We are, of course, full of fear as well.
Maybe we are too late.
Perhaps the civilizations that remained on this planet system,
might have been destroyed long ago.
If not,
Can be able to come with us?
"We'll be inside the planetary system soon."
But it could not be ignored.
The signal, it has been in one place
for hundreds of millions of years.
Not just constant for itself,
but if the interpretation is correct,
it was something that could not be passed on.
'I Still Live. Help Me Please.'
Little bit awkward,
But clearly written in The Universal Language.
And it was a rescue sign.
When we first observed this signal,
One variable that everyone was concerned about.
It is been so long since been sent.
Fortunately, the signal was continuing on recently.
May our efforts not be wasted.
"Captain, the size of the star is significantly larger than we expected.
Just got a calculation, and the signal's location is
barely at the habitable zone of life."
"Time,
it is more than hundreds of millions of years.
They have been waiting for all this time.
I feel sorry, hope it is not too late for them.
How far is the destination?"
"We'll be there soon.
We're going inside the planetary system.
The signal is definitely stronger."
"I see."
Habitable zone of life.
It puts all the minimum conditions in.
And now, it is "Barely".
Can higher life forms...
live in there?
"Arrive at destination.
Transition into stationary orbit,
then float planet on the screen."
On that little planet.
How long did they wait for us to come?
"When we get to the stationary orbit,
the exploration team follow me to the planet.
Before then, check exploration ships, exploration equipment,
and telecommunication equipment all over again.
Perfectly."
"Sir! Yes sir!"
Make sure my equipment is checked as well.
For sure.
-----
"Are you all ready?"
"Sir! Yes sir!"
"The goal of this mission is to find the remaining survivors on that planet.
Rescue comes first.
Find out the exact location of the signal with detector, and secure survivors.
Lead them to the ship as soon as possible.
The first signal we got has been so long since we noticed.
In the worst case scenario, there may already be no survivors.
But do not give up, like how they did.
We have to save them, even if we should scour the entire planet.
Any questions?
Yes, you."
"Sir, this galaxy didn't join the Space Mutual Defense Treaty.
We're in a wild galaxy.
Is it okay to fire when someone shows hostile behavior?"
"Never."
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"May I ask why, sir?"
Sometimes, they do exist.
I have seen so many people like that.
Do not know the field experience,
Just ahead of their passion.
"Well, listen. All of you.
We are not just here to explore.
There are people, those who have been
constantly sending rescue signals.
We are a rescue team that is here to help them.
So, in this mission,
firing to any intelligent life forms is strictly forbidden.
We will take responsibility for the rescued,
lead them to the nearest refugee planet.
That is Why."
"Yes, sir."
Still look uncomfortable in that face.
You should understand, child.
"Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Go on."
"If there's too many survivors that this ship can't handle it,
what should we do?
As far as I know, the signal is over hundreds of millions of years old.
And It's been consistent.
I'm sure there's more than one person keep sending it."
"We always follow the manual.
Rescue them as much as we can on a family basis.
Visit this planet again as necessary."
"Then warp hole, which leads to a refugee planet,
is in the plan, sir?"
"As you know, this galaxy is totally wild.
And it does not have a space-quarantine system.
We can not move any life forms into any warp holes.
Every survivor we rescued, every single one of them,
will get strict infection investigations ."
"Understood. Thank you, sir."
Crackle.
"Captain, we're ready to launch the ship.
We'll do it as soon as you're ready."
"Alright, after the final equipment inspection.
First, check the air hose! Clear!"
"Check the air hose! Clear!"
-----
As the ship get closer to the planet, i can feel its small gravity.
But this planet looks more... desolate than i thought.
Crackle.
"Now landing on the planet's surface!
Be prepared for impact!"
Whaam
"Is everyone all right? The crew who communicate
with the mother ship would stay here.
And the rest of you, get your gear and gather outside!"
"Gather outside!"
Even more than the busy crew,
the appearance of this planet is catching my eyes.
How did they survive in a place like this?
Well, there is gathered crew outside, I have to go out too.
"Can everyone hear me? Ok, I am going to say it again.
The primary goal of this mission is the rescue of survivors
who sent a rescue signal.
Find out the exact location with wave detection devices,"
"Hey, can life still be here?"
"I don't know, this planet is even worse than my thought..."
In fact,
I can agree with them, but...
But we can not give up before we even start.
"Hey! There! Do not make a noise while briefing.
So, are the devices ready?"
"Yes, sir. Once we've set up the main system here,
there are personal detection devices we can give to everyone."
"Good, until the main system installation,
I will make a group of three and explore the surrounding area.
Try not to use too much aviation fuel."
"Sir! Yes sir!"
-----
"This planet is full of dirt. In a bad way."
Sailor E-2544 is looking up at the sky,
looks like he got tired from the soil.
"Sir, have you ever been on a planet like this before?"
Sailor F-5132 is staring at the horizon.
Also seemed similar to the E-2544.
So many planets that I have explored in the past
passed through my head.
But none of them had come this far.
Of course, I have only been on a planet that has full of life.
A lifeless planet is just...
It is just a huge mass of elements.
It is just a dead body.
"No. It is the first time I have been myself on a planet with nothing.
This feels like... prison."
I looked as far as I could from the empty sky.
Except for the occasional rocky mountains,
there is no sign of anything noticeable anywhere.
This planet really does seem to have nothing.
"Yes... prison."
A long, long away from mother planet.
If i were trapped on a wild planet like this,
how would it feel.
And so did they.
They must have been desperate to send a help.
"The installation is complete, sir. Let's go back to the base."
"Oh, I see."
I hoped we can see anyone on our way back.
I keep watched the planet's surface during the whole time.
But everywhere was just full of dirt and dust.
-----
"Each group member has this wave detection device.
Based on this place,
move to the position covering the planet sphere.
There is a group goes to the opposite side of the planet.
Once every group gets there position,
we can find the strongest signal in our respective locations.
Do you understand?"
"Sir! Yes sir!"
"Then take this and move right now. And land exploration team,
prepare to sample the planet soil according to the manual."
"Yes, sir!"
Sailors are flying in various directions.
I looked at the ground. Every time I move my foot,
fragile soil crumbled without a mass.
Even the weakest breeze can blow it away without any effort.
What if the ground sinks during the sampling?
"Hey, G-6821, just in case, sampling should be
a little bit away from the base.
And as soon as abnormal wave is observed,
stop your work and make everyone know about that."
"Yes, sir."
Crackle-
"The opposite side group has now arrived, sir."
"Alright, start exploring in your locations."
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
Of course this planet is the source of the signal,
these are very large size of waves.
They are continuously being transmitted to the screen.
"Uhh, sir, the data from each group is now... arrived.
But... Could you please take a look at this?"
"Is there any problem?"
Well, It is not my specialty...
So this data is from this side, and these are from each of the five groups.
Every data looks... very similar, in my eyes.
But i am pretty sure one of them
was sent from the opposite side of the planet.
"Can you explain what is the mean of these?"
D-2351 looked at my face.
She could not take her eyes off the screen until my ask.
"Throughout the planet, within the margin of error,
signals of exactly the same size are being repeated at the same time."