Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Galactic Repercussions
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The first to grasp the full scale of the catastrophe that unfolded on the opposite side of the galaxy—aside from those directly involved—was, predictably, the Lushaka Kingdom.
"Those lunatics."
Everyone's out of their minds.
Do the Holy Nation and the Empire really think they can hold onto great power forever?
Courtesy only exists because if you swing your fist, you might get hit back.
In this space age, where you can't predict when or where disaster might strike, what the hell are they thinking, charging ahead so recklessly?
Even as those thoughts crossed my mind, I had to admit it lacked realism.
Who could topple a species that dominated hundreds of star systems and soared through the skies?
The race that perished this time was a newborn just stepping into the space age, without even a chance to spread across the galaxy.
They turned to ash alongside their homeland as it burned.
Not even a survivor left to avenge this unjust tragedy.
To discuss this catastrophe near the Holy Nation-Empire border, PATO convened an emergency meeting.
The gathered representatives showed a wide range of reactions.
Some raged at the blatant disregard for basic human rights,
others shed tears at the unspeakable tragedy,
and some acted like it had nothing to do with them.
Soon, heated debates erupted.
"In the end, it was the Holy Nation that attacked, wasn't it? Without that orbital bombardment, those people would still be alive."
"'People'? They abandoned their flesh and transferred their memories—how is that the same as people? The real mass slaughter was the Empire's!"
"We're not here for a philosophy debate. Whether they're the same people or not, it was that species' choice. The question is which nation destroyed the planet."
That was the crux of it.
Are 'machines' people?
If machines are people, then the Holy Nation's mass slaughter of a billion lives was undeniable.
But if machines aren't people?
Then wasn't it the Empire's fault for turning a billion people into non-people?
Practically euthanasia on a massive scale.
Within PATO, opinions leaned slightly toward defending the Holy Nation.
There were reasons for this.
Nations like the Deneb Federation, scarred by encounters with the Telluris Assimilator, played a part.
But the biggest reason was distrust of the Empire and its technology.
The Empire claimed they preserved the original personalities and transplanted them into machines, but there was no way to prove it.
The Empire's mechanization didn't transplant brains intact; it digitized memories and personalities, then uploaded them into new bodies.
Aside from sharing the same memories, there was no common ground between the pre- and post-upgrade bodies.
This was more complex than cloning humans.
If someone appeared with perfectly identical memories to yours, could you call them 'you'?
If those memories were stored not in a brain but in circuits, could that be 'you'?
And these philosophical quandaries usually remain just that—philosophical—because clear answers elude them.
So, what judgment should be made when two belligerents clash over such a thorny issue?
"Then, by the decision of the PATO committee, the official stance of PATO member states on the Sirtish catastrophe is to stand by and watch."
What a tragic affair.
The billion lives vanished from the world, the countless more that might follow, and PATO's choice to do nothing about it.
But PATO's position wouldn't change.
With hundreds of billions—perhaps trillions—of lives here, it wasn't worth burning PATO down over a billion.
Nations that massacred tens of millions on a planet of seven billion still thrived.
In a galaxy teeming with hundreds of billions, maybe trillions, a billion was a drop in the bucket.
That's reality for you.
Tla'Kalan's will to judge the heretics who abandoned Ozttlan and make an example of them was fulfilled.
Orbital barrages wiped them out in weeks, no matter if they fled underground, into the oceans, or the skies.
Everyone witnessed the Holy Nation's power, unfelt during long years of peace.
The Holy Nation's forces were all devotees who honed their minds.
They couldn't comprehend the Sirtish choice to abandon their minds en masse in racial suicide.
And with the Holy Nation flexing its might amid it all, it only united their forces further while reminding them of the horrors of machines.
"As expected of Ozttlan's proxy."
"Those repulsive machine bastards. I knew they'd cause trouble soon."
The same held true within the Steel Empire.
Being treated as less than people?
They could tolerate that.
The galaxy was vast; insults from faces you'd never see didn't even register.
Some machines even saw it as jealousy over their lack of powerful mechanical bodies.
But this incident crossed a line.
Those openly loyal to His Imperial Majesty, who had received his grace, were massacred on a massive scale.
They were true imperial subjects who joined the Empire transcending their species' limits.
This was an insult to the Empire and a challenge to machines as a classification.
The coldly cooled relations between the two nations began to heat up.
First, pacifist factions advocating friendly attitudes toward each other were purged.
Mutual slander became normalized, and any factions, books, or media defending the other side faced relentless suppression.
A Holy Nation media executive preaching galactic peace through united national efforts was burned at the stake before the masses.
An Empire professor researching machine psionic awakening was dismantled part by part and scrapped.
As both the Prophet and the Emperor maintained silence, their subjects' fury burned brighter each day.
PATO citizens were no exception.
In the already tense atmosphere, a slip of the tongue could easily lead to a beating.
"You, a Holy Nation spy?"
"N-no, I'm not. Please, spare me."
In the Holy Nation, those with artificial bodies or reliant on machines were advised to stay indoors.
Irrational zealots were smashing any convenient machine they spotted.
But as the saying goes, tragedy up close is comedy from afar.
Some species were even reveling in the chaos.
"Don't you wanna kill those vile machine scum, nya? Join up right now, nya! Machine-smashing experience for just 10,000 credits!"
What the hell are you doing there, kitty?
"Hirak? What're you staring at, nya? Wanna try it yourself, nya? Prepayment only, nya."
A Varisa extended a hand demanding credits, while beside them, Holy Nation expatriates spewed psychic curses and bashed the scrap heap with blunt instruments.
"You goddamn bastards."
The barrage of emotions in their strikes was chilling just to watch, yet this cat remained utterly nonchalant.
Or maybe it couldn't sense the psychic waves.
"Why keep staring, nya? You one of those types, nya? The ones forcing human rights, morals, ethics—all that bullshit?"
At least it had some sense, leaning in to whisper.
"Truth is, I don't get this mess, nya. You think anyone here's ever even seen one of those wiped-out Sirtish faces? They probably don't even know what the species looked like, nya. Hilarious, right?"
"..."
"Hypocrites are the easiest to fleece, nya. They think they're opening their wallets for others. Ka-ching!"
"Hey! Gimme one too. Gotta smash these trash heaps."
"If you're not helping business, get outta the way, nya. Thanks! Smash those machines for galactic peace, nya!"
Not just this Varisa—plenty in PATO shared that attitude.
And the cat had a point.
Most galactic species probably learned of the Sirtish existence only now.
But did that make sympathy for them hypocrisy?
No.
Countless 'me's harbored different thoughts.
The me long resident in the Holy Nation nodded along to the expatriates' rage, empathizing fully.
The me long employed at the lab understood machines as people and fumed at the Holy Nation's slaughter.
The many 'me's living varied lives via faint links to the original body held diverse views, but one precept never changed.
I want to live lazily, decadently, hedonistically.
Why is this space age so devoid of romance and so damn cold?
Back when I was human, even if the world felt bleak, it wasn't this bad.
Machine or person—who cares?
The Empire turns the entire Sirtish race into machines knowing the Holy Nation shuns them, and the Holy Nation wipes them all out. Same breed of bastards.
How can anyone travel carefree or live leisurely in a world like this?
It's all because there are no laws.
If a powerful judge ready to crack skulls existed for wrongdoing, people would behave—but with no restraints, superpowers run wild.
Then I just need to create such a judge.
Of course, the Holy Nation and Empire would oppose, and PATO lacks the power to ignore them.
So, I grow strong enough to crack both their skulls?
Justice shouted without power is futile; you must reach the top to change the world.
Not some grand 'make the world peaceful' goal—I don't even want that.
But these tragedies next door just piss me off.
Why not smack the back of their heads myself when I'm in a position to, instead of just cursing inwardly at media bullies?
Hurry up and start the war. So I can smack both sides.