novelraw Chapter 251
Chapter 251
Chapter 251
Kait decided to return to the Central Star Cluster for the first time in a while, both to submit a report and because he had other matters to attend to.
He declined all rewards related to Lufate Gainun. Terapolapaneshio had tried to persuade him otherwise, but Kait's true feelings were that he wanted nothing to do with a citizenship upgrade.
The ships that participated in the Lufate Gainun extermination operation had gathered from all over the Federation, but many came from the Central Star Cluster. Wanting to focus on finishing his report, Kait decided to ride along on an artificial celestial body dispatched from the Central Star Cluster side.
Tortoise was also returning on the same artificial celestial body, and it was a pleasant surprise for Kait to reunite with Viper and Liz.
"So you're really not the Captain?"
"Of course not. If rumors started that I was personally close with you, it would just draw unwanted attention. I clearly refused all the rewards, so there's no need for me to take anything from you."
"Then who the hell...?"
Apparently, the two were puzzled, uneasy, and creeped out that they had been credited with more achievements than they had actually accomplished. When they found out Kait had been on the battlefield, they figured part of the credit had been transferred to them because of that.
When Kait said he had no idea either, the two exchanged confused looks. In times like this, Emotion was always dependable. When he looked her way, she understood and began explaining the situation.
"Did the two of you not rescue nearby ships on the battlefield?"
"Rescue nearby ships... Oh yeah, we did help a few that were about to get sunk by those monsters."
"Then that must have been recognized. In the Federation, since life backups are universal, mutual aid in battle tends to be highly valued."
In the Federation, even if you die, you can be revived thanks to life backups. Because of that, people tend to lose their sense of danger toward life-threatening situations. While this doesn't pose much of a problem in solo operations, in group battles like the recent Lufate Gainun extermination operation, it becomes a serious issue. The reckless actions of a few daredevils could lead to the annihilation of an entire fleet.
According to Emotion, the increase in Viper and Liz's achievements was part of a strategy to address such situations. A portion of the achievements earned by the rescued citizens in subsequent battles would be allocated to those who saved them.
It's a small gain to aim for intentionally, but not so small as to be ignored. And from the perspective of the rescued, since they wouldn't have survived to fight without being saved, few object to transferring some of their achievements.
Most Federation citizens who participated in the Lufate Gainun extermination operation were motivated by the chance to upgrade their citizenship or to earn money for entertainment. While using the life backup system doesn't cost anything, buying or modifying a ship is paid out of pocket. In a way, ships are more valuable than life in the Federation.
"So, the two of you should proudly accept your achievements this time. The increase is proof that you saved many lives."
"R-Really? ...That's good to hear, Girl."
"Sure is, boss."
Looking relieved like Viper, Liz pulled out her terminal, a slightly sloppy smile on her face. It seemed the two had earned more than expected from this operation.
"Emotion, if possible, I'd like to consult you about upgrading the Tortoise."
"Understood. Is that alright with you, Captain?"
"Of course. I'll finish the report on my end."
Emotion walked over to Liz and the others and peered into their terminal.
With their conversation behind him, Kait decided to return to the room that had been prepared for him. He didn't have the focus to finish a report while listening to what was essentially an argument disguised as a meeting.
***
A few days later, the artificial celestial body returned close to the Central Star Cluster.
During that time, Kait had completed and submitted his report. He had carefully detailed a methodology that didn't require their involvement, so he hoped there was no chance of being called back because of this.
"As long as the next Lufate Gainun colony we find hasn't created a drastically different ecosystem, we should be fine."
"Don't say things that make me anxious. That kind of stuff always ends up getting dumped on us."
Near the Central Star Cluster, there was absolutely no room for combat to begin. Emotion, too, stood beside Kait without transforming into her Sphere form.
All ships except Queen Bee were heading straight back to the Central Star Cluster, but Kait and the others had a different objective. They directed Queen Bee toward one of the satellites orbiting the Central Star Cluster.
The latest mechanical satellite in the Central Star Cluster—Tuna. It houses the main body of Tuna, who had obtained citizenship as a Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif). Normally, this place would only be open when Tuna is traveling the galaxy, but it had been temporarily opened due to the incident with Lufate Gainun.
"Oh, it's already started."
Due to a sudden and rapid development in the research on Lufate Gainun, a re-investigation of Tuna's main body had been scheduled.
Naturally, Tuna's consent had been obtained for this re-investigation. However, Tuna had refused to attend in person and had not returned to the site.
'If I found out something was still inside me, I'm not confident I could maintain rational thought, so I'd rather not.'
With that response, the staff couldn't force Tuna to come.
Understandable. No one would want to witness something like a parasite crawling out of their own body.
Before Kait and Emotion's eyes, the area around Tuna's main body was being heated. Space eels are extremely resistant to high temperatures, so there was no worry about it melting no matter how intense the heat.
Though in a state of suspended animation, Tuna's main body was not dead. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be surprising if parts of Lufate Gainun were still inside.
"Even now, I'm amazed by the Federation's technology."
"It really is impressive. ...Ah."
Emotion let out a small sound. She must have detected something. That meant—
A part of Tuna's skin, shimmering from the heat, looked like it squirmed.
They were watching from a fair distance, so it wasn't entirely clear. It might've just been their imagination, but then the surrounding equipment began to move.
"Yikes, there really was something there."
"They're unbelievably persistent."
The equipment's arms moved around the surface of Tuna's skin, back and forth. After a while, they pulled back, likely having captured or crushed the specimen.
"A report just came in. They've captured several specimens for research. Based on their appearance, they seem to be a different type than the ones that appeared before."
"The variety those things come in is just astounding..."
With this, research within the Federation would likely progress further. Perhaps judging that they'd secured enough, the equipment's arms—now with differently shaped tips—continued to move across Tuna's skin.
After some time passed, the end of the re-investigation was finally announced. The number of captured specimens had reached triple digits, and the exterminated ones were in the high four digits.
"Well, considering Tuna's size, I guess that's still a small number."
"Yes. They also re-scanned the interior. Even with Corporation-standard scanning, no reactions were detected. At this point, I think we can say the threat of Lufate Gainun has been eliminated from Tuna, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)."
Still, the troublesome part about Lufate Gainun is that you can never be entirely sure it's been completely eliminated.
In any case, from here on out, it's up to the future technologies the Federation develops. Kait sincerely hoped this would be the final resolution for Tuna.