118: Sabotage by Someone

"This is... Lady Vee. I've just received some troubling information."

"A memo?"

It was from last night.

While preparing for tomorrow, we were gathering and verifying general information available on-site.

Memoqsi found a small memory chip that had been slipped into the discharge and resupply operations of 'Sexy MiAzuma.'

Memoqsi immediately checked the information stored within the small memory chip.

And brought it down to Vilijaniela.

"... Satu, Johalis. It seems the threat we're supposed to resolve is extremely minor, but there was also an incident in the Niliani Potts system."

"... I see."

"... Got it."

I haven't checked the contents of the information memory.

But according to Memoqsi and Vilijaniela, the source of the information is said to be the head of the intelligence unit from the Niliani Potts system.

As for the crucial information...

According to the report, there is suspicion that, for at least some time—possibly even since long before—certain members within the intelligence unit of the Niliani Potts system have been colluding with a criminal organization. These individuals are not only leaking information to the criminal group but are also allegedly carrying out sabotage directly against the intelligence unit—engaging in disruptive acts that undermine operational efficiency.

And the look in Vilijaniara's eyes declared it.

Leaving this issue unresolved would bring immense damage to Vilijaniara herself—or to the empire as a whole... in other words, it was a threat.

"Shall I meet with the people from 'Vanilla Press' tomorrow, then?"

"That's right. It seems sabotage is definitely taking place, but neither the head of the intelligence unit nor anyone else can pinpoint exactly who's behind it—or, more precisely, where the source of the sabotage lies."

In that case, our move is already certain.

The question is how to act.

First, meeting with the people from 'Vanilla Press' tomorrow is already confirmed, since we've already sent a request for a meeting to the other side.

Even without that, meeting with four people from 'Vanilla Press' was already part of the mission since we were in the Flaretanbo star system, so it seems we can't reschedule it.

"Yes, that's true... Relying on just one information source is risky. We might even be dealing with the mastermind behind the sabotage if the one who sent us this information is the culprit. Therefore, to obtain accurate information, we need to gather data from multiple angles."

"If that's the case, we'll quietly head over to the 'Eniwear Two' branch office. This unit is Memoqsi—please take care of it."

"Understood. Then, let's have Memoqsi obtain information from the local machine intelligence using a dedicated network. Machine intelligences generally abide by imperial law unless there are exceptional circumstances, so they should be a reliable source of information."

But if that's the case, we should secretly obtain information from elsewhere without letting the other side find out.

With that in mind, Joharis entrusted his usual mobile unit to Memoxi and moved through the colony's piping and ductwork.

Traversing these passages, he headed toward the branch office of 'Eniwearzoo' located within the colony, presumably to gather intelligence.

Memoxi, meanwhile, seemed to be infiltrating the dedicated network—off-limits to all but machine intelligences— to collect information.

"I can just focus on guarding, right?"

"No, please also proceed with the investigation. Depending on how the mastermind determined sabotage had occurred, we might need to pursue that angle as well."

"Understood. I'll take care of it."

So, I needed to carry out the investigation—specifically, the one regarding how certain molecules could be made to stop glowing when exposed to Sw.

Well, I'll get it done.

Based on what I've read so far regarding criminal activities in the Nelianipotts system, it appears that crimes there are predominantly related to various competitions, including incidents involving doping that manage to slip through the cracks of Sw.

And so, in this way, we've ended up having to independently label who can and cannot be trusted, gathering information from all directions.

"What about you? How did the people from 'Vanilla Press' strike you?"

"The person we met is Shiro, really. You could even say they're a victim. Our response to them is likely due to the sabotage disrupting their work."

"I agree with the memo. However, regarding that person's promotion, their capabilities are clearly at their current limit. I can't rule out the possibility that they're refusing to acknowledge this, have gone off track, and ended up sabotaging things as a result."

"Yeah, they definitely didn't seem to have much room to spare."

And so, time has turned back, and we're walking through the colony, secretly meeting up with Joharis.

As for that person from 'Vanilla Press'... I think it might be better to reconsider Virijianira's position a bit more carefully.

Virijianira isn't actually an employee of 'Vanilla Press'—she just supplies them with articles. And since she's essentially an intelligence unit directly under the emperor's command, she can't be ordered around like a regular subordinate.

She only complies because she personally believes things run more smoothly that way.

Well, I'll keep that to myself.

They both know it perfectly well and are just pretending not to notice. If I brought it up, things would probably end up changing, and I'd rather not stir up trouble.

"There's a Seiryō Corporation outpost over there. That seems like a good spot—what do you think?"

"Yeah, I think that works."

"Well, it'll be easier to talk without interruption."

"Really appreciate it."

We entered the Seiryō Corporation outpost.

Here, there should be rooms that aren't monitored from the outside, both in terms of operational content and technical level.