Chapter 141
The interior of the spaceship Kasuga felt less like a futuristic spacecraft and more like the grand, slightly vintage elegance of a luxury cruise liner.
“Right this way, Lord Allen,” Yuzu said, guiding me down a long corridor after I had changed out of the spacesuit I wore to cross the bridge.
Following closely behind were Eri and KAEDE, while armed guards trailed us, weapons at the ready, providing an escort.
“The Kasuga is the flagship of the Kasuga-class vessels. Originally a retrofit of the older Taiyo, it underwent modernization and was renamed during the process. There are also two sister ships, the Unyo and the Chuyo, but this ship—your vessel—is the largest and most advanced among them,” Yuzu explained.
The history of the Kasuga was fascinating. It was originally designed as a passenger ship under the name Kasuga Maru. However, due to certain circumstances, its design was abruptly altered, and it was launched as the warship Taiyo. With the wars in the Alpha-12 Galaxy resolved and the Sakura Imperial Kingdom unifying the region, peace was restored. As part of the post-war transition, the Taiyo was modernized again, reverting to its initial purpose as a passenger ship—this time on an interstellar scale—and renamed Kasuga.
Even now, remnants of its military past lingered. The weaponry I had glimpsed earlier during the bridge crossing was a holdover from its days as Kasuga Maru. While the ship’s designation as a luxury liner took precedence, its cruising speed matched that of a standard warship, and it was equipped with armaments for fending off space debris and potential pirate threats.
Despite its robust functionality, the interior was no less opulent than a high-end hotel. In fact, it might rival or even surpass Star City’s famed Hotel Rose in luxury.
“This area is subject to standard gravity,” Yuzu noted as she led me into a panoramic observatory with an expansive view of the star-studded cosmos. “However, in an emergency, even this section can transition to a zero-gravity state, so please be cautious.”
The view was breathtaking. Stars of various sizes glittered against the infinite blackness, a dazzling display that no planetarium could ever replicate.
“Amazing…” I murmured, utterly captivated by the beauty of the universe.
As I took it all in, I noticed the occasional figure of a worker, clad in a spacesuit, drifting across the cosmic vista beyond the glass.
“It looks like they’ve completed the inspections,” Eri said, glancing at the workers gathering cables and conducting last-minute checks. “If all goes well, we’ll be ready for departure shortly.”
While Eri busied herself with what appeared to be a communication device, I found myself reclining on a lounge chair that seemed plucked straight from a seaside resort. It was Eri’s idea—to help me relax and enjoy the view before takeoff. Taking her advice, I lay back and immersed myself in the surreal, dreamlike experience of interstellar travel.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
“…Truly, this is the work of the Fujimoto family’s founder,” someone muttered in astonishment.
“Who would have thought it would actually work?”
I wasn’t aboard the Kasuga at this moment. Instead, I was in another ship still docked at the Zerad Spaceport—a vessel with a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic that sharply contrasted with the Kasuga’s vintage grandeur.
“The Moon Gate… A power that connects points in space, like something out of a fairy tale,” one of the crew remarked.
“Well, yes… that’s not too far off,” I replied somewhat awkwardly.
The reason I wasn’t on the Kasuga had to do with a question that arose during an earlier experiment.
“Warp navigation works by concentrating energy at a specific point, creating a spatial tear to traverse subspace at extraordinary speeds. While many civilians believe this involves ‘compressing’ distances, that’s a misconception,” explained a crewmember with an air of authority.
Apparently, in normal space, there are physical barriers that prevent objects from exceeding certain speeds. Subspace navigation bypasses these limits by moving through an alternate dimension where these restrictions are mitigated.
Though I struggled to fully grasp the physics behind it, the essence was clear: warp and subspace navigation didn’t magically shorten distances; they simply allowed for faster travel through an alternative route.
However, my Moon Gate ability—the power to connect worlds—offered a unique twist. Beyond its primary function, it seemed capable of creating a direct “warp” between two points, bypassing time and space altogether.
Initially, I assumed that my ability required me to have physically visited a location before opening a gate there. But during this experiment, we discovered otherwise.
It started with Yuzu’s concern about emergency evacuation procedures. She asked if I could use the Moon Gate to escape to another ship in the event of a crisis. Eri, always one for creative solutions, suggested trying to do it via a live video feed.
The idea seemed absurd at first. Yet the logic made sense—the markers I used to set destinations weren’t bound by strict physical requirements. If the Moon Gate worked, it could be a game-changer.
So, with nothing to lose, we tested it. I visualized the interior of the battleship Yamato—visible only through a video feed—and attempted to open the gate. To my astonishment, it worked.
It just… worked.