Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison-Chapter 228

Chapter 228
Some time after the mother body was destroyed, the elimination of the larvae was also completed. Naturally, since they were quite resilient, the wreckage was thoroughly scanned for any signs of life.
The larvae had an egg-like shape at the time of launch. Perhaps it was to ensure safe landing even when entering a planet's atmosphere. If the outer shell could withstand atmospheric friction, then using heat-based weapons to defeat them might have been ineffective.
In fact, it seemed the Federation fleet used many physical projectile weapons. A large portion of the wreckage included such ammunition. The attack using Worker Bees, chosen for their suitability in area suppression, also turned out to be the right choice in a different sense.
'Well, I think the Psionic Launcher could've blown them away without issue though.'
"True. But it probably would've blown away everyone else's shots too."
'Indeed.'
Still, they were taking more time to investigate than expected. While watching from a short distance, part of the wreckage seemed to twitch. Just in case, a Worker Bee was dispatched, and it caught a larva with half its eggshell shattered. Its exposed innards were wriggling violently. Whether it was a good or bad hit, it seemed the kill hadn't been clean.
No wonder the entire fleet was checking. If left alone, one of these could've latched onto the ships sent to clean up the wreckage. Federation citizens didn't seem to be susceptible to parasitism, but there was still the risk of transporting them to another sector.
"Is it possible for a larva to become a new mobile mother body?"
'If it's literally a parent-child relationship, then it's certainly possible.'
The surviving larva that had been caught was crushed between another Worker Bee. Judging the job done, Kait turned his gaze back to the mountain of wreckage.
Looking closely, there were still things twitching here and there. They no longer had mobility, so all that remained was extermination.
As he continued the task of squashing the survivors, he muttered to himself.
"......Maybe I should replace the Worker Bees."
'I recommend that as well.'
Having exterminated so many larvae, the Worker Bees were in a horrible state, covered in bodily fluids and debris. Returning them to the Queen Bee meant attaching that mess to the ship.
Even if they were thoroughly cleaned, Kait felt uneasy about reattaching them.
***
After confirming over time that there were no survivors, the fleet, leaving a portion behind, traced back the sector the mobile mother body had passed through. Before departure, they also discreetly checked that no larvae were stuck to their hulls. The Queen Bee was fine, but three ships that had been involved in extermination toward the front had larvae attached. No room for carelessness.
The remaining fleet was tasked with sorting and collecting weapons and larval wreckage. Apparently, the larval remains had some use—possibly for specimens or research.
Leaving the wreckage and recovery fleet behind, Kait joined the group retracing the mobile mother body's path.
"Uh, there are a few Di-Kigaia Zarmos around the emergence point, right?"
'Yes. Since there were six mobile mother bodies, there are six ships. They may have come from locations other than the observation points.'
"Not that it matters, but how do they even track them?"
'It seems the Di-Kigaia Zarmos that destroyed the mother body begins the search based on the observed wavelength. Each individual has a slightly different wavelength.'
"......Space jellyfish really can do anything."
Kait knew he was fairly capable himself. But the space jellyfish were on another level in this regard. Their experience showed.
A few ships on the fleet's outer edge broke away from the group. They likely weren't retreating, so they must have moved for some reason.
Then, something flashed where they headed. After a while, they returned as if nothing had happened.
'Apparently, a small asteroid crossed through here just before or after the mobile mother body passed. They must have destroyed it thoroughly.'
The light they saw must've been from that merciless destruction. Come to think of it, they did say the larvae could burrow underground, so destruction was absolutely necessary.
"I see. If it managed to land, they'd have no choice but to go that far."
'If it reached planet size, destruction would be difficult. They'd have to spend time searching every inch.'
That would certainly make it an emergency.
Even after that, Kait saw ships separating and returning several times. Some even towed larval remains, showing just how troublesome Lufate Gainun was.
From the moment the Federation observed a mobile mother body, they began checking the trajectories of all small asteroids in the sector it was expected to pass through. It seemed like an enormous effort, but considering the damage that could result from missing one, it was likely the right call.
"Places without the Federation's level of organizational power must have a hard time dealing with this."
'Some even go crying to the Federation. Depending on the strength of their modifications, they might get parasitized.'
"It really is a disaster."
The Federation could probably ignore it, but then Lufate Gainun's next target might be them. Since the mobile mother bodies were considered a common enemy of intelligent life, the Federation wasn't stingy about offering help.
Come to think of it, six mobile mother bodies emerging was more than the average number so far. Still, it wasn't excessive. Since the comet mimicry started within the Federation's territory, figuring out where and how they moved was apparently quite important.
'That said, the trail always seems to go cold midway. The Federation is also considering the possibility that they've acquired abilities similar to teleportation, like those used by the Captain or Terapolapaneshio.'
Kait wasn't entirely convinced by the teleportation theory. If that method were available, they could've just teleported near a star system from the start. Federation researchers seemed to think the same—acknowledging the possibility but not confirming it.
Upon thinking that far, Kait reconsidered that teleportation might indeed be possible. After all, they were moving while occasionally shortcutting via Terapolapaneshio's teleportation.
Not much time had passed since Kait and the others were summoned and arrived on site. During that time, even Terapolapaneshio had to shortcut through several points to cover the distance.
While it may not have been long-distance teleportation, short-range teleportation seemed plausible. If they repeated that to infiltrate Federation territory, it would make sense.
"But if that's the case, I don't get why they glowed."
'Maybe because multiple units merged and they were sharing their destination?'
"That could be it, but... hmm."
It didn't quite click. More than that, Kait's intuition wasn't backing Emotion's theory. That said, intuition was just a baseless hunch, so Kait didn't outright dismiss Emotion's words.
'So, the Captain's intuition says otherwise?'
"......Pretty much."
'Then it must be. I'll await the moment your intuition shines, Captain.'
That kind of pressure wasn't appreciated.
It definitely felt like they lacked information. Kait decided to look forward to joining the pursuit of Terapolapaneshio in hopes of learning more.
"Oh, I can see them now. Six ships really do stand out."
In the distance, the six Di-Kigaia Zarmos waiting at the emergence point came into view.