Colonial Suit

Abyss of Yōu, Sixth Layer…

A small reconnaissance craft navigated through the starry sky. It was a simple and ordinary reconnaissance craft, made entirely of alloy, belonging to the Seventh Brigade, Second Squad of the human reconnaissance fleet. It possessed sub-light speed cruising capabilities, short-range warp, and optical stealth devices. It was piloted by a single person and could sustain them for a week. Among the human fleets, it was one of the smallest types of spacecraft, its only advantage being its low cost.

Because it was cheap, it could be mass-produced, and because it was made of alloy, resources were abundant.

And now, this small reconnaissance craft was wandering in the vast starry sky, like an ugly duckling that had been exiled, struggling to find the way forward.

“Hey, Jack, I think you must be very lonely right now.” A rough male voice came from the communicator, it was their squad leader. And the Jack he was calling was the pilot of this reconnaissance craft.

“Oh, Captain, you must be mistaken.” In the cockpit, Jack replied while lying in a humanoid indentation. “There’s an autopilot to relieve my fatigue, a dream maker to create dreams for me, and all kinds of life-sustaining drugs are still at full capacity. As long as I want, I can sail for a lifetime, how could I be lonely? I even had Shangri-La Jolie sing for me just now. On a sunny beach, we had a wonderful time together. You can’t imagine that kind of taste, can you?”

“Ha, no wonder you’re so bored. What, didn’t the other scouts bring you good news?” Jack laughed, but his body remained still. He was just an ordinary person, and it was best to maintain an energy-saving posture during long solo reconnaissance missions. This was stipulated in the navigation manual.

The other party seemed to know his condition, so he continued, “Very bad, Jack, none of the dispatched teams have found anything. Our reconnaissance range has expanded five times, and the reconnaissance fleet is also constantly moving forward. I know I shouldn’t be anxious at this time. But if we still can’t find the entrance to the lower level, the Boca and Sasha tribes won’t wait for us.”

“You’re worried? Captain, that’s not like you.”

“Nonsense, my little daughter is still studying on the immigration ship, she needs a bright future, not endless sailing! God knows when our POS group will encounter an ambush, I don’t want anything to happen to her.” The captain’s words were a bit verbose, but this was the mentality of most people in this fleet. Apart from those high-ranking space warriors, ordinary people also have lives, pursuits, and hopes. “

“Okay, Captain, I know what to do. Let me check the fuel situation, hmm, not bad, it seems my autopilot is very dutiful, so let me expand the reconnaissance range a bit more. After all, I also have a son in school, who seems to be about the same age as your daughter. If he knows that his father delayed his future because of laziness, he will definitely not take care of me in my old age.” While quickly operating various light screens, Jack replied. As a pilot of an independent reconnaissance craft, he had considerable freedom. Although in most cases this freedom was prepared for space warriors.

So, in the void, the small reconnaissance craft changed its posture slightly and began to accelerate slowly… The flickering contrail was so small in the starry sky, like a tiny speck of dust in the vast ocean. No one could see this reconnaissance craft. Because it was too small, too small…

Small, like hope.

Small, like humanity itself.

In the channel, the captain’s voice became serious, he said to Jack earnestly. “Kid, although you are the best scout I have, I hope you can do what you can. The power of the machine is not infinite, even if your spacecraft has been modified by Old Tebby, to really play a role still depends on your brain. Don't exhaust yourself.”…

“Only seven days of accumulated sailing, are you underestimating your ace, Captain?” Jack replied with a smile. Although he was an ordinary person, he was also an elite among ordinary people. The captain should say these words to the rookies.

Sure enough, after hearing his words, the channel was silent for a while, and then the captain’s voice sounded again.

“I taught you all your skills, would it kill you to show some respect for the elderly?”

“Oh, okay, Captain. I will study hard and make progress every day, but speaking of which, don’t you really want your daughter to date my son? I heard that cultivating feelings from an early age can increase the chances of getting laid or something…”

“Get out! I don’t care if you die!!” The captain finally couldn’t bear it and roared angrily. At the same time, some messy laughter came through the channel, obviously not just one person was eavesdropping.

Jack lay obediently in the indentation, no longer speaking.

The days of reconnaissance were lonely. They were just ordinary people, without the physique and abilities of space warriors. The only thing they could rely on was the small reconnaissance craft under them, the cold alloy and drugs. So Jack drove the reconnaissance craft to explore the distance. The waveform scanner on the ship, simulating the thoughts of space warriors, was constantly working, making 'ding ding' sounds. Distinguishing accurate data from these noises was a very precise task, and only veterans could complete it.

Time passed bit by bit, and the reconnaissance craft flew farther and farther, gradually leaving the support range of the reconnaissance fleet. At this time, there was nothing to rely on, only Jack himself… Ultra-long-distance, independent reconnaissance, was precisely the proof of his status as an ace.

Gradually, Jack felt his mind becoming muddled, which was the result of excessive neural network connection, and his body began to become numb, which was a sign of excessive drug use. But his reconnaissance still found nothing. He was not discouraged, because ultra-long-distance independent reconnaissance was originally a matter of luck. He was like a lone boat in the sea, searching for an island that might never appear.

And in this process, the captain kept in touch with him, stimulating his spirit so that he would not get lost.

“Jack, this is the seventy-sixth call, it’s been fifteen days since you left the fleet, you’ve left the fleet’s scanning range, are you okay?”

“I’m still awake, that’s fortunate, Chief.”

“That’s good, the reconnaissance fleet is moving forward again, Jack, I hope we can catch up with you, if you feel you can’t hold on, come back. Don’t be blind. At worst, I’ll agree to your son pursuing my daughter.”

“Hey, Captain, I like your encouragement, but your daughter has already been secretly dating my son, I just didn’t tell you. You won’t be angry, will you?”

“Oh, damn…, no no no, I’m certainly not talking about you, Jack, is your life support system still working? Are you cold?”

“Still working, maybe… who knows?” Jack’s voice gradually weakened, vaguely. “But the fuel is running out.”

“Oh no, Jack, then stop immediately and wait for our rescue…” The captain shouted in the channel, but his voice seemed chaotic and blurred.

Too far from the main fleet, and the reconnaissance craft's energy was running out, ultra-long-range communication had become unreliable.

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Jack lay in the humanoid indentation, like a cold alloy coffin. Under the helmet that was gradually covered with ice, was his faint breathing and blurred gaze. His body was a little stiff, like a corpse…

“Captain… I can’t hear you.”

“This is the eighty-sixth communication, it’s been twenty-one days since I left the fleet…”

“My spacecraft’s fuel is exhausted, and there’s… half a notch left of life-sustaining drugs.”

“I might not be able to go back…”

“I hope I can find something.”

“Oh, right, if anyone can hear my voice, then please convey my words to my son…”

“I love him.”

“Hurry up and eat that girl, I want to be a grandfather.”

“Beep…”