Chapter 144

"Captain. Unfortunately, the Earthlings aboard are not Federation citizens."

Emotion's reply was calm. He had a bad feeling, and it turned out to be correct. Those who had made Tsubanda their base didn't lure Federation citizens with sweet words to recruit them. That meant they might have been hiding Earthlings somewhere besides the ones protected during the raid on the artificial planet Tsubanda.

Kait steeled himself to confront Batmute's fleet. After all, it was his job to begin with. He appreciated Terapolapaneshio's concern.

'Or maybe they bought them from somewhere before the trial. Those people have no options left, and probably have connections with outside organizations. Even if the time was short, they would've had ways to gather them.'

Asheido's words were also full of concern, but how they were gathered wasn't all that important. How many Earthlings were aboard a single ship? That needed to be confirmed during the operation. If the hostages were shown on the bridge, pinpointing their location would be easier.

'Kait. Prepare yourself for the possibility of abandoning the Earthlings who are being held hostage.'

"Asheido. I understand why you'd say that, but—"

'Even if you do, no one will blame you. I'll do everything I can to keep it secret. That way, we can end this quickly. Please.'

He was saying something quite dangerous. If they weren't registered as Federation citizens, then of course their biological data wouldn't be registered either. It was obvious, but once dead, that was the end. There was no resurrection.

Once you're dead, it's over. For Kait, that was always a given, but perhaps he had grown too accustomed to Federation society. He found himself upset at the thought of Earthlings dying.

Whether Kait chose to belong to the Federation or take another path, he believed they should at least have the right to choose once. He had confirmed that before, and this time wouldn't be an exception.

On the other hand, Kait was curious why Asheido would say such things. Asheido was never a cold-hearted person. Normally, he would've agonized alongside Kait about how to rescue the Earthlings. So why now?

"Is something going on? You seem to be in quite a hurry."

'I'm not saying we should let all the Earthlings die. But I want to secure Master Batmute's person at all costs.'

"Former Councilor Batmute's person?"

'Yes. If Master Batmute dies, most of what's related to the Tsubanda system incident will be buried in darkness. Who he's connected to, and how far those connections go.'

I see, so that was it. Someone in Batmute's faction had erased Batmute's biological data. He knew such technology existed, but even so, Asheido seemed unusually desperate.

'Damn it, how did they erase the biological data? That should be theoretically impossible.'

"Wait, Asheido. Wasn't Divin, who was responsible for creating us, also erased from the biological data? What do you mean it's theoretically impossible?"

'Hm? Oh, in Divin's case, it was after her Federation citizenship was revoked. Erasing data after exile isn't difficult. The problem is erasing it while the citizenship is still active.'

According to Asheido's explanation, the Federation's biological data repository was a kind of machine intelligence. Under Federation law, even the worst criminals retained minimal rights. That included the preservation of their biological data, and in that respect, it was said to be stricter than even Terapolapaneshio.

At any rate, Batmute's Federation citizenship hadn't been revoked yet. And still, his biological data had been erased. That would be impossible unless someone deceived that machine intelligence's recognition or tampered with its thinking itself.

Hearing just that, Kait understood the gravity of the situation. That said, the one involved in the erasure was a Federation citizen, and they were definitely in the Central Star Cluster. Since Terapolapaneshio had also moved one of her units, the priority level wasn't very high at the moment.

And as a member of the Federation Congress, Asheido believed Batmute's memory, which should contain the full picture of the incident, was crucial. Unfortunately, that took precedence over the lives of the Earthlings.

'If we don't take them all down in this operation, they'll vanish into the shadows. And they'll resent you Earthlings. What do you think is the worst-case scenario if we fail to crush them? After damaging the biological data, they'll commit acts of terrorism in your residential zones. Do you think that's impossible?'

"......It's entirely possible, I'd say."

The possibility Asheido presented was the worst future that could arise from the combination of Batmute's tactics. And Kait found it very plausible.

This technology had to be eradicated completely. Still, he couldn't bring himself to easily say they should give up on the lives of the Earthlings.

'Sorry for cornering you like that. But I want you to keep it in mind—for the Federation's future.'

"I understand. Priorities change depending on your position. If I were in your place, I'd probably say the same thing."

'......Now I understand why you don't want to become a Federation councilor. It's a heavy burden.'

"Right?"

They shared a wry smile across the monitor.

What Asheido now carried was the future of all Federation citizens. Kait would carry the future of the Federation citizens and the lives of the Earthlings aboard the Tsubanda ship. Whether by power or by force. Truly, great power was not something one should possess lightly.

"Then, once reinforcements arrive, Emotion and I will head out as well. I'll think of some good ideas before we get there."

'Don't trouble yourself, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif).'

"No, this is my duty."

Terapolapaneshio didn't interrupt the conversation between Asheido and Kait. Asheido's words were for the Federation, but also somewhat illegal. Kait's words, while not illegal, might endanger Federation citizens.

As the guardian of Federation law, Terapolapaneshio's silence could be seen as an act of mercy. Or perhaps, it was expectation—based on the unconventional solutions Kait had shown so far.

"Emotion."

"Yes. I'll begin preparing the Queen Bee for departure."

"I'm counting on you."

Unless additional space jellyfish arrived, Kait couldn't leave the residential zone. Emotion understood and headed to the port area ahead of him.

Just as he reached for the terminal to turn off the monitor, he noticed Asheido looking at him with a serious expression.

'Leave the lobbying to the Congress to me.'

It was immediately clear that those words weren't just about departure clearance. Kait looked back at Asheido firmly and nodded.

Then, Asheido let out a deep breath.

'Now that I think about it, I may have figured out why Master Batmute had his own biological data erased.'

"Why?"

'He probably has something he wants to protect—even if it means throwing away his own life.'

Kait agreed with that. It probably wasn't the people currently fleeing with Batmute. It was someone—or something—connected to Tsubanda.

As long as the biological data existed, Batmute would be resurrected in the Central Star Cluster, the Federation's core, if he died. That was Terapolapaneshio's domain. His memories would be thoroughly examined, and all intelligent beings and organizations involved with Tsubanda would be exposed. Those Batmute wanted to protect would likely be caught up in it.

"That's a formidable foe."

Someone who's prepared to throw away their life with purpose is terrifying.

And yet, the fact that he couldn't bring himself to abandon the lives of the Earthlings might mean he loved them more than he realized. As Kait turned off the monitor, he found himself gazing up at the ceiling.

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