Chapter 14: A mysterious and nostalgic solar system

Anything is possible, as far as the imagination and the power of will go.

The superpower granted to Kite was, essentially, like that.

"We can make the remaining adjustments and modifications with Mr. Dirganar at Zodokia. However, for the time being, refrain from engaging in combat as the ship is not yet armed.

Nodding at Hamatu’s words, Kite turned his attention inward. When he was modified, he was given explanations, but this was his first time using his superpowers.

Recalling the various pieces of classical literature, he had studied, Kite marshaled his memories and knowledge to define for himself how he would use his superpowers.

Purple lightning crackled through his hair.

"Master Kite?"

"Alright."

He visualized it. Kite's feet were gently lifted off the ground.

When he wished for it to open, a part of the ship’s hull opened as if to welcome him. Similar to Zodokia, it seemed that the ship’s components themselves could move and adjust the space.

Kite's floating body advanced without effort as he focused on entering the ship. Hamatu released a puff of steam, seemingly impressed.

"Hey, you’re pretty good. Did you practice before coming here?"

"No way. I just imagined it."

"That's amazing. Maybe Earthlings have a natural aptitude for superpowers."

"...Master Kite. Please wait a moment."

Emotion, who had been staring at Kite in amazement as he boarded the ship, rebooted and hastily followed. After ensuring Emotion had boarded, Kite mentally commanded the open part to close.

A soft light soon enveloped the ship's interior, which had been momentarily pitch black.

A comfortable-looking chair stood in the center, surrounded by equipment of uncertain purpose. Sitting down without much thought, Kite felt the energy flowing into each piece of equipment.

"Whoa."

His whole body shivered with excitement. It was like turning on a new appliance for the first time or reading a book that perfectly matched his tastes.

The surrounding walls became transparent, allowing Kite to see outside. The only solid thing in the space was the chair he was sitting on.

As he looked around with interest, he realized that Emotion, who should have boarded with him, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh, Emotion?"

"System control is complete. Did you call Master Kite?"

From behind the chair, the familiar spherical form of emotion appeared.

"Emotion, did you shrink?"

"It’s easier to operate like this. In human form, I obstruct the view no matter where I stand."

"That’s true."

The minute machines that formed Emotion’s humanoid body, thanks to the Federation's mysterious technology, were hidden away when not needed. It was quite a wonder.

With emotion floating beside him, Kite felt an odd sense of reassurance. Though he didn’t dislike Emotion’s humanoid form, the sphere provided unparalleled comfort.

"Master Kite, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Earlier, you had an electrical discharge from your hair." Is that a standard part of using your superpowers?"

"No, I just thought it would look cool."

"I see..."

A whirring sound emanated from Emotion's body, despite the fact that it was no longer necessary.

Just thinking about moving, the ship rotated.

Hamatu’s transmission came through. As Emotion received the route map for the dock's exit, Kite, feeling idle, engaged in some small talk.

"Mr. Enek Ragif is a Third-Class Citizen. You’re truly remarkable. Besides the Terapora Panesio, I've never seen anyone handle it so skillfully from the start."

"No, it's easy because it moves in response to my thoughts."

"I see. I'll share a tip from Terapora Panesio on how to operate the ship. They said, 'This ship is an extension that amplifies your power. As long as you use it as part of your own body, it will always respond to your wishes.' In all honesty, neither we, as mechanical intelligence, nor any other species, fully comprehend their meaning. But maybe you could."

"Use it as part of my body, huh? I’ll keep that in mind."

He had a vague understanding of it.

Since Kite saw the ship as an extension of his body, he could feel the air currents around it.

"Ready, Master Kite. "The guide is now displayed."

"I got it, Emotion. Let’s go!"

The hatch opened, revealing the sky.

Move forward. Kite commanded the ship.

Following the instructions to exit into space went smoothly. Following Hamatu's suggestion, the ship quickly responded to Kite's thoughts.

As he pointed the ship towards Zodokia, he realized something important.

"By the way, emotion."

"What is it?"

"From here, how far is it to Zodokia?"

"Would explaining in light-years help you imagine it?"

"How long did it take us to get from Zodokia to here?"

"That time had completely abnormal readings, so it's unclear. I don’t think it took months, but certainly not more than a few days."

Maybe he should go back and ask for a ride to Zodokia.

But no. Kite shook his head. He could use the same kind of power that the Terapora Panesio used, which meant he should be able to perform faster-than-light travel.

Recalling the scene from before, Kite visualized Zodokia. It's there. Just ahead, he commanded the ship to move as fast as possible.

"So, I just need to warp, right?"

"A challenge from Terapora Panesio, perhaps?"

"Sounds like it. Do normal ships have warp capabilities?"

"No, it seems not. For urgent missions, they usually hire at least one Terapora Panesio member to accompany them."

"Otherwise, they travel at their ship's pace. That's a long-term perspective unique to species without lifespans."

It meant that with a regular ship, the journey would have been difficult. By chance, Kite had chosen correctly.

After a few mental trial-and-error attempts, Kite felt he had it. Not wanting to forget, he focused his aim and exerted his power.

"Exactly."

As the familiar scenery shifted, Emotion's voice, tinged with amazement, faded.

Though he wasn’t thoroughly familiar with it, seeing the shape of the solar system evoked a sense of nostalgia.

Though he couldn’t see Jupiter, Zodokia, near Jupiter’s orbit, was approaching.

They must have detected Kite, as a pulling force surrounded the ship.

"We’ll follow their guidance. Emotion, how long will it take?"

"About two hours, I’d say. Understandably unquantifiable."

Perhaps because he had relinquished control, Emotion reverted to her humanoid form and complained.

Zodokia approached a massive black celestial body, blending into the void.

"It seems they’re guiding us to a different place than where we entered last time."

"Really?"

"Yes."

To Kite, it all looked the same.

Nevertheless, just like with Goodbye Earth, the ship quietly entered the artificial celestial body.

As Kite disembarked from the ship, he saw not only the Goodbye Earth but several other ships as well.

"Hey, welcome back, Kite Citizen."

"Mr. Dirganar. I'm back."

Dirganar was there to greet him. Ritimiele was apparently with the representative. The representative instructed Kite to head there once Dirganar's business concluded.

"Is this a docking area?"

"Yes, it is. For Federation citizens. Your previous location was in a separate section. You see, it can be quite challenging to first encounter species that look entirely different."

"Thank you for your consideration."

They were now in a different area, as Emotion had said. Taking it as a sign of trust, Kite looked at Goodbye Earth, which was the main topic at hand.

The unmodified ship looked rather shabby compared to the others around it. Dirganar, swinging his arm thoughtfully, said,

"We originally planned to bring up the ship's matter ourselves."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. The idea was to use this Goodbye Earth material to manufacture and provide a new ship for free. However, the Terapora Panesio people had to make the situation more complicated.

Dirganar let out steam from around his ears. It seemed their antics often disrupted plans here as well.

Incidentally, Ritimiele accompanied the representative to prevent them from traveling to Earth alone. Considering their passion for Earth jellyfish, it was a plausible scenario.

Moreover, the order to monitor the representative came from other space jellyfish in the Federation. Despite their strong mental connection, they were unable to tolerate any breaches. It's quite perplexing.

"So, what will you do? I didn’t expect you to accumulate assets so quickly over there. No matter how we modify it, it won't surpass the performance of a Federation-made ship. It would be best to make the adjustments here as is."

Kite left the decision up to Dirganar, the professional. He had no objections.

There was some sentimental value and perhaps cultural aspects to the Goodbye Earth ceremony, but...

"Well, it does have some archival value, but we've scanned it, so reconstructing it, including the scratches, would be easy. Honestly, there's no point in keeping it. Unless you want to keep it as a collector's item, dismantling it is no problem."

"I see..."

Selling it wouldn’t be meaningful.

Nor would it serve any purpose to retrofit it into another ship. Kite understood that dismantling was the best option. He alternated his gaze between his future ship and the Goodbye Earth.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Hey, Emotion."

"What is it?"

"Can we disassemble this and attach it to the new ship?"

"That's quite an odd suggestion."

Odd, perhaps. But there was sentimental value; the Goodbye Earth was Kite’s home since his exile, the ship he used to leave his homeland, and potentially could have been his tombstone or coffin.

Instead of just dismantling and discarding it, he wanted to give it meaningful form.

Emotion didn't dismiss Kite's idea.

He didn’t dismiss it at all.