Stuck in Two Abysess

While the spacecraft is moving, the damages it sustained required repairs that cannot be done from the inside. Coupled with the fact that they are missing one extra crew member, Hiroshi was forced to break both operational protocol and his personal decision to keep Chiyo inside where it is safer.

["Mind your rope, it can get tangled with something here."]

["Okay. I'll roll it back as needed."]

In order to securely move around weightless space without being swept away from their ship, both Hiroshi and Chiyo placed hooks with nylon ropes on notches at the body of their vehicle.

["The external navigations panel is just around here. Let's go."]

["Right behind you. I'll take out some of the tools now."]

["Mm. Be careful with that."]

After a while of walking across the ship's surface, they arrived at their first point.

["Electric drill, 10-millimeter bolthead."]

["…Here."]

Chiyo took out the drill and attached the bolt attachment before handing it to Hiroshi. Taking care not to put too much pressure on the drill's trigger because of the thick gloves, it took a minute before the panel opened and they saw the extent of the damage.

["It looks like… a few fried wires and a broken resistor set. There's also some burned capacitors under that one."] 

["Looks simple enough but doing it here will be hard… Chiyo, can you handle this while I head for the propulsion panel?"]

["I can, but I don't like the prospect of splitting up. We're out here after all."]

["Fixing this together would eat up precious time. I want to end this as soon as possible. Besides, we still have the communication and water filtration systems to fix later."]

Given that reasoning, Chiyo still wanted to avoid splitting up, but she shares and understands Hiroshi's concern about time. With a heavy heart and a sigh, she approved it and ducked to the panel to fix the damage.

Hiroshi stood up and walked towards the rear of the main cabin where the propulsion diagnosis system of both the main cabin and second stage is located. There, he opened the service panel and saw damage that looks light enough but was hiding a problem that can spell their doom.

"Exhaust gases…!"

A result of the rattling that happened during the lightning strike and the launch, the exhaust gases that was meant to be shot out alongside the rocket fire became clogged inside the pipelines and was coincidentally cut off just in time by him deactivating the engines back then.

"Damn it! Now of all times?!"

The fact that the exhaust gases is clogging up the propulsion system is something that meant two major problems.

First, they cannot reactivate the engines lest the clogged gases cause an explosion that can damage the main cabin and might end up in their deaths.

Second, if he reroutes the exhaust gases so that it can be released without reactivating the engines, it can cause their trajectory that was heading for a flyby around the moon to end up either fully missing it or hitting it head-on.

Right now, he has only two solutions. Either to reroute it and reorient their selves back to their original trajectory or keep it as is and wish that the system would hold up well enough to not cause an explosion.

"…There's only one reasonable choice."

After a moment of pondering, he arrived at a solution.

Back at the navigations panel, Chiyo successfully replaced all the parts in the panel and after running a diagnosis system on it, it showed that it was fixed.

"Alright, that's done."

She closed the panel and turned on her earpiece to talk to Hiroshi.

["I'm done with navigations. I'll head to water filtration now."]

After a short moment, she heard his reply.

["…Okay. I'll leave it to you. Again, be careful."]

Chiyo undid one of her mobility hooks and placed it on another notch at the spaceship's surface, securing her way to the next access panel. Once there, she opened it using the bolt drill and as soon as the panel was undone, a huge blob of water came and floated out into space.

"W-woah!"

["What's wrong, Chiyo? Did something happen there? Should I go and-"]

"Relax… I just opened the water system, and a blob of water came out. Nothing is wrong."

["I see. I ran a diagnosis in the filtration system earlier inside and it seems like there isn't much issue save for a lack of pressure. I'll leave it to you and if you finish earlier than me, head to the communications array ahead of me and look into what's wrong with it."]

"Got it. Stay safe over there."

Those words that she gave was something that Hiroshi really needed as he entered the complex maze that is the engine bay of the craft's second stage.

"Darn it, it's a mess. Thank God, it didn't blow up on us when I ignited it."

Given that he is the principal engineer that created the Raijin-line of rocket engines, Hiroshi knew that no matter how complex his design was or how the other engineers managed to reassemble it to fit together with the similar engines, it shouldn't look like the mess that he is looking at right now.

"Here it is… exhaust gas pipe, pinched by a fallen inlet pipe."

The exhaust pipe that has a diameter as big as two human heads were pinched close by an inlet pipe that was leaking methane. Hiroshi knew it was a methane inlet pipe as the entire pipe and the exhaust pipe was covered by a solid layer of hydrogen ice.

"I can't drill that off without running the risk of getting through the exhaust pipe too. I can open the second stage bay door to let some sunlight in to melt it but…"

Hiroshi looked up to see that the fuel tanks are above him and some of the other pipes are leaking some gases too. He knew that if he opened the bay door, the unfiltered radiation from the sun can end up stewing the fuel and cause an explosion.

"Should I really just keep it like this and not activate the engines?"

Seeing the problem in its entirety, Hiroshi pondered once again about the feasibility of this solution. He knew that after the navigations has been restored, he can at least re-align the spacecraft back to its trajectory to the moon, however, he worried about whether the release of the built-up gases would be slow and controlled or entirely uncontrollable.

"…No time to doubt it. I have to do something to fix this somehow."

Hiroshi closed off the exhaust valve, stepped on the wall of the ship interior and jumped towards the inlet pipe that was pinching the exhaust pipe.

"Dor…yaa!"

And with all his momentum behind it, he punched the pipe, making it break away from the other and let the built-up gases to rush through the pipe at least until where the valve is located.

"Argh… that hurt a bit."

After shaking off the pain on his hand, Hiroshi approached the caved-in pipe and measured the extent of the dent. With quick mental calculations, he found that it would make the flow of gases turbulent enough to send the entire engine controls haywire during operation.

To put it simply, even if he managed to remove the obstruction in the pipe, it is still dented and dangerous to operate.

"It's impossible to fix this… If I refire the engines, forget about choking it out, it may backfire and kill us."

He looked around the engine bay and he can see countless other damages that may seem superficial and negligible. However, he can see all of it adding up to become a huge problem for their mission and safety.

"…No choice then, this would screw up the stage separation but if it saves us from death, it's worth it."

As he busied himself with repairing the damage as much as he can, back in the water filtration panel, Chiyo finished the repairs and the diagnosis panel showed that everything is working well now.

"Whew… now that's done. Alrighty then, let's head to the front."

After undoing one of her suit's securing latches, Chiyo went to the communications array and there, saw why the damage report said that it was nearly complete.

"…I don't even need to open the panel, this is already bare open."

Chiyo ducked lower to see the damage properly and after using a variety of prying tools to break through the panel door, she saw the extent of the damage that is beyond any kind of repair even in the most perfect scenario.

"Wires, sensors… even the plastics. Everything is a mess."

The antenna array filled with sensitive electronics was either broken into pieces or melted into a blob of plastic and metal. The wires, although still wrapped in insulating plastic, has basically vaporized from the inside and the dedicated control unit that acts as the computer before it connects to the main computer unit of the ship was broken. Of all the damaged systems, it was the one in the worst shape.

"At this point, leaving it here would be more problematic."

Chiyo turned on her radio to inform Hiroshi of what she is proposing to do about it.

"Hiro-kun. I'm here in the communications array and it's not looking good."

["…Go on, I'm listening."]

"First of all, the entire array is destroyed. From how I see it because we still somehow managed to talk to mission control all the way up to the middle atmosphere, the panel door being destroyed by the lightning strike led to the entire system being unprotected during the launch and the rest of the flight caused this mess."

["Are you saying that the damage report was right?"]

"Worse… it's not just unrepairable, it's unsalvageable. Not even bringing it back to earth would bring this back to a somehow operational state."

From the other side of the line, Chiyo heard Hiroshi give out a long sigh and she became worried about what to do next.

["I'm actually at the same state down here in the propulsion system. A lot of mess caused by the lightning strike's tremors and the emergency launch. I don't think I can get there to help."]

"I-It's alright, I can handle it by myself so you can focus back there."

["Okay, but as I said before, sta-"]

"Stay safe, I know already… you too. Don't be reckless down there."

["Okay… by the way, I'll be entering the main engine bay soon, so I'll be out of the radio's range. If there is any emergency, head inside immediately. I'll do the same thing too from here."]

After that, the radio crackled and was filled with static, signifying that Hiroshi is no longer in range. With that, Chiyo sighed, turned off the radio and went ahead with handling the work she has on hand.

"This broken system is hopeless… but there must be a way to at least radio the "kill code" into the nanomachines in the moon."

Chiyo rummaged through the mess and managed to salvage a few parts that can still do something such as a few tens of meters of copper wire, a transistor and a few odd and ends from the bigger damaged components. Seeing what she has on hand, Chiyo had an idea.

"Aha! With this, there is a way to use the radio!"

With less than thirty minutes of oxygen left on both of their suits, the two busied their selves with increasing their chance to survive in this long and dangerous journey ahead of them.

Back on earth, morning already came for Japan and everyone from the youngest child who can understand things to the elderly whose life is nearing its end knew about the fact that the launch was successful… but not in a way that is likeable.

"So that was the noise from last night!?"

"It's good that it launched, but can we be sure that the Kirin Lord and his wife is alive?"

"The official newspapers aren't saying anything either!"

Caught in an information void as none of the news agencies has been told anything concrete and reliable, the people began to turn from the official media outlets to the tabloids that have crawled out once again with numerous salacious headlines meant to capitalize on the ongoing incident.

["ASSASINATED BY HIS RIVALS! KIRIN LORD AND WIFE SENT TO THEIR DEATHS BY THE SHOGUNATE!"]

["TOO SMALL FOR ONE RULER? THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LATEST SHOGUNATE SCHEME!"]

["COMPLICIT TO THEIR MASTER'S MURDER! KIKO MILITARY COUP D'ETAT?!"]

As hours went by without any other means to get proper information reliably, the tabloid newspapers and illegal underground radio operators became the vine of the public to at least get the latest news about what was happening.

"NO! We cannot risk having the public be empathetic to those crooks!"

"…"

At the office of Hiroshi in Naka castle, Nobisuke took over the position of acting prefectural governor in lieu of both Hiroshi and Chiyo who was sent into space. There, he began to berate his fellow subordinate of Hiroshi and now, a military officer of the same authority and rank, Himeji Kotori, after she told him about arresting the tabloid newspaper writers and the illegal radio operators.

"If you arrest them now, it will just make the public think that we're stopping them from getting any information."

"That's too bad then, Nobisuke…"

"H-Huh?"

"You see, my men have already moved before I even came here. Me being here is just a formality given that you're currently the acting prefectural governor."

Right at that moment, before he can gather his thoughts, the telephone on the table rang loudly and Kotori looked at it before uttering a suggestion.

"I highly recommend that you take that call… and if you may, put it on loudspeaker."

"…"

Shaking in both nervousness and annoyance, Nobisuke raised the telephone and pressed the loudspeaker button.

"This is General Shimura Nobisuke. Identify yourself."

["S-Sir! This is the first guard tower of the main gate! We're seeing a mob gathering in the city square and it seems like they are aiming to march towards the castle!"]

"What?!"

["We can't get through to our commander in the main keep, so we called you! We're asking permission to fire-"]

"NO, NO, NO!!! You're not firing on civilians!"

["But sir! They seem to be starting to become belligerent! If we let them form up their ranks and march to the gate, it might be too late to stop-"]

Before the nervous soldier can end his words, Kotori pressed the loudspeaker button again to deactivate it and took the telephone to her ear to answer to it.

"This is General Himeji Kotori. As General Nobisuke said, you must not fire on the mob… I will be there in a minute, and I'll disperse the crowd personally… Yes, hold your ground and don't fire a shot. I'll handle this by myself."

After she put down the telephone which ended the call, Kotori took her katana and wore it on her hip before turning away from Nobisuke.

"Hold on, Kotori… just what on earth are you trying to do now…?"

"…What I have promised you, Chiyo-dono and Iwasawa-sama that I will do if none of you can or are willing to do it. I will do everything that I must do to preserve this peace…"

At that moment, Nobisuke understood that no matter how much he threatened her, the monster that he allowed to grow stronger and wiser has finally escaped from his grip.

"…even if everyone else must suffer for it."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Legally speaking, the Bakufu or Military government is the true ruling power in Japan and even the Southern Quartet Alliance recognizes this as a fact and shows no refusal about it.

However, it is also a fact that the Alliance has a great mismatch of military power compared to the Shogunate, may it be in number of troops, technological superiority and most of all, the small yet significantly dangerous nuclear arsenal that is solely held by Kiko prefecture.

"Haah… haah..!"

"Open the door!"

But instead of offensive weapons, the greatest and most dangerous arm of Kiko's military might is its intelligence and espionage capabilities that is officially named as the "Strategic Intelligence and Surveillance Agency", but because of the names given to the divisions of these secret agents such as the Crows who guard VIPs, the Doves who works as secret contact people to various influential individuals, and the Sparrows who collects information from all across the country, this agency earned a different nickname.

The Aviary… a capability that Kotori is more than willing to use for her own ends.

"Is this him?"

"Yes, ma'am. Hazuki Sabaru, columnist in the infamous "Exposed" and "Eye to eye" tabloids, illegal radio broadcaster that incited riots in the north… and recently, has spun libelous lies after lies for a quick buck-"

"It wasn't for a quick buck! I am the only source of truth amongst the half-truths and white lies of the media conglomerates! I- UWAAAHHH-!!!"

Before he can spout out more, Kotori reached for the console on the table and pressed a button that sent a controlled electric shock to the steel bucket of water on both of his feet.

"I don't remember asking you that question…  captain, continue with your answer."

"Y-Yes… this low-life was caught in Fuku during our raid earlier. He was operating an illegal radio broadcasting station at a small hotel room where he and his cohorts are also printing these two-page tabloids."

The agent handed him a piece of paper that was still wet with ink, a proof of how quickly they caught and transported the outlaw back to Kiko.

"'A murder in broad daylight!', the truth about the Iwasawa Daimyo's launch into space… I have to commend you, you stayed true to your overly dramatized headlines."

"It's not dramatized, it's the truth- GWAAAAAA-!!!"

"I don't remember permitting you to run your mouth like that…"

Kotori pressed the button for a second longer, prolonging the torturous electric shock that he had to endure.

"Now then… we will know it eventually, but I will give you one last chance to at least be seen again by the public and have your rotten soul have a chance of redemption in the afterlife. Where are the rest of the Tabloid Triad? Tell us and you can escape death in a dirty ditch somewhere and at least live a life sentence in a well-maintained prison."

"E.. Sh.. …ch."

"Hm?"

Still shaking from the last electric shock, Subaru muttered something under his breath that Kotori didn't hear.

"Ea.. S…t …ch."

"…!"

The agent captain leaned to hear what he was uttering and after hearing it, he showed a shocked expression.

"What was it?"

"He… to put it into nicer words, he told you to "consume waste, female dog"…"

After hearing that his insult was heard, Subaru spat towards Kotori and gave a cocky smile.

"…I see. Still acting tough and fierce even though he has proven nothing and will never do so ever."

"H-Huh?"

"Forget about executing or imprisoning him, I'll let the people see to it that they get what they are due."

Later that day, the official statement about the accidental launch was finally given and it spelled the doom of everyone who tried to capitalize on the incident either due to a misguided sense of pride as a phony journalist or utter greed for easy and quick money.

"With these, we can conclude that the Kirin Lord and his wife is safe."

"Daimyo Iwasawa and his wife are safe and due to return next week as planned."

"We have nothing to worry, the two people aboard the vessel are virtuosos of their respective fields and are more than enough to perform the mission they were suddenly sent to do."

The evening news reports all bore the same message. The two souls aboard the spaceship are safe and will successfully return to earth as planned.

"What was that all about, Kotori…?"

"What the public demanded in the first place… an answer and reassurance."

"This isn't the right thing to do! We don't even know if they are alive!"

"Are you wishing that they aren't alive then?"

"W-What…?"

Caught unprepared by her question, Nobisuke was stunned and wasn't able to respond.

"I've done nothing but pray for both of their safety since I received the news. But more than prayers of faith, I also believe in their abilities… that they will be able to get home no matter what happens."

"That doesn't explain anything… you… we aren't meant to lie to our people."

"Stop acting like you've won every bout that you faced with clean hands and a noble mind, Nobisuke… You're making me sick."

"-!!!"

"If our enemies can lie to our people, then there is no other way forward than to reassure them with lies as well. And yet, I don't think what I said was a lie…"

Kotori looked outside to the land that she was never born into nor grew up in yet has pledged to protect till her last breath.

"Iwasawa-sama and Chiyo will come back safely… I know that they can do it."

Back to the spaceship that is about to spend its first twenty-four hours in space, the propulsion system has been patched up well enough by Hiroshi who certainly didn't solve but at least made the thing work again reliably.

"With this, the exhaust gases will be released passively without affecting the orientation or direction of the flight… but I don't think it's good to still have the second stage attached while we're passing around the moon."

The engines can be refired again without the risk of explosion or the failure of their mission, but Hiroshi knew that the spacecraft is far too massive right now for him to be able to properly maneuver the vehicle for the fly-by around the moon.

["Cr--- He---"]

"Hm? Chiyo? What's wrong, what's happening out there?"

The crackle from his internal radio set took his attention as the other side seem to try and contact him. Remembering that Chiyo was aware that he's not in range given their last conversation, Hiroshi cleaned up his tools and hopped back out to the hatch that leads to the outside of the engine bay.

"Chiyo? Chiyo, answer me. What is going on there?"

[*Crakkkk… criii-!*]

The radio gave nothing but crackling and static as he exited the hatch and headed inside the range of their radio sets. Still, he can't hear anything legible from it.

"Come in, Chiyo! Come on, tell me you're alright!"

Even when they're supposed to be nearer, there is still no clear or at least understandable reply. At that point, Hiroshi's mind raced to try and find an answer and he thought of only one thing that can cause this malfunction.

"Darn it! I should've warned her!"

Even at the risk of flying off into the dark and cold outer space, Hiroshi undid all his mobility hooks, attached a strong electromagnet onto them and made speedy hops towards the communications array with only the electromagnet acting as his anchor to the spaceship.

"Come on, come on! Don't fail on me now!"

Slowly but surely, he saw the communications array at the other side and nose-end of the ship and saw that his suspicion was right.

"Chiyo! Turn that off! Close that off right now!"

Drowned by shock and adrenaline, Hiroshi shouted out, forgetting that he can never be heard by her as proven by what Chiyo was cheering inside her suit.

"Look! I managed that make a rudimentary two-way transceiver. Isn't that- Ahh!"

After Hiroshi landed near the panel and pushed her away, Chiyo tugged on her mobility rope to land back on the surface of the ship and saw Hiroshi cutting off the wires attached to the antenna that she made.

"W-What are you doing?! Why are you destroying the-"

"Get inside!"

"---!?"

"Get inside now!"

Just as the radio finally crackled back to life and she heard his exclamation, both of their radios began to emit a high-pitched noise which made them turn it off immediately.

"W-What the…"

Chiyo looked at Hiroshi who went back to dismantling the communications array and held him by the shoulder to make him explain what is going on. Now that their radios have been deactivated, Hiroshi fished out a pencil from his toolbox and carefully wrote on the surface of the spaceship's hull.

{We've entered the observation range of the nanomachines. They're tracking us.}

Chiyo immediately understood why Hiroshi hurried to dismantle her creation and the reason why their radio began to emit static.

{They're bombarding us with transmissions that our radios are too simple to decrypt. If the antenna continued to emit radio waves, that would be their cue to direct everything to us.}

Chiyo took the pencil from his hand and asked a question using the same method.

{What now? Without an antenna, we can't send the kill code to the nanomachines.}

After a short pause, Hiroshi took the pencil and gave her an answer that she felt concerned about.

{I don't like it either, but we have no other choice.}

It wasn't something they planned but given the current circumstance, there was no other choice.

{We need to land on the moon.}

Back on earth, the minor incident that happened on the spaceship was immediately detected by someone in Mizuki prefecture who has been monitoring the barrage of radio waves from the moon.

{"…Rin-chan."}

"Mm? What is it, Dori-chan?"

{"…Never mind, I'll go straight to Nobi-kun. You should sleep now."}

"Okay… good night, Dori-chan."

The AI transferred its consciousness to another computer in Naka castle and there, saw that its master's husband and the current governor of Kiko was drinking brandy at nearly midnight.

{"…Curious. What's gotten you on the dumps again, Nobisuke?"}

"…Nothing important."

{"Contradiction. Nothing important, you say, yet you are drinking in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. A behavior you've only done when you feel hopeless or powerless."}

"Alright… but don't talk about it to Rin. I don't want her to be worried."

{"Compromise. I cannot promise yet I am willing to judge if I should."}

"…Kotori is out of control. She's doing as she wants… and I don't have any high ground to stand on to contradict her."

{"Fact. Such is the weakness of humans. You are just as susceptible to the wrongdoings of those you view as your enemy."}

"She's not my enemy… she- haah… We are fellow retainers under Iwasawa-kou-sama, not lower or higher than the other. Yet while that is true, that doesn't help in setting us apart from each other when it comes to the things that we are willing to do."

{"…Confusion."}

"Hm? Confusion?"

{"Indeed. Confusion. I fail to understand why this is bothering you."}

"It's bothering me because I cannot berate her actions and decisions without seeming like a total hypocrite. I keep telling her that there is a proper due process on the things that she is doing yet I know for a fact that if that was me in the past, maybe even in a desperate situation in the present, I would be doing the same things."

The AI kept silent for a moment before it gave Nobisuke a curt answer. 

{"Realization. You have nothing to be ashamed of or think so badly in that case then."}

"And by that, you mean?"

{"Fact. As you said, you have done these so-called "actions and decisions" before and you admit being willing to do as such in a desperate situation. General Himeji is acting according to her judgement that this is the appropriate path to achieve what it is that she is aiming for… with that, you can just as easily be able to do the same thing if you were in her place."}

"You're wrong… we're different."

{"Rebuttal. Are you really any different? Can you be sure about that?"}

Silenced by the AI's retort, Nobisuke tried to open the bottle of brandy again to pour another drink for himself but for some reason, the bottle felt heavier than usual.

"…Alright. You win."

{"Confusion. I don't remember competing with you about something. I simply told you to accept that your way and judgement isn't what should be always followed."}

"Then fine, I admit that you are right… I'll try to reflect on this later on."

{"Pleased. I am glad that you are less hardheaded now that you used to. I still have doubts if you are worthy of Rin-chan's hand, if anything I would immediately tell her to divorce you if you hurt her."}

"D-Don't do that, please… Anyways, why are you here? I don't remember setting up an appointment with you for a pep talk."

{"Reminder. I came here to tell you about something that changed just minutes ago."}

"Changed? What is it?"

{"Answer. The broadcast of static and illegible transmissions from the moon has subsided. I detected that it is currently being directed at a small point in outer space."}

"Wait, what?! D-Does that mean-"

{"Explanation. The lie given by General Himeji earlier was right. Both Hiroshi and Chiyo are still alive and heading towards the moon."}

Back in space, another accident happened after the two were finishing up the external repair work that they were doing.

"ACK-!"

"H-Hiroshi!"

The destroyed panel door of the communications array broke off from its hinge and flew straight to Hiroshi. Given the enormous speed of the moving spacecraft, the object might be light in zero gravity but the velocity behind it was enormous.

"Khak-! Ghah-!"

The panel door hit him both on the helmet visor and the chest, breaking a hairline fracture on his visor that can deprive him of air at any moment and piercing a hole on his suit's torso that if not pulled properly could make him bleed out.

"Ghh! Come on!"

Chiyo, powered by adrenaline and aided by the weightless space, pulled Hiroshi back to the airlock room as he tried his best to hold his pained screams back and not destroy the glass as well as securing down the piece of metal that was lodged to his sternum.

"Calm down! I'm going to help you! Everything is going to be alright!"

"Haah… haah…!"

The two entered the airlock chamber and after securing it close, Chiyo repressurized the cabin before removing her suit and properly examining the damage.

"It's alright now, you can breathe!"

"Haah! AAAHHH!!!"

After his helmet was removed, Hiroshi let out a painful scream that finally broke the fractured visor of his helmet.

"Oh no… It's bleeding out!"

"G-Get the medical kit at the utility closet… and help me take off the lower half of my suit. Kh-!"

"Y-Yes!"

Once again, a life is in danger in the final frontier of space.