Chapter 9: Type 0 encounter

Minutes, hours, or seconds. I have lost my sense of time.

My vision gradually became clearer, and I could feel my body approaching something.

Something akin to a bridge connects the stars. The number of stars connected in three dimensions was quite large, and Kite didn't have time to count them.

After all, it looked like it was about to crash into one of them.

"Ohoooooo!?"

"Master Kite, please calm down! At this speed, we risk a deadly collision! We need to slow down somehow!"

"Even if you tell me to slow down, I won't do it!"

Since I didn't do it myself, there was no way I could slow down. No, I know I'm slowing down, so is it right to say that I feel like I'm not going to make it in time?

The force in my body suddenly disappeared.

What follows is a sensation of a tugging force. I mistakenly believed the star's gravity to be the cause, but it was too late, as the force pulled me straight to the ground.

"Dead!?"

During the collision, Kite envisions himself transforming into a crushed tomato rather than experiencing friction-induced burns.

But. The ground I touched didn't give me any shock; it just welcomed the kite and emotion, as if sucking me into it.

"!?!?"

Kite's eyes flashed so brightly that he couldn't get up for a moment. I think it's because he sees the rapid movement of the universe, but the fact that his eyes still don't get fatigued is probably the result of body editing.

When my vision returned to normal, I sat up and looked around. The horizon is a blue background. No building looks like a building. When I looked up at the sky, I saw a pale blue one. It looks more like an artificial membrane than a natural sky. Even celestial bodies such as the sun are invisible. It resembles a slender layer that radiates illumination. At first, I don't think I ever felt like I was going through this membrane.

Is this a true star? It was a civilization that created artificial celestial bodies for observation, and this could be a similar creation.

Get up, scared. My body couldn't float, and my legs were firmly on the ground.

Perhaps due to the bridge's location, other celestial bodies connected to it were not visible. With all his common sense shattered, Kite placed his hands on his hips.

"Master Kite. What the hell is this place?"

"Maybe it's one of their bases. I think this place is like an airport."

Look closely to see something moving up and down in the distance. There was no sign of them going down to the surrounding area. Was it because they saw a flock of kites rushing towards them, or was there any other reason?

Whatever the answer, what you do remains the same.

When I was checking to see if I could breathe and if my body was moving as I wanted it to, emotion called me from the side.

"Master Kite? What are your plans for what happens later?"

"I'll wait for you to come and pick me up. According to the arrangement, I don't think I'll leave you here. Moreover..."

"Also?"

"To be honest, I don't really feel the results of body modifications. I want to know my condition as soon as possible."

Kite wouldn't complain if he started walking around out of curiosity, but from what he saw, nothing seemed to interest him.

In fact, what Kite cares about right now is what's inside his body, not what's outside his body.

The agent's ability to take the two of them this far was probably Terapora Panesio's superpower.

I wonder if the modification or the representative's Todemo powers allow him to survive being blown into space for an unknown time. For Kite, who doesn't really feel that anything has changed, understanding the current state of his body is an extremely high priority.

Emotion heard those words and inquired while flashing a red light. Does such a function exist?

"Master Kite"

"What is it?"

"Are you feeling well?"

"No. Isn't the atmosphere here supposed to have the ingredients that allow humans to survive?"

"Yes. Although scientists have confirmed some unknown elements, the oxygen content on Earth is insufficient for human survival.

"That's good news."

After confirming Kite's condition has not changed, the red light goes off.

It seems that the modified body is working smoothly.

I found it difficult to trust the people of the Federation, including their representatives. However, the reason this situation affects me is primarily because I am beginning to reveal more about myself.

Kite's strange sense that he will die if he is not accepted here makes him no longer self-controlled and cautious.

As I was thinking about how to use my supernatural power next, emotion once again sounded the alarm.

"Master Kite. Someone is coming towards us from the front."

"I guess you're welcome. What are you going to look like this time?"

"So this is a classic film. Well, it's fine."

Now that I've seen Space Jellyfish, I can no longer say that I've seen too many classic films. Emotions are also becoming increasingly common.

The person who came to pick him up was an intelligence machine named Teek. The main body is a machine with wheels, but only a large wheel in the middle, which looks like a car that once existed on Earth but is not. It appears that the machine's intelligence is collaborating with someone, but this is not the primary component.

Teek is more polite and humorous than Dirganar. The location where the kites landed earlier appears to resemble an airport. Theoretically, it's possible to construct them in such a way that, even if they collided with the gravitational magnetic field, they wouldn't cause any damage. However, only 1,000 individuals have attempted this. Apparently, this is the fifth child in the cycle.

I was also curious about the four people in front of me, but Kite didn't really want to come in the first place.

"Zodgear's representative sent me here directly; I didn't intend to fall here."

"Ah, sorry for that. "People in Terapora Panesio tend to prioritize efficiency, so sometimes they don't consider the psychological impact that their actions have on others."

I couldn't help but feel that the meaning of the word "a little" between Kite and Teek was different.

As if recognizing the situation between the two, he inquired in a slightly trembling voice. It seems that the artistry is still subtle, even if it is not necessary.

"Mr. Kite. Maybe my translation software isn't working properly."

"No, no problem, Teek-san. So, where are we going now?"

"This is the first area where the Federal Council is located. Mr. Kite's visit was also an incident for us, so the members of the Federal Council wanted to meet us."

"An incident?"

"Yes. It would be helpful if you could ask the board about the content. I don't have the authority to interpret the content."

"Understand"

There is something that makes you feel insecure. Someone is keeping a watchful eye on Earth for unexplained situations. It's the same when I'm on Earth, but often, at times like this, bad news will come to me.

"Well, it's going to be... I guess so."

I wonder if it's heaven's luck.

When she arrived here, Kite suddenly wondered who to pray to and how to pray.

"We apologized earlier, Mr. Kite, from Zodgear."

"Ah, yes."

In a private room with almost zero gravity, Kite confronted Terapora Panesio. It is much larger than the "representative" individual in Zodokia. To put it another way, I believe the individual floating here represents the core of a race known as Terapora Panesio.

"We exchange information about all individuals in near real time. I hope you think those of us meeting you are just Federal Council members. I don't want him to look down on me."

People often argue that "legislators" do not represent the center. Maybe the hub is somewhere else, or maybe they are all the main bodies and terminals.

While holding on to the railing, I looked up at "Member of Parliament." Then, a series of screens appeared around it, one after another. There were screens where you could see the faces of other people and other screens where you couldn't see them, but from what Kite has seen so far, he thinks it might be a concern on the other side.

"Okay, from now on, Kite Hughes is a Third-Class Citizen. Start an interview. The statement affirms that only positive misconduct can revoke this right.

"No objections"

The words "no objection" rang out on the screen one after another. Despite my concerns, nobody raised any objections until the final individual spoke. This means that the request for an interview by the Federation's highest body, the Congress, has nothing to do with Kite's citizenship.

If that's true, I really don't know. I was not satisfied that I had abandoned my fellow human beings still living on the struggling Earth, and I had earned a one-way ticket to Jupiter's orbit to find a place to die that was also on the agenda.

When he tilted his head, the "Member" body swayed unsteadily.

"A third-class worker Kite. Your personal issues are not why we want to interview you."

"Isn't this my personal problem? "Does that imply that the problem is with Earth or with us, Earthlings?"

"There are no direct problems with Earthlings in general. And the data obtained during your biological transformation proves that the Federation's observations of you were accurate. That's about it for you.''

However, "the agenda" is even more unstable.

The faces of the members of Congress visible on the screen also looked unhappy, so I could tell that this was a topic they didn't really want to broach.

"Now, what I'm going to talk about is the history of the Federation and the sins and shame it brought."

"Guilt and shame?"

"That's it. And it is the Federation's responsibility to explain that to you."

"Member" began to speak slowly.