NOVEL NEXT Ch. 160
Chapter 160
The distress call from Divin seemed to have been broadcast evenly throughout the surrounding space region.
Naturally, since they had been expelled from the Federation, they didn't direct the request to the Federation. They were simply sending out a blanket distress call to unknown parties navigating nearby.
The success or failure of such a call would, of course, be heavily influenced by the affiliations or power dynamics of the receiving organization—or individual. If the recipient was a Federation citizen, they would often receive help from fellow Federation citizens, friendly organizations like the Corporation, or groups looking to curry favor with the Federation.
As for Divin, until recently, they had wielded some influence outside the Federation's sphere. That changed drastically when the Federation officially declared them an enemy by name.
Not only did the Corporation, which prioritized friendship with the Federation, abandon them, but other organizations fearful of the Federation also quickly distanced themselves from Divin. At present, Divin as a group is becoming increasingly isolated within the galaxy. While some anti-Federation groups do support them, Divin's aim to return to the Federation makes such alliances difficult to publicize.
"So, what ended up happening?"
"It seems the rescue itself failed. By the time they arrived, the fleet had been annihilated—apparently the scene was just as horrific as what you saw."
As soon as the report came in, Asheido and Terapolapaneshio left the office to attend the Congress. Kait, not wanting to be suspected again, went out of his way to book a room in a nearby hotel.
After the Congress ended, Asheido made the effort to visit the hotel to explain the situation and inform Kait that he was no longer under suspicion.
"You're staying at the hotel, and Queen Bee is here too. There's no sign of any external contact. Your name has been cleared, and the Federation's plan to withdraw from Divin has been shelved. I'd say things have settled down for now."
"That's good to hear. So, what's the Federation's plan moving forward?"
"There's no objection to Divin being retaliated against, but the Federation wants to drag their representatives into court. So if some unknown party's goal is to wipe out Divin, we'll probably try negotiating first."
"I see?"
Apparently, the attackers have only targeted Divin. Rumors are spreading from informants who have cut ties with Divin.
According to the information, Divin has only recently begun suffering attacks from an unidentified entity. At first, Divin's ships attempted to fight back, and minor skirmishes continued for a while.
"This is based on reports from people who happened to witness the attacks on Divin—it seems they weren't ships. They saw something like a massive beast, resembling species like you and me with advanced frontal limb functions, tearing apart Divin's ships."
"A giant beast that looks like us...? You mean a machine shaped like that?"
"From the footage, that's how it appeared. I'll send the video to Emotion, Fifth-Ranked Citizen (Darda Elra), later."
"Thanks."
A humanoid beast. Could it be one of those humanoid combat machines often seen in old sci-fi movies? I kind of want to see it.
When Kait was preparing his own ship, the thought naturally crossed his mind. But when he imagined it, he didn't find it all that appealing, so he never pursued it.
It's only natural—after all, fighting isn't his life's purpose or theme—but the romance of operating a humanoid combat machine never resonated with Kait.
That said, while Kait had no interest in piloting one himself, he was curious to see someone else operate one.
"Hmm... If it looks like a hassle, should I help too?"
"Are you sure? I think some people will start yelling about tampering with evidence."
"Well, let them say what they want, right?"
Personally, Kait held no animosity or resentment toward such people. In fact, he even considered them great allies for trying to keep him out of the Federation Congress.
He had already made it clear multiple times that he had no interest in the Federation Congress. But the people in question just wouldn't believe him. It was frustrating.
Those very people probably had no idea that Kait saw them as allies. Even if he told them, they probably wouldn't believe him—especially not as long as the Space jellyfish remained overly interested in Kait.
"Oh, right. About the fleet that was annihilated this time—it seems there was a mix of ships: some had their power cores stolen, and others were completely destroyed."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Do you have any idea why, Emotion?"
"Yes. The fact that they stopped stealing power cores means..."
Emotion seemed a little disheartened.
When he tilted his head in confusion, she explained her thoughts.
"I think they no longer need power cores. Specifically, it likely means their modifications or upgrades are complete. We should assume they've finished acquiring the energy they were lacking."
"That just means more trouble for us, huh?"
This was only Emotion's prediction, and Kait didn't know the actual circumstances. But somehow, he had a prophetic sense that Emotion's guess wasn't wrong this time.
***
Now then. After teleporting to a space region near the site, Kait prepared for the next jump and waited in standby mode.
Apparently, sinking Divin's fleet could be done in a very short time. Considering the risks, Kait judged that teleporting closer was likely the best option.
As a result, the two inside Queen Bee ended up waiting in empty space for a response from Divin.
'Captain. It's quiet, huh.'
"Yeah. And boring, too."
If no distress call came from Divin, they would just have to wait indefinitely. He wanted to avoid that kind of boredom if possible.
Even a beautiful view of the galaxy gets dull once you're used to it. Hopefully, a response would come soon.
Still, there were no signs of ships nearby.
Apparently, there's a persistent rumor that the humanoid machines attacking Divin are a new Federation model. In reality, they're completely unrelated, but to outsiders unaware of the truth, the Federation's presence only fuels the rumor. Even now, many fleets and organizations have reportedly chosen to withdraw from the region where Divin is located.
"Well, no point in just waiting. Emotion, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me if anything happens."
'Understood. ...Ah!'
Her odd reaction made him wonder if something had gone wrong. As he waited, Emotion timidly asked him a question.
'It's a distress call... from Divin.'
"Alright, let's go."
He was only thinking of taking a nap because he was bored. Just because things didn't go his way didn't mean she had to sound so worried.
He teleported Queen Bee toward the center of the signal. The moment the view sharpened, what came into sight was—
"Oh, it really is a giant robot."
Compared to Earthlings' proportions, the humanoid machine had slightly longer arms. Its sharp claws were stabbing into Divin's ship and tearing it apart with brute force.
What surprised Kait wasn't just the machine's appearance. It was the marking on its right shoulder—something like letters or symbols.
"...Kanji?"
The words slipped out of his mouth.
It looked too much like Kanji—despite being slightly stylized—to dismiss it as just a random pattern.