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

Chapter 239

Chapter 239

It's not fair to blame Radia for being unprepared.

At present, the only one detecting Lufate Gainun's reaction is Queen Bee, equipped with detection functions.

The detection mechanism for Lufate Gainun discovered by the Corporation had long been dismissed as useless. Right now, the Central Star Cluster is likely scrambling to re-evaluate it, but it will take some time before that reaches Radia.

"Emotion. Our top priority is to ensure those things don't infiltrate Namibif 6."

'Yes, Captain. Currently, seven small asteroids showing reactions are on a trajectory toward Namibif 6.'

"Destroy them all. Any reaction from Namibif 6?"

'The planet is quite large, so it'll take a bit more time.'

"Understood. Let's start by tackling the immediate issue!"

Without hesitation, Kait stepped outside Queen Bee and pulled out four Psionic Launchers. The seven small asteroids weren't about to immediately crash into Namibif 6. There were simply a lot of reaction signals.

Were they originally hiding among the planetary system of Namibif, or were they mixed in with the rocks Tuna vomited after feeding? Neither possibility can be ruled out at this point.

Responding to Emotion's navigation, the Psionic Launchers fired wildly. The combat activity would soon be known to Radia. And who was behind it as well. As expected, a transmission came through immediately. Emotion, well-versed in such matters, connected the call without waiting for a response from their side.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)!? What is the meaning of this!'

"Hello, Representative Stomato. It's been a while."

'Yes, it has. Have you been well...? Wait, that's not the point! What were you thinking, launching an attack on Namibif 6!'

"I didn't attack the planet itself. I just destroyed about seven small asteroids that were on a collision course with it. In fact, there shouldn't have been any impact on Namibif 6, right?"

'Eh...? Please hold on a moment.'

The nostalgic, straightforward reaction from Representative Stomato made Kait smile unintentionally.

Especially the part where he called out to a nearby staff member without even ending the call.

'...Trajectory-wise, there's no impact on Namibif 6. Oh, I see? So it's fine. Third-Rank Citizen Kait, what exactly brings you here this time? Don't tell me you're planning a test fire of weapons near the planet?'

"Huh?"

'If that's the case, I won't stop you, but if possible, please choose a planet other than Namibif 6... Oh, unless there are lifeforms living there too?'

"That's not the reason. By the way, haven't you been following Federation news lately?"

'No, no. I'm aware of the Lufate Gainun incident. Radia also sent out some personnel. I wasn't summoned since I'm the one in charge of Radia. Though, I used to be fairly adept at handling ships...'

"We can save the tales of Representative Stomato's heroic past for another time. I came here because of something related to Lufate Gainun."

'Huh? Wasn't the Lufate Gainun swarm that appeared recently already wiped out? Besides, that star system is quite far from here.'

Stomato's reply was correct. Kait had been in that distant star system just a short while ago, so of course he knew that. But was it really okay for Kait to be the one to explain the situation? The data had been sent to the Corporation, but Kait wasn't sure if he should talk to Stomato about it.

Maybe the Central Star Cluster was limiting the information, or maybe they were just waiting for confirmation before sharing it. If Kait carelessly told Stomato, the latter might end up sharing Federation secrets.

Given Stomato's personality, contacting the Space jellyfish directly would be difficult. Kait recalled a few familiar faces and decided to push the explanation onto the person who seemed easiest to talk to.

"Could you ask Representative Asheid of the Central Star Cluster for the details? Just say it's a request from me, and they'll connect you right away."

'R-Representative Asheid!? Th-that's—'

"I'm not in a position to decide whether I can speak on this under my own authority. So, I'll leave it to you."

Any further questioning from Stomato would just waste both their time.

Deciding to leave everything to a trustworthy friend, Kait moved on to the next task.

'Captain, you have good friends.'

"Yeah. They've always been a big help."

'Kyurukyurukyuru'

***

Stomato stared at the monitor with a stomachache.

After all, the person Kait had named was none other than Representative Asheid. If you asked Federation citizens to name five of the most famous members of the Federation Congress, many would list him among the top five—a young powerhouse.

His fierce and relentless methods were famous even before he became a representative. Some say he was given the title to make even greater use of him for the Federation, while others claim it was to lock the reckless Asheid inside the cage of the council.

Either way, for mid-level staff like Stomato, he was probably the scariest superior of all.

"Permission for communication from Representative Asheid has been granted."

"It's been granted...?"

Stomato had hoped that being turned down due to busyness might be his last hope. But just mentioning it was a request from Kait was enough to get approval.

As a part of Stomato's insides screamed, a young yet terrifying face appeared on the monitor. Behind him was the revered Terapolapaneshio.

'Representative Stomato, sorry to keep you waiting.'

"N-no! Um, from Third-Rank Citizen Kait..."

'Ah, it's fine. You're a victim of Kait's recklessness too, aren't you? It's tough, isn't it—for both of us.'

"Ah, no..."

Something feels off. This isn't the reaction he expected. More than that, the way he casually refers to Kait suggests that Asheid and Kait have a fairly close relationship.

Then Asheid averted his eyes from the monitor and began working on something. It seemed he had taken the time to connect despite being busy.

'Ah, sorry about that. The council has been swamped with Lufate Gainun matters for a while now. So, what happened with Kait?'

"Ah, yes. He suddenly appeared in the Namibif planetary system earlier and opened fire near Namibif 6. When I asked why, he told me to ask Representative Asheid."

'The Namibif system...? Why is Kait in a place like that now?'

'Namibif...? I see, Third-Rank Citizen Tuna!'

'What? Wait, data incoming from Fifth-Rank Citizen Emotion (Alto Romia).'

Terapolapaneshio and Asheid continued the conversation without Stomato. But neither seemed to think Kait's actions were problematic. Stomato felt a bit embarrassed that his trust in Kait had wavered.

Once Asheid seemed to understand the situation, he straightened his posture.

'Representative Stomato, we understand the situation on our end as well. We can also guess why Kait passed the explanation to us.'

"I see."

'In this matter, I believe Kait was right not to speak on his own authority. I'll also issue instructions to those present there. What I'm about to say must not be shared unless announced by the council. I order that this be kept confidential within Radia.'

"Y-yes!"

Terapolapaneshio didn't interrupt Asheid. Apparently, without anyone realizing it, Radia had been caught up in a major whirlwind. Stomato braced himself and waited for the next words.

'It has been confirmed that Lufate Gainun is the same type of lifeform as the one that parasitized the space eel species. Also, it's been proven that the detection mechanism for Lufate Gainun, once invented by the Corporation, was not malfunctioning. Kait stopped by the Namibif system because it was the most recent star system near Federation space where space eels had appeared.'

The sheer amount of information in Asheid's explanation caused Stomato's response to lag.

It was a straightforward explanation, and he could understand it. But accepting it meant facing a terrifying reality.

"Th-then, what Kait shot was..."

'He destroyed the small asteroids that were on a collision course with Namibif 6. Each of them showed Lufate Gainun reactions. Under my authority, I declare Kait's actions to be without fault.'

Stomato felt his whole body go cold. One of the small asteroids Kait had shot down was indeed about to crash into Namibif 6.

In the Namibif planetary system, there are several planets where life has not yet emerged. And many of the planets farther out than Namibif 6 have already been devoured by Tuna, leaving only debris.

'Representative Stomato, does Radia have the Lufate Gainun detection mechanism proposed by the Corporation installed?'

"N-no, it's not installed."

'I thought so. Please create and install it immediately. That's possible, right?'

"O-of course!"

'Good. Even if Lufate Gainun had already infiltrated Namibif 6, Radia's staff will not be held responsible for that.'

"Yes, thank you."

'However, any further infiltration of Lufate Gainun into Namibif 6 after the seven small asteroids Kait destroyed will not be tolerated. Understood?'

"Y-yes!"

Asheid's gaze instantly turned cold. Feeling another pang in his gut, Stomato gave the most proper salute of his life.

'We'll also send reinforcements from the Central Star Cluster. Don't worry—Kait is there with you.'