The Opening Broadcast
"TF-54! What is this? The Dark Forest theory? Quantum mechanics? Why did you bring me this? What am I supposed to do with it?"
> This is the intellectual level of the target planet's sapient species. I compiled it for reporting purposes.
"Hmm... Did I mess up the initial settings?" The man scoffed, tapping the holographic window.
"Pfft, hahaha! Well, it's kind of cute... though it's utterly meaningless in the face of an overwhelming disparity..."
Clack-clack-clack-clack—
"Ah, the training data from the previous versions is still uploading. That explains this useless analysis... Well, no matter."
Resting his chin on his hand, the man looked down with interest at the blue star floating in the void.
"In the face of an overwhelming disparity, there's no such thing as 'who discovered whom first.' Retaliation requires power, and resistance must have meaning to be worth anything. Otherwise, you just get crushed. ...Still, they seem to be a species that struggles and agonizes quite fiercely in their own little way, so I suppose they're not too bad."
Beep— Beep— Beep—
"Oh, it's time. TF-54, turn on the transmitter!"
...As countless windows began to materialize in the air, the man, who had been muttering listlessly just a moment ago, completely changed his expression.
His lips stretched into a wide, ear-to-ear grin as he began his broadcast in a bright, cheerful voice.
"Everyone!!! I've finally found a decent place. Hehehe."
"Ah! This appearance? This is the form of the most advanced intelligent lifeform on the planet I've selected this time. Hehe."
"Moderately arrogant intellects and a fairly rich ecosystem. Isn't this the absolute best kind of entertainment to prove my hypothesis and play around with? Ah, I'm so excited."
Then, he suddenly leaped up from his seat and clapped his hands.
With a crisp snap, all the information regarding the pale star burst forth, illuminating the space around the man. It was a scene of breathtaking beauty.
"What Apraxis only clumsily glimpsed as a mere possibility, I will perfect right here."
Snap! With a flick of the man's fingers, the torrent of data was sucked back into the hologram of the blue planet.
Leaving behind only a faint, round blue dot, the space darkened once more, and countless windows materialized.
Once every window had loaded, the man walked over to the blue star, spread his arms wide as if delivering a grand speech, and shouted with theatrical passion:
"This is both an experiment and a festival! In just a little while, the moment will come for all of you to joyfully participate! Unlike Apraxis, I will not conduct my experiment in a closed space! I will run a delightful experiment where you can watch the progress and directly intervene as variables yourselves!!! And of course, I will share the resulting byproducts with all of you!"
As the man finished speaking, the windows filling the air began to drift around, flashing in a kaleidoscope of colors.
"Hahaha, you flatter me! Oh my, thank you! Hehehe, to think you'd send such a massive donation. Thank you so much! With a donation of this size, I'll have to send the first day's byproducts straight to you so you can taste them immediately, dear sponsor."
Faced with a deluge of donations, the man spoke with a look of pure madness on his face.
"Now then, let us begin right away."