Chapter 14
As far as imagination and willpower can reach, anything is possible.
The superpower granted to Kait is, in essence, just that.
"You can finish the rest of the adjustments and modifications with Mr. Dilgana in Zodogia. Well, until then, since there's no armament, combat is strictly prohibited."
Nodding at Hamaat's words, he turned his attention inward. He had received some explanation during the modifications, but this was the first time he would use his superpower by his own will.
All the classical literature he had appreciated until now. Drawing on those memories and knowledge, Kait began defining for himself how he would wield his superpower.
Sparks of violet electricity ran through his hair.
"Master Kait?"
"Alright."
He visualized it. Kait's feet gently lifted off the ground.
When he wished for it to open, a part of the hull opened as if to welcome him. Like in Zodogia, it seemed the ship's parts themselves moved to adjust the space.
By focusing his intent on entering the ship, his floating body moved forward without any effort. Hamaat let out a puff of steam in admiration.
"Whoa, not bad. Did you practice before coming?"
"Not at all. I just imagined it."
"That's amazing. Maybe Earthlings are a species naturally suited to superpowers."
"......Ah! Master Kait. Please wait a moment."
Emotion, who had been staring blankly at Kait boarding the ship, suddenly reactivated and scrambled to board as well. After confirming she had entered, he focused his mind on closing the open part.
The interior briefly turned pitch black, then was enveloped in a soft light.
Surrounded by equipment of unclear purpose, a single chair that looked quite comfortable sat in the center. Without much thought, he sat down and felt energy flow into each piece of equipment.
"Ooooh."
His whole body trembled with excitement. Like turning on a new electronic device for the first time, or reading a work that perfectly matched his taste.
The surrounding walls became transparent, revealing the outside. The only thing maintaining its form was the chair he sat in.
Looking around with interest, he noticed that Emotion, who should have boarded with him, was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Emotion?"
'......System integration complete. Did you call for me, Master Kait?'
From behind the chair, Emotion appeared in her familiar spherical form.
"Emotion, did you shrink?"
'Operating like this is easier. In human form, I tend to block the view no matter where I stand.'
"That's true."
Thanks to the Federation's mysterious technology, the micro-machines forming her humanoid body were hidden somewhere unobtrusive. It was quite a curious thing.
Just having Emotion floating beside him gave a strange sense of reassurance. While he didn't dislike her humanoid or android forms, the spherical one was overwhelmingly comforting.
'Master Kait. I have a question as well.'
"What is it?"
'Earlier, there was a discharge phenomenon from your hair. Is that a standard effect when using superpowers?'
"No, I just thought it looked cool."
'......I see.'
Kyurukyurukyuru.
Even though it wasn't necessary anymore, Emotion made a sound from her whole body.
***
Just by thinking "move like this," the ship rotated.
A communication came from Hamaat. While a route map for exiting the dock was being transferred to Emotion, Kait passed the time with small talk.
"Mr. Third-Class Enec Lagif. You're really something. Aside from the folks from Terapolapaneshio, I've never seen anyone handle it so well from the start."
"Well, it's easy since it moves just by thinking."
"I see. Let me pass on a tip from the folks at Terapolapaneshio for operating that ship. 'This ship is also an extension device to amplify your own power. As long as you use it like a part of your body, it will always respond to your intent.' Honestly, neither we machine intelligences nor other species really understand what they meant. But maybe you can."
"Like a part of my body, huh. I'll keep that in mind."
Somehow, it wasn't an entirely incomprehensible idea.
Taking the words literally, Kait imagined the ship as an extension of his own body. Just that made it feel like he could sense the airflow around the ship.
'Preparation complete, Master Kait. Displaying the guide—please follow it.'
"Got it, Emotion. Alright, let's go!"
The hatch opened, revealing the sky.
Proceed. Kait gave the ship that command.
***
Until they exited into space following the guide, no problems occurred. Just as Hamaat suggested, the ship responded smoothly to Kait's thoughts.
As he turned the ship's bow toward Zodokia, thinking to continue on, he suddenly realized something important.
"By the way, Emotion."
'Yes?'
"How far is it from here to Zodogia?"
'......Would it help if I said how many light years?'
"How many minutes did it take us to get here from Zodogia again?"
'Back then, all measurement systems were completely abnormal, so I'm not sure. It probably didn't take months, but maybe days.'
Should we return to the surface and ask Zodogia to send us?
That thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head. Kait should be able to use the same kind of power as Terapolapaneshio. That meant he should be able to use that logic-defying faster-than-light travel too.
Recalling the moment from before, he visualized the shape of Zodogia. It lies ahead—move toward it, as fast as possible.
"So basically, it's telling me to warp, right?"
'Perhaps it's a challenge from the folks at Terapolapaneshio.'
"Sounds like it. By the way, do normal ships have warp-like devices?"
'No, they don't seem to be developed. For urgent missions, it's common to hire at least one Terapolapaneshio individual to accompany the fleet.'
"Otherwise, they expect you to fly slowly based on the ship's specs. That's the kind of patience you get with an ageless species."
That meant traveling would have been a struggle in a normal ship. What started as a romantic notion had apparently led him to the right answer.
After several mental trial-and-error attempts, he felt something click. Not wanting to forget, he fixed his aim and began to exert his power.
'Exactly.'
Emotion's exasperated agreement faded into a scene they'd seen just a little while ago.
***
Though not something he could call familiar, seeing the shape of the solar system evoked a strange nostalgia.
Jupiter wasn't visible, but Zodogia, located near Jupiter's orbit, was drawing closer.
They must have detected Kait too—at a certain moment, a pulling force began to surround the ship.
"I guess we just follow the guidance now. Emotion, estimated time?"
"About two hours, I'd say. No wonder no one wants to analyze this."
Perhaps because she handed over the controls, Emotion, now back in human form, muttered.
Zodogia approached. A massive black celestial body blending into the darkness of space.
"Huh, looks like we're being guided to a different place than where we first arrived."
"Really?"
"Yes."
To Kait, it all looked the same.
In any case, just like with the Goodbye Earth, the ship was quietly drawn into the artificial celestial body.
***
Upon disembarking, he saw not only the Goodbye Earth, but several other ships as well.
"Hey, welcome back, Third-Class Citizen Kait."
"Mr. Dilgana. I've just returned."
The one who came to greet him was Dilgana. Ritimiele seemed to be with the representative. Kait was to head there after Dilgana's business was done.
"Is this a docking area?"
"Yeah. For Federation citizens. The previous place was a different sector. You know how things get complicated when meeting a totally different-looking species for the first time."
"You were considerate. Thank you."
Just as Emotion said, the location they were received at was different. He took it positively as a sign of trust and turned his attention to the main topic, the Goodbye Earth.
Compared to the surroundings, the untouched ship looked sadly shabby. Dilgana swayed his arm with a troubled expression.
"Actually, we were the ones who planned to bring up the ship matter first."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. The plan was to use this Goodbye Earth as material to manufacture a new one and provide it free of charge. That is, unless the folks from Terapolapaneshio messed things up."
Dilgana let out steam from around his ears with a hiss. Apparently, their antics often disrupted plans here too.
Incidentally, the reason Ritimiele was with the representative was to keep an eye on him—otherwise, he might sneak off to Earth. Considering their passion for Earth's jellyfish, it wasn't hard to believe.
The order to monitor the representative had come from other space jellyfish in the Federation. Despite being mentally linked, they apparently couldn't tolerate someone acting independently. Strange beings indeed.
"So, what now? I honestly didn't expect you to go and increase your assets over there that quickly. No matter how we modify it from here, it won't surpass Federation-made ships in performance, so it's probably best to just tune it up as-is here."
That part was best left to the professional, Dilgana. Kait had no objections either.
He felt sentimental about the Goodbye Earth, and the only other thing that came to mind was its cultural value.
"Well, it's not totally without archival value... But we've already scanned it, so reconstructing it, scratches and all, would be easy. To be honest, there's no real reason to keep it. Unless some enthusiast wants it for their collection, dismantling it won't be a problem."
"I see..."
Selling it wouldn't mean anything.
Even if they tried to remodel it into another ship, there was no use for it. Kait understood that dismantling it was the best option. He alternated his gaze between the ship that would become his new partner and the Goodbye Earth.
Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.
"Hey, Emotion."
"Yes?"
"Do you think we could take this apart and attach it to the new ship?"
"You're saying strange things again."
Was it strange? Maybe it was sentimental, but the Goodbye Earth had been Kait's home since his exile, the ship he used to leave his homeland, and potentially even his coffin or tombstone.
Rather than just dismantling and discarding it, he wanted to give it meaning.
Emotion didn't reject Kait's idea.
She didn't reject it at all.