Thirty-six thousand kilometres from the ground.......and floating in space. On the side of the cylindrical solé, the words 'Do not open the package' were written in black magic marker. And there was a machine in the shape of a fish that approached it. The machine flew around the thing as if in thought, but then stopped after a while, and then, as if it had decided, it gently extended its arm.
　Slowly, frustratingly, the moment I grabbed the soles.... The moment I grabbed it slowly and frustratingly slowly.......it flew away from the arm as if it had come to life. The rest of the machine is looking in the direction of the sled's flight, as if troubled.




　The blue earth was reflected in the lens.




----(Viewpoint ---- Miki Arakawa)


　I'm leading the development of the Outer Space Exploration and Attached International Space Station at the request of the United Nations. The plan is to set up a space station in the Asteroid Belt, which is located outside of Mars, and use it as a base to fly unmanned exploration vehicles into outer space. But there are too many challenges.
　First, there is the problem of long-term station stays. The stresses that human beings undergo in an enclosed space are extraordinary, and the same problems are being experienced by the United Nations Space Force, which is operating on a trial basis.

Maybe I should ask Koki.

　I muttered something like that, but that boy is enjoying his studies and youth with his friends at the institute. I shouldn't be bothered with this kind of thing. And there's one more problem ... a problem that's bothering me.

"An asteroid that could be on a collision course with the Earth....

　We have calculated the asteroid's orbit, and there is an 82 percent chance of collision avoidance. If there are no external factors involved, there is no problem at all, but I have to submit a concrete plan to deal with this issue as well.
　In addition, there are many other things to do, such as the specific plan for a manned exploration on Mars after the station's completion and the design of the research vessel. I'm sure some of his friends will be coming over today. Among them is a girl named Emi Aikawa, who was admitted to the academy after her thesis on space development was approved, according to a report on surveying his friends.

''I can't even come up with a good idea on my own, after all ... and I don't have a choice, do I?

　I let out those words as an excuse and began to prepare tea to welcome Kouki's friend.




---- Arakawa Kouki Viewpoint----


　My friends are coming to my room to visit. I can understand that Saito-kun and Alice are there........but why is Aikawa-san even there!　Lately, Saito-kun and I have been getting along so well. Where is that Aikawa-san who was telling me that I need to get 10th place on the test, I don't know any girl who's leaning against Saito-kun and squinting at him!　I'm jealous, chick.
　In the end, when Aikawa-san found out that the test was 'I didn't have to take it,' she was furious again, but Saito-kun, you know.

Arakawa-kun hit a ballistic missile with an observation plane, can you make such a calculation, Aikawa-san?

　That's the one thing I said to Aikawa-san, so it's not clear to me. That was a coincidence, but if you're impressed, you're about to fall in love with me, so why are you in love with Saito!　I was mumbling and Alice gave me an earful.

Saito-kun saved Aikawa-san from being tangled up in the streets.

　Well, Saito-kun has a lot of energy, doesn't he? Then it makes sense that Aikawa-san's attitude is justified, he's the prince on a white horse who saved you from being attacked by the delinquents. When I say so.

I heard you used the robot...

　Oh, that makes sense. If I use that thing, any delinquent will run away as fast as I can. Thinking that, I looked at Saito-kun and Aikawa-san and saw that Saito-kun had been given a knee pillow. 　When I think about it, I try to act on it.

I'm glad you could make it out here today.

　Mom came into the room as she said this. When I was about to complain to my mom, thinking that it was just a good moment, the tension of the other members, except for me, was rising tremendously. I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to be a part of this, but if you're a student at the academy, "Genius, Arakawa Miki" is someone you'd rather meet than a bad idol, right?
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. I guess it was one of the dreams of all of us to have contact with the mother of a great researcher after all, but I didn't feel comfortable interrupting her, so I kept myself small in the corner of the room.

'Auntie, I need to talk to you all about something.

　Mom said that and talked to everyone about her research. I think a genius like your mother could solve this problem without consulting with the academy students, but she must be providing a service that actually touches the geniuses, after all, she is kind. As I stared at the exchange with that in mind, it seems to be a consultation about the space station.
　Alice offers to solve the stress relief with chemicals, and Saito-kun suggests using robots to perform dangerous tasks remotely. Mom listened intently to all the suggestions, taking notes, but it was Aikawa-san who was surprised.

'I think we should make the environment inside the station more Earth-like. As for the advantages...

　I was lightly surprised to see him explaining things based on his very professional opinion. Is Aikawa-san's specialty in matters of space?　I'll ask Saito.

'Huh?　That's right, Emi, you specialize in space environment.

I knew it. Saito, you call Aikawa-san "Emi-chan". We're close.

　When I said this with a bit of coldness, Saito-kun went silent as he turned bright red. I'd like to get to know Alice a little better, I thought, and it seems that things have settled down. Mom has been exchanging addresses on her personal terminal, saying she wants to hear everyone's opinions on a regular basis from now on.... I don't mind, that's private, right?　As I was thinking about this, a skinhead came in, almost busting through the door.

'It's an emergency,'





It's usually an emergency when you come in!　Hey!








　Two hours after the skinhead broke in, we were at the "Japan Space Development Agency" mega-float off the coast of the Pacific Ocean. We had flown up here in a helicopter prepared by the skinheads, but unfortunately, all the members in my room were forced to work together under the guise of security protection.
　Aikawa-san was the only one who asked, 'Is this a mega-float?　'Great!' What a joyous occasion, but the others look anxious or even Saito-kun is feeling like he's going to throw up from motion sickness.

What's the situation?　I have a duty to keep these children safe. In some cases, I may contact my husband and take over this float.

　Mom is complaining to the head of the facility with a scary look on her face that I've never seen before. Well, that guy would swim in the ocean and come here, but he'd be seized by the guards for coming. In the midst of all this, the warden, who seems to be on the verge of throwing up in a different way than Saito-kun, begins to explain.

The Russian space force found the rocket that Convoy flew into space. However, in disobedience to the agreement, the Russian military failed in their attempt to seize the rocket, and it is now flying back to Earth.　

　Ah!　That thing..... That thing is coming back?　If that happened, my life would be choked up, my life that I've been building up would seriously end. I listened to the warden's story with a shudder, but as he continued, I saw hope.

'Upon receiving the report, the United Nations immediately issued a sortie order to the UN Space Force. The fleet is assembling in satellite orbit to intercept the rockets.

Okay!　Good, just blow it up. When I think about it.

What does that have to do with us?　Does the warden have the authority to lock these children up?

No, sir, so... the United Nations has asked that the creator of the interceptor be a part of the interceptor operation.

'Then I'll be fine on my own?　These kids will be going home soon.

　Mom, don't torment the warden, who's apparently under a lot of pressure from various sources. And I want to see how it works. I'm going to tell her of my intention to join you. The other members also agreed to stay here of their own volition, so when she heard that, she reluctantly acknowledged the director's point of view, saying 'it can't be helped'.
　But the word 'agreement' was mentioned earlier, what is it?　I was curious, so I whispered to my mom and asked her about it.

Don't worry about it.

And he returned with a smile that wasn't smiling in his eyes. This is a bad one to worry about, Macho had run into my mom before with this kind of smile, but I don't want to remember the consequences of that. The warden informed the fleet commander of our participation right away, but the commander didn't

Even if they hit you, I'd stop the rocket.

　He expressed his determination, such as. No, you don't have to go that far. In the worst case scenario, I'll be fine as long as I bear the shame..., no matter how much of it was in space, it will burn up when it leaves the atmosphere, and if it does fall, it will undoubtedly fall into the ocean or the desert. Falling into a city should be less than a tenth of a degree, there is no need to risk your life, and if they are to be blamed, it's the Russians who did the unnecessary.

Then we will carry out Operation Pandora, a rocket interceptor operation. Please let there be hope in the end.

　The warden said something like that. Wait, aren't you seriously mistaken?　That thing isn't that dangerous. What do you think we should do when they say, "If they fail to intercept us, the Earth is lost"?　I can't tell you about it now because it's become so important.









　The contents of that thing are 'SM erotic books that I had trouble getting rid of'........









----Starfleet Commander Jeff Auld's Point of View


　I can see the blue earth from the bridge......... On that planet is my granddaughter, Mary, and this mission can never fail. In the first place, if the Russian idiots hadn't violated the Arakawa Agreement, this incident would not have happened. If only the greedy Russians hadn't touched the Arakawa relics.... While I was gritting my teeth, I received a message from William O'Dowd, the president of the United States and my son.

"Commander, Operation Pandora is now in effect. The fate of the Earth rests with you, and I urge you to complete your mission. And you're going to help me complete my mission, and that includes Mary, please, Dad.

　I answer William's communication with a salute. Silly boy I know that you don't need to tell me that. The rocket will never reach the earth, and the Intelligence Bureau is reporting that the rocket is probably a virus weapon. He must shoot it down in space at all costs. At the same time as making up his mind, he confirms the status of its deployment to the intelligence officer.

''Currently, three destroyers are deployed in the zenith direction and two carriers with navigational aircraft on either side of the main ship.

'Good. Hold your positions until further notice. Have the carrier in immediate launch configuration.

　So far we're right on schedule, good work for your first real fight. All we have to do now is wait for the radar to catch it, or else the crew will have a tough time doing nothing, but for God's sake, brace yourselves and stand by.

"Radar is on!　We've supplemented our targets.

　About twenty minutes later, the officer in charge suddenly raised his voice. It's finally here, I sit back in my seat and give the order.

"The remaining ships are to launch immediately and shoot down the targets. Remaining ships, be ready to fire a barrage of bullets in case you fail to shoot down the target.

　All the navigational aircraft are advancing towards their targets under my orders. I'm checking the battle situation on the central screen, but apparently it's not working due to the rocket's ability to evade. I try to give another order, but the officer in charge

We are currently experiencing a magnetic storm from the sun and have been unable to contact them. We've lost contact with our fellow ships and with Earth.

　He reported that. Is it still too early for mankind to conduct an organized military operation in space.... But if we give up now, the rocket will reach the earth, and I look at the screen, pondering the best action to take now. No, time is passing with nothing in mind.
　Just then, I noticed a destroyer behind this ship begin to move forward. What the hell are they doing!　I'm not giving you instructions. The situation just sucks, but don't do anything more than that!　The report came just as I turned to the officer in charge.

"I'm picking up a luminescence signal from the destroyer Orto. "Targeted to target, space forces, glory to me." That's all I can say.

　Nonsense!　You're gonna blow yourself up!　I had him send out a luminescent signal to stop it, but Orto went without any hesitation. I know it's the only way, but it doesn't have to be at the expense of you guys. I should have done it myself, Moya moves his eyes to the screen to watch Orto, who is not within visual range.
　But I couldn't believe my eyes. A huge, mysterious object had crashed into the rocket!　A collision with an object of this size, the rocket would have blown up without a trace.... Both the aircraft that had been deployed and the Orto that was heading towards it were doing their best to evade the collision. But what was that thing?　I'll ask the officer in charge.

End of analysis. That object is an asteroid. And it's a ...........　We're taking an impact course to Earth!






　It looks like I'm at the edge of despair. There was no way to stop the asteroid in the current space force, and even if I tried to hit it with all my ships, it would have no effect.... I sent out a luminescent signal to all the troops, urging them to retreat, in order to enable communication with Earth.





Shingo Saito's Viewpoint ---- Shingo Saito's Viewpoint ----.


　As soon as the intercept mission began, I lost contact with the fleet. I didn't understand what was going on, but Emi kindly told me that it was because of a magnetic storm.
　Emi told me that the strong magnetism could prevent communication and in rare cases cause satellite failure. While I was listening to her story, she asked me what was in the rocket.

Mr. Singh, what's really in that thing?

　When I told her that I didn't know what was in it, Emi said, 'I see, but I hope it works,' and took my hand in hers. As I squeezed her hand back with a throbbing heart, I thought to myself, while others say it's laden with "virus weapons" or "high-powered bombs," I don't think the gentleman, Arakawa, would do such a thing.
　I think it's probably loaded with diary entries that he doesn't want people to see, or something like that. While I was thinking about this, a member of the observation team started to move around and was saying something to Arakawa's mother. I was curious, so I asked her about it.

There's an asteroid on a different course and it's coming closer to Earth. If it doesn't, it's going to hit.

　What's that saying? What are we going to do?　Even I don't know much about space, but I understand the danger we're in. You don't have the manpower to go to an asteroid now and destroy it or change its course, and you don't have the equipment to do it.　When I say that, Arakawa's mother gives me a confused look.

'Probably because of the collision between the two asteroids, but you're right, Saito, there's nothing to do. According to my calculations, either they won't collide or they're a long way off. Either way, we can't do anything about it now, at least we need a robot that can do what it was programmed to do on its own... well, a thousand of them would have been enough to do it.

　That said, Arakawa-kun's mother was busy, so she left. Emi talks to me as she pulls on her clothes

I think they can handle it, don't they?

　Emi seemed to think the same thing I did. But if I did that, Chabane and her friends would die. After much deliberation, I didn't have a better idea, so I said to everyone present

We'll have plenty of robots that can handle themselves.

　Arakawa's mother and the development team responded to my words and asked me for details. I explained that Chabane is equipped with an advanced AI that can think and act on its own to some extent. It's self-propagating, so it should be able to reach the necessary number.
　After that, everyone acted immediately.... I even asked the Self-Defense Force and the United Nations Army to prepare missile boosters to attach to the Chabaneans and explosives to place on the asteroid to change its course. I was the one who was going to go get my boy, Chabane.

I can get here on my own.

I rolled my eyes and laughed.






　Three hours later, we're on a mega-float rocket launch pad. And what I see is a sky full of chubanes. I thought I told you not to multiply them unnecessarily, but I wonder how many there are now?　Just as I was thinking this, one of the chubanes alighted one after another and walked in front of me.

"Master, we've been waiting for you. The assembly is complete, including the additional breeding.

'Huh?　Did you guys ever learn to speak?

　I asked Chabane, who suddenly started to speak, and he answered with confidence.

'Of course!　We were created by a master genius.　If I can't speak, I will sully the Master's name.

　Chabane hugged me and said that. I'm going to have to say something awful to Chavanel, who hugs me so happily, I'm going to have to say something awful. "Go to the asteroid and change course, but you can't come back.　As I looked down, holding back tears that were threatening to well up, Chabane said

We intercepted a transmission on our way here. I understand the situation, Master.......we were created for your benefit. So, at times like this, you should just laugh it off.

　I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I'm sorry!　I'm really sorry, but there's no way I can rely on you guys. As I cried, Chabane just patted me on the head.





　I ignite the boosters, starting with the ready Chavanel and the others, and go up into space. The last remaining original Chavanel turned to me.

This, please. It contains a copy of our AI and its evolutionary history. As long as it's here, we can make another Watusi.

　Then he hands me the memory. You can't make the same Chabane with this stuff, and I'm sure Chabane knows that. I'm sure that's what he's trying to say to keep me from crying.　Don't ever cry!　I'm going to leave you with a smile on my face. I say goodbye with a smile on my face as I hold back tears

Goodbye, Mr. Chavanel...

Yes, sir. Off you go, Master.

　I couldn't look away from the sky, even after Chabane disappeared as she said this and took off. Emi hugged me and I finally couldn't take it anymore and cried. They'll take care of it," she said as she comforted me, and Emi cried as well.

The communication with the United Nations Space Force was restored and the message was 'What is that object flying toward the asteroid from the Earth? It is. What should I do in reply?

Respond with, 'Our friends are on their way to resolving the situation.'

　Arakawa-kun's mother gives instructions to the person conducting the communication. A friend.........indeed, Chabane was my dear 'friend'......... He's gone into space now, but he'll always be my friend. We went back inside the float and waited for the results and then the report came in.

The report came in. "We have confirmed explosions both outside and inside the asteroid. We have confirmed explosions both inside and outside the asteroid, we are leaving the collision course!

　Chavanel and her friends did a great job, thank you so much. I'm crying again, not with sadness, but with gratitude.













　Hundreds of years later, humanity is fully engaged in space exploration, and on a planet, they discover an intelligent life form that has already been forgotten. The life form is a very friendly 'machine race' that has already been forgotten, that uses the earth language, Japanese, and calls human beings 'masters'.