Episode 3: Close Encounters of the Zeroth Kind
Minutes, hours, or perhaps seconds—time has lost all meaning.
Kaito vision gradually sharpens, and he become aware that his body is approaching something.
Stars are connected by what looks like bridges. The three-dimensional network of stars is vast, and Kaito doesn’t have the luxury of counting them.
After all, he’s about to crash into one at an alarming speed.
“Whoooooa!?”
“Master Kaito, stay calm! At this rate, we’re going to collide at a lethal velocity! You need to slow us down somehow!”
“Even if you tell me to slow down, how am I supposed to do that!?”
It’s not like I’m in control here. I can’t just hit the brakes. Well, I can tell we’re slowing down, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be enough.
Suddenly, the force acting on his body vanishes.
Next comes a pulling sensation, like being yanked forward. By the time he realize it’s probably the gravity of the star in front of him, it’s too late—Kaito is being pulled straight toward the ground.
“I’m dead!?”
At the moment of impact, Kaito envisions himself not burning up from friction but instead being squashed like a tomato.
But. The ground doesn’t deliver any impact. Instead, it absorbs Kaito and Emotion as if welcoming them with open arms.
“!?!?”
Kaito’s vision is filled with blinding flashes, and for a while, he can’t get up. He thinks it’s because of the dizzying view of the cosmos he just witnessed, but the fact that his eyes aren’t burned out must be thanks to the modifications made to his body.
As his vision returns to normal, he sits up and looks around. The ground is primarily blue, stretching out to the horizon. There are no buildings in sight. Looking up, he sees a pale green sky—more like an artificial membrane than a natural one. There’s no sun or star visible. Perhaps the membrane itself is emitting light. Come to think of it, he doesn’t recall passing through any membrane.
Is this even a planet? Given that this civilization builds artificial celestial bodies for observation, this might also be some kind of construct.
Cautiously, Kaito stands up. His body doesn’t float; his feet firmly plant themselves on the ground.
Perhaps due to the angle of his descent, the other celestial bodies connected by bridges are out of sight. Feeling as though all his previous understanding of the world has been shattered, Kaito places his hands on his hips.
“Master Kaito. Where exactly are we?”
“Probably one of their bases. I’m guessing this is some kind of airfield.”
Looking more closely, he sees something moving up and down in the distance. The fact that nothing is landing nearby might be because they saw Kaito and Emotion crash, or perhaps for some other reason.
Regardless of the answer, what needs to be done remains the same.
As Kaito confirms that he can breathe and move his body as he wishes, Emotion speaks up from beside him.
“Master Kaito? What’s our plan of action now?”
“We’ll wait for them to come to us. If they’ve thought this through, they wouldn’t just leave us here. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure about the results of the physical modifications. I’d like to know my current condition as soon as possible.”
He could wander around aimlessly without anyone complaining, but there’s nothing in sight that particularly interests Kaito.
In fact, what interests Kaito now isn’t outside his body—it’s inside.
The force that the representative used to send them here, in other words, must be the result of Terraporapanesio’s psychic abilities.
Being flung through space—however far that was—and surviving unscathed raises the question: was it due to the modifications, the representative’s incredible power, or both? Given that Kaito doesn’t feel any significant changes, understanding his body’s current state is a top priority.
As Kaito ponders this, Emotion’s red light flickers on. He hadn’t noticed that feature before.
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“Master Kaito.”
“What is it?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’m fine. Wait, is the atmosphere here not suitable for human survival?”
“Correct. Several unknown elements have been detected, and the oxygen levels are insufficient for Earth humans to survive.”
“Well, that’s good news.”
Satisfied that Kaito seems unaffected, the red light turns off.
It seems his modified body is functioning as intended.
Kaito doesn’t fully trust the Federation, especially not its people, starting with the representative. Yet, he’s gone along with the situation, more out of resignation than anything else.
After all, if he hadn’t been accepted here, he would’ve died anyway. This strange sense of fatalism has stripped Kaito of caution and restraint.
As he starts thinking about how to use his psychic abilities, Emotion issues another warning.
“Master Kaito. Something is approaching from ahead.”
“That must be our welcoming party. I wonder what they’ll look like this time.”
“After seeing that space jellyfish, I can’t say you’ve been watching too many classic movies anymore.”
It seems Emotion has been influenced by Kaito’s quirks.
The one who came to greet them was a mechanical intelligence named Teek. It had wheels, but unlike any car on Earth, it had only one large central wheel. Mechanical intelligences typically own several bodies for different tasks, and this wasn’t its main form.
Compared to Dilganer, Teek was polite and had a good sense of humor. The place where Kaito and Emotion landed was indeed akin to an airfield. Apparently, it’s designed so that falling from the gravity well wouldn’t harm anyone, but Kaito is only the fifth person to test it in the last thousand cycles.
Kaito is curious about the previous four, but he didn’t come here of his own volition anyway.
“I was sent here directly by the representative of Zodgia. I didn’t intend to crash land.”
“Ah, my apologies. The Terraporapanesio tend to prioritize efficiency, sometimes without considering the psychological impact on others.”
There’s a slight disconnect between what Teek means by “sometimes” and what Kaito understands.
Noticing the awkwardness, Teek asks with a slightly trembling voice. It’s oddly detailed in unnecessary places.
“Mr. Kaito. Is my translation software functioning correctly?”
“Yes, it’s fine, Teek. So, where are we headed next?”
“To the First Sphere, where the Federal Assembly is located. Your arrival is a significant event for us, and the assembly members wish to meet with you.”
“An event?”
“Yes. You’ll hear the details at the assembly. I’m not authorized to explain further.”
“Understood.”
This feels ominous. Earth being watched, unexplained circumstances—back on Earth, things like this rarely ended well.
“Well, what will be, will be… I guess.”
Is it really luck, or not?
Kaito briefly wonders who or what he should pray to now that he’s here.
[We, the Zodgia, must apologize for our earlier rudeness, Mr. Kaito.]
“Ah, yes.”
In a nearly weightless chamber, Kaito faces the Terraporapanesio. This individual is much larger than the “representative” on Zodgia, suggesting it’s a central figure within the Terraporapanesio species.
[We exchange information among all our individuals in near real-time. The entity you’re meeting now is merely one of us assigned the role of a Federal Assembly member. I apologize for the condescending posture.]
Surprisingly, even this “assembly member” isn’t the central entity. The true center might be elsewhere, or perhaps they’re all both central and peripheral at the same time.
Holding onto the handrail, Kaito looked up at the [Council Member]. Then, one after him, screens began to appear around them. Some of the screens showed the faces of the people on the other side, while others did not. Based on what had happened so far, Kaito judged that this was likely their way of being considerate.
[Now, we shall begin the meeting with Kaito Crouch, third-Rank citizen Enek-Ragif. The Federal Assembly has just granted Kaito Crouch the status of third-Rank citizen Enek-Ragif, and we declare that this status will not be revoked except for active illegal behavior.]
“No objections.”
One by one, voices from the screens confirm “no objections.” Kaito had been worried someone might object, but no one did. This means the reason the assembly wanted to meet him isn’t related to his citizenship status.
In that case, Kaito has no clue what this is about. Did they bring him here to demote his citizenship status because he abandoned his fellow humans on Earth or because he sought a one-way ticket to die near Jupiter’s orbit?
As Kaito tilts his head in confusion, the assembly member sways slightly.
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