Chapter 56
The journey to the Central Star Cluster of the Federation was entrusted to the Corporation's fleet.
After all, Tuna was too large. There were concerns about the risk of an accident if they used Terapolapaneshio's typically crude psychic power transfer. That concern mainly came from Kait. Since neither the council nor Terapolapaneshio themselves objected, it seemed even the Federation was somewhat aware of the risk.
That's when Palnesbrogia volunteered to handle it using the Corporation's fleet.
Since the Corporation's formation, the flagship Vovrimos had never visited the Central Star Cluster, so this was a major event in its own right.
Departing from the Namibif Star System, they leisurely flew with Tuna toward the space where Vovrimos was anchored.
—So this is the Federation's center, where Kait and the others live. I'm looking forward to it.
"I wonder how it will look to you, Tuna, who has traveled across the universe."
That massive artificial planet, with stars linked together.
While chatting with Tuna, a massive ship came into view. A transmission came through to Queen Bee.
'Captain Kait. We will begin the transfer, so please enter Vovrimos.'
"Understood. Well then, Tuna, see you later."
—Yes.
As Queen Bee attempted to enter Vovrimos, countless Corporation ships emerged in the opposite direction. All of them were large vessels. Some were about the same size as Eanipol, which the Branch Director had been aboard, making Vovrimos's cargo capacity truly astonishing.
The Corporation's fleet formed a formation surrounding Tuna. By enclosing it, they could perform the transfer together.
"That's a handy trick."
'Captain. President Palnesbrogia is inviting you to the deck.'
"Alright, let's go."
He was also curious about the Corporation's method of transfer.
Kait parked Queen Bee at the designated spot and entered Vovrimos with Emotion.
***
"Welcome, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)."
"Yes, thank you for the invitation."
A mountain was speaking.
That was Kait's first thought. If he weren't used to strange creatures, he might have stared rudely or been shocked.
No wonder Vovrimos was so big. If the moss stacked like a mountain was Palnesbrogia's main body, then this place was essentially the Corporation's headquarters.
"As you can see, I can't move in this form. So usually, I separate a part of myself."
"I'll take being allowed to sit here as a sign of the Corporation's trust."
"Yes, exactly."
It was only natural that there were so many guards. Since Palnesbrogia was a plant, it couldn't adapt to the Federation's genetic modifications or life backups. In other words, if this President died, there would be no coming back.
Normally, Vovrimos never left the Corporation's territory, so this was truly an exceptional case. Still, Palnesbrogia showed no signs of anxiety, likely because of deep trust in the strength of this ship and its fleet.
Together with Emotion, they looked at the massive front monitor. The transfer had begun.
"Ohhh."
The words slipped out unintentionally. It was pure sci-fi. Acceleration that seemed to leave starlight behind. The colors of the scenery changed.
The sight matched exactly what sci-fi enthusiast Kait had always imagined. So this was the kind of sci-fi he had been seeking.
"Unlike the transfers used by the Terapolapaneshio, this takes more time. But for fleet-scale movement, it's safer."
"I understand. Compared to my own transfers, this feels... more stable."
If possible, it might be good to install this on Queen Bee as a precaution.
Thinking that, he looked at Emotion, who was facing a different direction with a puzzled expression.
"Is something wrong, Emotion?"
"Yes. President Palnesbrogia, is communication impossible during this transfer?"
"Emotion, Sixth-Rank Citizen (Ab Rag), that's correct. Communication with the outside is impossible during this transfer. Why do you ask?"
"I see. Then it might have been a malfunction."
Kait's expression stiffened with unease. As far as he knew, Emotion had never talked about a malfunction before.
"Did you pick up something?"
"Yes, well. It was extremely brief and fragmented, but—"
"It's fine. What was it?"
"Right before the transfer began, I picked up what seemed like a distress signal via Queen Bee."
"A distress signal?"
"Yes. In Federation language, it said they were being chased by a giant creature."
The room stirred. Since Emotion was connected to Queen Bee's systems, Kait had no reason to doubt her.
Palnesbrogia also heard and immediately issued instructions.
"From Vovrimos to all ships. Did any of you receive a transmission resembling a distress signal right before the transfer?"
A few seconds of silence as they waited for the communications officers' responses. Then, a tense voice came through.
"Galbanexino, confirmed receipt. Denappog, also confirmed. It was transmitted from the Vezandurni pirate fleet's communication line."
"The pirate fleet, huh. Location?"
"It's outside Federation territory. Likely somewhere between the Kutarinoo Star System and the Mesarshe Gravity Zone."
"The Mesarshe Gravity Zone, huh. That's definitely outside Federation control."
Even with the location given, Kait wasn't very familiar with the geography. He glanced at Emotion, and a diagram appeared in the air.
"The Mesarshe Gravity Zone is a space not under Federation control. It's known for gravity anomalies despite no observable stars or planets, which led the Federation to cease interference with the area."
"Gravity anomalies without any stars or planets. So the cause is unknown?"
"Seems so. Since space is vast, it's more efficient to focus on useful areas rather than investigate places like that."
"I see, that's logical. And the Kutarinoo Star System?"
"It's a star system located beyond the Mesarshe Gravity Zone from the Federation's perspective. Due to its distance from Federation oversight, it's known for pirate fleets and modified planets offering illegal entertainment."
Since no one had purchased Earthlings, they hadn't headed there. It was one of several outlaw star systems outside the Federation.
"The Corporation's fleet occasionally trades there. Sometimes, groups hostile to Divin overhunt rare species and put them up for auction."
A disturbing story. Creatures bought by anyone other than the Corporation usually faced a grim fate.
The Corporation, in its mission to protect rare species, was known to deal even with such troublesome groups. In that sense, its network far surpassed the Federation's.
"What will you do, President?"
"Well. If it's the Vezandurni pirate fleet, there's no problem leaving them. They're crude. The universe would be better off with fewer of them."
"Understood."
Kait was impressed by Palnesbrogia's cold decisiveness, but he still voiced an objection. Not because he felt sympathy for the pirates—he had another reason.
"President Palnesbrogia. I'm concerned about the mention of a giant creature."
"Huh?"
"Well, if we head to the Central Star Cluster and it turns out the giant creature is a space eel, wouldn't that be redundant?"
From the Namibif Star System, the Kutarinoo Star System was relatively close. But heading to the Central Star Cluster first would be a detour and take time. Kait thought it would be better to confirm whether it was a space eel first.
"You have a point. But Tuna seemed excited about the research, so maybe we should finish preparations at the Central Star Cluster first."
"That's true. Why don't we ask Tuna? Which should take priority—developing the new body or checking if it's a space eel?"
"......Hmm, let's do that."
Honestly, Kait didn't know which Tuna would prioritize. Especially since it was outside the Federation's territory, there was no rush. And if the ones being attacked were pirates, all the more reason not to hurry.
Palnesbrogia, who also seemed uncertain, agreed with Kait's compromise.
***
"It's a space eel, huh."
'It was a space eel, huh.'
Kait stepped outside Vovrimos and spoke in an exasperated tone. Palnesbrogia answered. In their line of sight was a space eel that had destroyed the pirate fleet. It was a different individual from Tuna.
—Kill, kill, kiiiiiiiiiiill!
Tuna, now more feral than ever, stood beside Kait, seething with rage.
"For now, the Corporation fleet should retreat. It's dangerous to get caught up in this."
'Sorry. I'll leave the rest to you.'
After Vovrimos finished loading its companion ships, it vanished. Unlike the crew, who had backups, Palnesbrogia had only one life. Although Kait had to argue quite a bit to get Palnesbrogia to retreat, they ultimately accepted.
Still...
"......Emotion. Isn't that one huge?"
'Yes. Its height and length are nearly three times Tuna's.'
Looks like this kaiju showdown was starting with a massive disadvantage on their side.