Mob No.73: “Professional pilots are truly amazing. To be able to fly so steadily in this rain, wind, and lightning. We, as amateurs, can’t do this. Do you have any tips?””
Planet Tosure.
Viewed from space, this planet is a beautiful orb colored with the blue of oceans, green of trees, and white of clouds.
The atmosphere is breathable for humans, with abundant water and greenery. However, 100% of the ground is solid bedrock, with only about 1% being flat. Except for these areas, one must build bases either on the sea or in the air to secure sufficient housing.
The plants of this planet, which root themselves in this hard bedrock, are incredibly strong.
During the development of the scarce flat land, ancient ruins were discovered, halting further development. Now, plans are underway to turn it into a tourist planet centered around these ruins.
Currently, excavation surveys are in full swing.
At the same time, there are various speculations about why this planet has so little flat land – whether it was always like this, or if it’s the result of disasters or wars.
I wonder what faces the researchers here would make if they found out that the current planetary environment of Tosure is due to some privileged class in ancient times who, under the pretext of protecting aesthetic landscapes for their own enjoyment, transformed all flat land except for their own villas and defense bases into mountainous terrain?
The gateway to Planet Tosure is a super-giant artificial marine city called [Ocean Palace]. It’s built on a continental shelf 160m deep in the ocean of Tosure. Seven piles, each 100m in diameter and 20,000m long, are driven into the seabed in a hexagonal formation with one in the center, leaving 150m above sea level and 160m underwater, totaling 310m. A circular plate 50km in diameter is fixed to these piles 30m above the sea surface, penetrating the plate at seven points.
This plate forms the first level, with two more levels installed at 50m intervals, completing the three-tier structure.
At its center is an orbital elevator to the spaceport.
Initially built as a departure base for the few resort areas on flat land, it quickly became a base and temporary research facility for excavation teams when ancient ruins were discovered in various locations.
As a result, it’s well-equipped with shops selling excavation tools and parts, battery terminals, food, clothing, daily necessities, and medical supplies. There are also restaurants, bathing facilities, accommodations, dry cleaners, and coin laundries. However, other entertainment facilities like bookstores, arcades, gyms, cinemas, and casinos don’t exist. There’s a stadium building, but it’s unused.
There’s a temporary library, but it’s apparently full of historical materials.
Well, I hear some people play casual baseball in the stadium, which seems incredibly luxurious in a way.
For researchers, the ruins themselves might be all the activity they need, but for the workers, it must be unbearably boring.
In this super-giant artificial marine city, university professors and independent research teams are given certain areas on the top floor, the third level, to use as their research base.
One team investigates each ruin site, bringing back excavated items here for various measurements and analyses.
I’ve been hired by one such research team, led by Professor Florina Thesz of the Imperial Groormus University’s Archaeology Department.
“Oh, I’m glad you came. We can operate cargo ships ourselves, but it’s quite risky, especially during landing.”
Professor Thesz, who shakes my hand, is a beautiful woman in her mid-30s. She’s tall and well-built, possibly from physical training. Even in work clothes and boots for excavation and exploration, she doesn’t look like a typical university professor at first glance.
“So, I’ll be ferrying you to and from the site with this ship. After dropping you all off at the site, I can either stay there or return to the city, right?”
The cargo ship I’ve been asked to pilot is a [Carry Ace III] model made by Sunfield Co., a generation old but highly reliable and still in active service.
I should be able to handle this decently, if not as well as my own Patchwork.
“Yes, but make sure you can come immediately when contacted. The map and excavation sites are already input into the ship. Please start from tomorrow morning.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
I guess my first job will be inspecting the cargo ship.
The Sunfield Co. [Carry Ace III] model is the most common type of cargo ship, with straightforward and easy-to-handle piloting characteristics.
While I was inspecting it, a female student, apparently one of Professor Thesz’ pupils, who was carrying some luggage, slipped and threw her cargo at me.
“Ah! I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
“N-No, I’m fine…”
When I answered that I was okay, the female student apologized and went somewhere.
At that moment, I felt a chilling gaze piercing me for some reason.
And that sensation of being watched seemed to persist throughout my inspection.
The work from the next day on was quite peaceful, without that mysterious chilling gaze.
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I wake up at 6 AM and immediately inspect the cargo ship.
After that, breakfast.
Then, I ferry the professor and the excavation team to the excavation site.
My job is basically just this shuttling, with no help in the excavation work itself.
Those who don’t go to the excavation site work on restoring and analyzing the excavated items.
After dropping off the excavation team at the site, I return to Ocean Palace.
Unless there’s a call, I’m free until it’s time to pick them up, but occasionally I’m asked to deliver machinery or batteries needed for excavation, and I’ve also been allowed to tour the excavation sites.
When I return to Ocean Palace, I look around the city, read light novels I brought, or download new light novels, manga, or anime from the communication net. It’s really relaxing.
I go to pick up the excavation team at 5 PM, aiming to arrive there by then, and immediately after returning, I finish inspecting the aircraft and refueling.
After that, it’s free time again.
I was invited to a drinking party with the researchers by the professor once, and I did go, but the conversation was full of technical terms I couldn’t understand at all, and that chilling gaze I felt on the first day kept piercing me, so since then I’ve been declining, using the excuse that I have to drive the next day.
I’m given a room in a hotel in the city for accommodation.
It might be boring, but days without life-threatening danger are truly appreciated.
Today marks three weeks since I started this peaceful job.
The weather looked ominous from the morning.
Not in terms of human relationships, but the actual weather.
It was the first cloudy day since I came to this planet, looking like it could rain at any moment.
I dropped off the professor and the others at the site at the usual time, and as soon as I returned to Ocean Palace, it started raining.
Probably because we’re on the ocean, the wind was quite strong too.
Just before lunch, I got a call saying they wanted to return early as it might be dangerous, so I went to pick them up. The excavation site was also experiencing heavy rain.
I parked the ship near the rest hut, and the professor and others hurriedly boarded.
“My, no matter how many times I experience it, the rain here is incredible.”
“Is that so?”
The professor and others who have been on this planet for a long time have apparently experienced this rain many times.
“When it doesn’t rain, it doesn’t for a month, but once it starts, as you can see, fierce heavy rain and strong winds rage. Thankfully, this rain usually stops after about three days.”
The professor gave me a lecture about this planet’s climate while the excavated items were being loaded.
“Loading complete!”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
By then the loading was complete, so I closed the door and launched the ship.
Since the wind was strong and there was lightning, I decided to fly as low as possible after leaving the excavation site.
No matter how well-prepared we are, lightning strikes are dangerous.
Flying close to the sea surface, trying to maintain stability as much as possible, is quite challenging.
Yet the professor started talking to me.
“But professional pilots are truly amazing. To be able to fly so steadily in this rain, wind, and lightning. We amateurs couldn’t do this. Is there some kind of trick to it?”
He probably was genuinely curious and leaned in to look, but when I’m concentrating on difficult piloting, having someone casually lean in to look at the instruments is very troublesome, both for piloting and my sanity.
“Professor, please don’t talk to him. He needs to concentrate to fly this steadily in these weather conditions.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.”
At that moment, the female student who had thrown luggage at me before admonished the professor, thankfully making him back off.
Then she put her hand on my shoulder, smiled sweetly, and said,
“Please drive safely, okay?”
As she spoke to me, she gripped my shoulder with incredible strength.
At that instant, I was certain she was the source of that chilling gaze.
Just as I thought this could be dangerous, the ship was enveloped in an intense light.
“Looks like we were struck by lightning.”
“We’re over the sea, so it’s better than being in the air, but still…”
Apparently, the ship had been hit by lightning.
Although we have countermeasures and should be fine, it’s certainly better not to get hit, so I said,
“I’ll hurry as much as possible.”
I opened the throttle to return to Ocean Palace as quickly as possible while still being cautious.
After that, even the female student refrained from interfering.
TLNOTE : If you enjoyed this novel and want to read more, I’ve started translating another work by the same author titled: “[Snail] – The Cargo-Passenger Ship Operations Log.” Please check it out!
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hm this female student is plotting something