Chapter 39: The Ghost Ship is a Wreck
The crew of The Tree was sailing alongside a drifting vessel in their small cutter. Up close, while there were signs of damage along the ship’s sides, it still gave the impression of being relatively new overall.
“It doesn’t look very old, does it?”
“Yes, Commander. I conducted a brief damage assessment, and it seems that not much time has passed since its completion.”
“Oh? So, it might be a so-called modern ship. Could we use this to estimate the level of technology?”
As Commander Eve and Ringo discussed the ship’s exterior, Utsugi and Erika, unable to contain their excitement, began tugging at their hands from either side.
“Sister! Hurry!”
“Sister! Let’s climb aboard! Let’s climb aboard!”
“Alright, alright. Just a moment.”
While their eagerness was understandable, this was also a training exercise. They needed to follow the proper procedures.
“Ringo?”
“Yes, Commander. First, we will circle around and check for any dangers. Ichigo, take the helm.”
“Yes!”
With a roar, the engine revved up, and the cutter began to move alongside the drifting ship.
“Ooh!”
“It’s falling apart!”
“Over time, barnacles and other crustaceans should have attached themselves. It doesn’t seem like there are many. This ghost ship has a relatively short history.”
Akane made a good point, but her conclusion was off. It seemed she was determined to label this drifting ship as a ghost ship. What kind of story had influenced her…?
“Ringo… This joint assist function is impressive. Is it preset?”
“No. I am currently providing support. To perform this level of motion assistance, a human-level motor control system must be locally available.”
Meanwhile, Olive had been busy squatting and dancing, clearly impressed by the performance of her protective suit.
“How unique…”
Despite the fact that the Communicator Androids and the Brain Units were supposed to have no individual differences, it was fascinating that all five of them had distinct personalities, which was unexpected. Initially, Ringo had planned to implement thought guidance and behavior control at a high level, but she had quickly formed a bond with her sisters, leading to a change in policy.
After the initial imprinting, differences in personality began to emerge, and by the next day, their attitudes were distinct enough that she could tell them apart. Observing this, she decided she wanted to educate her sisters within the context of external stimuli (daily life).
There was plenty of time. Even if it took a while to complete, it was not a problem.
“The bow is turning.”
With Ichigo at the helm, they made a wide turn around the wrecked ship’s bow. The opposite side showed no significant changes either. Overall, it still appeared to be a relatively new ship. The crew of this vessel must have felt immense regret. What had led to their demise?
“Well, were there any issues?”
“No major damage observed. No signs of human destruction were detected.”
“There were no skeletal crew members!”
“There was no one-armed captain either!”
“Your conclusions are strange…”
Well, I didn’t expect much from Utsugi and Erika, so that was fine. While patting Akane’s head for providing a reasonable opinion, Commander Eve turned to Olive.
“With this protective suit, we could win even against a skeletal captain.”
“That’s not the point.”
“The ship’s log, Ringo, can you read it?”
“Yes, Commander. There are some unclear words, but I can understand most of it. It was fortunate that I learned about Port Town of Terek.”
The five sisters charged into the ship’s interior to search for skeletal crew members and ghostly sailors. With five Communicator Androids accompanying them, there was little chance of danger. They had already conducted a thorough survey with drones beforehand.
“Have you deciphered it?”
“Yes, Commander. Would you like a brief explanation?”
“Yes, please.”
The captain’s quarters were mostly undisturbed, making it an ideal location for information gathering. It seemed the captain had a somewhat meticulous personality, as the ship’s log remained intact.
“About two months after departure, problems began to arise. The outer wheel’s power reactor malfunctioned. Due to the lack of repair prospects, it was recorded that a Tone-Mag was transferred from a companion ship. The exact meaning of Tone-Mag is unclear, but I can read the term.”
“Hmm. So, it’s likely a fuel source for the reactor. They transferred it because they had no use for it on this ship.”
“Yes, Commander. After that, they continued their voyage smoothly for about a month, but then they encountered a storm.”
“A storm, huh…”
Now that I think about it, The Tree had also faced storms several times. Wind, rain, thunder, and even hail had struck. According to Ringo, it was likely due to large cumulonimbus clouds, referred to as typhoons or hurricanes. She had mentioned something about updrafts, but I had tuned it out. I wasn’t interested in weather.
“Since we don’t have a weather radar onboard, avoiding storms after sunset would be particularly difficult. It seems this ship was unfortunate enough to be caught in a storm just before dawn.”
“Hmm…”
“While there was no significant damage to the hull, the anchor was broken, and they drifted away from the main fleet. After that, unable to find land, they wandered until they encountered another storm. The main mast was damaged, and the hold took on water, ruining a significant amount of food, leading to most of the crew dying from illness or starvation.”
“Ugh… That sounds like hell…”
“The lack of drinking water was fatal. It seems they also likely developed scurvy.”
“Scurvy?”
“Yes, Commander. It’s a deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. If one goes for months without fresh food and survives on preserved food, they can fall into vitamin C deficiency and exhibit symptoms of scurvy.”
“Wow…”
In the end, the captain’s regrets and grievances against the gods were recorded. Fortunately, there were no bodies in the captain’s quarters, but they were likely somewhere within the ship. I had no intention of actively searching for them.
“That’s the story of how this ship ended up adrift. After the disaster, it seems they never spotted land again.”
“I see. They got separated from the main fleet and perished… So, does that mean the main fleet is somewhere out there?”
“Yes, Commander. At least, we haven’t observed them within The Tree‘s surveillance range, but they must be somewhere. There was also a note about the purpose of this fleet. Would you like me to explain?”
“Yes.”
Upon her agreement, Ringo began to explain.
They were a fleet dispatched from a certain kingdom. Their objective was to discover a continent believed to be far to the south. The fleet consisted of three large survey ships, two battleships, and four cruisers. The kingdom that dispatched this fleet seemed to pride itself on having no enemies nearby, indicating a strong military presence. Based on the description that they set sail from fortified islands in the south, it was likely the peninsula nation in question.
The kingdom’s name was the Kingdom of Repuitari. It appeared to be one of the dominant powers on the continent.
It had been revealed that the nation of the survivors they had rescued years ago was indeed a dominant power on the southern continent, leading to the dispatch of the fleet for investigation and potential contact. At the very least, they had managed to survive and reach a known location. If they knew where it was, they would eventually find it. It seemed the captain had anticipated that they wanted to take the initiative and gain an advantage by making contact first.
Since no land leading south had been found, they would have to continue sailing across the ocean. The log boasted that they were undertaking an unprecedented feat. They packed a year’s worth of preserved food and ensured the crew’s quarters were spacious to alleviate stress during the long voyage. There was also a note about being able to safely prepare hot water using the Tone-Mag. While its true nature remained unknown, it appeared to be something that could be used as a heat source. Thus, while riding the ocean currents, they had been making good progress south when tragedy struck.
“Hmm… If they were riding the ocean currents, does that mean there’s a chance another ship or something could approach The Tree…?”
“Yes, Commander. That is certainly possible. We also need to investigate the ocean currents. Let’s prepare the survey equipment promptly.”