Thus, utilizing the Doppels—remote body doubles that eliminated any physical risk to his actual body—Jin finally set out to explore the Moon.
At 8:00 AM on June 2, the flagship Adriana stood ready for departure at the Hourai Island spaceport.
"Alright, Laojun. Anytime you're ready."
"Yes, My Lord. Commencing countdown."
The count was strictly for the sake of atmosphere.
"10... 9... 8... 7..."
The real Jin and Elsa were lying on specialized seats within the command room of the laboratory, wearing their control rigs.
"...4... 3... 2... 1..."
The count hit zero.
"Launch!"
The Adriana, a massive spherical spaceship three hundred meters in diameter, rose weightlessly into the air.
It ascended slowly at first to avoid whipping up any strong winds. Once it reached an altitude of approximately one thousand meters, it began to gradually accelerate.
"Eventually, I’d like to build a relay base in satellite orbit and launch from there," Jin mused as he lay in the command room.
＊ ＊ ＊
『...Incredible.』
Jin and Elsa’s Doppels were currently in the observation room at the Adriana's upper pole.
The room was protected by light-shielding barriers and other defenses. Since they were currently piloting Doppels, things like cosmic radiation were of no concern.
Elsa was deeply moved, having ventured into the void in a Doppel that felt indistinguishable from her own flesh.
Stars shone brilliantly against a pitch-black backdrop; the sun blazed with terrible intensity; and then there was the glowing blue water planet... Ars.
Jin D watched Elsa D in silence, his gaze warm as she stared out at the view.
『Jin-nii, thank you.』
After a long silence, Elsa spoke in a small voice, as if whispering to herself.
『I’m so, so happy to be able to see this sight.』
Jin D gently draped an arm around Elsa D's shoulders as she murmured those words.
『I’ll make you even happier from here on out,』 he whispered.
『...Thank you.』
Elsa D quietly leaned her weight into Jin D's side.
『My Lord, we will shortly leave circular orbit and head for the Moon.』
Taisei’s voice rang out, breaking the silence. Jin D and Elsa D brought their focus back to the reality of the mission.
『Let’s head back to the Central bridge.』
『Mm.』
When Jin D and Elsa D returned to the Central bridge, the main screen showed Ars receding into the distance.
『Currently flying at a cruising speed of two hundred kilometers per second.』
『Everything's looking good.』
As far as the sensory feedback of the Doppels could tell, the flight aboard the Adriana was perfectly comfortable. The internal gravity was maintained at 1G, and the living quarters were filled with breathable air. Although the Doppels had no need for sustenance, the ship was stocked with ample food and water just in case.
『Yeah, things are going well. Taisei, I’m counting on you.』
『Yes, please leave it to me.』
『My Lord, please take a short rest.』
Anne, who had boarded as a crew member to support Jin D and Elsa D, spoke to the pair.
『Right, let’s do that.』
＊ ＊ ＊
Since there was essentially nothing to do until they reached the Moon, Jin and Elsa removed their control rigs and sat up from their seats.
"Phew."
As expected, flying through space—even via a Doppel—was a bit nerve-wracking.
"..."
Beside him, Elsa had also sat up. She was staring at Jin with a flushed face, seemingly becoming self-conscious about what had been said in the observation room now that she was back in her own body.
"Father, Elsa-sama. Please, have some tea."
Reiko brought them some brown rice tea. To ensure the safety of Jin’s physical body, Reiko had remained on the ground. In her stead, Anne, Loll, and Refa had boarded the Adriana.
"Ah, thank you."
The distance between Ars and the Moon was approximately 380,000 kilometers. Traveling at 200 kilometers per second, the journey would take roughly 32 minutes.
During that time, Jin and Elsa decided to relax and drink their tea. Since Elsa’s tension was visibly apparent, Jin had judged it best for them to temporarily disconnect from the Doppels to clear their heads.
Twenty-five minutes passed.
On the magi-screen in the command room, the image of the Moon sent from the Adriana was displayed, growing larger with every passing second.
"It’s about time to go back."
"Mm."
"Reiko, thanks for the tea."
Jin and Elsa leaned back into their seats once more and donned their rigs.
＊ ＊ ＊
『My Lord, we will reach lunar orbit in three minutes. All systems are green.』
Taisei reported to Jin D as he returned to the Central bridge of the Adriana.
『Understood.』
Since they had already performed a remote flyby of the Moon once before, everything up to this point had been effortless.
『First, let's make a few laps. Try lowering our altitude bit by bit.』
『Acknowledged.』
The Adriana entered orbit around the Moon.
『The surface looks like a complete wasteland.』
『Yes, My Lord. There appears to be no atmosphere.』
As they lowered their altitude, the details became clearer. The surface was composed of rock, gravel, and sand, with no signs of life. While there appeared to be no breathable air, white patches that looked like dry ice were visible in some areas, suggesting the possibility that an atmosphere might have existed in the ancient past.
『Current altitude: approximately ten thousand kilometers from the lunar surface.』
While orbiting, they began measuring various data points.
『The diameter is approximately one thousand seven hundred kilometers.』
This was no different from the measurements taken during the previous scan.
『It seems certain that it keeps the same face turned toward Ars at all times.』
This, too, remained one of the Moon’s great mysteries.
『Current altitude: approximately five thousand kilometers.』
They planned to eventually drop down to a height of one thousand kilometers, though they had no intention of landing the flagship itself.
『Alright, prepare the reconnaissance aircraft.』
For occasions like this, the ship carried ten 10-meter-class spaceships of the same model as the Icarus 2. The pilots were the Astro units—small, 40-centimeter-class golems designed specifically for space operations.
Three ships—the Achilles, the Perseus, and the Hercules—were launched from the Adriana's hangar.