62. Negotiations

Thank you for the typo report.

62. Negotiations

The commander of the Arze Fleet is apparently named Aisha Maruko. I had assumed she was male, but it seems she is female.

I asked Maria to arrange a conference room near the Third Spaceport, where the Arze Fleet is currently housed. Apparently, the intermediate layer of Agirakana—primarily used as a resource storage facility—has ample room, and almost anything can be fabricated if needed.

This negotiation will involve two representatives from the opposing side: Commander Maruko and her副官, Sven. On our side, it’s just me and Maria, accompanied by six ground troops as bodyguards.

Today being an official meeting, I wore the Union Kingdom Space Force officer uniform, with three gold buttons on the collar denoting the rank of general. I considered adding, for good measure, a diamond-studded badge signifying the Marquis of Arsen on the opposite collar, but decided that might be going too far and left it off. Maria, accompanying me, wore her usual uniform, with two silver buttons on the collar indicating the rank of major. It might just be bluff—yet I’ve always believed even bluffing requires a certain level of sophistication.

Upon entering the conference room, the opposing side was already seated. They stood as soon as we entered. The opposing commander, a woman, was presumably the one in the dark navy two-piece suit with black hair. She looked to be in her thirties. The man accompanying her appeared to be in his twenties.

Since they’re from a different culture—or rather, a different species—it’s probably safe to say the etiquette here can be fairly relaxed. Given that the other party looks entirely human, it’s unlikely that any casual gesture would come across as an extreme insult. In any case, if anything goes wrong, Maria will handle it.

The simultaneous translation device sits on the table, so communication of intent presents no issue.

"I am Yamada Keiichi, representing the Spacecraft Nation Agirakana."

"I am Lieutenant General Aisha Marco, commander of the Great Alze Imperial Space Fleet’s G013 Sector (Solar System) Advance Unit. We thank you for providing us with adequate conditions following our surrender."

‘Your Excellency, a fifth-rank noble is roughly equivalent to a British baron.’

‘Well, now—someone important, huh.’

“You’re no mere count from Arsen, are you?”

“That’s right.”

“If there’s anything you need on your end, please let us know. We’ll have it ready immediately.”

“No, there’s nothing lacking. Thank you for your concern.”

“That’s good to hear. At present, we’re holding your fleet in custody, but if you agree to our terms, you’re free to return to Alze at once.”

“Terms, you say?”

“First, please look at the image on the main screen. This footage was captured three days ago by one of our survey drones. The location is the system known to you as Mitokana. The planet displayed here is Syno—the only planet in that system.”

The planet Syno, shown on the main screen of the conference room, began to disintegrate before their eyes.

A flash coursed across the planet—blue-green, wrapped in atmosphere—and a wave of destruction rippled across its surface. Once, twice, flashes streaked through, each time shaking the planet like a struck bell. At first sparse, the flashes grew too numerous to count, until, by the time the cascade of destruction ended, the planet Syno had become a crimson-black sphere. A faint halo of ejected atmosphere and water vapor from the evaporated seas encircled it, while fragments flung from the planet began forming a ring.

"Estimated twenty thousand inhabitants resided here," came the report.

At first, the two from Alze had watched the planet’s disintegration with detached neutrality. Now, they both drew in a breath—just slightly, just enough to register the pause.

“This destruction was caused by the collision of interstellar lifeforms we call Zeno. The number of Zeno observed this time is approximately fifty thousand—relatively few. These Zeno reproduce by absorbing heavy metals from within planets; once they’ve exhausted the heavy metals in a planet, they move on to nearby star systems in search of more.

At this point, the screen displayed an image of a Zeno.

“Shape-wise, they resemble elongated spindles, about forty meters long. Mass ranges from one to four million metric tons. They propel themselves through space at high speed by emitting neutron radiation from their rear end, reaching speeds up to roughly fifteen percent of light speed. Their front is shielded by ultra-dense material; even if attacked on the relatively softer sides or rear, they cannot be destroyed by nuclear weapons alone. It’s likely that the Alze Empire possesses no weapons capable of destroying a Zeno.”

Moreover, another star system near the Mitokana system, which we just showed you, had all its inner planets destroyed by Zeno. Zeno is believed to have already departed in search of a new breeding ground, likely en route through interstellar space. At this moment, we are urgently deploying multiple probes to detect this moving Zeno.

"If the footage we just saw is genuine, Your Excellency, what exactly do you expect us to do?"

For us as well, the Zeno poses a threat—no different from your perspective. Fortunately, we possess the means to neutralize it. Therefore, regarding the Zeno just revealed, we intend to eliminate it without delay. Our request to the Alze government is twofold: first, to formally recognize our operational activities within Alze territory; second, and naturally, to cease unauthorized entry into this solar system. We would like you to relay these two points to the home government through Admiral Marco.

I cannot predict how the home government will respond. But if they refuse to authorize Agirakana’s military operations within Alze territory, what course of action would you recommend?

The Zeno, currently adrift in unknown interstellar space, may reach a habitable star system within the next few years—possibly even sooner. While it poses no direct threat to our solar system, we cannot afford to ignore it, especially if doing so results in loss of life. Even without Alze government approval, we will proceed with attacking the Zeno. And should any actions obstruct our operational plans, we will take appropriate measures in response.

"Appropriate measures," you say?

"Our probes have already gathered detailed intelligence on Alze’s capital planet. In the worst-case scenario, we are prepared to seize control of the capital world, Azeren, ourselves. At that point, I expect all Alze-aligned warships within the system to be completely destroyed."

"I understand. I will report this to headquarters."

"Please proceed. Regardless of whether the Alze government responds or not, we will soon be arriving at the Mitokana system aboard this Agirakana. At that time, we shall release your fleet. I believe that will shorten your return time."

"What do you mean by arriving 'aboard this Agirakana'?"

"This Agirakana is, in and of itself, a spacecraft capable of hyperspace jumps."

"????"

One doesn't react any differently when suddenly told something like that.

Short SF story: *I, Successfully Executed Ambush*

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9346gb/

Please proceed.