Chapter 153

The artificial celestial bodies, from which all life forms, atmosphere, and soil had been collected, were moved ahead to the relocation site by Terapolapaneshio and the others.

As the number of artificial celestial bodies—originally twenty—dwindled, an odd sense of loneliness crept in. In the end, only Emarimores's ship and Queen Bee remained. Below them lay Planet Ragav, now devoid of all signs of life.

Kait was maintaining the force field deployed around the now smaller Ragav. It was a force field created by Terapolapaneshio and the others to protect any microorganisms that might still be alive underground. Kait didn't have the power to deploy a force field of this scale, but he could at least maintain one that was already in place.

'Sorry, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen Enec Lagif. In the end, we had to ask for your help.'

"Well, just watching would have been boring anyway. Don't worry about it."

'Thank you.'

Emarimores looked apologetic, but Kait genuinely meant what he said. He felt it would be a waste to just watch and comment without participating.

He thought about asking how Leen was doing, but stopped himself. He was the one who proposed this project. He had no right to pry. Even if she were grieving, he wouldn't have the words to comfort her.

If the day ever came when Earth had to be relocated, would it end up looking like Ragav below? Imagining that future, Kait gave a dry chuckle at how strangely unmoved he felt. Was he really that detached from Earth?

'Captain?'

"Ah, it's nothing, Emotion. I was just thinking that I really am a Federation citizen now."

'I see. Do you think the cultivation of the Tramnelende bacteria will go well?'

"Hmm, who knows? By the way, what kind of medicine was it again that uses that bacteria?"

'Yes. To put it simply, a hair growth tonic.'

"......I see."

No wonder it had supporters. Because of individual differences and constitutions, it was considered more of a luxury item than a necessity. Indeed, there were species that naturally had no body hair at all.

But for species like Ritimiele's, whose biology was heavily influenced by body hair, hair loss could be a matter of life and death. Passionate supporters would be fervent indeed, so it was good they had taken precautions. One never knew how such networks might spread.

'You might need it someday too, Captain?'

"I better be careful."

He instinctively touched his head. Come to think of it, Kait had micro-machines implanted during his body modification, but perhaps they didn't take care of hair maintenance.

As they were having that conversation, Kait's role seemed to come to an end.

'Sorry to keep you waiting.'

He heard the now-familiar synthetic voice of Terapolapaneshio.

***

Under strict orders not to incur any individual losses, Terapolapaneshio and the others gathered forty more individuals here in addition to the twenty that had been moving the artificial celestial bodies.

Sixty Di-Kigaia Zarmos ships. If any organization outside the Federation saw this lineup, they would likely tremble in fear, thinking it a prelude to final war. But to Kait, it was nothing more than a swarm of original space-dwelling seafood.

"With that many, no one will get hurt, right?"

'Indeed. Thank you for your concern, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. As long as we don't have to exert power to preserve life and the environment, a planet is nothing more than a massive rock.'

What an extreme way of putting it.

But conversely, it meant that preserving life and the environment required such delicate work that it could cost Terapolapaneshio their lives.

He decided to simply be glad that they didn't have to bear that burden this time.

Slowly, Planet Ragav's rotation began to slow. It was less stressful to transport a planet that wasn't spinning. They could restart its rotation once it arrived at its destination—so went the reasoning.

'Well then, we'll go on ahead.'

'Understood. Take care.'

Terapolapaneshio and Emarimores exchanged a brief conversation.

Planet Ragav seemed to distort like a ripple. In the next moment, both Planet Ragav and the Di-Kigaia Zarmos ships vanished as if they had popped like bubbles.

'......With this, the first phase of the project is complete.'

Emarimores murmured with deep emotion.

No longer did any life-bearing planet exist in this star system. Shifting his gaze, he saw a fireball, larger than the others but still small from this distance. It was a star that would soon pass closest to this system.

What would happen to the Ragav star system when that passed was still unknown. It might have no major effect, or it might collide with Ragav and transform into a new star. If it were the latter, Planet Ragav would surely have been annihilated.

Whether the decision was right or wrong—they would find out someday. Leen, Queen of Ragav, chose not the path of regretting inaction, but the path where they could laugh and say it was fine not to act.

Kait hoped that the weight of that decision would at least be rewarded with a good outcome.

***

The new star system that would become Ragav's new home resembled the Ragav star system in every way except the star's color. Naturally, since that's what they had searched for. Now, if only life could settle in as it had before—or close to it.

Ignoring Leen, who was praying, Emarimores handed over most of the work to Korolkerol. The tasks ahead required finesse. From here on, the high computational abilities of mechanical intelligences like Korolkerol were crucial.

"Everything's in place. As expected."

"Yeah. We're the last ones, after all."

Though much of its surface had been stripped away, Planet Ragav remained massive. Terapolapaneshio surrounded it with a force field. The twenty artificial celestial bodies loaded with life and resources.

From here, it was time to rebuild the planet. The second phase was an unexplored domain that no one—not even Emarimores—had ever undertaken.

Korolkerol casually glanced at Kait and his ship, who were merely observers here. That outrageous visitor who had defied all Federation norms had now even moved a planet's location. Though there was no logical basis, just having that Third-Rank Citizen present made it feel like everything would go well.

"Then, let's begin!"

At Korolkerol's words, the previously stationary Planet Ragav began to rotate gradually. Terapolapaneshio, terrifying yet reliable, began channeling power into the planet.

The responsible mechanical intelligences began observing the rotation and calculating its relation to the new star. First, they had to synchronize Planet Ragav with the motion of the star system.

After that, they would return the atmosphere and soil. The oceans too. Once those were stable, they would reintroduce life to the surface. There was much to do, and the necessary calculations were vast in scope.

"Emarimores. I have a proposal."

"What is it?"

"I suggest installing a satellite around Planet Ragav for planetary observation and environmental protection in case of emergency."

"A satellite? Would staff be stationed there?"

"Yes. This is our first attempt, after all. Even after completion, we'll need a base to monitor environmental changes for a while, right?"

"That makes sense. What do you think, Leen, Fourth-Rank Citizen Darda Elra?"

"Eh?"

Leen, who had been intently watching the work, was startled by Emarimores's question and turned around in a panic.

"W-What is it?"

"It's about Korolkerol's proposal. While we hope Planet Ragav remains stable, we can't rule out unforeseen events. This entire project is full of firsts, after all."

"A satellite, huh... If it contributes to Ragav's safety, then by all means."

Leen replied without much hesitation. It was as if all her previous squabbles with Kait had been a lie. Well, compared to moving a planet to another star system, a satellite was a minor detail.

"Understood. Then let's propose it to Kait, Third-Rank Citizen."

Kait probably wouldn't refuse. And if Kait didn't refuse, Terapolapaneshio likely wouldn't either. If a planetary-scale anomaly occurred, Terapolapaneshio's presence would be essential.

The risks and concerns had lessened slightly. But there was still much work ahead.

While running multiple thought processes, Korolkerol envisioned the new form of Planet Ragav in its circuits.

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