Federation Solar Calendar year 4699, January.
Planet Windmill investigation report number 14588.
Activity range, areas E and F.
Presently, surface temperature is minus 75 degrees, sunny.
Large crevice in Area D, depth is 163.
Atmospheric contents, no abnormalities.
Five point rise in temperature.
Performed vegetation and microorganism scans. Unable to find a response.
The next scheduled investigation report will be four hours from now.
Transmission is planned to be at PT gigahertz.
Bureau of Interplanetary Migration Development,
investigator registration number ESP4678-201, individual name Dew.
End transmission.
Episode 1 Drifting Place
Where will I drift to?
Who knows this?
Even in darkness, if you don't give up,
light will definitely come
Solitude and love are fighting against each other.
I will go with the wind, no matter how far.
As long as I have a dream
I shall continue to live, no matter what happens.
As long as you are here.
Moving to area F. Presently snowing. Wind force, zero.
Will now record crystal structure.
Beautiful...
Receiving transmission of orders
from the Federation Bureau of Development, Department of Development.
The senders are the 118th Investigative Office's Administrator and Vice-Administrator.
Unit Number ESP4678-201...
Yes?
After 3,753 days of your individual research here at Windmill,
you will be dismissed tonight at 20:00 hours.
Then you will be assigned a new mission immediately.
What is this new mission?
It will now be installed as an absolute circuit into your central and sub-thought panels.
Where is this? What are you doing to me?
Do not be afraid, Dew.
Who? Who are you?!
You will become me, and I will become you.
We are now joined by a deep bond.
This is the container ship Turtle.
Please indicate permitted entrance gate.
This is Turtle. King Kuron control room, please respond.
Welcome to King Kuron. Please enter through gate 607B.
It's gate 607B!
Aye aye, Sir!
We're going into docking mode! All crew to their stations!
Adjusting guide line angle!
Fire in hold number two! Fire in hold number two!
What? Who are you?
I'm...
A stowaway, aren't you, bastard?!
Call me Lucky, Lucky Luck.
Year 4699, March, near the Nantucket Nebula.
The fact that I was able to arrive at King Kuron was practically a miracle.
That's because two months after leaving my home planet,
after taking a series of regular service flights and hitchhiking,
I finally snuck onto this shady cargo ship on its way to King Kuron.
After all, this place isn't listed in any of the travel companies' brochures,
nor are there any official travel routes established.
It's been abandoned by the general public
and is said to be the drifting place for the trash of the universe, or a garbage dump.
As I'm about to tell you all about this long story,
I'm sure you'll understand why, first of all, I'd like to introduce Captain Ahab to you.
Captain Ahab...
Yes, I came all this way because I wanted to meet the famous Captain Ahab.
What? Captain Ahab?
Yes, where would I go to find him?
I don't have any friends who are whale hunters, so...
Thanks anyway!
Hey, wait! There's a whale market every day around Gan-Gan Alley. Try going there!
Thank you!
Together with you, chocolate...
Look at this! It's a premium quality booster rocket from the sixties! Together with you, chocolate...
Look at this! It's a premium quality booster rocket from the sixties!
It's a gem, fished out of the whirling current of Nantucket by a fearless whale hunter!
Let's start the bidding at 30,000!
40,000!
42,000! 40,000!
Do I hear 50,000? 50,000?!
Chocolate that really stings!
Welcome! Welcome!
We have a lot of computers for sale that are great finds!
All of them are brand-name items!
It's a new release! It's good stuff! Buy it, okay?
Where can I find the store where Captain Ahab sells his stuff?
Ahab, you say? Must be your first time to Kuron, no?
Ahab never sells his goods in a cheap market like this alley.
His goods are super first-class quality.
Of course, the prices are going to be super-high as well.
If you really want his goods,
you'll have to meet with him and negotiate in person.
Where should I go to meet him?
You have to wait!
If you look like you want something good, and if you look like you have a lot of cash,
he'll come and approach you.
Act now, and you could win an amazing prize!
Go buy it in stores!
I win! A shepherd and a clown!
Congratulations!
You're so great, Boss! Cheers! Congratulations!
You're so great, Boss! Cheers!
Give us a kiss!
Let's celebrate, come on!
Goodbye!
Don't forget me! My name's Kanako! Goodbye!
Don't forget me! My name's Kanako!
Excuse me! I'm getting on!
Smells! Smells! Smells!
What? What is it?
It's telling you that you reek!
Who the hell are you?!
Mister, you want to meet Ahab?
Captain, want to meet, is him?
Yes, yes, yes!
A drifting place... That's well said.
When this station was first built, it was named the Galaxy Flower,
and they used to argue if it was the Federation's number one or number two luxury station.
But once it went off of its orbit, that was the end of its luck.
It ended up here in the Nantucket Nebula.
Now it's crumbling and really rickety.
No, it's not like that.
They say this engine that runs on a semi-permanent power source
still has another hundred years in it.
It and the main computer are both running well.
Also, it's well-provided with electricity and its water is completely recycled.
On top of that, the ones that settled here were hoodlums and vagabonds.
The majority of them are fugitives and outlaws.
Those folks gave it the name King Kuron.
A perfect name for a drifting place for outcasts.
I'm telling you, the nebula's magnetic field is really strong!
That's why from all over space,
things like scrapped ships and shipwrecked ships drift here as their final destination.
The ones after those ships, you whale hunters, ended up staying here too.
And dubious people come after those whale hunters.
People like you, purchasing broker.
You're like the flies that gather around a garbage dump!
Shut up!
I see, the energy furnace still seems to be in good shape.
Captain Ahab, chatterbox, very much, likes not.
Captain Ahab, came, visitor, salesman, business!
Sir, what is it that you want?
Lockmaster Rifles, 600 units! I want them as soon as possible.
Lockmasters! Yes, that is a great gun.
During the Fifty-Year War, the Federation Army adopted it for official use.
Yes! That's the one!
But production was stopped a hundred years ago.
The Ebra Autonomous Region's little brush fire looks like it's about to turn into a huge blaze!
If I bring guns in, I can sell them for a good price.
I'm afraid I'm sold out of my stock on hand.
I'm in a hurry!
I came here because I was told that Ahab can fulfill any order in half a month.
Half a month? No, you're mistaken.
Ten days, Sir.
I need a down payment of one hundred million. No receipts.
I accept.
At first glance, he seemed scary, but he also seemed kind at the same time.
Then again, maybe he was a scary person after all. I was confused.
I came all this way just to meet him, but I couldn't find the right opportunity.
If I could only meet him at the right time, I thought,
then surely he would hear me out when I told him about my wish.
But that plan of mine came crashing down ever so easily.
He's peeping! He's peeping!
He's peeping!
Who's this?
Wait a minute.
I've had a feeling that I was being watched by someone for some time.
Was it him?
He was spying on us in the elevator!
I'm sorry! It's not like that!
I...
I want to be a whale hunter!
And then, I said something that I wasn't even thinking about saying.
This month, I've had twenty-eight applicants besides you.
I want to be one, Sir!
They were all experienced people but all failed the test.
There's a test?
Of course there is!
Your skills can't be half-assed if you want to join the Ahab Group!
Please wait, Captain Ahab!
Captain Ahab!
No one's stopping you.
If you want to become a whale hunter, become a whale hunter.
Here in King Kuron, everyone is free.
Everyone does as they want.
So that means...
But that also means the crew is free to test you as well.
Why don't you try out and make the cut?
What's your name?
Lucky Luck, Sir!
All right, then, good luck. Okay, bad pun.
Big Brother, I've never had anything go my way.
So now, it turns out, that I will have to take on some outrageous tests.
Ready? Us whale hunters have to be able to endure any high speed!
Close your eyes and clench your teeth! We're going to go out for a bit!
What?! Out? You mean...
Where else? Out into the vacuum of outer space!
You're kidding me!
That's not right, Speed King!
You don't take someone with no experience and expose them to the vacuum!
Sorry, I was careless.
Whale hunter, strong at fight, naturally. You too, ring, come up.
You suck.
One minute, thirty seconds! Match end!
Hey, head chef!
What's going on, Atre?
We've got a test student,
but he says he's so hungry that he has no energy to move.
I've only leftovers.
It doesn't matter!
So! What's the next test?
You... You're just being stubborn now, aren't you?
Yes, I am!
It's pitch black near the bottom.
The water depth is about forty meters.
It's a world of darkness where no light can reach.
I want you to go to that dark bottom to retrieve this gold coin.
Retrieve! Retrieve! Retrieve!
I bet fifty against him!
One hundred against.
Against, twenty-five.
If we all bet against, we can't place a wager!
Against! Against! Against!
Hey, hey! Don't you think this is bad?
This puddle is formed by liquid waste from the main rotor.
Its specific gravity is 0.075.
Normally, a person won't be able to float.
What should we do?!
You idiot!
I'm sorry!
The first time I felt Captain Ahab's arm, it felt unexpectedly soft, but...
But it was plenty strong!
As I was meeting Captain Ahab,
this story's other main character was still
floating alone at the distant edge of the universe.