Chapter 13
The updated Emotion had become a blonde beauty tailored to Kait's preferences. He had no idea what was going on.
Apparently, he had been asleep for about a day and a half in Earth time. This was considered a dormancy period for his modified body to stabilize, and nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, the time between the modification and entering dormancy had been so intense that it felt like he still wasn't fully rested.
The problem was Emotion. She now looked like a female android, but the blonde beauty who had startled him awake wasn't just a disguise, apparently.
"There was some room in the budget, so her entire body is composed of ultra-fine bio-metal. We incorporated the genetic data of Earth women, which the Federation peacefully acquired during their Earth survey. So, with a change in properties, she can look like this."
Kait clutched his head as Emotion silently switched between her mechanical and human appearances. He knew about her sense of humor, but he never expected her to go this far with the update.
"Now then, my update is complete. Let's move on to the next phase."
"Next?"
Even though he had given up on expecting anything from Earthlings, that didn't mean he had lost interest in the opposite sex or that his preferences had changed. Kait's heart was pounding at the sight of Emotion, and he felt like he wouldn't be able to go against her for a while.
Especially when she took on the form of an Earth woman matching his tastes and pointed her finger at him—what was he supposed to do with that?
"The ship. I reviewed the catalog while you were asleep, Master Kait."
"Oh, you looked at it. Actually..."
"Given that Master Kait is inherently the type to prioritize his own tastes and preferences, I've concluded there's no way to correct that. Therefore, the catalog contents will suffice for the ship. However! Since I'll be aboard too, I won't allow a half-baked ship, so keep that in mind."
"......Okay."
Emotion completely shut down Kait's opinion.
Oh, so she plans to accompany me as the operator.
Not letting that slip from his lips might have been his best move of the day.
***
"Hey there, Citizen Third-Class (Enec Lagif)!"
Hamaat was stationed at the shipbuilding dock.
He raised his right arm, which was about Kait's height, in greeting.
"We came to discuss our ship."
"Ah, the base frame's already prepared."
"What!?"
Hamaat looked down at the surprised Kait with amusement and revealed the truth.
"I already got a response from the proxy, Miss Emotion. Since Mr. Terapolapaneshio and the others might show up, we always keep one in stock. Not many people are interested in buying this thing, so it's mostly just sitting around."
"Pardon me. I'm Emotion, supporting Master Kait. If it's just sitting in stock, does that mean the ship is an outdated model?"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Emotion. No, it's been upgraded accordingly. We'll handle the fine-tuning from here, but this ship is the latest model also used by Mr. Terapolapaneshio and the others. If used well, it can do anything. And I mean anything."
Steam hissed from the top of Hamaat's head. Probably a sigh.
Dilgana vented steam near the ears, Hamaat from the top of the head. It must be a personality trait among mechanical intelligences, but Kait still wasn't used to it.
But still, it was Emotion's reaction that stood out. Not exactly hostile, but the air felt tense.
"First, regarding the interior: I'll take charge of Master Kait's life support functions. Energy will also be shared from my body, so please prepare this as a function independent of the ship."
"Hmm?"
"Install a life support block that surrounds the space used to operate the ship. In the worst-case scenario, we should be able to abandon the ship and still travel to the Federation with just the life support block."
"Whoa, you're going that far? I don't mind, but the ship's going to be pretty bulky."
"That's fine. If it increases the chances of protecting Master Kait's life, then so be it."
"Emotion?"
Her demands were quite detailed and thorough. When Kait questioned her, Emotion turned only her head to face him. At least twist your upper body a bit. That's scary.
"Master Kait. I believe this is inevitable due to the general nature of the Federation."
"Huh?"
"Because having backups for life is a given, the concept of life support inside ships is generally lacking. Unless this function is in place, I cannot allow Master Kait to board this ship."
Kait found himself convinced by Emotion's words. Since they could revive themselves in new bodies even after death, life support functions on ships were minimal. Of course, the ships themselves were far superior to Earth's standards, so accidents were rare.
Kait himself couldn't say he had completely abandoned his Earth-era view of life. Even if there was another body with the same cells and memories, he couldn't be sure it was really him.
"If you're saying it's fine for Master Kait to die as long as the ship looks stylish, I'll withdraw the proposal."
"No, let's go with your plan. I haven't fully adopted the Federation's mindset yet. I might have a backup, but I'd still like to live a long life in this body."
"I'm relieved."
"......I see. So that's how a species that assumes life is limited thinks. Got it, I'll get started right away."
Hamaat didn't criticize their thinking as outdated—he simply accepted it and began working.
As Kait watched the ongoing work with interest, Emotion quietly approached him.
She whispered softly into his ear.
"By the way. That ship... since it's built to the same specifications as those used by Terapolapaneshio, if Master Kait's output drops due to something like dozing off, it won't be able to sustain life support."
"Seriously?"
That made sense. The Terapolapaneshio folks might be able to sleep in shifts since they were a collective entity.
Kait's modified body could apparently go without food, drink, or sleep for extended periods, but there were still limits.
"Thanks, Emotion. That chilled me to the bone."
"You're welcome."
Placing a hand on his chest, Kait let out a deep breath. In some ways, this moment might have been when he most keenly felt the difference between themselves and the Federation.
"Next is the ship's equipment. Master Kait's psychic abilities will be the basis for operating the ship, but what about armaments?"
"Armaments? Huh... armaments..."
He didn't want to think about it, but destroying asteroids or fighting off other civilizations or space pirates could be a possibility—if such enemies existed.
He gazed absentmindedly at the future ship, which was evolving from a flat fighter-like design into a chubby, rounded form. It reminded him of something. What was it?
Regardless, Kait felt a strong inspiration looking at the ship. He spoke with confidence.
"Hands. I want hands."
"......Hands!?"
This time, it was Emotion's turn to cry out in surprise.
***
As Kait and Emotion debated back and forth over the ship's design, Hamaat suddenly made a strange noise. It didn't seem directed at them, but the work had stopped at some point.
Before Kait could ask what happened, Hamaat turned his head unit toward them. Maybe it wasn't as scary as Emotion because his design was less humanlike.
"Citizen Third-Class. There's a message from Mr. Dilgana in Zodogia. He's asking if you could return for a bit."
"Huh. Mr. Dilgana?"
Kait couldn't think of any reason.
As he exchanged glances with Emotion, Hamaat spoke up, as if reminding them.
"You came to Zodogia on a ship, right? He wants to talk about what to do with that."
"Ah!"
It was the Goodbye Earth.
Scratching his head, realizing he'd completely forgotten, Kait glanced over to see Emotion touching her chin and tilting her head.
"I was curious about that too, but I believe the council had requested that we not leave the central star cluster for now."
"That's been confirmed. The representative from Zodogia already got permission from the council. Maybe there's something else he wants to discuss too."
"I see. What do you want to do, Master Kait?"
This wasn't the time to be spacing out. He had to answer.
He quickly nodded.
"If we have permission, of course I'll go. Emotion, then please schedule a meeting with whoever from Terapolapaneshio is available—"
"No, no, Citizen Third-Class."
Before Kait could finish instructing Emotion, Hamaat cut him off and pointed his arm at the half-assembled ship.
"The life support block requested by Miss Emotion has been installed and tested. Since it's ready, why not go in this ship?"