On an Ice Satellite(13)
Titan, the moon of Saturn. The nights here were particularly harsh. It was because even artificial light had abandoned it, and terraforming had not been completed.
Unlike another of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, Titan is referred to as a failed place.
This ice satellite, which once tempted people with images of a fully terraformed appearance, might have vanished without a trace if not for the discovery of blue crystal deposits.
The cost of betraying the faith of those who dreamed of running through green meadows was immense.
Just as the broker had previously told me, a riot had broken out during the construction of the Titan colony. I had heard it through the grapevine, and apparently, the spread was uncontrollable then.
The SSTC, which did not disclose the reason for halting terraforming, promised those who had come as residents to make efforts to complete terraforming in the future, but since then, there had been no news.
One puzzling thing was that the terraforming devices had not been shut down. They were merely fixed in the current state. It had been decades since it had been that way.
Titan was still an ice moon. Due to the forced halt of terraforming, the atmosphere had become unstable, causing blizzards to rage unpredictably, and survival in the external environment was impossible without a suit.
If a suit malfunctioned, it was almost certain that the person was as good as dead. Those who failed to take timely and proper actions were jokingly referred to as ice statues, or snowmen.
"Ah-choo!"
"... I told you to stay with Carry."
I spoke, watching Nadia shiver in the bone-chilling cold.
"No! If anyone's going, it should be Hyun-woo!"
Nadia sniffled and glared. It wasn't threatening. She was blocking me with her entire body, ever since she heard from the broker about my injured arm.
Seeing her stubbornness made me sigh involuntarily. But still, I couldn't forcibly send her away. My body was indeed aching all over.
After all the rolling inside the shuttle that slid over the ice, my body was battered. The twisted muscles from when I threw the black spikes hadn't yet healed.
I wasn't completely powerless, but I couldn't exert the same strength as usual. I had to be grateful that no bones were broken.
"Did you find anything?"
The broker approached, accompanied by two security robots. She glanced briefly at Nadia, who was brushing off snow from her hair, then sighed softly as she looked at the robot wreckage we had unearthed from the snow. The wreckage was a security robot ejected from the shuttle.
"It was already broken when I came across it."
"Who said anything? I wasn't expecting much anyway."
Having narrowly escaped the residential area, we split into teams to gather the scattered items around the shuttle. We could head to the orbital vehicle, but that wasn't a good idea.
We couldn't predict how the situation would unfold. To be prepared for contingencies, we decided to recover as many resources as possible from the shuttle. Every single person and piece of equipment was crucial. Despite our poor conditions, everyone rolled up their sleeves, and this was the result.
The ice ground was so hard that the debris wasn't deeply embedded but had skidded far away. Because of that, Nadia and I were in poor shape, looking like we were about to become snowmen.
"Did you find anything else?"
"A box with some medical supplies. Nadia found it."
"Really? Well done. As expected of Woof-woof. Let's head back now."
The broker, seeing Nadia's reddened nose tip due to the cold, restrained herself from touching it.
"Aren't we going to look for more? We had quite a bit loaded; I think we could find more if we try."
"We have enough. Well, not really enough, but it's time to move."
She fixed her gaze on the residential area behind us. The residential area's shielding systems and control systems had ceased to function due to external factors, now shrouded in darkness.
The residential area, engulfed by the shadow cast by Saturn's immense rings, was literally silent. But I knew better. It was a place lurking with crazed pureblood supremacists and monsters.
"... Looks like they're coming."
"Yes, I received the communication that monsters have started escaping. There aren't too many yet, but soon their numbers will become uncontrollably large. As unfortunate as it is, we must leave now."
"Phew... alright."
I loaded the security robot's upper body, which I'd painstakingly dug out, into Carry's transport box. Even just the upper body was worth retrieving due to its usable parts.
Carry displayed a slightly strained expression on its monitor. Like me, it was in a mess all over. Though nothing was entirely broken, it had accrued numerous scratches over a few days. Some areas had deep gouges from the monster attacks.
"I'll buy something from a functioning store and fix you up, Carry."
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
"Nadia, stop digging the ground and get up. We don't need to dig anymore."
"... Hyun-woo, my legs won't work."
Nadia looked despondent, patting her legs. It was evident she was completely exhausted and out of energy to stand. I knew this would happen once she pushed herself too hard.
Her suit had frost all over from eagerly sifting through the ice, looking quite pitiful. Her drooping tail doubled the melancholy.
"Carry..."
Nadia gazed at Carry with sad eyes. Sensing her unspoken request, Carry blanked the monitor as if to say it couldn't hear. But its camera lens moved, showing it wasn't completely indifferent.
Without a word, it extended an auxiliary arm to Nadia, who grabbed it with a now brighter expression.
"Let's go!"
【(ᐡ ⩌_⩌ ᐡ)】
Carry, now turned into an impromptu beast of burden, showed signs of strain. It wanted to act unfazed, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
'Normally, I'd be carrying her.'
I felt sorry that I had no choice but to pass the burden onto Carry since I was struggling to move my own body. The broker had offered to lend her security robots, but Nadia, wary, bared her teeth slightly.
The broker chuckled at the distrustful eyes directed at her, seemingly disappointed. Was she hoping to earn some credits? Clearly expressed disapproval was taking its toll on Carry.
We moved toward where the shuttle had come to a halt. Eventually, we reached the site where everyone had already gathered. The numbers were slightly fewer than when we escaped from the rooftop of the central tower. Some had died as shuttle debris pierced through their chests, and others were flung away, lost in the chaos.
"Did you get anything?"
The one to welcome us back, alongside the broker, was a man. He had taken control in the cockpit of the shuttle. Whether by luck or skill, he had survived with only minor injuries. Despite having the highest likelihood of dying.
"A box of medical supplies. Though not much, it's enough to alleviate immediate pain."
"Oh. I need one. Thanks, this will save us a bit. Ah, take this. It's what I found."
The dopamine addict who lightly threw us the stick-shaped emergency rations was named Gloxinia. He asked us to call him Roxy for short, though we privately referred to him as the crazy one. Even so, we had indeed survived thanks to Roxy, so we addressed him properly.
Roxy, after swallowing the low-rank medication himself, shared the medical supplies with those in pain. Watching him distribute them, Eric approached this time.
"Where is the orbital vehicle?"
"It'll take a bit of walking."
"Then let's get going. The weather is getting worse, making it hard to stay outside longer."
Not sparing a glance for the injured, Eric focused solely on Celestia.
Eric and Celestia, along with some others in suits marked with the pureblood supremacist symbol – I couldn't entirely trust them. It wasn't just me; all others, except them, felt the same way.
It was clear from the circumstances revealed so far that pureblood supremacist actions had damaged various facilities, including the residential area, causing countless deaths.
We tolerated their company for being saved by them. Even beasts understand grace. Although those in front of us wore pureblood supremacist symbol, there might be reasons or information unknown to us, urging us to overlook it for now.
More importantly, a woman who seemed crucial – indeed holding such a rank – Celestia, uttered not a word. The blue-eyed woman, wearing a bracelet symbolizing blood, simply gazed at the massive Saturn hanging in the sky. Her thoughts were indecipherable, showing no trace of anxiety, unlike the others.
'It feels like walking on thin ice.'
Conversations continued calmly despite the surrounding atmosphere feeling like a powder keg ready to explode from a single mistake.
"Follow me. It's this way."
I recalled where the orbital vehicle was parked among the rocks and took the lead. Survivors began to follow in my footsteps.
Whoosh...
The wind blew. Cold, harsh winds made us shrink in response. However, it was a better situation than during the shuttle crash. Unlike then, our suits were functioning properly now.
"... Hyun-woo."
"Yes?"
Seeing the broker quietly approach while observing the surroundings, I assumed she was about to deliver shocking news, lowering my voice instinctively.
As I leaned down slightly to look at her, the broker paused, taking a small breath. She froze and said nothing further.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
"What's wrong? Just say it quickly. Don't keep me in suspense."
"Well, you see, um... I'm cold."
"...?"
Thinking I'd misheard, I furrowed my brows, asking with a glance. The broker responded in kind, confirming I hadn't misheard with a similar gaze.
Though I hadn't seen my face, it probably clearly showed disbelief. Was she seriously just here to tell me she was cold?
I expected the broker to reveal some unknown information; my anticipation deflated as I vaguely consoled her.
"I'm cold too."
"... Did I ask for empathy? Not empathy, solutions; I want solutions."
"Don't the security robots have heating functions? They seem equipped to operate in external environments."
"They do, but it's broken. The overheating from the shockwave projector burned the circuits--can't use it until it's repaired."
"Then go to Nadia. Carry, who she's riding on, should be quite warm."
"..."
"What's wrong now?"
As she hesitated and fumbled, I inquired one more time out of courtesy. It wasn't typical of her. Then I remembered Nadia's defensive gesture towards the broker and added,
"Are you worried because Nadia's wary? I'll speak to her. She's just not familiar with you yet."
"That's not it... Ah, forget it. Best to discuss once we're in the orbital vehicle."
"Do I need to do something? Like bashing those pureblood supremacists' heads?"
"Such violent talk you make. Were you always like this? Can you actually do it?"
At my wordless shrug, the broker sighed softly.
"It's not just about them. It concerns all of us. Simply boarding the orbital vehicle doesn't solve everything. We need a new destination."
According to the broker, worrying about pureblood supremacists should not be our priority. If they meant harm, they would have done it by now. If they intended to kill us, saving us in the first place would be pointless.
'... A destination.'
The broker was right. Boarding the orbital vehicle didn't mean we could directly head to Earth. The orbital vehicle merely served as transport to the next destination.
I reaffirmed my purpose. Despite everything, even with the situation tangled beyond belief, my goal to reach Earth hadn't changed and had only grown stronger.
'No matter what happens.'
I was determined to escape this hellish ice moon and see the blue sky etched in memory with my own eyes. That was why I had been moving so far.
While I was lost in thought, the broker adjusted her respiratory mask and quietly thanked me before scurrying away. Her claim of being cold seemed genuine, for she went over to scenes of warmth near Carry.
Nadia had initially been cautious but eased up after realizing the broker's state.
Eventually, we began to see the orbital vehicle tucked between rocks. It was so buried in snow that anyone unaware of its location could easily pass by it.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
What's the deal with Celestia and Eric? What do they want? The first time we saw them, they were looking for someone.
Also, broker seemed sus. It's seems she likes Hyun-woo.