Chapter 93
Kait and his group arrived at the Central Star Cluster and, as usual, headed to the government office to register George and the others as citizens.
They had gotten quite used to this procedure by now, and whenever Kait brought unfamiliar Earthlings, the office staff would begin preparing for the registration.
"Welcome back, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif). I heard you were quite active again?"
"I'm back, Lauperia, Sixth-Rank Citizen (Ab Rag). I didn't do anything special. Just the usual."
"The footage is already circulating, you know?"
"......Is that so. These three will be registering today. Please take care of it."
With a grimace toward information he didn't want to know—or rather, didn't want to face—he stepped aside for George and the others at the counter.
George, Liz, and Carlos, pushed forward, stared wide-eyed at the machine intelligence before them as they faced the offered terminal.
"Modification type? I-I have no idea about this stuff."
"Request for re-modification... huh, is it true that re-modification is free?"
"Desired citizenship... it's fixed to Tenth-Rank Citizen (Godobre A), but what should I do about that?"
As the three noisily operated the terminal, Lauperia responded politely.
"Yes, you can leave the modification type blank. We'll scan during the re-modification process. Yes, as per the agreement with Third-Rank Citizen Kait, re-modification for those wishing to immigrate to the Federation is free of charge. However, any subsequent re-modifications will incur a fee, so please be aware. Regarding desired citizenship, as per the agreement with Third-Rank Citizen Kait, all Earthlings begin as Tenth-Rank Citizens. Thank you for your understanding."
"So, what kind of rights does a Tenth-Rank Citizen actually have?"
"Yes. Voting rights for the Federation Congress are granted. The right to run for office is reserved for Fourth-Rank Citizens (Darda Elra) and above. Regarding employment, there are no restrictions beyond capability. Property ownership is allowed, but for Earthlings, there is both shared and private property. Please understand that shared property cannot be used for personal purposes."
"Sh-Shared property?"
"Yes. As per the agreement with Third-Rank Citizen Kait, Sixth-Rank Citizen Emotion sold Earth's culture to the Federation, and the profits are managed as shared property for all Earthlings."
Whenever this part of the explanation came up, Earthlings would always glance this way. That kind of gaze—part respect, part confusion—was something he never got used to.
Emotion added a supplement to Lauperia's explanation.
"The funding for your re-modification comes from this shared property. This is a right enjoyed by all Earthlings who have immigrated to the Federation, so please feel free to undergo modification. If you immigrated from another organization and have debts to them, shared property cannot be used to repay those debts."
"Debts? ......Uh, Girl?"
"Ah. I've got debts to my former organization."
"Me too......"
George exchanged glances with Liz. Carlos hesitantly raised his hand as well, but Kait tilted his head at the oddity.
"The three of you were sold to Tarlmache from your old place, right? Then shouldn't it be fine?"
"Well, my husband was sold, but I ran away... Since Carlos and my husband were bought by Tarlmache, I guess that means they don't have any debts?"
"Hmm. What was the name of the organization you two originally belonged to?"
"What was it again... I just remember it had a ridiculously long name."
George didn't seem to remember either, pressing his fingers to his forehead as he groaned.
"Well, if the Federation gets a bill, we can think about it then. If they were willing to sell people to Tarlmache, it probably wasn't a decent organization anyway."
"True that."
"Well, until the bill comes, Girl and I will earn our keep. Right?"
"Husband......"
"May I continue with the explanation?"
Just as George and Liz were about to slip into their own world, Lauperia interjected coldly.
Ignoring the two as they blushed and nodded, Lauperia resumed the explanation.
"Now then. A point that Earthlings are always concerned about—Tenth-Rank Citizens do not have the right to reside on natural planets. That right is only granted starting from Seventh-Rank Citizen status."
"Wait, that means—"
"Yes. Excluding Third-Rank Citizen Kait and Sixth-Rank Citizen Emotion, Earthlings are not permitted to return to or reside on Earth. Therefore, most Earthlings are currently working together to raise their citizenship rank."
As of now, only Rebecca, the representative of Earthlings, had managed to rise to Ninth-Rank Citizen (Darla Strolue). From what Kait had heard, Earthlings still had a poor reputation among Federation citizens. It would still take considerable time for their citizenship to be upgraded.
For Kait, returning to or living on Earth was beyond his interest. Having come all the way into space, he had no desire to go back. The Earthlings were relying on the Space jellyfish to restore Earth's environment, but in Kait's mind, Earth was no longer a place for Earthlings to live.
If they truly wished to live on a natural planet, then they should just buy another planet and terraform it. He had transferred assets to the Earthlings in the form of shared property with that very purpose in mind.
"That concludes the basic explanation. After your re-modification, I recommend asking further questions in your residential district."
"G-Got it."
"Very well. Let me confirm. Carlos Beliatch. Liz Talmira. George Gilliam."
"Whoa there, Sixth-Rank Citizen Lauperia. The last name is wrong."
"Huh?"
Not only Lauperia but even George himself looked surprised. Kait grinned and corrected it.
"That's an alias. Right, Viper?"
"Wha... Captain?"
"My apologies. Then shall I register you as Tenth-Rank Citizen Viper?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Please wait a moment while we prepare for your re-modification. We'll call you once everything is ready."
Lauperia disappeared behind the counter, likely to handle the re-modification procedures. While Liz and Carlos looked around with interest, George marched straight up to Kait.
Leading angry-faced George away from Liz and Carlos, Kait kept some distance. That seemed to suit George as well, who lowered his voice and pressed Kait.
"Captain. Why'd you say that? That was in pretty poor taste, you know."
"The comic hero Galactic Viper's story ended along with Earth. What remains now is only a portion of data preserved within Emotion. It's not a problem if you call yourself Viper."
"I'm a fake. I just wanted to do something like the real one."
The confidence he had when they first met seemed to have vanished. Perhaps his experiences in Traltan had left an impression.
Kait shook his head at George's monologue.
"If you're going to be Galactic Viper, then the tales of your deeds told in the Federation could become the new story of Viper."
"!"
If George buried the story of Viper deep in his memory like this, the old comic from Earth, Galactic Viper, would become nothing more than a vague memory for a handful of Earthlings.
Just like the countless other cultures buried and forgotten in Earth's history. With Earth's society collapsed, even more had been lost forever.
"It might have started as a fake. But from now on, be the real thing, George."
"The real thing... Can I really do that?"
"Who knows? That's not for me to decide. It's up to you."
George looked down in silence.
Whether he would continue calling himself Viper or live on as Earthling George Gilliam—it didn't matter, as long as he made a choice he wouldn't regret.
"Ready now, Mister Viper?"
At Lauperia's voice, George looked up. His expression seemed just a little brighter—perhaps it was just Kait's imagination.