Chapter 11 – September 2047 – Lysithea

Mikako awoke to the murmur of voices around her.

It was bright. She was definitely not inside the Tracer’s cockpit anymore.

“Ah, you’re awake. Don’t move too much, okay? You’re fine—no external injuries. Of course, you can get up if you want to.”

Satomi, who was sitting by the bed, spoke gently.

“Ah… Satomi-san. You made it out safely.”

Mikako glanced around as she spoke. She seemed to be in the medical room aboard the Lysithea. Several simple beds were lined up around her.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m safe. If I weren’t, who do you think went out and retrieved your Tracer?”

“Was that… so? I don’t remember it too well.”

“Maybe the tranquilizer the med staff gave you worked too well. But you kept your promise, didn’t you? Thanks.”

“Promise…?”

Mikako blinked in confusion.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you forgot that too. You said if you made it back, you’d contact me first thing. I was really worried. I could track your movements on the screen, but after your suicide charge, you wouldn’t respond to any of my calls. I was freaking out.”

“Right…I shut down the comms to save battery… But—it’s really over, huh? I was still worried there might be more individual Tarsians left…”

“Well, you were unconscious when we went to retrieve you, so no wonder you don’t know. But yeah, once that last big one went down, the rest all turned tail and vanished. We owe you big time, Mikako. And honestly… just the fact that we survived…”

Satomi bit her lip hard as she said that.

“Thanks for protecting the Lysithea. If the Lysithea had gone down too, we’d have been completely screwed. After that, we’d have had no choice but to play Robinson Crusoe on Agartha and hope someone came to rescue us from Earth someday.”

Satomi grasped Mikako’s hand tightly.

“I just… I only fought because I wanted to survive. How many others made it?”

“From the crew, only those on the Lysithea survived. As for Tracer pilots, we recovered all we could, including those from the other ships—172 in total. The Tracer storage only had capacity for 130, including the auxiliary garage, so sadly, the severely damaged units had to be discarded…including your beloved machine.”

From nearly a thousand operators… only 172 survived.

That overwhelming reduction drove home the true scale of the devastation for Mikako.

“What happens to us now?”

“Well, that’s for the Supreme Commander to decide, but most likely he’ll order a retreat. We haven’t completed the mission, but in this condition, there’s no way we can continue the expedition. Besides, if we run into them again, it’ll just be a repeat of this. And next time… we really will be wiped out.”

“Then… we might get to go home?”

Touched by the spark of hope, Mikako’s voice lifted with sudden brightness.

“Probably. What else can we do?”

Satomi shrugged her shoulders with a faint smile.

***

It was highly unusual for Supreme Commander Lokomov himself to appear before the selected members.

The lunchroom had been repurposed as the briefing room, but with operators from other ships also in attendance, the space quickly became cramped. All the tables had been cleared out. Even so, there weren’t enough chairs for everyone, and many had to stand.

Except for those still in the medical room due to injuries, nearly all the operators were present.

Mikako was there too, accompanied by Satomi. Most of the faces were unfamiliar. A diverse gathering of young women of various nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. All wore the same heavy, sunken expression—drained from battle fatigue and mourning the loss of their comrades.

“First, I would like to offer my condolences for the brave crew members who lost their lives in this battle.”

Commander Lokomov surveyed the room and began speaking in Japanese.

“I would also like to thank all of you who participated in the battle. You fought well. Thanks to your courage and perseverance, the fleet achieved victory.”

A scattered, subdued applause followed.

“However, the fleet has suffered heavy losses. Unfortunately, it is now extremely difficult to continue this mission. As fleet commander, I have exercised my authority to make the decision to withdraw.”

A wave of applause and cheers erupted. The lunchroom filled with noise.

Mikako and Satomi grabbed each other’s hands in relief and joy.

“There are some critically injured among the wounded—cases where every second counts. The Lysithea will begin its return to Earth immediately. However, the journey home will be long. The Lysithea also sustained minor damage during the battle. We must avoid navigation methods that would place undue strain on the ship. Therefore, we have decided to request rescue from Earth. It will take eight years and seven months for our signal to reach them, and we will use that same amount of time to make our way back. With the help of the navigation computer, it’s been confirmed that we can reach the anchor point on the line connecting Sirius and Earth—〈Sirius Line Alpha〉. It lies 2.1 light-years from Earth. Accordingly, we will be traveling 6.5 light-years over the course of eight years and seven months. Due to relativistic effects, the elapsed time onboard, including acceleration and deceleration, will be approximately four years. We depart in three hours. Our crew will immediately begin navigational preparations. You are free to spend the remaining time however you wish. That is all…”

Leaving only the necessary facts, Commander Lokomov hurriedly exited the lunchroom.

***

【To twenty-four-year-old Noboru-kun,

This is fifteen-year-old Mikako.

I’m sure you’ve already heard about the battle on Agartha.

I’m alive.

And—I’m really happy.

The day I’ve always, always hoped for—our return to Earth—has finally been decided.

By the time this email reaches you, Mikako will be at a place called Sirius Line Alpha, an anchor point.

From there, I’m sure the rescue team will take us the rest of the way to Earth.

We’ll finally be able to meet, Noboru-kun.

And when we do, there’s something Mikako wants to tell you directly—something I’ve wanted to say for so, so long.

But I won’t write it in this email.

The Lysithea is departing soon.

I wonder where you are and what you’re doing now, twenty-four-year-old Noboru-kun?

During the four years of this journey, Mikako will imagine you—what you’re like at twenty-four—every day, just to pass the time.

When we meet again, Mikako’s subjective age will be nineteen.

What kind of young woman will I have become? That’s for you to find out when we see each other.

See you then.

—From Mikako, still fifteen for now】