Story Reader / Affection / Qu: Shukra / Story
The equipment room at the observatory is very different from what you imagined it'd be.
Behind the pitch-black iron door, there is no clean and tidy prep room like the ones you've seen at F.O.S. Storage cabinets are piled up haphazardly, covered in cobwebs and dust, and there is no air circulation.
A moldy smell hits you the moment the door is opened.
I hope the mold hasn't damaged any crucial equipment here.
Let's see. The oxygen generators are still working, but the protective suits are in poor condition.
The magnetic boots are intact. My tutor has worn them a few times before. Guess they'll do.
Pretty much none of the life-saving gear works, but I see these flashy useless items work just fine, huh.
That's it. No time to waste, let's get going and get it done before the meteor shower comes.
It takes you some time to put on the protective suit and gloves.
With Qu's help, you adjust the magnetic shoes and secure the joint protectors.
I adjusted them based on my preferences. You might want to check them yourself.
I like that. When I said you're in good hands, I really meant it.
The gear is semi-open, so you want to be careful because you might end up with some scrapes here and there if you fall.
Just in case, I've placed a medical kit near the elevator for emergencies.
After a short rest, you take the elevator with Qu and arrive at the top floor. The two of you walk toward the outer domain.
A whole different world fills your eyes as soon as the connecting gate opens up.
The scenery is beyond imagination—you're now looking at a blue planet and the massive spine of Babylonia.
You take a step forward with your right foot—and as soon as you do that, magnetic force quickly pulls your right foot to the outer shell.
The folds in your clothes seem to turn as stiff as metal sheets, probably due to the lack of wind on this side near space.
You try taking a deep breath. Your lungs still work hard, exhausting you.
with oxygen growing thin, even the slightest of movements now consumes a considerable amount of energy.
After walking less than five meters with Qu's support, you feel like you've just run two shuttle runs and have to stop.
Sitting is easier than standing, so you crouch down to rest, letting your arms touch the alloy shell.
Qu doesn't blame you for it. She bends down and taps on the communication device in your helmet.
Realizing that sound can't travel in space, I quickly turn on the device.
How are you holding up? Bet you're barely breathing there.
You should probably let the oxygen generator run a bit longer.
You might find it easier to breathe once your heart and lungs catch up.
A few minutes later, you finally manage to stand up again, feeling a little better this time.
Qu gazes at Earth in the distance, squinting slightly as if recalling something.
Don't you find humans fascinating?
I mean, humans are born weak and always need time to adapt when they're in a new environment.
But Constructs are different. Our designers design us taking tough environmental factors into account.
Every step taken to bring us about makes us that much tougher against these external uncertainties.
I do feel lost sometimes with my soul in this nearly perfect body.
Well, I think about myself and mankind's future all the time.
I sure hope you can answer some of my questions some time.
Feeling better now? Let's get moving.
The further the two of you walk, the lighter you seem to feel.
The shoes you're wearing are magnetic, but the experience itself is nerve-wracking all the same.
You don't want them to be too magnetic, though, in case something comes flying at you and you need to run.
If you're destined to be thrown out, it's better to fly out whole.
Here we are. Up ahead is the external part of the telescope.
In front of you is a gray circular external machine, with internal facilities arranged in a box structure at the back.
You walk up to the machine. There are two buttons on the control panel—one that reads "manual" and the other that reads "automatic".
Error, error, error.
The password verification module is fried along with the electronic components, like what Qiqi warned us about.
It's physically impossible for the human body. Here, leave it to me.
Qu takes half a step back, suddenly grabs the handle, makes a slight adjustment, and flips open the front hood.
10 seconds later, Qu shows a frown.
Weird how it feels. It feels like it's trying to close down on me. I think I'll need a mechanical to hold this thing in place.
Hurry up, I don't know how much longer my arm can hold.
You fumble through the manual to see which part might need fixing.
Before you know it, half a minute has passed. Qu, however, remains calm, her mind impossible to read.
Thinking that she's only putting up a tough front, you find yourself feeling edgy.
Don't sweat it. I'm feeling okay.
Apparently noticing what you're thinking, Qu tries to calm you down.
With Qu's reassurance, you pull yourself together and focus on replacing the potentially damaged parts.
Since the damage can't be observed from the outside, you had to replace each component that might affect functionality.
Just then, a violent comes came from under your feet.
Watch out!
The violent shaking throws you off before you know what just happened.
With it, your magnetic shoes lose contact with the ground, sending you into a drift into space.
Just as you are about to be flung out of Babylonia's gravitational field, someone grabs your arm.
That was close...
Half-squatting and her hair suspending in mid-air, Qu pulls you back with her incredibly powerful arm.
That was one hell of a maneuver. Not something I can do every single time, though, mind you.
You were this close to spending the rest of your life in space and that's all you're worried about now?
Chop chop and hold on tight now! Forget about formalities for now.
Hurry up.
With it, you hold onto her, not sure what's going to happen next...
Qu bends down, her legs braced against the ground—before she takes what you'd only describe as a slingshot leap.
You feel your internal organs being violently tugged by inertia as Qu stops in front of the machine. She keeps the hood from closing with an arm.
This thing would have closed had we been half a split second too late. Good news is that we don't have to wait another 24 hours now.
...Well, you're safe now. How much longer are you going to hold on to me?
Before long, you and Qu are finished and have returned to the observatory.
Glad to see both of you back here. Seems like it took a little longer than I thought, though.
Did something happen up there?
Nothing really. We were just hanging out.
You can give the telescope a try and see if it works now.
Alrighty... Robot A, over here.
Hello, how may I help you?
Print the latest star chart.
Of course.
With a slight shake, Robot A starts working.
Printing complete! Printing complete!
Qu takes the new star chart from Robot A's belly.
Unlike the last printout, this one shows a clear nebula formed by cosmic dust.
Uhmm... looks like it's working fine now.
Glad it all went all. So, Qiqi, remember your promise?
Of course. We can carry on with our research now with the telescope up and running again, and we can't thank you both enough.
We were thinking about giving the holographic projection a try next. Think you could give us some "us" time here?
Feel free. I'll just be down in the lab if you need me.
