Chapter 87
When Kait returned to the artificial celestial body Traltan, the Tortoise was undergoing maintenance at the port area. He disembarked and approached the Tortoise.
Liz, who had been talking with the technical staff, noticed him and waved.
"Ah, Captain!"
"Hey, Ms. Talmira. Is the Tortoise being repaired?"
"Yes. That too, but I also wanted to discuss the implementation of spatial transfer technology."
"Hmm?"
The Federation's transfer technology lagged behind that of the Corporation and others. That was because they had space jellyfish capable of independent teleportation. Due to the Tuna incident, the Federation received technological support from the Corporation and had begun developing ships equipped with transfer technology.
Unfortunately, it seemed that equipping Traltan with transfer functionality was difficult. He only remembered now, but come to think of it, this region of space wasn't under the Federation's sphere of influence. Only the Traltan system itself was under the Federation's jurisdiction.
"Have you decided what to do about your job with the Federation?"
"Yes. I talked it over with my husband, and I still want to do something with the Tortoise. I'll go to the Federation for citizen registration, and my first goal is to equip the ship with transfer functionality."
"I see. Good luck."
"Thank you!"
Since the repair plan discussion wasn't over yet, it wouldn't be good to interrupt too much. Kait walked over to George, who stood a short distance away looking like the embodiment of idleness.
"Is your body okay now?"
"Yeah. Sorry for worrying you."
"You should be saying that to Ms. Talmira. I'm the one who overworked you."
"I already told her. I've been in her care the whole time."
"I see."
Kait turned his gaze to George's right hand. The Psionic Launcher was still attached to his arm. He had continued inefficiently firing it while losing his right fist each time, so Kait couldn't help but admire his stubbornness.
He had considered removing it, but in either case, if he was going to use it, output adjustments would be necessary. All of that would be easier once they arrived at the Federation. Most likely, the other two were thinking the same. That's why George was staying quiet.
"Once we reach the Federation—"
"Yeah."
"You should undergo body modification again. If you plan to keep using the Psionic Launcher, it's absolutely necessary."
"Is that so? I heard the modification I got at the original place succeeded through a miraculous balance."
"Emotion?"
"Yes. I checked the log of the modification Mr. George received. It's a body modification called the Five-Type Composite. Considering the physical aptitude required, the success rate is below 0.2%, so yes, it certainly succeeded through a miraculous balance."
When prompted, Emotion explained dispassionately. Apparently, George wasn't fond of her, and as she began explaining, he made a bitter expression.
"By Federation standards, that modification technique is about sixteen generations old."
"......Huh?"
His expression changed completely. As George stood stunned, Emotion continued without changing her expression.
"By Federation citizen lifespan calculations, sixteen generations. Converted to Earth years, that would be about eighty-five thousand years ago in terms of technological level."
"Wha—wait, wait, wait. Hold on."
"Yes?"
"Sixteen generations... eighty-five thousand years!?"
"Yes."
Emotion's response was concise. George's cheek twitched, but Emotion paid it no mind. Compared to how she spoke to Kait, her demeanor seemed much colder.
To George, it seemed this wasn't just his problem. He glanced toward Liz, who furrowed her brows and asked,
"Are you saying both the girl and Carlos received such ancient body modifications!?"
"That's correct. Mr. George, you might not know, but the Federation permanently resolved issues of resources and lifespan back when dinosaurs went extinct on Earth. Even if it's eighty thousand-year-old technology, at a galactic scale, it's considered quite new."
"Even if you say that! I still can't accept it!"
That was understandable. Even Kait, listening beside him, thought the technology was older than he expected.
"Are you certain, Emotion?"
"Yes. Naturally, the Federation possesses the most cutting-edge body modification technology. The next highest level is held by organizations in cooperative relationships with the Federation. The Corporation, for example, has a technological system comparable to the Federation's body modification."
In other words, the degree of technology transmission changes depending on the depth of one's relationship with the Federation. An organization participating in Divin's human trafficking market would be considered distant from the Federation. The Corporation, despite being close to the Federation, was unusual in that it still participated in the market.
Realizing that not only himself but also Liz and Carlos had undergone quite outdated modifications, George's complexion turned pale. It seemed he was only now recognizing their recklessness.
"S-So, what would happen if I received a Federation modification?"
"Let's see. Mr. George would become the second Earthling capable of using psychic power at a practical level."
"Oh?"
"That said, Mr. George's aptitude for psychic power is undeniably lower compared to Captain Kait. I cannot recommend modifying the Tortoise for psychic-based operations."
"......Specifically?"
After a gesture that seemed to suppress a strong emotion, George squeezed out his words. Kait, listening beside him, had a sense of what was going on. George and Emotion probably didn't get along.
George likely disliked direct phrasing. He probably found more ambiguous expressions easier to accept. On the other hand, Emotion spoke without such considerations. Perhaps that was Kait's fault, so he decided to remain silent.
"Even if the Psionic Launcher's limiter is removed, you should be able to operate it without issue. However, don't expect to operate four units simultaneously like Captain Kait. Also, you won't be able to control a fighter craft using psychic power. Only use the Psionic Launcher in space while exposed. Staying outside in space for long periods like Captain Kait is absolutely out of the question."
"Ah, yeah. That should be fine, then."
Sniff. George nodded calmly, as if that sound effect had been audible. He turned his gaze toward Kait with a face that seemed exasperated. It felt like things were taking a bad turn.
"Come to think of it, you go out into space in your bare body like it's normal, Captain. What the hell are you thinking?"
"Romance, maybe."
"......I see."
George stared intently at his right hand. Rotating his wrist, he asked Emotion an important question.
"If I can operate this, then it's okay to mimic the shape of a hand too, right?"
"Yes."
"That's enough. If I can pull off Galactic Viper, that's all I need."
Come to think of it, George was a hardcore cosplayer. Kait realized he had completely forgotten that until now and quietly averted his gaze.
As he looked away, he remembered that Carlos was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Carlos? We're supposed to depart once the repairs are done, right?"
"Hm? Oh, Carlos. ...He's studying right now."
"Studying?"
Ever since receiving body modification, he hadn't heard the word "study," so he reflexively asked back. George nodded and glanced toward the docked ship.
"Yeah. He said once he joins the Federation, he wants to get involved in ship design. Since he's never done anything like that before, he's determined to study from scratch."
"Hmm. Well, if he's found something he wants to do, that's good."
Kait didn't know what kind of experiences Carlos had before coming to Traltan that made him interested in shipbuilding. But he also felt it was fine not to know.
To live as you like and die as you like. The Federation must be the place where such freedom is more permitted than anywhere else.