Chapter 15: If you want to name for this ship

Disassembling the ship didn't take much time. After retrieving his beloved terminal, countless arms attached themselves to the hull of the Goodbye Earth.

The Goodbye Earth, now disassembled into innumerable pieces, underwent processing into small steel plates.

"So, you want to attach these plates to the outer hull of the new ship? It’s possible, but it won't add much to the armor."

"That's fine. I'm not attaching them for defensive purposes."

Once the work began, new ideas started flowing—such is the nature of imagination.

Using his telekinesis, Kite manipulated the steel plates to form a hand-like shape. Perhaps limited by his imagination, the arms ended up oddly thin, while the hands turned out unusually large.

"The balance is a bit off. Well, the thickness of the arms doesn't really matter for practicality."

"You didn’t give up on that idea, did you?"

Emotion’s exasperation was nothing new, but Dirganar, watching Kite's efforts, expressed admiration.

"Oh, so you're going to reconfigure the steel plates attached to the hull into shapes? That's an intriguing concept."

"Right? You get it, Mr. Dirganar."

"It may seem pointless, but having shapes similar to your body allows for more precise operations."

"You’re not thinking of adding legs as well, are you, Master Kite?"

"A ship doesn't need legs. Where would it walk, anyway?"

"Why do I feel dissatisfied even though you're making a point that should be worth...?"

Kite remained focused on his task, furrowing his brows as he attempted to make the construct as human-like as possible, oblivious to Emotion's likely sarcastic comment.

He tested the hand he created. The fingers moved, and he was able to detach the clenched fist. It seemed surprisingly useful.

"Integrating it into the system could be intriguing. "It's been a while since I felt so inspired, Third-Citizen Class Enek Ragif."

"That's good to hear."

Releasing his telekinetic hold, the plates returned to their separated state and fell to the ground with a clatter. Dirganar's machinery then began to be attached to the new ship's hull.

Perhaps due to the prior telekinetic bonding, the plates adhered smoothly to the hull, showing an unexpected flexibility for steel. Upon attaching all the plates from Goodbye Earth, the new ship's size nearly doubled.

Occasionally, they'll take the shape of arms, while at other times, they'll blend in with the hull. Interesting. But this makes adding weaponry difficult."

"Weapons, huh... Well, I suppose I could hurl the detached plates at high speed at an enemy."

It sounded plausible enough, but in truth, Kite wasn’t particularly thrilled about heavily arming his ship.

Nevertheless, his instinct, which had guided him correctly so far, suggested this was the right approach.

As expected, Dirganar, after staring into the void for a moment, looked down at Kite intently.

"You certainly have come up with naughty ideas."

Once the exterior was somewhat refined, we attached the steel plates and completed the adjustments.

The ship, which had been rather rotund, regained a streamlined shape to some extent, with decorative elements added to the front.

Now completed, the ship would serve as Kite's faithful companion—as long as it remained unsunk.

"Now, you need to name the ship."

"The ship's name?"

"Yeah. We need to register it in the Federation's systems under your ownership. It’s important."

The biggest challenge. Emotion had always been highly critical of Kite’s naming sense. He had a vague idea based on the ship’s chubby shape and the countless plates attached to it, but would it gain Emotion's approval?

As Kite pondered, emotion gently spoke.

"Don’t worry about me."

"Emotion?"

"Even if the name is far from my taste, you are the owner, Master Kite. I might laugh at it sometimes, but please don’t mind that."

"That’s a lot of pressure, you know!"

Still, once he had an idea, he had to voice it. If someone rejected his idea, he could come up with another.

"How about Queen Bee?"

"Queen Bee...? Why that name?"

"Well, the ship, for one, looks like a beehive." The attached plates remind me of worker bees. And I feel very good."

"Interesting."

To his surprise, Emotion’s reaction wasn’t entirely negative.

He nodded repeatedly, softly repeating the name as if he were savoring it.

"Queen Bee, Queen Bee. It fits the visual image, and the association with worker bees is apt. Unexpectedly good. I like it."

"Really? That’s great. Thank you."

"With the Goodbye Earth and now the Queen Bee, Master Kite, your naming sense for ships is undeniably solid."

Kite felt satisfied as long as he wasn't receiving outright mockery, despite his emphasis on "undeniably" suggesting he still harbored a grudge about his own name. He quickly asked Dirganar to register the ship's name.

"Queen Bee is registered. Therefore, Kite, a Third-Citizen Class, has become an asset within the Federation. Take good care of it along with your emotions, my fellow Third-Citizen Class.

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Dirganar."

Emotion appeared to have received third-class citizenship at some point. Though it was lower than Kite’s, it was still a high rank. The council members must have gone to extreme lengths.

Finally, both of them had secured their positions within the Federation. Kite felt as though he had somehow repaid Emotion.

"Alright. Now, head to the representative's place."

"The other matters, right?"

"Yes. We’ve got a bit of a situation."

"The representative tried to sneak off to Earth."

"We've managed to stop it with all hands-on deck." Actually, it would be more effective if you received the information directly from the representative. "Just know it's something for which we need your judgment, Third Citizen Kite."

"My judgment? Understood. Thanks for everything, Mr. Dirganar."

Dirganar's hesitation suggested that it would be difficult to pursue the matter further here. With a nod, Kite noticed a passage opening in the wall. They were keeping a close eye on him, clearly anticipating his arrival.

After bowing to Dirganar, Kite urged Emotion to follow him down the passage.

As usual, Kite and Emotion walked through a slightly curved corridor. This time, the only difference was that emotion wasn't flying.

"Master Kite, what do you think the representative's business is?"

"Hmm, I have no idea. Given that they requested my judgment, it likely pertains to Earth.

"Could it be that they want you to help them sneak off?"

"That's possible. They might even ask to board the Queen Bee."

"I doubt the representative's body would fit inside the Queen Bee, given its size."

Engaging in light-hearted banter, they walked without tension. It seemed only a short while ago that they were concerned about oxygen and gravity. They had become quite accustomed to the Federation.

As they neared the end of the corridor, they could feel their bodies becoming lighter. Kite used his telekinesis to push down from above, preventing them from floating.

They stood before a wall, and the floor beneath them moved quietly. The wall slid open sideways, revealing the representative and Ritimiele inside.

"What do you mean I can't even prepare my ship!?"

"Absolutely not! The central star cluster's directive requires coordination of movements at the Zodokia level! "What's the point of the representative going ahead!"

They were in the midst of a heated argument.