Incidentally, Ritmiele was with the representative because there was a risk the representative might head to Earth on his own if left unsupervised. Considering their passion for Earth’s jellyfish, it’s a plausible concern.
By the way, the directive to monitor the representative came from other space jellyfish in the Federation. Despite being all connected in consciousness, they apparently can’t stand anyone trying to sneak ahead. It’s confusing.
“So, what now? I didn’t expect you to build up assets so quickly over there. No matter how much we modify it here, it won’t outperform a Federation-made ship, so it’s better to adjust it here as is.”
That part was Dilganer’s area of expertise. Kaito had no particular objections.
All he felt was sentimentality toward the Goodbye Earth and, perhaps, some cultural aspects.
“Well, it’s not without its value as a historical artifact… We’ve already scanned it, so even including the damage, it’s easy to reconstruct. Honestly, there’s no point in keeping it. Unless you’re planning to add it to your collection, there’s no issue with dismantling it now.”
“Is that so…”
Selling it wouldn’t make sense.
There’s no use in modifying the ship. Kaito knew that dismantling it was the best option. He alternated his gaze between his future partner ship and the Goodbye Earth.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
“Hey, Emotion.”
“Yes?”
“Can we disassemble this and attach it to the new ship?”
“Another strange idea.”
Was it strange? Sentimental as it was, the Goodbye Earth was Kaito’s home since his exile, the ship he used to leave his homeland, and in some ways, it could have been his tombstone or coffin.
Rather than just dismantling and discarding it, he wanted to give it a meaningful form.
Kaito’s idea wasn’t outright rejected by Emotion.
It wasn’t rejected.
The dismantling didn’t take much time. After retrieving his beloved terminal, countless arms attached themselves to the ship’s body.
The Goodbye Earth, disassembled into countless parts, was processed into small steel plates.
“So, you’re going to attach these plates to the ship’s outer hull? It’s doable, but I don’t think it’ll add much to the armor.”
“That’s fine. I’m not attaching them for defense.”
Once he decided to do it, new ideas started flowing. That’s the power of imagination.
He manipulated the steel plates with his psychic abilities, shaping them into something resembling a human hand. Perhaps due to the limits of Kaito’s imagination, the arms turned out oddly thin, while the hands were strangely large.
“The balance is a bit off… Well, the thickness of the arms doesn’t affect functionality, so it’s fine.”
“You hadn’t given up on that idea, had you?”
While Emotion’s exasperated tone wasn’t new, Dilganer, who had been watching Kaito nearby, expressed admiration.
“Ho, you’re rearranging the steel plates attached to the ship into shapes? That’s an interesting idea.”
“Right? You get it, Mr. Dilganer?”
“At first glance, it seems wasteful, but having a form closer to your body allows for finer control.”
“…You’re not thinking of adding legs, are you, Master Kaito?”
“Why would a ship need legs? Where would it even walk?”
“I don’t know, but hearing such a logical statement feels unsatisfying…”
Emotion’s words were likely sarcastic, but they didn’t reach Kaito. Her brow was furrowed, but it was unclear how much the design resembled a human body.
He tried moving the hand he had created. The fingers moved, and he could detach just the clenched fist. It seemed surprisingly versatile.
“This could be interesting if applied to the system. It’s been a while since I’ve been this stimulated, Third rank citizen Enek-Ragif.”
“That’s good to hear.”
When he released the energy he had been channeling, the connections loosened, and the plates returned to their scattered state. The equipment controlled by Dilganer attached them to the ship’s hull as they clattered to the ground.
Perhaps because they had been manipulated with psychic energy, the plates adhered smoothly to the ship’s surface. The way they attached, showing a flexibility uncharacteristic of steel, was a sight that defied conventional wisdom. By the time all the plates from the Goodbye Earth had been attached, the ship’s hull had swelled to nearly double its original size.
“So, sometimes they’ll be arms, and other times they’ll blend into the ship’s surface. Interesting. But this makes it difficult to add armaments.”
“Armaments, huh… Well, there’s always the option of hurling the detached plates at high speed.”
Even though he tried to make it sound like a plausible excuse, the truth was that Kaito simply didn’t feel very excited about equipping the ship with weapons.
That said, since being modified, this vague, floaty feeling of his had mostly been on point, so he decided to trust his intuition again this time.
Sure enough, after Dilganer looked up at the empty sky and froze for a moment, he turned his gaze back to Kaito, staring intently.
“You’re unexpectedly ruthless in your thinking, huh?”
After attaching the steel plates, Kaito finished the adjustments by tidying up the exterior somewhat.
The once-rounded hull regained a somewhat streamlined shape, with the front and back distinguishable, and a decorative pedestal-like structure added to the bow.
Unless it was sunk, this ship would be his eternal companion.
“Now, all that’s left is to decide on the ship’s name,”
“The ship’s name?”
“Yeah. We need to inform the Federation’s database that Kaito, Third-Rank Citizen Enek-Ragif, is the owner. So, I’m counting on you.”
This was the biggest problem. Kaito’s naming sense, which had received overwhelmingly negative feedback from Emotion. The ship’s chunky shape and the countless steel plates attached to it. He had a vague idea, but he wasn’t sure if it would gain Emotion’s approval.
As Kaito was pondering, Emotion gently spoke up.
“Please don’t worry about me.”
“Emotion.”
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“Even if the name is far from my aesthetic sensibilities, you are Master Kaito after all. I might laugh sometimes, but please don’t let it bother you.”
“That just adds more pressure!”
Still, since he’d already thought of it, there was no choice but to say it. If it was rejected, he’d just have to think of something else.
“How about Queen Bee?”
“Queen Bee…? Why that name?”
“Well, for one, the hull looks like a beehive. And the steel plates attached to it remind me of worker bees. And, well, it’s just a feeling,”
“Hmm.”
Surprisingly, Emotion’s reaction wasn’t all that bad.
She nodded repeatedly, muttering the name as if savoring it.
“Queen Bee, Queen Bee. It fits the visual image, and the idea of likening the steel plates to worker bees is quite good. Unexpected. Very good.”
“Th-that’s great to hear. Thank you,” Kaito said, relieved.
“Between the Goodbye Earth and Queen Bee, there’s no doubt about Master Kaito’s naming sense when it comes to ships.”
Though, the way she added a strange accent when saying “though” suggested that Emotion still held a grudge about her own name.
It was complicated, but as long as he wasn’t being ridiculed, it was fine. Kaito decided to quickly ask Dilganer to register the ship’s name.
“Queen Bee, huh? Registration complete… Alright. Kaito, Third-Rank Citizen Enek-Ragif, Queen Bee is now registered as your asset within the Federation. As a companion to you and Emotion, Sixth-Rank Citizen Abu-Rug, please take good care of it for a long time,”
“Of course. Thank you, Dilganer,”
It seemed that Emotion had been granted status as Sixth-Rank Citizen : Abu-Rug. While lower than Kaito’s, it was still a fairly high rank. The council members must have worked hard for this.
Finally, both of them had secured their positions within the Federation. Kaito felt like he’d managed to repay Emotion in some small way.
“Alright. Now, head over to the representative,”
“That was the other matter, right?”
“Yeah. There’s a bit of a problem,” Dilganer replied.
“Did the representative try to sneak off to Earth?”
“Our staff managed to stop that. Actually… well, it’s better if you hear it from the representative. Just keep in mind that there’s a matter where we’d like your judgment, Kaito, Third-Rank Citizen Enek-Ragif.”
“My judgment? Understood. Thank you for everything, Dilganer,”
The fact that Dilganer hesitated meant that pressing him further would just cause trouble. Nodding, Kaito noticed movement at the edge of his vision. A passageway had opened, so it seemed the representatives were monitoring them.
Kaito gave Dilganer a quick bow before urging Emotion toward the passage.
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