Chapter 5
"If I wish it, does that mean I can obtain citizenship?"
"Yes. Mr. Kait fulfills the conditions to receive the Federation's Enec Lagif."
A word Kait couldn't understand came up. Ritimiele's pronunciation had changed, so it was likely a term that couldn't be translated.
Judging from the context, it seemed to be a type of citizenship.
"Enec Lagif?"
"Correct. It grants the eligibility to run in Federation congressional elections and the right to synchronize your biometric data with the central archive indefinitely and without restriction."
He didn't understand the part about synchronizing biometric data, but he did understand the eligibility to run in elections.
"That sounds like quite a high-level right."
"Yes. Among the fourteen levels of rights, it is the third highest. Since we began our observation until now, there has not been a political entity on Earth, Mr. Kait's home planet, with enough political intelligence to qualify for Federation membership. In this case, Mr. Kait, who made the first active contact with the Federation, will be treated as Earth's representative."
"Well, that's something."
He became slightly curious about the current state of Earth. Kait hadn't expected Ritimiele to issue a rejection of Earth's nations.
That said, since the result had been the collapse of Earth's civilization or environment, perhaps the criticism was justified.
Kait himself had essentially abandoned Earth. Being treated as its representative after being picked up by an alien civilization was rather ironic.
"Mr. Kait, your thought patterns are currently being observed in real time. Your intelligence and rationality fully meet the conditions to be welcomed as a Federation citizen."
"Just so you know, I was imprisoned on Earth as a thought criminal."
"Is that so? If you don't mind, could you tell us the details?"
"Emotion. Are my court records preserved?"
"They are preserved. Will you be submitting them to Ms. Ritimiele?"
"That's the plan, yes?"
"There is a risk that it may result in a restriction of Master Kait's rights. I cannot support it."
Rarely, Emotion clearly expressed opposition. Her analysis was that it would be detrimental to her master, but Kait didn't see it that way.
"More than anything, what's needed right now is sincerity, Emotion. I consider the risks of withholding information to be more important than the disadvantages of submitting it."
"......Understood."
With a whirring sound—perhaps a silent protest—Emotion turned to Ritimiele and asked a question.
"I will submit the data. Where and how should I transfer it?"
***
"What is this! Isn't this a false accusation?"
As she expressed her anger, Ritimiele's fur stood on end. Kait learned this reaction, though it likely wouldn't be useful in his future life.
The data was submitted in the form of a video projection. Apparently, some of Earth's technology had already been absorbed, as the court records were shared with them in a short time.
"Well, that's why I was exiled beyond the atmosphere. If not for that, I wouldn't have met all of you, so in a way, I suppose I was lucky."
"Gamahadeg! You should not call being forced to live in solitude a blessing."
"No, it was more comfortable than living on the surface. After all, I wasn't being used by anyone in any sense."
"I will consider it confirmed that Mr. Kait has no personality issues. ......Let's return to the topic."
Ritimiele's fur returned to normal. She seemed to have regained some composure.
Citizenship. What they offered was a higher level of citizenship than he had expected. Greater rights came with greater responsibilities. Kait felt slightly weighed down.
"Let me confirm. Do you wish to obtain Federation citizenship?"
"Before that, please tell me the rights and obligations of a Federation citizen."
"Ah, that's right. It seems I'm still not fully calm."
Ritimiele fiddled with the fur at her fingertips. From her behavior so far, it was clear she had emotions too, which was oddly reassuring. No matter how advanced a civilization, having someone with a similar heart was comforting.
Rights and obligations were displayed as a projection in the air. It was in Earth's language.
"There are fewer rights and obligations than I expected. No need to work?"
"Yes. As I mentioned earlier, we have already completely resolved issues related to resources and the environment. Labor and asset accumulation are mostly done to obtain higher-level citizenship or for access to restricted entertainment."
Restricted entertainment included things like living on a planet. Since they had artificial celestial bodies in space, such things apparently counted as entertainment.
The basic principles of Federation citizens' obligations were 'understanding and respecting individual preferences and the culture and ethnicity of species' and 'not unduly infringing on others' rights.'
If something was recognized as culture or ethnicity, even acts of violence against others could be tolerated.
"However, in the case of cultures that might infringe on others' rights, special zones are prepared to respect those cultures. As for violence, its use as a defensive action is permitted even outside those zones."
"For example, if a family member is unjustly killed outside a special zone, wouldn't someone want to take revenge?"
"Our biometric data is stored in the central management room. That includes memories. In cases of unjust violence or accidental death, the data is transferred from the central management room and we are revived. In our society, the concept of revenge is unlikely to arise."
Even Kait was surprised by this.
Their lives had backups. Ritimiele seemed pleased by Kait's surprise. Perhaps he was accepting the situation a bit too smoothly.
"Biometric data synchronization is performed regularly. The interval depends on the level of citizenship, but for us, even death can be considered a right exercised by choice."
"Oh wow."
From what he heard, lower-ranked citizens seemed to have fewer opportunities to sync their biometric data.
From Kait's understanding, the lower the rank, the more likely memory loss would occur upon revival. Higher-ranked citizens likely had more opportunities to sync because they were more likely to hold important information.
"To supplement the earlier question, if someone unjustly uses violence outside a special zone, they will be registered as a criminal. Criminals may be disconnected from the central management room, and penalties such as deletion of registered biometric data may be applied."
That was a terrifying punishment for a Federation citizen.
For Kait, death meant the end, but in a society where life backups were the norm, being unable to be revived would be the greatest fear.
While there were few obligations, there were also very few rights. To summarize, 'as long as you do not unjustly infringe upon the rights of other Federation citizens, you have the right to do anything.'
It seemed that as civilization progressed, both rights and obligations became quite simple.
"So, even if I become a Federation citizen, what I do is mostly up to my own free will?"
"Exactly. If Mr. Kait has any unusual preferences, you would be asked to exercise them within a special zone."
"I don't think I have any of those, but since your common sense and ours may differ, I can't say that for sure."
At Kait's words, Ritimiele's fur lightly trembled. Amused, perhaps?
There didn't seem to be any reason to refuse citizenship. He wasn't childish enough to insist on checking what would happen if he did.
"Then, once again. Mr. Kait, do you wish to obtain Federation citizenship?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
"Thank you. The Federation welcomes you."
The confirmation ended very peacefully. It was just a personal feeling, but he had a good sense that they would get along well from here on.
Ritimiele, looking relieved, said cheerfully while lightly trembling her fur.
"Now then, let's begin by modifying your body."
"Huh?"