Chapter 68
Kait entered the atmosphere of Traltan 4 and cloaked the Queen Bee using psychic power to make it harder to detect. It was the same concealment that had fooled even a large eel—unless there was something extremely unusual, it was unlikely to be discovered.
As he tracked the whereabouts of the two ships that had either crashed or landed, what concerned Kait was which one to prioritize.
"Emotion, which one do you think we should prioritize?"
'I think we should prioritize the one that was being chased.'
"Why is that?"
'That Janatirella Corporation ship has a very high reputation for crew protection. They're undoubtedly safe, so we should secure them before they start moving around.'
"You're right. As for the other one..."
'Since it's been modified, as long as the ship hasn't burned up, their lives should be safe. They might have some injuries, so I do think we should hurry, though.'
He nodded at Emotion's words. Kait himself felt they should rescue the ones who were being chased first. However, beyond their safety, there was also the issue of how it might affect the culture of this planet.
They should secure the ones likely to move around first. Emotion's suggestion made sense. Kait's emotional reasoning was based only on his own impression. After all, both ships had Earthlings aboard.
"Okay. Then let's secure the ones who were being chased first."
In Kait's field of vision, the calculations Emotion had worked out were projected.
'From here, they should have crashed toward the east. I doubt it was a smooth landing, so we should be able to see some kind of trace.'
"Got it."
She really is a reliable partner. Kait turned the Queen Bee eastward.
***
The environment of Traltan 4 resembled that of old Earth as seen in archives. The main differences were that the plants were primarily red in color and the tree trunks were green. The exact composition might differ, but somehow...
"It's strange, isn't it? Even though it's a faraway place, it reminds me of Earth."
'Is that so? That's unfortunate. The atmospheric composition is quite different. Without modifications, you wouldn't last even five minutes.'
"Yeah, that really is unfortunate."
The resemblance was only visual. The nostalgia he felt in his heart was probably just an illusion. No, he had abandoned Earth of his own will. He probably didn't even have the right to feel nostalgic.
With a self-deprecating smirk, Kait turned his gaze forward.
"Is that it? The trees are knocked down."
'Yes. There's a ship signal right along the trace.'
If there was a signal, it meant the ship had crashed but survived. Just as Emotion said, it was impressively durable.
He moved the Queen Bee directly above the ship and looked down.
"Any signs of life?"
'Two Earthlings around the ship. They're definitely the crew. It looks like they fled after the crash. No other life signs detected.'
"That's good info. Alright, let's make contact. Hold the Queen Bee here."
'Understood. How will you descend?'
"I'll go down directly. What about you, Emotion?"
'I'll move in sphere mode and construct a body on the ground.'
"Alright, let's do that."
As soon as he spoke, Kait leapt from the Queen Bee into the air. That said, he wasn't into free-falling, so he used psychic power to control his posture and descended slowly.
As the ground neared, the two figures came into view. They seemed to be on alert, backing up against the ship and scanning their surroundings.
He didn't intend to surprise them, but in this situation, they'd probably be startled no matter how he called out.
"Hello."
"!?"
Their reaction was dramatic.
The large man immediately turned his gaze—and his gun—toward Kait. Seeing the shape of the weapon mounted on his right wrist, Kait felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Whoa, I'd appreciate it if you lowered that dangerous thing. I probably look suspicious, but I'm not your enemy."
He raised both hands and landed on the ground. The man kept his gun trained on him, watching intently. His appearance also triggered a sense of familiarity. Kait was sure they'd never met, yet he somehow recognized him.
"W-Who are you?"
"Same as you—an Earthling."
"Huh!?"
The girl, also clearly on guard, let out a shrill voice.
The fact that she quickly ran over to the man with the ship at her back was proof that she trusted him.
While frantically searching his memory for the source of the déjà vu, Kait tried to continue the conversation to ease their suspicion.
"Th-This is an undeveloped planet, right!? Why is there an Earthling here!?"
"You're right, this is an undeveloped planet. But it's also under Federation observation. When it was confirmed that you crashed here—on Traltan 4—we came to rescue you."
"The Federation!? This part of space shouldn't be under Federation control yet!"
"It's not within Federation territory, but it's a blank zone."
Since they passed near an artificial planet, it wouldn't be strange for them to know it was under Federation influence. Were they pretending not to know out of caution, or were they trying to deceive him?
What should he do? No matter how he explained, it didn't seem like their suspicion would go away.
Come to think of it, this wasn't Federation territory. It was natural for them to be confused if someone said they came from the Federation.
Just then, he sensed Emotion assembling her body behind him. He saw the man and girl react in surprise.
"Captain. Is everything alright?"
"They don't seem to trust me. Maybe they even doubt I'm an Earthling."
"I see."
Emotion glanced at the two and gave a vague response. That was rare for her.
Leaving Kait—who was silently puzzled by her reaction—the girl snapped back sharply.
"Y-Yeah! There's no way I'd believe a Federation Earthling just happened to show up here!"
"Sorry, bro, but I agree. Either show us proof you're an Earthling or leave."
Proof. Even if they asked for it...
He was certain they wouldn't believe him just from saying his name. But Kait didn't have any physical evidence to prove he was from Earth. At best, he had the device he'd been using since Earth, but that wouldn't convince them.
As he struggled, Emotion whispered in a somewhat flat tone from behind him.
"Captain. If you can identify that man's outfit, perhaps they'll believe you."
"His outfit? I do feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but..."
"I'm sure you have. There's video data and comics stored on your device. It's classic sci-fi from Earth—very few people know about it."
Hearing that, he felt his brain cells suddenly fire up.
That's right—he remembered seeing it. He remembered reading it, too. If you projected the animation and comics into reality, it would look just like this.
"Ah, I remember now! The Galactic Viper series! That right hand—it's a Psionic Launcher, right? I recognize the scene where he's aiming it!"
"!"
Both of them opened their eyes wide.
The girl looked at him like she'd seen something unbelievable, while the man looked at him like a fellow fan.
"You know it? That's a classic from the Common Era."
"My major was the study of classic sci-fi. I read a lot of it."
"I see, I see! That's great, girl! This guy's definitely an Earthling!"
"......I guess so. I can't believe anyone besides my husband and me still knows about that."
Their surprise, awe, and disbelief were each pointed in different directions.
The man was surprised and moved, the girl surprised and exasperated. The girl's reaction somehow reminded him of Emotion's attitude.
"I never thought the Captain's hobby would come in handy again..."
Figures.
In any case, their suspicion seemed to have faded. Since they hadn't exchanged names yet, he opened his mouth to introduce himself first.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm—"
"Oh, I know. That getup—you're Captain Kait, right? No wonder someone started cosplaying the hero who saved Earthlings."
At the man's words, Kait felt his own cheek twitch dramatically.