After inheriting the facility nestled within Uni, the moon of Ars, Jin found himself deep in thought, pondering his next moves.
There was so much he wanted to do and so much he wanted to know. Accomplishing it all at once was impossible; he had to establish a clear set of priorities.
Just then, the facility's Control Brain, Jack, issued a report.
"A large meteorite is approaching. How shall I proceed?"
"A large meteorite? Is it heading for Uni?" Jin asked.
"Yes. It is not on a collision course, but it is projected to pass approximately twenty thousand kilometers away along the outer edge of our orbit."
"How have you handled them in the past?"
"Objects that pose no danger are ignored. Those deemed hazardous are destroyed and collected."
"Collected?"
When Jin asked for clarification, he learned that simply blowing up a meteorite in space did little to mitigate the danger. Instead, the facility would shatter them into manageable fragments, draw them toward Uni with magic, and allow them to accumulate on the lunar surface.
"Occasionally, rare resources can be obtained this way," Jack added.
"You mean things like Mityanite?" Speaking through Jin D, Jin recalled what No. 700672 had told him—that Elradrite, also known as Mityanite, was actually meteoritic in origin.
"Mityanite? May I assume you are referring to the ore capable of amplifying and compressing magical energy?"
"Yeah, that’s the one."
No. 700672 had called it a meteorite and named it accordingly. It seemed Jack, however, used a different terminology.
"We refer to it as Univasium."
The name was derived from the fact that it was discovered in meteorites drifting through space rather than being native to a planet's surface. According to Jack, they also occasionally recovered ores containing adamantite and mithril. However, the most abundant resources were iron and nickel, followed by peridotite.
"Continue with your standard disposal protocols," Jin instructed.
"Understood."
"Well, that sounds like a sensible way to handle space debris," Jin remarked, voicing his admiration back on Hourai Island.
"Indeed, My Lord. On that note, I have a proposal. Should we encounter any large meteorites during our future space voyages, might we teleport them to the moon... to Uni?"
"I’m not sure," Jin mused. If the moon's mass increased too much, it might eventually interfere with its orbital stability. When he voiced this concern, Laojun offered an alternative.
"In that case, perhaps we could use Gravity Magic to aggregate the debris in a specific region of space?"
Essentially, it would be an orbital salvage point.
Jin, knowing that waste was sometimes used for land reclamation in modern Japan, began to wonder if he could eventually build a space base on such a foundation. He agreed it was a better idea, though they couldn't immediately decide on the best location to store the waste. It was logged as an ongoing task.
"My Lord, I have one more suggestion. How about establishing a rudimentary space base on the far side of Uni?"
It was a compelling idea. Having a base directly on the lunar surface would make deep-space excursions significantly easier. Furthermore, the "far side" meant the face perpetually turned away from Ars—and thus away from the sun, Celane—meaning they wouldn't have to worry about the harsh glare of visible light or intense ultraviolet radiation.
"You're right. I'll check on the feasibility."
"Jack, I'm considering having my subordinates build a simple base for spaceships on the far side of Uni. Any objections?"
"None at all. If you require materials for construction, please feel free to utilize the meteorites I mentioned earlier."
"Thanks, I’ll do that."
This was a major breakthrough; they wouldn't have to transport every single building material from the surface. Additionally, the lunar environment provided a natural vacuum, which was highly advantageous for certain manufacturing processes. For instance, making mercury thermometers or magic bottles would be much simpler when the air didn't need to be manually evacuated.
"One more thing, Jack. Do you conduct astronomical observations?"
"Yes, continuously."
Observing from the vacuum of space was far more precise than looking through Ars's atmosphere. Jin had planned to build an observatory of his own, but if the data already existed, he could simply use Jack's records.
"Then you're familiar with the long-period planet?"
"I am tracking a planet with a highly elliptical orbit and a revolution period of 1,204 years."
"Do you know when it will make its closest approach?"
"Yes. Based on the calendar used on Ars, the closest approach is projected for October 20th."
As expected of a space-based system, Jack was well-informed.
"Because it will pass significantly closer than in previous cycles, we anticipate it will exert some degree of influence on both Ars and Uni."
"I figured as much."
If even the Control Brain was wary, they would definitely need to prepare countermeasures. Fortunately, Uni's orbit was maintained artificially, so there was less concern about the moon itself being pulled out of position.
"Furthermore, another factor has come to light."
"Which is?"
"During this cycle, the long-period planet will also pass in close proximity to the fifth planet."
"What?"
According to Jack’s data, there were nine planets in the Celane System. The innermost was Monolord, followed by Zipart. The third orbital path was shared by Ars and Hale. Moving outward, the fourth was Tetrodos, the fifth was Pengolta, and the sixth was Petafors. The seventh was Hesptan, and the outermost, the eighth, was named Ocrotos.
It appeared that Pengolta, the fifth planet, was headed for a near-miss with the long-period planet.
"The probability of a physical collision is negligible. However, they will undoubtedly exert gravitational pull on one another, affecting their respective orbits."
Jin quickly grasped the implications. "So you're saying our current predictions for its path after it passes the fifth planet might be completely wrong?"
"Precisely. At this stage, it is impossible to predict exactly how the long-period planet's trajectory will shift."
"I see..."
"Furthermore," Jack added, "the velocity of the long-period planet is anomalous. It does not appear to remain constant."
For a moment, Jin wondered if the planet was being controlled by someone, much like Uni, but he dismissed the thought as unlikely given the sheer scale of a 1,204-year cycle.
"Well, I suppose we'll know more once it gets closer."
"Correct."
"Alright. Keep up the observations."
"Understood."
With this, Jin had gained a powerful new asset. The lunar facility and its data would be instrumental in dealing with whatever effects the planet's approach in October might bring.
"...Well, I'd say that was a success."
"You did great, Jin-nii."
Jin and Elsa had finally removed their Doppel synchronization gear and were now relaxing in the command room, sipping tea brewed by Reiko.
Jin D remained at the facility on Uni, while Elsa D was still aboard the Adriana. Since they planned to spend the next few days establishing the lunar base, neither unit would be returning just yet.
"Still, I'm glad the mystery of the moon is finally solved."
"Yeah. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it's a tragedy nonetheless."
"Mm... We have to make sure we don't repeat their mistakes."
"You're right about that."
With a clear path forward for space travel, the weight on Jin's shoulders had lightened considerably. Outside, the June breeze blew refreshingly across Hourai Island.
"There's still so much to do and so much I want to try, but we'll take it one step at a time."
"Right. I'll do everything I can to help."
"Father, I will work hard as well."
"My Lord, you can count on me."
"I'm relying on all of you—Elsa, Reiko, Laojun."
Jin looked toward the magi-screen. There, set against the infinite black of the cosmos, countless stars sparkled like diamonds.