Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Comet Seizure
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Confirmed the existence of a faction within the Deneb Federation that was training Psionic soldiers.
So, who the hell was behind this faction?
If it were just your run-of-the-mill gang or mafia-like criminal outfit, that might actually be fine. They were entities that put the brakes on the Federation's growth, not ones that particularly helped it.
There was no worry about such criminal groups overthrowing the regime and taking over the Federation. The government's fleet, free to roam the cosmic seas, overwhelmingly outmatched them. If the government just relocated to another planet, those Katea-based organizations wouldn't be able to follow.
On the flip side, the most headache-inducing possibility was that the government itself—which owned that fleet—was the one nurturing this faction.
Nothing exerted influence within a nation as effortlessly as the alliance of politics and corporations. They could sweep away any obstacles hindering that faction's growth with ease.
But it wasn't an officially cooperating force of the government military.
During the war against the Telluris Assimilator, they surely would have played a role. There was no reason not to deploy powerful soldiers when you had them. If they'd been used in the war, I would have known about it. So, they weren't government-affiliated.
Unable to infiltrate the factory, the investigation into the faction stalled without much progress.
It was indeed a variable that could significantly impact relations between the Federation and Lushaka Kingdom, but whether it warranted upending the Federation—which was steadily building an economy parasitic on Lushaka—was debatable.
I couldn't afford to ruin a smoothly progressing operation over mere suspicion, so I considered reaching out to politicians who might oppose the cultivation of such powerful private soldiers.
For example, Admiral Nikolai or former President Moretti? But I lacked confidence that even they were purely loyal to the Federation, so I'd been maintaining surveillance and watching.
Combining countless rats with periodic atmospheric sweeps by the Space Whale yielded solid evidence of major progress.
In truth, neither the rats nor the Space Whale had brought back this evidence.
A Lushaka Warhound serving as a guard dog in the National Assembly had overheard an intriguing bill being proposed.
A bill with this title was buried among the ruling party's endless stream of pro-alien legislation.
In this age of great cosmic expansion, with Katea Planet's resources depleting, corporations had long since ventured into countless star systems.
Naturally, not just the Deneb Federation but all discovered nations were mining various star systems, and to avoid falling behind in the space race, the Federation actively encouraged it.
But no matter how much mining was promoted, it could never take precedence over science. In this Silver Age, nothing was more vital than technological prowess.
Yet this bill granted exclusive rights to corporations that first claimed "comets and their fragments" once sufficiently surveyed.
The explanation claimed it was to bolster competitiveness in metallurgy and space engineering—fields rising as fast as agriculture—by partially transferring resource rights to the private sector.
But comets, of all things? The comets orbiting Katea had already been fully surveyed. They consisted of ice, methane, carbon dioxide, and such, holding little resource value.
So other lawmakers just shrugged it off with a "Eh, whatever?" showing no interest. They saw it as lightweight WWE-style preemptive rights expansion.
Not asteroid belt mining rights, but comets—few in number, constantly burning up with expiration dates? Even the opposition would let that slide. They had bigger bills to block.
But those in the know about Ozz knew better. Among the orbiting comets were ones containing Ozz components, steadily dispersing it across the Deneb Star System as they burned.
This was reasonable suspicion.
Someone connected to the Ozz-using faction was in the ruling party.
Click!
Flash flash—.
Countless reporters snapped photos of Hihirak and the Deneb Minister of Science shaking hands with smiles.
'Technology Exchange Agreement Signed with Alien Nation! Deneb Marches into Space.'
'Tech Pact with Lushaka Kingdom. What Kind of Nation is Lushaka?'
'No More Comets Visible from Katea. The Cost of Ruthless Technologism.'
"We'll salvage and take the comets ourselves."
"We could move them for you! Haha! Thank you so much. Let's keep working well together."
A thought suddenly struck me.
Wait, I'm basically a god who can move entire nations, so why am I going through all this hassle?
I'm pretty much the richest guy in this galaxy right now. Shouldn't I pull out solutions befitting that wealth and power?
Confirmed there's someone from the Ozz-using faction in the ruling party. So, do I really need to keep supplying Ozz? If the comets are the problem, just eliminate them, right?
The Deneb Federation and Lushaka Kingdom signed an agreement for ongoing technology exchange. As the first implementation, we provided genetic modification tech for the Space Whale, and in return, the Federation agreed to supply comets and asteroids orbiting the Deneb Star System.
We requested them under the pretext of researching asteroid belts from alien star systems, needing samples.
Elements like the Space Whale's anti-gravity tech and genes removing animal aggression were undoubtedly undiscovered by Deneb, but they'd figure them out eventually anyway, so we shared freely.
The more the Federation grows, the more I benefit from sucking on that straw, right? Killing two birds with one stone.
So, I dispatched Treegalaon-Alphas to sweep up all the comets orbiting the Deneb Federation.
You guys? Ozz confiscated. What can you do when a neighboring superpower buys them?
No worries. Once research is done, we'll put them back in orbit. You'll see comets in Katea's skies again. Minus the Ozz, though.
And during this tech agreement involving comet exchange, I made sure to memorize the faces of the lawmakers who fiercely opposed it.
Not mildly objecting with "Eh, this one's a bit..." to trading a few long-analyzed comets for unknown tech, but vehemently insisting comets absolutely could not be handed over—without clearly stating why. These were culprits, plain and simple.
Surprisingly, the president sided with the opposition, though not as vehemently. Everyone could see the Federation overwhelmingly profited, so pro voices drowned it out.
The opposing lawmakers kept repeating the same points while arguing, reeking of opposing for a specific agenda despite differing opinions.
Even the pro-side lawmakers wore pitying expressions, as if watching something tragic. The deal was that advantageous for Deneb.
One fact emerged: Those lawmakers either didn't know the comets awakened Psionics in humans but advocated protecting them anyway, or they had no intention of revealing Psionic connections yet.
If they'd disclosed it as a catalyst for human Psionics, plenty would have opposed the agreement. But they never did, so they lost the comets.
Anyway, I'd halted further Psionic soldier production. Unless they sourced new Ozz from alien systems, the Deneb Star System's supply would deplete, preventing more troops.
Shortly after the Treegalaon-Alphas returned stuffed with comets, the Federation proposed additional exchanges.
'We'll throw in more if you let us peek at your comet research?'
That was the gist...
With manpower stretched thin just studying the new gene maps and anti-gravity engineering, they'd dispatch extra to comets? Ozz must be urgent.
Or maybe a bio-tech-focused species genuinely curious what we'd do with comets? That seemed plausible too.
Would I allow it?
I firmly replied no, dashing any hopes.
This is dangerous. Dad'll test it first; if safe, then I'll return it.
Cutting off all appeasement—wouldn't that provoke a reaction? I doubted a massive force with political backers would submit quietly.
I maintained a tight surveillance net over the entire Katea Planet and passed the time researching the acquired Ozz.