Chapter 78
Inside the retrieval ship, Segari Gug finally let out a breath.
Their whole body ached. They sank into the prepared sofa and stared blankly up at the ceiling.
"You've got quite a few wounds, Captain."
"They were tough. It was the first time I faced someone who made me feel like I couldn't win no matter what."
Segari Gug gave an unfiltered, honest reply to the subordinate who had spoken. The subordinate was surprised at how worn out the usually confident Segari Gug looked. That was how much had been drained. If the ship had arrived even a little later, it would probably have been the end. They were certain of it.
Damian seemed concerned about what was happening below. He kept glancing at the monitor, his face uneasy.
"Boss. Do you think we can really get away?"
"Yeah. Captain Kait gave his word under his own name. We'll definitely be able to rejoin the fleet."
"His name... wasn't that fake? He was being called Tait or something, wasn't he?"
Even though they were both Earthlings, how could he be so blind?
Segari Gug made a sound in their throat to reject Damian's words.
"That man is the real deal. The real Captain Kait. You didn't notice?"
"No way!? N-No, that can't be true."
He didn't believe it. No—he probably didn't want to believe it.
Well, of course. Damian had helped Segari Gug. It was safe to say he no longer had a chance of immigrating to the Federation. Or perhaps, not thinking Kait was the real deal, he had replied that he wouldn't go to the Federation. He had shouted to call them over, after all. It was possible.
Damian looked pale. He was probably trying to come up with some clever way out of this. But a bad idea would only make things worse.
"We're about to break through the planet's atmosphere."
"I see."
When they turned their gaze to the monitor, the scenery was indeed starting to lose its color, just as described.
They hadn't been worried, but it looked like that man had kept his promise. In orbit, the familiar fleets of Tarlmache and the Federation came into view.
The Tarlmache fleet had approached the Federation's observation planet. It wasn't strange for the Federation to deploy their fleet. But Segari Gug found the lone Earthling on the surface far more terrifying than the countless Federation ships.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing, the subordinate spoke.
"We'll now drop the destruction warheads."
Their expression stiffened. Segari Gug themselves could be a fatal weak point for Tarlmache. Even so, they had been accepted under its wing. It was because of that generosity that they had pledged their utmost loyalty.
Normally, the dropping of destruction warheads wouldn't have stirred anything in them. In fact, they would have felt grateful to Tarlmache for recognizing their worth. But this time was different.
It would be an act that nullified the consideration shown by the Earthling named Kait, who had promised safety in his name.
Loyalty to Tarlmache, and guilt toward Kait. Ignoring the pain in their chest, they opened their mouth.
"......If you're going to drop them, spread them wide. One or two won't be enough—they'll shoot down this whole ship with them."
"Huh?"
"Captain Kait is down there. If you're serious about erasing evidence, do it now."
"Understood."
Perhaps one wouldn't understand the true terror of that Earthling without facing him directly. Tilting his head, the subordinate obediently dropped all the destruction warheads. Even so, Segari Gug kept staring at the monitor, filled with unease.
If it's Captain Kait, he might just intercept them all.
***
Time rewinds a little.
The flagship carrying Amurajioru stood in front of the Tarlmache fleet, backed by the full military force of the artificial planet Traltan.
"Open communications."
"Understood."
First, they sent a message. The other side likely didn't want to make a full enemy of the Federation. Just as expected, the Tarlmache fleet's flagship showed willingness to respond.
'Greetings, members of the Federation. I am Ilfiv of the Tarlmache Corporation. We sincerely apologize for the disturbance.'
"I am Amurajioru of the Federation, Fourth-Rank Citizen (Darda Elra). The Traltan star system is under Federation observation. If you intend to interfere with an undeveloped planet, we will have to respond accordingly."
'Of course. We of the Tarlmache Corporation have no intention of interfering with the Federation or its observation planets. However, we recently received word that one of our company's ships made an emergency landing on this planet. We came here solely for the humanitarian rescue of our personnel.'
"That seems like an excessive number of ships for a rescue."
'We can't afford to be suspected of smuggling by the Federation. Our company already has something of a poor reputation among the public, you see.'
Both parties kept their tone cordial. But behind their words stood military force—far from a peaceful exchange.
Still, Amurajioru was aware that their side had a slight disadvantage. Ilfiv's claims were difficult for the Federation to criticize. Even if it was just a pretense, they couldn't deny the stated goal of rescue.
They hesitated briefly over whether to mention Segari Gug's name here.
"We understand the Tarlmache Corporation's position. The Federation supports your humanitarian concern. However, I believe you're aware of the Federation's stance on undeveloped planets."
'Of course. We'll only send down one retrieval ship. After rescuing the stranded personnel, we promise to withdraw from the planet immediately.'
"......Understood. Then we permit only one ship to descend."
They judged that mentioning Segari Gug's name here might prompt the Tarlmache fleet to bomb the surface to eliminate evidence. If it became known that they were sheltering Segari Gug, they would be seen as enemies by both the Federation and the Corporation. If they were going to become enemies anyway, it wouldn't be strange to stir up more chaos.
"By the way, we haven't heard the crew's identities. Since combat occurred in this star system, we must confirm."
'Ah! Y-Yes, of course. We were pursuing them for destroying our representative's ship. To capture the Earthling.'
"An Earthling, huh. And the crew of your ship?"
'Y-Yes. We couldn't catch them easily, so we had one of our own Earthlings aboard. The ship's operating crew are our company's staff.'
"I see. Have you confirmed their survival?"
'Yes. It seems all of them are safe.'
"That's good to hear. Then, take care."
When the topic of crew was cut off, Ilfiv visibly relaxed. Did he think they didn't know what he was hiding? Or did he sense that they had chosen to pretend not to know?
As expected, the fleet's true goal was not rescuing the Earthling, but securing Segari Gug.
Kait and the pursued Earthling weren't even mentioned. It seemed there had been no contact with the surface yet.
Once the communication was fully terminated, Amurajioru gave instructions to the staff.
"Bring up Captain Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif), on the monitor immediately."
***
When the descending ship rose back up just as promised, Amurajioru felt that one troublesome matter was nearing resolution.
But that relief didn't last long. A staff member's tense voice rang out.
"Representative! Multiple objects have been dropped from the Tarlmache ship!"
"......What?"
For a moment, they couldn't understand what was being said. Objects dropped?
"Wait, what do you mean? Dropped objects?"
"They're cleverly disguised as ship parts, but the readings... they're destruction warheads!"
"What!?"
Destruction warheads indiscriminately disassembled anything they touched. Their destructive power scaled with their mass, and if used within the atmosphere, the disintegration effect would severely impact the surface. Any living beings would be wiped out.
Amurajioru realized that they had responded far too slowly to Tarlmache's reckless action. No—even by the time the drop was confirmed, it was already too late to respond to what was happening on Traltan 4.
That meant the enemy's next move was obvious.
"Prepare for battle!"
Amurajioru roared as they glared at the Tarlmache fleet on the monitor, likely preparing to fire their main cannon.
So recklessly and directly—Tarlmache, the criminal corporation, had decided to annihilate everything connected to the artificial celestial body Traltan.