Chapter 15: Chapter 11 – Three troublemakers. To space I go!

Without any more incidents, Islea and I returned to the room, where Kelya and Mirah sat and lazily watched tv.

"That took you longer than expected." - Kelya commented while watching tv.

"Ah. I squashed some rude bugs on the way." - Islea said indifferently.

"Woah! What kind of suicidal idiots messed with our Islea?!" - Mirah dropped the remote and stared wide-eyed at Islea.

"To piss off the super tolerant Islea... They were certainly asking for it." - Kelya said.

"Puritans." - Islea replied.

"Ah, that explains it." - Mirah nodded and sat down.

"Did you make sure to break their faces in?" - Kelya asked.

"They are now as ugly and malformed as their inner selves." - Islea said with disinterest.

"That's our Islea!" - Mirah happily said while picking up the remote again.

"Are these so-called puritans that bad?" - I asked while heading back to my seat.

The 16th and 17th-century puritans were awful, I know, but I have no idea what the puritans that they are talking about are.

"Puritans are a racist group that believes in the purity of the human genome and abhors imperfections. They believe that pure humans are superior and that all mutations should be cauterized and removed, at least that is their unachievable goal, anyways." - Kelya explained.

"So... They are space nazis?" - I asked with a weird look.

"What is a space nazi?" - Mirah asked with an equally weirded-out look.

"Ah, yeah, around 80 years back, some sociopath named Hitler came up with the bright idea that Aryans are genetically superior to everyone else and conducted a methodical genocide on anyone he thought with his warped mind is an inferior race."

"Hah? Aryans? What's that? Do they have some special powers?" - Mirah asked inquisitively.

"Er... Does a slightly higher alcohol tolerance and being drunk idiots count?" - I asked with an awkward look.

"... So they're just normal people with an overinflated ego? On what basis do they base their racism?" - Kelya asked.

"Skin color, culture, religion, and some minor differences in facial features, based on the words of ignorant racist authors." - I said.

"Wow, that's just stupid. What kind of idiot buys this garbage?" - Mirah asked in derision.

"You will be surprised. My country still has racist elements in it based on skin color. We have an entire country with over a billion citizens supporting blatant xenophobia and racism, and another with a prevalent xenophobic ancient caste system that believes everyone else is an outsider and should not be associated with." - I said, thinking of what I read about China and India on the internet.

"See, that's why you need the Emperor's guidance! So you don't see that kind of bull. Even the Puritans have a better basis than this crap." - Mirah said unabashedly.

When I heard the word "Crap." I instinctively held my arm, but the expected elbow didn't come.

"Agreed. The puritans base their belief on the Chosen selection process and their untainted genetic purity, facts and not fiction, however misguided it may be." - Islea surprisingly nodded and thankfully didn't elbow me.

"Doesn't change the fact that they are overpompous a-holes." - Kelya added.

Once again, I braced for a crash, but thankfully nothing happened.

"Eddy, what are you doing?" - Islea looked at me strangely.

"He is preparing for imminent impact! Haha!" - Mirah jeered.

"C'mon! I said I'm sorry!" - Islea said with a conflicted look.

"No use, Islea, you're already branded. Hehe!" - Kelya mocked.

"Ugh..."

"Hahaha!" - Mirah and Kelya laughed together, making Islea even more down.

After some more idle chatter, I felt thirsty, so I took a sip from my bottle. It was plane water, but it served to quench my thirst.

After I finished drinking, I recalled the opportunity the colonel spoke. I became curious, so I asked.

"Hey, girls, that colonel mentioned an opportunity. What is it?"

"Hm? Ah, that. It's not a secret or anything. For us, guarding you is like paid leave, and we get to perform a pilgrimage to Holy Terra, something few in the imperium can get in their lifetime." - Mirah explained.

"Wait, that's it?" - I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty much. If you die in the preliminaries, we will get reassigned to another position according to necessity." - Mirah nodded.

"And, what happens when I survive longer?" - I inquired.

"We get a longer paid leave. Even if you get to the top 100." - Mirah blinked and said.

"Really? That's it? No fat bonuses or faster promotions? No better reassignments?" - I asked weirdly.

"Nope, nothing of the sort. The Emperor didn't want corruption in the selection of guards. However, he does allow us to study and train in top-notch facilities for free, and we get a more luxurious treatment." - Mirah said.

"Wouldn't that make bribing you easier in case someone wants to poison or take my life?" - I pointed out a problem.

"Nobody will be that stupid." - Islea stated.

"Why?" - I asked.

"Because if you die outside the games, we also get executed unless proven innocent, which rarely happens." - Kelya explained.

"Wait, doesn't that make this game super dangerous for you?!" - I asked with a weird look.

"Nah. You're more likely to die from a real accident by a factor of 3 than being assassinated outside the games." - Mirah waved her hand.

"If someone attempts to take the life of a contestant outside the game, it will be discovered almost immediately. When that happens, a thorough investigation will be conducted and all the perpetrators and their families will be found and executed. No one is safe, not even the galactic nobility.." - Islea.

"Unless it is a total moron, they will bribe other contestants to kill you in the games rather than hiring assassins, assuming there is an assassin foolish enough to go through with it. The magi won't bother investigating contestants killing contestants in the game. Of course, blackmail against a contestant is also a serious crime, and will likewise be investigated, so you can't force them to do anything really." - Mirah.

"Wow... Wait, if that's the case, what the heck is your job, anyways?!" - I asked with a weird face.

"Guides, mostly, as well as a deterrent force against common suicidal hooligans." - Kelya shrugged and stated bluntly.

"Or keep you from dying a stupid death outside the games." - Mirah added.

"Or that." - Kelya nodded.

"... This sadly makes sense." - I said with a sigh.

As I sighed, the tv suddenly changed the channel to a logo.

Duh* Dah* Di*

"Attention, dear passengers. Space launch will begin in ten minutes. Please follow safety guidelines, thank you." - A pleasant female voice sounded.

The screen then changed to a woman in a stewardess uniform performing safety instructions.

"... Are you sure this isn't a passenger shuttle?" - I asked with a weird face.

"... Yeah." - Kelya said with pursed lips.

I then listened to the safety guidelines in the video and buckled my seatbelt. However, the guide repeated itself after two minutes, so I got bored.

"Hey, Islea, what kind of high-tech engine do your spaceships use, anyways? Fusion engines? Antimatter engines?" - I asked.

"We use Fusion engines to fly to outer space since it is relatively safer and ecologically friendlier. For space travel, we usually use antimatter engines, but on more ancient models, we still use fusion engines." - Islea replied.

"Wow, I expected you to achieve efficient fusion engines, but I didn't think you would have antimatter engines! How do you trap the antimatter without it exploding in your ship?"

Antimatter is a highly explosive substance, and mishandling it might cause a massive radioactive explosion.

"I am not sure. I didn't have the time to study it, but I read that it had something to do with using a more stable form of antimatter, freezing it, and using electromagnetic fields to keep it contained." - Islea shrugged.

"Wow! Even miss brainiac doesn't know about that?" - Mirah exclaimed.

"I only finished biology three months ago and started physics. You can't expect me to know a lot." - Islea said, annoyed.

"Your studying for a double diploma?! You're around 20, right?!" - I exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yes, I'm 21. And no, I'm not studying for a double diploma, but a triple diploma in Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. I'm studying through the Military Open University." - Islea said, somewhat aggrieved.

"Hah? Why are you a guard and not in a scientific job, then? It sounds like a big screw-up on the HR side." - I asked with a raised eyebrow.

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If Islea is smart enough to study three scientific diplomas by herself at her age, especially when she had no prior background, then the military or country would usually designate her as a valuable human asset. It struck me strange as to why this didn't happen.

"Bureaucracy." - She said a single word, lathed in venom that could melt steel.

"Ah... yeah, I think I get the gist of it, but what exactly happened?" - I said, thinking of multiple scenarios mismanagement could do.

"Islea was illiterate and uneducated when she joined the army at 18, and because of that, they mistakenly designated her as grunt material instead of academic material without checking anything. Two months later, with only one hour of study per day and under the grueling physical training of a combat unit recruit, she reached the academic level in Terran. It was then that she discovered that she was a genius. When she came to HR and petitioned for a transfer, they blocked her due to not wanting to acknowledge their mismanagement of human resources." - Kelya explained with a sour smile.

"Yeah, and she then went ballistic and beat up the HR representatives and got sent to correctional prison for two years before being reassigned to us troublemakers. I wish I could see her punching those snobby bastards." - Mirah grinned.

"You went to prison?!" - I asked in astonishment.

"Best two years ever. I finished studying all high school material and Chemistry and half of my Biology studies. The conditions and food were even luxurious compared to my old home." - Islea said while reminiscing.

"..."

"Yep, that's a super genius, alright."

"So... Troublemakers?" - I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, yeah. I'm a, how do you say-- a sticky-pawed girl?" - Mirah made a grabbing motion.

"You have kleptomania?!" - I asked, wide-eyed.

"Nyahaha, yeah, it's pretty embarrassing. When I was a kid, I had to steal to survive, and after years of it, it kinda stuck." - Mirah scratched her twitching ear.

"So you stole things from your fellow soldiers?" - I guessed.

"I won't go into details, but let's say that I made a bunch of higher-ups angry with me, and I ended up in the same prison cell as Islea. Were now besties~." - Mirah said while hugging Islea.

Islea sighed and patted Mirah on the head, but that tiny smile on her lips didn't escape my sight.

"And what about Kelya?" - I asked, and Kelya suddenly flinched.

"E-Eh... Let's change the subj--" - Kelya averted her ruby eyes.

"Oh, that's a riot! She went to rehab for-- MMph!" - Mirah was about to say something interesting when Kelya quickly blocked her mouth.

"Don't you dare s--!" - Kelya hissed.

"For being a pervert." - Islea finished Mirah's words with an evil smirk.

"Ugh... So cruel..." - Kelya sulked as she let go of Mirah's mouth.

"For being a... pervert???" - I was understandably weirded out by the revelation.

"Haha... Remember that the Khuccen have unique see-through eyes? Most can see through thin layers of material and only about 0.015cm of lead. Our junior commander was born with super-strong eyes and can see through an entire 3cm of solid lead, including tactical armor and thin metal desks. Guess what she used her talent for?" - Mirah couldn't hold back her smile from creeping out.

My eyes widened as an idea struck me. What would a perverted guy do if he could see through clothes? An obvious question with an obvious answer.

"Eh... No, she didn't, did she?" - I asked weirdly.

"Heh, you guessed it right! She openly perved over the naked bodies of guys and got 57 sexual harassment complaints in one month! And that's just the guys who complained about her. Imagine how many guys didn't!" - Mirah couldn't control her grin.

"Estimated all the men in her previous battalion, around 550 men." - Islea added.

"Guh... Stop poking at it already! I went to rehab to stop doing that..." - Kelya sulked.

"Says the one who rebounded just a few hours ago." - Mirah smirked.

"That doesn't count! He showed off his magnificent, erect, veiny, and delicious mega-cock right in front of my innocent eyes!" - Kelya complained, drool starting to flow from her lips.

"Okay, miss pervert, we get it. Stop talking, please. It's getting pathetic." - Islea rolled her eyes.

"..."

"Yeah, I can see why she got so many complaints." - I thought in my mind while labeling her a mega pervert and voyeur.

I also realized that she wanted to go with me to the bathroom to perv around.

Just then, a familiar sound rang.

Duh* Dah* Di*

"Space launch will begin in one minute. Thank you for choosing Sinclair Space Line, and have a pleasant flight." - The female voice said.

"... That sounded awfully like a civilian-run company." - I narrowed my eyes.

"... Some of our suppliers are civilian-run companies." - Kelya averted her eyes while wiping her remnant drool.

"So, Eddy! How do you feel about your first time flying to space?" - Mirah cut in and asked cheerfully.

"What can I say? I'm going to become an astronaut, a dream come true for many people on my planet. Of course, I'm thrilled!" - I said with a fake smile.

"Although I am an unwilling one."

"Liar." - Islea exposed me with a word.

"..."

"Launching in 10...9...8..." - The female voice sounded.

I immediately became nervous and held unto my seat.

"3...2...1... Liftoff!"

Buuuhhh*

I immediately felt pressure as the shuttle accelerated upwards from the ground. I then felt the center of my gravity shift as I was pressed against the chair by the acceleration force.

Seconds turned to minutes, but the acceleration kept going at a constant rate of what I estimated to be 3g acceleration. Coupled with earth's gravity, I was likely experiencing a 4g force.

Shake* Shake* Shake*

I felt the ship quaking.

"Holy shit, this is intense!" - I screamed in my mind as I held my seat for dear life.

I quickly felt the pressure build up in my ears due to ןא rapidly rising, so I had to pop my ears to release the build-up.

"Eddy, are you alright?" - Islea asked beside me.

"I'll manage." - I said with an uncomfortable expression.

I didn't lie, however. It was only uncomfortable, not unmanageable.

"Don't worry. It will be over soon." - Islea said soothingly.

I could only take her word for it as I continued holding to dear life. Soon, I felt the shuttle slowly stop shaking.

Duh* Dah* Di*

"Dear passengers, we have officially exited Harelion XK-98 Zeta's atmosphere. Please stay seated until further notice."

The tv lit up and showed our position compared to my planet. We were now at 120km altitude and officially entered space. The ship kept accelerating vertically, however, but at a lower thrust. I felt the pressure on me lessen considerably. What previously felt like a 3g acceleration now felt like a 1g acceleration, making it twice Harelion XK-98 Zeta's gravity. Still, it was far more bearable, as it felt more like being in an elevator.

"How long will this take?" - I asked Islea.

"The orbital deployment shuttle is designed to continue until it reaches high orbit with a few midway stops for passenger comfort. It's a few hours flight ." - Islea yawned.

"Several hours to reach high orbit?! Wow, that's fast." - I said with amazement.

"That's just because we have a human crew on board. If it was a crew full of those transhuman Chosen, you can be sure they would have reached high orbit in less than half an hour. Those guys can survive the counter-acceleration when crashing down on solid ground with their drop pods at hypersonic speeds. That's like an instant 1,000-2,000g acceleration." - Mirah said.

"Okay, that's just insane... Or maybe not." - I suddenly remembered how my brother died.

"If you survive long enough in the games, you should be able to achieve that too." - Kelya's voice sounded from the side.

"IF I survive." - I rolled my eyes.

I stopped thinking that I was going to survive at this point.

I wasn't delusional enough to think I was better than anyone in my world, not to mention the galaxy full of highly evolved humans. I would be lucky to survive the preliminaries. As for Surviving the first and second rounds? I didn't get my hopes up.

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