Chapter 91
The task force dispatched from the artificial celestial body Traltan completed its descent to Traltan 4 under the cover of night.
Madoon, the leader of the task force, relied on the reaction of the thought receptor to guide the flight device toward the destination.
"A settlement of hairless intelligent beings and a settlement of hairy intelligent beings... They're closer than I thought. Are they sharing a living area?"
Since they were in the middle of combat, when Representative Amurajioru instructed a confirmation, it had been judged they were apart. However, it now appeared they had built something like a fence out of wood. The fact that both settlements coexisted within the fence raised the question of whether they were sharing a living area.
Weren't these two intelligent species supposed to be fighting over residential areas in this region? Madoon momentarily suspected Kait's interference, but upon confirming that some time had passed since the fence was constructed, discarded that doubt.
"Rather than conflict, perhaps these are individuals who considered coexistence. Even primitive intelligent beings come in many varieties."
Perhaps because of their observer role, Federation citizens engaged in such duties often held slightly prejudiced views toward intelligent beings of undeveloped planets.
Even the companions who had observed the planet Earth, which gave birth to Kait, shared similar thoughts to varying degrees. Especially because it was a planet where life had been replaced, the prejudice was notably stronger.
In fact, there was growing consensus within the Federation that Kait himself, who developed a mindset remarkably close to that of the Federation on such a planet, was an anomaly. As for Earthlings, aside from having produced Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif), there was nothing else noteworthy. That was becoming the prevailing opinion of Earthlings within the Federation.
"I wonder if, among such a species, someone like Kait, Third-Rank Citizen, will be born in the future."
"That might be the case. I must also be careful not to hold too many prejudices."
Feeling somewhat sentimental, Madoon posed the question to those around him. He agreed with the answer he received. At the same time, he felt as though he had been called out for not viewing the primitive intelligent beings as equals, and scratched his head in embarrassment.
In the distant future, when the intelligent beings of this planet venture into space, surely the first contact they make will be with us. By then, they will become equal Federation citizens. We must eliminate our prejudices starting now.
"It's thoughts like these that delay our citizenship promotion..."
"You too, Captain? We really need to be careful, both of us."
It seemed none of the task force members were free of prejudice. They all admonished themselves that such thoughts were only for this moment and returned to their verification task.
"They're mostly sleeping well... But the lookouts are still awake."
Since there were nocturnal carnivores, every settlement had someone keeping watch through the night. They even had the intelligence to light fires and stay alert.
For the upcoming operation, not being seen was the absolute minimum requirement. Madoon had the flight device release fast-acting sleeping gas.
Naturally, it wasn't just inside the settlement. If a carnivore were to sneak into the settlement while everyone was asleep, that would be a disaster far beyond a written apology. The gas was carefully dispersed over a fairly wide area, especially outside the settlement.
"No signs of biological awakening. Good, let's go."
At Madoon's words, the team members nodded.
***
Entry into the settlement was made from the air. After ascending above the forest with handheld flying machines, they moved above the settlement.
Once they re-confirmed there were no signs of awakening, they descended quietly. From here on, they proceeded in silence, taking care not to wake any residents.
The first task was to retrieve the thought receptor. They needed to check whether the children they had given it to were storing it.
Madoon's team was in charge of the hairless ones. Due to their hunting-based nature, they were more sensitive to presences. They entered the building with extra caution.
"Suuu... suuu..."
They were sleeping all together on cloth laid on the ground—four people, likely a family. They scanned for the thought receptor's response. It didn't seem like anyone was clutching it in their sleep.
Looking around the room, they quickly spotted a purple glow. It was displayed in a shelf-like area. Apparently, it had been shown to the family.
They gently picked up the receptor and stored it in a case at hand. The signal disappeared.
Breathing a sigh of relief, they exited the building.
Madoon nodded to the team members waiting outside. The air relaxed slightly. The first task was complete.
He briefly flashed a light toward the sky. No response.
After waiting a while, a light signal came from the opposite side of the settlement. He responded with his own light. It seemed the other team had also successfully retrieved theirs. Judging by the color, no particular problems had occurred.
With this, more than half the mission was complete. The rest was dividing up and performing memory cleansing. Especially the two who had interacted with Kait would need thorough treatment.
'Memory cleansing device, activate'
Words appeared on the device's display. It would cleanse about a day's worth of memory, erasing it. Cleansing more than two days' worth carried risks and was forbidden. In that sense, it was fortunate that Kait had left behind clues that allowed them to pinpoint the location.
The more time passed, the higher the risk of civilization contamination. The staff of the artificial celestial body Traltan, even those not present here, all approached this duty with high tension.
'Countdown to memory cleansing begins'
When they flashed the light, the other side responded in kind. Preparations were complete. They nodded to each other and activated their flight devices.
They rose beyond the range of the memory cleansing device and waited until the operation was complete.
"...Phew. It went well."
"Not yet. Don't let your guard down until we retrieve the device and return."
"Right. I don't think there's a careless Gamahadeg among us, though."
"If there were such a Gamahadeg, I'd send them back to the Central Star Cluster."
"True enough."
A green light shimmered at their feet in the night. The memory cleansing device had activated. If they carelessly touched it, even their own memories would be cleansed for a day.
Setting aside the battle with Tarlmache, the excitement of witnessing the famed Kait's actions firsthand—it would be a shame to forget that.
A green hemispherical light. Two of them appeared at the north and south ends of the settlement, confirming that the entire area was covered. If there were any residents who happened to be outside the range, everything would be ruined.
They had also confirmed there were no individuals who had gone outside the settlement to relieve themselves. No problems.
"Alright, descend and retrieve the device. Time to withdraw."
"Understood."
"Before we leave, double-check that none of the equipment is responding. Rankchela, I'm counting on you."
"Got it."
Only Madoon and the other team leader descended to retrieve the devices.
Carefully, so as not to drop them, they stored the devices that had completed their task.
As they ascended, the vice-captain Rankchela operated the terminal.
"No issues. Perfect."
"That's what I like to hear. Let's head back to the ship."
A sense of relief spread. Even Madoon didn't comment.
The mission was safely completed. They still maintained the minimum level of tension. Once they re-entered the return orbit, they could finally relax.
They all wanted to cheer out loud. Thinking this more than anyone, Madoon took the route back to the ship with his companions.
***
Neither Madoon nor any of the Traltan staff had any idea.
That night, the settlement where the girl named Nesheleka lived was supposed to be attacked under the cover of darkness by two aggressive species.
It was believed they wanted to let the others fight and reduce their numbers so they could live peacefully in the region. Just for this day, the two warring species joined forces.
However, on this day, the sleeping gas dispersed by the Federation forces had been more thoroughly spread outside the settlement than within. Those hiding in the shadows, waiting for the moment to attack, inhaled the gas deeply. In the midst of their battle-fueled excitement, the sudden sleep was especially deep.
The next morning, the first to awaken were the settlement residents who had slept as usual. Surprised that the lookouts were asleep, they woke them and checked for damage. During this, they discovered their armed kin sleeping soundly outside.
They didn't understand what had happened, but it was clear they had intended to attack. The residents rushed back to grab weapons, and though they made quite a commotion, their kin still didn't wake. Tilting their heads in confusion, they coldly delivered the finishing blows.
A night of deep sleep that brought death.
In their settlement, only such a legend would remain.