Chapter 66
Kait stopping by the artificial celestial body was purely by chance.
It was because he had rescued some Earthlings near the Traltan star system. Emotion suggested that instead of making them wait on a cargo ship until the rescue fleet arrived, it might be better to stop by here. He accepted the suggestion. That was all there was to it.
"I thought this area was outside the Federation's sphere of influence..."
"Yes, that's correct, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen Enec Lagif. Since it was confirmed that an intelligent lifeform with culture had emerged on this planet, the Federation Congress dispatched this artificial celestial body Traltan."
"I see, so that's where the name Traltan star system comes from?"
"Yes. Perhaps because this area is relatively close to the Federation's sphere of influence, there was no particular organization exercising control over it."
To avoid friction with the Federation, the outer edges of its sphere of influence are often left as blank zones. This area appears to be one of those.
In any case, this Traltan star system is outside the Federation's sphere of influence, so it seems it will take some time for the rescue of the Earthlings.
With no other choice, they decided to stay on the artificial celestial body Traltan for a while. What was fortunate was that there were staff members who looked very similar to Earthlings. The five rescued Earthlings showed a great deal of fear toward Kait, though it's unclear how or where they learned about him. Reluctantly, he left the handling of them to the staff and spent his time bored in the room prepared for him.
"Captain. Here's the result of the interviews with the five."
"......I see. I guess not all the remaining Earthlings are good people either."
Four out of the five. It seems their fear wasn't directed at Kait alone.
According to the records taken by the staff, one of the five Earthlings Kait rescued had apparently been a member of an illegal organization. The remaining four were victims abducted by that organization and were treated relatively decently at their original location.
The one who belonged to the illegal organization apparently spouted a lot of nonsense. Since the other four said the same thing and only this one differed, it stood out quite a bit.
While the other four are grateful to Kait for rescuing them, they're uneasy that even that one person was also rescued. Having been deceived and abducted by a fellow Earthling, they seem unable to fully trust Kait.
Their treatment will be left to the Federation's judgment. Just because someone was in an illegal organization doesn't mean the Federation will outright reject them, but they'll likely need to be monitored to prevent any mischief.
Then, Emotion suddenly turned her face in a strange direction.
"What's wrong, Emotion?"
"It seems a battle has broken out nearby. There are Earthling signals."
"What!?"
The monitor displays the outside view. It must be from Traltan's external cameras. Three ships are chasing one.
Then, one of the chasing ships is blown apart. It was some kind of beam. Since it pierced the ship, it must be quite powerful.
"That's strange."
"What is?"
"Two things. First, the one being chased is a Janatirella Corporation ship. That ship shouldn't be equipped with such powerful optical weapons."
"So, it's been illegally modified?"
"Or maybe it just looks like a Janatirella ship, but the inside is something else..."
The one being chased is clearly skilled. They're deftly avoiding attacks from behind and maneuvering to avoid damage. On the other hand, the pursuers seem to pride themselves on speed, as they're gradually closing the distance.
"Oops, this isn't time to be watching. If the one being chased is an Earthling, we have to help."
"Yes. By the way, there's one more thing I'm curious about."
"Right. What is it?"
"Both the one being chased and the pursuers are emitting Earthling biological signals."
"From both sides!?"
***
After informing Traltan's representative, they dispatch the Queen Bee outside. It would be faster to teleport, but since both sides are chasing and fleeing in zigzags, teleporting carelessly would be dangerous.
Apparently, Traltan had already grasped the situation and was prepared to shoot them down if they came any closer to the artificial celestial body.
"Sorry for making things complicated."
'It's no problem, Third-Rank Citizen Kait. But a battle between Earthlings? Along with the earlier matter, it seems not all Earthlings are pure.'
"Well, Earthlings, myself included, aren't much. We just happened to have some ties with the people of Terapolapaneshio."
That some Earthlings might fall into wrongdoing was a reality Kait had already prepared himself for. Outside the Federation, there are noble organizations like the Corporation, but also many illegal organizations. Even the Federation itself, before it became what it is now, is said to have done quite a few questionable things.
However, Kait's words didn't seem to resonate much.
'It's precisely because you are the way you are, Third-Rank Citizen Kait, that we think Earthlings are wonderful.'
"Thanks."
Because he understood it wasn't flattery, he wasn't sure what kind of expression to make.
After leaving the port area of Traltan, they search for the ships. It seems another one was shot down during the pursuit, and now only two are still moving.
"Emotion, what about the Earthling on the pursuing ship!?"
'Yes, Captain. They're inside one of the moving ships.'
"I see..."
Should he be relieved they weren't shot down, or lament that he no longer knows which side to support?
Just as he tried to stop the battle for now, he saw the pursuing ship fire a net.
"Capture net?"
'It seems the pursuers are strictly aiming to capture. Judging by the fact that the one being chased is shooting down their opponent, they probably don't care whether the pursuers live or die as long as they escape.'
"That seems to be the case. I guess that settles which side we should support."
Then, while they were analyzing the situation, things suddenly take a turn.
'Captain, this is bad. The one being chased has taken a trajectory toward Planet Traltan 4.'
"Planet Traltan 4... the observation target!?"
'Yes. At this rate, both sides will enter the atmosphere.'
"We're going after them, Emotion!"
'But—'
Contact with undeveloped planets is strictly forbidden by the Federation. Kait's statement could easily be interpreted as a violation of Federation law. It's understandable that Emotion hesitates.
However, Kait had his own reasons he couldn't compromise on. And he also had a plan.
"Do you think the pursuing ship will survive if it enters the atmosphere like that?"
'......No. It'll burn up halfway through.'
"I won't interfere with the planet, but I'll use psychic power to keep that ship from burning up."
'That's a gray area. It's right on the edge of legality, you know?'
"Better than letting them die."
A crash or an emergency landing.
Either way, at least giving them a chance to survive shouldn't be a sin.
Kait pushes the Queen Bee forward and positions it behind the two ships.
'They could've escaped if they'd just released the capture net. I wonder why they didn't.'
"Maybe they weren't thinking clearly. Anyway, let's do this."
As usual, he steps outside and reaches toward the ship behind, which had turned bright red.
Several steel plates stuck to the Queen Bee's outer wall shoot out.
"Worker Bees!"
The flying Worker Bees deploy a barrier to protect the ship.
But it seems they were a bit too late.
"Did it fail?"
'No, it won't burn up from the friction anymore. It might crash, but if it's been modified, they might survive.'
"I see. That's a relief."
'Yes. I'll leave the negotiations to you, Captain.'
"Alright."
Negotiations. Feeling a bit gloomy, Kait let out a small sigh.
To rescue those who had already landed, he would now have to obtain landing permission for Traltan 4.