"Ah… What on earth is this?" Sevda said, leaning her knee against the edge of her bed, staring at the television in disbelief.
Words, photos, and video recordings seemed to spin one after another, clouding Doctor Sevda's mind; the shock of what she was seeing sent a chill down her spine.
"Yesterday, at 16:00 Supreme World Time, a prisoner transport ship traveling from the Ixta11 Star System was attacked," said the presenter, clad in a stark white coat. Her cybernetic face remained expressionless as she spoke. Next to her head was a photograph of a man who seemed irrelevant to the story. His arrogant, noble gaze deeply unsettled Sevda.
"And how did this attack happen?" asked the guest beside her. "Especially while being protected by J4-U ships?"
"Currently, Weapon Security units are investigating this attack. I believe it is too early for us to provide any definitive answer."
"But do you think the theories are correct?" the guest asked the presenter.
"The theories…"
"There are many people saying a Weisshafen was on that ship. So far, no official statement has been made. Why do you think the legal auditors remain silent on this grave matter, which should even concern galactic prosecutors?"
"So, you're saying it was attacked because a Weisshafen was on board," the woman said with a questioning tone.
"The people of the Supreme World have been talking about the mysterious death of Damon Weisshafen for months. Before the attack on Damon Weisshafen has even been explained, another Weisshafen has died. And as a prisoner, no less." The man took a deep breath and continued. "Since they began populating the planet Jolkien, the head of the Weisshafen family was the late Damon Weisshafen. This man was powerful enough to earn the praise of even someone as mighty as Marshal Maximilian Ironcloud. Everyone remembers him with reverence. Now, for the first time in centuries, the Weisshafen throne stands vacant, and no one in the family was prepared for this. No one knows who the rightful heir to the throne is. We have no idea how the new heir will use the family's wealth or shape their policies. But there is one thing we do know: the dangerous rumors circulating."
"You mentioned dangerous rumors… Could you please explain that to us?"
"Since Damon Weisshafen's passing, approximately 94 Weisshafens have died. I have to play devil's advocate here. It is not very likely that 94 members of the Weisshafen family would die as a result of terrorist attacks, am I right? Does such a terrorist organization even exist? Is there such an organization left? Even Emperor Claudis did not possess such power."
"Please state clearly what you mean, dear guest."
"This is a power struggle for the throne…" the man said, proudly adjusting his front. "…The Weisshafen family found itself in the middle of a crisis it never expected. They had never considered who they would give such power to before. Everyone except the family elders is disappearing one by one. The elders, meanwhile, will likely engage in a grand duel. But before this grand duel, they aim to get rid of the 'pests.'"
"That accusation could be a very dangerous one."
"Is that so?" the man added after a brief pause. "Well, you would know better, of course…"
"What do you mean?"
"Because they couldn't use the hierarchical structures on their own planets, the Weisshafens tried to exercise their family's power on other planets. Therefore, the powers, ideologies, religions, and even cultures of every single Weisshafen are very different. They don't even have a blood bond that brings them together as one. They aren't like the Dragno family or many others. For example, even this media outlet belongs to a Weisshafen… even your boss is a Weisshafen."
"Everyone knows that Madam Emily Weisshafen owns this establishment."
"Yes… But is the Weisshafen family a media family? Absolutely not… You might see a merchant Weisshafen in one place, a colony-founding Weisshafen in another, and a barber Weisshafen somewhere else. Do you think it's possible for a family so disconnected from each other to truly possess family values?"
"We cannot know who possesses family values and who doesn't, Master Lucius Varden," the young woman said. The guest's name must have been Lucius Varden. "As a former Weisshafen, the things you say are quite valuable. But the reason we invited a distinguished resource inspector like yourself here is quite different. The deceased Aldoux Weisshafen… you know this man, don't you?"
Lucius Varden let out a deep sigh and looked at the visual appearing behind him. "Yes… He is my brother. Well, my former stepbrother… After all, I am no longer a Weisshafen."
"And Aldoux Weisshafen wasn't a Weisshafen either until Damon Weisshafen died, was he? I believe his nobility had been stripped…"
"First, I must ask if you know what you're talking about when you say 'stripped of nobility.' Losing nobility does not mean one's connection to the family is completely severed."
"Then what does it mean?"
"Aldoux Weisshafen continued to live as a member of the family. But he had no share of the family's wealth in his own name."
"Could you explain what that implies?"
"For example, he could live in the palace, be fed, and use the family's vehicles. However, he couldn't start a business with a loan from the family. He would be valued in institutions like a Weisshafen but couldn't do what Weisshafens do. It's quite difficult to explain this to you…" Lucius Varden said, "…because you don't know the internal dynamics of the Weisshafen family."
"You haven't been a member of the family for a long time, from what I see…"
"124 years…"
"Yes… it's been 124 years," the woman said and smiled. "Don't you think it's possible that some dynamics within the family have changed during this time?"
Lucius Varden must have thought the woman's words were sarcastic, as he chuckled slightly. Then, realizing she was serious, he corrected himself: "The Weisshafen family's dynamics? Not likely…"
"And for what reason was Aldoux Weisshafen's nobility stripped?"
"That… that is a family secret, ma'am. For us, what happens in the family stays in the family."
"You said you were no longer a member of this family."
"I am not a member, but I respect my family." Lucius Varden seemed to force himself as he said this. It was as if there were other reasons why he couldn't reveal this secret.
"Well, are the rumors true that it was Baron Weisshafen who wanted Aldoux Weisshafen's nobility stripped, and that Damon Weisshafen made the decision based on the Baron's word? Fine… I understand… I won't ask any more questions about how the nobility was stripped since you seem unlikely to answer. Then allow me to ask another question. Why was Aldoux Weisshafen in custody… Before he was arrested, he was working under you as a resource collector."
"Yes… though he wasn't a very hardworking boy, he was a good boy."
"What would you say to those who claim he was favored because he was from your family?"
"This isn't something like family favoritism, dear lady. When a Weisshafen wants to work for you, you don't want to reject them."
"Are you trying to say that Weisshafens are hired simply because they are Weisshafens?"
The woman was truly a master at cornering her guest. The man sighed deeply and said: "Absolutely not…"
"Then why did you phrase it that way?"
"Weisshafens are cultured, hardworking, and virtuous people."
"And was Aldoux Weisshafen like that while working? Was he hardworking, cultured, and especially virtuous? If he was…" the woman said, pausing briefly to draw attention, "…why was he arrested?"
"A good question, ma'am. First, I would like to say that Aldoux Weisshafen truly had a dynamic and hardworking team. Bringing a planet in such harsh conditions to its knees is truly an arduous task. It's not for everyone." The man looked first at the hologram paper in front of him and then back at the presenter. "How should I put it…" He paused and thought for a while. "…Weisshafen tried to seize an alien relic in a manner that did not comply with procedures."
"How so?"
"Under normal circumstances, alien relics must be handed over to the heirs as soon as they are found, without exception."
"But he didn't hand it over, did he? Why would he try to seize an alien relic?"
"The investigation is ongoing…"
"Is the institution conducting the investigation the Interstellar Legal Audit Agency or the Agency for Space Archaeology and Heritage Protection?"
"Of course, the legal auditors are looking into this matter. Aldoux Weisshafen would have faced the supreme justice of the SWR."
"Well…" the woman said, looking at the hologram paper in front of her with an air of boredom at the man's answers. Since she was a cybernetic, she might not have possessed the instincts that required such behavior. She was intentionally acting and making facial expressions just to keep the show going. "…but I have a few documents in my hand."
"If those are the documents I think they are…"
"One moment, I'll read the documents to you right now. According to what is written here, two heirs were found dead. The resource collection facility was in ruins, and you were there while all this was happening."
"I had gone to visit Aldoux Weisshafen and his team to perform routine checks. Aldoux Weisshafen suddenly disappeared while I was inspecting the facility. Although there is a questioning look in your eyes, I won't say anything much different in this conversation from what I told the inspectors. Those who are curious can read what I told the inspectors online, but… but let me tell you anyway. Aldoux Weisshafen was secretly keeping an alien relic without the knowledge of his team or us. The heirs who noticed this relic bypassed procedures and went toward the relic without informing the resource collection facility there, intending to seize it."
"So you're saying the heirs also skipped procedures."
"Of course…"
"And why did the heirs do such a thing?"
"They might have wanted the relic for themselves as well. I have no definite information; the investigation is ongoing."
"It must be a valuable relic."
"I don't have much information as to what the relic was either. But what I do know is that a major argument broke out between Aldoux Weisshafen and these heirs. This argument then turned into a fight. It's a good thing I was there; otherwise, one of the heirs would have killed the facility and everyone working in it."
"So you stopped the heirs…"
"Yes…"
"Shouldn't you have informed the SWR before taking such an initiative?"
"We were on a planet outside the Network, and our satellites weren't working due to the attack. Besides, I can't say the heirs had very good intentions."
"Looking at your previous statement, you repeatedly mentioned that Weisshafen's team was innocent."
"Yes…" Lucius Varden said with great enthusiasm. "…they were innocent. I was there when the attack happened. None of them knew anything. And not just that… I know many members of the team very closely, and they are definitely not people whose ambition for power has grown."
"You say they are mutants."
"Not mutants, they are test subjects…"
"There is no information that they were approved by the Bioethics Oversight Agency… Are you creating illegal test subjects to use in resource facilities, Lucius Varden?"
"You must know that they are SWR citizens."
"Yes…" the woman said. "Ilya, Alora, Goma, and Velsil… those are their names, aren't they?"
"Yes…"
"And how can a test subject become an SWR citizen without receiving approval from the Bioethics Oversight Agency?"
"Actually, there are many procedures that could provide for that. But I assure you and our people that no law was broken. I don't want to give you any information while hearings are taking place one after another for this situation. I'd like to give you an answer according to the decision made by the judges at the end of the hearings."
"Of course…" the woman said. "…we have full confidence that our judges will make the right decision. So where are these individuals now?"
"They must be outside the Network."
"So they are fugitives, then? Why are they living the life of a fugitive instead of surrendering to the supreme justice of the Supreme World Republic?"
"They are not living the life of a fugitive, ma'am," Lucius Varden said emphatically. "They are waiting for the SWR courts to summon them."
"Are they waiting outside the Network?"
"They are not currently in the status of criminals. They are not in the status of fugitives. They simply didn't want Aldoux Weisshafen's crimes to be pinned on them. Their investigation won't begin until Aldoux Weisshafen's investigation is finished. Their innocence won't be proven. You wouldn't want them to be treated as fugitive test subjects until then, would you? You wouldn't want three innocent women to be taken to Nemma just because they are test subjects and potential criminals."
"Ah…" the woman said, closing the hologram paper and leaving it on the table. As she did this, the module controlling her behavior seemed to turn off. "I am a presenter, Master Varden. What I want doesn't really matter. If we sum everything up, can we say this? You think Aldoux Weisshafen was killed because he was a potential heir."
"Yes… Damon Weisshafen had approved the stripping of his nobility—or rather, his heir status, to put it in a way you'd understand. Aldoux, who regained his heir status upon Damon's passing, has now passed away himself. The void of space has become his graveyard."
"What difficult times we are going through. For the first time in a long while, the SWR has fallen into such great chaos. The destruction of a Hyperion ship, an attack on a convoy, and a resource collector fighting with heirs… we are truly going through difficult times," the woman said and stood up. Lucius Varden stood up as well, and they shook hands in front of the table. "Thank you very much for your visit and for sharing your thoughts, Lucius Varden."
"And I thank you for hosting me."
At that moment, Sevda turned off the television and turned toward Urgan beside her, her mouth agape. "You… you couldn't have actually rescued this man, Urgan!" she shouted in shock. "Of all people, did you really have to rescue this man named Aldoux?"