Star Rider

Alcon's Journal #16 -- Acquaintance

The food arrived, and we continued chatting while eating. When I mentioned entering the DSF with the help of Mr.Bryan and my mother's death soon after, Ami stopped and looked at me. "Alcon, I understand how you feel. I know why you chose to explore the Kuiper Belt," she said. Before I could say anything, she added, "I experienced severe bullying as a child, which led to PTSD and depression. That's also why I joined the DSF..."

We continued chatting, and after finishing our meal, we continued walking down the street, passing several VR movie theaters. We glanced at each other and walked to the nearest one, flipping through the movie catalog. I asked Ami, "What do you want to watch?"

Ami thought for a moment. "I remember they're all ancient movies..."

"Hah, ancient movies?" I was a bit puzzled.

"They're all over a hundred years old..." Ami leaned over and looked at my program selection list, flipping to the "Classics" category. "Do you have... Mazinger?"

"Huh? I only know about Gundam from that era..." I was a bit confused.

Ami flipped through the catalog and found Mazinger. She let out a sigh and I leaned over to take a look. It turned out that only the TV series version was available, which was not suitable for viewing in a VR cinema.

I continued flipping through the catalog and suddenly saw "Neon Genesis Evangelion," which I liked. "What about this one, Ami?"

Ami looked at the stills and muttered to herself, "Hmm, I like it. I once took a picture of clouds in the sky forming a cross, but I can't understand this movie..."

Ami took my terminal and continued flipping through. Suddenly, she saw "Rurouni Kenshin," and we both exclaimed almost simultaneously, "This one!"

"Kenshin, my favorite..." Ami added.

"I like Yukishiro Tomoe..." I replied.

After we finished watching the movie and walked out of the theater, Ami remained silent. I walked with her quietly for a while before asking, "Ami, what's wrong?"

"I'm so touched..." Ami sniffled.

I handed her a tissue, and Ami took it, holding it to her nose as we continued walking. After a while, she murmured to herself, "Why do all the good stories have sad endings?" I didn't know how to respond, so I simply walked alongside her down the street. After a bit, she looked up and that clear smile appeared on her face once again. "Shall we go to the observation deck?" she asked.

The observation deck was located on the upper and lower levels of the space habitat's star-linking arm, and it was a public platform where ordinary people could see outer space. The upper level corresponded to the interior of the circular structure and provided a view of the scenery inside the space habitat's ring, while the lower level faced outward and provided a view of the scenery outside the entire Galileo space habitat ring structure.

We continued down the street, making our way towards the observation deck of the 1A linking arm. Suddenly, a public service advertisement appeared on the dome, urging donations for children from a war-torn area on our mother planet. Ami paused to watch it, and then turned to me, saying, "Actually, I'm already signed up for this donation. I contribute 50 AMCC every month."

"Oh?" I looked at her, feeling a deep sense of admiration for her generosity.

"But the next day I regretted it. It's so much money!" Ami laughed and then continued, "But every time I think about canceling it, I think it's just two or three meals for me. So I keep donating..."

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"I don't remember. Maybe four or five years?"

As we continued our conversation, we reached the observation deck. Descending to the lower level, we found ourselves on a multi-tiered viewing platform, separated by zigzagging stairs. Through the sturdy, transparent panes of tempered glass, the vast expanse of space revealed itself, adorned with countless twinkling stars. Since the entire Galileo space habitat was still orbiting around Jupiter, every so often, Jupiter would grace us with its presence, visible amidst the celestial tapestry. Ami leaned against the railing, her eyes fixed on the starry sky beyond the observation deck, and inquired, "Alcon, could you share with me your insights on life in the Kuiper Belt?"

I thought for a moment before telling her that even though the Kuiper Belt is over 40 astronomical units away from the sun, more than 8 times the distance from here to the sun, when you enter the Kuiper Belt, it feels similar to being in the asteroid belt. It's more of a psychological feeling of "distance." At that distance, the distance between time and space seems like an immortal existence, no matter how much you think, despair, or run at your maximum speed, time and space remain cold and unmoved...

Ami's gaze shifted to Jupiter, its presence fleeting as it entered and exited our field of view. With a serene tone, she expressed, "I have encountered moments of despair. Staring into the void without any response, I can sense the chilling embrace of time and space. At times, I feel powerless against the currents of time, and at other times, I perceive time as a mere illusion..."

After we parted ways that day and returned to our respective resting stations, we continued to chat for a long time. Ami showed me pictures of her mascot - Anguirus, a sponge-filled plush toy. She left home at the age of 18 to start working, and by chance, she was recruited by the DSF. Her depression was diagnosed as social anxiety caused by bullying when she was young. She was selected to be an explorer, and this small toy, as well as the collection of figurine photos she had gathered (she had collected many figurines on Earth, but due to weight limitations, she could only stick photos of them on the walls of her cabin), accompanied her through all her journeys.

Ami will remain on the Galileo#1 space habitat for 60 days during this expedition, and then proceed with the next survey mission to the asteroid belt. Currently, there are no plans for her to return to her home planet as she considers the cost of returning to Earth to be too high, and she intends to go back on her next journey...