novelraw Chapter 233
Chapter 233
Chapter 233
The matter between Tuna and Terapolapaneshio will need to be reviewed again later, but right now, the priority is Lufate Gainun. While organizing the information from Tuna, I consider the meaning behind their actions.
The space eels travel through space, consuming countless star systems as they grow. They seek out others of their kind and fight to the death—the victor consuming the loser to grow even larger. Their goal is to become the last one remaining, embarking on an eternal journey of conflict.
"We don't know how many space eels there are in the universe, but it's definitely a journey that requires immense patience."
"Indeed. ...Assuming there are no indicators, that is."
Emotion seemed to have reached a similar conclusion.
When Kait first heard about how space eels lived, he vaguely thought they were a very patient species. The odds of space eels, scattered across the galaxy, encountering one another are literally astronomical. Likewise, the chance of them consuming the star system where Lufate Gainun is likely lurking should have been just as low.
But if there's a marker, the story changes. Yes—if they know where to go.
"The space eels are heading toward the star system from all over the universe, drawn to the light emitted by Lufate Gainun. As if signaling that there's food here."
"Exactly. That's why the chances of space eels encountering each other also increase. They aren't mimicking comets or anything like that."
"They're broadcasting from afar. Telling others they're here. Inviting them to come and consume them."
They have no concern for anything else. What matters to Lufate Gainun is solely to lure in the space eels.
Their parasitic behavior and aggression toward intelligent life on the surface might be an instinct to eliminate obstacles in advance. For the space eels that devour stars and Lufate Gainun that summons them, the creatures living on those stars are enemies. In fact, intelligent life that has evolved to the point of space exploration considers space eels and Lufate Gainun as threats.
By parasitizing or eliminating planetary lifeforms, they can prevent or delay the emergence of intelligent beings that could become a future threat. Thinking this way, Lufate Gainun's actions start to make a certain kind of sense.
"They don't communicate with intelligent life. If they're enemies, there's no point. Whether for good or bad, they give no information. They're thorough."
If there was one miscalculation on their part, it would be the appearance of a traitor among the space eels themselves. Though this is based on speculation, observing both sides' behaviors, it's hard to describe it simply as parasitism. It even looks somewhat symbiotic.
"But Tuna, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif), was clearly repulsed. If she had accepted Lufate Gainun, she wouldn't have reacted that way."
"True. Since they provide no benefit after parasitizing, perhaps it's just an upfront investment."
Perhaps, in their search for a more efficient parasitic method, they inadvertently benefited the space eels.
Waiting for space eels that may never come, sleeping deep underground on an unknown planet for what feels like eternity—that's quite a nuisance. But at least they're not bothering anyone else, which is something.
"Alright. We've got a rough idea of their actions. Now—"
"We need to back up our assumptions, right?"
"Exactly."
Assumptions are just predictions. To confirm their validity, we now need to start compiling information.
The exploration fleet's survey results should be arriving soon. How close can we get to the true nature of Lufate Gainun?
***
Unfortunately, the pursuit ended when even Terapolapaneshio could no longer track their traces. In other words, they couldn't determine where the group had appeared in that star region.
'When we previously captured and investigated a mobile mother body, we found that Lufate Gainun itself lacks the ability to teleport over long distances. The prevailing theory is that it was sent from somewhere.'
"I see."
While waiting for each fleet to return, they exchanged information at the rendezvous point with Terapolapaneshio. The researchers of Terapolapaneshio and the Federation seemed to believe that Lufate Gainun had a nest somewhere, from which it was randomly dispatching mobile mother bodies across the galaxy via long-distance teleportation.
Kait and Emotion had a different hypothesis, but revealing too much might give Terapolapaneshio the wrong idea. If Kait carelessly said something, it could become the Federation's official stance. Terapolapaneshio already knew they had contacted Tuna at this timing. It's reassuring to have allies in a pinch, but being trusted without certainty is a heavy burden.
"Thank you. That was helpful."
'How are things on your end? Any interesting discoveries?'
"Yes, somewhat. We've learned more about creatures related to Lufate Gainun."
'What!?'
That said, they couldn't say nothing. Kait decided to disclose just the information that Lufate Gainun and the parasites of the space eels are closely related. They'd find out soon enough anyway.
There were two points to convey: first, that Lufate Gainun and the parasites of the space eels have similar composition data; and second, that Tuna hadn't been asked about it directly, and why.
When Kait explained that Tuna deeply hated the parasites that had emerged from her body, Terapolapaneshio was surprised but understanding.
'I see. So that's why you contacted Third-Rank Citizen Tuna. Did you find anything useful?'
"Somewhat. But it's still not enough. Emotion is organizing the data now. Once we learn more, we'll submit a report."
'Understood. Who would've thought the space eel issue would lead to a breakthrough. Entrusting this to Third-Rank Citizen Kait always brings new discoveries. Much appreciated.'
In other words, it also meant they were facing considerable trouble. Kait didn't think he was particularly prone to causing problems.
After ending the call, Kait scratched his head. If his and Emotion's hypothesis was correct, this wasn't a good sign. He sighed quietly and headed toward the section where Emotion was sorting through the data.
"Captain. Did you learn anything from their side?"
"Sort of. Not great news."
Without even turning her gaze, Emotion asked. Kait replied without surprise and sat down on a nearby chair.
"Apparently, everyone lost track of them. They say the signal suddenly vanished."
Emotion turned to face him. Her eyes lacked emotion, but Kait immediately understood what she meant.
"So, Lufate Gainun, having completely burrowed into the planet's interior, can't be detected even by Terapolapaneshio."
"I see. ...That's definitely not good news."
Saying that, Emotion operated a terminal. A star map of the Federation was displayed on the monitor. Red light points began appearing in several locations.
"I've compiled a rough summary of the data. These are the star systems where Lufate Gainun was previously discovered within the Federation's sphere of influence."
Next, four blue lights appeared. Instead of points, these were connected by lines.
"These show the emergence points of hostile space eels and their paths into star systems. If we attach a timeline to all of these, it looks like this."
At each light, a clear timeline was displayed. The fact that it was written using Earthling standards like 'X ten thousand years ago' showed a touch of kindness.
Even at light speed, the distances between stars often span tens of thousands of years. Though primitive, assimilation with stars may be Lufate Gainun's final gamble for the future of their species.
"The oldest one is when Lufate Gainun was first observed."
"It seems so. After that, the space eels were confirmed under Federation control about twenty thousand Earth years later. It happened here."
Then, all but one of the blue lights dimmed. The remaining one stood out prominently.
"From the origin to the end point. This end point is..."
"Yes. It's the location where Terapolapaneshio defeated them. At least the direction is—"
"Not wrong. What about the other three?"
"They all seem to be heading toward one of the light sources. The Federation responds quickly, after all."
It helped reinforce their hypothesis, but might not be enough to prompt clear action. While wishing they had more detailed leads, Kait began recalling a few acquaintances who might help.