Even before his arrest, Kaito had made it a hobby to dig up and read text data from the depths of the network, dating back to the Common Era.
The Supreme Leader favored classical works published during the Common Era, but Kaito, being younger, had a taste for deeper, more obscure material.
Even among works never published as books, several masterpieces from the Common Era were buried in underground network archives.
“Well, I won’t be bored, that’s for sure.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
The warden’s voice, though mechanical, carried a hint of exasperation.
In a human lifetime, the amount of text one can read is, unfortunately, limited. There’s not enough time to read every masterpiece in one’s lifetime, and spending one’s life solely on that is a luxury most cannot afford.
Kaito, in his limited lifetime, had gained the right to spend his time reading without interference from anyone. He chose to view his life as a prisoner in a positive light.
“Alright, exercise is over. Officer, please check on me.”
“Yes. There’s no decline in motor or physical functions. I’ll consider today’s schedule complete.”
“Thank you. Now then…”
Having finished his daily exercise, Kaito immediately turned his attention to his tablet.
Meals, exercise, sleep, and reading—Kaito’s life as a prisoner strictly adhered to this routine. According to the officer, he was a model prisoner.
From Kaito’s perspective, he was simply doing what he liked in the way he liked. If anything, he’d be troubled if his sentence were shortened because of it.
“Hey, Officer.”
“Yes?”
“Does my sentence get shortened for being a model prisoner?”
“No. Those sentenced to exile are not eligible for sentence reduction. It might be disappointing, but—”
“No, no, that’s fine. By the way, Officer, did the request I submitted to access underground works from the early 2000s get approved?”
“Yes. The data should be transferred within 300 hours.”
“Yes!”
Kaito clenched his fist in excitement. The officer muttered something about not understanding why he was so happy.
While waiting for the data to arrive, Kaito busied himself by browsing the database for registered books.
Three years had passed since his exile sentence began. For a typical prisoner, this would be around the time they’d undergo counseling once or twice.
But Kaito was thoroughly enjoying his life as a prisoner.
—Until this day.
“I have a report, Mr. Crouch.”
“?”
Surprised to be called by name rather than by his number, Kaito turned to face the officer.
“It’s rare to be called by name instead of a number.”
“I’m here to inform you that your sentence has been terminated as of today.”
“…Could you elaborate?”
The termination of his sentence didn’t sit well with him.
It was already confirmed that those sentenced to exile were not eligible for amnesty. Even if they were, a sentence of over ten years wouldn’t be shortened so abruptly.
“Communications with Earth have been severed.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Mr. Crouch, you’ve never shown interest in what happens on Earth.”
“Ouch.”
“Yes. All communication with any viable nation-state has been lost, and the Earth’s contaminated zones are rapidly expanding. We’ve concluded that human society has collapsed due to some factor.”
The explanation felt surreal. Kaito instinctively moved to the window overlooking Earth.
“The orbital elevator is broken.”
“Yes.”
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked down at Earth. For some reason, he could see that the orbital elevator extending from the surface had snapped. There were likely others beyond his field of vision, but they were probably in a similar state.
“I see,” Kaito quietly understood. “Human history has come to an end.”
“Based on the above reasons, we’ve determined that Mr. Crouch’s exile sentence has been completed. Officer 8979, as the superior in this prison, hereby relinquishes authority and designates Mr. Crouch as the new superior. Master Crouch, your orders?”
The officer’s formal words echoed emptily in the now solitary prison.
His sentence was over. It was an outcome he didn’t desire, but it was the only reality.
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Having ended his sentence in a way he never expected, Kaito found himself at a loss.
He had planned to spend his entire sentence immersed in reading. The books accumulated throughout human history were, thankfully, so vast that even if he picked and chose, he couldn’t consume them all in a lifetime.
But now,
with Earth seemingly in ruins, there was no hope for replenishing food or water. The only saving grace was that, if not wasted, there was enough to last about half a year.
“Master Crouch. Please provide guidance on our next steps.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it?”
The former officer’s words were perfectly reasonable.
Staying here would only lead to starvation.
He glanced out the window. The broken orbital elevator and the Earth, now dotted with red and brown patches like insect bites. Had a final war broken out? Had a massive asteroid struck? Or was it Earth’s judgment on humanity’s selfishness?
He didn’t know the reason, nor did he care to find out. He couldn’t bring himself to feel positive about returning to Earth, where civilization seemed to have collapsed. Even if civilization were intact, would he have wanted to go back?
As he pondered, the former officer anticipated his thoughts and asked,
“Returning to Earth is the option with the highest chance of survival, I suggest.”
“That’s true, but we also have to consider the possibility of surviving safely after returning to the surface”
“That depends on the state of civilization. Shall I connect to nearby satellites to confirm Earth’s condition?”
It was an extremely rational proposal. Without knowing Earth’s state, there was no basis for accepting or rejecting the suggestion.
But strangely, Kaito wasn’t keen on the idea.
Perhaps he was afraid of being told that even in the best-case scenario, survival on Earth was unlikely.
Without thinking, his response wasn’t an answer to the officer’s question.
“Officer, does this prison have the capability to travel through space?”
“Just as Master Crouch is no longer Prisoner No. 279502, I am no longer Officer 8979. To answer your question: we have enough fuel remaining to navigate through space.”
The fuel left in the prison was meant for returning to Earth after the sentence ended.
There must have been other prisoners sentenced to exile like Kaito. What choices would they make?
At the edge of the window’s view, something seemed to be descending toward Earth.
“How far do you think I can go within my lifetime?”
“Assuming Master Crouch’s survival period, we could reach beyond Mars’s orbit.”
While asking vaguely, Kaito confronted his own feelings.
There was also the option of spending his remaining days here without a care. But that didn’t appeal to him.
Stay here, or return to Earth. What came out of his mouth was neither.
Somehow, he understood. For Kaito, the days spent here weren’t a waste of life. Deep down, he had always felt that there would be a future where he returned to Earth and started a new life.
But that imagined future had been taken away. That was why he couldn’t bring himself to feel positive about returning.
“Didn’t a ship meant for Mars colonization reach Mars’s orbit?”
“Yes. Eighty-six years ago, it failed to descend. There seems to have been an accident during the descent preparations. The crew was wiped out, according to records.”
It was around this time that global interest in space exploration to other planets waned. He remembered reading editorials during his time on Earth speculating that interest would revive in another twenty years, but that day never came. At best, a lunar station was built, but it ended up as just another vacation spot for the wealthy and powerful.
Still, there was a precedent for reaching Mars’s orbit.
It might be a foolish choice, but this was likely the last journey for humanity in this civilization. He wanted to go as far as possible.
The former officer made a whirring sound. It seemed he was running calculations.
“How far could we go if we pushed it? Mars’s orbit is based on my safety, right?”
“…Without considering Master Crouch’s safety, gathering materials for modifications from the surroundings, and accelerating as much as possible, we could reach Jupiter’s orbit in about six months.”
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
Why was it?
The moment he casually said it, all other options fell away from Kaito’s mind.
He would go. To the far reaches. As far as he could, for as long as he lived.
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