May’s Curiosity

A day has passed since our negotiations with Major Serena. Krishna

was successfully assigned to guard the civilian cargo transport ship

[Pelican IV] and was now tagging along with it. We're on guard duty,

but it's not like the job's hard. We were just hopping from one trade and

mining station to another all over the Sierra system and its neighbors.

Sometimes, the Pelican IV docks inside a station for a prolonged period

of time to unload its cargo, so we tag along with the Flying Tortoise

instead.

We can't predict exactly when pirates would attack, so we can't let our

guard down. There's also a good chance of the underlings of Chris's

uncle attacking, so we're watching out for that as well.

However, being on high alert all the time is mentally exhausting, so

Elma and I take turns monitoring the situation, and stand by inside the

cockpit as Krishna trailed after the Pelican IV. Right now, it was my turn

on watch duty. The other three were relaxing in the dining room.

"I brought you something to drink, Master."

"Oh, thanks."

Maidroid May entered the cockpit and brought with her a gravity

sphere filled with some chilled beverage. This so-called gravity sphere

is basically a high-tech tumbler that floats and has motion sensors

installed so it can follow your head movements.

I received the drink and set the sphere in a spot that I could easily

reach.

"Sorry, May. I would have liked to bring you to the shop for upgrades

right away, but the situation doesn't allow for it."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it, Master. It is my duty to prioritize

Master's safety after all. And also, my current body is able to function

with no trouble and can do most tasks except for high-intensity combat

and complicated data calculations."

"I see. Miro did say there would be a drop in performance, but I

honestly can't tell the difference from before we left Sierra III."

"Yes. There will be no problem when it comes to day to day tasks and

basic support."

May declared as she faced me with her usual unchanging expression. I

set her facial expression level to the lowest possible value without

going overboard to suit my personal taste, but I wonder how she feels

about it? I'm kinda afraid to ask.

"Well, if you want to change some of your default settings when we go

for your upgrade, be sure to inform me. There's still some leeway in the

budget for buying additional functions as well, so don't act reserved

and just tell me, okay."

"Yes. Thank you, Master. I am already satisfied with the settings you

gave me, Master. But I truly appreciate your concern. However, if

something does come to mind in the future, I will be sure to inform

you."

"Yeah. Okay then."

We continued having a relaxed conversation while on guard duty. Well,

even if we're on guard duty, Krishna is just cruising in tandem with the

cargo transport ship with the FTL drive active, so there's actually not

much to do. If we ever get hit with something like an interdictor, the

combined sensors would immediately set off a warning.

These combined sensors are able to detect the gravity waves emitted by

spacecraft and asteroids, subspace vibrations caused by FTL drives and

Hyperdrives, as well as the energy trails left by ships while moving in

subspace.

Mimi tried to give me a detailed explanation, but I couldn't even

understand the basic theories. Anyway, they're impressive sensors that

can act as high-performance radars even while we're in the middle of

FTL travel or plowing through the subspace tunnel caused by the

Hyperdrive. Yep.

By the way, even when similarly equipped with an FTL drive, there's

still a difference in the relative speeds of various ship models. To put it

simply, a large ship can only travel at two to three times the speed of

light, and mid-sized or small craft can go up to ten, or even twenty

times.

What about the Urashima effect, you ask? I don't really get the theory

behind it, but both the FTL drive and the Hyperdrive can circumvent

spacetime relativity by setting one foot into subspace or plunging

completely into it… or something like that. Sorry. Like I said, I don't

really get it myself, so forgive me if I can't offer a clear explanation.

It seems my brain's specs are severely lacking and I can't understand

jack about the FTL (Faster Than Light) technology of this dimension. Or

maybe it's also because I'm not really all that interested in the subject. If

it works, it works. Right guys? I don't really get how computers and

smartphones back on Earth work either, but I can still use em without

any problems.

"But it's been strangely quiet. There wasn't even a peep from pirates

yesterday. It's the same today."

"Yes. It seems to be the case. Perhaps due to their numbers being

reduced because of the attack on Sierra III, they are currently laying

low and reorganizing."

"They lost over a hundred ships in that battle after all."

Since the anti-pirate fleet didn't expect that a battle would occur as

soon as they arrived in the sector, they weren't able to fully close the

net, and some pirate ships were able to get away as a result. Well, I

guess it can't be helped. They rushed to deploy after receiving the

emergency transmission from Sierra III after all.

By the way, it seems the anti-pirate fleet has obtained enough

experience to reliably finish off pirates baited into attacking the Pelican

IV within a short span of 2 to 3 minutes after contact. It's a devilish trap

that lures unsuspecting pirates into their deaths by using a seemingly

defenseless civilian cargo ship as bait. Just who could have come up

with such an evil trap and taught Major Serena, I wonder. I'm sure it's

an underhanded guy with a nasty personality. Psyche. It was actually

me, wahaha.

"So, Master has connections within the imperial military as well."

"Yeah. Well, we met by complete coincidence though."

"And there's this ship, Krishna, as well. It seems this ship model is oneof-a-kind."

"Well, there's some complicated circumstances that led me to take

possession of this ship."

"I want to know more about Master."

"Mm… Let's see…"

How much should I tell her, I wonder. It's not like I know where Krishna

came from myself. The story of me suddenly being moored in this

dimension along with Krishna does sound more than a bit far fetched.

Besides, my situation is also quite complicated. There's a lot I don't

know. And I'm also a bit apprehensive about talking about my

circumstances to an independent AI that's like a bundle of curiosity.

"Master, even though I can't claim that my security features are perfect,

it is very advanced, so there's no need to worry much about privacy."

"O-Okay?"

"The information stored in my memory banks can only be accessed by

myself. I can reveal some non-critical info to a third party for data

collection purposes, but I will never give out any confidential

information under any circumstance. So please rest assured, Master."

I could feel a firm will radiating within May's eyes as she gazed straight

at me. Umu.

"Honestly speaking, my situation is, uh, quite peculiar. I also have a lot I

don't understand about my situation myself, so I'm worried that my

circumstances will spread to the independent AI community if I talk to

you about it, May."

"I see. I understand. However, let me just reiterate that I am a maidroid

completely dedicated to serving you, Master. It's my reason for

existence. All of me is dedicated to you, Master. So tell me what I should

do to prove my loyalty and let you believe me."

"Hmm... Proving that May would absolutely not betray me is quite

difficult, I'm afraid."

It's not like I can monitor May's data transmissions 24/7. And even if I

request for her communication logs, there's no guarantee that she'll

give me the complete list. Since she can tamper freely with those logs

before handing them over, they can't serve as proof of her loyalty

anyway.

"So we won't get anywhere if I don't start trusting you, huh May? Well,

being paranoid all the time is quite tiresome anyway. Keep everything I

tell you a secret, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you very much, Master. I will never betray your trust."

"I hope so."

May vowed to keep my matters a secret with an unchanging serious

expression. Well, it's not like she displays any other expression apart

from this one anyway. And so, I started talking about my circumstances,

beginning with me suddenly waking up and finding myself in this

dimension. The moment I woke up, I was already inside Krishna's

cockpit. I then related my various misadventures in this dimension –

my journey to Termaine Prime, meeting the then-lieutenant and now

Major Serena, the fact that this world and a game called Stella Online in

my home dimension were eerily similar, my encounter with Elma,

registering as a mercenary, rescuing Mimi, and the battle in the

Termaine star system.

"So, according to your perception Master, this world is similar to a video

game called [Stella Online] that was released in what you claim to be

the [real world], correct?"

"From my perspective, that's exactly the case. But there is also a lot of

stuff that's different from my in-game knowledge. For example, I have

no memory of a space empire called Graccan or the Vereverem

Federation existing in the game, and the star systems displayed on the

Galaxy Map are also entirely unfamiliar to me. And yet the starship

models, equipment, as well as other products on the market were all in

the game."

"I see... What curious circumstances. By the way Master, are you

familiar with something called the Simulation Theory?"

"Simulation Theory? Can't say I am."

"It's a theory in which I, Master, and all other existing phenomena, are

created by a hyper-complex computer simulation utilizing untold

amounts of data and requiring transcendental technology."

"That's a pretty scary theory. So that means everything in this world is

merely created by that so-called computer simulation, right? I kinda

feel it devalues the preciousness of lives."

"Yes, that is the case, isn't it? But, considering your circumstances, it's

not like this theory is completely off the mark, correct? You were

suddenly sent to a world that greatly resembles the game you were

playing after all."

"Well, it's not like I haven't considered it myself, but I just can't bring

myself to believe this is all just some virtual simulation, especially after

meeting MImi and Elma. And in the first place, the technological level of

my world is lightyears behind this one. Actually, it's also possible that

somewhere in this vast universe, the world I was from is actually being

simulated for who-knows-what reason. In other words, it's not like I

was thrown into a world similar to the game I was playing, but I was

just thrown out of that simulation and ended up in my present

circumstances. Well, it's not like there's a way to find out right now."

Actually, the theory I shared with Mimi and Elma about how my

consciousness from a parallel universe was thrown inside the body of

the 'me' existing in this universe can also be one possibility. In any case,

I still feel a kind of disconnect from my previous and present

circumstances sometimes.

The point is, I'm absolutely clueless. Yup.

"Honestly speaking, I feel it's a waste of time to be hung up with these

kinds of things. There may be a possibility of finding out what's up if I

go around declaring 'I'm not a person from this universe, so please help

me out!" or something. But I bet I'll just be treated as someone crazy by

most people, or maybe a subject of research. Instead of worrying about

it, I'm more cool with living it up every day and enjoying my time with

everyone."

Yeah. That's what I honestly feel right now. It's great that I was able to

register in the Mercenary Guild, which is such a convenient and helpful

organization. It's also great that I had Krishna with me. If I didn't have

Krishna, I'd probably be worse off than Mimi when I first encountered

her.

"I see... You have a point. I also agree that it's fine if Master believes it

to be so."

"There probably would come a time when I'll have to actively search for

answers. But there's no need to do that just yet. Probably."

And it's not like I absolutely want to return to my former world anyway.

It's true that I'm curious about whatever happened in my previous

world when I disappeared, but since I can't get back, then there's no use

thinking about it. It would be a different story if I left my family or a

lover back there, but unfortunately, I have neither of those. For better or

for worse anyway. In fact, I actually enjoy staying in this world more.

There's also Mimi and Elma to consider.

"I guess this should be enough for this particular topic. Anything else

you wanna ask me, May?"

"Yes. How about–"

Afterward, I continued answering the curious May's questions as we

passed the time together.