novelraw Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Chapter 168
There were several things to confirm with the Space jellyfish, but they absolutely had to ask in detail about how Dan's Earth was erased by Divin's bombardment.
After warning Emotion not to clash unnecessarily with Dr. Wu, Kait decided to go around and question the staff. Emotion had been squeaking, saying 'This is extremely unacceptable,' but for once, Kait didn't back down.
"So, Lieutenant Carter. I heard you witnessed Earth's disappearance up close."
"Yeah. The light fired from the ship spread out as if to envelop Earth. I think the light completely covered it. Then, after a while, it vanished—like a soap bubble popping. Everything."
"Everything? Even the light that surrounded Earth?"
"Yeah. Even the light. Right after that, a shockwave hit. The people working with me outside the base at the time—"
Dan lowered his head. It must have been traumatic for him. Naturally so.
Kait got the general idea. Asking further would just be cruel, so he thanked him and ended the conversation. Feeling multiple gazes on his back, he moved to the edge of the room. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and visualized the scene as Dan had described it.
The way their Earth disappeared still felt wrong. The description of the beam spreading out to envelop the planet was bizarre to begin with.
Unless there was some kind of barrier, the beam should have struck Earth directly. It might have weakened slightly upon reacting with the atmosphere, but it would have vaporized the point of impact—whether land or sea—and reached the core.
After that, whether it incinerated the interior or exploded outward, there would definitely be debris left behind. Kait predicted that the most Divin's ship could do would be around that level. Emotion's opinion didn't differ much from that assessment.
But in reality, it was said that the light enveloped Earth as if interacting with a barrier. If Dan's description was accurate, it seemed as if the light had empowered the barrier.
"Which means... where did Earth go?"
If energy had been poured into a force field-like barrier, then a disappearance like a soap bubble popping might not have been true annihilation but some other phenomenon.
If the attack truly had the power to erase Earth, then the shockwave that reached the Moon afterward should have been far more catastrophic. It should have been enough to destroy the Moon itself.
In other words, even Divin's fleet, which fired such a powerful attack, wouldn't have come out unscathed.
"Was the shockwave the surplus energy after that phenomenon occurred...?"
As for what kind of phenomenon occurred, they'd ask the Space jellyfish later. But if, at that moment, Earth had been enveloped by some kind of force field—
If the energy released from Divin's ship filled the space left by the vanished Earth's mass, and the surplus then dispersed outward, it made some sense that the Moon and the Earthlings on it remained unharmed.
In other words—
"Maybe Earth just went somewhere else and wasn't actually destroyed."
Whether it was teleportation or something else, Kait decided to keep that guess to himself. It wouldn't do to give the second team false hope.
Without understanding what phenomenon had occurred, they couldn't say for sure that Earth's people were safe.
If it was a teleportation event and they ended up in a completely absurd location, then their Earth might already have perished for some other reason.
***
After a barrage of shouting and heated debate, the modification plan for Vengeance was settled, at least for now. Kait silently apologized to Dr. Wu, whose hair was disheveled and face ghostly, on behalf of Emotion. He didn't say it aloud. Emotion's silent pressure was too scary.
Now, modifying Kissinger was even more difficult than modifying Vengeance.
The problem wasn't the technical approach to the machine. It was the pilot, Dan. If his body had undergone body modification, no matter how much they enhanced the unit, it wouldn't be an issue. But Dan and the rest of the second team from the Lunar Development Agency were completely unmodified humans.
The unit was already designed for rough, close-combat movements. Applying high-performance modifications without care could result in recoil that an unmodified body couldn't withstand—which would be bad.
"I don't mind. I'm not going to fight many more times anyway. As long as I can drive Kissinger's claws into their so-called king at the end, that's enough."
His killing intent was strong. Kait had suggested joining the Federation and undergoing body modification, but strangely, not even Dan agreed to it.
It seemed the second team had no thoughts about their future after settling things with Divin. All that mattered was avenging their fallen comrades; everything else could wait. Even Dr. Wu, who should have been the most rational, was no exception.
Perhaps the despair of losing their home planet right before their eyes had done this to them. It seemed they had no intention of seeking happiness for themselves while their dead friends remained unavenged.
"That's the exact opposite of the Captain."
"Yeah. Well, I guess they have their own convictions."
Kait, who had left for space instead of staying with the surviving Earthlings when Earth perished, certainly had the opposite mindset from the second team. As a Federation citizen, even if he couldn't empathize with them, he had no intention of obstructing their free will.
If the Central Star Cluster were destroyed by an enemy attack, perhaps Kait would also burn with rage and seek revenge. In that sense, it was clear Kait felt more solidarity with Federation citizens than Earthlings.
"What did the people of Terapolapaneshio think?"
"Apparently, they can't confirm anything based on testimony alone. But they all agreed that it wasn't destruction by bombardment."
"You wouldn't know unless you saw it yourself. Ideally, we'd also want the energy output measurements."
Standing next to Emotion, who was working on Vengeance's modifications, Kait peeked at her work. Her forearms moved so fast they were practically invisible. Staring too long made him dizzy, so he quickly looked away.
Information was important. Emotion shared the data held by Divin's Artificial Intelligence, and Kait shared the Federation's communication results.
"So even this ship didn't have the details of the Re-Eden Plan?"
"Correct. Since it's Divin, they said there's no need to check with the ship every time. As for the operations carried out under the plan, the essential purpose is probably conveyed verbally to only a select few in the upper ranks. If it's to prepare for cases like this, we should assume they're being extremely cautious."
"In the end, we'll have to capture a royal and ask them."
That was the conclusion. It would conflict with the second team's goal of eliminating them, but the Federation—meaning Kait—was aiming for capture and trial. While Vengeance was one thing, if Kissinger's performance was enhanced too much, it would only cause more trouble for Kait after negotiations broke down.
Officially, the modifications would be limited to a level that wouldn't overly strain Dan's body.
"Well then, that's all from me. If there's no more information, please hand this to Chief Tohru Nagasaki."
"Got it. What's this?"
"It contains the modification plan for Kissinger. Since Chief Nagasaki is the one who named it, I'm sure he'll be pleased."
"Understood."
Emotion, who had calculated the necessary modification level during the conversation, handed over the data chip. With nothing else to do until the modifications were complete, Kait took the chip and left Emotion's side to deliver it.
As he absentmindedly observed the inside of Moonbase, he headed toward the booth where Kissinger's repairs were underway.
By the time the modifications were finished, the operation against Divin would likely be underway. The second team was prepared to give their lives in that battle.
But Kait hoped his friends he'd met across the stars could live as long as possible. Even if it earned their resentment, he would do whatever it took.