Episode 39: The Ghost Ship is a Wreck
The ＜The Tree＞ group was running parallel to the drifting ship in a cutter. Seen up close, there were signs of destruction on the gunwales and other parts of the ship, but overall, it gave the impression of being relatively new.
“It doesn’t look very old,” I commented.
“Yes, Ma’am. I’ve conducted a brief destructive inspection, and it appears that not much time has passed since its completion,” Ringo replied.
“Hee. So, it’s a state-of-the-art ship, huh? I wonder if we can use it to estimate the level of technology.”
As Commander (Eve) and ＜Ringo＞ were discussing the ship’s appearance, Utsugi and Erika, unable to contain themselves, started tugging at my hands from both sides.
“Onee-chan! Hurry!”
“Onee-chan! Let’s climb aboard! Let’s climb aboard!”
“Yes, yes. Just wait a moment.”
I understand their eagerness, but this is also training. We need to follow the proper procedures.
“＜Ringo＞?”
“Yes, Ma’am. First, we will circle the ship to check for any dangers. Ichigo, take the helm.”
“Yes!”
With a “vroom,” the engine revved up, and the cutter began to move along the side of the drifting ship.
“Ooh~”
“It’s all beat up!”
“Over time, barnacles and other crustaceans should have attached themselves. It doesn’t seem like there are many. As a ghost ship, it has a short history.”
Akane is pointing out a good point, but her conclusion is off. She really wants this drifting ship to be a ghost ship. I wonder what kind of story she’s been influenced by…
“＜Ringo＞… This joint assist movement is amazing. Is it a preset?”
“No. I am currently providing support. To perform motion assist at this level, it is necessary to have a local human-level motor nervous system.”
And Olive has been busy squatting and dancing since earlier. She seemed quite impressed with the performance of the protective suit.
“They’re all so unique…”
The base bodies, the人形機械 (Communicators), and the 重結合 (Deep-Merged) 頭脳装置 (Brain Units) should all have been identical, but all five of them have different personalities, which is different from what I initially expected and quite interesting.
Originally, we were planning to implement a high level of thought guidance and behavior control by ＜Ringo＞. The reason we decided not to do that is largely because she quickly bonded with these younger sisters.
Immediately after 初期登録 (Imprinting), differences in personality began to emerge, and by the next day, there were enough differences that I could tell the five apart just by their attitudes. Seeing this, she wanted to educate her younger sisters through external stimuli (daily life).
We have plenty of time. Even if it takes a little longer to complete, there’s no particular problem.
“Turning the bow.”
With Ichigo at the helm, we made a wide turn around the bow of the wrecked ship. There were no major changes on the other side either. The overall impression was still that of a relatively new ship. The crew of this ship must have been so frustrated. What kind of circumstances led to their annihilation?
“So, were there any problems?”
“No major damage was observed. No signs of artificial destruction were detected.”
“There weren’t any skeleton sailors either!”
“There wasn’t a one-armed captain either!”
“Your conclusions are strange…”
Well, I’m not expecting anything from Utsugi and Erika, so that’s fine. While patting Akane’s head for giving a reasonable opinion, Commander (Eve) turned to look at Olive.
“With this protective suit, I could win in a fight even against a skeleton captain.”
That’s not the point.
“The ship’s log. ＜Ringo＞, can you read it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. There are some unknown words, but I can understand most of it. I’m glad I studied at the port town of Telek.”
The five sisters stormed into the ship in search of skeleton sailors and wraith sailors. Since five 人形機械 (Communicators) are accompanying them, there shouldn’t be any danger, even in the unlikely event. We also thoroughly investigated every corner with drones in advance.
“Have you deciphered it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Shall I explain it briefly?”
“Yes, please.”
The captain’s cabin was mostly undisturbed, making it ideal for information gathering. The captain must have been quite meticulous, as the ship’s log remained.
“It seems that the first problem occurred about two months after departure. The動力炉 (power reactor) of the paddle wheel was malfunctioning. Since there was no prospect of repair, it is recorded that the トーン・マグ (Tone-Mag) was transferred to an accompanying ship. The exact meaning of トーン・マグ (Tone-Mag) is unknown. I only know how to read it.”
“Hmph. Well, maybe it’s the fuel for the power reactor. They transferred it because they had no use for it on this ship.”
“Yes, Ma’am. After that, they continued sailing smoothly for about a month, and then they ran into a storm.”
“A storm, huh…”
Come to think of it, ＜The Tree＞ has also been hit by storms several times. There was wind, rain, thunder, and even hail. According to ＜Ringo＞, it was probably a large cumulonimbus cloud, something called a typhoon or hurricane. She said something about updrafts, but I didn’t pay attention. I’m not interested in meteorology.
“Since they don’t have a weather radar, it would be difficult to avoid, especially after sunset. This ship was also caught in the storm’s range just before dawn, unfortunately.”
“Hmph…”
“The damage to the hull didn’t seem to be a problem, but the anchor was damaged, and they were swept away and separated from the main fleet. After that, they couldn’t find land and were adrift, and then they encountered another storm. The main mast was damaged, and the warehouse was flooded, contaminating a considerable amount of food, and eventually, most of them died of disease or starvation.”
“Ugh… that’s hell…”
“The loss of drinking water was fatal. And probably, scurvy also developed.”
“Scurvy?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It’s a vitamin C deficiency. If you don’t eat fresh food and spend several months on preserved food, you’ll develop a vitamin C deficiency and experience the symptoms of scurvy.”
“Hee…”
In the end, the captain wrote about his regrets, his resentment, and his hatred for God. Fortunately, there were no bodies in the captain’s cabin, but they were probably somewhere on the ship. I don’t intend to actively search for them, though.
“That’s the story of how this ship drifted. It seems they were never able to confirm land after the disaster.”
“I see. They got separated from the main fleet and then were annihilated… … So, that means there’s a main fleet somewhere?”
“Yes, Ma’am. At least, it hasn’t been observed within ＜The Tree＞’s surveillance range, but it must be somewhere. The purpose of this fleet was also written about, shall I explain it?”
“Yes.”
When I agreed, ＜Ringo＞ began, prefacing with “Well then.”
They were a fleet dispatched from a certain kingdom. Their purpose was to discover a continent believed to be far to the south. It was a large fleet consisting of three large survey ships, two battleships, and four cruisers. The kingdom that dispatched this fleet seems to be focusing on military affairs to the extent that it prides itself on having no enemies around it. From the description that they departed from the southern islands that were occupied and fortified, it is presumed to be the peninsula nation.
The country’s name is the Repuitari Kingdom. It seems to be treated as one of the hegemonic nations on the continent.
It was discovered that the nation to which the castaway they protected a few years ago belonged was, in fact, a hegemonic nation on the continent far to the south. The fleet was dispatched to investigate and, if possible, establish relations. At least, they were able to reach it alive from that southern continent. If it’s a place that is known to exist, they should be able to find it eventually. The captain predicted that they wanted to take the initiative and gain an advantage by contacting them first.
Since no land continues to the south, they would have to proceed solely by sea. He boasted in his diary that it was a great feat that no one had ever accomplished before. They packed a year’s worth of preserved food, and the crew’s quarters were made spacious so that they wouldn’t be stressed during the long voyage. There was also a description that they could safely prepare hot water by using トーン・マグ (Tone-Mag). It’s still unidentified, but it seems to be something that can be used as a heat source. And so, while sailing smoothly southward on the ocean current, they were struck by tragedy.
“Hmm… If they were riding the ocean current, does that mean there’s a possibility that another ship or something might approach ＜The Tree＞ again…?”
“Yes, Ma’am. That is highly possible. We need to investigate the ocean currents as well. Let’s prepare the survey equipment as soon as possible.”