Chapter 143

There are few who would dispute that Di-Kigaia Zarmos is the Federation's greatest military force. Even a single ship can annihilate an enemy fleet on its own. In the history of galactic warfare, Terapolapaneshio and Di-Kigaia Zarmos have undoubtedly led their era.

Countermeasures have been attempted countless times, but none have ever succeeded. To oppose the Federation ultimately means to oppose Terapolapaneshio. The analysis that no organization decisively opposes the Federation because Terapolapaneshio serves as the ultimate deterrent is undoubtedly accurate.

And precisely because of that, the evil festering within the Federation has focused solely on how to deceive Terapolapaneshio and their ship. Those who gathered on the artificial planet Tsubanda have prepared for Terapolapaneshio as a virtual enemy more thoroughly than any external organization.

Batmute let out a slow sigh aboard his own ship.

"It seems we've been detected."

"Yes."

"We couldn't get our hands on an Earth jellyfish. As expected of Zodogia, their staff is reliably competent."

When the turmoil broke out in Tsubanda, Ritimiele, the vice-captain of Zodogia, also joined the fray. It was Batmute who orchestrated that, with the goal of capturing a jellyfish living on Earth alive.

It wasn't Batmute's will, but rather a request from the Tsubanda executives who had tagged along with him. If they had an Earth jellyfish aboard, it could serve as insurance in case Terapolapaneshio ever appeared. That seemed to be their thinking.

"Our ship doesn't have preparations like theirs. Will we be alright?"

"No problem. In fact, not having such preparations might increase our chances of survival. That would only provoke their wrath."

"I understand, but..."

The aide swallowed their words, likely out of fear of Terapolapaneshio. In a battle, they had absolutely no chance of winning. Unlike the executives from Tsubanda, the crew aboard this ship had seen Terapolapaneshio's overwhelming power firsthand on multiple occasions. Given the possibility that wrath might be directed at them, a shiver or two was only natural.

Then came a report that the signal from Di-Kigaia Zarmos was receding. Apparently, they had detected this ship but chose not to attack immediately. In other words, they had noticed the trap set by the surrounding fleet.

Yet Batmute smiled faintly. Terapolapaneshio's actions were still within expectations. That is to say, things were unfolding just as Batmute had imagined.

"So far, so good."

"That's a relief."

"You dissatisfied?"

"Not at all. It's just that ordinary people like us can't maintain your level of composure when facing Terapolapaneshio."

"Don't belittle yourselves. They're fairly predictable once you've dealt with them enough. That's all there is to it."

Even so, Batmute lowered his gaze to the terminal in his hand. Though he didn't show it in words or demeanor to avoid alarming those around him, he did furrow his brow slightly upon seeing the Federation calendar.

Detection came earlier than expected. If this was a chance discovery, then fine. But if not, then it was only a matter of time before their escape ended.

Bunaha Boon had done her job well. By keeping Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif), and part of Terapolapaneshio occupied, she had bought them crucial time to prepare. He couldn't thank her enough.

"Alright, get ready for battle. The next Di-Kigaia Zarmos will be coming at us seriously."

"Yes, sir!"

The crew began to scramble into action.

The Batmute-class ship was also the flagship of this fleet—those fools who had begun calling themselves the Great Tsubanda Fleet. It was inevitable they'd be targeted by the Federation, but they wanted to avoid a disgraceful sinking at all costs.

***

"I see. So the Tsubanda remnants..."

In his office in the Central Star Cluster, Asheido tightened his expression as he received communication from Terapolapaneshio. A report had come in that Batmute's fleet had been located. Knowing them as he did, he found it strange that such a report had arrived first.

"Still, it's unusual. Contacting us before launching an attack?"

'Yeah. They're up to something a bit troublesome.'

"Troublesome?"

Asheido's eyes widened at the use of the word "troublesome" in reference to Terapolapaneshio. To Federation citizens, Terapolapaneshio were absolute protectors. The idea of them falling behind in battle was unthinkable. Even for a senator like Asheido, that belief held true.

A fleet led by the brilliant strategist Batmute—it wouldn't be easy to deal with. As he thought that, Terapolapaneshio on the monitor tossed in a troublesome request.

'Call Third-Rank Citizen Kait. As an escort for the Earthlings, we'll send two of our units separately.'

"That's appreciated, but... are you sure? It might increase the backlash against Kait."

The escort of the Earthling witness was a formal request from the Federation Congress. Terapolapaneshio, who were pursuing Batmute, had also officially summoned Kait in their capacity as members of the Federation Congress. When both requests came from the Congress, the earlier one generally took precedence. This was an unspoken rule of the Federation Congress.

Breaking that rule would provide perfect ammunition for those hostile to Kait. That was Asheido's concern.

'That's your job to handle, Senator Asheido.'

"Another unreasonable demand. I'll call him for now, so please explain the situation to him."

'Understood.'

He temporarily put the communication on hold and sent a call to the Earthling residential section.

Kait answered quickly, likely having been relaxing in his room, though he looked a bit sleepy.

'What is it, Senator Asheido?'

"It's a message from Terapolapaneshio. They've located Master Batmute's fleet and want your assistance. They say they'll send two more units for that purpose."

'Huh? Then just send the other units. Why me again?'

"It seems things are a bit complicated. Terapolapaneshio, who found the fleet, apparently withdrew instead of attacking."

'No way.'

Perhaps because he judged the situation to be formal, Kait spoke more politely than usual. Still, his demeanor said more than his tone.

Kait shook his head with a look of distrust. Asheido agreed. Terapolapaneshio had analyzed that Kait's current psychic power output was equal to or greater than one of their units. And they were sending two.

In other words, they wanted Kait's help for reasons beyond combat strength. But what were those reasons?

"For now, it's on hold. I'll have them explain, so wait a moment."

'Understood.'

Kait nodded, and Asheido quickly resumed the call. He connected Terapolapaneshio and Kait, arranging for a three-way conversation.

'Sorry, Third-Rank Citizen Kait. Something a bit troublesome has happened. We need your strength and judgment.'

"Strength... maybe. Judgment?"

'Yes. We discovered Batmute's fleet earlier, but couldn't launch an attack. We had an agreement, so we couldn't just strike.'

'You couldn't attack? What happened?'

At Kait's question, Terapolapaneshio uncharacteristically fell silent. For someone usually overly talkative, this was rare. After appearing to think for a moment, they finally spoke.

'Each ship in their fleet carries one Earthling.'

'...What did you say?'

'We'll send the available biological data. Please compare it with the data stored in the Central Star Cluster.'

'Understood. Emotion!'

Kait called out to his partner, who was out of view on the other side of the screen.

Emotion, who today was standing in the form of an Earthling, began checking the sent data. A strange clattering sound could be heard.

"I see. Sinking the ships and protecting the Earthlings would produce contradictory outcomes. That's why they withdrew. Quite the cunning move."

'Yeah, really.'

As expected of one called a brilliant strategist—his preparations were consistently precise. What would his next move be? As they waited for Emotion's response, a loud knock came at the office door.

"What is it!?"

"Excuse me!"

The one who entered was a member of the Central Star Cluster's security staff. Asheido recognized him, so he must've held a fairly high position.

Yet he seemed quite flustered.

"What's going on?"

"The biological data of Batmute Egilameftio Semenon, which was registered in the biological database, has been deleted. Recovery is impossible."

"What!?"

The Federation's biological database is a vital information hub at the core of its society. Registration is easy, but deletion is theoretically impossible—or so it was believed.

And yet it had been deleted. Based on circumstantial evidence, it was clearly one of Batmute's moves. But what was his intent?

"There must be some important reason. But what would be the point of deleting your own biological data?"

Deleting biological data is a completely pointless act. Even if it's your own, just attempting to delete it is treated as one of the gravest crimes within the Federation. Deleting theoretically undeletable data—one can only imagine the magnitude of that crime.

Asheido couldn't understand Batmute's motives. Covering his mouth with his hand, he fell into deep thought.

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