My Spaceship Has Been Stranded, but There Is an Earth-Like Planet in Front of Me, so I Want to Aband

An inorganic, white room.

In the center of a small room, a boy was sleeping alone. The double-sized bed on which the boy slept was covered with a transparent case, and multiple cords were connected to the wall from below.

Inside the case, the temperature was maintained at 31.6 degrees, which induced a state of hibernation in the body and prevented aging through cryopreservation.

The boy inside the transparent case was in a deep sleep like a dead person, with his growth halted. His face still retained a childish look, but he had a handsome appearance. His skin was as white as snow, and his thin body was covered in lean muscles without any excess fat. His hair was silver like threads and shone brightly, reaching up to his neck. His appearance had an artistic beauty that was no less than that of a beautiful boy depicted in a painting.

The sleeping boy was subjected to physical modification anti-aging treatment, and his lifespan had been extended to nearly 500 years. The boy’s age was 81, but due to the extended lifespan and being in cryosleep, his physical and mental appearance was around 15 years old.

The boy’s name was Rudy, and he was the only crew member on the spaceship Nike.

Suddenly, a electronic sound rang from the cryosleep bed. After a moment of silence, five minutes later, the transparent case covering the bed made a sound like that of steam pressure and split into two, hiding under the bed. Rudy’s skin came into contact with the outside air and changed to a more lively color. After a while, he slowly opened his eyelids.

His eyes were odd-colored, with the right eye being blue and the left eye being a green color. However, the left eye was not real but had an implanted prosthetic.

The asymmetrical color of his eyes created a mysterious atmosphere and further highlighted his beautiful face.

“Good morning, Master,” a voice called out to Rudy from the speakers that were installed in the room.

As he sat up and stretched his body, he responded in a slightly high-pitched boy’s soprano voice.

The voice belonged to HAL 200X, the main AI that controlled the spaceship’s navigation and crew’s life support systems. HAL 200X had been a good partner to Rudy since he purchased the ship 50 years ago.

“Have we arrived at our destination?” Rudy asked Hal, and as he placed his bare feet on the white floor, he pulled them back once due to its coldness.

“No, not yet,” Hal replied through the speakers.

Upon hearing the response, Rudy paused his movement to walk.

“Hmm?” He looked up at the ceiling where Hal’s voice came from, puzzled.

“I have encountered a problem that I cannot solve. It’s not an emergency, so I will explain it to you when you arrive at the main bridge,” Hal continued.

“I see. But before that, I have one question. Is the problem happening now or is it already too late?” Rudy asked.

Hal remained silent for a moment before answering, “Both.”

“Shouldn’t have asked…” Rudy shook his head at Hal’s response. He then changed into a body suit that fit his body perfectly and headed to the main bridge.

As Rudy sat in the pilot’s seat on the main bridge, he listened to Hal’s explanation while slowly turning the paper cup of warm coffee in his hand, lost in thought.

Even after Hal finished the report, Rudy stayed motionless for a while as if he had been asleep. But then he let out a deep sigh and opened his eyes.

“So, let me get this straight. Due to a jump gate malfunction, we didn’t arrive at our intended star system but instead jumped into an unknown one?” Rudy asked incredulously.

“Yes, Master,” Hal replied in an emotionless tone.

Rudy let out another sigh and reflected on the job he had accepted. As a space transporter, Rudy and his spaceship, the Nike, were hired to deliver essentials and equipment to terraformed planets.

The job he received from immigration control was not particularly difficult. The target star system was located far from the central hub of the galactic trade network, but there was no information about pirates in the vicinity of the delivery destination.

However, the distance from the star system where the job was accepted to the star system where the delivery was to be made was about a three-year journey. So Rudy had selected a safe interstellar route and relied on Hal to navigate while he went into cryosleep.

According to Hal’s explanation, the problem occurred six months after Rudy went to sleep. As Nike jumped through the jump gate and warped, the gate suddenly exploded. Fortunately, Nike suffered no damage as it had just entered warp space. However, due to the explosion, Nike had jumped to an unknown star system that was not on the coordinates.

“I don’t know why the jump gate exploded. Was the Empire’s management sloppy?”

“The cause is unknown. However, I don’t think the Empire’s management is sloppy. Based on recent news, it’s likely that it was a terrorist attack with a 95% probability.”

“I see… I didn’t worry about pirates, but I didn’t expect terrorists. So, what about the distress signal?”

“It has already been sent, but there has been no response.”

“Is there a chance of success for returning… It’s pointless to ask, isn’t it?”

“It’s astronomically low, but would you like to know?”

“I feel like crying from my bad luck, so let’s not.”

“First of all, I think you’re lucky just to be alive. If you want to know the success rate of returning, please let me know.”

“That’s called bad luck in general society. And please keep the numbers to yourself.”

“Unfortunately, as an AI, I don’t have emotions, so I’ll save it as data.”

Rudy laughed and shrugged his shoulders at Hal’s emotionless response.

“…But I never thought I’d become a Flying Dutchman wandering at this age. Even if I hurry back, it’ll be a mission failure. I won’t be able to pay the compensation, and I’ll be separated from this ship and sent to forced labor on an undeveloped planet.”

“Don’t worry. First of all, you can’t return, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Rudy grimaced at Hal’s response.

“It’s a relief. There’s no point in wandering like this… First, we need to decide on a destination where we can get supplies.”

“I have one suggestion. Please take a look at this.”

“Hmm?”

A holographic screen appears in front of Rudy, showing a star map of the unfamiliar star system where Nike is located.

“I made a map of the star system where Nike is currently located while the master was sleeping.”

“You’re quick-witted.”

“Thank you.”

Rudy intended to be sarcastic, but instead, he was thanked and shrugged his shoulders. Looking at the screen, he saw that there were ten planets in the star system, centered around a star.

“Looks like a solar system like ours…”

“Yes, Master. And this fourth planet is an Earth-like planet with breathable air. We are currently in the Sol solar system.”

The Sol solar system refers to the solar system with a sun at the center, around which Earth-like planets revolve.

“…What?”

As Rudy stared at the fourth planet on the screen with wide eyes, Hal projected an enlarged image of the same planet on another screen.

The planet on the screen was a blue planet with a medium-sized satellite.

“Is it possible for humans to live there without terraforming?”

“Exactly. Therefore, I propose that we investigate this planet first.”

Rudy became calm at Hal’s response and slowly nodded after thinking for a while.

“I can hardly believe it, but it’s better than doing nothing. Please navigate to the vicinity of that planet.”

“Yes, Master.”

In response to Rudy’s command, the spaceship Nike began to move.

For a while, Rudy gazed at the shining blue planet on the screen.