Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 76
Alois’s vision darkened, and a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth, staining the inside of his helmet, blurring his view. His organs spasmed continuously, each convulsion pushing out more blood. He felt cold all over, his fingers gripping the control stick stiff as ice. He knew this was a normal reaction to being hit by infrasound waves, and he comforted himself by thinking that as long as he kept breathing and called for help soon, he would survive. But the severe pain and cold repeatedly dashed his optimism.
A sudden, nameless fear surged in his heart. He was going to die here, in the vast, empty space of the universe, alone, without a living soul beside him.
‘No, that won’t do,’ he thought. He hadn’t completed the mission given by the captain; he needed to ensure his companions escaped safely; he needed to return to Joshua…
If he were the protagonist in some novel, now would be the time for a miraculous weapon to descend from the heavens to rescue him from peril.
He refilled the cockpit with air, then removed his helmet, finally clearing his vision.
Then, the radar indicated that an immeasurably large object had appeared ahead—through the optical screen, space seemed to warp, and a massive gray-white spaceship emerged from a jump state, slowly transforming from a sphere, its struts and outer layers unfolding like a flower blooming in the starry sky.
Alois’s lips moved. He recognized this spaceship; he had seen it countless times on television—it was one of the three carriers Neo Athens prided itself on, the Socrates.
He loosened his grip on the control stick, allowing himself to fall into darkness.
Alois was groggy and dreamt a lot. Sometimes he was vaguely aware that he was dreaming, and at other times he couldn’t tell whether he was in a dream or reality. His dreams were noisy and chaotic, with many people talking, but the noise made it impossible for him to hear anything clearly.
He had a vague vision of Darius swinging his fists at him. Darius, still a teenager then, was the unrivaled top student at school, always carrying an arrogant demeanor. Then Darius turned into Annot. The Prince had a faint smile with Alveira silently standing behind him. Soon, the siblings transformed into the three pirate siblings, chirping about something he couldn’t make out.
After a long while, the three’s figures also vanished. Alois wandered aimlessly in the dark, feeling helpless like a child, walking endlessly until a silvery light appeared before him. At first, he thought it was the Bard’s graceful, white figure, but it turned out to be the silver-haired Joshua.
He opened his mouth to call Joshua’s name, but all that came out was blood. The blood dripped to the ground, soaking a large patch of darkness, the intense smell of blood permeating the surroundings. Then the blood transformed into a fluttering red flag, then into Joanna’s red hair.
The female pirate looked at him under the starry sky, silent, just staring quietly. Alois stood face to face with her, seemingly close enough to touch, yet separated by an entire galaxy.
It felt like centuries had passed, yet it seemed just a moment. Joanna gave him a comforting smile, turned, and stepped into the endless dark.
Alois opened his eyes, unsure if he was still dreaming or truly awake. He tried moving his arms; sensation gradually returned to his body, and the lingering pain told him he was still alive.
So he began to look around. He lay on a hard platform, covered by a transparent lid. He tried to lift his arm but found it obstructed by something like water, hampering his movement. This must be a medical pod, he thought. Am I saved? Where am I?
He mustered all his strength and tapped on the transparent lid, making a “clang” sound.
“It’s good to see you awake,” a crisp female voice came through. It was a stranger’s voice, one Alois had never heard before. He turned his sore neck and saw a young girl standing outside the medical pod. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, her dazzling golden hair shining brightly. She wore a black, elaborate gown, somewhat similar to Leo’s but more ornate, like a custom-made evening dress.
“Who… are you?” Alois rasped, his voice echoing weirdly in the healing fluid, making it unclear whether the girl could understand him.
The girl smiled faintly. “I am Beatrice, the artificial intelligence serving this ship—” She gestured to indicate her location. “The Socrates.”
It took several minutes for Alois’s sluggish brain cells to search his memory for “Beatrice”. Yes, she was one of the three AIs of Neo Athens, named after the beautiful angel in Dante’s “Divine Comedy” who guided the poet into heaven.
She said this was the Socrates? One of Neo Athens’s three carriers?
“How… did I end up here?”
“You were severely injured in battle,” the AI explained, “and just as the Socrates was passing nearby, it rescued you.”
Alois faintly remembered the giant spaceship he saw before he passed out. “What about my companions? The captain? What about Joanna? Was she saved too? How is she?”
A trace of sadness flickered across Beatrice’s face. “You were very badly injured.” She sidestepped the question about Joanna, giving Alois an ominous feeling. “You need to rest. Once you recover, I will tell you everything.”
“No! I want to know now!” he roared, pounding on the transparent lid, which remained immovable. The projection of the girl AI suddenly vanished. Alois smelled a sweet scent, then his limbs grew incredibly heavy, strength draining from his body, eyelids weighed down as if bearing immense weight. He thought, I’m lying in healing fluid. They must have mixed some sedative in it. He couldn’t even resist as he drifted back into sleep.
This time, he didn’t dream.
When he woke up again, nearly all the pain had disappeared, but he felt extremely listless, unwilling to move. The healing fluid still surrounded him. It seemed the doctors on the Socrates had no intention of letting him out of the pod yet.
“Beatrice?” Alois tried calling the AI’s name.
Instead, a familiar figure appeared before him—purple long hair, ornate scholar’s robe—it was Leonard.
“You’re awake.” Leonard’s face showed no joy, as if Alois’s survival was something not worth celebrating.
“Leo?” Alois was very surprised. “Why are you here?”
“They found a chip on you,” Leo replied dully. “I’m now loaded onto this ship.” He irritably waved his hand. “Stuck with a nagging woman!”
He was probably referring to Beatrice.
“Leo, how is everyone else?” Alois asked the question that had been lingering in his mind. “What about Joshua? The Captain?”
“Joshua is fine.” Leo was more forthcoming than Beatrice. “Everyone’s fine… except for the Captain.”
Alois shuddered. “The Captain… What happened to her? Is she injured? Or…”
“Don’t ask,” Leonard interrupted him. “Stop talking. Don’t say anything.”
Alois took a deep breath, feeling the healing fluid fill his lungs. He wanted to cry out but couldn’t even make a sound.
This can’t be. The Captain couldn’t possibly be dead. She’s Joanna Begrel, the invincible legend of the galaxy. How could she die!
Alois hoped this was just another of his many nightmares. He stared at Leo, hoping to see a hint of deception on the latter’s face, hoping Leo would suddenly burst out laughing and say, “Ha, you believe that?” hoping Joanna would suddenly appear from somewhere, mercilessly mocking his naivety…
But there was nothing.
With his head throbbing, he fell asleep again in the sedative-laden healing fluid. He woke up a few times, vaguely hearing voices around him, but he was too weak to ascertain who they were and what they were saying.
Days passed in a daze, and when Alois awoke from a dream for the umpteenth time, he found the lid of the healing pod open, lying stiffly on the platform, dressed in a sleeveless hospital gown. Next to the pillow, neatly folded, was a set of clothes, not his own.
He cautiously sat up, moved his spine, and realized he felt no pain at all.
Leonard, hands tucked in his sleeves, appeared beside him, startling him.
“I was just about to wake you up,” the AI said expressionlessly. “Since you’re awake, come down and walk around.”
Alois stepped onto the cold floor barefoot. After standing up, he felt dizzy and nearly fell back onto the platform. It took a while to stabilize. Leo looked helpless. “Be careful,” he said. “You’re still a bit anemic.”
“Okay.” Alois steadied himself, waited for the dizziness to subside, then picked up the neatly folded clothes next to him, compared them against his body—they fit perfectly, clearly specially prepared for him by the Socrates. After dressing, he discovered that the clothes were actually a robe, similar to Leo’s but much simpler in style.
“Come with me. Someone is waiting for you.”
Following Leo out of the medical room, they faced a circular corridor leading to a large circular door. Leo walked to the door, glanced back at Alois as if urging him to hurry up.
“Who is waiting for me?” Alois approached him nervously.
Leonard showed the first smile since their reunion. “Of course, it’s the person you want to see the most.”
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