Fantasy Galaxy: Why Are There Goblins and Orcs in Space? - Chapter 4

The supplies loaded onto the supply ship Braba were transported to the space station, and we moved from the supply ship to the second-class reconnaissance ship Gyogal.

The second-class reconnaissance ship Gyogal is a combat vessel approximately 120 meters long. Its armament consists only of laser cannons and high-velocity missiles, making it lightly armed. However, it boasted the fastest performance among the Goblin Fleet.

Sario and I joined the other members of the reconnaissance team. The reconnaissance team consists of six members, and was led by Commander Valbo.

The other three members were Berta and Liet from the Warcat race, and Dimas from the Werewolf race. The two Warcats were about 150 centimeters tall, quick, and youthful. In contrast, Dimas was about 190 centimeters tall and was said to be sixty years old.

We underwent further training for working together as a team. Berta and Liet from the Warcat tribe were cheerful and chatty. In contrast, Dimas from the Werewolf tribe was a taciturn man. By the way, Berta was the only female in the group.

When training ended and it was time for a meal, we were handed the usual food supply tubes. I grimaced at the sight of them. It seemed Berta was watching me.

“Zen, you don’t like the food supply tubes either, do you?”

Berta spoke to me. The Warcat race resembled large cats turned humanoid. They were bipedal humanoids, but their bodies were covered in fur, and their faces resembled cats. Berta looks like a Somali cat. Also, her pronunciation of “na” becomes “nya,” which was apparently a characteristic of the Warcat tribe.

“This food supply tube isn’t food. It’s a torture device.”

Upon hearing that, Liet, Berta’s partner, nodded.

“I understand that feeling, nya.”

Berta and Liet were sold to a dark syndicate when they were young and later became reconnaissance soldiers for the Goblin race. Their families were nomads who lost their home planet and could not raise them.

Dimas, the other member, was captured in a war and sold to the Goblin race as well. He once quietly expressed a desire to return to his family left behind on his home planet.

After the training period ended, the reconnaissance team was set to embark on its first mission. We listened to the details of the operation from our commander, Valbo.

“Our first target is a spaceport known as Ponce Spaceport, one of several that exist. You will investigate the interior of Ponce Spaceport and examine its structure.”

The Ponce Spaceport was constructed by the Anubis race. This Gorgona star system originally belonged to them.

The Anubis race was a canine humanoid species, similar to Sario’s Kuushi race. But if the Kuushi race resembled Shiba Inus, the Anubis race resembled Doberman Pinschers instead. The Anubis race was a Civilization Level C species that once ruled over about three hundred star systems. However, they were now extinct due to their conflict with the Celestial Gods.

When I heard that, I thought the race must have had a death wish or were incredibly foolish. The Celestial Gods were overwhelmingly powerful beings. Even if they once ruled over three hundred star systems, it was simply an act of folly for a Civilization Level C species to oppose them.

I heard from Sario about the Anubis race’s demise; they were destroyed by the Rikager Celestial Gods in just one day. It was a chilling tale that conveyed the overwhelming power of the Celestial Gods.

We returned to our room, donned our powered armor, and waited for the reconnaissance ship Gyogal to arrive at Ponce Spaceport. When the reconnaissance ship Gyogal approached near Ponce Spaceport, we received the order to deploy.

With that deployment order, three reconnaissance teams, including ours, set out. We burst into the vacuum of space from the airlock of the reconnaissance ship Gyogal, using the thruster packs on our backs to head toward Ponce Spaceport.

This was my first actual experience maneuvering in outer space. Although everything was supposedly normal, just being in space made my breathing quicken and unpleasant sweat broke out on my back.

If I had been alone in the dark expanse of space, I would have panicked. However, Sario and the others were flying in front of me. Thanks to the presence of my comrades, I was able to fly to Ponce Spaceport without succumbing to panic.

Ponce Spaceport was a massive structure, about three kilometers long, but it was in ruins. There were several holes in the outer wall, and we entered through a five-meter diameter hole on the starboard side. Sario and I were ordered to act together, so we proceeded down the corridor.

“Zen, we still have to use the thruster packs to return. Don’t waste the propellant.”

“Understood.”

We advanced through the corridor, which had neither air nor gravity. Leading the way were Berta and Liet, followed by our commander Valbo and Dimas in the middle, with Sario and me bringing up the rear.

In zero gravity, we propelled ourselves forward by kicking off the floor, walls, and ceiling.

“There’s a door ahead. Investigate what’s inside.”

Knowing there was a door meant it had likely been checked once by a reconnaissance drone.

Liet went to the door to check if it was locked.

“Commander Valbo, the door is locked.”

“Destroy it quickly.”

We had brought explosives for such occasions. Berta and Liet set the explosives on the door and returned.

“Do it.”

At Valbo’s command, the detonation switch was pressed, and the door was blown open. Since there was no air, we couldn’t hear the explosion, but the vibrations caused by it were transmitted to my hand that was touching the wall.

Debris from the door scattered, making it impossible to approach for a while. Once the dust settled, we entered through the blown-open door. The room appeared to be a large warehouse, with various cargo containers floating around.

There seemed to be many parts of something or other. They were likely spare parts for the machinery used at Ponce Spaceport. However, most of them appeared to be broken.

“Go deeper and search carefully. Look for anything that might be useful.”

Valbo issued a vague command. The floating debris from the explosion made it difficult to move further inside. Nevertheless, since it was an order, we pressed on and found a safe fixed to the floor, which seemed to be about the size of a tatami mat. However, the lock part was broken.

A safe, huh? It’s broken, so it’s not useful. No, is the content the issue? I’ll hold off on that. Looking around, I noticed that Sario and Berta had disappeared from sight due to the floating cargo.

I searched for anything else. Then, I discovered a room at the back of the warehouse. The door was open, and inside, something that looked like a new spacesuit was floating. I approached and peered inside the helmet.

“Whoa!”

I jumped back reflexively. Inside the spacesuit was a mummified corpse. After calming down, I searched for anything else. I noticed a cargo container covered with a sheet at the back of the room. Thanks to the sheet, the cargo within had not scattered or been damaged.

The sheet was secured to the floor with metal fittings. I removed one of those fittings. Then, a part of the sheet was lifted, revealing what was inside. It appeared to be a maintenance robot. The box indicated it was the latest military maintenance robot model. However, it was the latest model from decades ago.

It seemed there were about fifty of those boxes stacked up.

“Come back.”

I heard Valbo’s voice from the communicator. I hurried toward the entrance and rejoined the others.

“Looks like everyone’s here. Give your reports.”