Chapter 81
Should I say it was just as expected?
What came into Kait's view as he flew out from Traltan 4 were two fleets engaged in artillery warfare.
For now, he contacted the Tortoise, which was following behind.
"Has George woken up?"
'Ah, yes. He's awake. But...'
"It doesn't matter. I'm not counting on him as combat strength. I'll explain things, so head toward that artificial celestial body... Traltan."
'Understood!'
Liz replied with a tone of relief. Even if she was used to rough situations, war was different. In a battle between massive fleets as far as the eye could see, there was little need to send them out.
'Wait. Captain... I can do this.'
"There's no need. Your job is done for now. You should enter Traltan and get some rest."
'But the cause of this battle is...'
"The cause is the destruction warhead that was dropped earlier. It was clearly a provocation against the Federation."
Maybe he thought the conflict between the Federation and Tarlmache's fleets was his fault.
As one of the causes, that might be true, but it wasn't such a decisive factor either.
"What you should do now is ensure the safety of Ms. Talmira and Mr. Carlos, don't you think?"
'You always say things I can't argue with...'
"Well, that's because you know deep down it's what you should be doing."
'...Got it. I'm counting on you.'
"Leave it to me."
After cutting off communication with the Tortoise, Kait requested a connection to Amurajioru, who was likely somewhere in this fleet.
'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)! Are you safe?'
"Yes. What about Representative Amurajioru?"
'Connecting you now!'
If they didn't know, he'd connect through Traltan, the main base. The staff were experienced and quickly established a relay with Amurajioru.
'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. I'm glad you're safe.'
"No. The destruction warhead dropped by Segari Gug was intercepted before it hit the surface. The impact on the intelligent lifeforms on the ground should be minimal."
'So, there was still some effect, huh...?'
"I'll submit a report later, but Earthlings who sided with Segari Gug took local intelligent lifeforms hostage. They were safely rescued, but they saw me and Segari Gug."
'...I see. Can you identify the individual or group?'
"I gave them a small fragment of a thought receptor. If they think it's a treasure, they'll probably take it back and display it. Can we track the signal?"
'We'll check. Please wait a moment.'
There was a chance they had discarded it instead of taking it home, but in that case, all intelligent lifeforms near the crash site would undergo memory erasure. If they had taken the thought receptor that Kait had handed over, it would make things easier. Just a small precaution, but still.
Amurajioru's response came quickly.
'There are two faint signals on the surface. One in a settlement of hairless intelligent lifeforms, and one in a settlement of hairy ones. Are these correct?'
"Yes. The targets are two children of that species. If possible, please avoid rough handling."
'Of course. Now that we've confirmed the locations, it seems we can resolve this with partial memory erasure. We appreciate your quick thinking, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen.'
Kait let out a sigh of relief. At least it wouldn't lead to something like exterminating the entire species under the pretense of an epidemic.
Now, onto the next matter.
"On Traltan 4, we rescued three Earthlings. They're on a ship heading to the artificial planet, so please respond accordingly."
'Understood.'
"Did Segari Gug escape?"
'No. The ship he was on was taken in by the fleet. Why do you ask?'
"Because I have to settle the score."
Ending the transmission, Kait turned the Queen Bee's bow toward the Tarlmache fleet.
George and the others should be safe now. The question was how far the Tarlmache fleet intended to go.
The possibility of further attacks on Traltan 4 couldn't be dismissed. Kait resolved to completely annihilate the Tarlmache fleet.
***
"No response from the destruction warhead."
"...This is bad."
The ship was taken into the flagship at the rear of the fleet. Just before disembarking, Segari Gug sighed at the report from his subordinate. This was bad. Really bad.
The destruction warhead had definitely been shot down. Captain Kait was coming. Segari Gug rushed to the flagship's bridge and questioned the fleet commander.
"Hey, what's the plan for fleet withdrawal?"
"Ah, Mr. Segari Gug. We can't return until we strike a blow to the Federation fleet and gain some resources from that planet. You understand, right?"
"I get it. But this is an emergency. I'll take care of reporting to the master. I won't make it your responsibility, so prepare to withdraw immediately."
"Well, if that's the case, I don't mind... but what's going on?"
"I ran into the Federation's Captain Kait. All the destruction warheads were intercepted. He'll be here any moment now."
"That's serious."
The fleet commander showed tension at Segari Gug's words, but didn't issue a retreat order. He wasn't the type to be swayed by fear, nor did he take lightly someone Segari Gug considered a threat. Strengthening his gaze, the fleet commander quietly shook his head.
"We have no choice but to fight here. If we run now, that terrifying Captain Kait might come straight to the master's throne."
"!"
He had overlooked that. Segari Gug held his head but didn't deny it. That Earthling would definitely do it. Tarlmache was in danger, no doubt.
Just as the fleet commander said, they had no choice but to go down fighting. Or maybe, if they faced him one-on-one in a combat vessel, they might manage. As he looked up with that thought, he noticed the fleet commander's lonely yet proud gaze.
"It's no use, Mr. Segari Gug. Captain Kait might be satisfied with that, but the Federation now sees us as enemies because of the destruction warhead incident. Even if we go out in a combat vessel, the result won't change."
"I-I'm sorry, Captain! I never imagined it would come to this..."
"No, I gave the order. The responsibility is mine... but still—"
The subordinate who had followed him covered their face and screamed. But that wasn't the issue.
The one who prioritized Tarlmache's decision and didn't stop it was Segari Gug himself. He should have stopped it no matter what.
"Fleet commander. Evacuate the crew members who don't have life backups to the rear. The captain-level personnel had backups, right?"
"Yes. But are you sure? We'll have no chance of winning then."
"With Captain Kait coming, we had no chance to begin with. Ships can be replaced, but people can't. If this helps curb the master's bad habits even a little, I'll consider it worth it."
The fleet commander sighed and said, "It can't be helped."
Tarlmache's bad habits were already known both inside and outside. He couldn't suppress his urge to eat rare intelligent lifeforms. It was the only flaw in the otherwise brilliant and capable Tarlmache.
A massive fleet and the lives of its commanders. Federation-made resurrection devices could bring back the commanders, but the cost was high.
Even knowing that an Earthling protector like Captain Kait existed, Tarlmache couldn't restrain himself. The loss this time stemmed from that.
"To let them escape, we'll have to send this ship forward. I'll inform everyone without life backups to disembark."
"Please do."
Staring at the monitor displaying the planet he had just left, Segari Gug involuntarily shivered.
He saw two ships rising—completely unharmed.
This feeling he experienced for the first time in his life—was this fear?