Chapter 150

The trial began and ended in the blink of an eye.

It was over so fast it felt anticlimactic. Former Congressman Batmute had admitted to everything far too easily. And just as Kait suspected, it was revealed that Batmute had clearly bypassed several memory checks by Federation equipment.

Perhaps because he learned that first, Asheido had been in a foul mood ever since.

"Master Batmute... no, Inmate Batmute, do you know what he said to me? 'Fooling the Federation's machines is easy. After all, they're not Terapolapaneshio,' he said."

"Yes, yes. I've heard that one many times already."

As for the Federation citizens involved in the administration of Tsubanda, they were all stripped of their citizenship and exiled. Their biometric data was erased, and they fled beyond the Federation's reach. Unless they had exceptional skills, the consensus in Parliament was that rebuilding their lives would be nearly impossible.

In Batmute's case, he ended up under house arrest in Semenon. His citizenship had already been revoked, and his biometric data erased, so the Federation had no further penalties to impose. On the other hand, many citizens still admired Batmute, and some still believed this trial was a mistake. If he were exiled, those supporters would undoubtedly aid him in secret.

More importantly, the possibility remained that some memory data couldn't be extracted by machines. There were even concerns that exiling him recklessly could be dangerous.

As a result, it was decided to place him under house arrest in some star system until the end of his life. The location sparked debate, but in the end, his birthplace Semenon was chosen.

"Is it really okay, in Semenon?"

"It can't be helped. There's no connection between Tsubanda and Semenon. No matter how much you investigate."

Asheido wore a bitter expression. Kait believed what Batmute had wanted to hide was the connection between Tsubanda and Semenon. However, official investigations had proven there was no such link. Since Batmute had even evaded Asheido's questioning, they had no choice but to admit Batmute had won this one.

Still, Batmute would never appear on the public stage again. Kait was certain of that. At the very least, he didn't believe Batmute was lying when he deeply bowed and apologized to the Earthlings who testified at the trial.

They never did learn how he got involved with Tsubanda, but perhaps he simply wanted to sever ties with it. That thought crossed Kait's mind.

"Well, once again, I owe you a lot. I'll be dispatched to the lab for a while now. Good grief."

"What about your work in Parliament?"

"I'll hold both positions. I've been exempted from attendance, but as long as I have a communicator, I can still participate in sessions."

Draining the last of his tea as if reluctant to leave, Asheido stood. Because Batmute resisted data extraction via machines, Asheido was roped into helping develop new equipment. Since he handled most of the interrogation, he was selected as one of the advisors.

His workload had increased, but he didn't seem to mind. It seemed Asheido had always enjoyed working.

"So, what about you?"

"Me? Well, I'll be flying around again, checking the intentions of Earthlings. If necessary, I'll conduct rescues too."

"No, I meant something else."

"?"

Asheido's gaze grew evasive. Following it, Kait saw—

'P-Please. Help me, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif).'

"Again!?"

Floating weakly in the air was Terapolapaneshio.

***

Kait wanted to run away.

However, it wasn't a situation where he could simply flee.

"...Well, it's not like I've got more work, so I guess it's fine."

'You could just say no.'

"Then would you go and refuse on my behalf?"

'That's not something you should ask of others.'

Inside the Queen Bee, Kait and Emotion exchanged their usual banter. Their destination was Planet Ragav. Leen and Bunaha had finally decided on a relocation site and begun preparations. Things seemed to be going smoothly, and once the plans were in place, they were to leave the rest to Emarimores and the others.

But then came a sudden request for help. Without a doubt, something troublesome had occurred. Kait didn't want to go, but since he was involved in the project, he couldn't just ignore it.

"There it is... haaa."

A green planet. It was Planet Ragav.

The only habitable planet in the Ragav star system, and it was expected to suffer catastrophic damage from a near-miss with its star in the near future.

What kind of problems awaited them?

"It looks nice, though."

'I agree with that.'

Now that they were here, there was no point in complaining. Kait made up his mind to finish things quickly. Following Terapolapaneshio's lead, he began descending the Queen Bee toward Ragav.

***

"Welcome to Ragav, Third-Rank Citizen Kait!"

The only spaceport on Ragav.

Kait and Emotion, having disembarked from the Queen Bee, were greeted by Leen. Compared to when they met in the Central Star Cluster, she seemed much more cheerful. This was probably her true personality.

Bunaha didn't seem to be around. When asked, they said she was handling government affairs at the palace. One might think it should be the other way around, but when it comes to administrative tasks, machine intelligence is often better suited than flesh and blood. Without bias, it might actually be the right division of roles.

"It's a beautiful planet."

"Thank you. Though it might sound strange coming from me, it really is a nice place."

On the way to their destination, Leen smoothly explained the sights of Ragav they passed. She was more eloquent than Kait expected. Compared to the gloomy atmosphere of the Central Star Cluster, it was like she was a different person.

If she loved this planet that much, then yes, she must be deeply affectionate.

"So, where are we headed?"

"To the palace. Emarimores, Fifth-Rank Citizen (Alto Romia), and Korolkerol, Sixth-Rank Citizen (Ab Rag), are there too."

"Hmm."

The others who had arrived on Ragav earlier were also at the palace. The relocation from the planet seemed to be progressing, and they saw hardly any other citizens on the way. Yet, the surroundings weren't desolate. The noisy sounds made by other lifeforms were rather pleasant to the ears.

"Captain."

"Yes?"

"You seem quite relaxed."

"Do I? Maybe I am."

It had been a while since he felt the presence of living creatures so closely. Traltan 4 had been a mission, and as an undeveloped planet, it had a very different atmosphere. That place was filled with the tension of life and death.

A planet not adjacent to danger, but filled with the presence of life. He hadn't realized it, but maybe he had been craving such an environment more than he thought.

"I see. This is hard to give up."

He muttered in a low voice, just loud enough that Leen wouldn't hear.

***

In the palace's conference room were Emarimores, Korolkerol, and Terapolapaneshio.

Across the table sat four intelligent beings with appearances different from those of Ragav natives, glaring at them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I've brought Third-Rank Citizen Kait."

"Thank you."

"Third-Rank Citizen Kait! I'm sorry for summoning you like this."

Emarimores turned to them and offered thanks. Extending a tentacle different in structure from Terapolapaneshio's, she indicated where Kait and Emotion should sit.

They sat as prompted, but Kait still didn't understand why he was summoned. He looked at Leen, who nodded and gestured toward the four.

"These are members of the Federation's Institute for Primitive Lifeforms."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kait."

"Nice to meet you, Third-Rank Citizen Kait. We've heard much about you."

Institute for Primitive Lifeforms. He'd never heard of it. The name was similar to the lab where Gorou worked, but slightly different.

Even their greeting carried a subtle edge.

"So, what brings these people here?"

'Indeed. They came barging in, saying they won't approve the relocation of Planet Ragav.'

The one who continued the explanation was the Space jellyfish.

Could this be another leftover mess from Bunaha Boon? He shot a sharp look at Leen, but she quickly shook her head. It seemed she understood, and apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Third-Rank Citizen Kait. I heard you proposed the relocation of the planet."

"Yes, I did."

"I'm sorry, but we cannot approve of that!"

So why not?

Someone explain, please. The Space jellyfish never gives enough context, but maybe that's just how the entire Federation operates.

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