- Temporary Retreat — On the Eve of the Nadir’s Departure
(SF Novel “Meter’s Great Adventure” / Galactic Restoration Saga)
Galactic Restoration SF / Meter / Hannis Izal / Anti-Quantum Axiom
Nadir / Galactic Encyclopedia Compilation Library
Chrono-Bloom Process / Neo-Ether / Underground Resistance
SF Political Drama / Space Exile / Detached Unit
In the depths of the Galactic Encyclopedia Compilation Library,
now fallen into silence,
inside a control room where the lights were dimmed to the minimum,
Hannis Izal released his words in a single breath.
Hannis Izal
“Meter. I regret to say this, but we must retreat for now.
Every countermeasure has been crushed.
Our party, the Galactic Restoration Party,
has been designated illegal.
We’ve received word that a mass arrest of former members is imminent.”
His voice was calm,
yet the weight of decision seeped through it.
“I’ll stow away on a space vessel bound for Planet Iphnia.
There, I intend to reorganize the underground groups.
Until just moments ago, I was in contact with Ron Sympha.”
After a brief silence, he smiled bitterly.
“Lean Chandra’s unit surrounded my safehouse.
My escape was—quite literally—by a hair’s breadth.”
Meter
“Such a thing…!
Hannis, isn’t there still another way?
It’s unbearable… far too frustrating.”
Hannis
“According to Ron Sympha’s analysis,
no blame will fall upon you.
That alone is a relief.”
He stepped closer to Meter.
“For a while, you must leave this place.
If my resurgence is delayed,
and you manage to return first—
then lend your strength.”
He lowered his gaze slightly.
“That I could not, with my own hands, fulfill
the long-cherished wish of Aporiana Perigaul and yourself…
that is my only regret.”
But he immediately raised his head.
“Still, the plan itself has not collapsed.
Thanks to Ron’s arrangements,
we are shifting to another method.
Following the example of Dr. Lambda Griss,
we will strike at the enemy’s ‘reverse of the reverse.’”
Meter
“…And that would be?”
Hannis
“I will go into hiding on Iphnia,
maintaining contact with Ron on Planet Neo-Ether,
while advancing the Chrono-Flower Process.”
Then, quietly, he declared:
“You will—
board the Nadir.”
Meter
“What?
So that’s what this means…!”
Hannis
“Yes.
The full data transfer of the Galactic Encyclopedia Compilation Library
has been completed.
And more than that—
a higher-level function has been added.”
He looked up at the ceiling.
“Soon, directly above this library,
the Nadir will arrive.
It operates under complete autonomous navigation.
All you need to do is board it.”
Lowering his voice:
“A final gift from the late Orin Barr.
It contains five hundred years of wisdom
from Planet Neo-Ether.”
Meter
“And the destination…?”
Hannis
“It’s decided.
‘The Homeworld.’
One jump—that’s all. No need to worry.”
Meter
“Hannis…
you’re not coming with me?”
Hannis
“I still have work to do.”
He said it briefly—but firmly.
“According to Ron’s design,
we must first locate one person—
a young man endowed with
Infallible Intuition.”
Then, with a sardonic smile:
“And another.
A historian obsessively possessed by ‘The Homeworld,’
almost mad by any standard.
He calls himself a relic-seeker—
a ‘forensic archaeologist,’ no less.”
Meter
“…Two people.
That’s the detached unit, isn’t it?”
Hannis
“Yes.
The galaxy is not finished yet.”
At that moment,
the entire library trembled faintly.
Nadir — descent initiated.
Meter understood, with certainty,
that the restoration of the galaxy
had entered its next phase.
To be continued.

コメント