Nadia, whose confidence usually skyrocketed in the power loader, was shrieking.
— Fox friend! Fire forward by your heading! Just aim ahead—don't sweat the details!
— Ugh...!
Nadia, half-hysterical, screamed as the shuttle rocked side to side like a drunken man. But somehow, she managed to do as told, and a massive boom reverberated through the cabin. Suddenly, the fog-shrouded view outside was tinged red.
A powerful explosion—the shell detonated before its proximity fuse could even trigger. That meant something was right in front of the shuttle.
Something was targeting us. That was the only explanation. A surprise attack in this fog was extremely dangerous—you wouldn't even know you were being hit.
The simplest way to escape would be to climb above the fog bank. That was the plan to begin with. But the shuttle only rolled side to side or down—never up.
I couldn't suspect Roxy when it came to piloting. If something happened to the shuttle, he'd be the most likely to die—so he had no incentive to screw us up.
'Is the climb blocked again?!'
There was only one answer: something was stopping the shuttle from going up. Control loss—we'd already experienced that once.
As the thought struck me, Nadia shouted urgently.
— Cutting the wire!
— It's okay! I purged it ahead of time!
A thick cable whipped like a lash and snagged the hull. If she'd waited even a moment longer, it could have gotten tangled in the shuttle and caused a second accident.
I steadied myself against the supply container and peered out the window. Every time Roxy gave the signal, Nadia fired, breaking through obstacles so the flames flickered outside.
The strange song echoed again. Since every time it sounded the shuttle had experienced trouble, I tensed up, expecting the same.
What was it? What was out there? I did my best to swallow my nerves and keep my eyes peeled to the mist. I couldn't see a thing, but I couldn't look away.
The acrobatic flight continued for a while. Maybe thanks to Roxy's expert piloting, the shuttle only shook hard at times, but the armor wasn't coming off, or the engines failing—even with all the madness.
Those of us in the cargo section couldn't do much to help. All we could do was hang on and avoid pointless injury—that was most important. Roxy could get us in, but after that, it would be up to us.
I wasn't sure if Licorice's drone was doing its job, but seeing Roxy press steadily on, I decided to trust it was working. Should the direction change, I hoped we hadn't strayed too far.
With a kilometer left to the presumed coordinates of Bailem Spaceport, the shuttle's hull scraped the ground below with a harsh sound.
KUNK—
A massive shock rattled us first, followed by smaller vibrations shaking our bodies. Shards of ice sprayed everywhere, hammering the windows.
As the shuttle's speed gradually decreased, the shaking settled down. At last, the shuttle came to a complete stop. For a moment, drained of all strength, we held our breath, wondering if it was really over.
— Hm, looks like we're here?
"Haah..."
Even with heightened tension, Roxy's voice was as casual as ever. We all let out a deep sigh in unison. We'd almost forgotten how dire things had been only a moment ago.
— Unfortunately, I couldn't get us straight into the spaceport. The shuttle core actually went down partway here. The chaff's gotten stronger the closer we got to the center.
"... Then how did we get this far?"
— Just stopping would've blown the shuttle, so I used all emergency power. Even that wasn't enough, so we glided the rest of the way.
No wonder even the lights and ventilation died. I'd thought the external shocks had broken them, but actually all the power had simply run out.
Roxy said we'd need time to recharge and would have to go on foot from here. Even before he'd said that, we'd already started moving.
— I'm going to be sick...
— Fox friend, hold it in. We have to maintain a sealed environment.
— You're so annoying...
— Come on, don't be like that. I did my best. How many people could get you landed even like this? Only me.
— You're so annoying...!
— What would you all do without me?
Roxy ignored Nadia's outbursts as usual, boasting shamelessly. I could picture Nadia stamping her feet with frustration.
"Then we'd have taken the armored car. Shaking all the way."
Even though I answered bluntly, Roxy just kept giggling. In any case, we'd made it. We'd have to walk now, but having gotten this close was encouraging enough.
'What would have happened if we'd gone straight in from the air?'
Even getting here wasn't easy. I hated to admit it, but without Roxy we probably would've crashed long ago.
Roxy believed something had attacked the shuttle. If the pilot felt that way, it was hard to believe it was just terrain.
I checked my helmet and made sure my suit was sealed tight. Everyone gave the signal that they were ready. Soon, the shuttle's hydraulic system opened the door.
The moment a crack appeared, white fog rushed in. A landscape covered in pale particles spread out before us.