Chapter 52
The request from Palnesbrogia to converse with Tuna.
Since the Federation had no particular reason to refuse, permission was granted. However—
"Ah, sorry for the trouble, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)."
"Not at all."
Due to the output limitations of Palnesbrogia's psychic power, it was difficult to converse with Tuna from a distance, so they decided to approach Tuna at close range using the Queen Bee.
During the preparations, Terapolapaneshio had already explained the situation to Tuna, so there was no particular concern. After disembarking from the Queen Bee and stepping onto the pedestal, Kait levitated Palnesbrogia's body from the ground and carefully held it to avoid dropping it.
"Oh, I'm being embraced by Kait, Third-Rank Citizen."
"Indeed."
Even if the moss kind says that to me...
***
—Greetings, Kait.
"Hello, Tuna. As explained by Terapolapaneshio, this is the guest we mentioned."
"N-Nice to meet you, Tuna. I'm Palnesbrogia. Pleased to meet you."
—Yes, nice to meet you, Palnesbrogia. Lately, I've had so many strange encounters that I never get bored.
Tuna responded in high spirits. It seemed Tuna had recognized Palnesbrogia as an individual intelligence. That meant the first step had been cleared.
Thinking about the conversation that was about to take place, Kait honestly wanted to leave immediately. Though that wasn't possible.
—By the way, Kait. When will my new body be ready?
"Well, it's unprecedented, after all. In your case, Tuna, it would be problematic if you couldn't freely move between your original body and the new one, right? So they're asking for a bit more time."
—If that's the reason, then it can't be helped. I'll wait patiently.
After all, all other space eels besides Tuna had become enemies of the Federation. If another space eel appeared within Federation territory, Tuna would have to rush to the scene.
If Kait or Terapolapaneshio were nearby, it could probably be dealt with quickly. But Tuna didn't want a life where only the corpses of space eels were brought to them. A way to return to the original body quickly was necessary, and the Federation's technology department seemed to be tackling that difficult challenge.
Currently, they were researching a technique to allow limited transfer phenomena between the main body and the new body using the psychic powers of Kait and Terapolapaneshio. Kait, who was staying in Radia, had been interviewed several times under that pretext. Their eyes were so intense, Kait suspected the researchers might be members of the Psychic Power Research Society.
Still, there's no point in turning away from reality.
During the small talk, it seemed Palnesbrogia's preparations had been completed. After descending from Kait's hands, Palnesbrogia tottered toward the bow of the Queen Bee. Since it was dangerous, Kait supported the body slightly from behind using psychic power.
"Tuna. I am the President of the Rare Species Conservation Agency. We work to protect rare lifeforms in the galaxy from external threats."
—Protect? What exactly does that mean?
"It means protecting lives from natural enemies and disasters. Helping them reproduce and keeping them away from the terrifying fate of extinction."
—I see. That sounds like, how should I put it, a wonderful job.
Seemingly realizing something, Tuna turned their attention this way.
—So that means, you'll also protect Earth's eels!?
"We're grateful you care so much about our eels, but..."
Eels are delicious, after all. If Tuna heard that some species were overfished by certain Earthlings to the point of extinction, it might change their opinion of Earthlings—and that was scary.
No, since Earth's environment was now entrusted to the space jellyfish, the eels were probably thriving and swimming through the seas and rivers of Earth again—or so one would hope.
"That's why, Tuna. Our Corporation wants to protect you."
—?
Ah, just as expected.
Tuna clearly didn't understand at all.
Well, of course. If a water flea told a dinosaur, 'We'll protect you,' it wouldn't make sense. Kait was now witnessing the answer to the donut powder issue he had argued over with the Corporation's branch manager.
—Kait. What exactly is Palnesbrogia saying? I don't quite understand.
"In short, this person wants to protect you, Tuna. From natural enemies and disasters."
—I see? By natural enemies and disasters, do you mean... another Kait, or perhaps Terapolapaneshio who negotiated with my kind?
Another Kait? What?
Also, if there were another Terapolapaneshio who negotiated with a different space eel, that would mean it's a different individual from the Federation's Terapolapaneshio. For the Federation's space jellyfish, that would be a long-awaited fellow species—but at the same time, also an enemy. What a tragedy.
In any case, what threatened Tuna's life must be something capable of killing them. Or perhaps, a more evolved space eel.
"Yes. Our wish is to protect you space eels from such dangers. Would you agree to that?"
"Ah."
Kait instinctively held his head. This moss kind still didn't understand. Reports must have been sent to the Corporation via Gorou.
Tuna didn't respond immediately. They probably didn't understand what was being said. The silence was likely due to carefully thinking over the meaning of the words to avoid misunderstanding.
Even so, Tuna avoided giving a direct answer. Instead of replying to Palnesbrogia, they asked Kait first.
—Kait. Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but are they saying... they want both me and my kind to be kept alive?
"That's right. Surprisingly."
"Yes! And eventually, we hope you'll reproduce and become so numerous that space eels are no longer rare!"
They said it. The worst possible answer.
If that many space eels appeared in one place, nearby planets would be devoured.
—Kait?
"Yes."
—Did you bring this thing just so I could hear such foolishness?
They just called it 'this thing.' Can't blame them. Even Kait couldn't think of a way to defend that.
Palnesbrogia seemed to realize that Tuna's mood had plummeted and turned their attention this way in a flustered manner.
"The owner of the fleet you blew away the other day is this person. Their goal has always been to protect you."
—Oh, the one that was flashing lights at me?
"Yes, that one."
—Huh. Protect me...? I see.
Using the incident, for which the person had shown remorse, as a shield, they tried to cool the situation down.
It seemed Tuna remembered and calmed down a bit. However, they no longer intended to speak with Palnesbrogia and offered only one sharp remark.
—Maybe blasting it away was the right call after all.
"Now, now."
***
"To become the only perfect individual, they fight and kill their own kind...?"
"Yes. I thought you would've received a report from Gorou Saitou."
On the way back to Radia on the Queen Bee after the negotiations broke down.
Kait was confirming the situation with Palnesbrogia, who clearly had no understanding of the circumstances.
In fact, Kait remembered the article didn't mention the self-destructive behavior among space eels. It had been judged too difficult to comprehend. On the other hand, Gorou had explained everything, since he was aboard Radia. He had concluded that protecting them as a species was impossible and sent a detailed report.
And yet, Palnesbrogia still insisted on protection—Kait thought they were truly stubborn.
"A report from researcher Gorou Saitou? I received several reports from the observation fleet and should've read them, but I don't recall reading his."
"From the observation fleet?"
"Yes. It said that due to their tendency to attack in response to light, they might not be very intelligent individuals. On the other hand, the Federation succeeded in suppressing that aggression, so it might be possible to communicate with them through sensory connection."
"Hmm."
It felt like a somewhat biased description.
Ignoring the fact that the Federation succeeded in communication—if they had just used telepathy to control them, then that interpretation wouldn't be wrong.
Thinking that far, he suddenly realized something.
The Corporation had no staff capable of communicating via psychic power. Worse, due to a previous incident, they had been isolated during the negotiation.
So they must have assumed the Federation secretly conducted experiments and brought the space eels under control. Conspiracy theories even existed in space—Kait found that oddly moving.
"The submission should be complete, so you might want to search for it."
"Yes, the main body is issuing instructions now... Ah, here it is. It seems it was intentionally delayed. Let's see..."
Apparently, even when separated from the main body, they could still share information. In this respect, Palnesbrogia and Terapolapaneshio had something in common.
Just before landing in the port area of Radia.
"What is this—!"
Palnesbrogia's anger slightly shook Kait's brain.