On the artificial celestial body Zodgia, Representative Terapolapanecio was receiving a report in the form of a lecture from Vice-Representative Ritmiele.
“Listen. So descending to Earth without permission is prohibited. The planetary environmental improvement has been largely successful, so there’s no need for the representative to go down unnecessarily, right?”
[I understand that, but we have the duty to report on Earth’s jellyfish situation to other individuals…]
“No such thing exists.”
Ritmiele was unusually among Federation citizens in having little reverence for Terapolapanecio. In that respect, she was a hard-to-find type of personnel in the Federation, and such personnel were mysteriously the ones Terapolapanecio trusted most.
[It can’t be helped. I understand what Ritmiele Fourth-rank Citizen Dalda-Elra wants to say. Could you be satisfied if I at least reduce the frequency? It would be troublesome if other individuals came swarming again, wouldn’t it?]
“That would certainly be troublesome. …Understood.”
Having secured a definite right, Terapolapanecio decided to change the topic.
[Speaking of which, Kaitoo, Third-rank Citizen, Enek-Ragif is currently staying on Radia.]
“Radia? That’s the artificial celestial body observing the Namibif planetary system, right? Come to think of it, I heard a large silicon-based lifeform is approaching that area.”
[Indeed. Corporate fleets are also moving for protection. I told him it would be a good opportunity to make contact with the Earthlings being protected by the corporation.]
“I see, since the corporation moves its headquarters too, it might be a good opportunity for contact.”
Ritmiele didn’t know the time when the Rare Organism Protection corporation had belonged to the Federation. So she didn’t have much sense of camaraderie, recognizing them purely as a relatively friendly separate organization.
Still, a large silicon-based lifeform. For Earthling Kaitoo, it should be his first encounter with a space creature. She wondered what kind of impression he would have, when Terapolapanecio continued.
[Regarding that matter, there was a report from Emotion Sixth-rank Citizen Abu-Rug a little while ago. Among the Earthlings belonging to the corporation, there was an individual being protected who had Kaitoo, Third-rank Citizen, Enek-Ragif imprisoned on false charges.]
“What!?”
[Moreover, it seems they were spreading rumors that Kaitoo, Third-rank Citizen, Enek-Ragif had sold Earthlings to the Federation.]
“Gamahadeggu! Shall we go sink the corporation’s ship…!?”
[There’s no need to go that far. After all, the opponent is the corporation.]
Ritmiele, who had changed her body hair color as usual, immediately regained her composure at the representative’s words.
“I see. Come to think of it, that’s right. If it’s the corporation, there’s no particular problem…”
[Well, I understand the unpleasantness. We feel the same way. Regarding that Earthling matter, we’ll properly inform the corporation later.]
Still, what a strange reunion this had turned out to be. Ritmiele sincerely hoped that Kaitoo, who was probably getting caught up in troublesome matters, would manage to resolve the situation safely.
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When he explained the past killing of kin to the space eel, it was deeply moved.
He didn’t understand.
——Wonderful. You killed my own kind.
“Y-yes. What exactly is wonderful about that? I don’t really have any idea.”
——We are countless possibilities created by an imperfect individual. We wander this void, eating rock spheres you call planets to grow, so that we might someday become the one true perfect individual.
This incomprehensibility was similar to when he had met the space jellyfish. Come to think of it, they too couldn’t be measured by his common sense. Kaitoo decided to temporarily abandon the common sense in his head and align with the space eel’s logic.
“A perfect… individual?”
——Yes. To become the perfect and sole individual.
Perfect and sole individual. So their behavioral principle was to kill all of their own kind and become the single remaining space eel.
“When you encounter others of your kind, you…”
——We fight to the death with everything we have. And the victor devours everything of the defeated, drawing closer to perfection.
“I see… Such a…”
[This is thinking we cannot understand…]
In other words, space eels apparently regarded all beings with metallic outer shells as the same species and furthermore recognized them as enemies. No wonder they attacked regardless of whether light was shone on them or whatever.
This meant that Kaitoo had not been considered an enemy by the space eel precisely because he had gone outside Queenbee to operate the hull. How could anyone have figured that out?
This brought up another problem. Kaitoo needed to make the space eel understand the organization he belonged to.
“Um. We are a collective called the Federation. Should I consider that you’ll form friendly relations with us?”
——Of course, Kaitoo. I’ve taken a liking to your mental wavelength. I promise not to be hostile toward the collective you act together with.
“Not all organic lifeforms act together with me. Also, we should have a way to distinguish between you and others of your kind, right?”
——A way to distinguish between me and my kind? I see, for you, it’s as difficult as it would be for me to distinguish between Kaitoo and Kaitoo’s kind, right?
Oh, surprisingly perceptive. The space eel also saw the staff who had come out of Radia and Kaitoo as looking the same, he realized. Now, what to do about this?
“Yeah, this is more than I can handle alone.”
Kaitoo decided to return inside Queenbee for now to consider countermeasures.
When problems got big, it was best to involve as many people as possible.
“So this proposal is also acceptable?”
[Of course. We’ve been at a loss about what to do with them too. We recovered them thinking it would be bad to leave them alone, but if they can serve as proof of friendship, there’s no reason to refuse.]
“Thank you.”
[We should be the ones thanking you, Kaitoo, Third-rank Citizen, Enek-Ragif. Not only have you erased our past failures, you’ve even achieved friendship with the space eels. This will raise our evaluation in the Federation Council again—as friends, we’re happy too.]
“Haha, please go easy on me.”
Without bothering to hide his twitching cheek, he ended the call with Council Member Terapolapanecio. Kaitoo’s requests had been completely and entirely approved. The trust from the space jellyfish carried weight.
Anyway, the general handling of the space eel had been decided. It would be bad to keep it waiting forever, so he’d go outside Queenbee for now.
“In a little while, staff who can communicate besides me will appear here. And so…”
——What is it?
“Regarding the remains of your kin that we’ve killed so far, my companions recovered and preserved them for research. Would you like us to provide them?”
——Is that alright!?
Oh, maximum interest.
While nodding that of course it was fine, he didn’t forget to confirm in advance.
“Some parts were apparently destroyed for research, but most remain. Regarding the high-density spheres that were inside the bodies, they say it’s difficult to destroy or interfere with them, so except for one, they’re leaving them untouched. You need them, right?”
——Yes, exactly! You destroyed one?
“Yes, the sphere possessed by the first individual we killed, apparently. If broken ones are acceptable, we can provide that too.”
“—No, if it was completely destroyed, then that’s fine. Among the foolish individuals, there were probably some who tried to devour that blazing sphere and burned to death. Even if they don’t eat everything, there’s no problem as long as they continue eating the rocky spheres.”
“I see. That’s good to hear then.”
Kaito wouldn’t press further. Space Eels were just that kind of creature. He told himself this.
He was curious about what state they considered “complete,” but asking would likely take a long time, so he refrained.
If he was going to ask about such seemingly important information, he’d prefer to have someone else besides himself to share the burden.
Partly to divert the conversation, Kaito decided to voice a simple question he’d been feeling during their chat.
“By the way, you don’t think about eating us, do you?”
——No, there’s no need for that. A creature with the power to kill my own kind. At the same time, beings so small that eating them wouldn’t contribute much to my growth even if I did. I have no reason to eat you. Besides.
“Besides?”
——You wouldn’t try to eat me to achieve perfection, would you?
“No, not at all.”
——It’s the same thing. I wouldn’t think of eating you, who are different forms of life. However, other members of my species might be different. Precisely because you are different forms of life, they might eat you and aim for growth different from mine.
Naturally, it didn’t forget to subtly disparage its own kind.
Either way, to form a friendly relationship with the Space Eel before them, they would naturally end up antagonizing other Space Eels.
If organizations other than the Federation formed friendly relations with a different Space Eel, they’d probably be dragged into conflict. Well, forming a friendly relationship with a Space Eel was probably the highest difficulty level mission possible.
Hmm, this was indeed too heavy to bear alone. Come quickly, Space Jellyfish.
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