Food And Water

After acquiring the maintenance robots, we returned to the small spacecraft and ordered them to inspect and service the ship.

Afterward, we continued exploring the spaceport in search of food and water. The small spacecraft had a minimum supply of water, but I had decided it wasn’t enough. As we proceeded down a corridor in the spaceport, we spotted goblin soldiers from the Space Assault Troops crossing ahead of us. Sario and I darted into a nearby passage and hid.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the goblin soldiers disappeared from sight.

“What should we do?”

I asked Sario over the communicator. We had changed the frequency, so the goblins couldn’t listen in.

“Let’s see what’s farther down this corridor.”

We started down the passage and discovered an emergency shelter along the way. When we entered through the airlock, the lights suddenly came on. Apparently, the power supply here was still functioning.

“It looks like there’s air in here.”

With those words, Sario removed his helmet.

“Are you sure that’s safe?”

I asked in alarm, but Sario nodded.

“If it smells funny, I’ll just put my helmet back on.”

For a Shiba Inu living in space, he was remarkably casual about such things. I removed my helmet as well. The shelter apparently had an air purification system, because the air was clean and completely odorless.

The shelter measured twenty meters on each side, and approximately thirty storage containers were secured along the walls. We began opening every container we could find.

“More rotten food.”

After finding five consecutive containers filled with food that had spoiled with age, we opened the next one and discovered water stored in what looked like transparent plastic jerrycans.

“Sario, it’s water!”

“Really?”

Sario came over to check. A single storage container held approximately nine hundred liters of water divided among transparent tanks. Apparently, water stored in shelters like this was designed to last indefinitely. Since it contained no impurities that could cause spoilage, it would supposedly remain safe forever.

“That’s a relief. I was worried about relying solely on the water stored aboard the small spacecraft.”

We continued opening containers and discovered approximately six tons of water. According to Sario, we had secured enough to last us quite a while.

Besides water, the shelter also contained brand-new information terminals. Of course, “brand-new” meant they had been new an incredibly long time ago, but the terminals were undamaged and still worked. As expected of a Level C civilization.

The devices were called glasses-type terminals, or smart glasses. When worn, they displayed information on lenses positioned directly in front of the user’s eyes. Apparently, they were operated through a combination of abbreviated verbal commands, eye movements, and glove-shaped controllers.

Although we didn’t know how to use them, Sario and I each took one. Smart glasses existed on Earth, too, but they could only perform basic functions independently. More complicated operations required a connection to a smartphone, computer, gaming console, or another device.

By contrast, the smart glasses manufactured by the Anubis race—or Anubis-made products, for short—apparently offered performance surpassing even high-end computers and could execute a wide variety of functions entirely on their own.

They also lacked nose pads and temples that hooked over the ears. Instead, a suction pad was attached to the bridge connecting the two lenses, allowing the device to adhere directly between the eyebrows. Since we were short on time, I decided to have Sario teach me how to use them later.

As we continued searching through the storage containers, Sario suddenly discovered something.

“Ah!”

“What is it?”

“I found a food production unit!”

I was overjoyed to hear that. This brought us one step closer to freedom. Still, a food production unit would surely require some kind of raw materials. It couldn’t produce food out of nothing.

“That’s incredible! What kind of food can it make?”

“Preserved food tubes.”

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. Those preserved food tubes were the one thing I’d hoped never to eat again.

“But where are we supposed to get the ingredients?”

“This machine is also called a Monster Processing Unit. It uses Space Sea Angels and Space Jellyfish as raw materials.”

So that was what those things were made from? My enthusiasm plummeted. I hadn’t even known monsters could be turned into food. Since Space Jellyfish were nearby, we could probably kill some and use them to produce food. But still… preserved food tubes?

We continued searching the shelter and discovered clothing and various household goods. We collected everything that seemed useful, then transported the water and food production unit to the hangar containing the small spacecraft. The maintenance robots were still servicing the ship, but it looked as though they would finish within another day.

After receiving a report from the maintenance robots, Sario explained that the miniature nuclear fusion reactors and small plasma engines were apparently in good condition. There had been a minor problem with the air recycling and purification system, but the robots had managed to repair it. Incidentally, these miniature nuclear fusion reactors were the type that operated solely on deuterium.

We continued searching the spaceport for food but found nothing, so we returned to the small spacecraft. Afterward, we activated one of the miniature nuclear fusion reactors, which had completed its inspection. I breathed a sigh of relief when it started operating without any problems.

The maintenance robots also ran on electricity, so we were fortunate to get the fusion reactor running before their batteries ran out. The air recycling and purification system also came online, allowing us to remove our Mobile Armor and spacesuits and live comfortably inside the small spacecraft.

For the first time in ages, Sario and I removed our spacesuits and relaxed. We wore clothing we’d found in the shelter.

“We can’t travel to another star system in this small spacecraft.”

I already knew that. This was an interplanetary spacecraft, not an interstellar one, so faster-than-light travel was impossible.

“Then how are we supposed to escape from this star system?”

“I don’t know yet. But I think we’ll have an opportunity.”

Sario didn’t lie. I was sure he genuinely believed what he said, but I still felt uneasy. We continued searching throughout the spaceport, transporting anything that seemed useful back to the small spacecraft.

Among our discoveries were propellant for the plasma engines and additional spacesuits. The Anubis-made spacesuits were superior in performance to the Goblin-made Mobile Armor, although they couldn’t be used in combat.

With power restored to the small spacecraft, Sario ran a self-diagnostic program on its electronic systems. Apparently, everything was functioning properly, so he activated the spacecraft’s control computer. At that point, he registered both of us as members of the ship’s crew. Naturally, there were security measures in place, but they were an older type, so Sario managed to bypass them.

Approximately three days had passed since the goblins abandoned us. During that time, we’d consumed nothing but water.

“Let’s go hunt some Space Jellyfish.”

We put on our Mobile Armor and headed toward the spacecraft berth we’d visited earlier. After crawling through the air ducts and reaching the exit leading into the berth, we peered inside. Two Space Jellyfish were drifting through the enormous area. There didn’t appear to be any goblins around.

I checked the remaining ammunition in my Space Machine Gun. I had only fourteen rounds left. Since they were precious, I needed to use them sparingly. After discussing our approach, Sario and I decided to take down one Space Jellyfish each.

The moment we emerged into the spacecraft berth, the Space Jellyfish noticed us and began approaching. Their movements resembled those of jellyfish swimming in the ocean. Apparently, they propelled themselves forward by inflating their rounded bodies and then expelling gas from their rear ends.

Fortunately, the two Space Jellyfish separated and approached us from different directions. As I observed the one heading toward me, I estimated it was approximately eight meters wide and noticed a red core at its center.

I’d take it down with a single shot. To do that, I needed to let it get closer. Standing perfectly still while an enormous monster approached required considerable courage. My heart pounded violently, and my breathing quickened.

I waited until the Space Jellyfish was almost close enough to touch me before pulling the trigger. The explosive round penetrated its body, struck the core, and detonated. Just as I’d intended, the explosion appeared to have destroyed its core in a single hit.

Sario brought down his target with two shots. We summoned the maintenance robots to help us dismantle the Space Jellyfish carcasses. With their assistance, we butchered the creatures and transported the remains to the small spacecraft.

The Monster Processing Unit we’d brought aboard the spacecraft came with a large supply of empty tubes. Using the Space Jellyfish carcasses as raw materials, we managed to mass-produce preserved food tubes.

We produced enough tubes for three thousand meals. At two meals per day, that was enough to feed both of us for seven hundred and fifty days. The thought of eating nothing but this stuff for two whole years made me dizzy.

“Now we won’t have to worry about food for about two years.”

“I absolutely refuse to eat this stuff for more than two years!”

I voiced my feelings without reservation. Sario laughed when he heard me.

“This isn’t funny! Aren’t there any monsters with delicious meat?”

“Most monsters that live in space taste terrible. But apparently, some monsters that have settled on planets have delicious meat.”

It seemed that if I wanted to eat tasty monster meat, we’d have to visit a planet somewhere.