Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 226

Chapter 226

Kait, upon arriving in the Endilia star system, couldn't hide his surprise at the sheer number of ships gathered.

That alone showed how much the Federation and its citizens considered the comet-mimicking mobile mother body a threat. Since he hadn't been told the full details, he decided to look around for any familiar faces for the time being.

He didn't need to check each one; if he asked Emotion, she could find them immediately.

'Found them. It's Terapolapaneshio's ship.'

"...Well, I guess that's fine."

He had a feeling there might be other acquaintances if he searched, but in every way, the space jellyfish was undoubtedly the fastest to deal with.

As long as they were under the Federation's control, perhaps they could never sever ties with the space jellyfish.

When they drove Queen Bee near Di-Kigaia Zarmos, it seemed Terapolapaneshio's side also noticed them.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)! So you came.'

"Yes. Nidikid sent us this way for now."

'Ah, sorry. It's an exceptionally urgent situation, so it seems only the bare minimum information was conveyed.'

"Right. So I'd appreciate it if you could fill me in."

'Of course. We'll intercept them here. There's still time before they arrive, so feel free to ask anything.'

As expected, things moved quickly. As long as jellyfish-like creatures weren't involved, the space jellyfish was truly reliable. Anyway, first he had to ask why so many ships had gathered.

"There sure are a lot of ships. I don't think I've ever seen the Federation fleet gathered for a single purpose like this before."

'Indeed. The comet-mimicking mobile mother body is extremely troublesome. We must thoroughly inspect the space they passed through.'

"Thoroughly inspect, huh?"

The space jellyfish's explanation filled in the parts missing from the information Emotion had confirmed.

When the comet-mimicking mobile mother body moves through space, it scatters larvae indiscriminately toward rocky objects near orbital paths, regardless of whether it's a planet or a small asteroid. The larvae each behave differently according to their instincts, but their behavior differs greatly depending on whether the target planet has life or not.

'If the planet has life, after landing, they parasitize approaching organisms. They grow while acquiring information from the host, then burst out of the host's body. After repeatedly molting, once they become adults, they follow their instincts and begin attacking other organisms.'

The more they heard, the more it reminded them of creatures from movies Kait and the others were familiar with. The fact that they were called 'Lufate Gainun' after their discoverer and researcher was a small but welcome difference.

Still, the reason for scattering larvae indiscriminately was unclear. Sending them to life-bearing planets made sense—if the goal was to parasitize other organisms to multiply or grow, it all added up.

What didn't make sense was why they also scattered them on lifeless planets or small asteroids. If the goal was to reproduce via parasitism, throwing larvae into such places was clearly meaningless.

"What do they do on planets without life?"

'It varies. Some remain still in an egg-like form, as you'd call it on Earth. Others burrow underground or roam around searching for life. The roaming ones eventually starve to death if no life is found.'

"Hmm..."

He still didn't understand. They didn't even know why they mimicked comets in the first place, so maybe Kait's speculation was pointless.

'We're lying in wait here because, based on their trajectory, there's a high likelihood they're heading this way. Investigating the space they passed through is important, but we must eliminate the mother body—the source—first, or the damage will only grow.'

"I get that. With this many ships, that must mean the number of larvae it spits out is huge?"

'That's part of it. We can't allow even a single larva to land on a planet, so we need sheer numbers. Plus, there's work to do even after the mother body is eliminated.'

Since they said not even one could be left behind, it was easy to guess what needed to be done after eliminating the mother body. Indeed, even with this many ships, it might still not be enough.

"So from the first observed region to here, it's a matter of locating and eliminating all the scattered larvae?"

'Exactly. As expected of you, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. Excellent insight.'

Even being praised by the space jellyfish didn't make him feel particularly happy.

Kait merely gave a faint smile. He still had more questions.

"You're going to eliminate the ones that landed on small asteroids too, right?"

'Yes. They could be pulled down by planetary gravity and fall. Most burn up with the asteroid, but some occasionally hit the surface.'

"Even in that state, they survive!?"

'There were planets in the past that allowed such entries. By the time it was noticed, about forty percent of the planet's life had been wiped out.'

The Federation noticed Lufate Gainun's invasion less than half a month after the asteroid impact. In that short time, the monstrous creatures had reduced the planet's life by forty percent. The space jellyfish concluded that had they been any slower, the planet would have certainly perished.

"Was that planet not part of the Federation?"

'No. It was one we were observing. We wiped them out as far as we could see, but we couldn't confirm complete extermination. Back then, the Federation had no choice but to build an artificial residential planet for them and relocate the remaining life forms.'

"I see...?"

It was precisely because of such bitter past experiences that the Federation had prepared a massive interception fleet and even mobilized Terapolapaneshio.

'The rest of us are backtracking from the origin point to check for abnormalities in the surrounding area. There's no guarantee they didn't cause trouble before the mother body became capable of space travel.'

"It was hard to find them before they started mimicking comets, right?"

'Yes. That's why immediate extermination is necessary once they start moving.'

This too was hard to understand.

The moment they began mimicking comets, intelligent beings—their predators—would attack. Wouldn't it be more efficient to stay invisible and infiltrate without mimicking a comet?

It was as if they were trying to prove their existence to someone. Were they hoping to fight?

Truly, they were incomprehensible creatures.

'Hmm. I'm impressed that you're interested in their ecology. Speaking of which, Doctor Saito should be among this fleet. I'd like to hear his thoughts on Lufate Gainun's ecology later.'

"I'll let him know."

So Gorou had come too. Perhaps his interactions with Kait and the others had awakened a love for fieldwork.

Just then, the fleet suddenly stirred. It seemed they had arrived.

"Do you think the comet-mimicking one is here?"

'Seems so. Well then, let's take our positions.'

With that, Terapolapaneshio moved Di-Kigaia Zarmos as if bearing the star system on its back. The surrounding fleet followed suit one after another.

Kait and Queen Bee were a bit late. During that time, a transmission came from the space jellyfish.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. I'd like you to help eliminate the scattered larvae. There are just so many. If you assist, it'll ease our worries a bit.'

"Understood. What about the comet?"

'This one will handle it. No need to worry.'

From the usually gentle space jellyfish, an intense killing intent began to seep out.

Kait found it reassuring, and at the same time, felt he now understood the urgency shown by Terapolapaneshio and the council members, and just how troublesome the comet-mimicking mobile mother body really was.