Episode 90

[DOCKING COMPLETE. WELCOME TO THE BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE GARDEN.]

The standard docking report chimed on BISHOP. Taro and Marl were absolutely dragging after their eight-hour slog through space, but the sight of the station finally brought a spark of life back to their weary faces.

"God, it’s been forever since I’ve been to Takio’s zoo. Not since I was a little squirt," Marl said, sounding uncharacteristically nostalgic as they walked through the Plum’s corridor.

The Takio Biological Resource Garden was a massive orbital menagerie where a dizzying array of lifeforms from across the galaxy were put on display. The "zoo" occupied an entire large-scale station, housing dozens of individual biological gardens that each offered their own bizarre brand of spectacle.

"So you’ve been here before? Is it actually any fun?" Taro asked.

"Are you kidding? If you take it slow, you can’t see everything in a week. It’s a massive tourist trap—tickets are a nightmare to get. Actually, how did you manage to snag enough for all of us?"

Marl seemed to be in high spirits. In response, Taro reached into his pocket and flourished a set of card tickets like a stage magician.

"Duh-duh-duh-daaaa! Shareholder benefit tiiiickets! I mentioned it to the President of one of our business partners and he just handed them over for free. It pays to have rich friends."

"What’s with that gravelly voice? And while I can’t agree with that sentiment as a person, as a director... yeah, okay, you’re right."

"Personally, I wanted tickets for the dazzling world of the senses next door—the Rondal Star System."

"Oh, shut it. Go ahead and go; see how fast they pluck you clean. You should ask Koume how many people have ruined their lives in that pit before you get any ideas."

The Rondal Star System sat right next to Takio, specializing in the twin pillars of gambling and the sex industry. The surrounding area was a cluster of entertainment stations, ranging from amusement parks to even weirder distractions, all linked by free shuttle services.

More importantly, the area was under the Empire's direct thumb. It was a designated "No-Bounty Zone," meaning all hunting was strictly prohibited. As long as you could reach the system, it didn't matter if you were a high-value Bounty or a heinous war criminal—you could kick back and relax without looking over your shoulder. Of course, this didn't apply to Bounties specifically blacklisted by the Empire; those poor souls weren't even allowed through the Stargates.

"C'mon, let's move! We’re burning daylight here!"

"Hey! Wait a second! The station isn’t going anywhere!"

Taro and the others hurried to the pier and boarded a tube shuttle that shot directly into the park. There was a general-use High-speed Moving Lane available, but when Taro flashed the benefit tickets to the gatekeeper, the staff had scrambled to prep a private shuttle for them.

"Whoa, look at that. It’s huge. No, wait, that’s just stupid. How big is this place?"

From the window of the shuttle as it zipped through the air, they had a panoramic view of the gardens stretching out below. Essentially, it was an endless sea of boxy megastructures divided by genre, but the scale was staggering. The most distant facilities were lost in a literal atmospheric haze.

"There are 2,550 exhibition booths housing approximately 74 million species, Mr. Teiro. Specimens have been collected from every famous biological hub in the galaxy, from Planet Almos to R5251 in the Isdaria Star System."

Koume, who had plugged a cable into the shuttle’s data port, rattled off the stats with clinical precision.

"Seventy-four million? Are there even that many kinds of bugs in the world?"

"What a silly question, Mr. Teiro. On a single natural planet, the insect population alone can range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of species. What you see here are merely the ones that are easy to keep in cages and deemed 'worth seeing.' Compared to the biodiversity of the entire galaxy, this is a drop in the bucket."

Taro and Marl both let out a sigh of pure awe. Taro felt a fresh wave of anxiety about whether he’d actually find what he was looking for in this biological haystack, but for now, he decided to just enjoy the view.

"Man, I wish we were just here for sightseeing. Just looking at the directory gets me hyped. Look at this thing—it’s an animal with twenty legs. How does it even walk? It’s gotta be tripping over itself constantly. Why would nature even do that?"

"I want to go to the amphibian pavilion," Marl chimed in. "The Agaro-types are so cute."

"Agaro-type? What’s—ugh, gross! You like these things, Marl? Honestly, I’m a little judged right now."

"Calling them 'gross' is rude! Mascot characters based on them are super popular with girls these days."

"No way. Not a chance. Look at it! I can’t even tell which end is the head!"

"Hmm. Personally, Koume finds these aquatic animals fascinating," the AI added. "The Mezarairo Family is particularly erotic. I would love to ask them what they are thinking about."

"Are you for real?! Meza... Meza... No, that’s not erotic! The thing is completely transparent! That’s not 'I'll show you everything,' that’s 'here are my internal organs for the world to see!' Wait, what? Is this thing an intelligent lifeform?"

The three of them continued their noisy bickering until the shuttle arrived at the Lario Biological Garden General Management Office, where it came to a silent, graceful stop.

They stepped off the shuttle and were met by the manager, Lario himself. He led them deep into the "basement" of the facility—which felt like a bit of a misnomer on a space station—and through a series of long, austere corridors before arriving at a reception room.

"Well then, let me introduce myself properly. I am Lario, the manager of this biological garden. My specialty is Ancient Lifeforms. But I’m sure you knew that already."

Lario offered a business card chip with a cheerful grin. He looked to be in his forties, with a messy mop of hair and clothes that looked like they’d been dragged through a hedge. He didn’t look like a man living the high life, but in reality, he was likely a multi-millionaire. Every single exhibit in this area was his personal property.

He was the collector Phantom had mentioned—the man with an obsessive interest in ancient biological resources. Looking around, Taro finally understood why. This wasn't just a hobby; it was his empire.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Teiro from Rising Sun. This is Marl, our director, and Koume, our Chief Secretary. Thanks for taking the time to see us today. This place is incredible. It’s my first time here, and I’m honestly blown away."

"Hahaha, I’m sure! Everyone is surprised their first time. Though, sadly, not many people actually bother to visit this specific area."

"Really? Why? It’s fascinating. Ancient Lifeforms are basically the peak of scientific romance," Marl said.

"Well, it’s nice to hear you say that. But due to budget and space, the exhibits here tend to be a bit... plain. Unlike the other pavilions, the value here isn't based on how flashy or pretty a creature is."

"Right, I guess species preservation is the main goal here," Taro added. "And just because something is rare doesn't mean it’s fun to look at."

"Exactly. We try to spice things up, and I think I’ve curated some truly fascinating specimens, but still... Regardless, I heard you wanted to browse our paleobiological archives? May I ask why?"

"Right, well, the thing is..."

Taro launched into his cover story, carefully omitting any mention of Earth.

"I see," Lario said, looking thoughtful. "You want to recreate the cuisine and ingredients from the Empire’s founding era. An intriguing prospect. However, if I recall, artificial food technology was already quite advanced back then."

"Well, sure, but the 'various species' out there were eating natural food on their home planets, right? During the early days of space colonization, I figure they probably made preserved rations out of those original ingredients."

Taro made sure to emphasize "various species" to avoid implying a single-planet origin for humanity. Lario nodded.

"So, we are talking about the founding era. The very dawn of humanity... That is quite the ambitious undertaking. Fascinating, yes, but an immense challenge."

Lario wore a complicated expression—somewhere between impressed and skeptical. He gazed into the middle distance for a moment, likely checking BISHOP. After a long pause, he looked back at them.

"I’ve granted you access to the public data bank. I’ve restricted the search parameters to organisms from planets currently claiming to be the cradle of humanity. Please, browse to your heart's content."

Lario looked quite pleased with himself, but Taro held up a hand. "Ah, actually..."

"If possible, it would be a huge help if you could limit the search to organisms of unknown origin instead. You know how it is—anything with a confirmed source has already been picked over by the big labs. It’s hard for a small company like ours to secure a monopoly on something everyone already knows about."

Lario blinked, then nodded as if it all made sense.

"Ah, looking for the gaps in the market, are we? Well, I shouldn't be rude, but you certainly live up to the rumors. Just be warned: there are easily several hundred million unclassified species in the backlog. Are you sure about this?"

I wonder what kind of rumors are flying around about me? Taro thought with a wry smile. He scratched his head. "We'll take our time with it."

"So, how's it looking? Any luck?" Marl whispered as Taro tapped away at the terminal in the reference room.

Taro gave her a cocky grin and a thumbs-up.

"Heh. Who do you think you’re talking to, Cutie-pie? I’ve got that... what do you call it? That thing where you do a million things at once."

"Ugh, if you’re going to act cool, at least get the word right. It’s 'multitasking.' But seriously, can you actually find them?"

Honestly, it feels like I’m playing on easy mode since I already know the answers, Taro thought. I’m just looking for stuff I recognize and tossing out anything that lives in an environment that isn't Earth-like.

"I think I’ll be fine in two or three days," Taro said aloud.

"That's good. Honestly, even if an Imperial tried to do this, they’d never find anything. They don't know what Earth’s environment was like—they don't even know it existed. Without your Gift, we’d be wandering in the dark forever. Though, I doubt anyone else would even think to try this."

"Oho, keep the compliments coming, Marl-tan! But, there is a bit of a problem..." Taro sighed, staring at the long list of flora and fauna on the screen. "For the ones that look nearly identical, I’m basically guessing. I’m not a biologist; I can’t tell two weeds apart. I didn't realize there were so many plants that look exactly like rice... From here on out, it’s going to be a total brute-force search."

Taro felt good about the start they’d made, but his soul withered a little at the work ahead.

Based on the initial search results, it looked like he was going to have to manually vet at least several thousand candidates.