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

Chapter 246

Chapter 246

The Federation truly consists of a vast number of species.

Each species not only has different ecologies, but also vastly different norms and ideologies, yet they coexist within the organization known as the Federation.

While this society is undoubtedly made possible by the Federation's extraordinary technological prowess, there are other innovations as well. One of them is the 'Special Zones'.

To enable species with differing ecologies and norms to coexist without difficulty, those whose presence might pose a risk to others are assigned to live in designated Special Zones. Within these zones alone, their ecology and culture are respected.

For example, there is a species whose culture requires them to hunt other intelligent beings as a rite of passage into adulthood. The Federation created a Special Zone for them to live in and prohibited hunting outside of it. This was to avoid causing trouble for the planets under observation and other coexisting species.

When this policy was first implemented, there were predictions that it would quickly fail and the species would leave the Federation. After all, hunting opportunities would be reduced, and it was hard to imagine anyone willingly entering such a Special Zone.

However, the policy ended up working surprisingly well.

According to Federation law, each individual is allowed to live freely. However, this comes with the caveat that they must not infringe upon the freedom of others.

Naturally, every species has individuals who are hot-blooded or pride themselves on strength. Those who had not been fortunate enough to find an outlet for their strength flocked to the Special Zones. As it turned out, hunting opportunities weren't as limited as expected, and they were satisfied with their opponents.

After all, the core of their creed is to hunt strong individuals. In that sense, Federation citizens, who undergo body modification as a standard, made for very worthwhile prey.

And since Federation citizens have life backups, even a successful hunt doesn't leave behind any grudges.

Some individuals who believed that regulated hunting wasn't real hunting did leave the Federation. However, they understood that opposing the Federation would lead to their own destruction. These individuals left the Federation's sphere of influence and migrated to regions managed by other organizations.

'So, Captain. What do you think about my question regarding whether the Federation will accept the individualized Lufate Gainun into a Special Zone?'

"Well, I don't think that will happen."

'Hmm?'

"There are several reasons. But the most important one, I believe, is Tuna, and probably the fact that they don't see organic intelligent life forms as companions."

Lufate Gainun parasitize space eels. Their goal and instinct is to devour the space eels and thrive.

For that purpose, they hide within planets. And if organic intelligent life is present, they even go out of their way to parasitize and eliminate them.

Would such Lufate Gainun ever consider coexisting with organic intelligent life? Let alone coexisting with Tuna.

For now, the individuality of Lufate Gainun is inward-facing.

'I see. I understand your thoughts, Captain. But what about the Federation Congress? What do they think?'

"That's why we sent one over. Now that the teleportation function has been destroyed, it's time to make contact."

Will they see the possibility of coexistence, or deny it outright?

While thinking that the answer would depend on the response from Terapolapaneshio, Kait turned the Queen Bee and opened communications.

***

"So this is what a Federation decision looks like."

'......I'm relieved.'

If they had been considering the possibility of coexistence, Terapolapaneshio would probably have only sent a communication to Kait. Just as Kait predicted, the space jellyfish appeared in this region of space not only with Di-Kigaia Zarmos but also with countless other ships.

Having escaped outside the space eel via short-range teleportation, Kait felt reassured by the sight of the massive fleet of unprecedented scale spreading out before his eyes.

"Hey, we've been expecting you."

'Sorry to keep you waiting, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen Enec Lagif. Are your vitals stable?'

"Yes. I haven't had any trouble with rations."

'Kyurukyuru......'

Perhaps recalling the amount of smoked meat consumed while waiting, Emotion let out a sorrowful sound behind him. Well, they could always make more.

Apparently, the Lufate Gainun hadn't considered the possibility that Kait had escaped outside, as none were searching for him from inside the space eel. According to Emotion's observations, there were frantic reactions moving about, so they were likely still searching inside the space eel.

Even just waiting outside, the amount of information they could gather continued to increase. It seemed Lufate Gainun had no concept of exchanging information between individuals with different roles. The confusion below hadn't been communicated upward.

'Still...... It's certainly an overwhelming number. We've let that thing roam free for far too long, haven't we?'

"We've already disabled the space eel's teleportation function. I apologize for acting before the council reached a conclusion."

'No need to worry. Thanks to that decision, we've been greatly helped.'

With the fleet's appearance, Lufate Gainun began pouring out of the fortress-type structure in droves. The numbers were immense, with no end in sight.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. The Federation has officially denied the possibility of coexistence with the Lufate Gainun. Taking into account our reflections from the space eel incident, we conducted investigations from every angle. As a result, we confirmed that their mindset only sees organic intelligent life as enemies or food.'

"I see."

He felt relieved to have a clear verbal conclusion.

All that remained was to fight.

'The Federation will use its full might to eradicate the Lufate Gainun from this region of space. Will you assist us, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen?'

"Of course. Let's wrap this up quickly."

Just being in this place gave him a bad feeling, as if it were foreshadowing one of Tuna's possible fates.

For some reason, Kait and Queen Bee still didn't seem to be recognized as enemies by the Lufate Gainun above. As the enemy ships charged toward the fleet one after another, none approached them. He was curious about how those creatures distinguished between ships.

"......It seems they don't recognize me as an enemy. I'm going to prioritize securing the interior of the space eel."

'Understood, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. Once we finish extermination on our end, we'll contact you, so please evacuate.'

"Got it."

Once the extermination outside was complete, Terapolapaneshio would likely destroy the fortress-type core along with the space eel. That's what Di-Kigaia Zarmos was for.

Countless lights intersected overhead. As expected, the ones inside the fortress-type were individuals meant for ship-to-ship combat.

"If the opponent hadn't been the Federation, we might've been in real trouble."

'Yes. If it had been the Tortoise before joining the Federation, it wouldn't have lasted even 300 seconds before being sunk.'

"That's terrifying."

In other words, the Tarlmache fleet's level of power wasn't suited for combat against the battle-type Lufate Gainun.

It seemed the Federation fleet hadn't fully assembled yet. All around the fortress-type, teleportation reactions continued to occur. After one particularly large reaction, several artificial celestial bodies completed their teleportation. When the space jellyfish said "full might," it wasn't exaggeration. They really were going all in.

"By the way, are Viper and the others in that fleet?"

'Yes. They're a bit toward the rear. Even the current Tortoise is only mid-to-lower level in terms of Federation tech, so I think their positioning is appropriate.'

"I see. Well, the rest depends on their skill."

They had chosen to participate of their own will. He hoped they wouldn't be sunk, but it wasn't his place to interfere.

"Alright, let's go do our job."

'Yes, Captain.'

Rather than teleporting back inside, Kait chose to move toward the space eel's mouth from the outside.

He would secure it from the outside in. Not letting a single one escape, he would literally annihilate them.