“To add to your earlier question, those who commit acts of violence outside designated zones are registered as criminals. Punishments for criminals include being disconnected from the central management system or having their registered biological data erased.”
That’s a terrifying punishment for a Federation citizen.
For Kaito, death meant the end, but in a society where life backups are the norm, the idea of not being able to be revived must be the ultimate fear.
While there are fewer obligations, there are also significantly fewer rights. In summary, it’s the right to act however you please as long as you don’t unjustly infringe on the rights of other Federation citizens.
It seems that as civilization advances, both rights and obligations become much simpler.
“So, even if I become a Federation citizen, what I do is mostly up to my free will?”
“Exactly. If you have any uncommon preferences, you’ll need to exercise them in designated zones.”
“I don’t think I have anything like that, but since Federation norms might differ from ours, I can’t say for sure.”
At Kaito’s words, Ritmiele’s fur bristled slightly. Amusement, perhaps.
There doesn’t seem to be any reason to refuse citizenship. Kaito not childish enough to ask what would happen if he declined.
“Then, once again. Mr. Kaito, do you wish to obtain Federation citizenship?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Thank you. The Federation welcomes you.”
The confirmation ended rather smoothly. Personally, Kaito feel like he’ll get along quite well with them.
Ritmiele, looking relieved, shook her fur lightly and spoke cheerfully.
“First, we’ll need to modify your body.”
“Huh?”
Kaito was left speechless by Ritmiele’s words.
Did she just say “modify”?
“Modify…?”
“Yes. I’ll take you to the adjustment room now.”
“Modify…”
Ritmiele didn’t seem to think it was anything unusual.
Without waiting for Kaito’s confirmation, she raised her hand, and a different wall from the one they’d entered through slid open.
“Come, this way.”
“Uh, yeah…”
As Kaito hesitated over how to respond, Ritmiele was already walking toward the wall.
Following her lead, he trailed behind. The hallway was similar to the one they’d walked through earlier, slightly curving to the right. Looking back, he noticed the way to the previous room had already been sealed.
Emotion followed behind, making a whirring sound. She seemed equally wary of the word “modify.”
Feeling uneasy in the silence, Kaito decided to strike up a conversation with Ritmiele to gather more information.
“This is a strange hallway.”
“Yes. The interior of this structure changes according to its purpose. The interview room we were in earlier was created when you arrived here.”
“The structure changes?”
So, this hallway doesn’t normally exist.
As Kaito looked around curiously, Ritmiele, perhaps amused, continued while shaking her fur.
“Inside this structure, only the residential quarters, transfer rooms, and control rooms are fixed.”
“Residential quarters, you say?”
“We’ll create your personal quarters later. I’ll also introduce you to the staff here. They all seem very interested in you.”
Transfer rooms, control rooms. The adjustment room wasn’t mentioned earlier, so it must have been created specifically for Kaito.
They seem to think modifying Kaito’s body is necessary. And perhaps it’s not out of malice.
From the way Ritmiele speaks, it’s hard to tell if alien emotions manifest the same way as Earthlings’. While some of Kaito’s worries were eased, the tension remained.
“Here we are.”
At Ritmiele’s cheerful voice, the wall slid open. Beyond it was an incredibly vast space.
It didn’t match the image of an “adjustment room.” It was more like a large-scale machinery factory in terms of size and height.
“Hey, nice to meet you, Earthling. We welcome you.”
A massive piece of machinery, easily three meters tall. The voice came from it.
It moved smoothly toward them, raising one of its arms in greeting.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
The machinery introduced itself as Dilganer.
It was a machine intelligence with Federation citizenship. In other words, it was similar to Emotion. The idea of machine intelligence having citizenship felt oddly advanced.
Emotion might also be welcomed as a Federation citizen, just like Kaito.
“Now, here’s the modification catalog. This one’s for genetic manipulation, this is mechanization, and here’s the less popular hybrid type. And this… well, it’s here because the rules require it.”
Dilganer projected several catalogs into the air.
So, modifications seem to be a common practice for them. As Kaito was processing this, Ritmiele spoke up.
“Dilganer. Mr. Kaito comes from a planet with different norms than ours. Showing him the catalog first isn’t the best approach.”
“Oh, right. My bad. I’m a bit impulsive.”
An impulsive machine intelligence, huh.
And Mr. Ritmiele, if you’re capable of such consideration, maybe you could’ve explained the necessity of modifications first.
Kaito cautiously decided to ask Ritmiele.
“Um, why exactly do I need to be modified?”
“Huh?”
Ritmiele looked genuinely confused. Meanwhile, Dilganer let out a puff of steam from its exhaust port, sounding amused.
“Ritmiele, you didn’t explain it to him, did you?”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Our norms don’t apply to him, right? You need to explain why we modify bodies, or he’ll be anxious. In fact, my sensors are detecting tension in his muscles and nerves.”
Ritmiele turned to look at Kaito. Her fur turned a uniform pink.
“My apologies!”
Shame or panic? Ritmiele’s fur was more expressive than her tone or facial expressions.
Adding this likely useless insight to his mental notes, Kaito decided to wait for their explanation.
“I see. That makes sense.”
The explanations from Ritmiele and Dilganer were convincing.
And when you think about it, it’s obvious.
“I didn’t realize it earlier, but you’re right. I can’t survive without modifications.”
Species born on different planets naturally require different atmospheric compositions to survive. Some might not even need to breathe, but Kaito does, and right now, they’ve prepared an atmosphere suitable for Earthlings. Not just the air, but the temperature too. They can’t change the atmosphere in every habitable zone just for him. As a Federation citizen, Kaito must undergo the necessary physical modifications.
Moreover, Dilganer added,
“Thanks to advancements in transfer technology, long-distance travel now takes much less time. But before that, travel duration was a major issue. Some species would exhaust their entire lifespan during a single journey. Back then, we solved the problem by registering biological data and modifying bodies to extend lifespans.”
“I see.”
If everyone’s lifespan is extended, the duration of travel becomes less of an issue, no matter how long it takes.
But that’s a thing of the past. With the development of transfer technology, travel no longer takes much time, but the modifications to extend lifespans continue.
“There’s no reason to shorten lifespans, after all.”
True enough.
For now, Kaito decided to accept their goodwill and went through the catalogs. He was grateful they used Earth’s language for the text.
Some of the options were understandable, while others were completely beyond his comprehension.
“I recommend full mechanization. It significantly increases survival rates in extreme environments, offers access to a wide range of weaponry, and, most importantly, it looks cool!”
“Hmm…”
Dilganer’s pitch was undeniably appealing to Kaito’s inner child. But Ritmiele scoffed (if that’s the right term for it).
“Why is it that mechanical intelligence always pushes so hard for mechanization? Be careful, Mr. Kaito. Complete mechanization isn’t popular among the citizens of the Federation either. What’s popular are genetic modifications and the implantation of nanomachines. Both require less frequent maintenance, which is a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Why is it that beings born of flesh always settle for these half-hearted modifications? It’s truly not rational. Given the necessity of regular maintenance, it’s obvious that durability and versatility are more desirable.”
“Of course. It’s not just mechanization that leads to mental instability after modification, requiring personality maintenance at the central station. Since you can’t completely eliminate the risks, it’s your side that’s being irrational.”
“What are you talking about? With biological data fully stored at the central station, the risk is considered eliminated based on past precedents. If you want to talk about risks, nanomachines have rejection issues—”
As the two argued, Kaito carefully read through each catalog. He wanted to go through the precautions thoroughly.
Personally, he wasn’t keen on frequent maintenance. He knew it was selfish, but he didn’t want to rely on others too much. The time he’d spent so far had been incredibly free.
The small dream that Kaito had kindled in his own heart. Perhaps it was something he could pursue by living as a citizen of the Federation.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, one of the catalogs caught his eye. It was one that Dilganer had presented with a rather disinterested expression.
Kaito read through it carefully, nodding several times.
This modification plan was exactly to his liking.
“Excuse me, is there something wrong with this catalog?”
When he asked the two who had been arguing, they turned their gazes toward him (Dilganer turned his camera eye), and Ritmiele made an indescribable expression, while Dilganer made an exaggerated arm movement that was hard to miss.
Apparently, this catalog was clearly a miss for them.
“Out of goodwill… I think you should reconsider, Mister.”
“Yes, for once, I agree with Dilganer.”
So at least, they should explain the reason properly.
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