2 To Ganymede 1

"Captain, where was the ship that was promised?"

"Hmm, good question. According to the commanding officer, the ship that we were supposed to get was taken after a collision with a fleet of aliens."

"I see, so we don't have a ship to ferry us away from the dock. How are we suppose to get away from this place?"

"We can try to board the passenger ships. Here, I've boarding passes that would allow us to travel. The commanding officer did say that I am now a 'valuable' asset."

"Oh really?"

I sighed deeply. The ship that was promised didn't appear, I expected things won't be smooth, but it looks like it has already started. I've been eager to get out of the space station but it seems like she and I will be staying for a while in the station.

"Are you mad?" asked the Captain.

"Not really," I answered truthfully. "I am just complaining, at this point I feel blessed that I am allowed to get out of this space station."

"I see."

She nodded. I looked around me. There were a freighter and interceptor ships docking. I could hear multiple voices coming from every direction as the space station grew busier. We were not the only ones looking out of the glass windows.

"Hmm, there are gunships flying towards that direction?"

I looked over. There were gunships flying towards the sector where Begin-01 was located. In fact, there were battlefleets accompanying the gunships.

"Reinforcements?"

"No. Begin-01 is going to be scorched earth."

"Why?"

She looked at me as I was a dumb person. It was such a bland look filled with a condescending attitude. I felt like I was being looked down upon. But that was only me. The Captain has this stolid look that it's hard to gauge whatever she's thinking.

"Stop floating around. Magnet-embedded shoes were invented for that sole reason."

"Hmm, really?"

She rotated clockwise in the air. Her hair brushed my face that I just stood with a blank expression as she finally decided to root her feet on the ground.

"Done?" I said primly.

"Yes. I just need to circulate my blood."

"Why?"

"Habit."

I didn't comment further. The gravity usually makes your blood float inside your body. I can understand why she would do that. But the life support system of the space station should take care of that. Thought I say that the life support system is absolute garbage. Even the 'gravity'simulator is just matching magnets that attach people to the floor. The Captain has decided to switch her magnet-embedded shoes because she wanted to float around.

By the time she was done rotating clockwise, she was already walking above with her magnet-embedded shoes turned on. I put my hands on my waist, I sighed deeply as I walked near this area where one can watch the cosmos.

The Captain followed me. She then pointed her foot down at the floor and she was able to attach herself to the floor. The Captain sat quietly, she started playing with her PDA, watching the propaganda-ridden news. I would have been a fool to believe the word of a journalist today.

"Captain, what is our destination anyway?"

"Ganymede, it is the place for Freelancers."

Ganymede was a place far from where we are. It should be about twenty jumps away from this sector. It is a place where most of the freelancers are bound to go. Captain probably wants to get her ship there. It is the place in the galaxy to get a ship.

"Just to be sure, Captain," I said.

"What?" she tilted her head.

"We have the money, right?"

"Of course."

I zipped my mouth and looked at the Captain with a solid look. She returned my gaze with her bland look. She started looking at me as IF I am a dumb person. I can feel that the Captain is not that much of a far-sighted person. She intends to solve the problems when it is due.

"I fear for my life."

"Why?" she said. "Do you have enemies?"

"No, I fear it for different reasons."

My thoughts about the Captain might not be true. Afterall, she's the bravest person in the entire galaxy for me. This woman was able to charge through waves of the enemy and blow a facility down. No one had balls to do it. So she did what anyone wouldn't do. I was just sheep so how could I do something so heroic? Trying to compare my thoughts to her seems like an insult. I had to refrain from thinking that.

"Hmm, Nix, have you been to Ganymede?" she said.

"No, Captain," I said. "I heard of the place. Not much about the insides of it. Check your PDA, there should be details inside it."

"True," she nodded.

The captain started scrolling through her PDA. She downloaded files from the internet and installed them into her PDA. She started reading through the details single-mindedly, not caring that she's floating away. I grabbed her leg and manually operated her magnet-embedded boots so that she can stay still. She nodded at me without even looking at me. She continued reading while I looked at the people passing by. Each and single one of them was either free citizens or military officials, and sometimes they are Freelancers. The Freelancers would board their ships and flew it.

"Captain, I have a confession."

"What is it?"

"I really don't know how to pilot any ship."

"I thought you knew?"

"Why would I know how to fly a ship? All they do to us is drop us down in drop pods and hope that we'll kill the enemies, not knowing that most of us drop troopers die because of how shitty the drop pods are."

She looked at me dully. "You are useless then?"

"I am not! I can drive everything except starships! I might be able to learn but it'll take me days or weeks to learn how to navigate it!"

"Good then," she said. "I'll teach you how to drive one. We should hop on our ship."

She pointed at the docks. Our ship arrived so I buried my complaints and went there along with the Captain whose mind was clearly focused on the files she downloaded. She might smash her head against something so crossed my elbow with her and dragged her to the docks. She fluttered like a flag as I did.

...

...

The starship was rather tight, people of different professions scurried around. Captain, was a studying her PDA while not caring about her poor aide, dragging her around. I think Captain Regina mistook the title of 'aide' with 'slave' that I felt actual pity for myself. I have to take the passes in her pockets and then dragged her along the node.

The starship didn't have luxurious beds or artificial gravity, so our room was basically sleeping bags fixed on walls. The space we were allotted with was as big as four boxes. The starship was more of a get as many passengers as they can kind of ships. The crew probably have rooms since they actually had to monitor the life signs of the people around.

Each room has VR headsets that would allow us to dive into the room's VR environment. This VR environment was only limited to our own room. We can connect with the passengers but I don't think the Captain is so eager to connect with them. The room was okay, the Captain wasn't bothered as she hops inside of her 'sleeping bag' and started undressing.

I put my palm on my face. I grabbed the VR headset on the side of my space and connected it to the server. I was alone in the VR environment. The VR technology was quite heavily developed. The technology allowed us to roam in these worlds where we can feel things. I heard that many choose to be with their virtual reality wives rather than a real woman. There was a slogan that I saw once in this planet. '2D>3DP' which I didn't understand until I witness the truth.

I have my own account. I accessed it and started to ponder which setting. The virtual wife that most of us have are usually heavily engineered to be like one but retains that cuteness that something wouldn't exist in real life. I tapped the buttons but for some reason, the 'virtual wife' of mine didn't appear.

My head started to think of many things. I opened the virtual console and found out that there were no changes in the setting. What I found out was there was an interference in the room, I have to somehow solve it before I can access her. I turned my settings off and went into debugging mode, I pinged the source of the problem. I was able to find and trace the problem, I followed it and tried to fix it.

I should have known better to follow it. I was able to enter someone's virtual world. It was queer and the environment resembled old earth, particularly it was an eastern environment. I followed the problem and there I saw something that made me want to question my whole life. It was a strange sight that it bothered me. I stood still and watch the person in question standing leisurely while being served by two handsome men, and two beautiful women with huge assets that it made me feel ashame comparing it with my own virtual wife.

Anyone can buy a virtual wife or husband if they want to. They could even create a harem if they wish to. But to think that the Captain would have a four in her harem. She looks so disinterested while the four tried to serve her needs. She was studying her PDA while the other four would interact like they were real. It was baffling how real they were and how they call the Captain as Big Sister. They gave this lovey-dovey looks on their faces as they watch their cold and cool big sister.

I didn't want to say anything. I just walked near the couch and sat there. I produced a wine bottle out of thin air and drank it. The Captain looked at me funny, she didn't show any reaction other than focusing her eyes back at the PDA she was reading. Her virtual harem looked at me oddly and cautiously. Usually, there's a defensive line that would allow anyone to have this privacy.

"Captain, can you do something about this? Your virtual world is interfering with mine that I have to debug my way here."

"Hmm, is that why you are here? No wonder my firewall didn't take note of you. Should I introduce you to them?" she pointed at the four that was looking at me warily. I admit that they really beautiful and handsome, something that is out of the world. There are divine beauties out there that are genetically engineered to be beautiful. There was this goddess named Alice that somehow disappeared. She was the only person in this galaxy that definitely would be as beautiful as any virtual wives.

"Yeah," I replied. "Can you please fix this? I can't enter my virtual world and play any simulations if this goes on."

"Oh, sorry, is this my fault?" she nodded her head. She brought out the console and started operating it. I waited for Captain to finish her fix. I sat while looking at the four who acted stiff and wary. Although they are AI, they act like any normal person. They are designed that way so I can understand why they would look at me as if I caught them while making love.

It was quite annoying to be looked at like that, but I endured as the Captain phlegmatically manipulated the console's interface. The Captain was quite skilled, she was able to tamper with the system interface and fix the mess that was happening.

"I fixed it. If you decide to worm your way here then you will be put on the lobby. I can grant you access to my world, I did the same to your own world so that way I can visit you when you are online. Isn't it great?" she said, looking at me blandly.

I didn't want to comment further. I manipulated my console and warped back to my virtual world. It was probably my imagination because I heard someone screaming embarrassedly. No way that the stolid Captain would act like that. I just can't see it.