Chapter 75
Kait had no idea what kind of person this Carlos guy was.
However, since George and Liz had been relatively decent, he didn't assume those chasing them were entirely good people. After all, they belonged to Tarlmache, a criminal trading company, so it was safe to say they were involved in some wrongdoing.
George claimed he had only been threatened, but Kait wasn't naive enough to believe that outright.
"A-Are you going to help me?"
"Yeah. Let's get out of here together. Then we'll head to the Federation."
"The Federation? B-But will they even accept me?"
It was an unnecessary worry, but not one Kait couldn't understand.
He had seen other Earthlings he'd rescued feel anxious about immigrating to the Federation.
"Don't worry. Earthlings have the right to immigrate to the Federation. I promise your situation won't get worse than it is now."
"A-And you are?"
"I'm an Earthling, just like you. From the Federation—"
"Tait. Captain Tait. Apparently, he came from an artificial celestial body observing this planet for the Federation."
Just as he was about to introduce himself, George cut in. He probably wanted to take control of the conversation, but it wasn't an admirable move.
Still, this might actually work out better. It was more convenient to observe Carlos's character as a nameless Earthling.
"Tait? Not Captain Kait? R-Right. There's no way someone that important would come all the way here."
"Carlos?"
"No, I'm grateful. Please take me with you. I don't want to get eaten yet."
The way he trembled, hugging himself, showed just how much stress he had endured before getting here.
"Hey, Carlos! What are you doing!"
"Ah, Damian..."
Another person was walking over from the other side. George looked surprised too, so he must not have known. Perhaps Damian hadn't been part of the communication earlier.
"You bastard, enough screwing around... Who the hell are you people!"
"So, you're Damian? That means you're an Earthling too."
This one was quite easy to read.
He seemed like the type who fit right in with a criminal organization. Definitely not someone you'd want to befriend. His eyes were like those of a wild animal.
"That's strange. I don't recognize your name or voice from the communication."
"That voice... You're that guy, Viper!"
Apparently, he had been in the same place during the communication. Carlos was the only one who spoke; Damian clearly hadn't participated. Kait raised his alert level toward Damian at that point.
Kait could see Damian shifting his weight backward. As expected, he wasn't friendly.
"Carlos, hold Viper down. I'm going to call the boss."
"Wait, Damian! Forget Viper, this guy—he says he's from the Federation!"
"Huh?"
"I'm Tait. I came from an artificial celestial body observing this planet... Traltan 4. Earthlings have the right to immigrate to the Federation. What do you say?"
"...Where's the ship?"
"A little ways off. We try not to interfere too much with the intelligent life on this planet."
With a suspicious look, Damian stared at Kait. His appraising gaze was far from pleasant.
After locking eyes for a while, Damian shook his head as if to say this wasn't going to work.
"Sorry, but I don't trust you."
"Fair enough. So you're choosing not to immigrate to the Federation?"
"Yeah. If I catch not just Viper but another Earthling too, the boss will be in a better mood. Maybe I'll even open the path to becoming an executive instead of just food."
"Hmph?"
It seemed Kait and George hadn't passed Damian's test. So be it. He had made his choice. That was all Kait needed to hear.
Carlos had chosen to immigrate to the Federation. From this point on, Kait's role was fixed: to safely deliver George, Liz, and Carlos to the Federation.
Then Damian turned around and shouted loudly.
"Boss! Viper, the one we've been after, is nearby! And there are other Earthlings too! Hurry up and get over here!"
"Tch! Carlos, come on!"
Just as Kait suspected, there was a supervising escort. George hurriedly grabbed Carlos's hand, but Damian only sneered at the sight.
"Idiots! There's no way Earthlings can beat the boss!"
He was watching them carefully without letting his guard down. Yep, he was a villain.
That's probably why he asked about the ship first. Kait and George, being Earthlings, couldn't defeat this so-called boss. If the ship was nearby, they might have been able to escape—perhaps that was his plan.
He prioritized immediate, tangible gains above all else. Selling out Kait and the others for the value he could gain was more important than a safe life in the Federation.
A thunderous roar echoed from the area where the ship wreckage was. Yep, that was a heavy one.
"Shut up, Damian! What's this about Earthlings?"
"They say they came to rescue Carlos. That guy's Viper, the one who escaped capture. As for the other one, I don't know. Something about coming from the Federation or whatever."
"The Federation, huh? ...Ah, I see. So this place is under their surveillance."
"The Federation sure has weird tastes," spat a humanoid alien who was about twice Kait's height.
She looked like something out of a tokusatsu drama from the classic media Emotion remembered. She appeared to be wearing armor, but it strangely resembled a biological shell.
"Kinda crab-like."
"Pfft!"
George burst out laughing at Kait's mutter. Apparently, he thought the same thing.
However, the alien didn't seem to care about their reaction and remained on guard.
"You're Captain Kait, aren't you?"
"Huh, Viper. He said he's Captain Tait..."
"Shh. It's better to let them think he's Captain Kait. Makes the bluff more convincing."
"Ah!"
Idiots. Kait felt like smacking George and Carlos on the head.
They probably thought they were whispering, but unfortunately, the alien—who had undergone body enhancement—could hear everything.
"What, so you're not?"
"...Doesn't matter. So, who are you? On Earth, asking someone's name without giving your own is considered pretty rude, you know."
"My bad. I'm Segari. Segari Gug. I work under the boss at Tarlmache."
Segari Gug. That name sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall from where.
Times like this made Kait wish Emotion were here. There was just too much to remember when you were out in the universe, and sometimes the details slipped through.
Still, if the name rang a bell, there was only one thing to say.
"Segari Gug. I didn't expect a famous figure to be in a place like this. How about letting us go?"
"Maybe. If you were the real deal and hadn't heard my name yet, I might've let you go..."
Creak. Segari Gug's armor made an unpleasant noise.
"But now that you know I work for the boss, it could cause trouble for him. Sorry, but you're going to have to die."
"Well, that's some impressive loyalty."
"What, is that bad? Even villains have their own code. You follow the rules you're supposed to. Those who don't get it never rise to the top."
"Not bad. Even if you accidentally make it to the top, you'll get crushed fast. That's how it goes in every society."
"Damn right. You get it, don't you?"
So, Segari Gug. A villain, yes—but a top-tier villain.
What now? One thing was certain: completing the mission just got a whole lot harder.