Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 102

Hmm, as expected, it looks nothing like Earth's tuna.

Of course it didn't, but Kait felt a mix of emotions as he looked at the space tuna that had approached quite closely. He was glad it didn't resemble them, yet the preconceived image stuck in his mind gave him a sense of discomfort. It was frustrating, to say the least.

The space tuna had a streamlined body marked with geometric yellow patterns. Each individual had a different pattern. Perhaps they were like fingerprints.

"So these things are flying all over the universe by the billions, huh..."

'And for billions of years, I might add.'

Nodding at Emotion's comment, Kait then quietly voiced the question that had just arisen in his mind.

"Right. If we assume they're living beings, then they must be going through generational turnover, right?"

'That would be the case. If they're silicon-based lifeforms of the same type as Tuna, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif), then the generational span would be equally long. What's bothering you?'

"Well, I'm wondering what their energy source is."

'I see. Oral intake would be difficult, especially at this speed.'

"Exactly. They don't even seem to have mouths."

Their acceleration method, generational turnover, diet— the more he observed, the more questions arose.

He wanted to believe they weren't some outrageous lifeforms, but lately, Kait had only encountered beings that seemed like the pinnacle of the absurd. He could no longer trust his own standards.

"If they're actually ships, then how have the organisms inside survived for billions of years...?"

'If they're purely planet-originating organisms, living for billions of years would be illogical. Unless they're like the space eels, such a biology couldn't naturally evolve.'

"On the other hand, if they are such creatures, then they wouldn't build ships, right? Sorry for the old-school sci-fi reference, but like cryogenic sleep."

'That would be unlikely.'

"Why do you think so?"

'Being in that state for billions of years—there's no way the internal systems wouldn't degrade.'

"Ah."

The Federation had acquired technology to interfere with time, but had abandoned its research and use. The concept of preserving existence by completely stopping internal time was scrapped at the initial research phase. The Federation had solved its lifespan problem purely by extending life through brute force. Even Kait, whose body was primarily modified using psychic power, still had micro-machines inside him. Though the lifespan was extremely long, maintenance was still necessary.

In any case, the space tuna had been flying through space since before the Federation existed, and had no contact with others. It wasn't unthinkable that beings with more advanced science than the Federation existed before its formation. However, Kait somehow felt that wasn't the case here.

"Maybe the organisms inside already went extinct, and now only the ship continues to fulfill its original function."

'That's rather devoid of dreams or romance.'

"Unfortunately, when you narrow down the possibilities, those are the kinds of answers that remain."

And more often than not, dreams and romance strangely transcend the realm of realistic possibilities.

Kait himself was a manifestation of that. That's why he hadn't considered the possibility that the inside of the space tuna was extinct. In some form, the life inside the space tuna must have been passed down, still connecting to the future.

That's precisely why the investigation held meaning. To engage with them in the future, and to reduce the number of beings who might be unintentionally caught in destruction caused by the meteor swarm.

"Alright, this operation will require delicacy."

'Yes. Please be careful.'

"Since I can't deploy the barrier, it looks like I won't be able to go outside this time."

'Not just this time—please don't go outside at all.'

"Haha, that's impossible."

Cutting off Emotion's nagging in one line, Kait generated two arms from Queen Bee's torso.

"Alright, I'll call this the Space Tuna One-Shot Capture Challenge! Let's begin!"

'I feel not even a shred of delicacy in that naming.'

Emotion grumbled, but her choice of words for the retort was off to begin with.

The correct line should've been, "What happened to the one-shot part?"

***

Even if they were going to capture one, first they needed to check its durability and whether it would resist the capture action. If the surrounding space tuna attacked them, it would be extremely dangerous. Since Queen Bee couldn't deploy a barrier while capturing (it wasn't even designed to capture moving objects), this was undoubtedly the most dangerous mission yet.

The best course would probably be to deploy the barrier and decelerate the moment the capture was complete, then withdraw.

"Emotion. Have you managed to detect any biological signals yet?"

'...Captain, about that.'

Emotion responded to Kait's question with a somewhat troubled expression. Before he could ask what had happened, she displayed the situation visually.

"Emotion, what is this?"

'There's no doubt.'

It seemed there were biological reactions inside the space tuna. However, the signal shown on Kait's display was surprisingly small. It was clear now that it was more accurate to think of the outer shell as a ship rather than a body.

"So it's not that the internal data is being hidden?"

'With a ship of this size? If it were, that would be unnatural.'

"That may be true, but..."

'Also, take a look at this. We barely managed to detect it from this distance.'

She indicated a large space tuna standing out in the center of the school.

There, too, small as they were, multiple biological signals were confirmed. Even though each of the surrounding space tuna only showed one signal.

"So the large space tuna has multiple organisms aboard?"

'Yes. There are beings inside, perhaps like Adie Ze, Fifth-Rank Citizen (Alto Romia), or even smaller organisms. No doubt about it.'

"Understood. What about their durability?"

'If it's just a capture, it shouldn't suffer any damage. I'm counting on your skill, Captain.'

The target remained the nearby space tuna. The large one was concerning, but he decided to put that aside for now. If they couldn't learn enough from the small one's capture, they'd have to go for another attempt.

Kait aligned Queen Bee beside the targeted space tuna and matched its speed. Strangely, even though a foreign object had approached so closely, the space tuna showed no reaction. It didn't try to flee or attack. It just kept chasing the one ahead.

"Phew... Alright."

After taking a deep breath, Kait gave instructions to Queen Bee.

Maybe it was because this time, the operation didn't involve going outside the ship. An unusual tension weighed on Kait's mind.

Thud. He felt the weight. Queen Bee's arms wrapped around the space tuna and held it tightly.

"Decelerate! Deploy the barrier!"

In the view ahead, the school of space tuna rapidly shrank into the distance. Although deceleration was slow due to the propulsion of the captured space tuna, the speed at which the school receded was overwhelming.

The space tuna held by Queen Bee showed no sign of resistance. Kait had at least expected it to struggle to break free, but there was none of that.

"Emotion, what's the space tuna's response?"

'Its propulsion system has reduced output. There's no sign of it secreting anything like dissolving fluid either. It's completely defenseless.'

"Hmm..."

He didn't know why the propulsion system had lowered its output. He felt a bit anxious, wondering if it was planning to self-destruct, but if that were the case, Emotion would have warned him. She wouldn't say it was completely defenseless.

In any case, the job was done. Looking back, the Eanipol that had been flying behind them now looked as small as a grain of rice. He hadn't noticed, but they had gone quite far ahead.

"Well, looks like we've wrapped up the first job. Next up is the Corporation's research team."

'Indeed. Good work.'

Working without a barrier must have been nerve-wracking for Emotion as well. Responding with a smile to her rare, non-sarcastic praise, Kait leaned back into his seat.