Chapter 3
Kait, who had completed his sentence in a completely unexpected way, was at a total loss.
In truth, he had planned to spend the rest of his sentence immersed in reading. The books accumulated throughout human history were, thankfully, so numerous that even after filtering by preference, one could spend an entire lifetime and still not finish them all.
That said—
Given the apparent destruction on the surface, there was no hope for resupplying food or water. The only saving grace was that there seemed to be about six months' worth, assuming no waste.
"Master Crouch. Please present your policy going forward."
"Yeah, that's the thing."
The words of the former Warden were, in themselves, perfectly reasonable.
If he stayed here, all that awaited him was starvation.
He glanced out the window. The broken orbital elevator, and Earth, now showing red and brown patches like rot. Had a final war occurred, or had a massive asteroid struck? Or perhaps it was judgment from Earth upon the selfishness of humanity.
He didn't know the reason, nor did he care to. He simply couldn't bring himself to feel positive about descending to what seemed a collapsed civilization. No, even if civilization had survived, would he have truly wanted to return?
As he struggled with his thoughts, the former Warden preemptively addressed them.
"I propose that returning to the surface is the option with the longest survival expectancy."
"That's true. But even then, I also have to consider the odds of surviving after returning."
"That would depend on the state of civilization. Shall I connect to nearby satellites to check the condition on the surface?"
An extremely rational suggestion. Without confirming the surface condition, he couldn't accept or reject the proposal.
Yet, strangely enough, Kait couldn't feel enthusiastic about it.
Was it because he feared being told that there was no longer any hope of survival even on the surface?
The words that slipped from his mouth weren't an answer to the former Warden's question.
"Warden, does this prison have the capability to navigate through space?"
"Just as Master Crouch is no longer prisoner number 279502, I am no longer Warden 8979. I will answer your question. Since fuel remains, space navigation is possible."
The remaining fuel in the prison was intended for returning to Earth after the sentence ended.
There must have been a fair number of other prisoners sentenced to exile like Kait. What choices would they make?
At the edge of the view from the window, he saw something attempting to enter Earth's atmosphere.
"How far do you think I can go while I'm still alive?"
"Assuming Master Crouch's survivability, I judge that reaching Mars orbit is possible."
As he asked vaguely, he faced his own heart.
One option was to spend the remaining days here without thinking. But that, too, was somehow an unappealing choice.
Stay here, return to Earth—what came out of his mouth was a third option.
He vaguely understood. For Kait, the days spent here had not been a waste of life. Despite everything, somewhere in his heart he had believed there would be days waiting for him after returning to Earth.
The surface he had imagined. The future where he would start a new life there had been taken from him. That, surely, was why he couldn't feel motivated to return.
"The ship meant for Mars colonization did make it to Mars orbit, right?"
"Yes. Eighty-six years ago, it failed during descent. It seems there was some kind of accident during descent preparations. Records state all crew members perished."
He had heard that around that time, the global will for space development had collapsed. He vaguely remembered seeing an editorial back on Earth speculating that in twenty more years, humanity might regain its enthusiasm for space again—but sadly, that day never came.
Still, there was a precedent for reaching Mars orbit.
It might be a foolish choice, but this would likely be humanity's final journey in this era of civilization. He wanted to aim as far as possible.
The former Warden let out a whirring sound. It seemed it too was running calculations.
"If we push the limits, how far can we go? Mars orbit was your answer with my safety in mind, right?"
"......If we disregard Master Crouch's safety, gather materials for modifications from the surroundings, and accelerate as much as possible—then I estimate we could reach Jupiter orbit in about six months."
"Okay. Then let's do that."
Why, he wondered.
From the moment he casually said it, all other options vanished from Kait's mind.
He would go—far away. As far as his life would take him.
"Confirming. You do not wish to return to Earth? We haven't even checked its condition yet."
"I do not wish to return to Earth. Whether it's still habitable or not, I choose to go."
"Understood. Then we shall respect Master Crouch's decision and aim for Jupiter orbit."
Even if he reached Jupiter orbit, it didn't mean he'd survive.
There would be no one who knew he had gone that far. No one might even remember that he had been exiled to space.
It would be a journey with very slim odds. If an asteroid hit, he'd die. If something broke, he'd die. If anything else happened, he'd die.
In the end, this was nothing more than a choice of how to die.
Stay and die, return and die, or go and die.
A futile choice—but strangely, Kait was exhilarated.
Because he had chosen it himself. His own path.
"Hey, this is starting to get fun."
In this narrow world he could see, Kait Crouch was now freer than anyone.
***
It took several days until departure.
The former Warden had been gathering fuel for acceleration and reinforcing the hull, albeit modestly.
Apparently, there were still satellites around Earth with a decent amount of fuel. He latched onto them, dismantled them, and expanded the ship.
The distance to Jupiter orbit was about 600 million kilometers. The former Warden explained that the voyage would proceed at a speed of 4 million kilometers per day. If they crashed into something, it was over. If something broke, it was over. If any other accident occurred, it was over. The odds of dying en route were far higher than reaching Jupiter orbit.
By the time preparations to leave Earth were complete, the prison had taken on the appearance of a somewhat proper spaceship.
"Somewhat," because Kait had not been able to see it.
Perhaps because it was originally a prison, there were no space suits for extravehicular activities. There were life support suits meant for prison damage, but they were little more than a comfort.
And the expansion had only affected the exterior; unsurprisingly, the interior was still utterly lacking in comfort.
The only thing worth praising was that the window view remained unobstructed.
"Now then, Master Crouch. Please name this ship."
"A name? A name, huh..."
An unexpected mission. If they were going to ask before departure, he wished they'd said so earlier.
As he pondered what to name it, the former Warden added another mission.
"While you're at it, could you also give me a name?"
"Huh?"
"I told you I'm no longer a Warden, yet you keep calling me that. Please consider departure impossible until both the ship and I have names."
"Grr..."
Not bad—quite the sense of humor.
That day, Kait would face, for the first time in his life, his complete lack of naming sense.
***
A displeased atmosphere is strangely perceptible.
Even from a steel sphere with no facial expression.
Kait took in this pointless insight as he waited for a reaction.
"Master Crouch. Is this sarcasm toward me? Or did you seriously intend to give me this name?"
"I-It's serious... mostly."
"'Emotion,' is it? You gave that name to me, a machine intelligence."
"Oh, that's what you meant. I thought you didn't like the ship's name."
"What are you saying? That's an excellent name. It clearly expresses the purpose, and anyone who sees it will understand the intent. I was just starting to appreciate your naming sense, Master Crouch. But then, the disparity with my name..."
"Ugh..."
Well, that was unexpected.
He had thought he'd be scolded for mocking the ship with its name.
In any case, if it didn't like it, there was no helping it.
"Alright, I'll come up with a new name."
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
"I've heard that those who are named don't have the right to refuse."
"Well, if you don't like it, I'll just think of another."
If it didn't like it, he just had to change it.
Yet, perhaps because that too was displeasing, it made a whirring sound.
"So Master Crouch, you didn't name me with any particularly negative intent?"
"Of course not. I came up with it desperately, based on my gratitude and your image."
"......In that case, I will accept the name."
"Huh?"
"I do not expect the next name to be any better than this one."
That was undeniable.
At any rate, it seemed the former Warden had accepted the new name. She didn't appear particularly satisfied, but there was no need to bring it up again. It likely wouldn't be good for either of their mental health.
Now that the name was decided, there wasn't much time left until departure. Taking the opportunity, Kait decided to voice his own request.
"Oh, right. From now on, I want you to call me by my name."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Earth is in ruins, so there's no need to use surnames anymore. I want to start this journey just as Kait, no one from anywhere."
"Understood. Then from now on, I shall call you Master Kait."
"Thanks."
With a lurch, the ship's posture shifted.
Looking out the window, it was clear—Earth was no longer in sight.
He sat in the central chair. Fastened his belt and leaned his back firmly against it.
"Master Kait. The 'Goodbye Earth' is now departing."
"I'm counting on you, 'Emotion.'"
He listened to the truly mechanical countdown.
Kait was strangely elated, wondering just how far his life could take him from Earth. It wasn't worry or fear. It was excitement.
If possible, he wanted to go somewhere no one had ever reached.
No one to judge. No one to criticize. No one to know.
A journey to death, full of pure self-satisfaction—the last of humanity.
"Departure."
He never imagined it wouldn't be his final journey.