Chapter 42
The Corporation's observation fleet was temporarily accepted by Radia.
They had the best vantage point to observe how the space eel's heatwave was emitted. Kait, who had returned to Radia ahead of time, went to see Gorou after the Corporation's ships had been secured.
"Rough day, Professor."
"Ah, Captain. ...I think it's best if you don't come here right now."
Gorou looked understandably exhausted.
The harsh stares around him were likely a factor, but Kait had more pressing concerns. Ignoring the hostility directed at him, he asked Gorou for his opinion.
"This isn't the time to be saying things like that. Do you think that was the same attack that previously wiped out the Corporation's fleet?"
"...Most likely. The front screen made of transparent material melted instantly from the heatwave, and the crew on the bridge died in a flash. It's no wonder no one could identify what that attack was."
The ship that exploded was abandoned, and Eanipol was consumed. Whether that was due to its size or some other factor remains unclear.
That, according to Gorou, was his honest assessment. The biologists glaring at them nearby seemed to share the same view and offered no counter-theories.
Then, one of them stepped up to Kait and asked,
"Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That the attack was coming! You left the branch managers to die!"
So that's what he meant.
Kait let out a small sigh and shook his head.
"Let's just call that a joke. It was merely a hypothesis based on past data. There was no certainty of an attack, and I only put up the barrier behind us just in case it affected Namibif 6. Besides, I only realized the possibility after you had already deployed your formation. I think there's a record of that—want me to submit it?"
"If you realized it, you could have contacted us. Then we could have called it off—"
"Do you really think your branch manager would have done that?"
There was no reply to Kait's rebuttal. Perhaps realizing it was a baseless accusation, the person averted their gaze and fell silent.
For now, they had learned that light stimulation heightened the creature's aggressiveness. The damage seemed too great for what was understood, but they had no choice but to accept it.
However, the Corporation seemed to have too much they couldn't accept. Another researcher spoke up.
"You could have deployed the barrier in front of our fleet!"
"And get eaten in the process? That's a bit unreasonable, don't you think?"
"But you can resurrect for free! We have to pay for it, and half of what we've earned is gone!"
"So? Do you think the space eel would've been satisfied eating me and spared your comrades? And what, you'd just send your condolences for my death? That's quite the low value you've put on me."
As he glared, the person showed a frightened expression. If you're going to be scared, you shouldn't have said anything.
Still, it was clear that no constructive conversation could happen in this state. Gorou had been right.
Scratching his head, Kait turned his face toward Gorou.
"Professor, you were right—it would've been better not to come now. If you have any footage of the space eel you captured, please hand it over to the Radia staff when things have calmed down."
"Y-yeah. Got it."
As he turned to leave, a voice filled with hatred called out from behind.
"This will become an issue between the Corporation and the Federation, Captain Kait. We'll be reporting this to headquarters!"
"Feel free, once this is all over."
Kait didn't look back.
If they wanted to pick a fight, he'd gladly accept. Including the resurrected branch managers, he'd grind them down thoroughly.
***
Now that the Corporation was no longer interfering, dealing with the space eel had certainly become easier.
There was a chance the Corporation might send another fleet, but they'd deal with that when it happened.
"Alright, now it's the Federation's turn."
"Do you have any ideas, Captain?"
"Not really, actually."
After all, the Corporation's fleet had been wiped out by the space eel before they could even think. The space eel was still feeding on Namibif 10. There were three planets left before Namibif 6, but due to orbital cycles, some were on the far side of the star Namibif, so realistically there were only two in between.
Depending on the planet, tidal forces might affect Namibif 6's ecosystem, so it was best to resolve this quickly.
"Now that we don't have those noisy folks nagging us, let's give it a try."
"Give it a try... how?"
"Oh, nothing major, Representative Stomato."
Exactly. With the Corporation's eyes off them, they could poke around a bit without getting scolded.
The mass difference between them was overwhelming. It was like a fight between an elephant and a mosquito. Emotion might say it's more like a dinosaur and a virus. Maybe now she'd compare it to a space jellyfish and a virus.
Still, bug bites itch.
"Let's see if a bee sting has any effect."
***
They approached Namibif 10 with the Queen Bee.
The shattered fragments of the planet, broken by vibrations, were each smaller than the Queen Bee. It had been pulverized with meticulous care.
'Captain. Why do you think Eanipol was attacked?'
"Who knows. Maybe it looked tasty?"
'Tasty?'
"Well, the space eel doesn't eat planets per se. They're made of metal and rock and stuff."
'Right.'
"Fleet ships are basically just lumps of metal and materials. If they're sparkling nearby, maybe it thought it was a tasty snack."
Emotion made a chirping sound in response to Kait's answer. It wasn't dissatisfaction, more like she was pondering the space eel's biology.
The next time the space eel would appear was likely when it spat out the rocks it had eaten. What even was that thing? If Gorou and the others had calmed down, they might've provided more data on that.
"Emotion, can you analyze the composition of the floating dust too?"
'Understood.'
"Also, compare it with the composition of Namibif 10."
'To see what it's been eating?'
"Just in case."
That said, it wasn't directly related to their current objective. After giving instructions, Kait looked at the surface of Namibif 10 as they approached. It was more riddled with holes than he expected.
Now, it was time to make a decision.
Should they wait for the space eel to emerge, or chase after it into Namibif 10?
Waiting would be safer, but if the space eel had already finished feeding on Namibif 10, it would emerge to move on to the next planet. That could be Namibif 9, 7, or even a leap straight to Namibif 6.
With that fear in mind, Kait had only one course of action.
"Well then, will it be a demon or a snake?"
'Isn't it a space eel?'
"Fair point."
Smiling wryly at Emotion's calm remark, Kait plunged the Queen Bee into the massive hole in Namibif 10.
***
Namibif 10's gravity didn't seem to have completely vanished. The air exhaled by the space eel had formed a temporary atmosphere, and a tremendous sound echoed as the planet was being carved away.
"This is awful. Emotion, soundproofing please."
'Understood.'
The sound vanished, leaving only the vibrations reverberating through the Queen Bee's hull. With the sound gone, the tremors felt even more pronounced.
"I see it."
The massive body of the space eel squirmed in the hollowed-out area.
It looked like a burrow. But once the heat source it was feeding on was gone, the space eel would surely turn the next feeding ground into a similar state.
It could do whatever it wanted, but preferably somewhere without organic life.
"Alright, Worker Bees. Time to work."
Several steel plates affixed to the Queen Bee's outer hull detached.
The steel plates—Worker Bees—manipulated by Kait's power, accelerated toward the space eel's skin along their respective trajectories.
They pierced in.
For a moment, the space eel stopped moving.
"Did it react?"
Kait watched with hope, but in the next instant, he realized it had failed.
The Worker Bees didn't even cause it to flinch—they simply sank into its skin.
At that point, they stopped responding to commands. It seemed the space eel could eat not only with its mouth but also through its skin.
Even launching the remaining Worker Bees all at once would have the same result. The mass difference between them was too great. They might as well have Radia fire a small asteroid.
"Ah, that could work."
Now that a new idea had come to him, there was no reason to stay.
"Retreat."
'...Understood.'
Likely dissatisfied with the outcome, Emotion let out a chirp that sounded annoyed.