Elma-sensei’s Resort Planet Primer

Our preparations for going to a resort planet were well underway. Or

rather, I left most of the prep work to Elma and Mimi while I talked

about various stuff with Chris, watched holo-vids together, supervised

her as she practiced grenade throwing inside the cargo room, and

accompanied her for some light workouts inside the training room.

"Well, we've finished all the reservations. We'll be leaving two days later

and will stay there for two weeks, just as planned. We've managed to

settle all the fees and additional costs for two million Enels."

"It was my first time spending so much Enels! My hands still can't stop

shaking until now..."

Elma looked fine overall, but Mimi seemed exhausted – mentally that is.

Mimi had the values of a common citizen like me, so it wasn't a surprise

that she turned out like that. My suspicion about Elma being an

ojousama from a well-off family who ran away from home to live as a

mercenary was reinforced by the fact that she wasn't fazed by spending

such an amount at all. But she sure was reliable at times like this.

"I'll have Mimi handle transactions like this in the future, so you have to

get used to it soon, okay."

"...I'll do my best."

Things like buying new ships or having them customized will have costs

that would easily go up to several millions of Enels after all.

"So how will we make use of our time before departure?"

"Let's see. It would be better if our departure time was leaked to our

pursuers. Since we're planning to get rid of them all in one fell swoop, it

would serve our purpose more if we travel openly instead of sneaking

about."

"But how would we go about it? And there's still the problem of

resupplying too."

"Well, there's that, yeah. Judging from what Chris said, it seems the

enemies are already wary of us, and if they get a chance, they'll

probably make a move on us without hesitation. It'll be a bit stifling, but

it would be safer for us all to hole up inside the ship for the meantime."

"So we need to stay inside for two days, right? Two days doesn't seem

too bad."

"Yeah. It'll be a cinch for people who're used to traveling via

hyperdrive."

Well, since we have Chris with us, I won't be able to live the usual sleazy

lifestyle. Guess I'll need to hold it in for a while.

"That reminds me, what kind of place did you girls choose in the end? I

ran through the pamphlet myself, but there weren't any places that

seemed fancy enough, so I have no idea what to expect."

"Oh, right. Well..."

"Not knowing anything about the destination until you get there is

exciting don't you think?"

"It'll still pose a problem if we don't know absolutely anything. That's

especially true for me. I mean, I'm not really proud about it, but I

basically lack common sense because of my situation y'know."

"Is that so?"

"Uh... Well, it's because of some complicated stuff."

Chris tilted her head curiously and Elma tried to explain, albeit vaguely.

It would be troublesome to use the usual excuse of having amnesia or

tell her straight that I think I got sent here from another dimension. It's

not like we're leaving Chris out from the group, but there's also no need

to expressly tell her the details either.

"The place we're going to two days from now is the ocean planet, Sierra

III. Almost eighty percent of the planet is covered by oceans, and there

exists no continents on the surface. There are, however, some small

islands here and there."

"I see… Just how do they manage that planet?"

If all that exists were small islands, it wouldn't be practical for resort

staff to be stationed on them for long periods of time.

"It seems that a management AI monitors islands that are not suited to

be developed as resort areas, and androids and robots are utilized by

the AI to take care of the tourists. As for security, unmanned mobile

weapons and guard robots are deployed to serve as the security detail."

"It sure sounds like it would be a great big mess if the AI ever gets

hacked or something."

"That certainly wouldn't be easy. The security measures and protocols

that protect the positron AI that manages the entire planet are the best

the galaxy has to offer. If one really wants to hack the management AI,

you'll need to prepare at least two other AIs of the same level to even

have a shot."

"So that's how it is."

"That's right. Like I said earlier, the resort planets are frequented by

influential people, high-ranking nobles, and dignitaries from other

countries. It just goes to show that they're not being careless when it

comes to security."

I see. It would certainly seem to be safe if we stayed at a place like that.

"Since it's an ocean planet, then we'll be able to partake in leisure

activities centered around the ocean, right?"

"Yes, that's right. We've rented a medium-sized island where we'll be

staying once we arrive. And it looks like the island also has enough

space for Krishna to land as well. If any other persons try to approach

the island, we'll be alerted immediately."

"That's some serious security."

"That's not all. There are various laser turret emplacements

camouflaged as rock formations and guard bots deployed both

underground and under the sea. Honestly speaking, it almost seems like

suicide to attack such a well-guarded island."

"It does sound reliable. But, as Hiro-sama said, there's still a chance of

the systems being compromised, so we still need to be vigilant."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that… Anyway, you sure went all out huh.

To think you'll actually reserve an entire island all to ourselves."

"It's luxurious alright. Expensive too. We can enjoy sunbathing at the

beach, swimming in the sea, take walks and enjoy nature in all its

splendor, play with cute alien creatures, and much, much more."

"Hou… That sure sounds awesome alright."

I'm a bit interested in the 'playing with cute aliens' bit. But I'm gonna

blow my top if they turn out to be atrocious creatures like F*cehuggers

and such. Or if they look somewhat cute but their heads are split into

four parts and have protruding chins like a certain character I know.

"The food we'll be served seems to be fresh seafood as well as various

delicacies from nearby star systems."

"It looks like Mimi's gonna be satisfied with the trip this time."

"Yes!"

Mimi's thoughts have already focused on all the gourmet food she

would probably get to sample. Her eyes were shining. However, fresh

seafood huh... I hope their appearance won't be too out there though.

At least make them look palatable. Well, I'm a true blue Japanese guy

with a Japanese mentality, so I'm of the opinion that any type of seafood

can be delicious if prepared properly.

We passed the time talking excitedly about the resort and all the

activities we wanted to try. With this, the first day of Chris's stay inside

our ship ended with no problems